CN109041269B

CN109041269B - Method for determining eDRX period and communication device

Info

Publication number: CN109041269B
Application number: CN201810871398.4A
Authority: CN
Inventors: 刘洋; 胡云; 孙金琛
Original assignee: China United Network Communications Group Co Ltd
Current assignee: China United Network Communications Group Co Ltd
Priority date: 2018-08-02
Filing date: 2018-08-02
Publication date: 2020-09-11
Anticipated expiration: 2038-08-02
Also published as: CN109041269A

Abstract

The embodiment of the application discloses a method and a communication device for determining an eDRX period, relates to the field of communication, and solves the problem that terminal equipment is unbalanced in the process of needing to save electric quantity and reducing downlink service delay. The specific scheme is as follows: the method comprises the steps of determining an initial PTW (packet switched data) duration and an initial eDRX (enhanced random access) cycle according to service characteristics of terminal equipment, dynamically calculating the eDRX cycle according to a downlink service arrival condition in the using process of the terminal equipment, periodically reporting the eDRX cycle obtained by dynamic calculation to network equipment, and dynamically negotiating with the network equipment to determine a new eDRX cycle, so that balance is obtained between the power consumption and the real-time property of the terminal equipment. The embodiment of the application is used for the process of saving electric quantity.

Description

Method for determining eDRX period and communication device

Technical Field

The embodiment of the present application relates to the field of communications, and in particular, to a method and a communications apparatus for determining an eDRX cycle.

Background

In an application scenario of the internet of things, terminal equipment is generally required to have lower power consumption. In the prior art, mechanisms such as an extended discontinuous reception (eDRX) mode and a low power consumption mode (PSM) are introduced to enable a terminal device to be in a sleep state as much as possible, so as to achieve the purpose of saving power.

However, the existing eDRX cycle settings for eDRX mode are static. Specifically, the terminal device reports an initial eDRX cycle and an initial Paging Time Window (PTW) to the network device, and then the network device determines the eDRX cycle and the PTW actually used by the terminal device, so that the eDRX cycle and the PTW used by the terminal device are actually set by the network device. And the network device generally cannot set the eDRX cycle and the PTW time window of different terminal devices in different application scenarios in a differentiated manner. If the eDRX period is set to be too small, the terminal device frequently wakes up to monitor a Physical Downlink Control Channel (PDCCH), which affects the purpose of saving power of the terminal device.

Disclosure of Invention

The embodiment of the application provides a method and a communication device for determining an eDRX period, so that terminal equipment can be balanced in power saving and downlink service delay reduction.

In order to achieve the above purpose, the embodiment of the present application adopts the following technical solutions:

in a first aspect of the embodiments of the present application, a method for determining an eDRX cycle is provided, where the method is applied to a terminal device or a chip built in the terminal device, and is characterized in that the method includes: firstly, receiving a first eDRX cycle and a first PTW sent by a network device, wherein the first eDRX cycle is determined by the network device, and the first PTW is determined by the network device; then, monitoring the PDCCH according to the first eDRX period and the first PTW to obtain a monitoring result, wherein the monitoring result indicates whether a paging message is monitored or not; if the monitoring result indicates that the paging message is not monitored, updating N according to the monitoring result_nopagingTo obtain N'_nopaging，N′_nopagingRepresenting updated N_nopaging，N_nopagingIndicating that the paging message count value, N, has not been received within the reporting period_nopagingThe initial value of (1) is 0, and the reporting cycle is a time interval of sending the eDRX cycle determined by the terminal equipment to the network equipment; and according to the reporting period, N'_nopagingZ and the first eDRX cycle determine a second eDRX cycle, wherein Z represents the number of first PTWs included in a reporting cycle, and one first eDRX cycle includes one first PTW; if the monitoring result shows that the paging message is monitored, according to the reporting period and the N_nopagingZ and the first eDRX cycle determine a second eDRX cycle; and finally, reporting the second eDRX period to the network equipment according to the reporting period, and receiving a third eDRX period sent by the network equipment, so that the terminal equipment can monitor the PDCCH according to the third eDRX period and the first PTW. The method for determining the eDRX period provided by the embodiment of the application dynamically adjusts the eDRX period according to the downlink service arrival condition so as to effectively balance power consumption and real-time performance of the terminal equipment.

With reference to the first aspect, in a possible implementation manner, N is updated according to a monitoring result_nopagingTo obtain N'_nopagingThe method comprises the following steps: if the paging message is not received in the ith PTW of the reporting period, N is added_nopagingAdding one to obtain N'_nopagingThe duration of the ith PTW is equal to the duration of the first PTW, and i is an integer greater than or equal to 1 and less than or equal to Z。

In combination with the above possible implementations, in another possible implementation,

with reference to the first aspect and the possible implementations described above, in another possible implementation, the reporting period is N'_nopagingZ and the first eDRX cycle determining a second eDRX cycle, including: judging whether the time length of the reporting period is up; if the duration of the reporting period is up, judging whether Z is less than N'_nopaging(ii) a If Z is less than N'_nopagingDetermining a second eDRX period according to the first eDRX period and Z; if Z is greater than or equal to N'_nopagingDetermining Z is equal to N'_nopagingAnd determining a second eDRX period according to the first eDRX period and the Z.

With reference to the first aspect, in another possible implementation manner, according to the reporting period, N_nopagingZ and the first eDRX cycle determining a second eDRX cycle, including: judging whether Z is less than N_nopaging(ii) a If Z is less than N_nopagingIs a reaction of N_nopagingIs set to N_nopagingThe initial value of 0, and whether the time length of the reporting period is up is judged; if Z is greater than or equal to N_nopagingDetermining Z equals N_nopagingAnd N is_nopagingIs set to N_nopaging0; judging whether the time length of the reporting period is up; and if the duration of the reporting period is up, determining a second eDRX period according to the first eDRX period and the Z.

With reference to the foregoing possible implementation manners, in another possible implementation manner, determining a second eDRX cycle according to the first eDRX cycle and Z includes: if Z is equal to 0, determining the first eDRX period as a second eDRX period; and if Z is larger than 0, determining the product of the first eDRX period and Z as a second eDRX period.

With reference to the foregoing possible implementation manner, in another possible implementation manner, if the duration of the reporting period does not expire, the method further includes: and continuing to monitor the PDCCH according to the first eDRX period and the first PTW.

