Method for Transmitting Communication Signals in a Wireless Communication System

• US 20160135123A1
• Filed: 01/15/2016
• Published: 05/12/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 07/15/2013
• 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, Popovic, Branislav
• Granted Patent: US 9,998,986 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 52/0229 where the received signal is a wanted signal
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 76/28 Discontinuous transmission [DTX]; Discontinuous reception [DRX]
• CPC Class Codes: Y02D 30/70 in wireless communication networks

Abstract

Embodiments relate to a method in a first network node for transmitting communication signals in a wireless communication system, the first network node being arranged to operate in an active mode in which the first network node has full transmission and/or reception capabilities or in an idle mode in which the first network node has limited transmission and/or reception capabilities in relation to the active mode; the method being characterized by the steps of: encoding an indication of time left in idle mode for the first network node into a communication signal; and transmitting said communication signal in the wireless communication system while operating in the idle mode. Furthermore, embodiments also relate to a corresponding method in a second network node, a first network node device, a second network node device, a computer program, and a computer program product thereof.

Claims

1. A method, comprising:

encoding an indication of time left in idle mode for a first network node into a communication signal; and

transmitting the communication signal in a wireless communication system while operating in the idle mode;

wherein the first network node is arranged to operate in an active mode in which the first network node has one or both of full transmission capability and full reception capability;

or

wherein the first network node is arranged to operate in an idle mode in which the first network node has one or both of limited transmission capability and reception capability in relation to the active mode.

2. The method according to claim 1, wherein an idle mode time duration for said first network node is divided into N number of idle mode time units t_Idle,n with equal duration, where n=1, 2, . . . , N is a positive integer, and the communication signal is transmitted in each idle mode time unit t_Idle,n.

3. The method according to claim 2, wherein the communication signal comprises an indication of the number of idle mode time units t_Idle,n left in the idle mode.

4. The method according to claim 2, wherein the communication signal is transmitted by one of N distinct sequences, each distinct sequence being associated with a corresponding idle mode time unit t_Idle,n.

5. The method according to claim 4, wherein the N distinct sequences are generated from a cyclically shifted base sequence having different cyclic shifted sequences.

6. The method according to claim 2, wherein the communication signal is transmitted a plurality of times in each idle mode time unit t_Idle,n.

7. The method according to claim 2, wherein the communication signal further comprises an indication of the duration of an idle mode time unit t_Idle,n.

8. The method according to claim 2, wherein the number of idle mode time units N is fixed and predetermined.

9. The method according to claim 2, wherein the number of idle mode time units N is semi-statically configured and signalled.

10. The method according to claim 2, wherein the communication signal is transmitted over same time-frequency resources in each idle mode time unit t_Idle,n.

11. The method according to claim 2, wherein the communication signal is transmitted over different time-frequency resources in each idle mode time unit t_Idle,n.

12. The method according to claim 1, wherein the communication signal comprises an indication of indefinite time left in the idle mode for the first network node.

13. The method according to claim 1, wherein the communication signal further comprises an indication of an active mode time duration of the first network node.

14. The method according to claim 1, further comprising:

receiving the communication signal transmitted from the first network node; and

decoding the communication signal to obtain the indication of time left the idle mode for the first network node.

15. The method according to claim 14, further comprising:

transmitting an activation signal to the first network node in response to the communication signal comprising an indication of indefinite time, the activation signal triggering the first network node to operate in the active mode after a predetermined time.

16. The method according to claim 14, further comprising:

measuring a signal quality of the communication signal;

comparing the signal quality with a signal quality threshold; and

transmitting an activation signal to the first network node if the communication signal comprises an indication of indefinite time and the signal quality is no less than the signal quality threshold, the activation signal triggering the first network node to operate in the active mode after a predetermined time.

17. A computer program comprising computer code, which when run by a processor causes the processor to execute the method according to claim 1.

18. A computer program product, comprising:

a computer readable medium, comprising one or more of ROM (Read-Only Memory), PROM (Programmable ROM), EPROM (Erasable PROM), Flash memory, EEPROM (Electrically EPROM) and a hard disk drive; and

a computer program according to claim 17, wherein the computer program is stored in the computer readable medium.

19. A first network node device, comprising:

a processor; and

a computer-readable storage medium storing a program to be executed by the processor, the program including instructions for encoding an indication of time left in idle mode for the first network node into a communication signal; and

a transmitter arranged for transmitting the communication signal in a wireless communication system while operating in the idle mode;

wherein the first network node device is arranged to operate in an active mode in which the first network node device has one or more of full transmission capability and full reception capability;

or

wherein the first network node device is arranged to operate in an idle mode in which the first network node has one or more of limited transmission capability and reception capability in relation to the active mode.

20. A second network node device, comprising:

a receiver arranged to receive the communication signal transmitted by the first network node device according to claim 19; and

a decoder arranged for decoding the communication signal to obtain an indication of time left in idle mode for the first network node device.