Systems and methods for blocking excessive transmitter message signaling

• US 9,832,726 B2
• Filed: 08/12/2016
• Issued: 11/28/2017
• Est. Priority Date: 08/02/2012
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Telefonaktiebolaget LM Ericsson
• Original Assignee: Telefonaktiebolaget LM Ericsson
• Inventors: Yavuz, Emre, Wnstedt, Stefan, Wiemann, Henning
• Primary Examiner(s): Zaidi, Iqbal
• Application Number:
  US15/235,734
• Publication Number:
  US 20160353377A1
• Time in Patent Office: 473 Days
• Field of Search: 370370, 370235-311, 455455, 455418
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 69/28 Timers or timing mechanisms used in protocols
• 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 76/27 Transitions between radio resource control [RRC] states
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 76/28 Discontinuous transmission [DTX]; Discontinuous reception [DRX]
• CPC Class Codes: Y02D 30/70 in wireless communication networks

Abstract

The present disclosure relates to transmitting assistance information from a first node to a second node. In one embodiment, a first node includes a wireless transmitter and a wireless receiver. In response to transmitting a preference indicator for a first configuration to a second node via the wireless transmitter or receiving a reconfiguration request associated with the preference indicator for the first configuration, the first node starts a timer set to a value that defines an amount of time before the first node is permitted to transmit a preference indicator for a second configuration to the second node. The first node then blocks transmission of the preference indicator for the second configuration to the second node until the timer has expired. In this manner, excessive signaling of preference indicators from the first node to the second node is avoided.

Claims

1. A method of operation of a wireless device in a cellular communications network, the wireless device comprising a wireless transmitter and a wireless receiver, the method comprising:

identifying a preference for a first configuration impacting power consumption of the wireless device;

starting a timer in response to identifying the preference for the first configuration;

transmitting a preference indicator for the first configuration via the wireless transmitter, the timer being set to a value that defines an amount of time before the wireless device is permitted to transmit a preference indicator for a second configuration impacting power consumption of the wireless device, the second configuration being different than the first configuration; and

blocking transmission of the preference indicator for the second configuration until the timer has expired.

2. The method of claim 1 wherein the value that defines the amount of time before the wireless device is permitted to transmit the preference indicator for the second configuration is inversely related to a delay sensitivity of operations associated with the second configuration.

3. The method of claim 1 further comprising:

identifying a preference for the second configuration;

setting a preference indicator to indicate the preference for the second configuration; and

transmitting the preference indicator for the second configuration via the wireless transmitter after the timer has expired.

4. The method of claim 3 further comprising:

identifying a preference for the first configuration;

restarting the timer, the timer set to the value that defines the amount of time before the wireless device is permitted to transmit the preference indicator for the second configuration impacting power consumption of the wireless device in response to identifying the preference for the first configuration; and

blocking transmission of the preference indicator for the second configuration impacting power consumption of the wireless device until the timer has expired.

5. The method of claim 4 wherein the value that defines the amount of time before the wireless device is permitted to transmit the preference indicator for the first configuration is different than the value that defines the amount of time before the wireless device is permitted to transmit the preference indicator for the second configuration.

6. The method of claim 4 wherein:

the timer set to the value that defines the amount of time before the wireless device is permitted to transmit the preference indicator for the first configuration is the same timer set to the value that defines the amount of time before the wireless device is permitted to transmit the preference indicator for the second configuration; and

the value that defines the amount of time before the wireless device is permitted to transmit the preference indicator for the first configuration is different than the value that defines the amount of time before the wireless device is permitted to transmit the preference indicator for the second configuration.

7. The method of claim 4 further comprising transmitting the preference indicator for the first configuration via the wireless transmitter after the timer set to the value that defines the amount of time before the wireless device is permitted to transmit the preference indicator for the first configuration has expired.

8. The method of claim 1 wherein the preference indicator for the first configuration is a preference indicator for a normal power configuration, and the preference indicator for the second configuration is a preference indicator for a power efficient configuration, and wherein the wireless device consumes less power during operation when operating in the power efficient configuration than when operating in the normal power configuration.