With reference to the foregoing possible implementation manners, in another possible implementation manner, after receiving a third eDRX cycle sent by the network device, the method further includes: and monitoring the PDCCH according to the third eDRX period and the first PTW.

With reference to the foregoing possible implementation manners, in another possible implementation manner, before receiving the first eDRX cycle and the first paging time window PTW sent by the network device, the method further includes: determining an initial eDRX period and an initial PTW according to the service characteristics and the electric quantity information; an initial eDRX cycle and an initial PTW are sent to a network device.

In a second aspect of the embodiments of the present application, a method for determining an extended discontinuous reception eDRX cycle is provided, where the method is applied to a network device or a chip built in the network device, and the method includes: sending a first eDRX period and a first paging time window PTW to the terminal equipment; receiving a second eDRX period sent by the terminal equipment, wherein the second eDRX period is N 'according to the reporting period of the terminal equipment'_nopagingZ and the first eDRX period, or the second eDRX period is determined by the terminal equipment according to the reporting period and N_nopagingZ and first eDRX cycle determined, N'_nopagingRepresenting updated N_nopaging，N_nopagingIndicating that the paging message count value, N, has not been received within the reporting period_nopagingThe initial value of (2) is 0, the reporting cycle is a time interval of an eDRX cycle determined by the terminal equipment to the network equipment, Z represents the number of first PTWs included in the reporting cycle, and one eDRX cycle includes one first PTW; determining a third eDRX period according to the second eDRX period, the maximum value of the eDRX period and the eDRX setting coefficient; and sending the third eDRX period to the terminal equipment.

With reference to the second aspect, in a possible implementation manner, determining a third eDRX cycle according to the second eDRX cycle, the eDRX cycle maximum value, and the eDRX setting coefficient includes: if the second eDRX period is less than or equal to the maximum eDRX period, determining the product of the second eDRX period and the eDRX setting coefficient as a third eDRX period; and if the second eDRX period is larger than the maximum eDRX period, determining the maximum eDRX period as a third eDRX period.

With reference to the foregoing possible implementation manners, in another possible implementation manner, before sending the first eDRX cycle and the first paging time window PTW to the terminal device, the method further includes: receiving an initial eDRX period and an initial PTW sent by terminal equipment, and determining a first eDRX period according to the initial eDRX period, the maximum value of the eDRX period and an eDRX setting coefficient; and sending the first eDRX period to the terminal equipment.

In a third aspect of the embodiments of the present application, a communication apparatus is a terminal device or a chip built in the terminal device, and includes a receiving unit, a monitoring unit, a processing unit, and a transmitting unit. Wherein the content of the first and second substances,

the receiving unit is used for receiving a first eDRX cycle and a first paging time window PTW sent by the network equipment, wherein the first eDRX cycle is determined by the network equipment, and the first PTW is determined by the network equipment;

the monitoring unit is used for monitoring a Physical Downlink Control Channel (PDCCH) according to the first eDRX period and the first PTW to obtain a monitoring result, and the monitoring result indicates whether a paging message is monitored or not;

the processing unit is used for updating the N according to the monitoring result if the monitoring result shows that the paging message is not monitored_nopagingTo obtain N'_nopaging，N′_nopagingRepresenting updated N_nopaging，N_nopagingIndicating that the paging message count value, N, has not been received within the reporting period_nopagingThe initial value of (1) is 0, and the reporting cycle is a time interval of sending the eDRX cycle determined by the terminal equipment to the network equipment;

the processing unit is further configured to report the period N 'according to the reporting period'_nopagingZ and the first eDRX cycle determine a second eDRX cycle, wherein Z represents the number of first PTWs included in a reporting cycle, and one first eDRX cycle includes one first PTW;

the processing unit is further configured to monitor the paging message according to the reporting period and N if the monitoring result indicates that the paging message is monitored_nopagingZ and the first eDRX cycle determine a second eDRX cycle;

the sending unit is configured to report the second eDRX cycle to the network device according to the reporting cycle;

the receiving unit is further configured to receive a third eDRX cycle sent by the network device.

In a fourth aspect of the embodiments of the present application, a communication apparatus is a network device or a chip built in the network device, and the communication apparatus includes: the device comprises a sending unit, a processing unit and a receiving unit. Wherein the content of the first and second substances,

the sending unit is used for sending a first eDRX period and a first paging time window PTW to the terminal equipment;

the receiving unit is configured to receive a second eDRX cycle sent by the terminal device, where the second eDRX cycle is N 'according to a reporting cycle of the terminal device'_nopagingZ and the first eDRX period, or the second eDRX period is determined by the terminal equipment according to the reporting period and N_nopagingZ and first eDRX cycle determined, N'_nopagingRepresenting updated N_nopaging，N_nopagingIndicating that the paging message count value, N, has not been received within the reporting period_nopagingThe initial value of (2) is 0, the reporting cycle is a time interval of an eDRX cycle determined by the terminal equipment to the network equipment, Z represents the number of first PTWs included in the reporting cycle, and one eDRX cycle includes one first PTW;

the processing unit is used for determining a third eDRX period according to the second eDRX period, the maximum value of the eDRX period and the eDRX setting coefficient;

the sending unit is further configured to send the third eDRX cycle to the terminal device.

It should be noted that the functional modules in the third and fourth aspects may be implemented by hardware, or may be implemented by hardware executing corresponding software. The hardware or software includes one or more modules corresponding to the above-described functions. For example, a transceiver for performing the functions of the receiving unit and the transmitting unit, a processor for performing the functions of the processing unit and the listening unit, and a memory for the processor to process the program instructions of the method for determining the eDRX cycle according to the embodiments of the present application. The processor, transceiver and memory are connected by a bus and communicate with each other. In particular, reference may be made to the functions of determining the behavior of the device in the methods of the eDRX cycle provided in the first and second aspects.

In a fifth aspect of the embodiments of the present application, there is provided a communication apparatus, including: a processor, a memory, a bus, and a communication interface; the memory is used for storing computer-executable instructions, the processor is connected with the memory through the bus, and when the processor runs, the processor executes the computer-executable instructions stored in the memory so as to enable the communication device to execute the method of any aspect.

In a sixth aspect of embodiments of the present application, there is provided a computer-readable storage medium, including: computer software instructions; the computer software instructions, when executed in a communication device, cause the communication device to perform the method of any of the above aspects.

