Systems and methods for facilitating the transition of a wireless communication device (WCD) from a CELL_FACH state to a CELL_DCH state

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10433364-B2
Application number	US-201515549706-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Feb 10, 2015
Priority date	Feb 10, 2015
Publication date	Oct 1, 2019
Grant date	Oct 1, 2019

Abstract

In one aspect, a method for facilitating the transition of a wireless communication device, WCD, ( 102 ) from a CELL_FACH state to a CELL_DCH state is provided. In some embodiments, the method includes determining that the WCD ( 102 ) should transition from the CELL_FACH to the CELL_DCH cell state. The method further includes, in response to determining that the WCD should transition from the CELL_FACH to the CELL_DCH cell state, i) sending to the WCD ( 102 ) a first configuration message ( 302 ) for moving the WCD from the CELL_FACH state to the CELL_DCH state and ii) sending to the WCD a second configuration message ( 304 ) for forcing the WCD to obtain a common E-DCH resource or retain a previously obtained common E-DCH resource.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. A method for facilitating the transition of a wireless communication device (WCD) from a CELL_FACH state to a CELL_DCH state, the method comprising:
determining that the WCD should transition from the CELL_FACH to the CELL_DCH cell state; and
in response to determining that the WCD should transition from the CELL_FACH to the CELL_DCH cell state:
i) sending to the WCD a first configuration message for moving the WCD from the CELL_FACH state to the CELL_DCH state,
ii) sending to the WCD a second configuration message for forcing the WCD to obtain a common E-DCH resource or retain a previously obtained common E-DCH resource, wherein the second configuration message is a message for requesting the WCD to move a reception window, comprises a Move Receiving Window (MRW) super-field (SUFI) and/or contains outdated information about the reception window; and
iii) when the second configuration message contains outdated information, triggering a transmission of an acknowledgement (ACK), acknowledging a reception of the second configuration message and affecting the WCD to acquire a common E-DCH resource.

2. The method of claim 1 , further comprising the steps of:
determining that the WCD has not yet transitioned to the CELL_DCH state and has transmitted an acknowledgement in response to the second configuration message; and
sending to the WCD a third configuration message for forcing the WCD to retain a previously obtained common E-DCH resource in response to determining that the WCD has not yet transitioned to the CELL_DCH state and has transmitted the acknowledgement.

3. The method of claim 1 , further comprising the steps of:
determining that the WCD has not yet transitioned to the CELL_DCH state; and
sending to the WCD a third configuration message for forcing the WCD to retain a previously obtained common E-DCH resource in response to determining that the WCD has not yet transitioned to the CELL_DCH state.

4. The method of claim 1 , wherein the third configuration message is the same as the second configuration message.

5. The method of claim 1 , wherein the first configuration message is one of: a Cell Update Confirm message, a Radio Bearer (RB) Reconfiguration message, and an RB Setup message.

6. The method of claim 1 , further comprising:
receiving a Media Access Control (MAC) protocol data unit (PDU) transmitted by the WCD in response to the second configuration message; and
in response to receiving the MAC PDU transmitted by the WCD, transmitting to the WCD a hybrid repeat request (HARQ) negative acknowledgement (NACK), regardless of whether the MAC PDU was successfully decoded.

7. An access node for facilitating the transition of a wireless communication device (WCD) from a CELL_FACH state to a CELL_DCH state, the access node being adapted to:
determine that the WCD should transition from the CELL_FACH to the CELL_DCH cell state; and
in response to determining that the WCD should transition from the CELL_FACH to the CELL_DCH cell state:
i) send to the WCD a first configuration message for moving the WCD from the CELL_FACH state to the CELL_DCH state, and
ii) send to the WCD a second configuration message for forcing the WCD to obtain a common E-DCH resource or retain a previously obtained common E-DCH resource, wherein the second configuration message is a message for requesting the WCD to move a reception window, comprises a Move Receiving Window (MRW) super-field (SUFI) and/or contains outdated information about the reception window; and
iii) when the second configuration message contains outdated information, trigger a transmission of an acknowledgement (ACK), acknowledging a reception of the second configuration message and affect the WCD to acquire a common E-DCH resource.

