Discontinuous transmission/reception in a communications system

• US 20060195576A1
• Filed: 02/28/2005
• Published: 08/31/2006
• Est. Priority Date: 02/28/2005
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Google Technology Holdings LLC (Alphabet Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Motorola Mobility LLC (Lenovo Group Ltd.)
• Inventors: Tirkkonen, Olav, Rinne, Mika
• Granted Patent: US 8,312,142 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 709/226
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 47/70 Admission control; Resource allocation
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 47/822 Collecting or measuring resource availability data
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 47/824 Applicable to portable or mobile terminals
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 24/00 Supervisory, monitoring or testing arrangements
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 52/0216 using a pre-established activity schedule, e.g. traffic indication frame
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 52/0219 where the power saving management affects multiple terminals
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 72/04 Wireless resource allocation
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 72/23 in the downlink direction of a wireless link, i.e. towards a terminal
• CPC Class Codes: Y02D 30/70 in wireless communication networks

Abstract

Allocation information is transmitted in a communications system for indicating allocation of sets of transmission resources to communications devices. At least one allocation rule is defined for associating sequences of sets of transmission resources with communications devices, and a communications device monitors allocation information of sets of transmission resources associated with it. Communications devices are informed of their respective allocation rules. Transmission resources for the communications devices are allocated based at least on said allocation rules.

Claims

1. A method for allocating resources in a communication system to at least one communications device, the method comprising

transmitting allocation information for indicating allocation of sets of transmission resources,

defining at least one allocation rule for associating at least one sequence of sets of transmission resources with at least one communications device, a communications device monitoring allocation information of sets of transmission resources associated with the communications device,

informing said at least one communications device of said at least one allocation rule, and

allocating transmission resources for said at least one communications device based at least on said at least one allocation rule.

2. A method as defined in claim 1, wherein said at least one allocation rule defines that a communications device monitors allocation information at least periodically using a first period.

3. A method as defined in claim 2, wherein said first period is defined as one of:

a time period and a number of sets of transmission resources.

4. A method as defined in claim 2, wherein the first period is based on an expected transmission time interval.

5. A method as defined in claim 2, wherein said at least one allocation rule further defines that the communications device monitors allocation information periodically using a second period, which is shorter than the first period.

6. A method as defined in claim 5, wherein said at least one allocation rule further defines that the communications device conditionally monitors allocation information periodically using the second period.

7. A method as defined in claim 6, wherein said at least one allocation rule defines that the second period is used on condition that allocation information monitored using the first period does not indicate transmission resources allocated to the communications device.

8. A method as defined in claim 6, wherein said at least one allocation rule defines that the second period is used on condition that allocation information monitored using the first period indicates transmission resources allocated to the communications device.

9. A method as defined in claim 6, wherein said at least one allocation rule defines that the second period is used on condition that information carried by transmission resources associated with the first period is erroneously received by the communications device.

10. A method as defined in claim 1, wherein said at least one allocation rule defines that a communications device monitors allocation information of a sequence of sets of transmission resources starting from a given set of transmission resources.

11. A method as defined in claim 10, comprising announcing the given set of transmission resources using an earlier set of transmission resources.

12. A method as defined in claim 1, wherein said at least one allocation rule defines that a communications device monitors allocation information periodically using a first period and allocation information of a sequence of sets of transmission resources starting from a given set of transmission resources.

13. A method as defined in claim 12, wherein said at least one allocation rule further defines that the communications device conditionally monitors pieces of allocation information periodically using a second period, which is shorter than the first period.

14. A method as defined in claim 1, comprising sending information relating to allocation rules to said at least one communications device.

15. A method as defined in claim 1, comprising receiving information relating to allocation rules from at least one of said at least one communications device.

16. A method as defined in claim 1, wherein a set of transmission resources is one of:

a frame, a superframe, a slot, a set of symbols of a frame.

17. A method as defined in claim 1, comprising transmitting allocation information associated with a set of transmission resources with the set of transmission resources.

18. A method as defined in claim 1, wherein allocation information associated with a set of transmission resources indicates allocation of transmission resources in at least one direction of:

downlink and uplink.

19. A method as defined in claim 1, wherein a set of transmission resources is a piece of information on a shared medium and allocation information associated with a piece of information is transmitted with the piece of information.

20. A method as defined in claim 1, where allocation information of a set of transmission resources comprises at least one identifier associated with a communications device.

21. A method as defined in claim 20, wherein the at least one identifier is associated with a radio link relating to the communications device.

22. A method as defined in claim 1, wherein allocation information of a set of transmission resources comprises at least one identifier associated with at least one of:

a communications device, a group of communications devices.

23. A method as defined in claim 1, comprising assigning to a group of communications devices an identifier associated with the group.

24. A method as defined in claim 1, comprising defining allocation rules for a plurality of communications devices so that the plurality of communications devices monitor the same sets of transmission resources.

