Methods for re-synchronizing a communication mode with a peer device and communications apparatus utilizing the same

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10433368-B2
Application number	US-201514944453-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Nov 18, 2015
Priority date	Nov 19, 2014
Publication date	Oct 1, 2019
Grant date	Oct 1, 2019

Abstract

A communications apparatus includes a radio transceiver and a processor. The radio transceiver is configured for transmitting or receiving wireless radio frequency signals to or from a peer device. The processor determines whether re-synchronization in a communication mode with the peer device is required according to a determination rule. When the re-synchronization is required, the processor transmits a message to the peer device via the radio transceiver to trigger a re-synchronization procedure. The processor determines whether the re-synchronization is required in a connected mode.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A communications apparatus, comprising: a radio transceiver, transmitting or receiving wireless radio frequency signals to or from a peer device; and a processor, determining whether re-synchronization in a communication mode with the peer device is required according to a determination rule, and when the re-synchronization is required, transmitting a message to the peer device via the radio transceiver to trigger a re-synchronization procedure, wherein the processor determines whether the re-synchronization is required in a connected mode, wherein the connected mode is entered after the processor has set up a radio resource control (RRC) connection with the peer device and transmitted a connection setup complete message to the peer device in response to reception of a first paging message, and
wherein the processor further starts a first timer when the connected mode is entered, and when a second paging message, which comes after the first paging message and with same Cn-Domain field as the first paging message, is received from the peer device before the first timer expires, the processor ignores the second paging message and does not process or respond to the second paging message, wherein the processor further starts a second timer when transmitting the message to the peer device to trigger the re-synchronization procedure, and when another paging message is received from the peer device before the second timer expires, the processor ignores the paging message.

2. The communications apparatus as claimed in claim 1 , wherein the determination rule is whether a paging message is received from the peer device in the connected mode.

3. The communications apparatus as claimed in claim 1 , wherein the determination rule is whether there is no uplink or downlink data transmission to or from the peer device for a predetermined period in the connected mode.

4. The communications apparatus as claimed in claim 2 , wherein when the paging message received from the peer device in the connected mode is a circuit-switched (CS) paging, the processor transmits an extended service request to the peer device via the radio transceiver.

5. The communications apparatus as claimed in claim 2 , wherein when the paging message received from the peer device in the connected mode is a packet-switched (PS) paging, the processor transmits a scheduling request message or a random access request message to trigger a C-RNTI based random access procedure to the peer device via the radio transceiver.

6. The communications apparatus as claimed in claim 3 , wherein the processor transmits a random access request message to the peer device via the radio transceiver to trigger a C-RNTI based random access procedure.

7. The communications apparatus as claimed in claim 6 , wherein the processor further leaves the connected mode and returns to an idle mode when the random access procedure fails.

8. The communications apparatus as claimed in claim 6 , wherein the processor further performs local release to release the RRC connection and transmits a tracking area update (TAU) request message to the peer device via the radio transceiver to trigger a TAU procedure when the random access procedure has been triggered a predetermined number of times.

9. A method for a communications apparatus to re-synchronize a communication mode with a peer device communicating with the communications apparatus, comprising:
starting a first timer when receiving a first paging message from the peer device for the communications apparatus to enter a connected mode, wherein the connected mode is entered after the communications apparatus has set up a radio resource control (RRC) connection with the peer device and transmitted a connection setup complete message to the peer device in response to reception of the first paging message; when receiving a second paging message, which comes after the first paging message and with same Cn-Domain field as the first paging message, from the peer device before the first timer expires, ignoring the second paging message by not processing or responding to the second paging message;
determining whether re-synchronization in a communication mode with the peer device is required according to a determination rule; when the re-synchronization is required, transmitting a message to the peer device to trigger a re-synchronization procedure, wherein the determination is made in the connected mode;
starting a second timer when transmitting the message to the peer device to trigger the re-synchronization procedure; and when receiving another paging message from the peer device before the second timer expires, ignoring the paging message.

10. The method as claimed in claim 9 , wherein the determination rule is whether a paging message is received from the peer device in the connected mode.

11. The method as claimed in claim 9 , wherein the determination rule is whether there is no uplink or downlink data transmission to or from the peer device for a predetermined period in the connected mode.

12. The method as claimed in claim 10 , wherein when the paging message received from the peer device in the connected mode is a circuit-switched (CS) paging, the message transmitted to the peer device is an extended service request.

13. The method as claimed in claim 10 , wherein when the paging message received from the peer device in the connected mode is a packet-switched (PS) paging, the message transmitted to the peer device is a scheduling request message or a random access request message to trigger a C-RNTI based random access procedure.

14. The method as claimed in claim 11 , wherein the message transmitted to the peer device a random access request message to trigger a C-RNTI based random access procedure.

15. The method as claimed in claim 14 , further comprising: leaving the connected mode and returning to an idle mode when the random access procedure fails.

16. The method as claimed in claim 14 , further comprising: performing local release to release the RRC connection and transmitting a tracking area update (TAU) request message to the peer device to trigger a TAU procedure when the random access procedure has been triggered a predetermined number of times.

Assignees

• Mediatek Inc

Inventors

• Chien Shih-Hsin
• Lee Chi-Chen
• Liu Wen-Jiunn
• Kao Ching-Yueh
• Liao Shih-Chieh
• Yeh Yu-Tien
• Wong Sian-Jheng
• Huang Tien-Yi

Classifications

• H04W56/001 Primary

  Synchronization between nodes · CPC title

• H04W76/27

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

• H04W76/15

  Setup of multiple wireless link connections · CPC title

• H04L5/0007

  the frequencies being orthogonal, e.g. OFDM(A) or DMT · CPC title

• H04L5/0098

  Signalling of the activation or deactivation of component carriers, subcarriers or frequency bands · CPC title