Method for Controlling Network Access Points

• US 20160029407A1
• Filed: 10/02/2015
• Published: 01/28/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 04/05/2013
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Huawei Technologies Co., Ltd. (Huawei Investment & Holding Co., Ltd.)
• Original Assignee: Huawei Technologies Co., Ltd. (Huawei Investment & Holding Co., Ltd.)
• Inventors: Soldati, Pablo, Sun, Weijun
• Granted Patent: US 10,057,922 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 52/0206 in access points, e.g. base stations access point devices per se H04W88/08
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 74/004 in the uplink, i.e. towards network
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 74/006 in the downlink, i.e. towards the terminal
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 76/28 Discontinuous transmission [DTX]; Discontinuous reception [DRX]
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 88/08 Access point devices
• CPC Class Codes: Y02D 30/70 in wireless communication networks

Abstract

The present invention relates to a method and apparatus for controlling network access points in a wireless communicating system, said system comprising: one or more mobile stations, and one or more access points, each access point being arranged for operating in active mode or in inactive mode; said method comprising the steps of: transmitting, by a mobile station, a sensing signal indicating network and/or mobile station specific information associated with at least one mobile station of said system; receiving, by at least one access point or at least one control unit, said sensing signal; and controlling, by said access point or said control unit, transition from active mode to inactive mode, and vice versa, of one or more access points of said system based on said sensing signal.

Claims

1. A method of operating a mobile station in a wireless communication system including one or more mobile stations and one or more network access points, each of the one or more network access points being arranged for operating in an active mode or in an inactive mode, the method comprising:

transmitting a sensing signal indicating mobile station specific information associated with the mobile station;

wherein the mobile station specific information comprises at least one of a service type required by the mobile station, a spatial position and a mobility of the mobile station.

2. The method according to claim 1, further comprising receiving a sensing response signal sent in response to a transition, by a network access point of the one or more network access points, between the active mode and the inactive mode.

3. A non-transitory computer readable medium having stored thereon a computer program instructions, which when executed by a processor, causes the processor to causes said processing the method according to claim 1.

5. A method for controlling a network access point in a wireless communication system including one or more mobile stations and one or more network access points, each network access point being arranged for operating in an active mode or in an inactive mode, the method comprising:

receiving a sensing signal indicating mobile station specific information associated with the mobile station, wherein the mobile station specific information comprises at least one of a service type required by the mobile station, a spatial position and a mobility of the mobile station; and

controlling a transition from an inactive mode to an active mode of the network access point of the communication system based on the sensing signal.

4. The non-transitory computer readable medium according to claim 7, wherein the non-transitory computer readable medium comprises one or more of ROM (Read-Only Memory), PROM (Programmable ROM), EPROM (Erasable PROM), Flash memory, EEPROM (Electrically EPROM) and hard disk drive.

6. The method according to claim 5, further comprising:

transmitting, in response to said sensing signal, a sensing response signal which enables the transition.

7. The method according to claim 6, wherein the sensing response signal indicates at least one of an activation acknowledgement of a network access point, a timing advance estimate, a mobile station identity, a synchronization signal, a downlink reference signal, control information and network access information.

8. The method according to claim 6, wherein the sensing response signal is sent in response to receiving a sensing control signal.

9. A mobile station device arranged for communication in a wireless communication system comprising one or more mobile stations, and one or more network access points, each of the one or more network access point being arranged for operating in an active mode or in an inactive mode, the mobile station device comprising:

a transmitter configured to transmit a sensing signal indicating mobile station specific information associated with the mobile station;

wherein the mobile station specific information comprises at least one of a service type required by the mobile station, a spatial position and a mobility of the mobile station.

10. An apparatus arranged for controlling a network access point in a wireless communication system comprising one or more mobile stations and one or more network access points, each of the one or more network access points being arranged for operating in an active mode or in an inactive mode, the apparatus comprising:

a processor configured to control a transition from an inactive mode to an active mode of the network access points of the communication system based on a sensing signal indicating mobile station specific information associated with at least one mobile station of the communication system;

wherein the mobile station specific information comprises at least one of a service type required by the mobile station, a spatial position and a mobility of the mobile station.

11. A method for controlling a network access point in a wireless communication system comprising one or more mobile stations and one or more network access points, each of the one or more network access point being arranged for operating in an active mode or in an inactive mode, the method comprising:

transmitting, by a mobile station, a sensing signal indicating mobile station specific information associated with at least one mobile station of the communication system;

receiving, by at least one of the one or more network access points or at least one control unit of the communication system, said sensing signal; and

controlling, by said network access point or said control unit, a transition from an inactive mode to an active mode of the network access point based on said sensing signal;

wherein the mobile station specific information comprises at least one of a service type required by the mobile station, a spatial position and a mobility of the mobile station.