METHODS AND SYSTEMS FOR POWER SAVING PAGING IN A MOBILE WIMAX SYSTEM

• US 20100093378A1
• Filed: 10/13/2008
• Published: 04/15/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 10/13/2008
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Qualcomm, Inc.
• Original Assignee: Qualcomm, Inc.
• Inventors: Lee, Kuo-Chun, Chin, Tom
• Granted Patent: US 8,185,138 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 455/458
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 52/0216 using a pre-established activity schedule, e.g. traffic indication frame
• 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: Y02D 30/70 in wireless communication networks

Abstract

Certain embodiments of the present disclosure provide a paging schedule that may allow a WiMAX mobile device to return to a low power state prior to the end of a listening interval, thereby reducing power consumption. For certain embodiments, the paging schedule may be controlled by a base station using standardized paging messages, with paging messages targeting particular MSs in a group presented in an organized manner within a listening interval. An MS aware of this schedule may, thus, promptly return to a low power state prior to the end of a listening interval if it does not detect a paging message at its expected time within the listening interval.

Claims

1. A method of scheduling paging messages in a wireless communications system, comprising:

negotiating paging parameters for a group of mobile stations in idle mode, wherein the paging parameters comprise a common listening interval for mobile stations in the group;

receiving paging messages targeting mobile stations in the group;

determining an order for transmitting the paging messages within a listening interval, wherein the order specifies a sequential order for transmitting paging messages targeting mobile station in different groups; and

transmitting the paging messages, by group, in the determined order.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein determining an order for transmitting the paging messages within a listening interval comprises:

determining a group associated with each paging message based on a MAC address hash value generated from a MAC address of a targeted MS.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein determining an order for transmitting the paging messages within a listening interval comprises:

determining the order of a group associated with each paging message based on a MAC address hash value generated from a MAC address of a targeted MS and a frame number of a start frame of the listening interval.

4. The method of claim 2, wherein determining an order for transmitting the paging messages within a listening interval comprises:

determining a group associated with each paging message based on a MAC address hash value generated from a MAC address of a targeted MS and an index of the listening interval.

5. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

determining a group number M of different groups of mobile stations; and

transmitting the group number M to one or more mobile stations.

6. A method of monitoring for paging messages by a mobile station in a wireless communications system, comprising:

exiting a lower power state of an idle mode to monitor for paging messages during a current listening interval;

determining a group number for the mobile station;

determining an order of group numbers to receive paging messages in a current listening interval; and

returning to a low power state prior to the end of the current listening interval, in response to determining that a frame in the listening interval contains a mobile page advertisement message that does not target the mobile station and does target a mobile station in a group that occurs later in the determined order of group numbers than the group number determined for the mobile station.

7. The method of claim 6, wherein determining a group number for the mobile station comprises:

determining a group number for the mobile station based, at least in part, on a MAC address hash value generated from a MAC address of the mobile station.

8. The method of claim 6, wherein determining an order of group numbers to receive paging messages in a current listening interval comprises:

determining an order of group numbers based, at least in part, on an index of the current listening interval, such that different orders of group numbers are determined for different listening interval indexes.

9. The method of claim 6, further comprising:

receiving a number M specifying a number of different groups of mobile stations; and

determining the group number for the mobile station based, at least in part, on a MAC address hash value generated from a MAC address of the mobile station and the number M.

10. An apparatus for scheduling paging messages in a wireless communications system, comprising:

logic for negotiating paging parameters for a group of mobile stations in idle mode, wherein the paging parameters comprise a common listening interval for mobile stations in the group;

logic for receiving paging messages targeting mobile stations in the group;

logic for determining an order for transmitting the paging messages within a listening interval, wherein the order specifies a sequential order for transmitting paging messages targeting mobile station in different groups; and

logic for transmitting the paging messages, by group, in the determined order.

11. The apparatus of claim 10, wherein the logic for determining an order for transmitting the paging messages within a listening interval is configured to determine a group associated with each paging message based on a MAC address hash value generated from a MAC address of a targeted MS.

12. The apparatus of claim 11, wherein the logic for determining an order for transmitting the paging messages within a listening interval is also configured to determine the order of a group associated with each paging message based on a MAC address hash value generated from a MAC address of a targeted MS and a frame number of a start frame of the listening interval.

13. The apparatus of claim 11, wherein the logic for determining an order for transmitting the paging messages within a listening interval is also configured to determine a group associated with each paging message based on a MAC address hash value generated from a MAC address of a targeted MS and an index of the listening interval.

14. The apparatus of claim 10, further comprising:

logic for determining a group number M of different groups of mobile stations; and

logic for transmitting the group number M to one or more mobile stations.

15. An apparatus of monitoring for paging messages by a mobile station in a wireless communications system, comprising:

logic for exiting a lower power state of an idle mode to monitor for paging messages during a current listening interval;

logic for determining a group number for the mobile station;

logic for determining an order of group numbers to receive paging messages in a current listening interval; and

logic for returning to a low power state prior to the end of the current listening interval, in response to determining that a frame in the listening interval contains a mobile page advertisement message that does not target the mobile station and does target a mobile station in a group that occurs later in the determined order of group numbers than the group number determined for the mobile station.

16. The apparatus of claim 15, wherein the logic for determining a group number for the mobile station is configured to determine a group number for the mobile station based, at least in part, on a MAC address hash value generated from a MAC address of the mobile station.

17. The apparatus of claim 15, wherein the logic for determining an order of group numbers to receive paging messages in a current listening interval is configured to determine an order of group numbers based, at least in part, on an index of the current listening interval, such that different orders of group numbers are determined for different listening interval indexes.

