Apparatus, method and computer program product providing fast and reliable uplink synchronization using dedicated resources for user equipment in need of synchronization

• US 20070184865A1
• Filed: 02/07/2007
• Published: 08/09/2007
• Est. Priority Date: 02/07/2006
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Nokia Technologies Oy (Nokia Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Nokia Corporation
• Inventors: Vainikka, Markku, Phan, Vinh
• Granted Patent: US 8,078,170 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 455/509
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 7/2681 Synchronisation of a mobile station with one base station
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 56/0005 synchronizing of arrival of multiple uplinks
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 56/0045 compensating for timing error by altering transmission time
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 72/563 of the wireless resources
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 74/0866 using a dedicated channel for access
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 92/10 between terminal device and access point, i.e. wireless air interface

Abstract

A method includes determining if a user equipment has a need to establish uplink synchronization with a base station. In response to determining that the user equipment has the need to establish uplink synchronization with the base station, a determination is made if uplink resources are available on a non-contention-based channel for the user equipment. In response to determining that uplink resources are available on the non-contention-based channel for the user equipment, the uplink resources are dedicated on the non-contention-based channel to the user equipment and an indication of the dedicated uplink resources is communicated to the user equipment. Using at least the uplink resources, the user equipment is synchronized on the non-contention-based channel in order to receive information from the user equipment.

Claims

1. A method comprising:

determining if a user equipment has a need to establish uplink synchronization with a base station;

in response to determining that the user equipment has the need to establish uplink synchronization with the base station, determining if uplink resources are available on a non-contention-based channel for the user equipment;

in response to determining that uplink resources are available on the non-contention-based channel for the user equipment, dedicating the uplink resources on the non-contention-based channel to the user equipment and communicating an indication of the dedicated uplink resources to the user equipment; and

using at least the uplink resources, synchronizing with the user equipment on the non-contention-based channel in order to receive information from the user equipment.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the need comprises a handover process from a current base station to which the user equipment is assigned to a target base station to which the user equipment is to be assigned after completion of the handover process.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein synchronizing further comprises communicating timing advance information from the user equipment to the base station.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the need comprises an incoming call to the user equipment.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the need comprises a loss of synchronization between the user equipment and the base station.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein communicating further comprises one of the following:

a layer one (L1) allocation table, comprising the indication, on a downlink channel to the user equipment;

or communicating a radio resource control (RRC) message, comprising the indication, on the downlink channel to the user equipment, wherein the RRC message comprises one of an RRC paging message or an RRC handover message.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein communicating an indication of the dedicated uplink resources further comprises communicating a bit sequence to the user equipment and wherein synchronizing further comprises receiving the bit sequence from the user equipment.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein the method further comprises, after synchronizing, assigning new dedicated resources to the user equipment for the use of the user equipment in further transactions with the base station.

9. The method of claim 1, wherein the dedicated uplink resources comprise at least one of uplink channel, frequency, time slot, or spreading code for the non-contention-based channel, and wherein the indication corresponds to the at least one of uplink channel, frequency, time slot, or spreading code.

10. The method of claim 1, wherein determining if uplink resources are available for the user equipment further comprises determining if a subscription class associated with the user equipment meets a predetermined subscription class.

11. The method of claim 1, wherein determining if uplink resources are available for the user equipment further comprises determining if a priority associated with the user equipment takes precedence over priorities of other user equipment.

12. A computer program product tangibly embodying a program of machine-readable instructions executable by at least one data processor to perform operations comprising:

determining if a user equipment has a need to establish uplink synchronization with a base station;

in response to determining that the user equipment has the need to establish uplink synchronization with the base station, determining if uplink resources are available on a non-contention-based channel for the user equipment;

in response to determining that uplink resources are available on the non-contention-based channel for the user equipment, dedicating the uplink resources on the non-contention-based channel to the user equipment and communicating an indication of the dedicated uplink resources to the user equipment; and

using at least the uplink resources, synchronizing with the user equipment on the non-contention-based channel in order to receive information from the user equipment.

13. The computer program product of claim 12, wherein the need comprises one of:

a handover process from a current base station to which the user equipment is assigned to a target base station to which the user equipment is to be assigned after completion of the handover process;

an incoming call to the user equipment;

or

a loss of synchronization between the user equipment and the base station.

14. The computer program product of claim 12, wherein the operation of synchronizing further comprises the operation of communicating timing advance information from the user equipment to the base station.

15. The computer program product of claim 12, wherein the operation of communicating further comprises one of the following operations:

communicating a layer one (L1) allocation table, comprising the indication, on a downlink channel to the user equipment;

or communicating a radio resource control (RRC) message, comprising the indication, on the downlink channel to the user equipment, wherein the RRC message comprises one of an RRC paging message or an RRC handover message.

16. The computer program product of claim 12, wherein the operation of communicating an indication of the dedicated uplink resources further comprises the operation of communicating a bit sequence to the user equipment and wherein synchronizing further comprises receiving the bit sequence from the user equipment.

