System and Method for Semi-Persistent and Dynamic Scheduling and Discontinuous Reception Control

• US 20080310355A1
• Filed: 12/18/2007
• Published: 12/18/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 06/15/2007
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Malikie Innovations Limited (Key Patent Innovations Limited)
• Original Assignee: Blackberry Limited
• Inventors: Womack, James Earl, Cai, Zhijun
• Granted Patent: US 8,964,650 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 370/329
• CPC Class Codes: H04Q 2213/13034 A/D conversion, code compression/expansion
• CPC Class Codes: H04Q 2213/13098 Mobile subscriber
• CPC Class Codes: H04Q 2213/13332 Broadband, CATV, dynamic bandwidth allocation
• CPC Class Codes: H04Q 2213/13389 LAN, internet
• 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 52/0274 by switching on or off the equipment or parts thereof
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 72/04 Wireless resource allocation
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 72/12 Wireless traffic scheduling
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 72/1263 Mapping of traffic onto schedule, e.g. scheduled allocation or multiplexing of flows
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 76/10 Connection setup
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 76/28 Discontinuous transmission [DTX]; Discontinuous reception [DRX]
• CPC Class Codes: Y02D 30/70 in wireless communication networks

Abstract

Methods of combining semi-persistent resource allocation and dynamic resource allocation are provided. Packets, such as VoIP packets, are transmitted on the uplink and downlink using respective semi-persistent resources. For each mobile device, awake periods and sleep periods are defined. The semi-persistent resources are aligned with the awake periods so that most of the time the mobile device can turn off its wireless access radio during the sleep periods. In addition, signalling to request, and to allocate, resources for additional packets are transmitted during the awake periods, and the resources allocated for the additional packets are within the awake windows.

Claims

1. A method in a wireless network, the method comprising:

for each mobile device of a plurality of mobile devices, in order to transmit to the mobile device the wireless network;

a) transmitting downlink packets to the mobile device using a semi-persistent downlink transmission resource that is aligned with awake periods defined for the mobile device;

b) for each additional downlink packet or sub-packet for the mobile device;

i) dynamically allocating an additional downlink transmission resource to transmit the additional packet or sub-packet, the additional resource being allocated to occur within one of the awake periods defined for the mobile device;

ii) during one of the awake periods defined for the mobile device, transmitting signaling that defines the additional downlink transmission resource to transmit the additional packet or sub-packet;

iii) during one of the awake periods defined for the mobile device, transmitting the additional downlink packet using the additional downlink resource.

2. The method of claim 1 wherein:

transmitting downlink packets to the mobile device using a semi-persistent downlink transmission resource that is aligned with awake periods defined for the mobile device comprises transmitting downlink VoIP packets during a downlink talk-spurt for a VoIP session involving the mobile device.

3. The method of claim 1 further comprising:

transmitting signaling to each mobile device that defines the awake periods and that defines sleep periods of that mobile device.

4. The method of claim 1 further comprising:

transmitting signaling to each mobile device that defines the semi-persistent downlink transmission resource of that mobile device.

5. The method of claim 1 further comprising:

transmitting a broadcast channel containing signaling information;

wherein for each mobile device, transmitting signaling during one of the awake periods defined for the mobile device that defines the downlink resource for the additional downlink packet comprises transmitting the signaling information on the broadcast channel during one of the awake periods defined for that mobile device.

6. The method of claim 1 further comprising:

for each mobile device of the plurality of mobile devices, in order to receive from the mobile device, the wireless network;

c) receiving uplink packets from the mobile device using a semi-persistent uplink transmission resource that is aligned with the awake periods defined for the mobile device;

d) for each additional uplink packet or sub-packet for the mobile device;

i) during one of the awake periods, receiving a request for an additional uplink transmission resource to transmit the additional uplink packet or sub-packet;

ii) dynamically allocating the additional uplink transmission resource such that the additional uplink transmission resource occurs during one of the awake periods defined for the mobile device;

iii) during one of the awake periods defined for the mobile device, transmitting signaling that defines the additional uplink allocation;

iv) receiving the additional uplink packet or sub-packet using the additional uplink transmission resource.

7. The method of claim 6 wherein receiving uplink packets from the mobile device using a semi-persistent uplink transmission resource that is aligned with the awake periods defined for the mobile device comprises receiving uplink VoIP packets during an uplink talk-spurt for a VoIP session involving the mobile device.

8. The method of claim 6 further comprising:

for each mobile device, transmitting signaling to the mobile device that defines the semi-persistent uplink resource for the mobile device.

