EP2599357A1

EP2599357A1 - Method and device for data processing in a communication network

Info

Publication number: EP2599357A1
Application number: EP10734754.4A
Authority: EP
Inventors: Mohmmad Anas; Ralf Golderer; Uwe Herrmann; Hans Kroener; Wolfgang Payer
Original assignee: Nokia Siemens Networks Oy
Current assignee: Nokia Solutions and Networks Oy
Priority date: 2010-07-26
Filing date: 2010-07-26
Publication date: 2013-06-05
Also published as: KR20130041969A; AU2010358412A1; RU2544235C2; RU2013109215A; CA2808505A1; WO2012013215A1; AU2010358412B2; CN103109576A

Abstract

A method and a device for data processing in a communication network are provided, wherein a terminal is assigned a scheduling priority based on a time period until the terminal enters a sleep mode. Furthermore, a communication system is suggested comprising said device.

Description

Method and device for data processing in a communication net^¬ work

The invention relates to a method and to a device for data processing in a communication network. Also, a communication system is suggested comprising at least one such device. A radio network typically comprises a base station (BS, also called base transceiver station, NodeB, eNodeB or eNB) , a mobile device (also referred to as user equipment (UE) , mobile station or mobile terminal) and optional network elements that provide interconnections with a core network. The BS connects the UE via a so-called radio interface (also re^¬ ferred to as air-interface) .

3GPP TS 36.321, V9.3.0, section 5.7 "Discontinuous Reception (DRX) " describes a means for minimizing the UE ' s battery con- sumption and for maximizing the UE ' s battery lifetime. This applies to UEs which are in a so-called RRC_CONNECTED mode.

The DRX functionality can be summarized as follows (see also 3GPP TS 36.321, section 5.7):

(a) If DRX is disabled, a UE continuously monitors a physi^¬ cal downlink control channel (PDCCH) for uplink (UL) and downlink (DL) grants. (b) If DRX is enabled, the following applies:

- The timeline is divided into DRX cycles, each com^¬ prising the same number of subframes (according to 3GPP TS 36.211, a subframe is 1/10 of a radio frame and the length of a subframe amounts to 1ms) , wherein one DRX cycle follows the next. The start of a DRX cycle is linked to a system frame number (SFN) and a UE-specific offset. - There are certain periods of time within a DRX cycle when the UE is in a "DRX Active" mode. If the UE is in the "DRX Active" mode, it monitors the PDCCH for UL and DL grants (UL grant and DL grant correspond to indications sent on the PDCCH in order to grant a DL or a UL transmission) . Hence, the UE can receive DL transmissions and can convey UL transmissions.

- When the UE is in a "DRX Sleep" mode (i.e. in case it is not in the "DRX Active" mode) , the UE does not monitor the PDCCH for UL and DL grants. Hence, the UE is not able to receive DL transmissions on a PDSCH for dedicated transport channels and will not perform UL transmissions on a PUSCH. Being in "DRX Sleep" mode, the UE ' s receiver that handles the reception on the PDCCH and a physical downlink shared channel

(PDSCH) is switched off and the UE thus saves power.

DRX cycles can have the following lengths: 10ms, 20ms, 32ms, 40ms, 64ms, 80ms, 128ms, 160ms, 256ms, 320ms, 512ms, 640ms, 1024ms, 1280ms, 2048ms or 2560ms. A "DRX OnDuration" timer and a "DRX Inactivity" timer are defined by 3GPP as follows:

(a) DRX OnDuration timer:

- One such timer is provided per UE .

- The timer is started with the first subframe of a DRX cycle .

- If the timer is running, the UE is in the "DRX Active" mode.

- Possible settings for this timer are defined in 3GPP TS 36.331.

- Unit: number of PDCCH subframes.

(b) DRX Inactivity timer:

- One such timer is provided per UE .

- The timer is started or restarted if the PDCCH indi^¬ cates a new UL or DL transmission and if the UE is in "DRX Active" mode at that time. If the timer is running, the UE is in the "DRX .

tive" mode.

Possible settings for this timer are defined in TS 36.331.

Unit: number of PDCCH subframes.

