COMMUNICATIONS SYSTEM, INFRASTRUCTURE EQUIPMENT, COMMUNICATION TERMINAL AND METHOD

• US 20160212706A1
• Filed: 08/04/2014
• Published: 07/21/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 09/11/2013
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Sony Corporation (Sony Group Corp.)
• Original Assignee: Sony Corporation (Sony Group Corp.)
• Inventors: KAHTAVA, Jussi, RICHARDS, Derek John
• Granted Patent: US 10,531,383 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 36/165 for reducing network power consumption H04W36/18 - H04W36/22 take precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 36/26 by agreed or negotiated communication parameters
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 36/30 by measured or perceived connection quality data
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 52/0225 using monitoring of external events, e.g. the presence of a signal
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 52/0229 where the received signal is a wanted signal
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 52/0245 according to signal strength
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 72/542 using measured or perceived quality
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 76/28 Discontinuous transmission [DTX]; Discontinuous reception [DRX]
• CPC Class Codes: Y02D 30/70 in wireless communication networks

Abstract

A communications system for communicating data to and from a communication terminal, including infrastructure equipment forming a mobile communications network arranged to transmit and receive signals representing data to and from the communication terminal via a wireless access interface. The communication terminal is configured to transmit and receive signals representing data to/from the infrastructure equipment and to enter a reduced-power state, during which the communication terminal is configured to periodically recover data from the signals received from the infrastructure equipment, to measure a parameter indicating a characteristic of at least some of the signals received from the infrastructure equipment during the reduced power state, and to exit the reduced power state and to transmit a message to the infrastructure equipment, the message requesting resources of the wireless access interface, in dependence upon the measured parameter relative to a predetermined threshold.

Claims

1. A communications system for communicating data to and from a communication terminal, the system comprising

infrastructure equipment for forming a mobile communications network, and a communications terminal,

the infrastructure equipment being arranged to transmit and receive signals representing data to and from the communication terminal via a wireless access interface, the communication terminal being configured to receive and to transmit the signals representing the data to and from the infrastructure equipment, and wherein the communication terminal is configured

to enter a reduced-power state, during which the communication terminal is configured to periodically recover data from the signals received from the infrastructure equipment,

to measure a parameter indicating a characteristic of at least some of the signals received from the infrastructure equipment during the reduced power state, and in dependence on upon the measured parameter relative to a predetermined threshold,

to exit the reduced power state and to transmit a message to the infrastructure equipment, the message requesting resources of the wireless access interface, and the infrastructure equipment is configured

to receive the message for requesting resources and in response allocate resources of the wireless access interface to the communications terminal.

2. A communications system as claimed in claim 1, wherein the reduced-power state includes a first period during which the communication terminal is configured to recover data from the signals received from the infrastructure equipment and a second period during which the communication terminal is configured not to recover data from the signals received from the infrastructure equipment, and the communication terminal is configured to measure the parameter during the second period.

3. A communications system as claimed in claim 1, wherein the communications terminal is configured to transmit a reporting message to the infrastructure equipment in the allocated resources, the reporting message indicating the measured parameter relative to the threshold.

4. A communications system as claimed in claim 1, wherein the measured parameter includes a received power of a reference signal transmitted by the infrastructure equipment

5. A communications system as claimed in claim 1, wherein the predetermined threshold is higher than a threshold associated with a handover initiating event.

6. A communications system as claimed in claim 1, wherein the predetermined threshold is determined by the infrastructure equipment and the communications terminal is provided with an indication of the predetermined threshold.

7. A communications system as claimed in claim 1, wherein the predetermined threshold is hardcoded into the communications terminal.

8. An communications terminal comprising

a transceiver unit configured to transmit and to receive signals representing data to and from an infrastructure equipment via a wireless access interface, and

a controller configured in combination with the transceiver unit

to enter a reduced-power state, during which the communication terminal is configured to periodically recover data from the signals received from the infrastructure equipment,

to measure a parameter indicating a characteristic of at least some of the signals received from the infrastructure equipment during the reduced power state, and in dependence upon the measured parameter relative to a predetermined threshold,

to exit the reduced power state and to transmit a message to the infrastructure equipment, the message requesting resources of the wireless access interface.

9. A communications terminal as claimed in claim 8, wherein the reduced-power state includes a first period during which the communication terminal is configured to recover data from the signals received from the infrastructure equipment and a second period during which the communication terminal is configured not to recover data from the signals received from the infrastructure equipment, and the communication terminal is configured to measure the parameter during the second period.

10. A communications terminal as claimed in claim 8, wherein the communication terminal is configured to transmit a reporting message to the infrastructure equipment in resources allocated by the infrastructure equipment in response to receiving the request for resources, the reporting message indicating the measured parameter relative to the predetermined threshold.

11. A communications terminal as claimed in claim 8, wherein the measured parameter is a received power of a reference signal transmitted by the infrastructure equipment.

12. A communications terminal as claimed in claim 8, wherein the predetermined threshold is higher than a threshold associated with a handover initiating event.

13. A communications terminal as claimed in claim 8, wherein the communications terminal is provided with an indication of the predetermined threshold by the infrastructure equipment.

14. A communications terminal as claimed in claim 8, wherein the predetermined threshold is hardcoded into the communications terminal.

15. An infrastructure equipment comprising a transceiver arranged to transmit and to receive signals representing data to and from a communication terminal via a wireless access interface, the communication terminal configured to transmit and to receive signals representing data to and from the infrastructure equipment, and the communications terminal is configured to enter a reduced-power state, during which the communication terminal is configured to periodically recover data from the signals received from the infrastructure equipment, to measure a parameter indicating a characteristic of at least some of the signals received from the infrastructure equipment during the reduced power state, and to exit the reduced power state and to transmit a message for requesting resources of the wireless access interface to the infrastructure equipment in dependence upon the parameter measurement relative to a predetermined threshold, and the infrastructure equipment comprising a controller configured in combination with the transceiver

to receive the message for requesting resources and in response allocate resources of the wireless access interface to the communications terminal.

16. A method for communicating data to and from a communication terminal, the system comprising infrastructure equipment for forming a mobile communications network arranged to transmit and receive signals representing data to and from the communication terminal via a wireless access interface, the communication terminal configured to transmit and receive signals representing the data to and from the infrastructure equipment, the method comprising

entering a reduced-power state at the communications terminal, during which the communication terminal is configured to periodically recover data from the signals received from the infrastructure equipment,

measuring a parameter indicating a characteristic of at least some of the signals received from the infrastructure equipment during the reduced power state at the communications terminal,

exiting the reduced power state and transmitting a message to the infrastructure equipment, the message requesting resources of the wireless access interface, in dependence upon the measured parameter relative to a predetermined threshold, and

receiving the message for requesting resources at the infrastructure equipment and in response allocating resources of the wireless access interface to the communications terminal.

17. A method for communicating data to and receiving data from an infrastructure equipment from and to a communications terminal, the infrastructure equipment arranged to transmit and receive signals representing data to and from the communication terminal via a wireless access interface, the communication terminal configured to transmit and receive signals representing data to and from the infrastructure equipment, the method comprising

entering a reduced-power state, during which the communication terminal is configured to periodically recover data from the signals received from the infrastructure equipment,

measuring a parameter indicating a characteristic of at least some of the signals received from the infrastructure equipment during the reduced power state, and

exiting the reduced power state and transmitting a message to the infrastructure equipment, the message requesting resources of the wireless access interface, in dependence upon the measured parameter relative to a predetermined threshold.

18-19. -19. (canceled)