Base station and terminal apparatus

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-12446089-B2
Application number	US-202018017932-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Jul 27, 2020
Priority date	Jul 27, 2020
Publication date	Oct 14, 2025
Grant date	Oct 14, 2025

Abstract

A base station of the embodiment includes first and second wireless signal processing units and a link management unit. The first and second wireless signal processing units are configured to transmit and receive wireless signals using first and second channels, respectively. The link management unit establishes a multi-link with a terminal apparatus using the first and second wireless signal processing units, sets the first wireless signal processing unit as a primary link, and sets the second wireless signal processing unit to a secondary link. When the secondary link is in an active mode and a first condition is satisfied, the link management unit sets the secondary link to the operation pause mode. When the secondary link is in an operation pause mode and a second condition is satisfied, the link management unit sets the secondary link to the active mode.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. A base station comprising:
a first wireless signal processing unit configured to be able to transmit and receive a wireless signal using a first channel;
a second wireless signal processing unit configured to be able to transmit and receive a wireless signal using a second channel that is different from the first channel; and
a link management unit configured to establish a multi-link with a terminal apparatus using the first wireless signal processing unit and the second wireless signal processing unit, set the first wireless signal processing unit as a primary link used as a main link in the multi-link, and set the second wireless signal processing unit as a secondary link used as an auxiliary link in the multi-link, wherein
when the secondary link is in an active mode and a first condition is satisfied in the multi-link, the link management unit sets the secondary link to an operation pause mode in which power consumption is lower than that of the active mode, and
when the secondary link is in the operation pause mode and a second condition is satisfied in the multi-link, the link management unit sets the secondary link to the active mode.

2. The base station according to claim 1 , wherein
the first condition corresponds to a fact that a buffer amount of data to be transmitted is less than a first threshold value,
the second condition corresponds to a fact that the buffer amount of data to be transmitted exceeds a second threshold value, and
the first threshold is equal to or less than the second threshold.

3. The base station according to claim 1 , wherein
the first condition corresponds to a fact that a remaining battery level of the terminal apparatus is less than a third threshold value,
the second condition corresponds to a fact that the remaining battery level of the terminal apparatus exceeds a fourth threshold value, and
the third threshold is equal to or less than the fourth threshold.

4. The base station according to claim 1 , wherein
the first condition corresponds to a fact that important traffic is not contained in data transmitted in the multi-link, and
the second condition corresponds to a fact that important traffic is contained in the data transmitted in the multi-link.

5. The base station according to claim 4 , whereins
when important traffic is contained in the data transmitted in the multi-link, the link management unit transmits important traffic using the secondary link of the terminal apparatus, and sets a secondary link of another terminal apparatus that uses the same channel as the secondary link of the terminal apparatus to the operation pause mode.

6. A terminal apparatus comprising:
a first wireless signal processing unit configured to be able to transmit and receive a wireless signal using a first channel;
a second wireless signal processing unit configured to be able to transmit and receive a wireless signal using a second channel that is different from the first channel; and
a link management unit configured to establish a multi-link with a base station using the first wireless signal processing unit and the second wireless signal processing unit, set the first wireless signal processing unit as a primary link used as a main link in the multi-link, and set the second wireless signal processing unit as a secondary link used as an auxiliary link in the multi-link, wherein
when the secondary link is in an active mode and a first condition is satisfied in the multi-link, the link management unit sets the secondary link to an operation pause mode in which power consumption is lower than that of the active mode, and
when the secondary link is in the operation pause mode and a second condition is satisfied in the multi-link, the link management unit sets the secondary link to the active mode.

7. The terminal apparatus according to claim 6 , wherein
the first condition corresponds to a fact that a buffer amount of data to be transmitted is less than a first threshold value,
the second condition corresponds to a fact that the buffer amount of data to be transmitted exceeds a second threshold value, and
the first threshold is equal to or less than the second threshold.

8. The terminal apparatus according to claim 6 , wherein
the first condition corresponds to a fact that a remaining battery level of the terminal apparatus is less than a third threshold value,
the second condition corresponds to a fact that the remaining battery level of the terminal apparatus exceeds a fourth threshold value, and
the third threshold is equal to or less than the fourth threshold.

9. The terminal apparatus according to claim 6 , wherein
the first condition corresponds to a fact that important traffic is not contained in data transmitted in the multi-link, and
the second condition corresponds to a fact that important traffic is contained in the data transmitted in the multi-link.

10. The terminal apparatus according to claim 9 , wherein
upon receiving a wireless frame indicating that a secondary link of another terminal apparatus that uses the same channel as the secondary link of the terminal apparatus transmits important traffic, the link management unit sets the secondary link of the terminal apparatus to the operation pause mode.

Assignees

• Ntt Inc

Inventors

• Kishida Akira
• Nagata Kengo
• Inoue Yasuhiko
• Asai Yusuke
• Takatori Yasushi

Classifications

• H04W52/0261

  managing power supply demand, e.g. depending on battery level · CPC title

• H04W76/34

  Selective release of ongoing connections · CPC title

• H04W72/21

  in the uplink direction of a wireless link, i.e. towards the network · CPC title

• H04W52/028

  switching on or off only a part of the equipment circuit blocks · CPC title

• Y02D30/70

  in wireless communication networks · CPC title