Fig.l shows a schematic diagram visualizing the functionality of a DRX OnDuration timer and a DRX Inactivity timer in a radio network between an eNB 103 and a UE 104.

At the beginning of every DRX cycle 101, the DRX OnDuration timer 102 is started. Hence, the UE 104 is in "DRX Active" mode for the first subframes of the DRX cycle 101 and can re^¬ ceive DL and UL grants from the eNB 103. At a time 105, a DL grant is sent on the PDCCH from the eNB 103 to the UE 104 and the DRX Inactivity timer is started (indicated by an arrow 107) thereby extending the duration of the "DRX Active" mode. At a time 106, another DL grant is sent to the UE 104 and the DRX Inactivity timer is re-started (indicated by an arrow 108), which extends the "DRX Active" mode for this UE 104.

Restarting of the DRX Inactivity timer results in the DRX Inactivity timer window being moved (extended) with every grant indicating a new transmission in UL or DL . This only occurs in case the UE 104 is the "DRX Active" mode; otherwise, the

UE 104 cannot receive such grant from the eNB 103. If the eNB 103 continuously provides such grants to the UE 103, the DRX Inactivity timer window is moved beyond the end of the DRX cycle 101, into the next DRX cycle 101. In such exemplary scenario, the UE 103 does not enter the "DRX Sleep" mode dur^¬ ing such DRX cycle 101.

If the eNB 103 does not provide any grants towards the UE 104, the DRX Inactivity timer expires and the UE 104 stops being in the "DRX Active" mode, hence it enters the "DRX Sleep" mode and is no longer able to listen on the PDCCH. In this scenario, the UE 104 is not able to receive and process any further DL grants from the eNB 103 until it awakes again, e.g., at the beginning of the next DRX cycle when the DRX On- Duration timer will be re-started or - as an alternative - when the UE 104 sends out a "Scheduling Request" at any time within the DRX cycle in order to indicate towards the eNB 103 that data in the UE ' s buffer requires UL transmission.

Fig.2 shows a schematic diagram visualizing the functionality of a "Scheduling Request" 201 issued at a time tl within a DRX cycle 204 by a UE 203 towards an eNB 202.

During the DRX cycle 204 the UE 203 enters the "DRX Sleep" mode. Hence, within this DRX cycle 204 the UE 203 will not receive any information from the eNB 202 unless the UE 203 itself initiates communication with the eNB 202 via the

"Scheduling Request" 201.

The "Scheduling Request" 201 can be sent at any time during the DRX cycle 204 when corresponding resources on PUCCH are assigned to the UE . These resources are assigned at a given periodicity (amounting to, e.g., 40ms) for one subframe. The UE 203 sends the "Scheduling Request" 201 when there is UL data to be conveyed to the eNB 202. Sending the "Scheduling Request" 201, the UE 203 becomes active. Pursuant to the "Scheduling Request" 201, the UE 203 remains in the "DRX Ac- tive" mode until the eNB 202 conveys an UL grant and the UE 203 starts the DRX Inactivity timer 205.

At a time t2, the eNB 202 starts the DRX Inactivity timer 205 and conveys an UL grant on the PDCCH to the UE 203. The UE 203 remains in the "DRX Active" mode due to the pending

"Scheduling Request" 201 and the running DRX Inactivity timer 205. At a time t3, the UE 203 transmits the UL data on the PUSCH towards the eNB. As the DRX Inactivity timer 205 has not yet expired, the UE 203 remains in the "DRX Active" mode.