8. The access node of claim 7 , wherein the access node is further adapted to:
determine that the WCD has not yet transitioned to the CELL_DCH state and has transmitted an acknowledgement in response to the second configuration message; and
send to the WCD a third configuration message for forcing the WCD to retain a previously obtained common E-DCH resource in response to determining that the WCD has not yet transitioned to the CELL_DCH state and has transmitted the acknowledgement.

9. The access node of claim 7 , wherein the access node is further adapted to:
determine that the WCD has not yet transitioned to the CELL_DCH state; and
send to the WCD a third configuration message for forcing the WCD to retain a previously obtained common E-DCH resource in response to determining that the WCD has not yet transitioned to the CELL_DCH state.

10. The access node of claim 7 , wherein the second configuration message is a message for requesting the WCD to move a reception window and the third configuration message is the same as the second configuration message.

11. The access node of claim 7 , wherein the first configuration message is one of: a Cell Update Confirm message, a Radio Bearer (RB) Reconfiguration message, and an RB Setup message.

12. The access node of claim 7 , wherein the access node is further adapted to:
receive a Media Access Control (MAC) protocol data unit (PDU) transmitted by the WCD in response to the second configuration message; and
in response to receiving the MAC PDU transmitted by the WCD, transmit to the WCD a hybrid repeat request (HARQ) negative acknowledgement (NACK), regardless of whether the MAC PDU was successfully decoded.

13. A method for facilitating the transition of a wireless communication device (WCD) from a CELL_FACH state to a CELL_DCH state, the method comprising:
determining that the WCD should transition from the CELL_FACH to the CELL_DCH cell state;
in response to determining that the WCD should transition from the CELL_FACH to the CELL_DCH cell state, (i) sending to the WCD a configuration message for moving the WCD from the CELL_FACH state to the CELL_DCH state, (ii) sending to the WCD a second configuration message for forcing the WCD to obtain a common E-DCH resource or retain a previously obtained common E-DCH resource, wherein the second configuration message is a message for requesting the WCD to move a reception window, comprises a Move Receiving Window (MRW) super-field (SUFI) and/or contains outdated information about the reception window; and (iii) when the second configuration message contains outdated information, triggering a transmission of an acknowledgement (ACK), acknowledging a reception of the second configuration message and affecting the WCD to acquire a common E-DCH resource;
after sending the configuration message, receiving a status message transmitted by the WCD; and
after receiving the status message, causing the WCD to resend the status message.

14. The method of claim 13 , wherein the configuration message is one of: a Cell Update Confirm message, a Radio Bearer (RB) Reconfiguration message, and an RB Setup message.

15. The method of claim 13 , wherein the status message is a media access control (MAC) protocol data unit (PDU) comprising Scheduling Information, SI, with a Total E-DCH Buffer Status, TEBS, set to zero.

16. The method of claim 13 , wherein causing the WCD to resend the status message comprises sending to the WCD a response message for causing the WCD to resend the status message.

17. The method of claim 16 , wherein the response message for causing the WCD to resend the status message is a MAC hybrid automatic repeat request (HARQ) negative acknowledgement (NACK).

18. The method of claim 13 , wherein causing the WCD to resend the status mes

Assignees

• Ericsson Telefon Ab L M

Inventors

• Caverni Alessandro
• Pradas Jose Luis

Classifications

• H04W72/20

  Control channels or signalling for resource management · CPC title

• H04L1/1812

  Hybrid protocols; Hybrid automatic repeat request [HARQ] · CPC title

• H04W76/27 Primary

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

• H04W52/38

  TPC being performed in particular situations · CPC title

• H04L1/1887

  Scheduling and prioritising arrangements · CPC title