9. A method in a mobile device, the method comprising:

controlling a reception capability of the mobile device during a plurality of awake periods and a plurality of sleep periods, the awake periods alternating in time with the sleep periods, such that the reception capability is always on during each of the awake periods, and the reception capability is off for at least some of the sleep periods;

receiving at the mobile device downlink packets on a semi-persistent downlink transmission resource that is aligned with the plurality of awake periods defined for the mobile device;

for each additional downlink packet or sub-packet for the mobile device;

i) during one of the awake periods, receiving signaling that defines an additional downlink transmission resource to transmit the additional downlink packet or sub-packet;

ii) during one of the awake periods, receiving the additional downlink packet or sub-packet on the additional downlink resource.

10. The method of claim 9 wherein receiving downlink packets on a semi-persistent downlink transmission resource comprises receiving VoIP downlink packets during a downlink talk-spurt for a VoIP session involving the mobile device.

11. The method of claim 10 wherein controlling a reception capability of the mobile device during a plurality of awake periods and a plurality of sleep periods, the awake periods alternating in time with the sleep periods, such that the reception capability is always on during each of the awake periods, and the reception capability is off for at least some of the sleep periods comprises:

turning off reception capability during each of the plurality of sleep periods, unless a retransmission is expected.

12. The method of claim 9 further comprising:

receiving signaling that defines the awake periods and the sleep periods of the mobile device.

13. The method of claim 9 further comprising:

receiving signaling that defines the semi-persistent downlink transmission resource of that mobile device.

14. The method of claim 9 further comprising:

receiving a broadcast channel containing signaling information for the mobile device and other mobile devices;

wherein receiving signaling during one of the awake periods that defines the downlink resource for the additional downlink packet or sub-packet comprises receiving the signaling information on the broadcast channel during one of the awake periods for that mobile device.

15. The method of claim 14 further comprising:

during every awake period, monitoring the broadcast channel for signaling information indicating a dynamic allocation of a downlink resource for an additional downlink packet or sub-packet.

16. The method of claim 9 further comprising:

controlling a transmission capability of the mobile device such that the transmission capability is on during all of the awake periods and such that the transmission capability is off for at least some of the sleep periods;

transmitting uplink packets from the mobile device using a semi-persistent uplink transmission resource that is aligned with the awake periods defined for the mobile device;

for each additional uplink packet or sub-packet for the mobile device;

i) during one of the awake periods defined for the mobile device, transmitting a request for an additional uplink transmission resource to transmit the additional uplink packet or sub-packet;

ii) during one of the awake periods, receiving signaling that defines the additional uplink allocation, the additional uplink allocation being allocated to occur during one of the awake periods defined for the mobile device;

iii) during one of the awake periods, transmitting the additional uplink packet or sub-packet using the additional uplink transmission resource.

17. The method of claim 16 wherein:

transmitting uplink packets from the mobile device using a semi-persistent uplink transmission resource that is aligned with the awake periods defined for the mobile device comprises transmitting VoIP uplink packets during an uplink talk spurt for a VoIP session involving the mobile device.

18. The method of claim 17 further comprising:

receiving signaling that defines the semi-persistent uplink transmission resource.

19. The method of claim 17 wherein for each additional uplink packet or sub-packet transmitting a request for an additional uplink transmission resource comprises transmitting the request using a contention based random access channel.

20. A wireless network comprising:

a semi-persistent scheduler for allocating a semi-persistent downlink resource that is aligned with awake periods defined for a mobile device for transmissions to the mobile device;

a transmitter configured to;

a) transmit downlink packets to the mobile device using the semi-persistent downlink transmission resource allocated by the semi-persistent scheduler;

b) for each additional downlink packet or sub-packet for the mobile device;

i) during one of the awake periods defined for the mobile device, transmit signaling that defines a respective additional downlink transmission resource to transmit the additional packet or sub-packet;

ii) during one of the awake periods defined for the mobile device, transmit the additional downlink packet using the respective additional downlink resource;

a dynamic scheduler for dynamically allocating the respective additional downlink transmission resource to transmit each additional packet or sub-packet, the additional resource being allocated to occur within one of the awake periods defined for the mobile device.

21. A mobile device comprising:

a wireless access radio;

a radio manager for controlling a reception capability of the wireless access radio during a plurality of awake periods and a plurality of sleep periods, the awake periods alternating in time with the sleep periods, such that the reception capability is always on during each of the awake periods, and the reception capability is off for at least some of the sleep periods;

the mobile device being configured to;

receive downlink packets on a semi-persistent downlink transmission resource that is aligned with the plurality of awake periods defined for the mobile device;

for each additional downlink packet or sub-packet for the mobile device;

i) during one of the awake periods, receive signaling that defines an additional downlink transmission resource to transmit the additional downlink packet or sub-packet;

ii) during one of the awake periods, receive the additional downlink packet or sub-packet on the additional downlink resource.