Efficient paging mechanism with scalable bandwidth allocation

• US 8,233,922 B2
• Filed: 06/28/2007
• Issued: 07/31/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 06/29/2006
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Sovereign Peak Ventures, LLC (Dominion Harbor Enterprises, LLC)
• Original Assignee: Panasonic Corporation (Panasonic Holdings Corporation)
• Inventors: Wengerter, Christian, Petrovic, Dragan
• Primary Examiner(s): LE, DANH C
• Application Number:
  US12/306,601
• Publication Number:
  US 20090280823A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,860 Days
• Field of Search: 455/458, 455/561, 455/422.1, 370/337
• US Class Current: 455/458
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 68/02 Arrangements for increasing efficiency of notification or paging channel

Abstract

A paging method in a mobile communication system, in which a preconfigured frequency range, split into a plurality of frequency subbands, is utilized for communicating within the mobile communication system, includes the steps of selecting at least one frequency subband for transmitting paging information, and transmitting paging information from a network entity, for initiating paging, utilizing the selected at least one frequency subband.

Claims

1. A paging method in a mobile communication system, wherein a preconfigured frequency range, split into a plurality of frequency subbands, is utilized for communicating within the mobile communication system, and the method comprises the steps of:

selecting at least one frequency subband for transmitting paging information,

transmitting paging information from a network entity, for initiating paging, utilizing the selected at least one frequency subband, wherein the paging information comprises paging control infoimation and a paging message, and wherein the paging control information is transmitted utilizing a default frequency subband within the preconfigured frequency range, and the step of selecting the at least one frequency subband comprises selecting the at least one frequency subband for transmitting the paging message,

wherein a second paging message, being equal to the paging message, is transmitted, and the method further comprises the steps of;

selecting at least one frequency subband for transmitting the second paging message, based on a determined load in each frequency subband, and

transmitting the second paging message from the network entity, for initiating paging, utilizing the at least one frequency subband, selected for transmitting the second paging message,

wherein the second paging message is split into at least one resource block, the at least one resource block being defined by a frequency range and a time range, in which data is transmitted and wherein the step of selecting the at least one frequency subband for transmitting the second paging message, selects for each resource block of the second paging message a frequency subband for transmitting the resource block of the second paging message, based on the determined load in each frequency subband.

2. The paging method of claim 1, wherein the selection of the at least one frequency subband is conducted in the network entity, for initiating paging or in a radio resource control entity of the radio access network.

3. The paging method of claim 1, wherein the selected at least one frequency subband is different from the default frequency subband.

4. The paging method of claim 1, wherein the paging control information comprises information about the selected at least one frequency subband, wherein a mobile node utilizes a first frequency range for communicating, said first frequency range comprising the default frequency subband and the method further comprises the step of:

upon receiving the paging control information, comprising the information about the selected at least one frequency subband, in the mobile node, shifting the first frequency range of the mobile node so as to include the selected at least one frequency subband for receiving the paging message.

5. The paging method of claim 1, wherein a plurality of System Information Blocks contain different parts of the paging control information.

6. The paging method of claim 1, wherein the paging message is split into at least one resource block, the at least one resource block being defined by a frequency range and a time range in which data is transmitted, and wherein the step of selecting the at least one frequency subband for transmitting the paging message, selects for each resource block a frequency subband, for transmitting the resource block.

7. The paging method of claim 6, wherein the method further comprises the step of:

determining the importance of the paging information within each resource block, and

wherein the step of selecting the frequency subband for transmitting each resource block, is further based on its determined importance.

8. The paging method of claim 6, further comprising the steps of:

determining for each resource block a frequency subrange within the selected frequency subband, and

transmitting each resource block utilizing its determined frequency subrange.

9. The paging method of claim 1, wherein in case the determined load in each frequency subband, for transmitting the resource block of the second message, is high, retransmitting the resource block of the second paging message after a predetermined time utilizing the at least one frequency subband, selected for transmitting the paging message.

10. The paging method of claim 1, wherein the network entity, for initiating paging, is a control entity in the radio access network.

11. The paging method of claim 10, wherein the control entity in the radio access network is a User Plane Entity or a Mobility Management Entity.

