METHODS FOR SCHEDULING COLLIDED PAGING OCCASIONS OF MULTIPLE WIRELESS NETWORKS AND COMMUNICATION APPARATUSES UTILIZING THE SAME

• US 20090215473A1
• Filed: 09/30/2008
• Published: 08/27/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 02/27/2008
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: MediaTek, Inc.
• Original Assignee: MediaTek, Inc.
• Inventors: HSU, Chia-Chen
• Granted Patent: US 8,204,516 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 455/458
• CPC Class Codes: G06K 19/0701 at least one of the integrated circuit chips comprising an arrangement for power management
• CPC Class Codes: G06K 19/0723 the record carrier comprising an arrangement for non-contact communication, e.g. wireless communication circuits on transponder cards, non-contact smart cards or RFIDs
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 68/00 User notification, e.g. alerting and paging, for incoming communication, change of service or the like
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 8/183 Processing at user equipment or user record carrier
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 88/06 adapted for operation in multiple networks or having at least two operational modes, e.g. multi-mode terminals
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 92/08 between user and terminal device
• CPC Class Codes: Y02D 30/70 in wireless communication networks

Abstract

A communication apparatus is provided. A first subscriber identity card camps on a first cell. A second subscriber identity card camps on a second cell. A processor obtains information regarding first paging occasions distributed within a predetermined time interval for the first subscriber identity card, obtains information regarding second paging occasions distributed within the predetermined time interval for the second subscriber identity card, detects a forthcoming time slot of the predetermined time interval in which one of the first paging occasions collides with one of the second paging occasions, determines listening to one of the first cell and the second cell in the detected time slot, and notifies of the determination to the radio transceiver module so as to direct the radio transceiver module to listen to the determined cell to receive a corresponding paging message from the determined cell in the detected time slot.

Claims

1. A communication apparatus transceiving data via a first cell belonging to a first wireless network and a second cell belonging to a second wireless network, comprising:

a radio transceiver module;

a first subscriber identity card camping on the first cell;

a second subscriber identity card camping on the second cell; and

a processor coupled to the radio transceiver module, the first subscriber identity card and the second subscriber identity card, obtaining information regarding a plurality of first paging occasions distributed within a predetermined time interval for the first subscriber identity card, obtaining information regarding a plurality of second paging occasions distributed within the predetermined time interval for the second subscriber identity card, detecting a forthcoming time slot of the predetermined time interval in which one of the first paging occasions collides with one of the second paging occasions, determining listening to one of the first cell and the second cell in the detected time slot, and notifying of the determination to the radio transceiver module so as to direct the radio transceiver module to listen to the determined cell to receive a corresponding paging message from the determined cell in the detected time slot.

2. The communication apparatus as claimed in claim 1, wherein another time slot prior to the detected time slot has been assigned to listen to one of the first and second cells, no time slot with a collision between one of the first paging occasions and one of the second paging occasions is present between the assigned time slot and the detected time slot, and the processor further determines listening to the other cell in the detected time slot.

3. The communication apparatus as claimed in claim 1, wherein the processor further obtains a first waiting time period between the last time slot being assigned to listen to the first cell and the detected time slot, obtains a second waiting time period between the last time slot being assigned to listen to the second cell and the detected time slot, compares the first waiting time period and the second waiting time period and determines listening to the cell with the longer waiting time period in the detected time slot.

4. The communication apparatus as claimed in claim 1, wherein the processor obtains a first radio measurement result of the first cell, obtains a second radio measurement result of the second cell, and determines listening to the cell with the better radio measurement result in the detected time slot.

5. The communication apparatus as claimed in claim 4, wherein the first radio measurement result and the second radio measurement result are obtained by respectively measuring signal quality received from the first cell and the second cell, or by respectively calculating a total number of successfully decoded first paging messages that have been received by the first subscriber identity card and second paging messages that have been received by the second subscriber identity card.

6. The communication apparatus as claimed in claim 1, wherein the processor further obtains information regarding a first communication service with a first priority and related to the first subscriber identity card, obtains a second communication service with a second priority and related to the second subscriber identity card, and determines listening to the cell camped on by the subscriber identity card with the higher priority in the detected time slot, wherein a voice communication service is given a higher priority than a data communication service.

7. The communication apparatus as claimed in claim 1, wherein the processor, obtains a first communication status with a first priority of the first subscriber identity card, obtains a second communication status with a second priority of the second subscriber identity card, and determines listening to the cell camped on by the subscriber identity card with the higher priority in the detected time slot.

8. The communication apparatus as claimed in claim 1, wherein the processor further obtains a guaranteed probability for the first wireless network related to the first subscriber identity card, virtually assigns the detected time slot to the second subscriber identity card in advance for listening to the second cell, obtains a predicted paging acquisition percentage of the first subscriber identity card by dividing a total number of first paging messages that have been received and/or scheduled to be received by the first subscriber identity card into a total number of first paging messages that have been broadcasted and/or scheduled to be broadcasted on the first cell till the detected time slot, determines listening to the second cell in the detected time slot when the predicted paging acquisition percentage exceeds or equals the guaranteed probability, and determines listening to the first cell in the detected time slot when the predicted paging acquisition percentage is lower than the guaranteed probability.

9. The communication apparatus as claimed in claim 1, wherein the processor further obtains a first value for the first subscriber identity card and a second value for the second subscriber identity card, respectively, obtains a sum value of the first value and the second value, randomly selects a value between 1 and the sum value, determines listening to the first cell in the detected time slot when the randomly selected value is between 1 and the first value and determines listening to the second cell in the detected time slot when the randomly selected value exceeds the first value.