If several UEs are scheduled without taking into account their relative time with respect to "DRX Active" mode and "DRX Sleep" mode, the eNB may not be able to get the data conveyed within a DRX cycle. Fig.3 shows a timing diagram visualizing this problem. For example, the eNB may have first DL data to be conveyed to a first UE 301 and second DL data to be conveyed to a second UE 302. At a time 303, the first UE 301 is near entering its "DRX Sleep" mode and the second UE 302 is still for some more time in its "DRX Active" mode. If the eNB decides to first convey the second data to the second UE 302 it will not be able to convey the first data to the first UE 301 within the same DRX cycle, because at a time 304 the first UE 301 will have entered "DRX Sleep" mode and cannot be reached by the eNB within this DRX cycle. This leads to a considerable delay 305 of data transmission to^¬ wards the first UE 301. This kind of uncontrolled scheduling with respect to the du^¬ ration of "DRX Active" modes may lead to poor delay perform^¬ ance of a UE, which enters the "DRX Sleep" mode, e.g., in a subsequent subframe. This is in particular a crucial issue considering settings for DRX, which lead to long periods for the UE maintaining its "DRX Sleep" mode. For example, VoIP connections require good performance and minor delay, because the voice transmitted is susceptible to any such delay. On the other hand, the UE has to economize its resources, thus using the DRX functionality to save energy.

The problem to be solved is to overcome the disadvantages mentioned above and in particular to provide an efficient so^¬ lution utilizing the DRX functionality. This problem is solved according to the features of the inde^¬ pendent claims. Further embodiments result from the depending claims .

In order to overcome this problem, a method is provided for data processing in a communication network,

- wherein a terminal is assigned a scheduling priority based on a time period until the terminal enters a sleep mode. This approach provides the advantage that the likelihood of considering a particular terminal increases when this terminal reaches the end of its active mode (before entering the sleep mode) . Hence, by considering the remaining time periods of (mobile) terminals being in their active mode, a delay in data transmission can be significantly reduced.

It is noted that the concept suggested herein is applicable for mobile networks as well as for fixed networks and for combinations thereof.

The approach described allows assigning a scheduling priority based on a time period unit the mobile or fixed terminal en- ters the sleep mode. This corresponds to the fact that the terminal has to be scheduled during its active mode. It is noted that the active mode may be a portion of an energy- saving (e.g., DRX) cycle during which the terminal could be reached by the network component, in particular the base sta- tion.

It is further noted that a terminal (in particular a UE) may run several services in parallel. Hence, providing a schedul^¬ ing priority could be service-specific, i.e., it may be ap- plicable for a subset of services.

With regard to LTE services, a differentiation in handling required is achieved by providing a mapping to separate bear^¬ ers; hence, a bearer may correspond to a basic means for an eNB to utilize service differentiation. Therefore, the pri^¬ oritization mechanism suggested could be applied for at least one bearer, in particular a subset of bearers, i.e., based on an availability of data of a certain bearer to be transmitted to/from the UE .

In an embodiment, the terminal is a mobile terminal or a fixed terminal . The mobile terminal may be any mobile device or mobile sta^¬ tion with an interface to a wireless network, in particular to a mobile telecommunication network. Hence, the communica^¬ tion network may be a telecommunication network comprising a radio portion (e.g., a radio access network) and a wireline portion. In such a scenario, the duration of the "DRX Active" mode and/or the "DRX sleep" mode may be correlated over both parts of the networks and the prioritization may be aligned with regard to the end-to-end connections.

Also, the terminal can be a terminal of a fixed network.

In another embodiment, the terminal provides an energy-saving functionality .

The energy-saving functionality may comprise said sleep mode and the active mode of the terminal.

In a further embodiment, the energy-saving functionality com- prises a discontinuous reception functionality comprising in particular a "DRX Active" mode and a "DRX Sleep" mode.

Hence, the time until the terminal enters the "DRX Sleep" mode (or the time the terminal stays in the "DRX Active" mode) can be considered when assigning a scheduling priority. The closer the end of the phase of the "DRX Active" mode ap^¬ proaches, the more likely the particular terminal will be considered for scheduling purposes by, e.g., a base station. It is noted that the terminal may use a discontinuous trans^¬ mission functionality to save energy. In such scenario, the power amplifier or parts of the transmission chain could be powered down during the time when the system is in the "DRX Sleep" mode. Then, no uplink data may await transmission from the UE. In a next embodiment, scheduling priority is assigned by a component of the communication network, in particular by a base station of a radio access network. Hence, the base station (e.g. eNB) may consider the mobile terminals (UEs) attached via said scheduling mechanism. The prioritization allows utilizing the active modes of the mo^¬ bile terminal such that data is transmitted to the mobile terminals before a timer at the mobile terminal expires and the mobile terminal enters its sleep mode. It is noted that the sleep mode may in particular last a predetermined period of time (e.g., a DRX cycle) then the mobile terminal may re^¬ enter its active mode. It is also noted that the mobile terminal may actively get re-activated during its sleep mode in case it needs to convey data to the base station (a scheduling request is sent to the base station by the mobile terminal and the mobile terminal is thus again in its active mode) . On the other hand, there may be no possibility for the base station (for the rest of a DRX cycle) to re-activate the mobile terminal after it has entered the sleep mode.

