Wireless timing and power control

• US 20040106431A1
• Filed: 08/07/2003
• Published: 06/03/2004
• Est. Priority Date: 08/08/2002
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Qualcomm, Inc.
• Original Assignee: Qualcomm, Inc.
• Inventors: Uppala, Sathyadev Venkata, Laroia, Rajiv, Li, Junyi
• Granted Patent: US 7,668,573 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 455/552.1
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 16/12 Fixed resource partitioning
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 16/14 Spectrum sharing arrangements between different networks
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 24/00 Supervisory, monitoring or testing arrangements
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 36/06 Reselecting a communication resource in the serving access point
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 52/0235 where the received signal is a power saving command
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 52/028 switching on or off only a part of the equipment circuit blocks
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 52/08 Closed loop power control
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 52/281 taking into account user or data type priority
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 52/283 Power depending on the position of the mobile
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 52/286 during data packet transmission, e.g. high speed packet access [HSPA]
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 52/287 when the channel is in stand-by
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 52/288 taking into account the usage mode, e.g. hands-free, data transmission, telephone
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 52/60 using different transmission rates for TPC commands
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 68/02 Arrangements for increasing efficiency of notification or paging channel
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 68/025 Indirect paging
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 72/00 Local resource management
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 72/21 in the uplink direction of a wireless link, i.e. towards the network
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 72/51 based on terminal or device properties
• CPC Class Codes: Y02D 30/70 in wireless communication networks

Abstract

The use of multiple states of mobile communication device operation to allow a single base station to support a relatively large number of mobile nodes is described. The various states require different amounts of communications resources, e.g., bandwidth. Four supported states of operation are an on-state, a hold-state, a sleep-state, and an access-state. Each mobile node in the on-state is allocated communication resources to perform transmission power control signaling, transmission timing control signaling and to transmit data as part of a data uplink communications operation. Each mobile node in the hold-state is allocated communication resources to perform transmission timing control signaling and is provided a dedicated uplink for requesting a state transition and a shared resource for transmitting acknowledgements. In the sleep state a mobile node is allocated minimal resources and does not conduct power control signaling or timing control signaling. Data may be received in the on and hold states.

Claims

1. A communications method, the method comprising:

operating a wireless terminal, at different times, in each one of at least three different operational states, the three different operational states including an first state, a second state and a third state,

wherein operating the wireless terminal in the first state includes using a first amount of a control communications resource used to send control signals between a base station and said wireless terminal;

wherein operating the wireless terminal in the second state includes using a second amount of said control communications resource, said second amount of said control communications resource being less than said first amount, said used second amount of said control communications resource including a dedicated uplink signaling channel and a shared downlink signaling channel used to communicate information relating to the allocation of uplink and downlink resources for the communication of data, respectively; and

wherein operating the wireless terminal in the third state includes using a third amount of said control communications resource which is less than said first and second amounts.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein transitioning from one of said three states to another one of said three states in response to a change in user activity.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein said first state is an on state, said second state is a hold state, and said third state is a sleep state.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein said third amount of control communications resource includes a third set of communications elements, which said second amount of control communications resource includes a second set of communications elements which includes additional communications elements in addition to said third set of communications elements, and where said first amount of control communications resource includes a first set of communications elements which includes said second set of communications elements in addition to said second set of communications elements.

5. The method of claim 4, wherein said communications elements correspond to segments of communications channels used by said wireless terminal.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein operating in said second state includes:

transmitting at most, a small number of bits over said uplink signaling channel during any one uplink signaling transmission period.

7. The method of claim 6, wherein said small number of bits includes at most 8 bits.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein operating said wireless terminal in said second state includes allowing at least one uplink channel segment dedicated to use by said wireless terminal to go unused, said wireless terminal not transmitting any signal into said dedicated uplink channel segment.

9. The method of claim 1, wherein operating said wireless terminal in said second state includes transmitting a state transition request using an uplink channel segment dedicated to said wireless terminal, the dedication of said uplink channel segment to said wireless terminal avoiding possible contention with other wireless terminals for use of said dedicated uplink channel segment.

10. The method of claim 1, wherein in said second state said wireless terminal does not receive any downlink control resources dedicated exclusively to said wireless terminal other than downlink resources used for power control or timing control signaling.

