Apparatus method and computer program element for efficient control and supervision of the activity of a communication device

• US 9,363,792 B2
• Filed: 01/30/2007
• Issued: 06/07/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 01/30/2006
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Intel Corporation
• Original Assignee: Intel Deutschland GmbH (Intel Corporation)
• Inventors: Choi, Hyung-Nam, Eckert, Michael, Schmidt, Holger
• Primary Examiner(s): Patel, Ajit
• Application Number:
  US11/668,651
• Publication Number:
  US 20070177628A1
• Time in Patent Office: 3,416 Days
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 1/188 Time-out mechanisms
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 72/02 Selection of wireless resources by user or terminal
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 76/20 Manipulation of established connections
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 80/02 Data link layer protocols

Abstract

The communication device has three useful data transmission states, where the communication device in the first and in the second state has associated first communication resources and in the third state has associated second communication resources, with the second communication resources being fewer than the first communication resources. Provision is made for there to be state changes from the first state to the second state, from the second state to the third state, from the third state to the first state and from the second state to the first state.

Claims

1. A communication device comprising:

a state control unit which can operate the communication device in at least three useful data transmission states that include;

an active data transmission state of a data link layer, in which a first useful data communication link with first communication resources is allocated to the communication device,

an observe data transmission state of the data link layer, in which a second useful data communication link with the first communication resources is allocated to the communication device, and

an inactive data transmission state of the data link layer, in which a useful data communication link with second communication resources is allocated to the communication device, the second communication resources being fewer than the first communication resources;

a first timer, associated with the observe data transmission state, to start based on use of one or more transport channels by a Medium Access Control layer to send data to a physical layer;

a second timer, associated with the active data transmission state, to initially start after the first useful data communication link allocation with the first communication resources; and

a state transition control unit which can perform at least the following state transitions;

a state change from the active data transmission state to the observe data transmission state at expiry of the second timer,

a state change from the observe data transmission state to the inactive data transmission state at expiry of the first timer,

a state change from the inactive data transmission state to the active data transmission state when a first state transition criterion has been met, and

a state change from the observe data transmission state to the active data transmission state when a second state transition criterion has been met,

wherein the first state transition criterion and the second state transition criterion are based on an activity or inactivity of the communication device, and wherein the three useful data transmission states are substates from at least one of a CELL_DCH state or a Long_Term_Evolution_Active state.

2. The communication device as claimed in claim 1, wherein the communication device is a radio communication device, and the first communication resources and the second communication resources are radio communication resources.

3. The communication device as claimed in claim 1, wherein the communication device is a mobile radio communication device, and the first communication resources and the second communication resources are mobile radio communication resources.

4. The communication device as claimed in claim 3, wherein the active, inactive, and observe data transmission states are states from the Medium Access Control layer.

5. The communication device as claimed in claim 1, further comprising a Medium Access Control layer control unit which has the state transition control unit.

6. The communication device as claimed in claim 1, wherein the state control unit can operate the communication device in precisely the active, inactive, and observe data transmission states.

7. The communication device as claimed in claim 1, wherein the active, inactive, and observe data transmission states are substates from a first transmission state from a plurality of transmission states.

8. The communication device as claimed in claim 7, wherein the first transmission state is a state in which the communication device has set up at least one signaling communication link.

9. The communication device as claimed in claim 8, wherein the first transmission state is a state in which the communication device has associated dedicated communication resources.

10. The communication device as claimed in claim 8, wherein a second transmission state from the plurality of transmission states is a state in which the communication device has set up at least one signaling communication link.

11. The communication device as claimed in claim 10, wherein the second transmission state is a state in which the communication device has associated shared communication resources to which other communication devices also have access.

12. The communication device as claimed in claim 11, wherein the second transmission state is a CELL_FACH state or a Long_Term_Evolution_Idle state.

13. The communication device as claimed in claim 1, further comprising at least one of the three useful transmission states in which the communication device can be operated selected from a group consisting of CELL_PCH, URA_PCH, and Idle Mode.

14. The communication device as claimed in claim 1, further comprising a Long_Term_Evolution_Detached state in which the communication device can be operated.

15. The communication device as claimed in claim 1, wherein the first communication resources and the second communication resources comprise access to physical control channels.

16. The communication device as claimed in claim 15, wherein the access to physical control channels is restricted for the second communication resources in comparison with the first communication resources.

17. The communication device as claimed in claim 1, wherein the second state transition criterion is based on transmission of at least one data packet by the Medium Access Control layer to the physical layer, the transmission of the at least one data packet to reset the first timer and restart the second timer.

18. The communication device as claimed in claim 1, wherein the first state transition criterion provided is at least one of a criteria selected from a group consisting of:

an overall filling level of all transmission buffer stores is greater than a prescribed first threshold value;

at least one filling level of a transmission buffer store is greater than a prescribed second threshold value;

and at least one total filling level of a plurality of transmission buffer stores is greater than a prescribed third threshold value.

19. The communication device as claimed in claim 18, wherein the first state transition criterion provided is that the at least one filling level of the transmission buffer store is greater than the prescribed second threshold value which is specific to transmission buffer stores.

