Control Signal Management System and Method

• US 20090196208A1
• Filed: 02/01/2008
• Published: 08/06/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 02/01/2008
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Malikie Innovations Limited (Key Patent Innovations Limited)
• Original Assignee: Research In Motion Limited (Blackberry Limited)
• Inventors: YU, Yi, CAI, Zhijun, WOMACK, James Earl
• Granted Patent: US 8,908,570 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 370/311
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 52/0216 using a pre-established activity schedule, e.g. traffic indication frame
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 56/001 Synchronization between nodes
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 72/0446 Resources in time domain, e.g. slots or frames
• 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 88/08 Access point devices
• CPC Class Codes: Y02D 30/70 in wireless communication networks

Abstract

A user equipment (UE) including a processor configured to transmit control plane data irrespective of on-duration/off-duration status.

Claims

1. A user equipment (UE), comprising:

a processor configured to transmit control plane data irrespective of on-duration/off-duration status.

2. The UE of claim 1 wherein the processor is configured to transmit user plane data only during on-durations.

3. The UE of claim 2 wherein the user plane data includes application layer data including VoIP data packets, and data packets containing information related to web browsing, emailing, and other user applications.

4. The UE of claim 1 wherein the control plane data includes control signaling including at least one of:

a Layer 1 scheduling request;

a Layer 2 radio resource control (RRC) message; and

a mobility measurement message.

5. The UE of claim 1 wherein the processor is further configured to set a response timer configured to keep the UE awake for a period of time sufficient for the UE to receive a response signal or other control signal from an enhanced node B (ENB).

6. The UE of claim 1 further comprising a timing alignment timer configured to promote uplink synchronization between the UE and an enhanced node B (ENB), the timing alignment timer to measure a predefined time and promote release of channel resources upon expiration of the timing alignment timer.

7. The UE of claim 6 wherein the UE releases the channel resources when the UE does not receive a timing alignment signal from an ENB for the predefined time.

8. A user equipment (UE) configured to transmit a control signal to an enhanced node B (ENB) comprising:

a component configured to interrupt a scheduled off-duration to establish a resource between the UE and the ENB and to transmit the control signal over the resource at substantially the same time the control signal is generated.

9. The UE of claim 8 wherein the control signal includes:

one or more Layer 1 scheduling requests;

one or more Layer 2 radio resource control (RRC) messages; and

one or more mobility measurement messages.

10. The UE of claim 8 further comprising a response timer configured to keep the UE awake for a period of time long enough for the UE to receive a response signal or other control signal from the ENB.

11. The UE of claim 8 wherein the UE transmits a scheduling request to the ENB at substantially the same time the scheduling request message is generated, regardless of an on-duration/off-duration status of the UE.

12. The UE of claim 8 wherein the UE releases a scheduling request channel when the UE does not receive a timing alignment signal from the ENB for a predefined time.

13. The UE of claim 12 further comprising a timing alignment timer configured to measure the predefined time and cause the release of the scheduling request channel upon expiration of the timing alignment timer.

14. A method for transmitting a control signal from a user equipment (UE) to an enhanced node B (ENB) comprising:

interrupting a scheduled off-duration to establish a resource between the UE and the ENB; and

transmitting the control signal over the resource at substantially the same time the control signal is generated.

15. The method of claim 14 further comprising keeping the UE awake for a period of time long enough for the UE to receive a response signal from the ENB.

16. The method of claim 14 wherein the period of time to retain the resource is controlled by a response timer.

17. The method of claim 14 further comprising the UE transmitting a scheduling request to the ENB at substantially the same time the scheduling request is generated, regardless of a status of an on-duration/off-duration status of the UE.

18. The method of claim 14 further comprising the UE releasing a scheduling request channel when the UE does not receive a timing alignment signal from the ENB for a predefined time.

19. The method of claim 18 further comprising a timing alignment timer measuring the predefined time and causing the release of the scheduling request channel upon expiration of the timing alignment timer.