System and method for discontinuous reception control start time

• US 8,897,192 B2
• Filed: 03/17/2014
• Issued: 11/25/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 09/14/2007
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Blackberry Limited
• Original Assignee: Blackberry Limited
• Inventors: Cai, Zhijun
• Primary Examiner(s): Jaroenchonwanit, Bunjob
• Application Number:
  US14/216,181
• Publication Number:
  US 20140198665A1
• Time in Patent Office: 253 Days
• Field of Search: None
• US Class Current: 370/311
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 1/0004 applied to control information
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 24/00 Supervisory, monitoring or testing arrangements
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 40/005 Routing actions in the presence of nodes in sleep or doze mode
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 52/02 Power saving arrangements in wired systems H04L12/12; signaling of mobile application services, e.g. low battery notifications H04W4/20
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 52/0209 in terminal devices terminal devices per se H04W88/02
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 52/0216 using a pre-established activity schedule, e.g. traffic indication frame
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 52/0235 where the received signal is a power saving command
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 72/04 Wireless resource allocation
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 72/1273 of downlink data flows
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 72/23 in the downlink direction of a wireless link, i.e. towards a terminal
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 76/28 Discontinuous transmission [DTX]; Discontinuous reception [DRX]
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 84/12 WLAN [Wireless Local Area Networks]
• CPC Class Codes: Y02D 30/70 in wireless communication networks

Abstract

Methods of combining semi-persistent resource allocation and dynamic resource allocation are provided. Packets, such as VoIP packets, are transmitted on the uplink and downlink using respective semi-persistent resources. For each mobile device, awake periods and sleep periods are defined. The semi-persistent resources are aligned with the awake periods so that most of the time the mobile device can turn off its wireless access radio during the sleep periods. In addition, signalling to request, and to allocate, resources for additional packets are transmitted during the awake periods, and the resources allocated for the additional packets are within the awake periods. Methods of extending the awake periods in various embodiments are also provided. Methods of determining the first on period are also provided.

Claims

1. A method comprising:

configuring a mobile device to operate in a discontinuous reception (DRX) mode, wherein the DRX mode includes DRX sleep periods and DRX awake periods, wherein during each DRX awake period the mobile device monitors, for a dynamically-allocated resource, a plurality of downlink layer 1 control channel elements (CCE'"'"'s) in each of a plurality of consecutive sub-frames of that DRX awake period; and

transmitting, by a network, signaling comprising a DRX control parameter that indicates a first of said DRX awake periods.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising transmitting, by the network, signaling comprising a DRX control parameter that indicates an extension period during which the mobile device will continue to monitor a plurality of downlink layer 1 CCE'"'"'s following one of said DRX awake periods for a dynamic scheduling allocation.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the signaling indicates the first of said DRX awake periods in absolute terms.

4. The method of claim 3, wherein the signaling indicating the first of said DRX awake periods in absolute terms comprises signaling that indicates a layer-1 sub-frame index.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the signaling indicates the first of said DRX awake periods in relative terms.

6. The method of claim 5 wherein the signaling indicating the first of said DRX awake periods in relative terms comprises signaling that indicates an activation-timer duration.

7. The method of claim 6 wherein transmitting the activation-timer duration comprises at least one of:

transmitting the activation-timer duration in units of layer-1 sub-frames;

or

transmitting the activation-timer duration in units of actual time.

8. A base station, comprising:

one or more processors configured to;

configure a mobile device to operate in a discontinuous reception (DRX) mode, wherein the DRX mode includes DRX sleep periods and DRX awake periods, wherein during each DRX awake period the mobile device monitors, for a dynamically-allocated resource, a plurality of downlink layer 1 control channel elements (CCE'"'"'s) in each of a plurality of consecutive sub-frames of that DRX awake period; and

transmit signaling comprising a DRX control parameter that indicates a first of said DRX awake periods.

9. The base station of claim 8, the one or more processors further configured to transmit signaling comprising a DRX control parameter that indicates an extension period during which the mobile device will continue to monitor a plurality of downlink layer 1 CCE'"'"'s following one of said DRX awake periods for a dynamic scheduling allocation.

10. The base station of claim 8, wherein the signaling indicates the first of said DRX awake periods in absolute terms.

11. The base station of claim 10, wherein the signaling indicating the first of said DRX awake periods in absolute terms comprises signaling that indicates a layer-1 sub-frame index.

12. The base station of claim 8, wherein the signaling indicates the first of said DRX awake periods in relative terms.

13. The base station of claim 12, wherein the signaling indicating the first of said DRX awake periods in relative terms comprises signaling that indicates an activation-timer duration.

14. The base station of claim 13, wherein the one or more processors configured to transmit the activation-timer duration comprises the one or more processors configured to at least one of:

transmit the activation-timer duration in units of layer-1 sub-frames;

or

transmit the activation-timer duration in units of actual time.

15. A computer program product encoded on non-transitory medium, the product comprising computer readable instructions for causing one or more processors to perform operations comprising:

configuring a mobile device to operate in a discontinuous reception (DRX) mode, wherein the DRX mode includes DRX sleep periods and DRX awake periods, wherein during each DRX awake period the mobile device monitors, for a dynamically-allocated resource, a plurality of downlink layer 1 control channel elements (CCE'"'"'s) in each of a plurality of consecutive sub-frames of that DRX awake period; and

transmitting, by a network, signaling comprising a DRX control parameter that indicates a first of said DRX awake periods.

16. The computer program product of claim 15, the instructions further comprising transmitting, by the network, signaling comprising a DRX control parameter that indicates an extension period during which the mobile device will continue to monitor a plurality of downlink layer 1 CCE'"'"'s following one of said DRX awake periods for a dynamic scheduling allocation.

17. The computer program product of claim 15, wherein the signaling indicates the first of said DRX awake periods in absolute terms.

18. The computer program product of claim 17, wherein the signaling indicating the first of said DRX awake periods in absolute terms comprises signaling that indicates a layer-1 sub-frame index.

19. The computer program product of claim 15, wherein the signaling indicates the first of said DRX awake periods in relative terms.

20. The computer program product of claim 19, wherein the signaling indicating the first of said DRX awake periods in relative terms comprises signaling that indicates an activation-timer duration.

21. The computer program product of claim 20, wherein the instructions comprising transmitting the activation-timer duration comprises instructions comprising at least one of:

transmitting the activation-timer duration in units of layer-1 sub-frames;

or

transmitting the activation-timer duration in units of actual time.