Session setup in an energy-efficient cellular wireless telecommunications system

• US 9,942,830 B2
• Filed: 07/10/2014
• Issued: 04/10/2018
• Est. Priority Date: 07/11/2013
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Koninklijke KPN NV, Nederlandse Organisatie Voor Toegepast-Natuurwetenschappelijk Onderzoek Tno
• Original Assignee: Koninklijke KPN NV, Nederlandse Organisatie Voor Toegepast-Natuurwetenschappelijk Onderzoek Tno
• Inventors: Zhang, Haibin, Jorguseski, Ljupco, Oostveen, Job Cornelis
• Primary Examiner(s): Gidado, Rasheed
• Application Number:
  US14/903,812
• Publication Number:
  US 20160165522A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,370 Days
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 48/12 using downlink control channel
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 48/20 Selecting an access point
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 72/30 Resource management for broadcast services
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 76/40 for selective distribution or broadcast
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 84/045 using private Base Stations, e.g. femto Base Stations, home Node B
• CPC Class Codes: Y02D 30/70 in wireless communication networks

Abstract

The present invention provides a random access procedure for establishment of a data connection between a terminal and a SA-cell in an energy-efficient network, such as e.g. a BCG2 network, wherein the total session setup time is shortened. An information request message (IRM) transmission from the mobile terminal is used for selecting the SA-cell that will serve the mobile terminal (i.e. set-up a data session with this SA-cell) and is simultaneously used for performing a ‘contention-free-like’ random-access procedure towards all candidate SA-cells. In this way performing a RACH_SA procedure after selecting a SA cell becomes unnecessary, the random access time is shortened and the uplink resources (at the selected SA-cell) and the uplink transmissions from the terminal are more effectively used.

Claims

1. In a telecommunication system comprising a decision unit, a large area cell (LA-cell), a plurality of small area cells (SA-cells) and a terminal, a method for facilitating establishment of a data connection between the terminal and at least one of the plurality of the SA-cells, the method comprising:

while the terminal is in an idle mode and is camping on the LA-cell;

establishing a signaling connection between the terminal and the LA-cell;

transmitting configuration data from the LA-cell to the terminal via the signaling connection;

transmitting the configuration data from the LA-cell to the plurality of SA-cells;

broadcasting a signal from the terminal in accordance with the configuration data;

determining in each of the plurality of SA-cells one or more properties of the signal, the properties being indicative of propagation conditions between the terminal and each of the plurality of SA-cells; and

providing a report to the decision unit from each of the plurality of SA-cells, the report comprising data indicative of at least a portion of the determined properties.

2. The method according to claim 1, wherein the LA-cell comprises the decision unit.

3. The method according to claim 1, wherein the terminal comprises the decision unit.

4. The method according to claim 1, further comprising receiving an indication that the data connection is to be established between the terminal and the at least one of the plurality of SA-cells, wherein the at least one of the plurality of SA-cells is selected by the decision unit based on the report, and wherein an indication of the at least one of the plurality of SA-cells is provided from the decision unit to the terminal.

5. The method according to claim 1, wherein for each of the plurality of SA-cells the configuration data comprises a unique transmission slot reference and/or a unique access preamble, wherein the terminal uses the unique transmission slot reference and/or the unique access preamble as received with the configuration data in the broadcasting of the signal, and wherein each of the plurality of SA-cells uses the unique transmission slot reference and/or the unique access preamble as received with the configuration data to differentiate the signal from other signals of other terminals.

6. The method according to claim 5, wherein two or more of the plurality of SA-cells form a cluster, and wherein the SA-cells within the cluster receive the same unique transmission slot reference and/or the same unique access preamble with the configuration data.

7. The method according to claim 1, wherein the configuration data comprises a time reference, wherein the terminal broadcasts the signal at a time based on the time reference as received with the configuration data, and wherein each of the plurality of SA-cells uses the time reference as received with the configuration data to determine a timing advance indicating a difference in time between the broadcasting of the signal and the reception of the signal in each of the plurality of SA-cells.

8. The method according to claim 1, further comprising transmitting timing advance information comprising the timing advance from the at least one of the plurality of SA-cells to the terminal.

9. The method according to claim 1, wherein the configuration data comprises an indication of a transmission power, wherein the terminal broadcasts the signal using a transmission power that is based on the indication of the transmission power as received with the configuration data, and wherein each of the plurality of SA-cells uses the indication of the transmission power as received with the configuration data to determine a path loss indicating a difference in transmission power at the terminal and a power of the signal as received in each of the plurality of SA-cells.

10. The method according to claim 1, further comprising reserving a transmission time slot in the SA-cell based on the configuration data before receiving the signal.

11. The method according to claim 1, wherein the signal comprises data indicating an amount of required upload resources and/or download resources, and wherein each of the plurality of SA-cells uses the data to determine if the required upload resources and/or download resources are available.

12. In a telecommunication system comprising a decision unit, a large area cell (LA-cell), a plurality of small area cells (SA-cells) and a terminal, a method for one of the plurality of SA-cells for facilitating establishment of a data connection between the terminal and the SA-cell, the method comprising:

while the terminal is in an idle mode and is camping on the LA-cell;

receiving configuration data from the LA-cell in the SA-cell, the configuration data being, at least partly, identical to configuration data received from the LA-cell in the terminal;

receiving in the SA-cell a broadcasted signal from the terminal, wherein the signal is broadcast in accordance with the configuration data;

determining in the SA-cell one or more properties of the signal, the properties being indicative of propagation conditions between the terminal and the SA-cell; and

providing a report to the decision unit from the SA-cell, the report comprising data indicative of at least a portion of the determined properties.

13. The method according to claim 12, wherein the LA-cell comprises the decision unit.

14. The method according to claim 12, wherein the terminal comprises the decision unit.

15. The method according to claim 12, wherein the configuration data comprises a unique transmission slot reference and/or a unique access preamble, wherein the SA-cell uses the unique transmission slot reference and/or the unique access preamble as received with the configuration data to differentiate the signal from other signals of other terminals.

16. The method according to claim 12, wherein the configuration data comprises a time reference, and wherein the SA-cell uses the time reference as received with the configuration data to determine a timing advance indicating a difference in time between broadcasting of the signal by the terminal and reception of the signal in the SA-cell.

17. The method according to claim 12, wherein the configuration data comprises an indication of a transmission power, and wherein the SA-cell uses the indication of the transmission power as received with the configuration data to determine a path loss indicating a difference in transmission power at the terminal and a power of the signal as received in the SA-cell.

18. The method according to claim 12, wherein the signal comprises data indicating an amount of required upload resources and/or download resources, and wherein the SA-cells uses the data to determine if the required upload resources and/or download resources are available.

19. A non-transitory computer-readable medium encoded with a computer program, which, when being executed by a processor, is adapted to perform the steps of claim 12.