18. The apparatus of claim 15, further comprising:

logic for receiving a number M specifying a number of different groups of mobile stations; and

logic for determining the group number for the mobile station based, at least in part, on a MAC address hash value generated from a MAC address of the mobile station and the number M.

19. An apparatus for scheduling paging messages in a wireless communications system, comprising:

means for negotiating paging parameters for a group of mobile stations in idle mode, wherein the paging parameters comprise a common listening interval for mobile stations in the group;

means for receiving paging messages targeting mobile stations in the group;

means for determining an order for transmitting the paging messages within a listening interval, wherein the order specifies a sequential order for transmitting paging messages targeting mobile station in different groups; and

means for transmitting the paging messages, by group, in the determined order.

20. The apparatus of claim 19, wherein the means for determining an order for transmitting the paging messages within a listening interval is configured to determine a group associated with each paging message based on a MAC address hash value generated from a MAC address of a targeted MS.

21. The apparatus of claim 20, wherein the means for determining an order for transmitting the paging messages within a listening interval is also configured to determine the order of a group associated with each paging message based on a MAC address hash value generated from a MAC address of a targeted MS and a frame number of a start frame of the listening interval.

22. The apparatus of claim 20, wherein the means for determining an order for transmitting the paging messages within a listening interval is also configured to determine a group associated with each paging message based on a MAC address hash value generated from a MAC address of a targeted MS and an index of the listening interval.

23. The apparatus of claim 19, further comprising:

means for determining a group number M of different groups of mobile stations; and

means for transmitting the group number M to one or more mobile stations.

24. An apparatus for monitoring for paging messages by a mobile station in a wireless communications system, comprising:

means for exiting a lower power state of an idle mode to monitor for paging messages during a current listening interval;

means for determining a group number for the mobile station;

means for determining an order of group numbers to receive paging messages in a current listening interval; and

means for returning to a low power state prior to the end of the current listening interval, in response to determining that a frame in the listening interval contains a mobile page advertisement message that does not target the mobile station and does target a mobile station in a group that occurs later in the determined order of group numbers than the group number determined for the mobile station.

25. The apparatus of claim 24, wherein the means for determining a group number for the mobile station is configured to determine a group number for the mobile station based, at least in part, on a MAC address hash value generated from a MAC address of the mobile station.

26. The apparatus of claim 24, wherein the means for determining an order of group numbers to receive paging messages in a current listening interval is configured to determine an order of group numbers based, at least in part, on an index of the current listening interval, such that different orders of group numbers are determined for different listening interval indexes.

27. The apparatus of claim 24, further comprising:

means for receiving a number M specifying a number of different groups of mobile stations; and

means for determining the group number for the mobile station based, at least in part, on a MAC address hash value generated from a MAC address of the mobile station and the number M.

28. A computer-program product for scheduling paging messages in a wireless communications system, comprising a computer readable medium having instructions stored thereon, the instructions being executable by one or more processors and the instructions comprising:

instructions for negotiating paging parameters for a group of mobile stations in idle mode, wherein the paging parameters comprise a common listening interval for mobile stations in the group;

instructions for receiving paging messages targeting mobile stations in the group;

instructions for determining an order for transmitting the paging messages within a listening interval, wherein the order specifies a sequential order for transmitting paging messages targeting mobile station in different groups; and

instructions for transmitting the paging messages, by group, in the determined order.

29. The computer-program product of claim 28, wherein the instructions for determining an order for transmitting the paging messages within a listening interval comprise:

instructions for determining a group associated with each paging message based on a MAC address hash value generated from a MAC address of a targeted MS.

30. The computer-program product of claim 29, wherein the instructions for determining an order for transmitting the paging messages within a listening interval comprise:

instructions for determining the order of a group associated with each paging message based on a MAC address hash value generated from a MAC address of a targeted MS and a frame number of a start frame of the listening interval.

31. The computer-program product of claim 29, wherein the instructions for determining an order for transmitting the paging messages within a listening interval comprise:

instructions for determining a group associated with each paging message based on a MAC address hash value generated from a MAC address of a targeted MS and an index of the listening interval.

32. The computer-program product of claim 28, wherein the instructions further comprise:

instructions for determining a group number M of different groups of mobile stations; and

instructions for transmitting the group number M to one or more mobile stations.

33. A computer-program product for monitoring for paging messages by a mobile station in a wireless communications system, comprising a computer readable medium having instructions stored thereon, the instructions being executable by one or more processors and the instructions comprising:

instructions for exiting a lower power state of an idle mode to monitor for paging messages during a current listening interval;

instructions for determining a group number for the mobile station;

instructions for determining an order of group numbers to receive paging messages in a current listening interval; and

instructions for returning to a low power state prior to the end of the current listening interval, in response to determining that a frame in the listening interval contains a mobile page advertisement message that does not target the mobile station and does target a mobile station in a group that occurs later in the determined order of group numbers than the group number determined for the mobile station.

34. The computer-program product of claim 33, wherein the instructions for determining a group number for the mobile station comprise:

instructions for determining a group number for the mobile station based, at least in part, on a MAC address hash value generated from a MAC address of the mobile station.

35. The computer-program product of claim 33, wherein the instructions for determining an order of group numbers to receive paging messages in a current listening interval comprise:

instructions for determining an order of group numbers based, at least in part, on an index of the current listening interval, such that different orders of group numbers are determined for different listening interval indexes.

36. The computer-program product of claim 33, wherein the instructions further comprise:

instructions for receiving a number M specifying a number of different groups of mobile stations; and

instructions for determining the group number for the mobile station based, at least in part, on a MAC address hash value generated from a MAC address of the mobile station and the number M.