A seventh aspect of the embodiments of the present application provides a computer program product containing instructions for causing a communication apparatus to perform the method of any of the above aspects when the computer program product is run in the communication apparatus or a chip built in the communication apparatus.

In addition, the technical effects brought by the design manners of any aspect can be referred to the technical effects brought by the different design manners in the first aspect and the second aspect, and are not described herein again.

In the embodiments of the present application, the names of the communication devices do not limit the devices themselves, and in practical implementations, the devices may appear by other names. Provided that the function of each device is similar to the embodiments of the present application, and fall within the scope of the claims of the present application and their equivalents.

Drawings

Fig. 1 is a schematic diagram of an eDRX mode according to an embodiment of the present application;

fig. 2 is a simplified schematic diagram of a communication system according to an embodiment of the present application;

fig. 3 is a flowchart of a method for determining an eDRX cycle according to an embodiment of the present disclosure;

fig. 4 is a flowchart of another method for determining an eDRX cycle according to an embodiment of the present application;

fig. 5 is a schematic diagram illustrating a communication device according to an embodiment of the present disclosure;

fig. 6 is a schematic composition diagram of another communication device according to an embodiment of the present application;

fig. 7 is a schematic diagram illustrating a composition of another communication apparatus according to an embodiment of the present application;

fig. 8 is a schematic diagram illustrating a communication device according to an embodiment of the present application;

fig. 9 is a schematic composition diagram of another communication device according to an embodiment of the present application.

Detailed Description

For clarity and conciseness of the following descriptions of the various embodiments, a brief introduction to the related art is first given:

in the application scene of the internet of things, the object-to-object communication does not always pursue a high-speed and high-bandwidth mode like the person-to-person communication, and the requirement of 70% of the internet of things connection on the data rate is lower than 100 kbps; meanwhile, the working environment of most internet of things modules does not have frequent charging conditions, so that terminal equipment in the internet of things is required to have lower power consumption. As a result, LPWAN (low-power wide-area network) technology has exploded worldwide. Currently, globally, LPWAN technologies for internet of things can be divided into wide area network technologies in authorized frequency bands and wide area network technologies in unauthorized frequency bands.

For the wan technology of the licensed band, narrowband internet of things (NB-IoT) defined by the third generation partnership project (3 GPP) and evolved machine type communication (eMTC) defined by the Long Term Evolution (LTE) technology of the universal mobile telecommunications technology are taken as representatives. Since the NB-IoT and eMTC technologies work in authorized frequency bands and have the characteristics of low power consumption, wide coverage, large connection, low cost, etc., they are widely favored by home and abroad operators, and large-scale development of relevant technical tests, commercial deployment and application popularization are started.

At present, NB-IoT and eMTC reduce signaling overhead, and introduce mechanisms such as an enhanced discontinuous reception (eDRX) mode and a low power consumption mode (PSM) to make a terminal device in a sleep state as much as possible, thereby achieving the purpose of saving power.

Fig. 1 is a schematic diagram of an eDRX mode according to an embodiment of the present application. As shown in fig. 1, the eDRX cycle is in units of a super system frame number (H-SFN). The eDRX cycle includes a maximum of 1024H-SFNs. One superframe includes 1024 frames. The maximum paging cycle for conventional DRX is 2.56 seconds. For eMTC, eDRX may include 256 superframes, i.e., the maximum paging cycle of eDRX may be extended to approximately 44 minutes. For NB-IoT, the maximum paging cycle for eDRX may be 2.9 hours. For a Paging Time Window (PTW) in each eDRX cycle, a PTW in the DRX mode may be set, and the terminal device still monitors a Physical Downlink Control Channel (PDCCH) in the PTW cycle of the DRX mode. Outside the paging time window, the terminal device does not monitor the PDCCH.

The existing eDRX cycle settings for eDRX mode are static. Specifically, the terminal device reports an initial eDRX cycle and an initial PTW to the network device, and then the network device determines an eDRX cycle and a PTW actually used by the terminal device, so that the eDRX cycle and the PTW used by the terminal device are actually set by the network device. And the network device generally cannot set the eDRX cycle and the PTW time window of different terminal devices in different application scenarios in a differentiated manner.

Therefore, the eDRX mode achieves the purpose of greatly reducing the maximum power consumption of the equipment by reducing the awakening time of the terminal equipment. The longer the eDRX cycle is, the longer the terminal device is in the dormant state, and the better the power saving effect is, but since the terminal device does not monitor the PDCCH in the dormant state and does not receive the paging message, the longer the eDRX cycle is, the longer the terminal device is in the unreachable state, and the worse the real-time performance is.

The embodiment of the application provides a method for determining an eDRX period, which has the following basic principle: firstly, receiving a first eDRX cycle and a first PTW sent by a network device, wherein the first eDRX cycle is determined by the network device, and the first PTW is determined by the network device; then, monitoring the PDCCH according to the first eDRX period and the first PTW to obtain a monitoring result, wherein the monitoring result indicates whether a paging message is monitored or not; if the monitoring result indicates that the paging message is not monitored, updating N according to the monitoring result_nopagingTo obtain N'_nopaging，N′_nopagingRepresenting updated N_nopaging，N_nopagingIndicating that the paging message count value, N, has not been received within the reporting period_nopagingThe initial value of (1) is 0, and the reporting cycle is a time interval of sending the eDRX cycle determined by the terminal equipment to the network equipment; and according to the reporting period, N'_nopagingZ and the first eDRX cycle determine a second eDRX cycle, wherein Z represents the number of first PTWs included in a reporting cycle, and one first eDRX cycle includes one first PTW; if the monitoring result shows that the paging message is monitored, according to the reporting period and the N_nopagingZ and the first eDRX cycle determine a second eDRX cycle; and finally, reporting the second eDRX period to the network equipment according to the reporting period, and receiving a third eDRX period sent by the network equipment, so that the terminal equipment can monitor the PDCCH according to the third eDRX period and the first PTW. The method for determining the eDRX period provided by the embodiment of the application dynamically adjusts the eDRX period according to the downlink service arrival condition so as to effectively balance power consumption and real-time performance of the terminal equipment.

Embodiments of the present application will be described in detail below with reference to the accompanying drawings.