11. The method of claim 1, further comprising operating a base station to communicate with a plurality of wireless terminals, said wireless terminal being one of said plurality of wireless terminals, operating said base station including allowing at least some segments of a downlink allocation assignment channel to go unused, said base station not transmitting anything into said unused downlink allocation assignment channel segments.

12. The method of claim 1, wherein operating said wireless terminal in said third state includes:

transmitting an uplink channel resource allocation request in a segment of a common signaling channel into which other wireless terminals can also transmit uplink channel resource allocation requests thereby possibly creating signaling conflicts.

13. The method of claim 12, wherein said step of transmitting an uplink channel resource allocation request is performed as part of a transition from said third state to one of the other two possible states of operation.

14. The method of claim 1, operating said wireless terminal in said first state and said second state includes performing timing control signaling in both of said states.

15. The method of claim 14, wherein the rate at which timing control signals are transmitted by said wireless terminal in said first state is at least as fast as the rate at which timing control signals are transmitted by said wireless terminal while operating in said second state.

16. The method of claim 15, wherein in any state of operation in which power control signals are transmitted, the wireless terminal transmits said power control signals at a rate no slower than the rate at which timing control signals are being transmitted.

17. The method of claim 14, wherein timing corrections signals include timing control messages, the timing control messages being transmitted at non-regular time intervals.

18. The method of claim 1, wherein operating said wireless terminal in at least two of said three states includes receiving timing correction signals from the base station in a communications channel segment dedicated to said wireless terminal to the exclusion of use of said communication channel segment by other wireless terminals.

19. The method of claim 1, wherein said method further includes operating the base station, operating said base station including:

controlling the base station to allocate, over at least one one-second time period, more downlink communications resources used to communicate user data from the base station to wireless terminals in said cell which are in the first state, than which are in said second state.

20. The method of claim 19, wherein user data does not include power control and timing control signals.

21. The method of claim 1, wherein said wireless terminal is allocated at least some downlink data channel segments during said second state, the step of operating said wireless terminal in said second state including:

receiving at least some user data, transmitted in said at least some downlink data channel segments, from said base station.

22. The method of claim 21, wherein said wireless terminal is allowed no uplink traffic channel data segments which can be used to transmit user data while said wireless terminal is in said second state.

23. The method of claim 1, wherein said method further includes operating a base station, included in the same cell as said wireless terminal, to control transitions of said wireless terminal between at least two of said three states as a function of quality of service profile information associated with said wireless terminal.

24. The method of claim 23, wherein said base station further controls transitions of said wireless terminal between at least two of said three states as a function of traffic quality of service profile information associated with said wireless terminal.

25. The method of claim 1, wherein operating said wireless terminal further includes:

controlling transitions of said wireless terminal between at least two of said three states as a function of quality of service profile information associated with said wireless terminal.

26. A wireless terminal, comprising:

means for controlling said wireless terminal to operate, at different times, in each one of at least three different operational states, the three different operational states including an first state, a second state and a third state;

means for communicating with a base station, during said first state of operation, using a first amount of a control communications resource used to send control signals between the base station and said wireless terminal;

means for communicating with the base station, during said second state of operation, using a second amount of said control communications resource, said second amount of said control communications resource being less than said first amount, said used second amount of said control communications resource including a dedicated uplink signaling channel and a shared downlink signaling channel used to communicate information relating to the allocation of uplink and downlink resources for the communication of data, respectively; and

means for communicating with the base station, during said third state of operation, using a third amount of said control communications resource which is less than said first and second amounts.

27. The wireless terminal of claim 26, further comprising:

a user input device; and

means for controlling transitions from one of said three states to another one of said three states in response to user input received from said user input device.

28. The wireless terminal of claim 27, wherein said first state is an on state, said second state is a hold state, and said third state is a sleep state.

29. The wireless terminal of claim 36, wherein said third amount of control communications resource includes a third set of communications elements, which said second amount of control communications resource includes a second set of communications elements which includes additional communications elements in addition to said third set of communications elements, and where said first amount of control communications resource includes a first set of communications elements which includes said second set of communications elements in addition to said second set of communications elements.

30. The wireless terminal of claim 29, wherein the communications elements of segments of control channels.