12. The paging method of claim 1, wherein the network entity, for initiating paging, pages a plurality of mobile nodes, and the network entity, for initiating paging, has information about a first frequency range of each mobile node, utilized for communication by the mobile node, and wherein the step of selecting the at least one frequency subband, for transmitting the paging message, is further based on the information about the first frequency range of each mobile node.

13. The paging method of claim 12, wherein in case the first frequency range of one of the plurality of mobile nodes, paged by the network entity, for initiating paging, does not comprise the at least one frequency subband selected for transmitting the second paging message, the method further comprises the step of:

retransmitting the second paging message after a predetermined time utilizing the at least one frequency subband, selected for transmitting the paging message.

14. The paging method of claim 1, wherein in case the first frequency range of one of the plurality of mobile nodes, paged by the network entity, for initiating paging, does not comprise the at least one frequency subband selected for transmitting the second paging message, the method further comprises the step of:

re-transmitting the second paging message after a predetermined time utilizing the at least one frequency subband, selected for transmitting the paging message.

15. The paging method of claim 1, wherein an air resource control entity is connected between the network entity, for initiating paging and the mobile node, and wherein the network entity, for initiating paging, transmits the paging information to the air resource control entity and the air resource control entity forwards the paging information to the mobile node.

16. The paging method of claim 15, further comprising the steps of:

upon receiving the paging information in the mobile node, transmitting a response message, as response to the paging information, to the air resource control entity,

upon receiving the response message in the radio resource control entity, further appending an identifier of the radio resource control entity to the response message, and

transmitting the response message to the network entity, for initiating paging.

17. The paging method of claim 1, wherein the paging control information further includes transport format indication.

18. The paging method of claim 17, wherein the paging control information is transmitted utilizing a paging indicator channel and a broadcast channel, the broadcast channel utilizes the default frequency subband, and the method further comprises the steps of:

selecting and utilizing the broadcast channel or the paging indicator channel for transmitting the transport format indication.

19. The paging method of claim 17, wherein the paging entity pages a plurality of mobile nodes, the plurality of mobile nodes utilizing a small frequency range or a wide frequency range, both comprising a default frequency subband, and the method further comprises the steps of:

transmitting a first transport format indication, comprising configuration information about the small frequency range, to the mobile nodes that utilize the small frequency range, and

transmitting a second transport format indication, comprising configuration information about the wide frequency range, to the mobile nodes that utilize the wide frequency range.

20. A non-transitory computer-readable medium storing instructions that, when executed by a processor of a network entity, for initiating paging, causes the network entity to perform the steps of the method according to claim 1.

21. A network entity for initiating paging of a mobile node, utilizing a preconfigured frequency range, split into a plurality of frequency subbands, for communicating within a mobile communication system, wherein the network entity is connected via a radio resource control entity in the radio access network to a plurality of mobile nodes, comprising the mobile node, wherein the network entity comprises:

a processor configured to select at least one frequency subband for transmitting paging information,

a transmitter configured to transmit the paging information, utilizing the selected at least one frequency subband,

wherein the paging information comprises paging control information and a paging message, and wherein the paging control information is transmitted utilizing a default frequency subband within the preconfigured frequency range, and the step of selecting the at least one frequency subband comprises selecting the at least one frequency subband for transmitting the paging message, and

the processor is further configured to select at least one frequency subband for transmitting a second paging message, based on a determined load in each frequency subband,

wherein the transmitter is configured to transmit the second paging message, being equal to the paging message, from the network entity, for initiating paging, utilizing the at least one frequency subband, selected for transmitting the second paging message, and

wherein the second paging message is split into at least one resource block, the at least one resource block being defined by a frequency range and a time range, in which data is transmitted, and wherein the step of selecting the at least one frequency subband for transmitting the second paging message, selects for each resource block of the second paging message a frequency subband for transmitting the resource block of the second paging message, based on the determined load in each frequency subband.

22. The network entity of claim 21, wherein the network entity is further configured to perform the steps of a paging method in a mobile communication system, wherein a preconfigured frequency range, split into a plurality of frequency subbands, is utilized for communicating within the mobile communication system, and the method comprises the steps of selecting at least one frequency subband for transmitting paging information, and transmitting paging information from a network entity, for initiating paging, utilizing the selected at least one frequency subband.