HK1168710A - Methods and apparatus for optimizing paging mechanisms and publication of dynamic paging mechanisms - Google Patents

Description

Method and apparatus for optimizing paging mechanism and publication of dynamic paging mechanism

Priority

This application claims priority to U.S. patent application serial No.12/409398, entitled "same title as this application, which is incorporated herein by reference in its entirety.

Copyright rights

A portion of the disclosure of this patent document contains material which is subject to copyright protection. The copyright owner has the permission to copy any patent document or patent disclosure, as it is filed by the patent and trademark office, but otherwise reserves all copyright rights whatsoever.

Technical Field

The present invention relates generally to the field of wireless communications and data networks. More particularly, in one exemplary aspect, the present invention is directed to methods and apparatus for flexible paging transmission modes in wireless communications and data networks.

Background

Universal Mobile Telecommunications System (UMTS) is an exemplary implementation of "third generation" or "3G" cellular telephone technology. The UMTS standard is specified by a partnership known as the third generation partnership project (3 GPP). In response to the requirements set forth by the International Telecommunications Union (ITU), 3GPP adopts UMTS as a 3G cellular radio system specifically targeted for the european market. The ITU regulates and manages international radio and telecommunications. Enhancements to UMTS will support future evolution towards fourth generation (4G) technology.

The subject of current interest is the further development of UMTS towards mobile radio communication systems optimised for packet data transmission by improving system capacity and spectral efficiency. In the case of 3GPP, the activities in this respect are summarized by means of the generic term "LTE" (long term evolution). One of the objectives is to significantly increase the maximum network transmission rate in the future, i.e. to a speed of about 300Mbps for the downlink transmission direction and about 75Mbps for the uplink transmission direction.

Within LTE, further advances in 3GPP are also being investigated towards IMT-Advanced radio interface technology (referred to as "LTE-Advanced" or "LTE-a"). The scope and objectives of the LTE-Advanced study are detailed in RP-080137, "Further Advances for E-UTRA (LTE-Advanced)" et al, of NTT DoCoMo et al, the contents of which are incorporated herein by reference in their entirety. ITU-R (International telecommunication Union-Wireless communications sector) has been engaged in and directed against IMT-Advanced activities. ITU-R proposes key features to be supported by candidate IMT-Advanced systems, including: (1) high quality mobile services; (2) global roaming capability; and (3) a peak data rate of 100Mbps in a high mobility environment, and a peak data rate of 1Gbps in a low mobility environment; and so on.

The current discussion in 3GPP relating to LTE-a focuses on the following from 3GPP TS 36.913: requirements in "requisitions for future enhancements for E-UTRA (LTE-Advanced)" to further develop LTE in terms of spectral efficiency, cell edge throughput, coverage and delay time, the content of 3GPP TS36.913 is hereby incorporated by reference in its entirety. Candidate techniques include: (1) multi-hop relaying; (2) downlink network multiple-input multiple-output (MIMO) antenna techniques; (3) support for bandwidths greater than 20MHz by means of spectrum aggregation; (4) flexible spectrum usage/spectrum sharing; and (5) inter-cell interference management. Backward compatibility with legacy LTE networks is also an important requirement for future LTE-a networks, i.e. LTE-a networks also support LTE UEs and LTE-a UEs are able to work in LTE networks.

Existing paging mechanism

Paging mechanisms are used in many existing cellular mobile radio communication systems, such as UMTS. The paging mechanism allows the UE to minimize power consumption by operating in a simplified or "idle" state when not in use. Once the UE receives the paging notification, the UE "wakes up" to respond. Various approaches are shown in the prior art for implementing paging management in a wireless system. For example, some paging systems inefficiently transmit paging messages over the entire cell bandwidth in a frequency domain system. Alternatively, the time domain system may reserve the entire time slot for paging processing.

Thus, there is a need for a suitable paging mechanism that is specifically directed to networks with segmented multiband operation capability and flexible resource provisioning. Such an improved solution should work seamlessly without adversely affecting the user experience on existing radios, as well as the user experience of other wireless devices. Furthermore, in some systems (e.g., LTE), the RF capabilities of the UE may be different from the overall capabilities of the serving base station. In other systems, a legacy UE population may have different capabilities than newer UEs. In either case, a flexible paging mechanism is required in order to account for the limited RF TX/RX (transmit/receive) capabilities of the UE population.

There is a need for improved devices and methods for paging mechanisms that specifically address the complexity of the new LTE-Advanced architecture. The LTE-Advanced system architecture combines segmented multiband capability, OFDM access, and a mixed population of legacy UEs with newer UEs. None of the existing paging mechanisms within this architecture is perfect.

Disclosure of Invention

The present invention meets the above-identified needs by providing improved apparatus and methods for paging in a wireless network. In one aspect of the invention, a method of providing paging channel access for a wireless network is disclosed. In one embodiment, the network is a cellular network, and paging channel access is optimized for one or more network parameters. The method involves: allocating one or more resources for paging channel access based at least in part on the one or more network parameters; providing a schedule (schedule) of paging channel access to a plurality of user equipments, the schedule identifying one or more resources allocated; and transmitting the schedule. The transmission enables the at least one user equipment to configure its modem to receive the allocated one or more resources.

In one variation, providing the schedule includes broadcasting the schedule by way of a common control channel.

In yet another variation, the schedule is specifically delivered to only a subset of the plurality of user devices.

In another variation, the act of allocating one or more resources comprises restricting paging channel access to only one of: (i) time of transmission, (ii) frequency band, or (iii) spreading code.

In another variation, allocating the one or more resources includes restricting paging channel access to at least one of: (i) time of transmission, (ii) frequency band, or (iii) spreading code.

In yet another variation, the network parameters include at least one of: (i) a total bandwidth of a cell, (ii) a level of bandwidth fragmentation, and (iii) one or more characteristics of the plurality of user equipments. The cellular network is an LTE compliant cellular network and providing the schedule comprises broadcasting the schedule by means of a broadcast message.

In a second aspect of the invention, a method of a user of a wireless network receiving one or more paging channel configurations is disclosed. In one embodiment, the wireless network is a cellular network, the method comprising: receiving a first message at a user equipment; extracting a paging schedule from the first message; configuring a modem interface of the user equipment to receive one or more paging channel notifications based at least in part on the schedule; and in response to receiving the paging channel notification, determining whether the received paging channel notification is for the user.

In one variation, the paging schedule is received over a dedicated control channel.

In yet another variation, the schedule is specifically delivered to only a subset of the user devices in the network.

In another variation, the method is optimized for at least one of: (i) a total bandwidth of the cell, (ii) a level of bandwidth fragmentation, and (iii) one or more characteristics of the plurality of user equipments.

In yet another variation, configuring the modem interface comprises: an internal schedule identifying one or more times and one or more frequency bands available for Discontinuous Reception (DRX) is updated.

In a third aspect of the present invention, a wireless base station apparatus is disclosed. In one embodiment, the apparatus comprises: a digital processor; a wireless interface in data communication with the processor; and a storage device in data communication with the processor, the storage device including computer-executable instructions. When executed by a digital processor, the instructions: determining a mode of paging channel transmission based at least in part on one or more wireless network parameters; transmitting information related to the mode via the wireless interface; and transmitting the paging channel transmission via the wireless interface according to the mode.

In a variation, the wireless network is a cellular network, the one or more wireless network parameters include at least one of: (i) a total bandwidth of a cell, (ii) a level of bandwidth fragmentation, and (iii) one or more characteristics of a plurality of user equipment associated with a network. Transmitting information related to the mode may include transmitting information delivered to only a subset of the plurality of user equipment (e.g., only one user equipment), e.g., via a cellular common control channel.

In yet another variation, the one or more wireless network parameters include at least a Radio Resource Connection (RRC) state.