Fig. 2 shows a simplified schematic diagram of a communication system to which embodiments of the present application may be applied. As shown in fig. 2, the communication system may include: a network device 21 and a terminal device 22. The network device 21 may be a device of a core network. Such as Mobility Management Entity (MME). The terminal device 22 may be a smart water meter, a smart meter, a monitor, a wearable device, and the like. The network device 21 and the terminal device 22 communicate with each other through a wired connection or a wireless connection via a network. Other network devices, such as base stations, switches, routers, etc., may also be included between network device 21 and terminal device 22.

The method for determining the eDRX cycle in the embodiment of the present application is described in detail below with a terminal device and a network device as examples. Fig. 3 is a flowchart of a method for determining an eDRX cycle according to an embodiment of the present disclosure, and as shown in fig. 3, the method may include:

s301, the network device sends a first eDRX cycle and a first paging time window PTW to the terminal device.

It should be noted that, before the network device sends the first eDRX cycle and the first paging time window PTW to the terminal device, the terminal device determines the initial eDRX cycle and the initial PTW according to the service characteristics and the power information of the terminal device. The service characteristics may be determined according to a service performed by the terminal device. For example, when the terminal device is an intelligent parking space, the initial eDRX cycle and the initial PTW may be set to be smaller because data of the intelligent parking space is updated frequently. When the terminal device is an intelligent water meter, the data of the intelligent water meter is updated only once for a long time, so the initial eDRX cycle and the initial PTW can be set to be larger.

Subsequently, the terminal device may send the initial eDRX cycle and the initial PTW to the network device through an attach request message (attach request) or a Tracking Area Update (TAU) request message. The network device may determine a first eDRX cycle and a first PTW according to a configuration policy, and transmit the first eDRX cycle and the first PTW to the terminal device through an attach accept (attach accept) message or a tracking area update accept (TAU accept) message.

Wherein, the configuration policy may be to determine a new eDRX cycle according to the received eDRX cycle, the eDRX cycle maximum value, and the eDRX setting coefficient. The formula is as follows:

wherein, T'_eDRXα denotes the eDRX setting coefficient, 0 < α < 1. T_eDRXIndicating the eDRX cycle received by the network device. T is_eDRXmaxRepresenting the eDRX cycle maximum.

For example, the network device receives an initial eDRX cycle sent by the terminal device, and determines, if the initial eDRX cycle is less than or equal to a maximum eDRX cycle value, a product of the initial eDRX cycle and an eDRX setting coefficient as a first eDRX cycle; and if the initial eDRX period is larger than the maximum eDRX period, determining the maximum eDRX period as a first eDRX period. The first eDRX cycle described herein is the new eDRX cycle.

S302, the terminal device receives a first eDRX period and a first PTW sent by the network device.

The first eDRX cycle is determined by a network device and the first PTW is determined by the network device.

S303, the terminal device monitors the PDCCH according to the first eDRX period and the first PTW, and obtains a monitoring result.

The listening result indicates whether the paging message is listened to. If the listening result indicates that the paging message is not listened to, S304 and S305 are performed. If the monitoring result indicates that the paging message is monitored, S306 is executed.

S304, the terminal equipment updates N according to the monitoring result_nopagingTo obtain N'_nopaging. S305 is executed.

N′_nopagingRepresenting updated N_nopaging。N_nopagingIndicating that the paging message count value, N, has not been received within the reporting period_nopagingIs 0. The reporting period is a time interval of sending the eDRX period determined by the terminal device to the network device. The reporting period may refer to a location area update period or a tracking area update period. Of course, the reporting period may also be set by itself.

For example, if the paging message is not received in the ith PTW of the reporting period, the N is updated according to the monitoring result_nopagingTo obtain N'_nopagingFor example, N may be_nopagingAdding one to obtain N'_nopaging，N′_nopaging＝N_nopaging+1. The duration of the ith PTW is equal to the duration of the first PTW, and i is an integer greater than or equal to 1 and less than or equal to Z. And Z represents the number of the first PTWs included in the reporting period. One first eDRX cycle includes one first PTW. In the form of a formula, the expression,

wherein, T₁Indicates the reporting period, T₁May be a periodic location update timer T₃₄₁₂。T_eDRX' denotes a first eDRX cycle,

indicating a rounding down.

S305, the terminal equipment reports N 'according to the reporting period'_nopagingZ and the first eDRX cycle determine a second eDRX cycle.

Specifically, as shown in fig. 4, the terminal device reports N 'according to the reporting period'_nopagingZ and the first eDRX cycle determining the second eDRX cycle may include the following detailed steps:

s3051, the terminal equipment judges whether the time length of the reporting period is up or not.

If the duration of the reporting period is up, executing S3052; if the time length of the reporting period is not up, S303 is executed. For example, if the paging message is not received in the ith PTW of the reporting period, it is determined whether the paging message is received in the (i + 1) th PTW of the reporting period.

S3052, judging whether Z is smaller than N 'by the terminal equipment'_nopaging。

If Z is less than N'_nopagingExecuting S3054; if Z is greater than or equal to N'_nopagingAnd executing S3053 and S3054.

S3053, terminal equipment determines that Z is equal to N'_nopaging。

S3054, the terminal device determines a second eDRX period according to the first eDRX period and the Z.

The terminal device may determine a new eDRX cycle according to the received eDRX cycle sent by the network device and Z. The formula is as follows:

wherein, T ″)_eDRXIndicating that the terminal equipment determines a new eDRX period according to the received eDRX period sent by the network equipment and the Z. T is_eDRX' denotes an eDRX cycle transmitted by the network device.

For example, the eDRX cycle transmitted by the network device received by the terminal device is the first eDRX cycle. If Z is equal to 0, determining the first eDRX period as a second eDRX period; and if Z is larger than 0, determining the product of the first eDRX period and Z as a second eDRX period.

S306, the terminal equipment reports the period N according to the report period_nopagingZ and the first eDRX cycle determine a second eDRX cycle.

Specifically, as shown in fig. 4, the terminal device reports the reporting period N_nopagingZ and the first eDRX cycle determining the second eDRX cycle may include the following detailed steps:

s3061, the terminal equipment judges whether Z is smaller than N_nopaging。

If Z is less than N_nopagingExecuting S3063 and S3064; if Z is greater than or equal to N_nopagingS3062, S3063, and S3064 are executed.

S3062, the terminal equipment determines that Z is equal to N_nopaging。

The terminal equipment determines that Z is equal to N_nopagingI.e. setting the value of Z to N_nopagingThe value of (c).

