Method and Apparatus of Transition to a Battery Efficient State or Configuration by Indicating End of Data Transmission in Long Term Evolution

• US 20100118752A1
• Filed: 11/10/2009
• Published: 05/13/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 11/10/2008
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Malikie Innovations Limited (Key Patent Innovations Limited)
• Original Assignee: Blackberry Limited
• Inventors: Young, Gordon Peter, Suzuki, Takashi, Burbidge, Richard Charles, Cai, Zhijun, Arzelier, Claude Jean-Frederic
• Granted Patent: US 9,125,208 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 370/311
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 36/14 Reselecting a network or an air interface
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 36/1443 between licensed networks
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 52/0258 controlling an operation mode according to history or models of usage information, e.g. activity schedule or time of day
• 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: H04W 76/30 Connection release
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 88/06 adapted for operation in multiple networks or having at least two operational modes, e.g. multi-mode terminals
• CPC Class Codes: Y02D 30/70 in wireless communication networks

Abstract

A method is provided for sending a Fast Dormancy (FD) indication from a User Equipment (UE) to an access device through a Media Access Control (MAC) layer. The method includes receiving an indication from an upper layer that there is no more data for a prolonged period of time and generating and sending a MAC control element to the access device.

Claims

1. A method for sending a Fast Dormancy (FD) indication from a User Equipment (UE) to an access device through a Media Access Control (MAC) layer, comprising:

receiving an indication from an upper layer that there is no more data for a prolonged period of time; and

generating and sending a MAC control element to the access device.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising refraining from generating and sending the MAC control element to the access device if an UE uplink time alignment is not maintained.

3. The method of claim 1, further comprising determining whether to send the FD indication based on the status of an inactivity timer.

4. The method of claim 3 further comprising refraining from sending the FD indication if the UE knows that the network inactivity timer expires in a predetermined period of time.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the MAC control element has a fixed size.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein the MAC control element is identified by a MAC sub-header comprising a unique logical channel identity (LCID) designated for FD indication.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein the MAC control element is extended to carry a short message authentication code derived from a cell radio network temporary identifier.

8. A method of responding to a Fast Dormancy (FD) indication from a User Equipment (UE) comprising responding to the FD indication by at least one of:

releasing a connection with the UE;

moving the UE from a connected mode to an idle mode;

replying with a reconfiguration message to release an uplink resource to stop an uplink transmission of a channel status report; and

stopping sending a time alignment command to the UE.

9. A method of responding to a Fast Dormancy (FD) indication from a User Equipment (UE) through a Media Access Control (MAC) layer, comprising:

determining whether there is any on-going data transfer activity for the UE that may have triggered the FD indication; and

ignoring the FD indication if there is on-going data transfer activity.

10. The method of claim 9, wherein the determination is based on a Buffer Status Report (BSR) received from the UE.

11. The method of claim 9, wherein the determination is based on a downlink buffer status.

12. The method of claim 10, further comprising:

providing an uplink grant to trigger the BSR.

13. A method for sending a Fast Dormancy (FD) indication from a User Equipment (UE) to an access device through a Radio Resource Control (RRC) protocol layer, comprising:

when an uplink (UL) time alignment (TA) is maintained between the UE and the access device, sending a scheduling request (SR), receiving an uplink grant, and sending the RRC FD indication.

14. The method of claim 13, further comprising, sending a buffer status report (BSR) message after receiving the uplink grant, and receiving a second uplink grant before sending the RRC FD indication.

15. The method of claim 13, wherein the RRC protocol layer is used when the UL TA is not maintained between the UE and the access device to send a random access preamble, and wherein a random access response message is received and an RRC indication message is sent.

16. The method of claim 13, wherein, when the RRC protocol layer is used when the UL TA is not maintained between the UE and the access device, the UE refrains from sending the FD indication message to the access device.

17. A method of handling a Fast Dormancy (FD) indication during an inter-radio access technology (RAT) handover, comprising:

transmitting FD configuration parameters using a Radio Resource Control (RRC) connection reconfiguration message during a handover to a long term evolution (LTE) network.

18. The method of claim 17, further comprising transmitting the FD configuration parameters using an Evolved UMTS Terrestrial Radio Access (E-UTRA) mobility command during a handover from the LTE network.

19. A User Equipment (UE) comprising:

a processor configured such that the UE sends a Fast Dormancy (FD) indication to an access device through a Media Access Control (MAC) layer by receiving an indication from an upper layer that there is no more data for a prolonged period of time, and generating and sending a MAC control element to the access device.

20. The UE of claim 19, wherein the UE refrains from generating and sending the MAC control element to the access device if an UE uplink time alignment is not maintained.

21. The UE of claim 19, wherein the UE determines whether to send the FD indication based on the status of an inactivity timer.

22. The UE of claim 21 further comprising refraining from sending the FD indication if the UE knows that the network inactivity timer expires in a predetermined period of time.

23. The UE of claim 19, wherein the MAC control element has a fixed size.

24. The UE of claim 19, wherein the MAC control element is identified by a MAC sub-header comprising a unique logical channel identity (LCID) designated for FD indication.

25. The UE of claim 19, wherein the MAC control element is extended to carry a short message authentication code derived from a cell radio network temporary identifier.

26. An access device comprising:

a processor configured such that the access device responds to a Fast Dormancy (FD) indication from a User Equipment (UE) by at least one of;

releasing a connection with the UE;

moving the UE from a connected mode to an idle mode;

replying with a reconfiguration message to release an uplink resource to stop an uplink transmission of a channel status report; and

stopping sending a time alignment command to the UE.

27. An access device comprising:

a processor configured such that the access device responds to a Fast Dormancy (FD) indication from a User Equipment (UE) through a Media Access Control (MAC) layer by determining whether there is any on-going data transfer activity for the UE that may have triggered the FD indication and ignoring the FD indication if there is on-going data transfer activity.

28. The access device of claim 27, wherein the determination is based on a Buffer Status Report (BSR) received from the UE.

29. The access device of claim 27, wherein the determination is based on a downlink buffer status.

30. The access device of claim 28, further comprising:

providing an uplink grant to trigger the BSR.

31. A User Equipment (UE) comprising:

a processor configured such that the UE sends a Fast Dormancy (FD) indication to an access device through a Radio Resource Control (RRC) protocol layer, wherein, when an uplink (UL) time alignment (TA) is maintained between the UE and the access device, the UE sends a scheduling request, receives an uplink grant, and sends the RRC FD indication.

32. The UE of claim 31, further comprising, the UE sending a buffer status report (BSR) message after receiving the uplink grant and receiving a second uplink grant before sending the RRC FD indication.

33. The UE of claim 31, wherein the RRC protocol layer is used when the UL TA is not maintained between the UE and the access device to send a random access preamble, and wherein a random access response message is received and an RRC indication message is sent.

34. The UE of claim 31, wherein, when the RRC protocol layer is used when the UL TA is not maintained between the UE and the access device, the UE refrains from sending the FD indication message to the access device.

35. A User Equipment (UE) comprising:

a processor configured such that the UE handles a Fast Dormancy (FD) indication during an inter-radio access technology (RAT) handover by transmitting FD configuration parameters using a Radio Resource Control (RRC) connection reconfiguration message during a handover to a long term evolution (LTE) network.

36. The UE of claim 35, wherein the UE transmits the FD configuration parameters using an Evolved UMTS Terrestrial Radio Access (E-UTRA) mobility command during a handover from the LTE network.