Communications system for transmitting and receiving data

• US 9,900,909 B2
• Filed: 04/15/2014
• Issued: 02/20/2018
• Est. Priority Date: 04/22/2013
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: InterDigital Patent Holdings, Inc. (InterDigital, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Sony Corporation (Sony Group Corp.)
• Inventors: Morioka, Yuichi
• Primary Examiner(s): Holland, Jenee
• Application Number:
  US14/784,790
• Publication Number:
  US 20160081117A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,407 Days
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 52/0216 using a pre-established activity schedule, e.g. traffic indication frame
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 52/0229 where the received signal is a wanted signal
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 72/04 Wireless resource allocation
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 72/0446 Resources in time domain, e.g. slots or frames
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 74/004 in the uplink, i.e. towards network
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 74/006 in the downlink, i.e. towards the terminal
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 74/08 Non-scheduled access, e.g. ALOHA hybrid access H04W74/02
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 74/0833 Random access procedures, e.g. with 4-step access
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 76/27 Transitions between radio resource control [RRC] states
• CPC Class Codes: Y02D 30/70 in wireless communication networks

Abstract

A communications system including infrastructure equipment providing a wireless interface to a communications device including a controller and a transceiver configured to transmit/receive signals representing the data to/from the infrastructure equipment over the wireless interface. The transceiver can transmit a request for services message to the infrastructure equipment, and receive a response message. The request for services message includes a delay period and the infrastructure equipment, in response to receiving the request for services message, processes the request to form the response message and stores the response message for transmission to the communications device. The response message is stored until expiry of the delay period or transmission of the response message, and the controller after transmission of the request for services can configure the transceiver to enter a reduced power state and to exit the reduced power state to receive the response message.

Claims

1. A communications system comprising infrastructure equipment arranged to provide a wireless interface to a communications device, the communications device comprising a controller and a transceiver configured to transmit and/or receive signals representing the data to and/or from the infrastructure equipment over the wireless interface, and the transceiver under control of the controller is configured to:

transmit a first random access request message to the infrastructure equipment requesting up-link communications resources for transmitting a radio resource control (RRC) connection request,

receive, from the infrastructure equipment, a random access request response to the communications device granting up-link communications resources in response to receiving the first random access request,

transmit the RRC connection request to the infrastructure equipment in the allocated up-link communications resources to the infrastructure equipment,

receive a response message to the RRC connection request transmitted from the infrastructure equipment, wherein the RRC connection request includes a delay period and the infrastructure equipment, in response to receiving the RRC connection request, processes the RRC connection request to form the response message and stores the response message for transmission to the communications device, the response message being stored until the expiry of the delay period or transmission of the response message, and the controller is configured after transmission of the RRC connection request to configure the transceiver to enter a reduced power state in which the amount of power consumed by the transceiver is reduced and to exit the reduced power state to receive the response message;

transmit a second random access request message to the infrastructure equipment requesting up-link communications resources for transmitting a request for a response message to the infrastructure equipment, the request for a response message requesting a response to the RRC connection request, and

in response to a granting of the up-link communications resources from the infrastructure equipment, transmit the request for response message in the allocated up-link communications resources to the infrastructure equipment, and receive a response message from the infrastructure equipment providing the requested services to the communications device in response to the RRC connection request.

2. A communications system as claimed in claim 1, wherein

the infrastructure equipment is configured

to transmit a random access request response to the communications device granting up-link communications resources in response to receiving the second random access request from the transceiver,

to receive the request for a response message requesting a response to the RRC connection request, and

to transmit a response message to the communications device providing the requested services to the communications device in response to the RRC connection request.

3. A communications system as claimed in claim 1, wherein the controller is configured to control the transceiver to exit the reduced power state to receive the response message in response to the expiry of the delay period, and the infrastructure equipment is configured to transmit the response message to the transceiver in response to the expiry of the delay period.

4. A communications system as claimed in claim 1, wherein the first random access request message transmitted by the transceiver to the infrastructure equipment requesting up-link communications resources includes an identifier identifying the communications device which has transmitted the first random access request message and the transceiver is configured

to receive the random access response message from the infrastructure equipment which provides the granted up-link communications resources for transmitting the RRC connection request, the random access response including the identification number, and prior to the expiry of the delay period the transceiver is configured

to transmit the second random access request message, which includes the identification number to the infrastructure equipment, and

to receive in response to the second random access request message the response message from the infrastructure equipment providing the requested services to the communications device in response to the RRC connection request;

and the infrastructure equipment is configured

to transmit a random access response message providing the granted up-link communications resources for the transceiver to transmit the RRC connection request to the infrastructure equipment,

to receive the second random access request message from the communications device, and

to transmit, in response to the second random access request message, the response message providing the requested services to the communications device in response to the RRC connection request.

