BASE STATIONS AND METHODS FOR RECEIVING TRANSMISSIONS ON AN ENHANCED RANDOM ACCESS CHANNEL

• US 20110222527A1
• Filed: 03/10/2011
• Published: 09/15/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 03/12/2010
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Malikie Innovations Limited (Key Patent Innovations Limited)
• Original Assignee: Blackberry Limited
• Inventors: Borsella, Remo, Hole, David Philip, Venkob, Satish, Faurie, Rene, Kreuzer, Werner Karl, Hanov, Steven Michael
• Granted Patent: US 10,531,499 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 370/348
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 74/008 with additional processing of random access related information at receiving side
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 74/0833 Random access procedures, e.g. with 4-step access
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 74/0891 for synchronized access

Abstract

Example base stations and methods for receiving transmissions on an enhanced random access channel (RACH) are disclosed herein. An example method for receiving transmissions on an enhanced RACH from a device such that an initial access burst is received in a single time slot from the device involves receiving the initial access burst from the device on the enhanced RACH. The initial access burst is sent by the device using a timing advance determined at the device. The initial access burst includes at least one of an identifier or user data. The enhanced RACH is a contention-based uplink-only channel requiring use of timing advances for transmissions thereon.

Claims

1. A method for receiving transmissions on an enhanced random-access channel (RACH) from a device such that an initial access burst is received in a single time slot from the device comprising:

receiving the initial access burst from the device on an enhanced random access channel (RACH), the initial access burst sent by the device using a timing advance determined at the device,

wherein the initial access burst includes at least one of an identifier or user data, the enhanced RACH being a contention-based uplink-only channel requiring use of timing advances for transmissions thereon.

2. The method of claim 1 wherein the user data includes data having a network destination.

3. The method of claim 2 wherein a base station receives the initial access burst;

wherein the method further comprises associating additional information with the user data for forwarding to the network destination; and

wherein either the base station or a serving general packet radio service (GPRS) support node (SGSN) associates the additional information with the user data for forwarding to the network destination.

4. The method of claim 1 further comprising associating the identifier received in the initial access burst with a full-length identifier of the device.

5. The method of claim 4 further comprising:

associating the user data received in the initial access burst with a network destination address based on an identity of the device; and

forwarding the user data with the network destination address and the full-length identifier to the network destination.

6. The method of claim 4 wherein prior to receiving the initial access burst, the method further comprises:

receiving the full-length identifier of the device; and

providing the identifier to the device,

wherein the identifier is for use by a base station to distinguish between transmissions on the enhanced RACH from devices with enhanced RACH capability.

7. The method of claim 6 wherein the full-length identifier comprises either international mobile subscriber identity (IMSI), a temporary logical link identifier (TLLI) identifier or a temporary mobile subscriber identity (TMSI) of the device, and

wherein the identifier is shorter than the full-length identifier.

8. The method of claim 1 wherein the user data included in the initial access burst and received on the enhanced RACH includes at least one of information about a requested data channel, information about capabilities of the device, and information identifying the device.

9. The method of claim 1 wherein the method is performed in a time-division multiple access (TDMA) communication system,

wherein the method further comprises transmitting by a base station a notification of the enhanced RACH, the notification including parameters defining the enhanced RACH for initial access transmissions, the parameters including an identification of time-slots of TDMA frames that comprise the enhanced RACH.

10. The method of claim 9 wherein the enhanced RACH is a secondary RACH,

wherein a primary RACH is provided by the base station for receipt of access request messages from devices requesting assignment of a channel resource,

wherein when the timing advance is unknown, devices with enhanced RACH capability are to use the primary RACH for transmitting access request messages for an assignment of a channel resource for a subsequent transmission of data and are to refrain from transmitting initial access bursts on the enhanced RACH.

11. A tangible computer readable medium having instructions stored thereon that, when executed, cause a machine to implement the method as defined in claim 1.

12. A base station comprising a processor configured to receive an initial access burst from a device on an enhanced random access channel (RACH), the initial access burst sent by the device using a timing advance determined at the device,

wherein the initial access burst includes at least one of an identifier or user data, the enhanced RACH being a contention-based uplink-only channel requiring use of timing advances for transmissions thereon.

13. The base station of claim 12 wherein the user data includes data having a network destination, and

wherein the processor is further configured to associate additional information with the data for forwarding to the network destination.

14. The base station of claim 13 wherein the processor is further configured to associate the identifier received in the initial access burst with a full-length identifier of the device.

15. The base station of claim 14 wherein the processor is further configured to:

associate the data received in the initial access burst with a network destination address based on an identity of the device; and

forward the data with the network destination address and the full-length identifier to the network destination.

16. The base station of claim 12 wherein the base station operates in a time-division multiple access (TDMA) communication system,

wherein the processor is further configured to cause the base station to transmit a notification of the enhanced RACH, the notification including parameters defining the enhanced RACH for initial access transmissions, the parameters including an identification of time-slots of TDMA frames that comprise the enhanced RACH,

wherein the enhanced RACH is a secondary RACH,

wherein a primary RACH is provided by the base station for receipt of access request messages from devices requesting assignment of a channel resource,

wherein when the timing advance is unknown, devices with enhanced RACH capability are to use the primary RACH for transmitting access request messages for an assignment of a channel resource for a subsequent transmission of data and are to refrain from transmitting initial access bursts on the enhanced RACH.