Apparatus and method for optionally using secondary frequency assignment in a wireless communication system using multiple bands

• US 9,961,716 B2
• Filed: 03/14/2012
• Issued: 05/01/2018
• Est. Priority Date: 08/18/2008
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Unwired Planet International Limited (Brevet Capital)
• Original Assignee: Unwired Planet International Limited (Brevet Capital)
• Inventors: Kang, Hyun-Jeong, Roh, Won-Il, Cho, Jae-Hee, Son, Jung-Je, Jun, Byung-Wook
• Primary Examiner(s): Elallam, Ahmed
• Application Number:
  US13/420,010
• Publication Number:
  US 20120170456A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,239 Days
• Field of Search: 370252, 370254, 370311, 370328, 370329, 370330, 370331, 370338, 370343, 370437, 370468, 455423, 455436, 455450, 4554521
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 52/0261 managing power supply demand, e.g. depending on battery level
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 72/0453 Resources in frequency domain, e.g. a carrier in FDMA
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 76/28 Discontinuous transmission [DTX]; Discontinuous reception [DRX]
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 76/34 Selective release of ongoing connections
• CPC Class Codes: Y02D 30/70 in wireless communication networks

Abstract

Methods for operating a Base Station (BS) and a User Equipment (UE) in a wireless communication system using a primary frequency and one or more secondary frequencies, and apparatuses for the BS and UE for carry out the methods, are provided. The method for operating the BS includes determining whether to activate or deactivate at least one of the one or more secondary frequencies, and transmitting a message comprising a bitmap indicating the activation or deactivation of the at least one of the one or more secondary frequencies to the UE. The method for operating the UE includes receiving a message comprising a bitmap indicating activation or deactivation of at least one of the one or more secondary frequencies from the BS, and activating or deactivating the at least one of the one or more secondary frequencies based on the received message.

Claims

1. A method for operating a wireless access node in a wireless communication system using a plurality of Frequency Assignments (FAs), the method comprising:

determining to suspend use of a first Secondary (S)-FA of one or more S-FAs while communicating over a Primary (P)-FA and the one or more S-FAs;

sending a first message which requests to suspend use of the first S-FA;

communicating over at least the P-FA and excluding the first S-FA;

determining to resume use of the first S-FA; and

sending a second message which requests to resume use of the first S-FA.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein use of the first S-FA is suspended when a remaining battery capacity of a mobile station using the first S-FA is less than a threshold.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein use of the first S-FA is suspended when a load of the first S-FA is greater than a threshold.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein use of the first S-FA is suspended when a signal strength measurement value of the first S-FA is less than a threshold.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the first message comprises at least one of indication information and off duration of the first S-FA, and the indication information comprises one of frequency information of the first S-FA, an index of the first S-FA, and an S-FA bitmap representing the first S-FA.

6. The method of claim 5, wherein the wireless access node is a base station, and the first message comprises information requesting to use an FA other than the first S-FA and indication information of the other FA.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein the wireless access node is a mobile station, and the first message comprises part of a sleep request message which requests a sleep mode entrance of the mobile station.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein the wireless access node is a base station, and the first message comprises part of a sleep response message which informs of approval or disapproval on a sleep mode entrance request of a mobile station.

9. The method of claim 1, further comprising receiving a third message which comprises a response for the request to resume use of the first S-FA.

10. The method of claim 9, wherein the wireless access node is a mobile station, and the third message comprises at least one of information allowing the resumption of the first S-FA, information disallowing the resumption of the first S-FA, and information allowing use of an FA other than the first S-FA.

11. The method of claim 9, further comprising:

when the third message comprises at least one of information allowing the resumption of the first S-FA and information allowing use of an FA other than the first S-FA, preparing to use at least one of the first S-FA and the other FA; and

when the preparation is completed, sending an S-FA readiness indicator.

12. A method for operating a wireless access node in a wireless communication system using a plurality of Frequency Assignments (FAs), the method comprising:

receiving a first message which requests to suspend use of a first Secondary (S)-FA of one or more S-FAs while communicating over a Primary (P)-FA and the one or more S-FAs;

communicating over at least the P-FA and excluding the first S-FA;

receiving a second message which requests to resume use of the first S-FA; and

communicating over at least the P-FA and the first S-FA.

13. The method of claim 12, wherein the first message comprises at least one of indication information and off duration of the first S-FA, and the indication information comprises one of frequency information of the first S-FA, an index of the first S-FA, and an S-FA bitmap representing the first S-FA.

14. The method of claim 13, wherein the wireless access node is a mobile station, and the first message comprises information requesting to use an FA other than the first S-FA and indication information of the other FA.

15. The method of claim 12, wherein the wireless access node is a base station, and the first message comprises part of a sleep request message which requests a sleep mode entrance of a mobile station.

16. The method of claim 12, wherein the wireless access node is a mobile station, and the first message comprises part of a sleep response message which informs of approval or disapproval on a sleep mode entrance request of the mobile station.

17. The method of claim 12, further comprising sending a third message which comprises a response for the request to resume use of the first S-FA.

18. The method of claim 17, wherein the wireless access node is a base station, and the third message comprises at least one of information allowing the resumption of the first S-FA, information disallowing the resumption of the first S-FA, and information allowing use of an FA other than the first S-FA.

