TWI498017B - Apparatus and methods for network detection and mitigation of hybrid client device operation - Google Patents

Description

Apparatus and method for network detection and mitigation of mixed client device operation priority

The present application claims priority to U.S. Provisional Patent Application No. 61/685,891, the entire disclosure of which is hereby incorporated by in its entirety in the entire entire entire entire entire entire entire entire entire entire entire entire entire entire entire entire entire entire entire entire entire entire entire entire entire entire entire entire entire entire entire entire entire entire entire entire entire entire entire entire entire entire entire entire entire entire entire entire entire entire entire entire entire entire entire entire entire entire entire entire entire entire entire entire entire entire entire entire entire entire entire entire entire entire entire entire entire entire entire entire entire entire entire entire entire entire entire entire entire entire entire entire entire entire contents In this article.

Related application

The present application is related to the following application in the co-owned, co-pending application: U.S. Patent Application Serial No. 13/475,482, filed on May 18, 2012, entitled "APPARATUS AND METHODS FOR CLIENT SERVER INTERACTION IN HYBRID NETWORK ENVIRONMENTS" U.S. Patent Application Serial No. 13/475,655, filed on May 18, 2012, entitled "APPARATUS AND METHODS FOR OPTIMIZING SCHEDULED OPERATIONS IN HYBRID NETWORK ENVIRONMENTS", filed on May 18, 2012, entitled "APPARATUS AND U.S. Patent Application Serial No. 13/475, 802, filed on May 2, 2011, and entitled "SINGLE-RADIO DEVICE SUPPORTING COEXISTENCE BETWEEN MULTIPLE RADIO ACCESS TECHNOLOGIES", US Patent Application Serial No. 13/475, 802, filed on May 2, 2011 13/099, 204. The case is also related to the following application: US temporary application filed on April 25, 2011 entitled "DUAL NETWORK MOBILE DEVICE RADIO RESOURCE MANAGEMENT" Patent Application No. 61/______, US Provisional Patent Application No. 61/______, filed on April 6, 2011 and entitled "MULTIPLE NETWORK MOBILE DEVICE CONNECTION MANAGEMENT", filed on January 14, 2011 U.S. Provisional Patent Application No. 61/______ entitled "DYNAMIC LOADING IN DEVICES WITH MULTIPLE ANTENNAS", and U.S. Provisional Patent entitled "MULTIMODE USER EQUIPMENT WITH DUAL CIRCUIT ARCHITECTURE", filed on January 14, 2011 Application No. 61/______, the entire contents of each of which is incorporated herein by reference.

The present invention is generally directed to operations within heterogeneous wireless systems, such as hybrid network operations where a client device can communicate using any of a number of networks. More particularly, in an exemplary aspect, the present invention introduces a method and apparatus for network-based detection and mitigation for mixing client devices to receive an interrupt event.

Honeycomb network operators provide mobile telecommunication services to the public via network infrastructures such as cellular base stations (BSs), base station controllers, infrastructure nodes, and the like. There are a wide variety of cellular technologies available, and historically, cellular devices have been dedicated to operation within a single cellular network. However, as cellular technology becomes more and more commoditized, devices are now able to provide so-called "multi-mode" operation; that is, a single device can operate on two or more cellular networks. Multi-mode operation allows the device to operate on any of a number of network technologies, but does not enable simultaneous operation of multiple network technologies.

The initial research was directed to so-called "hybrid" network operations. During hybrid network operation, the client device operates simultaneously in multiple distinct networks with different technologies. In an exemplary situation, the hybrid device can support two (i) Long Term Evolution (LTE) networks, and (ii) a code division multiple access 1X (CDMA 1X) network; that is, the device can maintain the A simultaneous connection between an LTE network and a second CDMA 1X network. For example, LTE/CDMA The 1X hybrid device can make voice calls over a CDMA 1X network while the mobile device is in LTE mode. In another exemplary scenario, the hybrid device can support both: (i) a CDMA 1X-EVDO (Evolution Data Optimized) network, and (ii) a CDMA 1X network.

Existing solutions for hybrid network operations rely on client devices to manage their own operations between networks. Specifically, the client device is responsible for maintaining its connection to various service networks; there is no required change to the existing network installation (ie, hybrid network operation does not affect the old version of the network infrastructure. Body and software). A client-centric hybrid operation has several benefits. For example, for network operators, there are very few (if any) infrastructure costs. In addition, hardware costs can be incorporated into the price of consumer devices. In addition, hybrid network operations will not affect existing legacy devices. Similarly, devices capable of mixing operations are also capable of normal operation.

