Conditional Uplink Radio Resource Utilization in a Cellular Network

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-2016205703-A1
Application number	US-201414897052-A
Country	US
Kind code	A1
Filing date	Sep 1, 2014
Priority date	Sep 1, 2014
Publication date	Jul 14, 2016
Grant date	—

Abstract

A communication device ( 10 ) receives an uplink grant from a node ( 100 ) of a cellular network. The uplink grant indicates uplink radio resources allocated to the communication device ( 10 ) in reoccurring time intervals. For each of these time intervals, the communication device ( 10 ) selects between an active mode and an inactive mode. In the active mode the communication device ( 10 ) performs an uplink transmission in the allocated uplink radio resources. In the inactive mode the communication device ( 10 ) performs no uplink transmission in the allocated uplink radio resources.

First claim

1 - 90 . (canceled)

91 . A method of controlling radio transmission in a cellular network, the method comprising:
a communication device receiving an uplink grant from the cellular network, the uplink grant indicating uplink radio resources allocated to the communication device in reoccurring time intervals; and for each of said time intervals, the communication device selecting between: an active mode in which the communication device performs an uplink transmission in the allocated uplink radio resources, and an inactive mode in which the communication device performs no uplink transmission in the allocated uplink radio resources.

92 . The method according to claim 91 , comprising:
the communication device checking whether uplink data is available for transmission by the communication device; and in response to uplink data being available for transmission, the communication device selecting the active mode to perform an uplink transmission comprising at least a part of the uplink data.

93 . The method according to claim 92 , comprising:
in response to uplink data being available for transmission, the communication device further sending a scheduling request to the cellular network, the scheduling request requesting allocation of further uplink radio resources to the communication device.

94 . The method according to claim 91 , comprising:
for each of the time intervals, the communication device checking whether one or more conditions for sending a buffer status report are met; and in response to one or more of said conditions being met, the communication device selecting said active mode to send an uplink transmission comprising the buffer status report, the buffer status report indicating an amount of uplink data available for transmission by the communication device.

95 . The method according to claim 91 comprising:
in response to receiving the uplink grant from the cellular network, the communication device sending a message for acknowledging receipt of the uplink grant to the cellular network.

96 . The method according to claim 95 , comprising:
in a first one of the time intervals, the communication device selecting the active mode to send an uplink transmission comprising the message for acknowledging receipt of the uplink grant.

97 . The method according to claim 91 , wherein the uplink transmission comprises an indication of a channel quality experienced by the communication device.

98 . The method according to claim 91 , comprising:
in response to receiving the uplink grant from the cellular network, the communication device sending one or more reference signals to the cellular network.

99 . The method according to claim 91 , comprising:
the communication device receiving a further uplink grant, the further uplink grant indicating further uplink radio resources allocated to the communication device in one of the time intervals; and the communication device performing an uplink transmission in a combination of the allocated further uplink radio resources and at least a part of the allocated uplink radio resources.

100 . The method according to claim 91 , comprising:
the communication device receiving control information from the cellular network, the control information indicating a periodicity of the time intervals.

101 . The method according to claim 91 , comprising:
the communication device reconfiguring the allocated uplink resources.

102 . The method according to claim 91 , comprising:
the communication device releasing the allocated uplink resources.

103 . The method according to claim 102 , comprising:
the communication device releasing the allocated uplink radio resources in response to receiving control information from the cellular network.

104 . The method according to claim 102 , comprising:
the communication device releasing the allocated uplink radio resources in response to expiry of a configured time period.

105 . The method according to claim 102 , comprising:
the communication device releasing the allocated uplink radio resources in response to a number of said time intervals, in which the communication device performed no transmission on the allocated uplink radio resources, reaching a threshold.

106 . The method according to claim 102 , comprising:
the communication device indicating said releasing of the allocated uplink radio resources to the cellular network.

107 . The method according to claim 102 , wherein said releasing of the allocated uplink radio resources is temporary.

108 . The method according to claim 107 , comprising:
after temporarily releasing the allocated uplink radio resources, the communication device resuming utilization of the allocated uplink radio resources in response to receiving control information from the cellular network.

109 . The method according to claim 108 , comprising:
the communication device indicating said resuming of the utilization of the allocated uplink radio resources to the cellular network.

110 . The method according to claim 107 , comprising:
after temporarily releasing the allocated uplink radio resources, the communication device resuming utilization of the allocated uplink radio resources in response to expiry of a configured time period.

111 . The method according to claim 91 , wherein the radio transmission is organized in radio frames which are each subdivided into subframes, and
wherein the time intervals correspond to at least some of the subframes.

112 . A method of controlling radio transmission in a cellular network, the method comprising:
a node of the cellular network sending, to a communication device, an uplink grant indicating uplink radio resources allocated to the communication device in reoccurring time intervals; for each of said time intervals, the node selecting between: an active mode in which the communication device performed an uplink transmission in the allocated uplink radio resources, and an inactive mode in which the communication device performed no uplink transmission in the allocated uplink radio resources.

113 . The method according to claim 112 , comprising:
in response to detecting no signals from the communication device in the allocated uplink radio resources, the node selecting the inactive mode.

114 . The method according to claim 112 , wherein the node sends the uplink grant in response to detecting a change of a connection status of the communication device.

115 . The method according to claim 112 , wherein the node sends the uplink grant according to a periodic schedule.

116 . The method according to claim 112 , comprising:
in the active mode, the node receiving an uplink transmission from the communication device, the uplink transmission comprising a buffer status report indicating an amount of data available for transmission by the communication device; and depending on the buffer status report, the node sending a further uplink grant to the communication device, the further uplink grant indicating further uplink radio resources allocated to the communication device in one of the time intervals.

117 . The method according to claim 112 , the node sending a further uplink grant to the communication device, the further uplink grant indicating further uplink radio resources allocated to the communication device in one of the time intervals;

Assignees

• Ericsson Telefon Ab L M

Inventors

• Dudda Torsten
• Parkvall Stefan
• Synnergren Per
• Wager Stefan
• Zhang Hanzhi

Classifications

• H04W72/23 Primary

  in the downlink direction of a wireless link, i.e. towards a terminal · CPC title

• H04W76/38

  triggered by timers · CPC title

• H04W72/1268

  of uplink data flows · CPC title

• H04W28/0278

  using buffer status reports (dynamic wireless traffic scheduling definition H04W72/12) · CPC title

• H04W72/0446

  Resources in time domain, e.g. slots or frames · CPC title