5. A communications system as claimed in claim 1, wherein the RRC connection request represents a request for a radio resources connection request to the communications network to establish a radio communications bearer for transmitting data to and/or from the communications network.

6. A communications system as claimed in claim 1, wherein the infrastructure equipment transmits an indication of the delay period and the controller is configured with the transceiver unit to receive the indication of the delay period from the communications network and to store the indication in data store.

7. A communications system as claimed in claim 1, wherein the delay period exceeds the time taken to process the RRC connection request and form the response message at the infrastructure equipment.

8. The communications system as claimed in claim 1, wherein the communications network is a 3GPP LTE mobile network and the response to the RRC connection request is a Radio Resource Control Setup response.

9. Infrastructure equipment arranged to provide a wireless interface to a communications device forming part a communications network, the infrastructure equipment configured to transmit and/or receive signals representing data to and/or from the communications device over the wireless interface, and the infrastructure equipment comprising:

circuitry configured to

receive a first random access request message from the communications device requesting up-link communications resources for transmitting a radio resource connection (RRC) request;

transmit a random access request response to the communications device granting up-link communications resources in response to receiving the first random access request message;

receive the connection request from the communications device in the granted up-link resources;

transmit a response message to the RRC connection request to the communications device, wherein the RRC connection request includes a delay period;

in response to receiving the RRC connection request, processes the RRC connection request to form the response message;

store the response message for transmission to the communications device, the response message being stored until expiry of the delay period or transmission of the response message;

receive a second random access request message requesting uplink communications resources for transmitting a request for a response message from the communications device;

transmit a random access request response to the communications device granting up-link communications resources in response to receiving the second random access request message from the communications device;

receive the request for a response message requesting a response to the RRC connection request; and

transmit the response message to the communications device providing the requested services to the communications device in response to the RRC connection request.

10. Infrastructure equipment as claimed in claim 9, wherein the circuitry is configured to transmit the response message to the communications device in response to the expiry of the delay period.

11. Infrastructure equipment as claimed in claim 9, wherein the first random access request message transmitted by the communications device to the infrastructure equipment requesting up-link communications resources includes an identifier identifying the communications device which has transmitted the first random access request message and the circuitry is configured to:

transmit the random access response message to the communications device which provides the granted up-link communications resources for transmitting the RRC connection request, the random access response including the identification number;

receive the second random access request message from the communications device, which includes the identification number; and

transmit in response to the second random access request message, the response message to the communications device providing the requested services to the communications device in response to the RRC connection request.

12. Infrastructure equipment as claimed in claim 9, wherein the RRC connection request represents a request for a radio resources connection request to the communications network to establish a radio communications bearer for transmitting data to and/or from the communications network.

13. Infrastructure equipment as claimed in claim 9, wherein the delay period exceeds the time taken to process the RRC connection request at the infrastructure equipment.

14. Infrastructure equipment as claimed in claim 9, wherein the communications network is a 3GPP LTE mobile network and the response to the RRC connection request is a Radio Resource Control Setup response.

15. A communication device configured to communicate with infrastructure equipment arranged to provide a wireless interface to the communications device, the communications device comprising:

circuitry configured to

transmit a first random access request message to the infrastructure equipment requesting up-link communications resources for transmitting a radio resource control (RRC) connection request,

receive, from the infrastructure equipment, a random access request response to the communications device granting up-link communications resources in response to receiving the first random access request,

transmit the RRC connection request to the infrastructure equipment in the allocated up-link communications resources to the infrastructure equipment,

receive a response message to the RRC connection request transmitted from the infrastructure equipment, wherein the RRC connection request includes a delay period and the infrastructure equipment, in response to receiving the RRC connection request, processes the RRC connection request to form the response message and stores the response message for transmission to the communications device, the response message being stored until the expiry of the delay period or transmission of the response message;

configure, after transmission of the RRC connection request, the transceiver to enter a reduced power state in which the amount of power consumed by the transceiver is reduced and to exit the reduced power state to receive the response message;

transmit a second random access request message to the infrastructure equipment requesting up-link communications resources for transmitting a request for a response message to the infrastructure equipment, the request for a response message requesting a response to the RRC connection request; and

in response to a granting of the up-link communications resources from the infrastructure equipment, transmit the request for response message in the allocated up-link communications resources to the infrastructure equipment, and receive a response message from the infrastructure equipment providing the requested services to the communications device in response to the RRC connection request.