In another variation, the device is an LTE-compliant macro cellular (macro) base station.

In yet another variation, the information related to the pattern includes: information about a carrier frequency on which the paging transmission is to be transmitted; timing data by which the paging identifier and paging message are to be transmitted; and information relating to a bandwidth size of one or more channels on which a user equipment of the network may receive the paging identifier and the paging message. The information related to the pattern may also include other information; such as Radio Resource Connection (RRC) state information.

In another variation, the one or more channels include a Physical Downlink Control Channel (PDCCH) and a Physical Downlink Shared Channel (PDSCH), and the paging identifier and the paging message are to be transmitted on the PDCCH and PDSCH, respectively.

In another variation, determining the mode of paging channel transmission based at least in part on one or more wireless network parameters comprises: one of a plurality of different modes is selected, the plurality of modes not substantially overlapping with one another in time and frequency.

In a fourth aspect of the invention, a wireless receiver device is disclosed. In one embodiment, the apparatus comprises: a digital processor; a wireless interface in data communication with the digital processor; and a storage device in data communication with the processor, the storage device including at least one computer program. When running on the processor, the program: receiving a scheduling table transmitted by a paging channel; configuring the wireless interface to receive one or more paging channel notifications based at least in part on the received schedule; and in response to receiving the paging channel notification, determining whether a first paging channel notification is delivered to the receiver device.

In one variation, the schedule is received via an interface different from the wireless interface; the interface is, for example, a transceiver within the device adapted to receive wireless signals according to a protocol different from the protocol associated with the wireless interface.

In yet another variation, the wireless receiver device comprises a substantially mobile cellular smartphone having a multi-touch screen user interface.

In another variation, configuring the wireless interface includes: an internal schedule identifying one or more times and one or more frequency bands available for Discontinuous Reception (DRX) is updated.

In a fifth aspect of the invention, a computer-readable device having a storage medium is disclosed. In one embodiment, the medium includes a plurality of computer-executable instructions that, when executed by a digital processor: determining a schedule for paging channel transmissions based at least in part on one or more wireless network parameters; causing transmission of the schedule via a wireless interface associated with a host device executing the instructions; and causing a paging channel to be transmitted via the wireless interface according to the schedule.

In a sixth aspect of the invention, a method of conducting a service with respect to a cellular network is disclosed. In one embodiment, the method comprises: allocating base stations within the network suitable for ad hoc deployment to users of the network; and configuring the base station with one or more paging mechanisms so as to minimally interfere with existing paging mechanisms associated with at least one other base station within the network.

In one variation, configuring one or more paging mechanisms so as to minimally interfere with existing paging mechanisms associated with at least one other base station comprises: the allocated base station is configured to operate substantially in an unused or underutilized portion of the spectrum allocated to the network and used by the at least one other base station.

In another variation, the assigned base station is a femtocell and the at least one other base station is a fixed macrocell base station.

In a seventh aspect of the invention, a system for wireless communication is disclosed. In one embodiment, the system is part of a cellular network and includes a radio base station and a User Equipment (UE), the base station configured to determine an optimized paging pattern and schedule and to transmit this information to the UE to enable the UE to use the pattern in accordance with the schedule.

Other features and advantages of the present invention will become immediately apparent to those of ordinary skill in the art upon review of the following detailed description of exemplary embodiments, which is set forth in the appended drawings.

Drawings

Fig. 1A is a time-frequency diagram of a typical prior art Time Division Multiple Access (TDMA) implementation.

Fig. 1B is a time-frequency diagram of a typical prior art Frequency Division Multiple Access (FDMA) implementation.

Fig. 1C is a time-frequency diagram of a typical prior art Code Division Multiple Access (CDMA) implementation.

Fig. 1D is a time-frequency diagram of a typical prior art Orthogonal Frequency Division Multiple Access (OFDMA) implementation used in conjunction with TDMA.

Fig. 2 is an illustration of various existing duplexing methods including full duplex FDD, half duplex FDD, and TDD.

Fig. 3 is an illustration of an exemplary frame structure type of an existing LTE TDD system.

Fig. 4 is a graphical representation of the timing of an existing UMTS paging mechanism.

Fig. 5 is an illustration of existing LTE two-phase paging mechanism timing.

Fig. 6 is an illustration of an exemplary schedule of time and paging resources for an existing LTE two-phase paging mechanism.

Fig. 7 is a logic flow diagram of an exemplary embodiment of a general paging configuration procedure of a Base Station (BS) in accordance with the present invention.

FIG. 7A is a logic flow diagram of one particular implementation of the general method of FIG. 7.

Fig. 8 is a logic flow diagram of one exemplary embodiment of a general paging configuration procedure for a client device (e.g., UE) in accordance with the present invention.

FIG. 8A is a logic flow diagram of one particular implementation of the general method of FIG. 8.

Figure 9 is a functional block diagram illustrating one embodiment of a base station apparatus suitable for implementing the method of the present invention.

Figure 10 is a functional block diagram illustrating one embodiment of a client device (e.g., UE) suitable for implementing the methods of the present invention.

Fig. 11 is an illustration of an exemplary OFDMA cellular system implementing 3GPP LTE technology in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention.

Fig. 12 is an illustration of an exemplary 3GPP LTE network infrastructure suitable for operation in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention.

Fig. 13 is an illustration of an exemplary Radio Resource Control (RRC) finite state machine in accordance with the present invention.

Fig. 14 is a diagram of an exemplary allocation of band resources for use with the 3GPP LTE network infrastructure embodiment of fig. 11.

Fig. 15 is a diagram of an exemplary allocation of slot resources for use with the 3GPP LTE network infrastructure embodiment of fig. 11.

Fig. 16 is a diagram of an exemplary schedule of time and paging resources for use with the 3GPP LTE network infrastructure embodiment of fig. 11.

Detailed Description

Referring now to the drawings, in which like numerals represent like parts throughout the several views, FIGS.

SUMMARY

In one aspect, methods and apparatus are disclosed for modifying wireless paging channel operation based at least in part on one or more network parameters. This feature allows, for example, a base station to adjust the bandwidth used for paging operations to compensate for (or target) various network constraints. Supplemental features are disclosed that enable distribution of paging channel operating parameters to User Equipment (UE) and other network entities (if needed). Such methods and apparatus are particularly useful for handling management of paging capabilities within a network having segmented multiband operation capabilities and flexible resource allocation/utilization.

In one embodiment, a method and apparatus is disclosed in which a base station evaluates network parameters (such as total cell bandwidth and bandwidth segmentation) to determine one or more paging transmission modes. In another embodiment, factors on the UE (such as UE capabilities) and important RRC connections may be considered.

In another aspect of the invention, methods and apparatus are disclosed in which a paging transmission mode specifying one or more paging configurations is signaled to a UE. In one embodiment, such a paging transmission pattern is broadcast within a cell with system information. In an alternative embodiment, such a paging transmission mode is transmitted by means of a dedicated message (such as an RRC message). Additionally, provisions for handling asymmetric capabilities of a UE population are also disclosed.

In another aspect of the invention, methods and apparatus are disclosed in which a User Equipment (UE) configures one or more radio elements based at least in part on a received paging configuration. In one such embodiment, a plurality of paging configurations are predefined within the user equipment such that in response to receiving a paging configuration indication, the user equipment selects (or is guided by the agent to select) one of the predefined configurations.

In an alternative embodiment, the plurality of paging configurations are modifiable within the user equipment such that the user equipment dynamically sets one or more paging configurations in response to receiving a paging configuration setting.

Example devices and methods for a flexible paging mechanism for use within an LTE-Advanced architecture are also disclosed.

