System and Method for Discontinuous Reception Control Start Time

• US 20090073907A1
• Filed: 12/17/2007
• Published: 03/19/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 09/14/2007
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Blackberry Limited
• Original Assignee: Blackberry Limited
• Inventors: Cai, Zhijun
• Granted Patent: US 8,711,745 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 370/311
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 1/0004 applied to control information
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 24/00 Supervisory, monitoring or testing arrangements
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 40/005 Routing actions in the presence of nodes in sleep or doze mode
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 52/02 Power saving arrangements in wired systems H04L12/12; signaling of mobile application services, e.g. low battery notifications H04W4/20
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 52/0209 in terminal devices terminal devices per se H04W88/02
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 52/0216 using a pre-established activity schedule, e.g. traffic indication frame
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 52/0235 where the received signal is a power saving command
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 72/04 Wireless resource allocation
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 72/1273 of downlink data flows
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 72/23 in the downlink direction of a wireless link, i.e. towards a terminal
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 76/28 Discontinuous transmission [DTX]; Discontinuous reception [DRX]
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 84/12 WLAN [Wireless Local Area Networks]
• 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 periods. Methods of extending the awake periods in various embodiments are also provided. Methods of determining the first on period are also provided.

Claims

1. A method in a network for the network to provide wireless communications to a mobile device, the method in the network comprising:

transmitting by the network discontinuous reception control parameters to a mobile device, the discontinuous reception control parameters indicating periods during which the mobile device will have its receiver powered on once discontinuous reception control is active;

determining by the network a first of said periods during which the mobile device will have its receiver powered on and after which discontinuous reception control will be active; and

transmitting by the network to the mobile device in accordance with the discontinuous reception control parameters starting with the first of said periods.

2. The method of claim 1 wherein transmitting by the network discontinuous reception control parameters to the mobile device, the discontinuous reception control parameters indicating periods during which the mobile device will have its receiver powered on once discontinuous reception control is active further comprises:

transmitting a discontinuous control parameter that indicates an extension period during which the mobile device will continue to have its receiver powered on following one of said periods during which the mobile device will have its receiver powered on if there is a dynamic scheduling allocation.

3. The method of claim 1 wherein determining by the network a first of said periods during which the mobile device will have its receiver powered on and after which discontinuous reception control will be active comprises:

defining the first of said periods; and

transmitting signaling to the mobile device to indicate the first of said periods thus defined.

4. The method of claim 3 wherein transmitting signaling to the mobile device to indicate the first of said periods thus defined comprises transmitting signaling that indicates the first of said periods in absolute terms.

5. The method of claim 4 wherein the transmitting signaling to the mobile device to indicate the first of said periods in absolute terms comprises transmitting a layer-1 sub-frame index.

6. The method of claim 3 wherein transmitting signaling to the mobile device to indicate the first of said periods thus defined comprises transmitting signaling that indicates the first of said periods in relative terms.

7. The method of claim 6 wherein transmitting signaling that indicates the first of said periods in relative terms comprises transmitting an activation timer duration.

8. The method of claim 7 wherein transmitting an activation timer duration comprises at least one of:

transmitting the activation timer duration in units of layer-1 sub-frames; and

transmitting the activation timer duration in units of actual time.

9. The method of claim 1 wherein determining by the network a first of said periods during which the mobile device will have its receiver powered on and after which discontinuous reception control will be active comprises:

accessing at least one default parameter defined for the mobile device to determine the first of said periods.

10. The method of claim 9 wherein accessing at least one default parameter comprises accessing at least one default parameter comprising at least one of:

a layer-1 sub-frame index; and

an indication that the first of said periods should be aligned with a first sub-frame in which the mobile device is assigned a semi-persistent resource.