It is also an embodiment that the terminal is assigned a scheduling priority, said priority is increased with the de^¬ creasing time left until the terminal enters the sleep mode.

It is noted that the priority may depend on or it may change with the remaining active time.

Pursuant to another embodiment, the scheduling priority com^¬ prises a weighting factor that is based on a time left until the terminal enters the sleep mode. In particular, the scheduling priority may be based on a type of the terminal, a service being used (utilizing, e.g., a service-specific weight) , a remaining delay target, a re- source utilization (time, frequency, power, codes, etc.) and any combination thereof.

It is noted that the weighting factor depending on a remain- ing active time can be applied to any combination of criteria for prioritization purposes. For example, several weighting factors may be provided depending on several criteria, in particular at least on one prioritization scheduling criterion .

According to an embodiment, the scheduling priority is based on at least one class or type of terminal and/or service.

For example, delay-sensitive traffic can be scheduled using a higher weighting factor (and thus resulting in a higher likelihood of traffic being conveyed) compared to best effort traffic. This allows considering delay-sensitive terminals (e.g., mobile terminals conveying VoIP) with a higher prob^¬ ability in particular in case these terminals approach the end of their active modes.

According to another embodiment, scheduling among several terminals is prioritized based on the time the terminals en^¬ ter the sleep mode.

In other words, with regard to the DRX functionality, the scheduling (e.g., by a base station) can be conducted pursu^¬ ant to the time left for each mobile terminal (e.g., UE) in its respective "DRX Active" mode. A weighting factor can be utilized dependent on the remaining time in "DRX Active" mode .

In yet another embodiment, scheduling among several terminals is prioritized based on quality of service information and/or channel quality information.

Hence, the scheduling may in particular consider (in addition to the time left in active mode for each terminal) further criteria, e.g., a QoS (e.g., based on a service level agree^¬ ment) and/or a (e.g., measured) channel quality. For example, a terminal utilizing a service that requires a high QoS can be prioritized higher than a service that is, e.g., less sus- ceptible to delay. Also, the channel quality may be consid^¬ ered such that a poor channel may trigger an increase or a decrease of the prioritization for a particular terminal.

Timers related to DRX can be defined in the specification for the UE side, i.e., the UE may (re-) start a DRX OnDuration timer or a DRX Inactivity timer based on certain trigger conditions (e.g., the DRX Inactivity timer is (re-) started as soon as the UE has been scheduled) . The eNB may thus predict or track the status of the UE ' s DRX mode based on the same configuration information (i.e., timer settings, etc.) and monitor trigger events for (re-) starting timers (e.g., scheduling of the UE, reception of a scheduling request, etc.) .

According to a next embodiment, the terminal conveys a timing information regarding its sleep mode and/or an active mode to the network component assigning the scheduling priority.

Hence, the timing information regarding sleep and/or active mode can be conveyed from the (mobile) terminal to the net- work component, e.g., the base station (eNB) . The terminal thus informs the network component about its intention to en^¬ ter the sleep mode and/or about the time when it is going or intends to enter the sleep mode. Pursuant to yet an embodiment, the terminal conveys a request to enter sleep mode to the network component assigning the scheduling priority.

The (mobile) terminal may ask the network component whether or not it is acceptable to enter its sleep mode. Hence, the network component may indicate to the mobile terminal that it shall not yet enter the sleep mode, because additional data is to be conveyed from the network component to the terminal. Also, the terminal may obtain a confirmation from the network component to enter the sleep mode. As an alternative, a timer could be used by the terminal in order to wait for a response from the network component for a predefined period of time; if no such response has been provided when the timer expires, the terminal enters the sleep mode.