Detailed description of exemplary embodiments

Exemplary embodiments of the present invention are described in detail below. Although the embodiments are discussed primarily in the context of UMTS wireless networks, and more particularly, in a variation of fourth generation ("4G") UMTS LTE and LTE-a networks, one of ordinary skill will recognize that the invention is not so limited. Indeed, the various aspects of the invention may be used in any wireless network, whether cellular or otherwise, that is capable of benefiting from the configurable paging mechanisms described herein. For example, the paging method used in WiMAX technology can be readily modified in accordance with the methods described herein (see, inter alia, day 28, 2006, IEEE Standard 802.16, entitled "IEEE Standard for Local and regional area networks-Part 16: Air Interface for Fixed and Mobile Broadband Wireless Access Systems-amplitude 2: Physical and Medium Access Control Layers for Combined Fixed and Mobile Operation in Licensed Bands and Corrigengum 1", which is hereby incorporated by reference in its entirety) to facilitate enhanced paging capabilities.

In the following discussion, a cellular radio system includes a network of radio cells that are all served by a transmitter station, referred to as a cell site or base station. Wireless networks provide wireless communication services to multiple transceivers (most often, mobile transceivers). A network of cooperating base stations allows for wireless services having a greater wireless coverage than that provided by a single serving base station. The various base stations are connected by another network, most often a wired network, that includes additional controllers for resource management and, in some cases, access to other network systems, such as the internet, or MANs.

In LTE, there are two different types of base stations: eNodeB (enb) and Home eNodeB (HNB). In existing cellular networks, the network of base stations is owned and/or controlled by a single network operator entity. The 3GPP introduced a new network element called "home node B" (HNB). A home base station (or home NodeB in 3GPP terminology, or home eNodeB) is a base station optimized for use in a home, a business, or similar environment (e.g., private home, public restaurant, small office, enterprise, hospital, etc., so the term "home" is not intended to be limited to residential applications). Herein, the terms "home base station", "home NodeB" (for UMTS) and "home eNodeB" (for LTE) generally refer to "femtocell". Herein, the terms base station, "NodeB" and "eNodeB" (for LTE) generally refer to a "macro cell".

Long Term Evolution (LTE) paging method

The current LTE specifications define several flexible multiple access methods to improve the transmission over the air interface and thereby increase the possible transmission rate. For downlink access, LTE specifies Orthogonal Frequency Division Multiple Access (OFDMA) combined with Time Division Multiple Access (TDMA). This hybrid access technology, later also called OFDMA/TDMA, is a multi-carrier multiple access method that provides subscribers with a defined number of sub-carriers in the spectrum and a defined transmission time for data transmission. In addition, for uplink access, LTE specifies SC-FDMA (single carrier frequency division multiple access) combined with TDMA. Further, LTE supports full duplex FDD (frequency division duplex), half duplex FDD, and TDD (time division duplex). Finally, LTE supports scalable bandwidth partitioning of 1.4, 3, 5, 10, 15 and 20 MHz.

Briefly, fig. 1A-1D summarize the basic multiple access methods known in the wireless transmission art and used in the present disclosure. In these figures, it is to be appreciated that time increases along the time axis (t) and frequency increases along the frequency axis (F).

Fig. 1A includes a first time-frequency diagram illustrating a TDMA (time division multiple access) system. In TDMA, each mobile radio terminal can use the entire frequency band provided for each mobile radio terminal to use. However, for each mobile radio device, only predefined Transmission Time Intervals (TTI) are allocated in which the mobile radio device can transmit and receive useful data. During the transmission time interval 102, only one mobile wireless device is active in one wireless cell.

Fig. 1B includes a second time-frequency diagram illustrating an FDMA (frequency division multiple access) system. In FDMA, each mobile wireless device is free to use the time domain, but within the entire frequency band, only a predefined (narrow) frequency band 104 is available for transmitting and receiving useful data. At any given time, only one mobile wireless device is active in each narrow frequency band of the wireless cell.

Fig. 1C includes a third time-frequency diagram illustrating a CDMA (code division multiple access) system. In CDMA (so-called "direct sequence" or a sub-class of DS systems), each mobile radio terminal can transmit and receive useful data for any period of time, and can use the entire available frequency band. To avoid interference between data transmitted by different transmitters, each mobile wireless device is assigned a binary pseudo-noise code pattern (code pattern) 106. The code patterns assigned to different mobile radio terminals are ideally orthogonal and the data transmitted by or to be received by a mobile radio terminal is encoded ("spread") with the code pattern assigned to the mobile radio terminal.

Fig. 1D illustrates an OFDMA (orthogonal frequency division multiple access) system in combination with TDMA. OFDMA is a special case of FDMA, a multi-carrier method in which the entire band of bandwidth B is subdivided into M orthogonal subcarriers 108. Thus, there are M (narrow) bands, each with a bandwidth of F ═ B/M. In OFDMA, the data stream to be transmitted is divided over a number of subcarriers and (usually) transmitted in parallel. Thus, the data rate per subcarrier is less than the total data rate. For each mobile radio terminal, a prescribed number of subcarriers 108 are allocated for data transmission. The main advantage of flexible time-frequency resource allocation for OFDMA over flexible code allocation such as CDMA is higher spectral efficiency (i.e., more bits per unit of time unit of bandwidth).

In LTE, the downlink access based on OFDMA/TDMA data streams is subdivided in time into constant time intervals or frames. Each frame is further subdivided into slots, and subframes. Not all subframes need to be used (the network may be underutilized), but a subframe is the smallest increment of time used by the transceiver for data transmission/reception. Once the transceivers have acquired the base station timing, the sub-frames are assigned to the various transceivers using a scheduling function.

Fig. 2 illustrates the above-described full duplex FDD, half duplex FDD and TDD according to the prior art. Full duplex FDD uses two separate frequency bands for uplink 222 and downlink 220 transmissions, which can occur simultaneously for uplink 222 and downlink 220 transmissions. Unlike FDD, TDD uses the same frequency band for uplink 222 and downlink 220 transmissions; however, within a given time frame, the direction of transmission is alternately switched between downlink 220 and uplink 222. Half-duplex FDD uses two separate frequency bands for uplink 222 and downlink 220 transmissions, similar to full-duplex FDD, but uplink and downlink transmissions do not overlap in time (similar to TDD).

The LTE network utilizes a standard frame structure type 1350 (as shown in fig. 3) used in full-duplex and half-duplex FDD. Each radio frame 352 is 10ms in duration and consists of 20 slots 354 numbering from 0 to 19 with a length interval of 0.5 ms. A subframe 356 is defined as 2 consecutive time slots 354. For FDD, 10 subframes are available for downlink transmission and 10 subframes are available for uplink transmission in each 10ms time interval. The uplink and downlink transmissions are separated in the frequency domain. Depending on the slot format, a subframe consists of 14 or 12 OFDMA symbols in the downlink, and 14 or 12 SC-FDMA symbols in the uplink, respectively. Details of frame structure and timing are described in 3GPP TS 36.211 "E-UTRA-Physicalchannels and modulation," the contents of which are incorporated herein by reference in their entirety.

Referring now to fig. 4, the paging timing 400 for umts w-CDMA operating in FDD mode is shown and described in detail. The UE monitors a Paging Indication Channel (PICH)402 at defined time instants, i.e. radio frames of length 10 ms. The pre-assigned paging identifier indicates (to the paged UE) that the paging message is waiting on the secondary paging channel. In response to receiving its paging identifier, the UE then decodes a fixed time distance τ after the PICH_PICH(in this example, τ_PICH7680 chips 2ms) secondary common control physical channel 404 (S-CCPCH). The time distance is measured from when the PICH channel 402 is received. In the frequency domain, within the entire downlink bandwidth of 5MHzPICH and S-CCPCH are input.