S3063, the terminal device sends N_nopagingIs set to N_nopaging0, respectively.

S3064, the terminal equipment judges whether the time length of the reporting period is up or not.

If the duration of the reporting period is up, S3065 is executed. If the time length of the reporting period is not up, S303 is executed. For example, if the paging message is not received in the ith PTW of the reporting period, it is determined whether the paging message is received in the (i + 1) th PTW of the reporting period.

S3065, the terminal device determines a second eDRX period according to the first eDRX period and the Z.

The terminal device determines the second eDRX cycle according to the first eDRX cycle and Z, which may refer to the description of S3054, and details of the embodiment of the present application are not described here again.

S307, the terminal device reports the second eDRX period to the network device.

S308, the network equipment receives the second eDRX period sent by the terminal equipment.

The second eDRX period is N 'according to the reporting period of the terminal equipment'_nopagingZ, and the first eDRX cycle. Or the second eDRX period is that the terminal equipment reports the period N according to the reporting period_nopagingZ, and the first eDRX cycle.

S309, the network device determines a third eDRX period according to the second eDRX period, the maximum value of the eDRX period and the eDRX setting coefficient.

The terminal device determines the third eDRX cycle according to the second eDRX cycle, the maximum eDRX cycle, and the eDRX setting coefficient, which may refer to the description of S301, and this embodiment of the present application is not described herein again.

For example, if the second eDRX cycle is less than or equal to the maximum eDRX cycle, determining the product of the second eDRX cycle and the eDRX setting coefficient as a third eDRX cycle; and if the second eDRX period is larger than the maximum eDRX period, determining the maximum eDRX period as a third eDRX period.

S3010, the network device sends the third eDRX cycle to the terminal device.

S3011, the terminal device receives the third eDRX cycle sent by the network device.

As shown in fig. 3, when the terminal device receives the third eDRX cycle sent by the network device, S3012 may also be performed.

S3012, the terminal device monitors the PDCCH according to the third eDRX period and the first PTW.

The method for determining the eDRX cycle, provided by the embodiment of the application, determines an initial PTW duration and an initial eDRX cycle according to service characteristics of an application scene, dynamically calculates the eDRX cycle according to a downlink service arrival condition in a use process of a terminal device, periodically reports the eDRX cycle obtained through dynamic calculation to a network device, and dynamically negotiates with the network device to determine a new eDRX cycle, so that balance is achieved between power consumption and real-time performance of the terminal device.

The method for determining the eDRX cycle in the embodiment of the present application is described below by taking a terminal device as an intelligent water meter as an example.

The intelligent water meter is assumed to perform automatic meter reading service in a cell. Maximum allowed eDRX period T of network equipment_eDRXmaxFor 1024 superframes (about 174 minutes), the eDRX setting coefficient α takes a value of 0.5, and the reporting period T₁348 minutes (T)₃₄₁₂The length of time). The intelligent water meter is started initially, and an initial eDRX period is set to655 seconds (about 10 minutes) and an initial PTW of 25.6 seconds.

And the intelligent water meter sends the initial eDRX period and the initial PTW to the network equipment through the attachment request message. The network equipment sets the first eDRX period to be 655 seconds and the first PTW to be 25.6 seconds according to the configuration strategy, and sends the first eDRX period and the first PTW to the intelligent water meter through the attachment acceptance message.

The intelligent water meter wakes up every 655 seconds according to the first eDRX period and the first PTW, monitors the PDCCH in the first PTW and determines whether a downlink paging message arrives. Suppose the intelligent water meter receives paging messages from the network device in the 12 th eDRX cycle and the 21 st eDRX cycle respectively, establishes a connection, receives downlink data, and then returns to the sleep state again.

The intelligent water meter calculates the expected updated eDRX cycle according to the method, which is 5898 seconds (about 98 minutes), and when the timer T3412 expires, the intelligent water meter sends the expected updated eDRX cycle to the network device. After receiving the eDRX period expected to be updated by the intelligent water meter, the network equipment finally determines the new eDRX period to be 49 minutes according to the configuration strategy, and sends the new eDRX period to the intelligent water meter.

And after receiving the new eDRX period, the intelligent water meter wakes up every 49 minutes according to the new eDRX period, monitors whether a paging message arrives in the PDCCH in the first PTW, and calculates the new eDRX period.

The above-mentioned scheme provided by the embodiment of the present application is introduced mainly from the perspective of interaction between network elements. It will be appreciated that each network element, e.g. a communication device, comprises corresponding hardware structures and/or software modules for performing each function in order to implement the above-described functions. Those of skill in the art will readily appreciate that the present application is capable of hardware or a combination of hardware and computer software implementing the various illustrative algorithm steps described in connection with the embodiments disclosed herein. Whether a function is performed as hardware or computer software drives hardware depends upon the particular application and design constraints imposed on the solution. Skilled artisans may implement the described functionality in varying ways for each particular application, but such implementation decisions should not be interpreted as causing a departure from the scope of the present application.

In the embodiment of the present application, the communication apparatus may be divided into the functional modules according to the method example, for example, each functional module may be divided according to each function, or two or more functions may be integrated into one processing module. The integrated module can be realized in a hardware mode, and can also be realized in a software functional module mode. It should be noted that, in the embodiment of the present application, the division of the module is schematic, and is only one logic function division, and there may be another division manner in actual implementation.

Fig. 5 shows a possible schematic diagram of the components of the communication device described above and in the embodiments, with the functional modules being divided for the respective functions. The communication device may be a terminal device or a chip built in the terminal device. The communication device is capable of performing the steps performed by the terminal device in any of the method embodiments of the present application. As shown in fig. 5, the communication apparatus may include: a receiving unit 501, a listening unit 502, a processing unit 503 and a transmitting unit 504.

Among them, the receiving unit 501 is configured to support the communication apparatus to execute S302 and S3011 in the method for determining an eDRX cycle shown in fig. 3.

A monitoring unit 502, configured to support the communication apparatus to perform S303 and S3012 in the method for determining an eDRX cycle shown in fig. 3.

A processing unit 503 for supporting the communication apparatus to perform S304, S305, and S306 in the method of determining the eDRX cycle shown in fig. 3, S304, S3051 to S3054 in the data processing method shown in fig. 4, and S3061 to S3065.

