Method of performing uplink synchronization in random access procedure

• US 9,320,001 B2
• Filed: 04/07/2015
• Issued: 04/19/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 03/14/2008
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Optis Cellular Technology LLC (Brevet Capital)
• Original Assignee: Optis Cellular Technology LLC (Brevet Capital)
• Inventors: Park, Sung Jun, Yi, Seung June, Lee, Young Dae, Chun, Sung Duck
• Primary Examiner(s): Mohebbi, Kouroush
• Application Number:
  US14/680,323
• Publication Number:
  US 20150215885A1
• Time in Patent Office: 378 Days
• Field of Search: None
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 7/2681 Synchronisation of a mobile station with one base station
• CPC Class Codes: H04J 11/003 at the transmitter transmission to multiple receive units in multiple input multiple output [MIMO] H04B7/0452; transmit antenna weighting H04B7/0615
• CPC Class Codes: H04J 2011/0096 Network synchronisation
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 56/0005 synchronizing of arrival of multiple uplinks
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 56/0045 compensating for timing error by altering transmission time
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 72/0446 Resources in time domain, e.g. slots or frames
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 72/21 in the uplink direction of a wireless link, i.e. towards the network
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 74/002 Transmission of channel access control information
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 74/0833 Random access procedures, e.g. with 4-step access
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 88/16 Gateway arrangements

Abstract

A method and device for performing a contention based random access procedure by a mobile communication terminal in communication with a base station. The method according to an embodiment includes transmitting a random access preamble message to the base station; receiving a random access response from the base station, the random access response including a timing advance command; determining a status of a mobile communication terminal time alignment timer; and ignoring the timing advance command if the mobile communication terminal time alignment timer is determined to be running in the determining step.

Claims

1. A method of performing a random access procedure by a mobile terminal in communication with a base station, comprising:

starting a time alignment timer upon applying first time alignment information that is received from a base station, the time alignment timer being used to control how long the mobile terminal is considered uplink time aligned;

transmitting a random access preamble to the base station, wherein the transmitted random access preamble is selected by the mobile terminal;

receiving from the base station a random access response as a response to the random access preamble, the random access response including an uplink resource assignment and second time alignment information;

wherein the random access procedure is a contention based random access procedure, and;

if the time alignment timer is running, ignoring the second time alignment information; and

if the time alignment timer is not running, starting the time alignment timer and applying the second time alignment information, and when contention resolution for the mobile terminal is not successful, stopping the time alignment timer.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

if the uplink is synchronized, ignoring the second time alignment information.

3. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

initiating contention resolution with another mobile terminal trying the random access procedure by transmitting a scheduled message using the uplink resource assignment to the base station.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the random access preamble is randomly selected by the mobile terminal from a plurality of available random access preambles when the random access procedure is contention based.

5. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

if the time alignment timer is running, storing the second time alignment information and subsequently applying the stored second time alignment information after the time alignment timer expires.

6. A mobile terminal configured to perform a random access procedure with a base station, the mobile terminal comprising:

a radio frequency (RF) unit; and

a processor operatively connected to the display and configured to;

start a time alignment timer upon applying first time alignment information that is received from a base station, the time alignment timer being used to control how long the mobile terminal is considered uplink time aligned,

transmit a random access preamble to the base station,

wherein the transmitted random access preamble is selected by the mobile terminal,

receive from the base station a random access response as a response to the random access preamble, the random access response including an uplink resource assignment and second time alignment information,

wherein the random access procedure is a contention based random access procedure, and;

if the time alignment timer is running, ignore the second time alignment information, and

if the time alignment timer is not running, start the time alignment timer and apply the second time alignment information, and when contention resolution for the mobile terminal is not successful, stop the time alignment timer.

7. The mobile terminal of claim 6, wherein the processor is configured for ignoring the second time alignment information if the uplink is synchronized.

8. The mobile terminal of claim 6, wherein the processor is configured to initiate contention resolution with another mobile terminal trying the random access procedure by transmitting a scheduled message using the uplink resource assignment to the base station when the uplink is synchronized.

9. The mobile terminal of claim 6, wherein the processor is configured to randomly select the random access preamble from a plurality of available random access preambles when the random access procedure is contention based.

10. The mobile terminal of claim 6, wherein, if the time alignment timer is running, the processor is further configured to store the second time alignment information and subsequently apply the stored second time alignment information after the time alignment timer expires.