25. A method as defined in claim 24, comprising defining a first plurality and a second plurality, the first plurality monitoring a first sequence of sets of transmission resources and the second plurality monitoring a second sequence of sets of transmission resources

26. A method as defined in claim 1, comprising adjusting said at least one allocation rule depending on at least one of:

transmission load, changing allocation needs, traffic type, traffic flows, device capability, bit rate requirements, delay requirements, buffering requirements.

27. A method of operating a communications device, the method comprising

determining at least one allocation rule for the communications device, said at least one allocation rule defining a sequence of sets of transmission resources associated with the communications device,

monitoring allocation information of said sequence of sets of transmission resources, and

determining whether said sequence of sets of transmission resources contains transmission resources allocated for the communications device based on the allocation information of said sequence of sets of transmission resources.

28. A method as defined in claim 27, where said at least one allocation rule is associated with at least one of:

an identifier of the communications device, an identifier of a group of communications devices.

29. A method as defined in claim 28, comprising receiving information relating to the identifier of the group of communications devices from a communications system.

30. A method as defined in claim 27, wherein said at least one allocation rule is specific to one of:

a data flow, a communications device.

31. A communication system, configured to

transmit allocation information for indicating allocation of sets of transmission resources,

define at least one allocation rule for associating at least one sequence of sets of transmission resources with at least one communications device, a communications device monitoring allocation information of sets of transmission resources associated with the communications device,

inform said at least one communications device of said at least one allocation rule, and

allocate transmission resources for said at least one communications device based at least on said at least one allocation rule.

32. A communications system as defined in claim 31, comprising a communications device configured to

determine at least one allocation rule, said at least one allocation rule defining a sequence of sets of transmission resources associated with the communications device,

monitor allocation information of said sequence of sets of transmission resources, and

determine whether said sequence of sets of transmission resources contains transmission resources allocated for the communications device based on the allocation information of said sequence of sets of transmission resources.

33. A communication system, comprising

means for transmitting allocation information for indicating allocation of sets of transmission resources,

means for defining at least one allocation rule for associating at least one sequence of sets of transmission resources with at least one communications device, a communications device monitoring allocation information of sets of transmission resources associated with the communications device,

means for informing said at least one communications device of said at least one allocation rule, and

means for allocating transmission resources for said at least one communications device based at least on said at least one allocation rule.

34. A transceiver network element, configured to

transmit allocation information for indicating allocation of sets of transmission resources,

define at least one allocation rule for associating at least one sequence of sets of transmission resources with at least one communications device, a communications device monitoring allocation information of sets of transmission resources associated with the communications device,

inform said at least one communications device of said at least one allocation rule, and

allocate transmission resources for said at least one communications device based at least on said at least one allocation rule.

35. A transceiver network element, comprising

means for transmitting allocation information for indicating allocation of sets of transmission resources,

means for defining at least one allocation rule for associating at least one sequence of sets of transmission resources with at least one communications device, a communications device monitoring allocation information of sets of transmission resources associated with the communications device,

means for informing said at least one communications device of said at least one allocation rule, and

means for allocating transmission resources for said at least one communications device based at least on said at least one allocation rule.

36. A communications device, configured to

determine at least one allocation rule for the communications device, said at least one allocation rule defining sequence of sets of transmission resources associated with the communications device,

monitor allocation information of said sequence of sets of transmission resources, and

determine whether said sequence of sets of transmission resources contains transmission resources allocated for the communications device based on the allocation information of said sequence of sets of transmission resources.

37. A communications device, comprising

means for determining at least one allocation rule for the communications device, said at least one allocation rule defining a sequence of sets of transmission resources associated with the communications device,

means for monitoring allocation information of said sequence of sets of transmission resources, and

means for determining whether said sequence of sets of transmission resources contains transmission resources allocated for the communications device based on the allocation information of said sequence of sets of transmission resources.

38. A computer program comprising instructions for causing a data processing system comprising at least one data processor to perform the following steps, when the program is run on the data processing system:

transmitting allocation information for indicating allocation of sets of transmission resources,

defining at least one allocation rule for associating at least one sequence of sets of transmission resources with at least one communications device, a communications device monitoring allocation information of sets of transmission resources associated with the communications device,

informing said at least one communications device of said at least one allocation rule, and

allocating transmission resources for said at least one communications device based at least on said at least one allocation rule.

39. A computer program comprising instructions for causing a data processing system comprising at least one data processor to perform the following steps, when the program is run on the data processing system:

determining at least one allocation rule for the communications device, said at least one allocation rule defining a sequence of sets of transmission resources associated with the communications device,

monitoring allocation information of said sequence of sets of transmission resources, and

determining whether said sequence of sets of transmission resources contains transmission resources allocated for the communications device based on the allocation information of said sequence of sets of transmission resources.