The transmitting unit 504 supports the communication apparatus to execute S307 in the method of determining the eDRX cycle shown in fig. 3.

It should be noted that all relevant contents of each step related to the above method embodiment may be referred to the functional description of the corresponding functional module, and are not described herein again.

The communication device provided by the embodiment of the application is used for executing the method for determining the eDRX cycle, so that the same effect as that of the method for determining the eDRX cycle can be achieved.

Fig. 6 is a schematic diagram of a communication device according to an embodiment of the present disclosure, and as shown in fig. 6, the communication device may include at least one processor 601, a memory 602, a communication interface 603, and a communication bus 604.

The following specifically describes each constituent element of the communication apparatus with reference to fig. 6:

the processor 601 is a control center of the communication apparatus, and may be a single processor or a collective term for a plurality of processing elements. For example, the processor 601 is a Central Processing Unit (CPU), and may also be an Application Specific Integrated Circuit (ASIC), or one or more integrated circuits configured to implement embodiments of the present application, such as: one or more microprocessors (DSPs), or one or more Field Programmable Gate Arrays (FPGAs).

The processor 601 may perform various functions of the communication device by running or executing software programs stored in the memory 602 and invoking data stored in the memory 602, among other things.

The processor in the embodiment of the present application is configured to adjust an eDRX cycle.

In particular implementations, processor 601 may include one or more CPUs such as CPU0 and CPU1 shown in fig. 6 as an example.

In particular implementations, a communication device may include multiple processors, such as processor 601 and processor 605 shown in fig. 6, for example, as an example. Each of these processors may be a single-Core Processor (CPU) or a multi-Core Processor (CPU). A processor herein may refer to one or more communication devices, circuits, and/or processing cores for processing data (e.g., computer program instructions).

The memory 602 may be a read-only memory (ROM) or other types of static storage communication devices that can store static information and instructions, a Random Access Memory (RAM) or other types of dynamic storage communication devices that can store information and instructions, an electrically erasable programmable read-only memory (EEPROM), a compact disc read-only memory (CD-ROM) or other optical disc storage, optical disc storage (including compact disc, laser disc, optical disc, digital versatile disc, blu-ray disc, etc.), but is not limited to, magnetic disk storage media or other magnetic storage communication devices, or any other medium that can be used to carry or store desired program code in the form of instructions or data structures and that can be accessed by a computer. The memory 602 may be self-contained and coupled to the processor 601 via a communication bus 604. The memory 602 may also be integrated with the processor 601.

The memory 602 is used for storing software programs for implementing the scheme of the application, and is controlled by the processor 601 to execute the software programs.

The communication interface 603 may be any device, such as a transceiver, for communicating with other communication devices or communication networks, such as ethernet, Radio Access Network (RAN), Wireless Local Area Network (WLAN), etc. The communication interface 603 may include a receiving unit implementing a receiving function and a transmitting unit implementing a transmitting function.

The communication bus 604 may be an Industry Standard Architecture (ISA) bus, a Peripheral Component Interconnect (PCI) bus, an Extended ISA (EISA) bus, or the like. The bus may be divided into an address bus, a data bus, a control bus, etc. For ease of illustration, only one thick line is shown in FIG. 6, but this is not intended to represent only one bus or type of bus.

Optionally, the functions of the receiving unit 501 and the sending unit 504 may also be performed by the communication interface 603. The functions of listening unit 502 and processing unit 503 may also be performed by processor 601 and/or processor 605.

The communication device configuration shown in fig. 6 does not constitute a limitation of the communication device and may include more or fewer components than those shown, or some of the components may be combined, or a different arrangement of components. For example, the communication apparatus shown in fig. 6 may be a terminal, and may also be an encoder, a codec, a video encoder, or a video codec.

Fig. 7 shows another possible schematic composition of the communication device according to the above exemplary embodiment, in the case of an integrated unit. As shown in fig. 7, the communication apparatus includes: a processing module 701 and a communication module 702.

Processing module 701 is used to control and manage actions of the communication apparatus, e.g., processing module 701 is used to support the communication apparatus to perform S304, S305, and S306 in fig. 3, S304, S3051-S3054 in fig. 4, and S3061-S3065, and/or other processes for the techniques described herein. The communication module 702 is used to support communication between the communication apparatus and other network entities, for example, the functional modules or network entities shown in fig. 2, fig. 8 or fig. 9. The communication device may also include a memory module 703 for storing program codes and data of the communication device.

The processing module 701 may be a processor or a controller, among others. Which may implement or perform the various illustrative logical blocks, modules, and circuits described in connection with the disclosure. A processor may also be a combination of computing functions, e.g., comprising one or more microprocessors, a DSP and a microprocessor, or the like. The communication module 702 may be a transceiver, a transceiver circuit or a communication interface, etc. The storage module 703 may be a memory.

When the processing module 701 is a processor, the communication module 702 is a communication interface, and the storage module 703 is a memory, the communication device according to the embodiment of the present application may be the communication device shown in fig. 6. For example, in fig. 6, the processing module 701 corresponds to the processor 601, the communication module 702 corresponds to the communication interface 603, and the storage module 703 corresponds to the memory 602.

Fig. 8 shows a possible schematic composition of the communication apparatus described above and referred to in the embodiments, with the functional modules being divided for the respective functions. The communication device may be a network device or a chip built in the network device. The communication device is capable of performing the steps performed by the network device in any of the method embodiments of the present application. As shown in fig. 8, the communication apparatus may include: a transmitting unit 801, a processing unit 802 and a receiving unit 803.

Among them, the transmitting unit 801 is configured to support the communication apparatus to execute S301 and S3010 in the method for determining an eDRX cycle shown in fig. 3.

A processing unit 802 for supporting the communication apparatus to execute S309 in the method of determining the eDRX cycle shown in fig. 3.

A receiving unit 803, configured to support the communication apparatus to perform S308 in the method for determining an eDRX cycle shown in fig. 3.

Fig. 9 shows another possible schematic composition of the communication device according to the above-described exemplary embodiment, in the case of an integrated unit. As shown in fig. 9, the communication apparatus includes: a processing module 901 and a communication module 902.

The processing module 901 is used to control and manage actions of the communication device, e.g., the processing module 901 is used to support the communication device to perform S309 in fig. 3, and/or other processes for the techniques described herein. The communication module 902 is used to support communication between the communication device and other network entities, such as the functional modules or network entities shown in fig. 2, 5 or 7. The communication device may also include a storage module 903 for storing program codes and data for the communication device.

