SMALL DATA COMMUNICATIONS

• US 20160057797A1
• Filed: 12/16/2013
• Published: 02/25/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 05/09/2013
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Apple Inc.
• Original Assignee: Ana Lucia Pinheiro, Marta Martinez Tarradell, Sangeetha Bangolae
• Inventors: BANGOLAE, SANGEETHA, MARTINEZ TARRADELL, MARTA, PINHEIRO, ANA LUCIA
• Granted Patent: US 10,153,816 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 7/0417 Feedback systems
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 7/0617 for beam forming
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 27/0008 arrangements for allowing a transmitter or receiver to use more than one type of modulation negotiating modulation type for two-way transmission paths H04L5/1453
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 27/362 Modulation using more than one carrier, e.g. with quadrature carriers, separately amplitude modulated H04L27/366 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 43/16 Threshold monitoring
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 5/0053 Allocation of signaling, i.e. of overhead other than pilot signals
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 5/006 Quality of the received signal, e.g. BER, SNR, water filling
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 12/041 Key generation or derivation
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 24/02 Arrangements for optimising operational condition
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/70 Services for machine-to-machine communication [M2M] or machine type communication [MTC]
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 52/0209 in terminal devices terminal devices per se H04W88/02
• 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 52/0235 where the received signal is a power saving command
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 72/0453 Resources in frequency domain, e.g. a carrier in FDMA
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 72/12 Wireless traffic scheduling
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 72/20 Control channels or signalling for resource management
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 72/21 in the uplink direction of a wireless link, i.e. towards the network
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 72/56 based on priority criteria
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 76/10 Connection setup
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 76/14 : Direct-mode setup
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 88/02 : Terminal devices
• CPC Class Codes: Y02D 30/70 : in wireless communication networks

Abstract

Technology for communicating small data between a user equipment (UE) and an evolved node B (eNB) is described. The UE may communicate with the eNB to establish a small data radio bearer (SDRB), wherein the SDRB is used for communicating the small data from the UE to the eNB. The UE may enter a power saving mode according to a power saving configuration. The UE or the eNB may maintain UE context information for the SDRB while the UE is in the power saving mode. The SDRB may be reestablished using the UE context information when the UE awakes from the power saving mode to enable the UE to communicate the small data on the SDRB to the eNB.

Claims

1. A user equipment (UE) operable to communicate small data to an evolved node B (eNB), the UE having computer circuitry configured to:

communicate with the eNB to establish a small data radio bearer (SDRB) for communicating the small data to the eNB;

enter a power saving mode according to a power saving configuration;

maintain UE context information for the SDRB, at the UE, while the UE is in the power saving mode; and

reestablish the SDRB using the UE context information when the UE awakes from the power saving mode to enable the UE to communicate the small data on the SDRB to the eNB;

2. The computer circuitry of claim 1, wherein the SDRB for communicating the small data to the eNB is established during an initial attachment procedure.

3. The computer circuitry of claim 1, wherein the computer circuitry configured to communicate with the eNB to establish the SDRB is further configured to:

send a radio resource control (RRC) connection request message to the eNB with an establishment cause of small data; and

receive an RRC connection setup message from the eNB for an SDRB configuration.

4. The computer circuitry of claim 1, further configured to communicate the small data to the eNB using core network (CN) bearers that are mapped to the SDRB.

5. The computer circuitry of claim 1, wherein the UE context information for the SDRB is maintained at the UE for a predefined period of time according to a timer.

6. The computer circuitry of claim 1, wherein the UE context information includes at least one of an SDRB identifier (ID), an evolved packet system (EPS) bearer ID, and quality of service (QoS) characteristics.

7. The computer circuitry of claim 1, further configured to communicate the small data to the eNB when the UE is in a connected mode.

8. The computer circuitry of claim 1, wherein the SDRB is at least one of:

a dedicated non-guaranteed bit rate (non-GBR) bearer or a default bearer with a defined traffic flow template (TFT).

9. The computer circuitry of claim 1, wherein the small data is less than 1500 bytes.

10. The computer circuitry of claim 1, wherein the UE is a machine type communication (MTC) device configured for communicating the small data to the eNB.

11. The computer circuitry of claim 1, wherein the UE includes an antenna, a touch sensitive display screen, a speaker, a microphone, a graphics processor, an application processor, internal memory, or a non-volatile memory port.

12. A node operable to communicate small data with an user equipment (UE), the node having computer circuitry configured to:

communicate with the UE to establish a small data radio bearer (SDRB) for communicating the small data to the UE during an initial attachment procedure;

maintain UE context information for the SDRB, at the node, while the UE is in a power saving mode; and

receive the small data from the UE based on the UE context information for the SDRB when the UE wakes up from the power saving mode.

13. The computer circuitry of claim 12, wherein the computer circuitry configured to communicate with the UE to establish the SDRB is further configured to:

receive a radio resource control (RRC) connection request message to the eNB with an establishment cause of small data; and

send an RRC connection setup message from the eNB for an SDRB configuration.

14. The computer circuitry of claim 12, further configured to establish the SDRB for communicating the small data to the UE in a radio resource control (RRC) connection reconfiguration message communicated to the UE.

15. The computer circuitry of claim 12, further configured to communicate the small data to the UE using corresponding S1-U/related core network (CN) bearers that are mapped to the SDRB.

16. The computer circuitry of claim 12, wherein the UE context information is maintained at the node for a predefined period of time according to a timer.

17. The computer circuitry of claim 12, wherein the SDRB is at least one of:

a dedicated non-guaranteed bit rate (non-GBR) bearer or a default bearer with a defined traffic flow template (TFT).

18. The computer circuitry of claim 12, further configured to suspend the SDRB when the node is not communicating the small data to the UE.

19. The computer circuitry of claim 12, wherein the node is selected from a group consisting of a base station (BS), a Node B (NB), an evolved Node B (eNB), a baseband unit (BBU), a remote radio head (RRH), a remote radio equipment (RRE), or a remote radio unit (RRU).

20. A method for communicating small data between a user equipment (UE) and an evolved node B (eNB), the method comprising:

communicating with the eNB to establish a small data radio bearer (SDRB), at the UE, wherein the SDRB is used for communicating the small data from the UE to the eNB;

entering a power saving mode, at the UE, according to a power saving configuration;

maintaining UE context information for the SDRB while the UE is in the power saving mode; and

reestablishing the SDRB using the UE context information when the UE awakes from the power saving mode to enable the UE to communicate the small data on the SDRB to the eNB;

21. The method of claim 20, further comprising maintaining the SDRB as UE context information in at least one of:

the UE or the eNB.

22. The method of claim 20, further comprising receiving a radio resource control (RRC) connection setup message for the SDRB configuration to enable the UE to communicate the small data to the eNB.

23. The method of claim 20, wherein the UE context information includes at least one of an SDRB identifier (ID), an evolved packet system (EPS) bearer ID, and quality of service (QoS) characteristics.