10. The communication apparatus as claimed in claim 1, wherein a first paging parameter is obtained from the system information carried in a Broadcast Control Channel (BCCH) burst on the first cell and a second paging parameter is obtained from the system information carried in a Broadcast Control Channel (BCCH) burst on the second cell, the first paging occasions are distributed in response to the first paging parameter, and the second paging occasions are distributed in response to the second paging parameter.

11. The communication apparatus as claimed in claim 1, wherein one of the first subscriber identity card and the second subscriber identity card is the subscriber identity module (SIM) card corresponding to the global system for mobile communications (GSM), or the universal subscriber identity module (USIM) card corresponding to the universal mobile telecommunications system (UMTS), or the removable user identity module (RUIM) card, or the CDMA subscriber identity module (CSIM) card corresponding to the code division multiple access (CDMA) 2000 communication system.

12. The communication apparatus as claimed in claim 10, wherein at least one of the first paging parameters and the second paging parameters is the integer coefficients k for defining the discontinuous reception (DRX) cycle lengths in the GSM or UMTS system, or the parameter SLOT_CYCLE_INDEX of the CDMA 2000 communication system.

13. A method for handling collided paging occasions a communication apparatus comprising a first subscriber identity card and a second subscriber identity card, the method comprising:

camping on a first cell via a radio transceiver module with the first subscriber identity card;

obtaining information regarding a plurality of first paging occasions distributed within a predetermined time interval for the first subscriber identity card, wherein a plurality of first paging messages are planned to be broadcasted on the first cell in the first paging occasions;

camping on a second cell via the radio transceiver module with the second subscriber identity card;

obtaining information regarding a plurality of second paging occasions distributed within the predetermined time interval for the second subscriber identity card, wherein a plurality of second paging messages are planned to be broadcasted on the second cell in the second paging occasions;

detecting a forthcoming time slot of the predetermined time interval in which one of the first paging occasions collides with one of the second paging occasions;

determining listening to one of the first cell and the second cell in the detected time slot; and

notifying of the determination to the radio transceiver module so as to direct the radio transceiver module to listen to the determined cell to receive a corresponding paging message from the determined cell in the detected time slot.

14. The method as claimed in claim 13, wherein the determination step further comprises randomly selecting one of the first cell and the second cell to be listened to in the detected time slot.

15. The method as claimed in claim 13, wherein another time slot prior to the detected time slot has been assigned to listen to one of the first and second cells, no time slot with a collision between one of the first paging occasions and one of the second paging occasions is present between the assigned time slot and the detected time slot, the determination step further comprises determining listening to the other cell in the detected time slot.

16. The method as claimed in claim 13, wherein the determination step further comprises:

obtaining a first previous time slot in which the first subscriber identity card was most recently scheduled to receive the first paging message from the first cell;

obtaining a second previous time slot in which the second subscriber identity card was most recently scheduled to receive the second paging message from the second cell;

obtaining a first waiting time period between the first previous time slot and the forthcoming time slot;

obtaining a second waiting time period between the second previous time slot and the forthcoming time slot; and

determining listening to the cell with the longer waiting time period in the detected time slot period

17. The method as claimed in claim 13, wherein the determination step further comprises:

obtaining a first radio measurement result of the first cell;

obtaining a second radio measurement result of the second cell; and

determining to listen to the cell with the better radio measurement result in the detected time slot.

18. The method as claimed in claim 17, wherein the first radio measurement result and the second radio measurement result are obtained by respectively measuring signal quality received from the first cell and the second cell, or by respectively calculating a total number of successfully decoded first paging messages and second paging messages.

19. The method as claimed in claim 13, wherein the determination step further comprises:

obtaining information regarding a first communication service with a first priority and provided by a first wireless network comprising the first cell;

obtaining information regarding a second communication service with a first priority and provided by a second wireless network comprising the second cell; and

determining listening to the cell belonging to the wireless network with the higher priority in the detected time slot.

20. The method as claimed in claim 13, wherein the determination step further comprises:

determining that the first subscriber identity card is roaming; and

determining listening to the cell that the first subscriber identity card camps on.

21. The method as claimed in claim 13, wherein the determination step further comprises:

determining that the first subscriber identity card is not roaming; and

determining listening to the cell that the first subscriber identity card camps on.

22. The method as claimed in claim 13, wherein the determination step further comprises:

obtaining a guaranteed probability for a first wireless network comprising the first cell related to the first subscriber identity card;

virtually assigning the detected time slot to the second subscriber identity card for listening to the second cell in advance;

obtaining a predicted paging acquisition percentage of the first subscriber identity card by dividing a total number of first paing messages that have been received and/or scheduled to be received from the beginning of the predetermined time interval to the detected time slot by the first subscriber identity card into a total number of the first paging messages that have been broadcasted and/or scheduled to be broadcasted from the beginning of the predetermined time interval to the detected time slot;

determining listening to the second cell in the detected time slot when the predicted paging acquisition percentage exceeds or equals the guaranteed probability; and

determining listening to the first cell in the detected time slot when the predicted paging acquisition percentage is lower than the guaranteed probability.

23. The method as claimed in claim 13, wherein the determination step further comprises:

obtaining a first value for a first wireless network comprising the first cell and a second value for a second wireless network comprising the second cell, wherein the first value and the second value are positive integers;

obtaining a sum value of the first number and the second number;

randomly selecting a positive integer value between 1 and the sum value;

determines listening to the first cell in the detected time slot when the randomly selected value is between 1 and the first value; and

determines listening to the second cell in the detected time slot when the randomly selected value exceeds the first value.