Referring now to fig. 5, a two-phase paging mechanism 500 (similar to UMTS W-CDMA) for an LTE network is illustrated. The UE monitors the Physical Downlink Control Channel (PDCCH)502 at defined time instances, i.e. defined subframes of length 1 ms. The network assigns a paging identifier to the UE. When the assigned paging identifier is detected on the PDCCH, the UE decodes the associated Physical Downlink Shared Channel (PDSCH) 504. As shown, PDCCH is transmitted in subframe # i + 2; 1, 2 or 3 OFDMA symbols occupying the first slot, wherein the number of symbols is dynamically adjusted by the network. PDSCH 504 is transmitted in the remainder of subframe # i +2, occupying OFDMA symbols in that subframe that are not used by the PDCCH.

Fig. 6 is an illustration of an exemplary schedule of a two-phase paging mechanism 600 shown in frequency and time. In the frequency domain, the PDCCH is transmitted within the entire downlink bandwidth of the cell, while the PDSCH is transmitted within only a certain number of Resource Blocks (RBs) (RBs correspond to 12 subcarriers) within the downlink bandwidth of the cell.

Method of producing a composite material

Referring now to fig. 7 and 8, exemplary embodiments of a general method of generating and receiving a paging pattern in accordance with the present invention are illustrated.

In one exemplary embodiment, a paging mode in a cellular wireless system is selected for use in a plurality of different modes based on various network parameters. Specifically, as shown in the method 700 of fig. 7, the BS identifies one or more control network parameters at step 702. In some embodiments, the control network parameters may be stored in a local database of the BS (or a connected network entity). In alternative embodiments, the parameters may be retrieved from a centralized network controller or signaled to the BS. The network parameters may be associated with known network capabilities; in some cases, however, the BS may be required to dynamically (e.g., periodically or in response to the occurrence of a particular event) query or receive the UE information.

Exemplary network parameters that may be used with the method of fig. 7 may include, for example (but are not limited to): (i) total bandwidth of a cell (i.e., total bandwidth of the cell under consideration), (ii) level of bandwidth fragmentation, and/or (iii) one or more characteristics of a UE population (e.g., capabilities of a device, such as radio frequency ("RF") capabilities of the UE, overall device and/or RRC connection state of a service), and any combination thereof. Furthermore, support for legacy devices may be weighted so that it is more or less important than support for newer devices; such weighting may also be altered dynamically or in accordance with other network conditions (e.g., in one case (such as time of day, a portion of the total UE population, etc.), legacy devices may be weighted more heavily, and in another case, legacy devices may be weighted less heavily). The BS may also evaluate the bulk and complexity of the interrelated network parameters before determining the best paging pattern. In light of this disclosure, one of ordinary skill will recognize that there are a nearly limitless variety of network parameters that can be considered part of such analysis.

At step 704, the BS determines one or more paging modes based at least in part on the one or more determined network parameters described above. In an exemplary embodiment, the plurality of paging transmission modes are defined such that each transmission mode specifies a configuration of one or more specific UE operating parameters. For example, such UE operating parameters may include resource allocation and/or paging mode type, as described in more detail below.

To this end, in one variation, the present invention contemplates the use of a hierarchical weighting algorithm or other weighting algorithm that is capable of determining and assigning appropriate weights to network parameters in determining an appropriate paging pattern. For example, a frequency band supporting many users may be required to allocate a relatively large amount of bandwidth for the paging channel, while a frequency band with only few users may allocate less bandwidth for paging, or vice versa. Similarly, dedicated paging resources may be adaptively expanded or reduced to accommodate very dynamic subscriber demand (such as near high mobility areas; e.g., train stations, airports).

Network parameter analysis may be based on a number of paradigms; such as running analysis of actual network activity, prior knowledge of network activity (e.g., stored in memory or distributed within an inter-cell communication network), etc. In this way, the Base Station (BS) of the present invention is able to dynamically optimize the selection of the paging mode it uses. This dynamic optimization can be done on a base station by base station basis (i.e., each base station actually determines its own paging operation), or in a more coordinated manner (such as between many neighboring cells, or even the entire network).

It will be appreciated that network parameters, such as those mentioned above, may be changed periodically (e.g., periodically) or aperiodically, or otherwise associated with the occurrence of certain events. In certain periodic situations, such as during peak hours of operation, the BS may desire to devote more paging resources to handling increased traffic. In other cases, the BS may simply detect that a paging resource may be needed, such as at a train station, or near an airport (e.g., relatively periodically running, but with a sudden sharp increase in wireless connectivity, such as when a train or airplane full of passengers arrives). These changes in network parameters may be detected directly by the BS (e.g., the BS may determine that the number of paging messages to be transmitted exceeds the capability of the current paging resource allocation, etc.), or alternatively, the BS may be signaled in a message or signal from another entity within or outside the network.

Resource allocation is very advantageous when considering systems with segmented frequency bands, i.e. where multiple frequency bands are served by the same BS. For example, if legacy devices are only able to receive a subset of the frequency bands, their corresponding paging patterns may be limited to that subset. In addition, the BS may choose to limit the enhanced devices (or a subset thereof) to only receiving paging messages on "enhanced devices only" or other designated frequency bands, thereby maximizing spectrum utilization for both legacy devices and enhanced devices. With flexible resource allocation, the possibility of sharing/partitioning of the frequency band for paging messages is almost unlimited.

The resource allocation may include, for example, a carrier frequency, time slot, or code channel dedicated to paging messages. In one embodiment, the BS may specify a maximum bandwidth size for the frequency of paging identifiers and paging messages. In another embodiment, the BS may specify a time or subframe for transmitting the paging identifier and the paging message. In some embodiments, the resulting paging schedule for each paging transmission mode does not overlap in time or frequency with other modes.

Further, the paging mode type may define a method of how and when the UE receives the paging message. For example, the BS may select a first method for paging message delivery for connected UEs (e.g., RRC "connected" state) and a second method for paging message delivery for idle (e.g., RRC "idle" state) UEs. In addition, the BS may select one or more among a variety of methods for paging indication delivery for various services, or for various UE types, depending on other UE-specific parameters.

For example, a UE that is using an active radio link may receive multiple paging indicators (corresponding to various services, or network announcements, respectively) to specific addresses. Such targeted delivery requires a certain amount of UE processing, but ensures that minimal additional network bandwidth is consumed in terms of administrative needs. In contrast, idle UEs may only periodically monitor for paging indicators so that their paging indicators may be broadcast to minimize power consumption (e.g., UEs receive only a simple "flag" and do not need to fully process the paging channel).

In an alternative embodiment, the BS "communities" (i.e., two or more designated BSs cooperating) can communicate directly with each other to exchange paging configurations. Such communication may occur over any type of communication or network interface, whether wired or wireless, and is ideally supported over existing communication channels between base stations that support the operation of the cellular network. Such embodiments are particularly useful for femtocell operation in which only a portion of the network (e.g., the hosting network) has access to network parameters. In such embodiments, the femtocell may receive the network parameters directly from the network, or conversely, may receive the determined outgoing paging configuration.

Furthermore, the level of possible/meaningful information exchange between base stations may be adjusted. For example, the network may allow femtocells to provide various degrees of paging indicators to allow certain optional services (e.g., advertising, fleet tracking, etc.). Alternatively, the femto paging state machine may be significantly simplified to allow legacy device interoperability. Finally, some services, such as emergency calls, may be supported at all times; in such embodiments, BSs that do not support legacy devices are still required to support legacy emergency calls.

In step 706, the BS signals the paging pattern to one or more UE devices. In one embodiment, this is achieved by broadcasting to all UEs (i.e., broadcasting to all UEs currently located in the cell with system information). In an alternative embodiment, the BS may signal the UE via a dedicated message (e.g., via an RRC connection). In one variation, the paging transmission mode is pre-specified in the system and the mode identifier is signaled (rather than separately signaling each of the various operating parameters).