11. A method in a mobile device for the mobile device to receive wireless communications from a network, the method in the mobile device comprising:

receiving by the mobile device discontinuous reception control parameters from the network, the discontinuous reception control parameters indicating periods during which the mobile device will have its receiver powered on once discontinuous reception control is active;

determining by the mobile device a first of said periods during which the mobile device will have its receiver powered on and after which discontinuous reception control will be active; and

receiving by the mobile device communications from the network in accordance with the discontinuous reception control parameters starting with the first of said periods.

12. The method of claim 11 wherein receiving by the mobile device discontinuous reception control parameters from the network, the discontinuous reception control parameters indicating periods during which the mobile device will have its receiver powered on once discontinuous reception control is active comprise:

receiving a discontinuous reception control parameter that indicates an extension period during which the mobile device will continue have its receiver powered on following one of said periods during which the mobile device will have its receiver powered on if there is a dynamic scheduling allocation.

13. The method of claim 11 wherein determining by the mobile device a first of said periods during which the mobile device will have its receiver powered on and after which discontinuous reception control will be active comprises:

receiving signaling at the mobile device to indicate the first of said periods.

14. The method of claim 13 wherein receiving signaling at the mobile device to indicate the first of said periods comprises receiving signaling that indicates the first of said periods in absolute terms.

15. The method of claim 14 wherein receiving signaling at the mobile device to indicate the first of said periods in absolute terms comprises receiving a layer-1 sub-frame index.

16. The method of claim 13 wherein receiving signaling at the mobile device to indicate the first of said periods comprises receiving signaling that indicates the first of said periods in relative terms.

17. The method of claim 16 wherein receiving signaling that indicates the first of said periods in relative terms comprises receiving an activation timer duration.

18. The method of claim 17 wherein receiving an activation timer duration comprises at least one of:

receiving the activation timer duration in units of layer-1 sub-frames; and

receiving the activation timer duration in units actual time.

19. The method of claim 11 wherein determining by the mobile device a first of said periods during which the mobile device will have its receiver powered on and after which discontinuous reception control will be active comprises:

accessing at least one default parameter defined for the mobile device to determine the first of said periods.

20. The method of claim 19 wherein accessing the at least one default parameter comprises accessing at least one of:

a layer-1 sub-frame index; and

an indication that the first of said periods should be aligned with a first sub-frame in which the mobile device is assigned a semi-persistent resource.

21. An apparatus for providing communications services to a mobile device, the apparatus comprising:

a DRX (discontinuous reception) controller that determines discontinuous reception control parameters for a mobile device, the discontinuous reception control parameters indicating periods during which the mobile device will have its receiver powered on once discontinuous reception control is active;

the DRX controller being further configured to determine a first of said periods during which the mobile device will have its receiver powered on and after which discontinuous reception control will be active; and

a transceiver and at least one antenna for establishing a wireless link with the mobile device, the transceiver being used to transmit the discontinuous reception control parameters to the mobile device and to transmit to the mobile device in accordance with the discontinuous reception control parameters starting with the first of said periods.

22. The apparatus of claim 21 wherein the DRX controller generates discontinuous reception control parameters that further indicate an extension period during which the mobile device will continue have its receiver powered on following one of said periods during which the mobile device will have its receiver powered if on there is a dynamic scheduling allocation.

23. The apparatus of claim 21 the DRX controller is configured to determine a first of said periods during which the mobile device will have its receiver powered on and after which discontinuous reception control will be active by defining the first of said periods, the apparatus being further configured to transmit signaling to the mobile device to indicate the first of said periods thus defined using the transceiver.

24. A mobile device comprising:

a wireless access radio for receiving wireless communications from a network;

a radio manager that controls when the wireless access radio is on and when the wireless access radio is off;

the radio manager configured to perform the control of the wireless radio access in accordance with discontinuous reception control parameters from the network via the wireless access radio, the discontinuous reception control parameters indicating periods during which the mobile device will have its receiver powered on once discontinuous reception control is active; and

the radio manager further configured to determine a first of said periods during which the mobile device will have its receiver powered on and after which discontinuous reception control will be active such that the mobile device receives from the network in accordance with the discontinuous reception control parameters starting with the first of said periods.