Discontinuous Transmission/Reception in a Communications System

• US 20090305711A1
• Filed: 02/24/2006
• Published: 12/10/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 02/28/2005
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Google Technology Holdings LLC (Alphabet Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Nokia Corporation
• Inventors: Tirkkonen, Olav, Rinne, Mika P.
• Granted Patent: US 8,572,250 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 455/450
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 47/70 Admission control; Resource allocation
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 47/822 Collecting or measuring resource availability data
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 47/824 Applicable to portable or mobile terminals
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 24/00 Supervisory, monitoring or testing arrangements
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 52/0216 using a pre-established activity schedule, e.g. traffic indication frame
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 52/0219 where the power saving management affects multiple terminals
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 72/04 Wireless resource allocation
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 72/23 in the downlink direction of a wireless link, i.e. towards a terminal
• CPC Class Codes: Y02D 30/70 in wireless communication networks

Abstract

Allocation information is transmitted in a communications system in accordance with at least one allocation rule for indicating allocation of sets of transmission resources to communications devices. The at least one allocation rule is defined for associating sequences of sets of transmission resources with communications devices, and a communications device monitors allocation information of sets of transmission resources associated with it. Communications devices are informed of their respective allocation rules. Transmission resources for the communications devices are allocated based at least on said allocation rules.

Claims

1. A method comprising:

defining at least one allocation rule for associating at least one sequence of sets of transmission resources with at least one communications device, the at least one communications device being configured to monitor allocation information in accordance with a set of allocation rules associated with the respective communications device;

informing the at least one communications device of the at least one allocation rule;

transmitting allocation information in accordance with the at least one allocation rule for indicating allocation of sets of transmission resources; and

allocating transmission resources for the at least one communications device based at least on the at least one allocation rule.

2. A method as defined in claim 1, wherein said step of defining comprises defining at least one allocation rule which defines that the at least one communications device monitors the allocation information at least periodically using a first period.

3. A method as defined in claim 2, wherein said first period comprises one of a time period and a number of the sets of transmission resources.

5. A method as defined in claim 2, wherein said at least one allocation rule further defines that the at least one communications device monitors the allocation information periodically using a second period, which is shorter than the first period.

6. A method as defined in claim 5, wherein said at least one allocation rule further defines that the at least one communications device conditionally monitors the allocation information periodically using the second period.

7. A method as defined in claim 6, wherein said at least one allocation rule defines that the second period is used on condition of one of the following:

that the allocation information monitored using the first period does not indicate transmission resources allocated to the at least one communications device, that the allocation information monitored using the first period indicates transmission resources allocated to the at least one communications device, and that information carried by the transmission resources associated with the first period is erroneously received by the at least one communications device.

14. A method as defined in claim 1, comprising sending information relating to the allocation rules to said at least one communications device.

15. A method as defined in claim 1, comprising receiving information relating to the allocation rules from at least one of said at least one communications device.

17. A method as defined in claim 1, comprising transmitting the allocation information associated with the set of transmission resources with the set of transmission resources.

18. A method as defined in claim 1, comprising transmitting the allocation information with the set of downlink transmission resources wherein the allocation information is associated with one of the following a set of downlink transmission resources and a corresponding set of uplink transmission resources.

25. A method as defined in claim 1, wherein the allocation information of the set of transmission resources comprises at least one identifier associated with the at least one communications device.

27. A method as defined in claim 1, wherein the allocation information of the set of transmission resources comprises at least one identifier associated with at least one of a communications device and a group of communications devices.

29. A method as defined in claim 1, comprising defining allocation rules for a plurality of communications devices so that the plurality of communications devices monitor the same sets of transmission resources.

31. A method as defined in claim 1, comprising adjusting said at least one allocation rule depending on at least one of a transmission load, changing allocation needs, a traffic type, traffic flows, device capability, bit rate requirements, delay requirements, and buffering requirements.

32. A method as defined in claim 1, comprising transmitting uplink acknowledgement information in connection with transmitting the allocation information in accordance with said at least one allocation rule.

