USING TRAFFIC PATTERNS TO IMPROVE SLEEP MODE EFFICIENCY IN A RADIO HANDSET

• US 20090201843A1
• Filed: 02/13/2008
• Published: 08/13/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 02/13/2008
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Sony Ericsson Mobile Communications USA Incorporated (Sony Group Corp.)
• Original Assignee: Sony Ericsson Mobile Communications USA Incorporated (Sony Group Corp.)
• Inventors: WANG, Huaiyuan
• Granted Patent: US 8,111,642 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: Y02D 30/70 in wireless communication networks

Abstract

Disclosed is a method of using observed traffic pattern data to improve sleep mode efficiency in a radio handset. The radio handset determines quality of service (QoS) requirements of an application currently executing on the radio handset and selects a pre-defined sleep mode mask from among a plurality of pre-defined sleep mode masks wherein the selected pre-defined sleep mode mask provides the closest available match in terms of sleep/listen pattern to the QoS requirements. The traffic pattern data between the radio handset and a serving basestation is observed while under the initial sleep/listen pattern of the selected pre-defined sleep mode mask or the reactivated sleep/listen pattern after sleep mode deactivation. An alternate sleep mode mask is created based on the observed traffic pattern data between the radio handset and the serving base station wherein the alternate sleep/listen pattern is better suited to the actual traffic pattern than the initial sleep/listen pattern of the selected pre-defined sleep mode mask or the reactivated sleep/listen pattern after sleep mode deactivation.

Claims

1. A method of using observed traffic pattern data to improve sleep mode efficiency in a radio handset comprising:

determining quality of service (QoS) requirements of an application currently executing on the radio handset;

selecting a pre-defined sleep mode mask from among a plurality of pre-defined sleep mode masks wherein the selected pre-defined sleep mode mask provides the closest available match in terms of sleep/listen pattern to the QoS requirements;

observing a traffic pattern and arrival timing between the radio handset and a serving basestation while under the initial sleep/listen pattern of the selected pre-defined sleep mode mask or the reactivated sleep/listen pattern after sleep mode deactivation; and

creating an alternate sleep/listen pattern based on the observed traffic pattern and arrival timing between the radio handset and the serving base station wherein the alternate sleep/listen pattern is better suited to the actual traffic pattern and arrival timing than the initial sleep/listen pattern of the selected pre-defined sleep mode mask or the reactivated sleep/listen pattern after sleep mode deactivation.

2. The method of claim 1 further comprising substituting the altered sleep mode/listen pattern for the initial sleep/listen pattern of the selected pre-defined sleep mode mask or the reactivated sleep/listen pattern after sleep mode deactivation.

3. The method of claim 1 wherein the observed traffic pattern data includes at least one of an inter-burst interval that specifies the time interval between two consecutive traffic bursts that corresponds to the sleep window of the sleep/listen pattern, an average burst length that specifies average duration of each traffic burst that corresponds to the listen window of the sleep/listen pattern, and, for periodic bursts, an actual burst arrival timing, in conjunction with tolerable variation, that corresponds to the re-start of the first listen window in a sleep/listen pattern.

4. The method of claim 2 wherein the radio handset further comprising sending observed traffic pattern data to the serving base station via in-band signaling.

5. The method of claim 4 wherein the in-band signaling comprises a piggy-backed sub header.

6. The method of claim 2 wherein the radio handset further comprising sending observed traffic pattern data to the serving base station via out-band signaling.

7. The method of claim 6 wherein the out-band signaling comprises an optional element embedded in a medium access control (MAC) management message.

8. A radio handset capable of using observed traffic pattern data to improve sleep mode efficiency comprising:

a processor for controlling the operation of the radio handset;

an RF module coupled with the processor for communicating with a serving base station; and

a sleep mode software application for;

determining quality of service (QoS) requirements of an application currently executing on the radio handset;

selecting a pre-defined sleep mode mask from among a plurality of pre-defined sleep mode masks wherein the selected pre-defined sleep mode mask provides the closest available match in terms of sleep/listen pattern to the QoS requirements;

observing traffic pattern and arrival timing between the radio handset and the serving basestation while under the initial sleep/listen pattern of the selected pre-defined sleep mode mask or the reactivated sleep/listen pattern after sleep mode deactivation; and

creating an alternate sleep/listen pattern based on the observed traffic pattern and arrival timing between the radio handset and the serving base station wherein the alternate sleep/listen pattern is better suited to the actual traffic pattern than the initial sleep/listen pattern of the selected pre-defined sleep mode mask or the reactivated sleep/listen pattern after sleep mode deactivation.