9. The method of claim 8 wherein the normal power configuration and the power efficient configuration are configurations for a discontinuous reception mode of operation of the wireless device while in a connected state.

10. The method of claim 8 further comprising transmitting the preference indicator for the power efficient configuration via the wireless transmitter after the timer has expired.

11. The method of claim 1 wherein the preference indicator for the first configuration is a preference indicator for a power efficient configuration, and the preference indicator for the second configuration is a preference indicator for a normal power configuration, and wherein the wireless device consumes less power during operation when operating in the power efficient configuration.

12. The method of claim 11 wherein the normal power configuration and the power efficient configuration are configurations for a discontinuous reception mode of operation of the wireless device while in a connected state.

13. The method of claim 11 further comprising transmitting the preference indicator for the normal power configuration via the wireless transmitter after the timer has expired.

14. The method of claim 13 further comprising:

identifying a preference for the normal power configuration prior to transmitting the preference indicator for the normal power configuration;

starting the timer set to the value that defines the amount of time before the wireless device is permitted to transmit the preference indicator for the power efficient configuration in response to identifying the preference for the normal power configuration; and

blocking transmission of the preference indicator for the power efficient configuration until the timer set to the value that defines the amount of time before the wireless device is permitted to transmit the preference indicator for the power efficient configuration has expired.

15. The method of claim 14 further comprising transmitting the preference indicator for the power efficient configuration via the wireless transmitter after the timer set to the value that defines the amount of time before the wireless device is permitted to transmit the preference indicator for the power efficient configuration has expired.

16. The method of claim 1 wherein blocking transmission of the preference indicator for the second configuration until the timer has expired comprises:

initiating an assistance information procedure; and

performing the assistance information procedure to determine whether to block or initiate transmission of assistance information including a preference indicator for a desired power configuration.

17. The method of claim 16 wherein performing the assistance information procedure comprises:

determining whether the preference indicator for the desired power configuration is the preference indicator for the second configuration, which is different than the preference indicator for the first configuration; and

if the preference indictor for the desired power configuration is the preference indicator for the second configuration;

determining whether the timer has expired;

if the timer has not expired, blocking transmission of the assistance information including the preference indicator for the second configuration; and

if the timer has expired, initiating transmission of the assistance information including the preference indicator for the second configuration.

18. The method of claim 17 further comprising, in response to initiating transmission of the assistance information:

determining whether the preference indicator for the second configuration is a preference indicator for a power efficient configuration; and

if the preference indicator is the preference indicator for the power efficient configuration;

setting a power preference indicator for the assistance information to the preference indicator for the power efficient configuration; and

transmitting the assistance information comprising the power preference indicator via the wireless transmitter.

19. The method of claim 18 wherein the preference indicator for the first configuration is a preference indicator for a normal power configuration, and the preference indicator for the second configuration is the preference indicator for the power efficient configuration, and wherein the wireless device consumes less power during operation when operating in the power efficient configuration than when operating in the normal power configuration.

20. The method of claim 1 wherein the value that defines the amount of time before the wireless device is permitted to transmit the preference indicator for the second configuration is greater than or equal to zero.

21. The method of claim 1 wherein the value that defines the amount of time before the wireless device is permitted to transmit the preference indicator for the second configuration is greater than zero.

22. A wireless device in a cellular communications network, comprising:

a wireless transmitter;

a wireless receiver; and

a processing subsystem associated with the wireless transmitter and the wireless receiver configured to;

identify a preference for a first configuration;

impacting power consumption of the wireless device

start a timer in response to identifying the preference for the first configuration;

transmit a preference indicator for the first configuration via the wireless transmitter, the timer being set to a value that defines an amount of time before the wireless device is permitted to transmit a preference indicator for a second configuration impacting power consumption of the wireless device; and

block transmission of the preference indicator for the second configuration until the timer has expired.