33. A method as defined in claim 32, wherein the uplink acknowledgement information relates to a first set of uplink transmission resources associated with a first allocation rule and the uplink acknowledgement information is transmitted in connection with allocation information referring to a second set of uplink transmission resources associated with the first allocation rule.

34. A method as defined in claim 33, wherein the allocation information referring to the second set of uplink transmission resources indicates allocation of transmission resources to the at least one communications device with which the uplink acknowledgement information is associated.

4. (canceled)

8-13. -13. (canceled)

16. (canceled)

19-24. -24. (canceled)

26. (canceled)

28. (canceled)

30. (canceled)

35-37. -37. (canceled)

38. A method comprising:

determining at least one allocation rule for a communications device, the at least one allocation rule defining a sequence of sets of transmission resources associated with the communications device;

monitoring allocation information in accordance with the at least one allocation rule; and

determining whether the sequence of sets of transmission resources contains transmission resources allocated for the communications device based on the allocation information of the sequence of sets of transmission resources.

39-48. -48. (canceled)

49. An apparatus, comprising:

at least one memory including computer program code,

at least one processor,

wherein the at least one memory and the computer program code are configured to, with the at least one processor, cause the apparatus at least to

define at least one allocation rule for associating at least one sequence of sets of transmission resources with at least one communications device, the at least one communications device being configured to monitoring allocation information in accordance with a set of allocation rules associated with the respective communications device;

inform the at least one communications device of the at least one allocation rule;

transmit allocation information in accordance with the at least one allocation rule for indicating allocation of sets of transmission resources; and

allocate transmission resources for the at least one communications device based at least on the at least one allocation rule.

50. An apparatus as defined in claim 49, wherein the at least one memory and the computer program code are also configured to, with the at least one processor, cause the apparatus at least to transmit uplink acknowledgement information in connection with transmitting the allocation information.

51. An apparatus as defined in claim 49, wherein the at least one memory and the computer program code are also configured to, with the at least one processor, cause the apparatus at least to transmit a piece of allocation information referring to at least one set of uplink transmission resources in a downlink direction.

52. An apparatus as defined in claim 49, wherein the piece of allocation information indicates allocation of at least one set of downlink transmission resources.

53. (canceled)

54. An apparatus, comprising:

at least one memory including computer program code,

at least one processor,

wherein the at least one memory and the computer program code are configured to, with the at least one processor, cause the apparatus at least to

determine at least one allocation rule for the communications device, the at least one allocation rule defining a sequence of sets of transmission resources associated with the communications device;

monitor allocation information in accordance with the at least one allocation rule; and

determine whether the sequence of sets of transmission resources contains transmission resources allocated for the communications device based on the allocation information of the sequence of sets of transmission resources.

55. An apparatus as defined in claim 54, wherein the at least one memory and the computer program code are also configured to, with the at least one processor, cause the apparatus at least to receive uplink acknowledgement information in connection with monitoring allocation information.

56. (canceled)

57. A computer program embodied on a computer-readable medium comprising instructions for causing at least one processor to perform a process, when the program is run on the data processing system, the process comprising:

defining at least one allocation rule for associating at least one sequence of sets of transmission resources with at least one communications device, the at least one communications device being configured to monitor allocation information in accordance with a set of allocation rules associated with the respective communications device;

informing the at least one communications device of the at least one allocation rule;

transmitting the allocation information in accordance with the at least one allocation rule for indicating allocation of the sets of transmission resources; and

allocating transmission resources for the at least one communications device based at least on the at least one allocation rule.

58. A computer program embodied on a computer-readable medium comprising instructions for causing at least one processor to perform a process, when the program is run on the data processing system, the process comprising:

determining at least one allocation rule for a communications device, the at least one allocation rule defining a sequence of sets of transmission resources associated with the communications device;

monitoring allocation information in accordance with the at least one allocation rule; and

determining whether the sequence of sets of transmission resources contains transmission resources allocated for the communications device based on the allocation information of the sequence of sets of transmission resources.