20. The communication device as claimed in claim 18, wherein the first state transition criterion provided is that the at least one total filling level of the plurality of transmission buffer stores is greater than the prescribed third threshold value which is specific to group buffer stores.

21. The communication device as claimed in claim 18, wherein at least one of the prescribed first threshold value, the prescribed second threshold value and the prescribed third threshold value can be prescribed by another communication device.

22. The communication device as claimed in claim 21, wherein the other communication device is a communication network unit.

23. The communication device as claimed in claim 21, wherein the other communication device is a mobile radio network control unit.

24. The communication device as claimed in claim 1, further comprising a plurality of transmission buffer stores.

25. The communication device as claimed in claim 24, wherein at least a portion of the transmission buffer stores is or are RLC buffer stores.

26. The communication device as claimed in claim 18, wherein the first state transition criterion provided is that the at least one total filling level of the plurality of transmission buffer stores is greater than the prescribed third threshold value, and wherein the plurality of transmission buffer stores is grouped based on priorities which are associated with the transmission buffer stores.

27. The communication device as claimed in claim 26, wherein the priorities are associated with the transmission buffer stores based on quality of service.

28. The communication device as claimed in claim 1, wherein the communication device is a communication terminal.

29. A method for operating a communication device, comprising:

operating the communication device in an active data transmission state of a data link layer, in which a first useful data communication link with first communication resources is allocated to the communication device;

performing, by the communication device, a state change from the active data transmission state to an observe data transmission state of the data link layer based on expiry of an activity timer associated with the active data transmission state, wherein in the observe data transmission state a second useful data communication link with the first communication resources is allocated to the communication device;

performing, by the communication device, a state change from the observe data transmission state to an inactive data transmission state of the data link layer based on expiry of an inactivity timer associated with the observe data transmission state, wherein in the inactive data transmission state a useful data communication link with second communication resources is allocated to the communication device, the second communication resources being fewer than the first communication resources;

performing, by the communication device, a state change from the inactive data transmission state to the active data transmission state when a first state transition criterion has been met; and

performing, by the communication device, a state change from the observe data transmission state to the active data transmission state when a second state transition criterion has been met, wherein the first state transition criterion and the second state transition criterion are based on an activity or inactivity of the communication device, wherein the active data transmission state, the observe data transmission state, and the inactive data transmission state are substates from a first radio resource control (“

RRC”

) protocol state from a plurality of RRC protocol states, the plurality of RRC protocol states to include at least one of a CELL_DCH state or a Long_Term_Evolution_Active state.

30. A computer program element including a non-transitory memory for storing instructions which, when executed by a processor, comprises:

operating a communication device in an active data transmission state of a data link layer, in which a first useful data communication link with first communication resources is allocated to the communication device;

performing, by the communication device, a state change from the active data transmission state to an observe data transmission state of the data link layer based on expiry of an active timer associated with the active data transmission state, wherein in the observe data transmission state a second useful data communication link with the first communication resources is allocated to the communication device;

performing, by the communication device, a state change from the observe data transmission state to an inactive data transmission state of the data link layer based on expiry of an inactivity timer associated with the active data transmission state, wherein in the inactive data transmission state a useful data communication link with second communication resources is allocated to the communication device, the second communication resources being fewer than the first communication resources;

performing, by the communication device, a state change from the inactive data transmission state to the active data transmission state when a first state transition criterion has been met; and

performing, by the communication device, a state change from the observe data transmission state to the active data transmission state when a second state transition criterion has been met, wherein the first state transition criterion and the second state transition criterion are based on an activity or inactivity of the communication device, wherein the active data transmission state, the observe data transmission state and the inactive data transmission state are substates from a first radio resource control (“

RRC”

) protocol state from a plurality of RRC protocol states, the plurality of RRC protocol states to include at least one of a CELL_DCH state or a Long_Term_Evolution_Active state.

31. A communication device comprising:

a state control means for operating the communication device in at least three useful data transmission states that include;

an active data transmission state of a data link layer, in which a first useful data communication link with first communication resources is allocated to the communication device,

an observe data transmission state of the data link layer, in which a second useful data communication link with the first communication resources is allocated to the communication device, and

an inactive data transmission state of the data link layer, in which a useful data communication link with second communication resources is allocated to the communication device, the second communication resources being fewer than the first communication resources;

a first timer, associated with the observe data transmission state, to start based on use of one or more transport channels by a Medium Access Control layer to send data to a physical layer;

a second timer, associated with the active data transmission state, to initially start after the first useful data communication link allocation with the first communication resources; and

a state transition control means for performing at least the following state transitions;

a state change from the active data transmission state to the observe data transmission state at expiry of the second timer,

a state change from the observe data transmission state to the inactive data transmission state at expiry of the first timer,

a state change from the inactive data transmission state to the active data transmission state when a first state transition criterion has been met, and

a state change from the observe data transmission state to the active data transmission state when a second state transition criterion has been met, wherein the first state transition criterion and the second state transition criterion are based on an activity or inactivity of the communication device, wherein the three useful data transmission states are substates from a first radio resource control (“

RRC”

) protocol state from a plurality of RRC protocol states, the plurality of RRC protocol states to include at least one of a CELL_DCH state or a Long_Term_Evolution_Active state.