17. The computer program product of claim 12, wherein the operations further comprise, after the operation of synchronizing, assigning new dedicated resources to the user equipment for the use of the user equipment in further transactions with the base station.

18. The computer program product of claim 12, wherein the dedicated uplink resources comprise at least one of uplink channel, frequency, time slot, or spreading code for the non-contention-based channel, and wherein the indication corresponds to the at least one of uplink channel, frequency, time slot, or spreading code.

19. The computer program product of claim 12, wherein the operation of determining if uplink resources are available for the user equipment further comprises the operation of determining if a subscription class associated with the user equipment meets a predetermined subscription class.

20. The computer program product of claim 12, wherein the operation of determining if uplink resources are available for the user equipment further comprises the operation of determining if a priority associated with the user equipment takes precedence over priorities of other user equipment.

21. An apparatus, comprising:

a transceiver; and

at least one data processor coupled to the transceiver, the at least one data processor configured to determine if a user equipment has a need to establish uplink synchronization with a base station, the at least one data processor further configured, in response to a determination that the user equipment has the need to establish uplink synchronization with the base station, to determine if uplink resources are available on a non-contention-based channel for the user equipment, the at least one data processor also configured, in response to a determination that uplink resources are available on the non-contention-based channel for the user equipment, to dedicate the uplink resources on the non-contention-based channel to the user equipment and to use the transceiver to communicate an indication of the dedicated uplink resources to the user equipment, and the at least one processor further configured, using at least the uplink resources and the transceiver, to synchronize on the non-contention-based channel at least the transceiver with the user equipment in order to receive information from the user equipment.

22. The apparatus of claim 21, wherein at least the memory and the at least one data processor are formed on an integrated circuit.

23. The apparatus of claim 21, wherein the need comprises a handover process from a current base station to which the user equipment is assigned to a target base station to which the user equipment is to be assigned after completion of the handover process.

24. The apparatus of claim 23, wherein the at least one data processor is further configured, when synchronizing, to communicate timing advance information from the user equipment to the base station.

25. The apparatus of claim 21, wherein the need comprises an incoming call to the user equipment.

26. The apparatus of claim 21, wherein the need comprises a loss of synchronization between the user equipment and the base station.

27. The apparatus of claim 21, wherein the at least one data processor is configured to perform one of the following:

to communicate a layer one (L1) allocation table, comprising the indication, on a downlink channel to the user equipment;

or to communicate a radio resource control (RRC) message, comprising the indication, on the downlink channel to the user equipment, wherein the RRC message comprises one of an RRC paging message or an RRC handover message.

28. The apparatus of claim 21, wherein the at least one data processor is further configured, when communicating an indication of the dedicated uplink resources, to communicate a bit sequence to the user equipment and wherein the at least one data processor is further configured, when synchronizing, to receive the bit sequence from the user equipment.

29. The apparatus of claim 21, wherein the at least one data processor is further configured, after synchronization, to assign new dedicated resources to the user equipment for the use of the user equipment in further transactions with the base station.

30. The apparatus of claim 21, wherein the dedicated uplink resources comprise at least one of uplink channel, frequency, time slot, or spreading code for the non-contention-based channel, and wherein the indication corresponds to the at least one of uplink channel, frequency, time slot, or spreading code.

31. The apparatus of claim 21, wherein the at least one data processor is configured, when performing the determination of whether uplink resources are available for the user equipment, to determine if a subscription class associated with the user equipment meets a predetermined subscription class.

32. The apparatus of claim 21, wherein the at least one data processor is configured, when performing the determination of whether uplink resources are available for the user equipment, to determine if a priority associated with the user equipment takes precedence over priorities of other user equipment.

33. An apparatus, comprising:

means for communicating information over a wireless link;

means for determining if a user equipment has a need to establish uplink synchronization with a base station;

means, responsive to a determination that the user equipment has the need to establish uplink synchronization with the base station, for determining if uplink resources are available on a non-contention-based channel for the user equipment;

means, responsive to a determination that uplink resources are available on the non-contention-based channel for the user equipment, for dedicating the uplink resources on the non-contention-based channel to the user equipment and for using the means for communicating to communicate an indication of the dedicated uplink resources to the user equipment; and

means, using at least the uplink resources and the means for communicating, for synchronizing on the non-contention-based channel at least the means for communicating with the user equipment in order to receive information from the user equipment.

34. The apparatus of claim 33, wherein the need comprises one of:

a handover process from a current base station to which the user equipment is assigned to a target base station to which the user equipment is to be assigned after completion of the handover process;

an incoming call to the user equipment;

or

a loss of synchronization between the user equipment and the base station.

35. The apparatus of claim 33, wherein the means for communicating further communicates one of a layer one (L1) allocation table or a radio resource control (RRC) message on a downlink channel to the user equipment.