WIRELESS TIMING AND POWER CONTROL

• US 20100130220A1
• Filed: 01/27/2010
• Published: 05/27/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 08/08/2002
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Qualcomm, Inc.
• Original Assignee: Qualcomm, Inc.
• Inventors: Uppala, Sathyadev Venkata, Laroia, Rajiv, Li, Junyi
• Granted Patent: US 8,620,332 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 455/450
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 16/12 Fixed resource partitioning
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 16/14 Spectrum sharing arrangements between different networks
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 24/00 Supervisory, monitoring or testing arrangements
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 36/06 Reselecting a communication resource in the serving access point
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 52/0235 where the received signal is a power saving command
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 52/028 switching on or off only a part of the equipment circuit blocks
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 52/08 Closed loop power control
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 52/281 taking into account user or data type priority
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 52/283 Power depending on the position of the mobile
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 52/286 during data packet transmission, e.g. high speed packet access [HSPA]
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 52/287 when the channel is in stand-by
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 52/288 taking into account the usage mode, e.g. hands-free, data transmission, telephone
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 52/60 using different transmission rates for TPC commands
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 68/02 Arrangements for increasing efficiency of notification or paging channel
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 68/025 Indirect paging
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 72/00 Local resource management
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 72/21 in the uplink direction of a wireless link, i.e. towards the network
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 72/51 based on terminal or device properties
• CPC Class Codes: Y02D 30/70 in wireless communication networks

Abstract

The use of multiple states of mobile communication device operation to allow a single base station to support a relatively large number of mobile nodes is described. The various states require different amounts of communications resources, e.g., bandwidth. Four supported states of operation are an on-state, a hold-state, a sleep-state, and an access-state. Each mobile node in the on-state is allocated communication resources to perform transmission power control signaling, transmission timing control signaling and to transmit data as part of a data uplink communications operation. Each mobile node in the hold-state is allocated communication resources to perform transmission timing control signaling and is provided a dedicated uplink for requesting a state transition and a shared resource for transmitting acknowledgements. In the sleep state a mobile node is allocated minimal resources and does not conduct power control signaling or timing control signaling. Data may be received in the on and hold states.

Claims

1. A communications method, the method comprising:

operating a wireless terminal, at different times, in each one of at least three different operational states, the three different operational states including a first state, a second state and a third state;

wherein operating the wireless terminal in the first state causes the wireless terminal to monitor an assignment control channel, a fast paging channel, and a slow paging channel;

wherein operating the wireless terminal in the second state causes the wireless terminal to monitor the fast paging channel, and the slow paging channel, and causes the wireless terminal not to monitor the assignment control channel; and

wherein operating the wireless terminal in the third state causes the wireless terminal to monitor the slow paging channel, and causes the wireless terminal not to monitor the assignment control channel and the fast paging channel.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the assignment control channel does not have a dedicated segment assigned to the wireless terminal, the assignment control channel is employed to receive one or more traffic channel assignments.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the fast paging channel is periodic having one or more dedicated segments assigned to the wireless terminal and is employed to receive one or more commands instructing the wireless terminal to transition between states, the wireless terminal only monitors the fast paging channel for a duration sufficient to monitor segments assigned to the wireless terminal.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the slow paging channel is periodic having one or more dedicated segments assigned to the wireless terminal and is employed to receive one or more commands instructing the wireless terminal to transition between states, the internal between periods of the slow paging channel is greater than an interval between periods of the fast paging channel, the wireless terminal only monitors the fast paging channel for a duration sufficient to monitor segments assigned to the wireless terminal.

5. The method of claim 1, further comprising the wireless terminal determining when to transition between states based upon monitoring a level of messages on at least one of the assignment control channel, the fast paging channel, or the slow paging channel.

6. The method of claim 5, wherein at least one of:

if the wireless terminal is in the first state and the level of messages directed to the wireless terminal on the assignment channel is zero or reduced for preselected period of time, the wireless terminal transitions to the second state; and

if the wireless terminal is in the second state and the level of messages directed to the wireless terminal on the paging channel is zero or reduced for preselected period of time, the wireless terminal transitions to the third state.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein physical transmission resources used to implement the fast paging channel and are also used to implement the slow paging channel by staggering the periods of the fast and slow paging channels such that they do not overlap.

