Method and apparatus for user equipment directed radio resource control in a UMTS network

• US 20070135080A1
• Filed: 12/14/2005
• Published: 06/14/2007
• Est. Priority Date: 12/14/2005
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Blackberry Limited
• Original Assignee: Research In Motion Limited (Blackberry Limited)
• Inventors: Wirtanen, Jeffery, Islam, Muhammad
• Granted Patent: US 7,949,377 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 455/343.100
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 52/0251 using monitoring of local events, e.g. events related to user activity
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 72/04 Wireless resource allocation
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 76/27 Transitions between radio resource control [RRC] states
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 76/28 Discontinuous transmission [DTX]; Discontinuous reception [DRX]
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 84/042 Public Land Mobile systems, e.g. cellular systems
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 88/02 Terminal devices
• CPC Class Codes: Y02D 30/70 in wireless communication networks

Abstract

A method and apparatus for improved battery performance of user equipment in a wireless network having multiple radio resource control (RRC) states, the method comprising the steps of: monitoring, at the user equipment, application data exchange; determining when no application on the user equipment is expected to exchange data; and initiating, from the user equipment, a transition to a less battery demanding radio resource control state or mode.

Claims

1. A method for improved battery performance of user equipment in a wireless network having multiple radio resource control (RRC) states, comprising the steps of:

a. monitoring, at the user equipment, application data exchange;

b. determining when no application on the user equipment is expected to exchange data; and

c. initiating, from the user equipment, a transition to a less battery demanding radio resource control state or mode

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the initiating step comprises tearing down a signaling connection setup between the user equipment and the wireless network.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein the tearing down step causes the network to release the radio resource connection, transitioning the radio resource control state to an idle mode for said user equipment.

4. The method of claim 2, wherein said tearing down step frees up network resources.

5. The method of claims 1, wherein the wireless network is a UMTS network.

6. The method of claim 5, wherein a radio resource control state prior to said initiating step is a CELL_DCH or a CELL_FACH state.

7. The method of claim 5, wherein a radio resource control state prior to said initiating step is a CELL_PCH or a URA_PCH state.

8. The method of claim 5, wherein said initiating step includes sending a message to a Universal Terrestrial Radio Access Network (UTRAN) to move the radio resource control state to a less battery intensive state.

9. The method of claim 8, wherein said less battery intensive state is a state selected from the group consisting of a CELL_FACH state, a CELL_PCH state and a URA_PCH state.

10. The method of claim 1, wherein the user equipment is an always-on device required to send keep alive messages to an application server.

11. The method of claim 1, wherein the user equipment includes an RRC Connection Manager, said RRC connection manager performing said determining step.

12. The method of claim 11, wherein said determining step includes tracking currently running applications, each of said currently running applications having an inactivity timeout, and creating a composite status to find when no application is expected to send data.

13. The method of claim 12, wherein said determining step further includes tracking associated PDP contexts, PS radio access bearers, PS radio bearers for said user equipment.

14. The method of claim 12, wherein said determining step further includes tracking associated CS radio bearers.

15. The method of claim 13, wherein said determining step is dynamic based on traffic pattern history.

16. The method of claim 13, further comprising the step of blocking said initiating step if said RRC state is a URA_PCH state.

17. A user equipment adapted for reduces battery consumption in a UMTS network, the user equipment having a radio subsystem including a radio adapted to communicate with the UMTS network;

a radio processor having a digital signal processor and adapted to interact with said radio subsystem;

memory;

a user interface;

a processor adapted to run user applications and interact with the memory, the radio and the user interface and adapted to run applications, the user equipment characterized by having means for;

a. monitoring, at the user equipment, application data exchange;

b. determining when no application on the user equipment is expected to exchange data; and

c. initiating, from the user equipment, a transition to a less battery demanding radio resource control state or mode.

18. The user equipment of claim 17, wherein the means for initiating is adapted to tear down a signaling connection setup between the user equipment and the wireless network.

19. The user equipment of claim 18, wherein the means for initiating, when tearing down the signaling connection, is adapted to cause the network to release the radio resource connection, thereby transitioning the radio resource control state to an idle mode for said user equipment.

20. The user equipment of claim 17, wherein said means for initiating, when tearing down the signaling connection, frees up ciphering, integrity and radio bearer resources.

21. The user equipment of claim 17, wherein said means for initiating is adapted to send a message to a Universal Terrestrial Radio Access Network (UTRAN) to move the radio resource control state to a less battery intensive state.

22. The user equipment of claim 21, wherein said less battery intensive state is a state selected from the group consisting of a Cell_FACH state, a Cell_PCH state and a URA_PCH state.

23. The user equipment of any of claims 17, wherein the means for determining is an RRC Connection Manager.

24. The user equipment of claim 23, wherein said RRC connection manager is adapted to track currently running applications or application protocols, each of said currently running applications or application protocols having an inactivity timeout, said RRC connection manager adapted to create a composite status to find when no application is expected to send data.

25. The user equipment of claim 24, wherein said RRC connection manager is adapted to track associated PDP contexts, PS radio access bearers, and PS radio bearers for said user equipment.

26. The user equipment of claim 24, wherein said RRC connection manager is adapted to track associated CS radio bearers for said user equipment.

27. The user equipment of claim 25, wherein said RRC Connection manager is adapted to determine on a dynamic basis based on traffic pattern history.

28. The user equipment of claim 25, further including means for blocking, said means for blocking adapted to prevent said means for initiating from starting a transition if said RRC state is URA_PCH.