It is noted that the UE may determine the "DRX Active" mode and the "DRX Sleep" mode based on configuration information (e.g., timer settings, etc) and/or trigger conditions, and the eNB may predict the UE ' s "DRX Active" mode and/or the UE ' s "DRX Sleep" mode based on the same (type of) informa^¬ tion . The problem stated above is also solved by a device for data processing in a communication network, comprising or being associated with a processing unit that is arranged

- for assigning a scheduling priority to a terminal

based on a time period until the terminal enters a sleep mode.

It is noted that the steps of the method stated herein may be executable on this processing unit as well. It is further noted that said processing unit can comprise at least one, in particular several means that are arranged to execute the steps of the method described herein. The means may be logically or physically separated; in particular sev^¬ eral logically separate means could be combined in at least one physical unit.

Said processing unit may comprise at least one of the follow^¬ ing: a processor, a microcontroller, a hard-wired circuit, an ASIC, an FPGA, a logic device.

As an embodiment, the device could be a component of the com^¬ munication network, in particular a base station of a radio access network. The solution provided herein further comprises a computer program product directly loadable into a memory of a digital computer, comprising software code portions for performing the steps of the method as described herein.

In addition, the problem stated above is solved by a com^¬ puter-readable medium, e.g., storage of any kind, having com^¬ puter-executable instructions adapted to cause a computer system to perform the method as described herein.

Furthermore, the problem stated above is solved by a communi^¬ cation system comprising at least one device as described herein .

Embodiments of the invention are shown and illustrated in the following figures:

Fig.4 shows an exemplary diagram visualizing possible

weighting factors in view of a time duration until a mobile terminal enters its "DRX Sleep" mode;

Fig.5 shows a network component, e.g., a base station, a gateway, a router, a switch, etc. that is connected to a network and the network component is connected to two terminals, wherein the terminals are scheduled by the network component.

The solution presented herein in particular suggests priori- tizing UE scheduling such that a UE, which is closer to an end of its "DRX Active" mode, will be scheduled with a higher probability .

The solution allows for a dynamic prioritization among sev- eral UEs as follows:

(1) UEs that are in "DRX Active" mode that will last at

least as long as a predetermined duration (given, e.g., by a threshold value) can be scheduled according to a criterion (e.g., pursuant to a normal schedule) for QoS and/or channel quality. This enables QoS differentiation and channel-aware scheduling gains.

(2) UEs that are close to an end of their "DRX Active" mode (e.g., time remaining in "DRX Active" for the UE is be^¬ low a given threshold value) can be scheduled, e.g., with an increased priority. For example, the priority can be increased with the decreasing time left in the

"DRX Active" mode.

Hence, a prioritization of UEs can be provided pursuant to their individual time left in the "DRX Active" mode. A weighting factor can be utilized dependent on the remaining time in "DRX Active" mode; such weighting factor takes into account the distance to the end of the current "DRX Active" mode phase. The closer the end of the "DRX Active" mode, the higher the weighting factor may be set so that the respective UE is scheduled by a base station (eNB) with a higher prob^¬ ability at the end of its current "DRX Active" mode.

The criterion for scheduling of UEs may in particular depend on QoS information and/or channel quality. For example, a criterion C±(t) for prioritization of a UE i for scheduling with respect to an upcoming subframe t can be set as follows:

Ci(t) = f ( QoS, channel quality (t) , ...) Hence, the criterion C±(t) can be a function dependent on the QoS, the channel quality over time t, etc. This criterion Ci(t) can be adjusted for the UEs running in "DRX Active" mode by a weighting factor w as follows: Ci,_DRx_Activity (t) = Ci(t) * w(t_disti), with t_dist± being a time duration from an actual time t to an end time of the UE ' s i current "DRX Active" mode. This new criterion CI,_DRX Activity (t) can be used for prioritizing the scheduling of UEs.

