Method for controlling connection status of UE and apparatus thereof

• US 10,440,691 B2
• Filed: 09/27/2017
• Issued: 10/08/2019
• Est. Priority Date: 09/30/2016
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: KT Corporation
• Original Assignee: KT Corporation
• Inventors: Hong, Sung-pyo, Choi, Woo-jin
• Primary Examiner(s): Jeong, Moo
• Application Number:
  US15/716,595
• Publication Number:
  US 20180098311A1
• Time in Patent Office: 741 Days
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/63 Routing a service request depending on the request content or context
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/724 User interfaces specially adapted for cordless or mobile telephones
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 52/02 Power saving arrangements in wired systems H04L12/12; signaling of mobile application services, e.g. low battery notifications H04W4/20
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 52/0212 managed by the network, e.g. network or access point is master and terminal is slave
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 72/20 Control channels or signalling for resource management
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 76/10 Connection setup
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 76/27 Transitions between radio resource control [RRC] states
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 76/38 triggered by timers
• CPC Class Codes: Y02D 30/70 in wireless communication networks

Abstract

Provided as a method and an apparatus for controlling a connection status of a UE. The method includes receiving specific RRC status instruction information for a UE from a mobility management entity (MME) and determining a RRC status for the UE based on the specific RRC status instruction information when the RRC status for the UE is changed, in which the specific RRC status is different from a RRC connection status and a RRC idle status.

Claims

1. A method for controlling a connection status of a user equipment (UE) by a base station, the method comprising:

receiving specific radio resource control (RRC) status instruction information for the UE from a mobility management entity (MME); and

determining a first RRC status for the UE based on the specific RRC status instruction information when the first RRC status for the UE is changed,

wherein the specific RRC status is different from an RRC connection status and an RRC idle status, and

wherein the specific RRC status instruction information includes a value indicating that the specific RRC status for the UE is supported or not supported, and wherein the MME receives NAS signaling including power saving mode (PSM) parameter request information from the UE, and the specific RRC status instruction information includes the value indicating that the specific RRC status is not supported.

2. The method according to claim 1, wherein the specific RRC status is at least one of a light connection status and a RRC inactive status in which a UE context of the UE is stored and a RAN initiation paging operation is supported.

3. The method according to claim 1, wherein the specific RRC status instruction information is included in at least one of an initial context setup request message and a UE context modification request message.

4. The method according to claim 1, wherein the determining of the first RRC status comprises, when the specific RRC status instruction information includes a value indicating that the specific RRC status for the UE is not supported, determining the connection status of the UE to be configured as the RRC idle status.

5. The method according to claim 1, wherein the determining of the first RRC status comprises, when the specific RRC status instruction information includes a value indicating that the specific RRC status for the UE is supported, determining the connection status of the UE to be configured as the specific RRC status.

6. A method for controlling a connection status of a user equipment (UE) by a mobility management entity (MME), the method comprising:

receiving non-access stratum (NAS) signaling including power saving mode parameter request information from the UE;

setting a specific radio resource control (RRC) status instruction information for the UE based on the NAS signaling; and

transmitting the specific RRC status instruction information for the UE to a base station,

wherein the RRC status is different from a RRC connection status and a RRC idle status, and

wherein the specific RRC status instruction information includes a value indicating that the specific RRC status for the UE is supported or not supported, and in the setting of specific RRC status instruction information, wherein the NAS signaling including the power saving mode parameter request information is received, a value indicating that the specific RRC status is not supported, and the value is included in the specific RRC status instruction information.

7. The method according to claim 6, wherein the specific RRC status is at least one of a light connection status and a RRC inactive status in which a UE context of the UE is stored by the base station or the UE and a RAN initiation paging operation is supported.

8. The method according to claim 6, wherein the specific RRC status instruction information is included in at least one of an initial context setup request message and a UE context modification request message, to be transmitted to the base station.

9. A base station for controlling a connection status of a user equipment (UE), the base station comprising:

a receiver configured to receive specific radio resource control (RRC) status instruction information for the UE from a mobility management entity (MME); and

a controller configured to determine a first RRC status for the UE based on the specific RRC status instruction information when the first RRC status for the UE is changed,

wherein the specific RRC status is different from a RRC connection status and a RRC idle status, and

wherein the specific RRC status instruction information includes a value indicating that the specific RRC status for the UE is supported or not supported and wherein the MME receives NAS signaling including power saving mode (PSM) parameter request information from the UE, and the specific RRC status instruction information includes the value indicating that the specific RRC status is not supported.

10. The base station according to claim 9, wherein the specific RRC status is at least one of a light connection status and a RRC inactive status in which a UE context of the UE is stored and a RAN initiation paging operation is supported.

11. The base station according to claim 9, wherein the specific RRC status instruction information is included in at least one of an initial context setup request message and a UE context modification request message.

12. The base station according to claim 9, wherein when the specific RRC status instruction information includes a value indicating that the specific RRC status for the UE is not supported, the controller determines the connection status of the UE to be configured as the RRC idle status.

13. The base station according to claim 9, wherein when the specific RRC status instruction information includes a value indicating that the specific RRC status for the UE is supported, the controller determines the connection status of the UE to be configured as the specific RRC status.