Apparatus and method for a wireless device to receive data in an eco state

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10142929-B2
Application number	US-201715649995-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Jul 14, 2017
Priority date	Jan 30, 2015
Publication date	Nov 27, 2018
Grant date	Nov 27, 2018

Abstract

An apparatus and method for a wireless device to receive data in an eco state is provided. According to an embodiment of the disclosure, upon determining that data is to be transmitted to the wireless device in the eco state, a network node operates to transmit a unicast notification message to the wireless device in order to inform the wireless device of the impending data transmission. According to another embodiment of the disclosure, in response to receiving the unicast notification message, the wireless device operates to receive the data in accordance with the unicast notification message. To this end, the wireless device might for example try to receive data for a time period following the unicast notification message. Meanwhile, the wireless device may remain in the eco state.

First claim

We claim:

1. A method for execution by a network node of a wireless network, the method comprising:
determining that data is to be transmitted to a wireless device that is in an eco state;
transmitting, to the wireless device in the eco state, only when unicast notification is enabled for the wireless device, a unicast notification message notifying the wireless device of an impending data transmission to the wireless device by the network node; and
transmitting the data to the wireless device in the eco state.

2. The method of claim 1 , further comprising:
receiving, in response to the unicast notification message, measurement related information from the wireless device in the eco state;
wherein transmitting the data to the wireless device in the eco state comprises transmitting the data to the wireless device based on the measurement related information received in response to the unicast notification message.

3. The method of claim 2 , further comprising receiving first measurement related information from the wireless device in the eco state;
wherein the measurement related information received in response to the unicast notification message is additional measurement related information.

4. The method of claim 3 , wherein:
receiving the first measurement related information comprises receiving the first measurement related information on an ongoing basis; and
receiving the additional measurement related information in response to the unicast notification message comprises receiving the additional measurement related information on a more frequent basis than the ongoing basis.

5. The method of claim 1 , wherein the unicast notification message indicates timing of when the data is to be transmitted.

6. The method of claim 1 , further comprising:
accepting at least one input for determining whether to enable unicast notification for the wireless device in the eco state.

7. The method of claim 6 , wherein:
accepting at least one input comprises receiving from the wireless device an indication of preference for enabling unicast notification;
wherein determining whether to enable unicast notification for the wireless device in the eco state is based on the indication of preference from the wireless device.

8. The method of claim 6 , wherein:
accepting at least one input comprises receiving signalling from which the network node determines whether the network node has the ability to track boundary conditions of the wireless device to satisfy QoS (Quality of Service) of traffic;
wherein determining whether to enable unicast notification for the wireless device in the eco state is based on whether the network node has the ability to track boundary conditions of the wireless device to satisfy QoS of traffic.

9. The method of claim 6 , further comprising:
conveying to the wireless device whether unicast notification is enabled.

10. The method of claim 1 , wherein the eco state is a power saving state that supports data transmission and reception by the wireless device and that is different from an active state.

11. A non-transitory computer-readable medium having recorded thereon instructions that when executed by a processor of a network node of a wireless network implement a method comprising:
determining that data is to be transmitted to a wireless device that is in an eco state;
transmitting, to the wireless device in the eco state, only when unicast notification is enabled for the wireless device, a unicast notification message notifying the wireless device of an impending data transmission to the wireless device by the network node; and
transmitting the data to the wireless device in the eco state.

12. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 11 , wherein the eco state is a power saving state that supports data transmission and reception by the wireless device and that is different from an active state.

13. A network node of a wireless network, the network node comprising:
circuitry implementing an eco state transmit function for a transceiver and being configured to:
determine that data is to be transmitted to a wireless device that is in an eco state;
transmit, to the wireless device in the eco state, only when unicast notification is enabled for the wireless device, a unicast notification message notifying the wireless device of an impending data transmission to the wireless device by the network node; and
transmit the data to the wireless device in the eco state.

14. The network node of claim 13 , wherein:
the circuitry implementing the eco state transmit function comprises a processor; and
the network node further comprises a computer-readable medium having recorded thereon instructions that when executed by the processor configure the processor to implement the eco state transmit function.

15. The network node of claim 13 , wherein the circuitry implementing the eco state transmit function is further configured to:
receive, in response to the unicast notification message, measurement related information from the wireless device in the eco state;
wherein the circuitry implementing the eco state transmit function is configured to transmit the data to the wireless device in the eco state based on the measurement related information received in response to the unicast notification message.

16. The network node of claim 15 , wherein the circuitry implementing the eco state transmit function is further configured to:
receive first measurement related information from the wireless device in the eco state;
wherein the measurement related information received in response to the unicast notification message is additional measurement related information.

17. The network node of claim 16 , wherein:
the circuitry implementing the eco state transmit function is further configured to receive the first measurement related information on an ongoing basis; and
the circuitry implementing the eco state transmit function is further configured to receive the additional measurement related information on a more frequent basis than the ongoing basis.

18. The network node of claim 13 , wherein the unicast notification message indicates timing of when the data is to be transmitted.

19. The network node of claim 13 , wherein the circuitry implementing the eco state transmit function is further configured to:
accept at least one input for determining whether to enable unicast notification for the wireless device in the eco state.

20. The network node of claim 19 , wherein:
the circuitry implementing the eco state transmit function is configured to accept at least one input by receiving from the wireless device an indication of preference for enabling unicast notification;
wherein the circuitry implementing the eco state transmit function determines whether to enable unicast notification for the wireless device in the eco state based on the indication of preference from the wireless device.

21. The network node of claim 19 , wherein:
the circuitry implementing the eco state transmit function is configured to accept at least one input by receiving signalling from which the network node determines whether the network node has the ability to track boundary conditions of the wireless device to satisfy QoS (Quality of Service) of traffic;
wherein the circuitry implementing the eco state transmit function determines whether to enable unicast notification for the wireless device in the eco state based on whether the network node has the ability to boundary cond

Assignees

• Au Kelvin Kar Kin
• Zhang Liqing
• Ma Jianglei
• Huawei Tech Co Ltd

Inventors

• Au Kelvin Kar Kin
• Zhang Liqing
• Ma Jianglei

Classifications

• H04W52/0209 Primary

  in terminal devices · CPC title

• H04W68/005

  Transmission of information for alerting of incoming communication · CPC title

• H04W52/0229

  where the received signal is a wanted signal · CPC title

• H04W68/00

  User notification, e.g. alerting and paging, for incoming communication, change of service or the like · CPC title

• H04W76/27

  Transitions between radio resource control [RRC] states · CPC title