9. The radio handset of claim 8 wherein the sleep mode software application further substitutes the altered sleep mode mask for the selected pre-defined sleep mode mask.

10. The radio handset of claim 8 wherein the observed traffic pattern data includes at least one of an inter-burst interval that specifies the time interval between two consecutive traffic bursts that corresponds to the sleep window of the sleep/listen pattern, an average burst length that specifies average duration of each traffic burst that corresponds to the listen window of the sleep/listen pattern, and, for periodic bursts, an actual burst arrival timing, in conjunction with tolerable variation, that corresponds to the re-start of the first listen window in a sleep/listen pattern.

11. The radio handset of claim 9 wherein the sleep mode software application further sends observed traffic pattern data to the serving base station via in-band signaling.

12. The radio handset of claim 11 wherein the in-band signaling comprises a piggy-backed sub header.

13. The radio handset of claim 9 wherein the sleep mode software application further sends observed traffic pattern data to the serving base station via out-band signaling.

14. The radio handset of claim 13 wherein the out-band signaling comprises an optional element embedded in a medium access control (MAC) management message.

15. The radio handset of claim 8 wherein the radio handset signals the serving base station to request that the altered sleep/listen pattern be implemented, wherein the request includes data defining the altered sleep/listen pattern.

16. The radio handset of claim 15 wherein the radio handset receives an acknowledgment from the base station indicating that the request has been granted wherein the acknowledgement includes a start frame parameter that defines when the altered sleep/listen pattern will be implemented.

17. A computer readable medium storing a computer program product for using observed traffic pattern data to improve sleep mode efficiency in a radio handset comprising:

computer program code for determining quality of service (QoS) requirements of an application currently executing on the radio handset;

computer program code for d sleep mode masks wherein the selected pre-defined sleep mode mask provides the closest available match in terms of sleep/listen pattern to the QoS requirements;

computer program code for observing traffic pattern data between the radio handset and a serving basestation while under the initial sleep/listen pattern of the selected pre-defined sleep mode mask or the reactivated sleep/listen pattern after sleep mode deactivation; and

computer program code for creating an alternate sleep mode mask based on the observed traffic pattern data between the radio handset and the serving base station wherein the alternate sleep/listen pattern is better suited to the actual traffic pattern than the initial sleep/listen pattern of the selected pre-defined sleep mode mask or the reactivated sleep/listen pattern after sleep mode deactivation.

18. The computer readable medium of claim 17 further comprising computer program code for substituting the altered sleep/listen pattern for the initial sleep/listen pattern of the selected pre-defined sleep mode mask or the reactivated sleep/listen pattern after sleep mode deactivation.

19. The computer readable medium of claim 18 wherein the observed traffic pattern data includes at least one of an inter-burst interval that specifies the time interval between two consecutive traffic bursts that corresponds to the sleep window of the sleep/listen pattern, an average burst length that specifies average duration of each traffic burst that corresponds to the listen window of the sleep/listen pattern, and, for periodic bursts, an actual burst arrival timing, in conjunction with tolerable variation, that corresponds to the (re-)start of the first listen window in a sleep/listen pattern.

20. The computer readable medium of claim 19 further comprising computer program code for sending observed traffic pattern data to the serving base station via in-band signaling.

21. The computer readable medium of claim 20 wherein the in-band signaling comprises a piggy-backed sub header.

22. The computer readable medium of claim 19 further comprising computer program code for sending observed traffic pattern data to the serving base station via out-band signaling.

23. The computer readable medium of claim 22 wherein the out-band signaling comprises an optional element embedded in a medium access control (MAC) management message.