Method and Apparatus for Managing Downlink Discontinuous Reception Operation in a Wireless Communications System

• US 20080299996A1
• Filed: 05/21/2008
• Published: 12/04/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 05/29/2007
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Innovative Sonic Limited
• Original Assignee: Innovative Sonic Limited
• Inventors: Tseng, Li-Chih
• Granted Patent: US 8,060,122 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 455/458
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 76/28 Discontinuous transmission [DTX]; Discontinuous reception [DRX]

Abstract

A method for managing downlink discontinuous reception associated with paging for a user equipment of a wireless communications system is provided in order to avoid system malfunction due to inappropriate use of configuration. The method includes initiating a radio resource control, hereinafter called RRC, connection establishment procedure to request a network terminal for an RRC connection, receiving a request accepting message including a first information element for indicating the UE an assigned RRC state to be entered and a second information element for providing configuration corresponding to the downlink discontinuous reception, and ignoring the second information element when the assigned RRC state is a state for allocation of dedicated radio resources.

Claims

1. A method of managing downlink discontinuous reception corresponding to paging operation for a user equipment of a wireless communications system, the method comprising:

initiating a radio resource control, hereinafter called RRC, connection establishment procedure to request a network terminal for an RRC connection;

receiving a request accepting message from the network terminal, the request accepting message comprising a first information element, configured for indicating an RRC state for the user equipment to enter, and a second information element, configured for providing configuration corresponding to the downlink discontinuous reception; and

ignoring the second information element when the indicated RRC state is an RRC state for allocation of dedicated radio resources.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein initiating the RRC connection establishment procedure to request the network terminal for the RRC connection comprises sending an RRC Connection Request message.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein the request accepting message is an RRC Connection Setup message, the first information element is an RRC State Indicator information element, and the second information element is a UTRAN DRX cycle length coefficient information element.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the RRC state for allocation of dedicated radio resources is a CELL_DCH state.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the downlink discontinuous reception corresponding to the paging operation is applied to a CELL_PCH state and a URA_PCH state.

6. A communications device of a wireless communications system for accurately managing downlink discontinuous reception corresponding to paging operation, the communications device comprising:

a control circuit for realizing functions of the communications device;

a central processing unit coupled to the control circuit for executing a program code to operate the control circuit; and

a memory coupled to the central processing unit for storing the program code;

wherein the program code comprises;

initiating a radio resource control, hereinafter called RRC, connection establishment procedure to request a network terminal for an RRC connection;

receiving a request accepting message from the network terminal, the request accepting message comprising a first information element, configured for indicating an RRC state for the communications device to enter, and a second information element, configured for providing configuration corresponding to the downlink discontinuous reception; and

ignoring the second information element when the indicated RRC state is an RRC state for allocation of dedicated radio resources.

7. The communications device of claim 6, wherein initiating the RRC connection establishment procedure to request the network terminal for the RRC connection comprises sending an RRC Connection Request message.

8. The communications device of claim 7, wherein the request accepting message is an RRC Connection Setup message, the first information element is an RRC State Indicator information element, and the second information element is a UTRAN DRX cycle length coefficient information element.

9. The communications device of claim 6, wherein the RRC state for allocation of dedicated radio resources is a CELL_DCH state.

10. The communications device of claim 6, wherein the downlink discontinuous reception corresponding to the paging operation is applied to a CELL_PCH state and a URA_PCH state.