Inactivity Timer in a Discontinuous Reception Configured System

• US 20090052361A1
• Filed: 08/19/2008
• Published: 02/26/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 08/20/2007
• 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 8,144,679 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 370/311
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 1/18 Automatic repetition systems, e.g. Van Duuren systems
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 5/0007 the frequencies being orthogonal, e.g. OFDM(A), DMT
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 5/0053 Allocation of signaling, i.e. of overhead other than pilot signals
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 5/0064 Rate requirement of the data, e.g. scalable bandwidth, data priority
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 5/0091 Signaling for the administration of the divided path
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 40/005 Routing actions in the presence of nodes in sleep or doze mode
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 52/0209 in terminal devices terminal devices per se H04W88/02
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 76/20 Manipulation of established connections
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 76/28 Discontinuous transmission [DTX]; Discontinuous reception [DRX]
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 88/02 Terminal devices
• CPC Class Codes: Y02D 30/70 in wireless communication networks

Abstract

Systems, methods and wireless devices are provided that utilize a timer to ensure a receiver of a wireless device is on to receive downlink transmissions. In the event the timer runs out without further resource allocation, the mobile device turns its radio off. If a further resource allocation occurs while the timer is running, the timer is restarted.

Claims

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

configuring the device for discontinuous reception (DRX) having on durations;

receiving signalling over a control channel, during one of the on durations; and

starting an inactivity timer.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

during a duration of the inactivity timer, controlling the device to an on duration;

monitoring for downlink transmissions during the on duration;

restarting the timer upon receiving the downlink transmissions; and

controlling the device to a low power mode at the expiry of the timer.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the signaling over the control channel is an uplink grant.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the signaling over the control channel is a downlink grant.

5. The method of claim 1, further comprising restarting the inactivity timer upon reception of an additional transmission.

6. A wireless device comprising:

a processor configured to control a receiver to have on durations;

a receiver configured to receive signalling over a control channel during one of the on durations; and

the processor further configured to start an inactivity timer upon reception of the signalling over the control channel.

7. The device of claim 6, wherein the processor is further configured:

to control the receiver to be on during a duration of the inactivity timer;

to restart the inactivity timer upon reception of a downlink transmission; and

to control the receiver to be off at an expiry of the timer.

8. The device of claim 6, wherein the processor is further configured to restart the inactivity timer upon reception of an additional transmission.

9. A method of controlling a radio in a wireless device, the method comprising:

controlling the 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 radio is always on during each of the awake periods, and the radio is off for at least some of the sleep periods;

receiving, during one of the awake periods, signaling that defines a downlink transmission resource to communicate a packet or sub-packet, the transmission resource allocated during a portion of a sleep period;

controlling the radio to be on during the portion of the sleep period; and

monitoring, during the portion of the sleep period, for signaling that defines an additional transmission resource to communicate an additional downlink packet or sub-packet, and in the event such signaling is received, controlling the radio to be on for an additional portion of a sleep period.

10. The method of claim 9, further comprising:

starting a timer that counts down the portion of the sleep period upon receiving signalling that defines the downlink transmission resource to transmit the additional downlink packet or sub-packet; and

controlling the radio to be on as long as the timer has not expired.

11. The method of claim 10 further comprising:

during any portion of a sleep period that the mobile device is controlling the radio to be on, monitoring for signaling defining further downlink transmission resources to transmit further additional packets or sub-packets so long as the timer has not expired, and restarting the timer upon receiving such signaling or upon receiving such a further additional packet or sub-packet; and

controlling the radio to be off at the expiry of the timer.

12. A wireless device comprising:

a wireless access radio for sending and receiving wireless communications to and from a network;

a radio manager that controls the radio of the wireless 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 radio is always on during each of the awake periods, and the radio is off for at least some of the sleep periods;

the wireless device further configured to;

receive, during one of the awake periods, signaling that defines a downlink transmission resource to transmit an additional downlink packet or sub-packet, the downlink transmission resource allocated during a portion of a sleep period;

control the radio to be on during the portion of the sleep period; and

monitor, during the portion of the sleep period, for signalling that defines additional downlink transmission resource to transmit another additional downlink packet or sub-packet, and in the event such signalling is received, controlling the radio to be on for an additional portion of a sleep period.

13. The wireless device of claim 12 further configured to:

start a timer that counts down the portion of the sleep period upon receiving signalling that defines the additional downlink transmission resource to transmit the additional downlink packet or sub-packet or upon receiving the additional downlink packet or sub-packet; and

control the radio to be on as long as the timer has not expired.

14. The wireless device of claim 12 further configured to:

during any portion of a sleep period that the mobile device is controlling the radio to be on, monitor for signaling defining further downlink transmission resources to transmit further additional packets or sub-packets so long as the timer has not expired, and restarting the timer upon receiving such signaling or upon receiving such a further additional packet or sub-packet;

control the radio to be off at the expiry of the timer.