The processing module 901 may be a processor or a controller, among others. Which may implement or perform the various illustrative logical blocks, modules, and circuits described in connection with the disclosure. A processor may also be a combination of computing functions, e.g., comprising one or more microprocessors, a DSP and a microprocessor, or the like. The communication module 902 may be a transceiver, a transceiving circuit or a communication interface, etc. The storage module 903 may be a memory.

When the processing module 901 is a processor, the communication module 902 is a communication interface, and the storage module 903 is a memory, the communication device according to the embodiment of the present application may be the communication device shown in fig. 6. For example, in fig. 6, the processing module 901 corresponds to the processor 601, the communication module 902 corresponds to the communication interface 603, and the storage module 903 corresponds to the memory 602.

Through the above description of the embodiments, it is clear to those skilled in the art that, for convenience and simplicity of description, the foregoing division of the functional modules is merely used as an example, and in practical applications, the above function distribution may be completed by different functional modules according to needs, that is, the internal structure of the device may be divided into different functional modules to complete all or part of the above described functions.

In the several embodiments provided in the present application, it should be understood that the disclosed apparatus and method may be implemented in other ways. For example, the above-described device embodiments are merely illustrative, and for example, the division of the modules or units is only one logical functional division, and there may be other divisions when actually implemented, for example, a plurality of units or components may be combined or may be integrated into another device, or some features may be omitted, or not executed. In addition, the shown or discussed mutual coupling or direct coupling or communication connection may be an indirect coupling or communication connection through some interfaces, devices or units, and may be in an electrical, mechanical or other form.

The units described as separate parts may or may not be physically separate, and parts displayed as units may be one physical unit or a plurality of physical units, that is, may be located in one place, or may be distributed in a plurality of different places. Some or all of the units can be selected according to actual needs to achieve the purpose of the solution of the embodiment.

In addition, functional units in the embodiments of the present application may be integrated into one processing unit, or each unit may exist alone physically, or two or more units are integrated into one unit. The integrated unit can be realized in a form of hardware, and can also be realized in a form of a software functional unit.

The integrated unit, if implemented in the form of a software functional unit and sold or used as a stand-alone product, may be stored in a readable storage medium. Based on such understanding, the technical solutions of the embodiments of the present application may be essentially or partially contributed to by the prior art, or all or part of the technical solutions may be embodied in the form of a software product, where the software product is stored in a storage medium and includes several instructions to enable a device (which may be a single chip, a chip, or the like) or a processor (processor) to execute all or part of the steps of the methods described in the embodiments of the present application. And the aforementioned storage medium includes: various media capable of storing program codes, such as a usb disk, a removable hard disk, a Read-Only Memory (ROM), a Random Access Memory (RAM), a magnetic disk, or an optical disk.

The above description is only an embodiment of the present application, but the scope of the present application is not limited thereto, and any changes or substitutions within the technical scope of the present disclosure should be covered by the scope of the present application. Therefore, the protection scope of the present application shall be subject to the protection scope of the claims.

Claims

1. A method for determining an extended discontinuous reception (eDRX) cycle, the method being applied to a terminal device or a chip built in the terminal device, the method comprising:

receiving a first eDRX cycle and a first Paging Time Window (PTW) sent by a network device, wherein the first eDRX cycle is determined by the network device, and the first PTW is determined by the network device;

monitoring a Physical Downlink Control Channel (PDCCH) according to a first eDRX period and a first packet data rate (PTW) to obtain a monitoring result, wherein the monitoring result indicates whether a paging message is monitored or not;

if the monitoring result shows that the paging message is not monitored, updating N according to the monitoring result_nopagingTo obtain N'_nopaging，N′_nopagingRepresenting updated N_nopaging，N_nopagingIndicating that the paging message count value, N, has not been received within the reporting period_nopagingThe reporting period is a time interval of sending the eDRX period determined by the terminal device to the network device;

according to the reporting period, N'_nopagingZ and the first eDRX cycle determine a second eDRX cycle, wherein Z represents the number of the first PTWs included in the reporting cycle, and one first eDRX cycle includes one first PTW;

judging whether the time length of the reporting period is up;

if the time length of the reporting period is up, judging whether Z is less than N'_nopaging；

If Z is less than N'_nopagingDetermining the second eDRX period according to the first eDRX period and Z;

if Z is greater than or equal to N'_nopagingDetermining Z is equal to N'_nopagingDetermining the second eDRX period according to the first eDRX period and Z; if the monitoring result shows that the paging message is monitored, according to the reporting period and the N_nopagingZ and the first eDRX cycle determine a second eDRX cycle;

judging whether Z is less than N_nopaging；

If Z is less than N_nopagingIs a reaction of N_nopagingIs set to N_nopagingAnd judging whether the time length of the reporting period is up or not;

if Z is greater than or equal to N_nopagingDetermining Z equals N_nopagingAnd N is_nopagingIs set to N_nopaging0;

judging whether the time length of the reporting period is up;

if the duration of the reporting period is up, determining the second eDRX period according to the first eDRX period and the Z; reporting the second eDRX period to the network equipment according to the reporting period;

and receiving a third eDRX period sent by the network equipment.

2. The method for determining eDRX cycle as claimed in claim 1, wherein the updating N according to the listening result_nopagingTo obtain N'_nopagingThe method comprises the following steps:

if the paging message is not received in the ith PTW of the reporting period, N is used_nopagingAdding one to obtain N'_nopagingThe duration of the ith PTW is equal to the duration of the first PTW, and i is an integer which is greater than or equal to 1 and less than or equal to Z.

3. The method of determining an eDRX cycle as claimed in claim 1, wherein the determining the second eDRX cycle from the first eDRX cycle and Z comprises:

if Z is equal to 0, determining the first eDRX period as the second eDRX period;

and if Z is larger than 0, determining the product of the first eDRX period and Z as the second eDRX period.

4. The method for determining the eDRX cycle as claimed in claim 1, wherein if the duration of the reporting cycle is not up, the method further comprises:

continuing to monitor the PDCCH according to the first eDRX cycle and the first PTW.

5. The method for determining an eDRX cycle according to any of claims 1-4, wherein after the receiving a third eDRX cycle sent by the network device, the method further comprises:

monitoring the PDCCH according to the third eDRX period and the first PTW.