19. The method of claim 17, wherein the wireless access node is a mobile station, and further comprising:

after sending the third message, preparing to use the first S-FA; and

when the preparation is completed, sending an S-FA readiness indicator.

20. The method of claim 17, wherein the wireless access node is a mobile station, and further comprising:

before sending the third message, preparing to use the first S-FA; and

when the preparation is completed, sending the third message to respond to the request to resume use of the first S-FA and to inform that use of the first S-FA may resume.

21. An apparatus for operating a wireless access node in a wireless communication system using a plurality of Frequency Assignments (FAs), the apparatus comprising a controller and a transmitter, the controller and the transmitter configured to:

determine, by the controller, to suspend use of a first Secondary (S)-FA of one or more S-FAs while communicating over a Primary (P)-FA and the one or more S-FAs;

send, by the transmitter, a first message which requests to suspend use of the first S-FA;

control, by the controller, communication over at least the P-FA and excluding the first S-FA;

determine, by the controller, to resume use of the first S-FA; and

send, by the transmitter, a second message which requests to resume use of the first S-FA.

22. The apparatus of claim 21, wherein use of the first S-FA is suspended when a remaining battery capacity of a mobile station using the first S-FA is less than a threshold.

23. The apparatus of claim 21, wherein use of the first S-FA is suspended when a load of the first S-FA is greater than a threshold.

24. The apparatus of claim 21, wherein use of the first S-FA is suspended when a signal strength measurement value of the first S-FA is less than a threshold.

25. The apparatus of claim 21, wherein the first message comprises at least one of indication information and off duration of the first S-FA, and the indication information comprises one of frequency information of the first S-FA, an index of the first S-FA, and an S-FA bitmap representing the first S-FA.

26. The apparatus of claim 25, wherein the wireless access node is a base station, and the first message comprises information requesting to use an FA other than the first S-FA and indication information of the other FA.

27. The apparatus of claim 21, wherein the wireless access node is a mobile station, and the first message comprises part of a sleep request message which requests a sleep mode entrance of the mobile station.

28. The apparatus of claim 21, wherein the wireless access node is a base station, and the first message comprises part of a sleep response message which informs of approval or disapproval on a sleep mode entrance request of a mobile station.

29. The apparatus of claim 21, wherein the apparatus further comprises a receiver, the receiver configured to:

receive a third message which comprises a response for the request to resume use of the first S-FA.

30. The apparatus of claim 29, wherein the wireless access node is a mobile station, and the third message comprises at least one of information allowing the resumption of the first S-FA, information disallowing the resumption of the first S-FA, and information allowing use of an FA other than the first S-FA.

31. The apparatus of claim 29, wherein the controller and the transmitter are further configured to:

prepare, by the controller, to use at least one of the first S-FA and the other FA when the third message comprises at least one of information allowing the resumption of the first S-FA and information allowing use of an FA other than the first S-FA; and

send, by the transmitter, an S-FA readiness indicator when the preparation is completed.

32. An apparatus for operating a wireless access node in a wireless communication system using a plurality of Frequency Assignments (FAs), the apparatus comprising at least a receiver and a controller, the receiver and the controller configured to:

receive, by the receiver, a first message which requests to suspend use of a first Secondary (S)-FA of one or more S-FAs while communicating over a Primary (P)-FA and the one or more S-FAs; and

control, by the controller, communication over at least the P-FA and excluding the first S-FA,

receive, by the receiver, a second message which requests to resume use of the first S-FA, and

control, by the controller, communication over at least the P-FA and the first S-FA.

33. The apparatus of claim 32, wherein the first message comprises at least one of indication information and off duration of the first S-FA, and the indication information comprises one of frequency information of the first S-FA, an index of the first S-FA, and an S-FA bitmap representing the first S-FA.

34. The apparatus of claim 33, wherein the wireless access node is a mobile station, and the first message comprises information requesting to use an FA other than the first S-FA and indication information of the other FA.

35. The apparatus of claim 32, wherein the wireless access node is a base station, and the first message comprises part of a sleep request message which requests a sleep mode entrance of a mobile station.

36. The apparatus of claim 32, wherein the wireless access node is a mobile station, and the first message comprises part of a sleep response message which informs of approval or disapproval on a sleep mode entrance request of the mobile station.

37. The apparatus of claim 32, wherein the apparatus further comprises a transmitter, the transmitter configured to:

send a third message which comprises a response for the request to resume use of the first S-FA.

38. The apparatus of claim 37, wherein the wireless access node is a mobile station, and the controller and the transmitter are further configured to:

before sending the third message, prepare, by the controller, to use the first S-FA; and

when the preparation is completed, send, by the transmitter, the third message to respond to the request to resume use of the first S-FA and to inform that use of the first S-FA may resume.

39. The apparatus of claim 37, wherein the wireless access node is a base station, and the third message comprises at least one of information allowing the resumption of the first S-FA, information disallowing the resumption of the first S-FA, and information allowing use of an FA other than the first S-FA.

40. The apparatus of claim 37, wherein the wireless access node is a mobile station, and the controller and the transmitter are further configured to:

after the third message is transmitted, prepare, by the controller, to use the first S-FA; and

when the preparation is completed, send, by the transmitter, an S-FA readiness indicator.