Fig.4 shows an exemplary diagram as how the weighting factor w(t_disti) can be realized as a function of the remaining time until an end of the "DRX Active" mode is reached. For example, as shown in Fig.4, in case the time t_dist± until the end of the "DRX Active" mode is reached for a particular UE i amounts to "1" (only little time left), the weighting factor w is set to "9" (high weighting factor) . Hence, the probability of scheduling this UE i is high as otherwise the UE may enter the "DRX Sleep" mode and cannot be reached from the base station within the very same DRX cycle. As another example, if the time t_dist± amounts to "2", the weighting factor w is set to "7" and if the time t_dist± amounts to "3", the weighting factor w is set to "5". If the time t_dist± amounts to "4", the weighting factor w is set to "3" and for a time t_dist± amounting to at least "5", the weight^¬ ing factor w is set to "1". This indicates that the closer the end of a "DRX Active" mode, the higher said weighting factor w becomes.

It is noted that the values shown in Fig.4 are exemplary fig^¬ ures. The weighting factors may be provided such to fulfill the following condition w(t_disti) >= w(t_disti + 1), hence, the higher the time duration t_dist± the lower the weighting factor. This condition can be optimized for VoIP. Furthermore, the values of the weighting factor can be set such that they increase significantly the smaller the time t_dist± becomes. It is noted that the weighting factors may be based on other criteria as well, e.g., any criterion that can be utilized for determining a prioritization and/or for scheduling purposes. This weighting factor w in particular is of advantage in case too many UEs are active in a cell and not all UEs can be served in every subframe. Hence, a decision has to be made to temporarily remove some UEs from scheduling. Such decision can be reached based on the prioritization mechanism presented herein.

Fig.5 shows a network component 501, e.g., a base station, a gateway, a router, a switch, etc., that is connected to a network 502. Also, the network component 501 is connected to a terminal 503 and to a terminal 504. The connection between the network component 501 and the terminals 503, 504 could be realized as a radio connection or a connection via a fixed line.

Traffic (e.g. voice traffic) from the network 502 is sched^¬ uled by the network component 501 considering the time the terminals 503, 504 remain in their active mode, i.e. the time before the terminals 503, 504 enter a sleep mode to save en^¬ ergy .

If the terminal 503 is about to enter its sleep mode and the terminal 504 remains in active mode for some more time, the terminal 503 is scheduled at a higher priority, because of its impending sleep mode and receives its traffic prior to the terminal 504, which will be scheduled afterwards. The scheduling may, as described above, further consider other parameters as the type of the terminal, the type of data, the QoS, the channel quality, etc. This may lead to a different decision, in case due to its type of traffic, the terminal 503 would have been insusceptible to delay, but terminal 504 conducts a VoIP call which is very delay-sensitive. Also, the terminals 503, 504 may convey information regarding time information of their sleep modes or active modes to the network component 501. This information can be utilized when scheduling the terminals 503, 504. Also, as an option, the terminals 503, 504 may send a request to enter the sleep mode and wait for a confirmation from the network component 501. This avoids a terminal entering its sleep mode just before it would have been served with additional data and therefore al- lows for an efficient power-saving mechanism.

It is noted that the entities shown in Fig.5 could be imple^¬ mented by a person skilled in the art as various physical units, wherein the terminal may be a mobile terminal and the network component could be realized as a the base station.

The terminal or the network component could be realized as or associated with at least one logical entity that may be de^¬ ployed as hardware, program code, e.g., software and/or firm^¬ ware, running on a processing unit, e.g., a computer, micro- controller, ASIC, FPGA and/or any other logic device.

The functionality described herein may be based on an exist^¬ ing component of a (wireless) network, which is extended by means of software and/or hardware. The base station (s) men- tioned herein could also be referred to as any base station, base transceiver station or base station controller pursuant to any communication standard. Accordingly, the mobile device (mobile terminal, mobile station, UE) may be realized pursu^¬ ant to any existing or upcoming communication standard.

The approach described allows assigning a scheduling priority based on a time period unit the mobile or fixed terminal en^¬ ters the sleep mode. This corresponds to the fact that the terminal has to be scheduled during its active mode. It is noted that the active mode may be a portion of a DRX cycle during which the terminal could be reached by the network component, in particular the base station.