6. A method for determining an extended discontinuous reception (eDRX) cycle, the method being applied to a network device or a chip built in the network device, the method comprising:

sending a first eDRX period and a first paging time window PTW to the terminal equipment;

receiving a second eDRX period sent by the terminal equipment, wherein the second eDRX period is N 'according to a reporting period of the terminal equipment'_nopagingZ and the first eDRX period, or the second eDRX period is determined by the terminal equipment according to the reporting period and N_nopagingZ and the first eDRX cycle determined, N'_nopagingRepresenting updated N_nopaging，N_nopagingIndicating that no paging message count value, N, has been received within the reporting period_nopagingIs 0, the reporting period is a time interval at which the terminal device sends an eDRX period determined by the terminal device to the network device, Z represents the number of the first PTWs included in the reporting period, and one eDRX period includes one first PTW;

according to the reporting period, N'_nopagingZ and the first eDRX cycle determining a second eDRX cycle, comprising:

judging whether the time length of the reporting period is up;

if Z is greater than or equal to N'_nopagingDetermining Z is equal to N'_nopagingDetermining the second eDRX period according to the first eDRX period and Z;

according to the reporting period and N_nopagingZ and the first eDRX cycle determining a second eDRX cycle, comprising:

judging whether Z is less than N_nopaging；

If Z is less than N_nopagingIs a reaction of N_nopagingIs set to N_nopagingAnd judging the time of the reporting periodWhether the time is up or not;

judging whether the time length of the reporting period is up;

if the duration of the reporting period is up, determining the second eDRX period according to the first eDRX period and the Z; determining a third eDRX period according to the second eDRX period, the maximum value of the eDRX period and the eDRX setting coefficient;

and sending the third eDRX period to the terminal equipment.

7. The method of determining an eDRX cycle as claimed in claim 6, wherein the determining a third eDRX cycle according to the second eDRX cycle, an eDRX cycle maximum, and an eDRX setting coefficient includes:

if the second eDRX period is less than or equal to the eDRX period maximum value, determining the product of the second eDRX period and the eDRX setting coefficient as the third eDRX period;

and if the second eDRX period is larger than the maximum eDRX period, determining the maximum eDRX period as the third eDRX period.

8. A communication apparatus, the communication apparatus being a terminal device or a chip built in the terminal device, the communication apparatus comprising:

a receiving unit, configured to receive a first eDRX cycle and a first paging time window PTW sent by a network device, where the first eDRX cycle is determined by the network device, and the first PTW is determined by the network device;

a monitoring unit, configured to monitor a physical downlink control channel PDCCH according to a first eDRX cycle and a first PTW, and obtain a monitoring result, where the monitoring result indicates whether a paging message is monitored;

a processing unit, configured to update N according to the monitoring result if the monitoring result indicates that no paging message is monitored_nopagingTo obtain N′_nopaging，N′_nopagingRepresenting updated N_nopaging，N_nopagingIndicating that the paging message count value, N, has not been received within the reporting period_nopagingThe reporting period is a time interval of sending the eDRX period determined by the terminal device to the network device;

the processing unit is further configured to report the reporting period, N'_nopagingZ and the first eDRX cycle determine a second eDRX cycle, wherein Z represents the number of the first PTWs included in the reporting cycle, and one first eDRX cycle includes one first PTW;

the processing unit is further configured to monitor a paging message according to the reporting period and N if the monitoring result indicates that the paging message is monitored_nopagingZ and the first eDRX cycle determine a second eDRX cycle;

the processing unit is specifically configured to determine whether the time length of the reporting period is up; if the time length of the reporting period is up, judging whether Z is less than N'_nopaging(ii) a If Z is less than N'_nopagingDetermining the second eDRX period according to the first eDRX period and Z; if Z is greater than or equal to N'_nopagingDetermining Z is equal to N'_nopagingDetermining the second eDRX period according to the first eDRX period and Z;

the processing unit is specifically configured to determine whether Z is less than N_nopaging(ii) a If Z is less than N_nopagingIs a reaction of N_nopagingIs set to N_nopagingAnd judging whether the time length of the reporting period is up or not; if Z is greater than or equal to N_nopagingDetermining Z equals N_nopagingAnd N is_nopagingIs set to N_nopaging0; judging whether the time length of the reporting period is up; if the duration of the reporting period is up, determining the second eDRX period according to the first eDRX period and the Z; a sending unit, configured to report the second eDRX cycle to the network device according to the reporting cycle;

9. The communication device according to claim 8, wherein the processing unit is specifically configured to:

10. The communication device according to claim 8, wherein the processing unit is specifically configured to:

11. The communications apparatus as claimed in claim 8, wherein if the duration of the reporting period does not expire, the processing unit is further configured to:

12. The communication apparatus according to any one of claims 8-11, wherein the listening unit is further configured to:

monitoring the PDCCH according to the third eDRX period and the first PTW.

13. A communication apparatus, the communication apparatus being a network device or a chip built in the network device, the communication apparatus comprising:

a sending unit, configured to send a first eDRX cycle and a first paging time window PTW to a terminal device;

a receiving unit, configured to receive a second eDRX cycle sent by the terminal device, where the second eDRX cycle is N 'according to a reporting cycle of the terminal device'_nopagingZ and the first eDRX cycleDetermining that the second eDRX period is determined according to the reporting period and N_nopagingZ and the first eDRX cycle determined, N'_nopagingRepresenting updated N_nopaging，N_nopagingIndicating that no paging message count value, N, has been received within the reporting period_nopagingIs 0, the reporting period is a time interval at which the terminal device sends an eDRX period determined by the terminal device to the network device, Z represents the number of the first PTWs included in the reporting period, and one eDRX period includes one first PTW;

the processing unit is specifically configured to determine whether Z is less than N_nopaging(ii) a If Z is less than N_nopagingIs a reaction of N_nopagingIs set to N_nopagingAnd judging whether the time length of the reporting period is up or not; if Z is greater than or equal to N_nopagingDetermining Z equals N_nopagingAnd N is_nopagingIs set to N_nopaging0; judging whether the time length of the reporting period is up; if the duration of the reporting period is up, determining the second eDRX period according to the first eDRX period and the Z;

14. The communication device according to claim 13, wherein the processing unit is specifically configured to: