Method and apparatus for user equipment directed radio resource control in a UMTS network
View Patent ↗A method and apparatus for improved battery performance of user equipment in a wireless network having multiple radio resource control (RRC) states, the method comprising the steps of: monitoring, at the user equipment, application data exchange; determining when no application on the user equipment is expected to exchange data; and initiating, from the user equipment, a transition to a less battery-demanding radio resource control state or mode.
1. A method performed by a user equipment (UE) operable in a plurality of radio resource control (RRC) connected states including a CELL_DCH state, a CELL_FACH state, a CELL_PCH state and a URA_PCH state, the method comprising:
determining, at a layer above a RRC layer of the UE, that no more data is expected;
determining that the UE is not in one of the PCH states; and
if no more data is expected, and if the UE is not in one of the PCH states, sending to a wireless network a message which requests the wireless network to initiate a network-controlled state transition of the UE to a battery-efficient RRC connected state or to an idle mode.
2. A method according to claim 1 , wherein the message comprises a signaling connection release indication (SCRI) message.
3. A method according to claim 1 , wherein the wireless network comprises a Universal Terrestrial Radio Access Network (UTRAN).
4. A method according to claim 1 , wherein the wireless network comprises a Universal Mobile Telecommunications System (UMTS) network.
5. A method according to claim 1 , wherein the battery-efficient RRC connected state is one of the CELL_FACH state, the CELL_PCH state or the URA_PCH state.
6. A method according to claim 1 , wherein the message is a request for release of a signaling connection for a core network domain.
7. A method according to claim 6 , wherein the core network domain is a packet switched domain.
8. A method according to claim 1 , wherein the message causes the wireless network to release a signaling connection between the UE and the wireless network.
9. A method according to claim 1 , wherein the step of determining that no more data is expected comprises a determination that no application at the UE is expected to exchange data.
10. A method according to claim 1 , wherein the determination that no more data is expected is based on a composite status of data exchange completion indications received from a set of applications that exchanged data in a first RRC connected state.
11. A method according to claim 1 , wherein the determining that the UE is not in one of the PCH states comprises determining that the UE is in the CELL_DCH state.
12. A method according to claim 1 , wherein the determining that the UE is not in one of the PCH states comprises determining that the UE is in the CELL_FACH state.
13. A method of transitioning a user equipment (UE) between radio resource control (RRC) states or modes in a wireless network, the method comprising:
determining, at a layer above a RRC layer of the UE, that no more data is expected; and
when no more data is expected, sending to a wireless network a message which requests the wireless network to initiate a network-controlled state transition of the UE from a first RRC connected state to a battery-efficient RRC connected state or to an idle mode;
wherein sending to the wireless network the message which requests the wireless network to initiate the network-controlled state transition is performed if the first RRC connected state is not a URA_PCH state.
14. A user equipment (UE) for use in a wireless network and operable in a plurality of radio resource control (RRC) connected states including a CELL_DCH state, a CELL_FACH state, a CELL_PCH state and a URA_PCH state, the UE configured:
to determine, at a layer above a RRC layer, that no further more data is expected;
to determine that the UE is not in one of the PCH states; and
if no more data is expected, and if the UE is not in one of the PCH states, to send to the wireless network a message which requests the wireless network to initiate a network-controlled state transition of the UE to a battery-efficient RRC connected state or to an idle mode.
15. The user equipment according to claim 14 , wherein the message comprises a signaling connection release indication (SCRI) message.
16. The user equipment according to claim 14 , wherein the wireless network comprises a Universal Terrestrial Radio Access Network (UTRAN).
17. The user equipment according to claim 14 , wherein the wireless network comprises a Universal Mobile Telecommunications System (UMTS) network.
18. The user equipment according to claim 14 , wherein the battery-efficient RRC connected state is one of the CELL_FACH state, the CELL_PCH state or the URA_PCH state.
19. The user equipment according to claim 14 , wherein the message is a request for release of a signaling connection for a core network domain.
20. The user equipment according to claim 19 , wherein the core network domain is a packet switched domain.
21. The user equipment according to claim 14 , wherein the message causes the wireless network to release a signaling connection between the UE and the wireless network.
22. The user equipment according to claim 14 , further configured to determine that no application at the UE is expected to exchange data.
23. The user equipment according to claim 14 , wherein the determination that no more data is expected is based on a composite status of data exchange completion indications received from a set of applications of the user equipment that exchanged data in a first RRC connected state.
24. A method according to claim 13 , wherein the first RRC connected state is one of a CELL_DCH state, a CELL_FACH state or a CELL—PCH state.
25. A method according to claim 13 , wherein the battery-efficient RRC connected state is one of a CELL_FACH state, a CELL_PCH state or the URA_PCH state.
26. The user equipment according to claim 14 , wherein the UE configured to determine that the UE is not in one of the PCH states comprises the UE configured to determine that the UE is in the CELL_DCH state.
27. The user equipment according to claim 14 , wherein the UE configured to determine that the UE is not in one of the PCH states comprises the UE configured to determine that the UE is in the CELL_FACH state.
28. A user equipment (UE) for use in a wireless network, the user equipment comprising a radio resource control (RRC) connection manager adapted to:
determine, at a layer above a RRC layer of the UE, that no more data is expected; and
when no more data is expected, send to the wireless network a message which requests the wireless network to initiate a network-controlled state transition of the UE from a first RRC connected state to a battery-efficient RRC connected state or to an idle mode;
wherein the RRC connection manager is further adapted to send the message to the wireless network for a network-controlled state transition if the first RRC connected state is not a URA_PCH state.
29. The user equipment according to claim 28 , wherein the first RRC connected state is one of a CELL_DCH state, a CELL_FACH state or a CELL_PCH state.
30. The user equipment according to claim 28 , wherein the battery-efficient RRC connected state is one of a CELL_FACH state, a CELL_PCH state or the URA_PCH state.