8. A wireless terminal, comprising:

a device status control module for controlling said wireless terminal to operate, at different times, in each one of at least three different operational states, the three different operational states including a first state, a second state and a third state;

wherein operating the wireless terminal in the first state causes the wireless terminal to monitor an assignment control channel, a fast paging channel, and a slow paging channel;

wherein operating the wireless terminal in the second state causes the wireless terminal to monitor the fast paging channel, and the slow paging channel, and causes the wireless terminal not to monitor the assignment control channel; and

wherein operating the wireless terminal in the third state causes the wireless terminal to monitor the slow paging channel, and causes the wireless terminal not to monitor the assignment control channel and the fast paging channel.

9. The wireless terminal of claim 8, wherein the assignment control channel does not have a dedicated segment assigned to the wireless terminal, the assignment control channel is employed to receive one or more traffic channel assignments.

10. The wireless terminal of claim 8, wherein the fast paging channel is periodic having one or more dedicated segments assigned to the wireless terminal and is employed to receive one or more commands instructing the wireless terminal to transition between states, the wireless terminal only monitors the fast paging channel for a duration sufficient to monitor segments assigned to the wireless terminal.

11. The wireless terminal of claim 8, wherein the slow paging channel is periodic having one or more dedicated segments assigned to the wireless terminal and is employed to receive one or more commands instructing the wireless terminal to transition between states, the internal between periods of the slow paging channel is greater than an interval between periods of the fast paging channel, the wireless terminal only monitors the fast paging channel for a duration sufficient to monitor segments assigned to the wireless terminal.

12. The wireless terminal of claim 8, the device status control module determining when to transition between states based upon monitoring a level of messages on at least one of the assignment control channel, the fast paging channel, or the slow paging channel.

13. The wireless terminal of claim 12, wherein at least one of:

if the wireless terminal is in the first state and the level of messages directed to the wireless terminal on the assignment channel is zero or reduced for preselected period of time, the device status control module causes the wireless terminal transitions to the second state; and

if the wireless terminal is in the second state and the level of messages directed to the wireless terminal on the paging channel is zero or reduced for preselected period of time, the device status control module causes the wireless terminal transitions to the third state.

14. The wireless terminal of claim 8, wherein physical transmission resources used to implement the fast paging channel and are also used to implement the slow paging channel by staggering the periods of the fast and slow paging channels such that they do not overlap.

15. A wireless terminal, comprising:

means for controlling said wireless terminal to operate, at different times, in each one of at least three different operational states, the three different operational states including a first state, a second state and a third state;

wherein operating the wireless terminal in the first state causes the wireless terminal to monitor an assignment control channel, a fast paging channel, and a slow paging channel;

wherein operating the wireless terminal in the second state causes the wireless terminal to monitor the fast paging channel, and the slow paging channel, and causes the wireless terminal not to monitor the assignment control channel;

wherein operating the wireless terminal in the third state causes the wireless terminal to monitor the slow paging channel, and causes the wireless terminal not to monitor the assignment control channel and the fast paging channel; and

means for receiving the assignment control channel, the fast paging channel, and the slow paging channel.

16. The wireless terminal of claim 15, wherein the assignment control channel does not have a dedicated segment assigned to the wireless terminal, the assignment control channel is employed to receive one or more traffic channel assignments.

17. The wireless terminal of claim 15, wherein the fast paging channel is periodic having one or more dedicated segments assigned to the wireless terminal and is employed to receive one or more commands instructing the wireless terminal to transition between states, the wireless terminal only monitors the fast paging channel for a duration sufficient to monitor segments assigned to the wireless terminal.

18. The wireless terminal of claim 15, wherein the slow paging channel is periodic having one or more dedicated segments assigned to the wireless terminal and is employed to receive one or more commands instructing the wireless terminal to transition between states, the internal between periods of the slow paging channel is greater than an interval between periods of the fast paging channel, the wireless terminal only monitors the fast paging channel for a duration sufficient to monitor segments assigned to the wireless terminal.

19. The wireless terminal of claim 15, the means for controlling determining when to transition between states based upon monitoring a level of messages on at least one of the assignment control channel, the fast paging channel, or the slow paging channel.

20. The wireless terminal of claim 19 wherein at least one of:

if the wireless terminal is in the first state and the level of messages directed to the wireless terminal on the assignment channel is zero or reduced for preselected period of time, the means for controlling causes the wireless terminal transitions to the second state; and

if the wireless terminal is in the second state and the level of messages directed to the wireless terminal on the paging channel is zero or reduced for preselected period of time, the means for controlling causes the wireless terminal transitions to the third state.