It is further noted that the solution presented herein can be applied to LTE and technologies other than LTE . These tech^¬ nologies other than LTE may in particular comprise upcoming releases or Standards. Also, the solution may be applied to all kinds of mobile and/or fixed networks, in particular pro- viding corresponding interfaces, timers and/or elements of architecture .

Further Advantages:

With a considerable likelihood, the delay of transmission is reduced and/or avoided by efficiently scheduling UEs and avoiding "DRX Sleep" mode when data is to be conveyed from the base station to the UE .

Accordingly, the probability for the UE to be scheduled within its "DRX Active" mode phase is increased. This allows fulfilling QoS requirements in combination with a DRX functionality. Hence, the approach provides an efficient solution to offer an improved performance for delay-sensitive traffic like VoIP.

By appropriately adjusting the weighting factor a tradeoff between DRX prioritization and other scheduling criteria can be adjusted meeting individual requirements, e.g. of a net^¬ work operator and/or a subscriber.

It is an option to provide a weighting factor w that is spe^¬ cific for classes of UEs providing different capabilities and for separate services. For example, delay-sensitive traffic can be scheduled using a higher weighting factor (and thus resulting in a higher likelihood of traffic being conveyed) compared to best effort traffic. This allows considering de^¬ lay-sensitive terminals (e.g., mobile terminals conveying VoIP) with a higher probability in particular in case these terminals approach the end of their active mode. It is noted, however, that different bearers may be defined for different QoS levels, thus the types of services utilized by the termi^¬ nal may differ, hence the prioritization could be provided considering such types of services. List of Abbreviations :

3GPP 3rd Generation Partnership Project

BS Base Station

DL Downlink

DRX Discontinuous Reception

eNB evolved NodeB

IP Internet Protocol

LTE Long Term Evolution

PDCCH Physical Downlink Control Channel

PDSCH Physical Downlink Shared Channel

PUCCH Physical Uplink Control Channel

PUSCH Physical Uplink Shared Channel

QoS Quality of Service

RRC Radio Resource Control

RRM Radio Resource Management

SFN System Frame Number

TS Technical Specification

UE User Equipment

UL Uplink

VoIP Voice over IP

Claims

A method for data processing in a communication network, - wherein a terminal is assigned a scheduling priority based on a time period until the terminal enters a sleep mode.

The method according to claim 1, wherein the terminal is a mobile terminal or a fixed terminal.

The method according to any of the preceding claims, wherein the terminal provides an energy-saving functionality.

The method according to claim 3, wherein the energy- saving functionality comprises a discontinuous reception functionality comprising in particular a "DRX Active" mode and a "DRX Sleep" mode.

The method according to any of the preceding claims, wherein scheduling priority is assigned by a component of the communication network, in particular by a base station of a radio access network.

The method according to any of the preceding claims, wherein the terminal is assigned a scheduling priority, said priority is increased with the decreasing time left until the terminal enters the sleep mode.

The method according to any of the preceding claims, wherein the scheduling priority comprises a weighting factor that is based on a time left until the terminal enters the sleep mode.

The method according to any of the preceding claims, wherein the scheduling priority is based on at least one class or type of terminal and/or service.

The method according to any of the preceding claims, wherein scheduling among several terminals is priori- tized based on the time the terminals enter the sleep mode .

10. The method according to any of the preceding claims, wherein scheduling among several terminals is prioritized based on quality of service information and/or channel quality information.

11. The method according to any of the preceding claims, wherein the terminal conveys a timing information regarding its sleep mode and/or an active mode to the net^¬ work component assigning the scheduling priority.

12. The method according to any of the preceding claims, wherein the terminal conveys a request to enter sleep mode to the network component assigning the scheduling priority .

13. A device for data processing in a communication network comprising a processing unit that is arranged

- for assigning a scheduling priority to a terminal

based on a time period until the terminal enters a sleep mode.

14. The device according to claim 13, wherein the device is a component of the communication network, in particular a base station.

15. A communication system comprising at least one device according to any of claims 13 or 14.