Referring now to fig. 7A, one embodiment of a specific implementation of the general method of generating a paging pattern of fig. 7 is illustrated.

As shown in the method 720 of fig. 7A, the BS identifies 4 different frequency bands available for providing the service according to its current location in step 722. Further, the BS selects only 2 of the frequency bands (e.g., after negotiating with the core network) to provide the first basic service (e.g., voice), and the second enhanced service (e.g., data).

In step 724, the BS identifies a UE group supporting enhanced operation. At this step, the BS may interrogate the core network or the UE to determine the group capability. If the BS determines that a portion of the UE population supports enhanced operation (and such operation is advantageous), then the BS initiates the optimization algorithm of step 726.

In step 726, the BS determines several paging schedules. For example, one such paging schedule may include paging notifications for legacy devices to be transmitted on all legacy frequency bands, while reserving a subset of frequency bands and time slots for enhanced device paging. Thus, the new paging mode will enable the BS and UE to efficiently utilize the spectrum (i.e., by reusing resources that would otherwise be wasted on paging) while at the same time minimizing UE power consumption (by minimizing the resources necessary to receive the paging channel).

In step 728, the BS updates the enhanced UE with the appropriate paging schedule via a message broadcast or sent to a specific address (e.g., delivered via the Physical Downlink Shared Channel (PDSCH)), so that the enhanced UE can adjust its operation accordingly.

In step 730, the BS receives an acknowledgement from the UE indicating an appropriate paging configuration of the UE.

Referring now to the method 850 of fig. 8, in step 852, the UE receives an indication of a paging mode applicable to its serving BS. In one embodiment, this is achieved by receiving a predefined broadcast by means of system information. Alternatively, in another embodiment, the UE receives the indication of the paging mode via a dedicated message (e.g., via an RRC connection).

In step 854, the UE determines an appropriate method of paging operation (or gets instructions regarding the appropriate method). In one embodiment ("UE passive" mode), the base station assigns the paging mode of operation directly to the UE. In one such variation, the UE receives a message assigning it a paging mode of operation. In another such variation, the UE receives a message assigning a default paging mode of operation. The default mode of operation may be necessary to ensure at least a minimum level of backwards compatibility for a user population including a portion of legacy UEs.

In an alternative embodiment ("UE active" mode), the UE is allowed to select one or more paging modes of operation from the network. In one such variation, the UE identifies its preferred paging mode based on considerations such as application requirements, processor capabilities, power consumption (e.g., expected rate of consumption, remaining battery life, etc.), supported modem options, and the like.

In another embodiment ("UE cooperation" mode), the UE and the base station actively negotiate mutually beneficial paging mode operation.

It is further to be appreciated that the UE may be configured to statically determine its paging mode, or the UE may dynamically or periodically revisit its paging mode assignment or determination. In one such "static" embodiment, the UE may scrutinize the paging mode option and set its paging mode once. In one "dynamic" embodiment, the UE may periodically or on a case-by-case basis scrutinize the paging mode option and set its paging mode according to one or more dynamic system requirements.

In another similar embodiment, the UE may scrutinize the supported paging patterns in response to internal requirements for the application. In one such case, the UE may enter a low power mode of operation (e.g., sleep mode) and adjust its paging mode to a minimum paging update mode supported by the network. Conversely, during high speed operation (e.g., while in a vehicle) or other modes requiring more frequent updates, the UE may upgrade its paging mode to the most frequent paging updates available from the BS.

At step 856 of method 850, the UE updates its internal operating protocol and configures its corresponding radio interface to begin receiving paging notifications in accordance with the determined paging pattern. In one such embodiment, the UE updates an internal schedule identifying times and frequency bands for Discontinuous Reception (DRX) operation. Throughout the field of cellular communications, DRX operation is well known; the UE and the network negotiate the phase at which data transfer occurs-otherwise the receiver is turned off and enters a low power state. For supplementary information on DRX within UMTS networks, see "Universal Mobile Telecommunications System (UMTS); UE Procedures in Idle model and Procedures for Cell discovery in Connected model ", 3GPP TS25.304, version 5.1.0, and" Universal Mobile Telecommunications System (UMTS); UTRAN Iu interface RANAP signaling ", 3GGP TS 25.413, version 5.1.0, the above specifications are hereby incorporated by reference in their entirety.

Referring now to fig. 8A, a specific implementation of the general method of receiving a paging pattern according to fig. 8 is illustrated.

As shown in the method 870 of fig. 8A, in step 872, a UE enabled in accordance with the present invention initializes itself with conventional operations. Once the UE has settled itself on the network by means of a common registration method, the UE checks whether the serving BS provides enhanced paging channel operation. If the BS provides paging channel operation, the UE indicates itself (and optionally its capabilities) to the BS.

In step 874, the UE receives a broadcast or other paging message indicating the appropriate paging schedule.

In step 876, the UE determines its preferred paging schedule. For example, the UE may decide to prefer to operate in enhanced operation to save power consumption.

In step 878, the UE confirms to the BS that it is operating within the specified paging configuration.

In step 880, the UE adjusts its paging reception. For example, a UE may adjust its receiver by one or more times and one or more frequency bands that may be used for Discontinuous Reception (DRX); for example, the UE may adjust its receiver to receive only the fourth subframe of each frame of the second frequency band, or another such scheme.

Exemplary serving base station apparatus

Referring now to fig. 9, there is illustrated one embodiment of a serving base station apparatus 900 that may be used to implement the method of the present invention. Base station apparatus 900 includes one or more substrates 908, substrate 908 further including a plurality of integrated circuits including a processing subsystem 905, such as a Digital Signal Processor (DSP), microprocessor, gate array, or plurality of processing components, and a power management subsystem 906 that provides power to base station 900. The term "Integrated Circuit (IC)" as used herein refers to any type of device having any degree of integration (including, but not limited to ULSI, VLSI, and LSI) and independent of process or substrate materials (including, but not limited to Si, SiGe, CMOS, and GaAs). For example, an IC may include memory devices (e.g., DRAM, SRAM, DDRAM, EEPROM/flash, and ROM), digital processors, SoC devices, FPGAs, ASICs, ADCs, DACs, transceivers, memory controllers, and other devices, and any combinations thereof.

An embodiment of a device 900, represented at a higher level in fig. 9, includes modem circuitry configured to indicate one or more paging modes of operation to a wireless network and to transmit paging messages in accordance with the one or more selected paging modes of operation. The modem subsystem includes digital baseband 904, analog baseband 903, and RF components for RX 901 and TX 902. While multiple subsystems are illustrated, it will be appreciated that future developments may incorporate, in whole or in part, modem subsystems.

Processing subsystem 905 may include multiple processors (or multi-core processors). The term "processor" as used herein is generally intended to include all types of digital processing devices, including, but not limited to, Digital Signal Processors (DSPs), Reduced Instruction Set Computers (RISCs), general purpose (CISC) processors, microprocessors, gate arrays (e.g., FPGAs), PLDs, reconfigurable computing architectures (RCFs), array processors, secure microprocessors, and Application Specific Integrated Circuits (ASICs). Such a digital processor may be contained on a single IC chip or distributed across multiple components.

In addition, the processing subsystem also includes a cache to facilitate processing operations. In the illustrated embodiment, the processing subsystem further includes various functional subsystems or modules for: (i) determining network parameters, (ii) determining a paging pattern, and distributing the paging pattern to the UE. These subsystems may be implemented in software, firmware, and/or hardware, and are logically and/or physically coupled to the processing subsystem. The terms "software" and "computer program" as used herein are intended to encompass any sequence or human/machine-recognizable steps for performing a certain function. Such programs may be presented in virtually any programming language or environment.

Alternatively, in another variation, the subsystem or module may be directly coupled to the transmitter of the subsystem. An exemplary embodiment of the apparatus logically connects a network determination subsystem, a paging mode determination subsystem, and a UE paging management subsystem.

In one embodiment, the network determination subsystem includes a database or memory structure located within the device 900 that is adapted to store one or more network parameters. In alternative embodiments, the subsystem may include one or more interfaces to interface with the centralized network controller, the one or more interfaces adapted to receive messages including one or more network parameters. In another embodiment, the network parameter may be a related property (e.g., UE paging mode capability) that is dynamically queried or received from the user equipment.

The paging mode determination subsystem may comprise, for example, a monitoring device for network activity, or a memory device adapted to store knowledge of network activity. The input network parameters are provided to an optimization engine (e.g., algorithm) to dynamically optimize the selection of the paging pattern. It is to be understood that the network parameters may be changed periodically or aperiodically; thus, the optimization engine can be run in response to corresponding changes, if necessary. Further, the paging mode determination subsystem may additionally include one or more interfaces adapted to exchange information with neighboring base stations or other network entities.

In one embodiment, the UE paging management subsystem includes a device for broadcasting the paging pattern to all or a subset of UEs (i.e., to all UEs currently located in the cell as determined by their system information). In an alternative embodiment, the BS is configured to deliver the paging pattern directly to a specific UE by means of a dedicated message (e.g., RRC connection).

The processing subsystem 905 is preferably connected to a memory subsystem 907. The term "memory" as used herein includes any type of integrated circuit or other memory device suitable for storing digital data, including, but not limited to, ROM, PROM, EEPROM, DRAM, SDRAM, DDR/2SDRAM, EDO/FPMS, RLDRAM, SRAM, "flash" memory (e.g., NAND/NOR), and PSRAM. The memory subsystem of the embodiment illustrated in FIG. 9 includes Direct Memory Access (DMA), Random Access Memory (RAM), and non-volatile memory.

Exemplary UE device

Referring now to fig. 10, there is illustrated an exemplary client or UE device 1000 that may be used to implement the methods of the present invention. The terms "client" and "UE" as used herein include, but are not limited to, cellular phones, smart phones (such as iphones)^TM) Personal Computers (PCs) (such as iMac)^TM、Mac Pro^TM、Mac Mini^TMOr MacBook^TM) And minicomputers, whether desktop, laptop, or otherwise, and mobile devices, such as handheld computers, PDAs, Personal Media Devices (PMDs) (such as the iPod)^TM) Or any combination of the above. The configuration of page-mode reception is preferably implemented in software, although firmware and/or hardware embodiments are also contemplated; the apparatus is described below with reference to fig. 10.

The UE device 1000 includes a processor subsystem 1005, such as a digital signal processor, a microprocessor, a field programmable gate array, or a plurality of processing components mounted on one or more substrates 1008. The processing subsystem may also include an internal cache. The processing subsystem 1005 is connected to a memory subsystem 1007 that includes memory, which may include, for example, SRAM, flash, and SDRAM components. As is well known in the art, the memory subsystem may employ one or more DMA-type hardware to facilitate data access. In the illustrated embodiment, the processing subsystem additionally includes various subsystems or modules for: receiving an indication of a paging mode, determining an appropriate paging mode, and configuring a modem. These subsystems may be implemented in software or hardware coupled to a processing subsystem. Alternatively, in another variation, the subsystems may be coupled directly to the digital baseband. The illustrated embodiment logically or physically couples the paging-mode reception subsystem, the paging-mode determination subsystem, and the modem configuration subsystem, although alternative architectures may be used.

An exemplary UE decodes a message from the BS instructing the UE to set or change a paging mode by means of a paging mode message. Thus, the paging-mode reception subsystem or module may also include a memory to retrieve a pre-stored paging-mode configuration. Alternatively (or additionally), the paging-mode reception subsystem may comprise an interface for receiving a paging-mode indication directly addressed to the UE.

In one embodiment, the paging mode determination subsystem includes one or more processing elements adapted to identify its preferred paging mode based on considerations such as application requirements, processor capabilities, power consumption, supported modem options, and the like. In another embodiment, the paging mode determination subsystem comprises one or more devices adapted to exchange and negotiate one or more paging parameters with the network.

In one embodiment, the modem configuration subsystem includes an internal schedule identifying times and frequency bands for Discontinuous Reception (DRX). In alternative embodiments, modem configuration subsystem 1005 may include one or more internal procedures adapted to adjust paging mode operation by limiting paging reception to a subset of physical resources (e.g., time slots, frequency bands, etc.).

The radio/modem subsystem includes a digital baseband 1004, an analog baseband 1003, a TX front end 1002, and an RX front end 1001. Device 1000 also includes an antenna assembly; the selection means may comprise a plurality of switches for enabling various antenna operation modes, such as for specific frequency ranges or defined time slots. While a specific architecture is discussed, one of ordinary skill in the art will appreciate in light of this disclosure that in some embodiments some components may be eliminated or may be combined with each other (such as RF RX, RF TX, and ABB in combination, like the type used for 3G digital RF).

Thus, typically, the analog baseband 1003 controls the operation of the radio front end; the digital baseband modem 1004 loads the analog baseband 1003 with parameters for receiving paging messages. The selection means may be controlled by the analog baseband 1003 to receive paging messages to remove such control functionality from the digital baseband modem.

The illustrated Power Management Subsystem (PMS)1006 provides power to the UE and may include integrated circuits and/or a plurality of discrete electrical components. In an exemplary portable UE device, the power management subsystem 1006 advantageously interfaces with a battery.

The user interface system 1010 includes many well-known I/Os, including (but not limited to): keypad, touch screen, LCD display, backlight, speaker, and microphone. It should be understood, however, that in some applications one or more of these components may be absent. For example, PCMCIA card UE embodiments may lack a user interface (as they may be attachable to the user interface of the device to which they are physically and/or electrically coupled).

Device 1000 also includes optional additional peripherals 1009 including (but not limited to): one or more GPS transceivers, or a network interface such as IrDA port, bluetooth transceiver, USB, firewire, etc. It will be appreciated, however, that these components are not necessarily required for the UE to operate in accordance with the principles of the invention.

Exemplary LTE network

Fig. 11 illustrates an exemplary LTE-a network. The coverage of cell 1102 is provided by a base station 900 (e.g., an LTE-a eNodeB). The eNodeB supports a direct connection to and from the LTE-a UE1000 or the legacy LTE UE 1106. Relay nodes 1104 (referred to as node rs) can be easily deployed in a cell to provide additional coverage at cell edges or coverage holes. The UE can communicate with the eNodeB in both uplink and downlink directions through the intermediate node r.

Fig. 12 illustrates a high-level network architecture of LTE that is particularly useful for implementing the paging mechanism method described subsequently. As shown in fig. 12, LTE system 1250 includes radio access network E-UTRAN 1252 (evolved UMTS terrestrial radio access network) and core network EPC1254 (evolved packet core). The E-UTRAN 1252 includes a plurality of base transceiver stations, eNodeBs (eNBs) 900. In an exemplary embodiment, eNB 900 is connected to EPC1254 (evolved packet core) including MME (mobility management entity) and serving gateway (S-GW) 1256. The MME is responsible for controlling the mobility of UEs located in the coverage area of the E-UTRAN 1252, while the S-GW is responsible for handling the transmission of user data between the UEs and the network. In particular in 3GPP technical Specification TS 36.300, "E-UTRA and E-UTRAN; (ii) an Overall description; details of the radio access network and air interface of the LTE system are described in Stage 2 ", which specification is incorporated herein by reference in its entirety.

As shown, the invention enabled eNB 900 provides wireless services (e.g., voice, data, etc.) to one or more UE1000 enabled by the invention within E-UTRAN 1252 by establishing a Radio Resource Connection (RRC). RRC of the UMTS LTE protocol stack (see fig. 13) simplifies control plane signaling between the UE1000 and the eNB 900. The RRC includes a simple state machine 1300 that performs connection establishment and release.

Two connection states of interest are specified in the RRC protocol layer: RRC _ IDLE 1302 and RRC _ CONNECTED 1304 of the UMTS LTE protocol stack. See, for example, 3GPP technical Specification TS 36.331, "E-UTRA Radio Resource Control (RRC)", which is incorporated herein by reference in its entirety. An RRC connection is defined as a point-to-point bi-directional connection between RRC peer entities in the UE and eNodeB, respectively. In connected mode, there is only one RRC connection between the UE and the eNodeB (one UE does not maintain multiple RRC connections). In idle mode, there is no RRC connection between the UE and the eNodeB. In LTE, the paging channel provides different information for various connection states.

In the RRC _ CONNECTED state 1304, the UE1000 and eNodeB 900 actively handle radio resource allocation. Network controlled mobility is achieved with explicit handover and cell change commands. The eNodeB must maintain/update the UE location at the cell area level. The UE actively obtains system information broadcasted in the wireless cell. During the RRC _ CONNECTED state, transmission of user and control data in uplink and downlink occurs. The RRC protocol layer is responsible for broadcasting system level information and maintaining connection layer bi-directional control. The UE obtains system information broadcast in the wireless cell and monitors a paging channel to receive notifications regarding modifications to the system information.

In the RRC _ IDLE 1302 state, the eNodeB 900 does not dedicate any radio resources to the UE 1000. During the RRC _ IDLE state, the UE performs various functions necessary for radio link management, such as cell selection/reselection, monitoring of paging channels, and obtaining system information broadcast in the radio cell. In this state, the MME in EPC 1256 maintains the UE location known to the network at the "tracking area" level. The tracking area defines a set of cells in which to page the UE during an incoming communication attempt.

At power up, the UE is in RRC _ IDLE 1302. During RRC _ IDLE operation, there is no transmission of user and control data in uplink or downlink. The system uses two state changes for RRC connection establishment 1306 and RRC connection release 1308. These state changes are under the control of the eNodeB 900 and may be triggered by various events, including notifications broadcast on the paging channel.

Exemplary LTE-A configurable paging mode operation

Referring now back to fig. 11, an exemplary deployment scenario that may be used to illustrate various embodiments of the present invention includes an LTE network cell provided by an LTE-a eNodeB 900 communicating with a mixed UE population (e.g., the present invention-enabled LTE-a UE1000, and the legacy LTE UE 1106). The eNodeB supports a direct connection between LTE UE 11106 and LTE-a UE 31000. Connections from the eNodeB to LTE UEs 21106 and 41000 are supported through the intermediary NodeR 11104 and NodeR 21104.

Fig. 14, 15, and 16 illustrate sample characteristics of the exemplary LTE-a eNodeB 900 of fig. 12. Fig. 14 is a graphical illustration of frequency allocations for uplink and downlink transmissions, denoted f1 through f 6. LTE-A UE 31000 and UE 41000 support a maximum RF transmit/receive bandwidth of 20MHz and operate in a total of 25MHz uplink frequency band characterized by carrier frequencies f1 and f2 and a total of 90MHz downlink frequency band characterized by carrier frequencies f3-f 6.

Fig. 15 is an illustration of an example subframe allocation for a paging message. Depending on their respective settings, LTE-a UE 31000 and UE 41000 can monitor several subframes 0, 4, 5, and 9 of the corresponding paging frame. These paging configurations are further illustrated in fig. 16.

Table 1 below summarizes the above-described embodiments of paging transmission mode configurations selected by the LTE-a eNodeB and signaled to all UEs located in a cell:

TABLE 1

Exemplary case 1:

referring to LTE-a enabled UE 31000 of fig. 11, UE 31000 has an active connection with eNB 900 and is thus in RRC _ CONNECTED 1304 state. User and control data are transmitted in both the uplink and downlink directions. The UE3 operates in a downlink frequency band characterized by carrier frequency f 5. The UE3 monitors the PDCHHs and PDSCHs configured with the paging transmission pattern 31602 (fig. 16) to receive notification of modifications to the system information. Thus, the UE monitors the frequency band f5 at radio frame # i +19 (subframes #0, #4, #5, and #9) within each DRX cycle with 32 radio frames to determine whether its paging identifier is being transmitted through a Physical Downlink Control Channel (PDCCH). The eNodeB broadcasts paging messages (e.g., PDCCH and PDSCH) with a maximum bandwidth of 20MHz around carrier frequency f 5. If the UE detects its assigned paging identifier on the PDCCH, the UE decodes the associated Physical Downlink Shared Channel (PDSCH).

Exemplary case 2:

in another exemplary scenario, the LTE-a UE 41000 has no active connection with the eNodeB 900 and is thus in the RRC IDLE 1302 state. The UE4 is currently operating in the downlink frequency band of carrier frequency f 3. The UE4 monitors the PDCCH and PDSCH configured with the paging transmission pattern 11604 (fig. 16) in order to receive notifications about incoming calls or modifications to system information. The UE monitors the frequency band f3 at radio frame # i +4 (subframes #0, #4, #5, and #9) in each DRX cycle with 32 radio frames to determine whether its paging identifier is transmitted through a Physical Downlink Control Channel (PDCCH). The eNodeB broadcasts paging messages (e.g., PDCCH and PDSCH) with a maximum bandwidth of 20MHz around carrier frequency f 3. If the UE detects its assigned paging identifier on the PDCCH, the UE decodes the associated Physical Downlink Shared Channel (PDSCH).

Business method and rules

It will be appreciated that the above network apparatus and methods are readily adaptable to a variety of traffic models. In one such model, a service provider/network operator may sell, rent, or offer free (i.e., not cost, as an incentive) femtocells with enhanced capabilities. Femtocells augment a service provider's existing base station network by connecting to the service provider's network via a broadband interface, such as DSL, T1, ISDN, or DOCSIS cable modems. Femtocells are designed for self-contained deployment. The relative cost and ease of operation allows a non-technical audience (i.e., residents, businesses, or other such users) to purchase and operate femtocells. The flexible spectrum utilization and spectrum sharing, as well as the inter-cell interference management provided by one or more aspects of the present invention, greatly improve the ad hoc nature of femtocell deployments. In one example, femtocells may freely configure their paging mechanisms to minimally interfere with existing paging mechanisms by operating in unused or underutilized portions of the spectrum.

In another traffic paradigm, a suitably enabled user equipment (e.g., UE 1000) may receive an enhanced paging message and may effectively monitor an existing paging channel, thereby improving the perceived overall quality of experience. In one such embodiment, a dedicated subset of the paging channels is allocated to the enabled UEs. So that while legacy devices continue to monitor all paging channels extensively (in a less efficient manner), the enabled device 1000 monitors only this designated subset of paging channels. This approach is significantly more efficient and significantly improves power consumption.

In an alternative embodiment, certain enhanced services (e.g., multimedia broadcast service (MBMS)) may be broadcast continuously without an RRC connection. Typical broadcast services are not permanent and once the broadcast ends, the network can reclaim the paging resources without undue difficulty. Thus, broadcast technology can be improved by flexibly managing notifications for such services by means of the paging mechanism of the present invention.

The network apparatus and methods described above are also readily adaptable to work with the underlying business rules algorithms or "engines". For example, such business rules engine may comprise a software application (and/or firmware or even hardware features) and, in one embodiment, is implemented as a separate entity in the core network, or alternatively, within an existing entity located in the core network or other Network Management Process (NMP). The rules engine is in effect a high-level supervisory process that helps network operators (or other interested parties) make operational decisions or resource allocations based on important criteria such as financial conditions, user experience enhancement, etc.

In one embodiment, the business rules engine is configured to consider revenue and/or profit issues involved in providing resources to one or more users. Thus, the exemplary business rules engine may modify the paging behavior of the system to support a larger subscriber base (e.g., increase the total paging resources) or, alternatively, a more diverse service (e.g., decrease the total paging resources).

For example, in one example, the evaluation of requests for resources (e.g., spectrum) from a user population may include an analysis of increased costs, revenue, and/or profits associated with various allocation options. In some cases, the network provider may determine that a new service request is rare and thus paging is less important. In other cases, the network provider may determine that new users and services are frequently entering and exiting the cell, requiring more paging resources to be allocated. These "business rules" may be applied at resource request and then maintained for a period of time (or until an event occurs that triggers re-evaluation), or alternatively, may be applied and maintained in a periodic model.

One of ordinary skill in the art will recognize myriad other schemes for implementing dynamic allocation of resources in light of this disclosure.

It will be appreciated that while certain aspects of the invention are described in terms of a series of specific steps of a method, these descriptions are merely illustrative of the more general method of the invention and may be modified as required by the particular application. In some cases, some steps may become unnecessary or optional. In addition, certain steps or functions may be added to the disclosed embodiments, or the order of execution of two or more steps may be interchanged. All such variations are considered to be within the scope of the invention as disclosed and claimed herein.

While the above detailed description has shown, described, and pointed out novel features of the invention as applied to various embodiments, it will be understood that various omissions, substitutions, and changes in the form and details of the device or process illustrated may be made by those skilled in the art without departing from the scope of the invention. The above description is of the best mode presently contemplated for carrying out the present invention. The description is in no way intended to limit the invention, but rather should be construed as illustrative of the general principles of the invention. The scope of the invention should be determined with reference to the claims.

Claims (30)

1. A method of providing paging channel access for a cellular network, the paging channel access being optimized for one or more network parameters, the method comprising:

allocating one or more resources for paging channel access based at least in part on the one or more network parameters;

providing a schedule of paging channel access to a plurality of user equipments, the schedule identifying one or more resources allocated; and

transmitting the schedule, the transmitting enabling at least one user equipment to configure its modem to receive the allocated one or more resources.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein providing the schedule comprises: broadcasting the schedule by means of a common control channel.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the schedule is specifically delivered to only a subset of the plurality of user devices.

4. The method of claim 3, wherein providing the schedule comprises: broadcasting the schedule by means of a dedicated control channel.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the act of allocating one or more resources comprises:

the paging channel access is limited to only one of: (i) time of transmission, (ii) frequency band, or (iii) spreading code.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein allocating one or more resources comprises:

restricting paging channel access to at least one of: (i) time of transmission, (ii) frequency band, or (iii) spreading code.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein the network parameters include at least one of: (i) a total bandwidth of a cell, (ii) a level of bandwidth fragmentation, and (iii) one or more characteristics of the plurality of user equipments.

8. A method of receiving one or more paging channel configurations by a user of a cellular network at least by means of a first message provided by the cellular network, the method comprising:

receiving a first message at a user equipment;

extracting a paging schedule from the first message;

configuring a modem interface of a user equipment to receive one or more paging channel notifications based at least in part on the paging schedule; and

in response to receiving the paging channel notification, it is determined whether the received paging channel notification is for the user.

9. The method of claim 8, wherein the paging schedule is received over a common control channel.

10. The method of claim 8, wherein the paging schedule is specifically delivered to only a subset of user equipment in the network.

11. The method of claim 10, wherein the paging schedule is received over a dedicated control channel.

12. The method of claim 8, wherein the method is optimized for at least one of: (i) a total bandwidth of the cell, (ii) a level of bandwidth fragmentation, and (iii) one or more characteristics of the plurality of user equipments.

13. The method of claim 8, wherein configuring the modem interface comprises: an internal schedule identifying one or more times and one or more frequency bands available for Discontinuous Reception (DRX) is updated.

14. A radio base station apparatus comprising:

a digital processor;

a wireless interface in data communication with the digital processor; and

a storage device in data communication with the digital processor, the storage device comprising computer-executable instructions that, when executed by the digital processor:

determining a mode of paging channel transmission based at least in part on one or more wireless network parameters;

transmitting information related to the mode via the wireless interface; and

transmitting the paging channel transmission via the wireless interface according to the mode.

15. The apparatus of claim 14, wherein the wireless network comprises a cellular network and the one or more wireless network parameters comprise at least one of: (i) a total bandwidth of a cell, (ii) a level of bandwidth fragmentation, and (iii) one or more characteristics of a plurality of user equipment associated with a network.

16. The apparatus of claim 15, wherein transmitting information related to the pattern comprises: transmitting information delivered to only a subset of the plurality of user devices.

17. The apparatus of claim 15, wherein transmitting information related to the pattern comprises: transmitting information delivered to the plurality of user equipments via a cellular common control channel.

18. The apparatus of claim 14, wherein the wireless network comprises a cellular network and the one or more wireless network parameters comprise at least a Radio Resource Connection (RRC) state.

19. The apparatus of claim 14, wherein the apparatus comprises an LTE compliant macro-cellular base station.

20. The apparatus of claim 14, wherein the information related to the pattern comprises:

information about a carrier frequency on which the paging transmission is to be transmitted;

timing data by which the paging identifier and paging message are to be transmitted; and

information relating to a bandwidth size of one or more channels on which a user equipment of the network is capable of receiving paging identifiers and paging messages.

21. The apparatus of claim 20, wherein the information related to the mode further comprises Radio Resource Connection (RRC) state information.

22. The apparatus of claim 20, wherein the one or more channels comprise a Physical Downlink Control Channel (PDCCH) and a Physical Downlink Shared Channel (PDSCH), and the paging identifier and the paging message are to be transmitted on the PDCCH and the PDSCH, respectively.

23. The apparatus of claim 14, wherein determining a paging channel transmission mode based at least in part on one or more wireless network parameters comprises: one of a plurality of different modes is selected, the plurality of modes not substantially overlapping with one another in time and frequency.

24. A wireless receiver device, comprising:

a digital processor;

a wireless interface in data communication with the digital processor; and

a storage device in data communication with a digital processor, the storage device including at least one computer program that, when run on the digital processor:

receiving a scheduling table transmitted by a paging channel;

configuring the wireless interface to receive one or more paging channel notifications based at least in part on the received schedule; and

in response to receiving the paging channel notification, it is determined whether a first paging channel notification is delivered to the receiver device.

25. The apparatus of claim 24, wherein the schedule is received via an interface different from the wireless interface.

26. The apparatus of claim 25, wherein the interface different from the wireless interface comprises: a transceiver within the device adapted to receive wireless signals according to a protocol different from a protocol associated with the wireless interface.

27. The device of claim 24, wherein the wireless receiver device comprises a substantially mobile cellular smartphone.

28. The apparatus of claim 27, wherein the cellular smartphone comprises a multi-touch screen user interface.

29. The apparatus of claim 24, wherein configuring the wireless interface means comprises: an internal schedule identifying one or more times and one or more frequency bands available for Discontinuous Reception (DRX) is updated.

30. The apparatus of claim 24, wherein the schedule comprises:

first information identifying a carrier frequency on which the paging channel announcement is to be transmitted;

first timing data by which the paging identifier and the paging message are to be transmitted; and

second information relating to a bandwidth size of one or more channels on which the wireless receiver device is capable of receiving the paging identifier and the paging message.