However, since existing solutions for hybrid network operation do not need to form a network to coordinate with each other, the client device will inevitably experience some scheduling conflicts. For example, in the context of the foregoing example of LTE/CDMA operation, when a mobile device is attached to a first LTE network, it must periodically "untune" from the LTE network to perform a CDMA 1X action (such as Decode the fast paging channel (QPCH) to determine if the device is being paged. If the mobile device is receiving data from the LTE network during the detuning period, this data is lost, which can negatively impact the throughput and ultimately affect the user experience. In addition, the detuned mobile device will lose any broadcasted updated network resource information or control data, which may result in the mobile device being barred from accessing the LTE network (at least for a period of time).

In addition, network resources assigned to detuned client devices are wasted and/or underutilized.

Accordingly, there is a particular need for improved methods and apparatus that minimize the effects of such detuned devices on the network.

The foregoing needs are met, inter alia, by providing improved apparatus and methods for detecting and mitigating interrupt events for mixed client devices.

First, a method for network-based detection and mitigation for mixing client devices to receive interrupt events is disclosed. In an embodiment, the method includes: determining one of a reception loss event associated with a client device; adjusting an operation of the client device; monitoring reception recovery; and continuing to resume normal operation if the reception is resumed; Open the client device.

Also disclosed herein is a network-based detection and mitigation apparatus for mixing client devices to receive an interrupt event. In one embodiment, the device is a network based entity (eg, a server). In another embodiment, the device is a mobile device such as a smart phone or tablet computer.

In another embodiment, the apparatus includes: at least one wireless interface configured to wirelessly communicate via at least a first wireless technology and a second wireless technology, the first technique being different from the second technology; a processor that communicates with the at least one wireless interface; and logic that communicates with the at least one processor. In a variant, the logic is configured to perform the step of identifying an occurrence of a receive loss event associated with a wireless interface of a client device, the wireless interface of the client device conforming to the second wireless technology Adjusting at least one aspect of operation of the client device, the adjusting comprising adjusting at least one aspect of the reduction in utilization of network resources by the client device for at least one time period; monitoring by the client The device performs reception recovery; when the reception is resumed, the operation is resumed according to an established agreement; and the user device is disconnected when the reception is not resumed.

Further disclosed is a computer readable storage device. In one embodiment, the apparatus includes a storage medium storing at least one computer program, the at least one program configured to, when executed, cause a computerized device to perform the step of determining one of associated with a client device Receiving a lost event; adjusting the operation of the client device; monitoring the reception recovery; Resume, resume normal operation; and otherwise disconnect the client device.

A hybrid network system is also disclosed. In an embodiment, the system includes at least two networks, and at least one network of the hybrid network system is scheduled based on a high priority task of one or more of the at least two networks The priority of one or more of the tasks.

Further disclosed herein is a client device capable of hybrid network operation. In one embodiment, the client device is a wireless capable mobile device having one or more empty interfacing surfaces for communicating with a plurality of different wireless network infrastructures. A client device for use in a wireless network is also disclosed. In one embodiment, the wireless network is configured to provide network-based detection and mitigation of a client device receiving an interrupt event, and the client device includes: at least one wireless interface, the at least one wireless interface group And for performing wireless communication via at least a first wireless technology and a second wireless technology, the first technology being different from the second technology; at least one processor performing data communication with the at least one wireless interface; and logic Data communication with the at least one processor. In a variant, the logic is configured to perform the steps of: signaling an occurrence or initial occurrence of a reception loss event associated with the at least one wireless interface to a network entity; receiving the user device At least one adjustment of at least one aspect of the operation, the adjusting comprising adjusting at least one aspect of the reduction in utilization of the network material by the client device for at least one time period; and performing the adjustment of the reception.

A method of operating a wireless network entity to mitigate wastage of network resources associated with at least one mobile device of the network is also disclosed. In one embodiment, the method includes receiving one or more communications from the at least one mobile device, evaluating the receiving one or more communications, and inferring from the evaluation that one of the receiving events is lost for the at least one mobile device Initially, and based at least in part on the inference, adjusting (i) operation of at least one of the network and/or (ii) the at least one mobile device, wherein the adjusting provides the mitigation.

Other features and advantages will be apparent to those skilled in the art in light of the <RTIgt;

100‧‧‧Hybrid network system

102A‧‧‧First Long Term Evolution Radio Access Network (LTE RAN)

102B‧‧‧Second Code Division Multiple Access 1X Radio Access Network (CDMA 1X RAN)

200‧‧‧ User Equipment (UE) Client Device/User Equipment (UE) device

202‧‧‧RF (RF) front end / antenna

204‧‧‧Baseband processor

206‧‧‧Application Processor

208‧‧‧ memory

210‧‧‧Switching fabric

302‧‧‧Short time interval

304‧‧‧More lengthy tasks

400‧‧‧Network-based detection and mitigation method for mixed client devices receiving interrupt events

500‧‧‧Network-based detection and mitigation method for mixed client devices receiving interrupt events

600‧‧‧Network entities/devices

602‧‧‧Wireless interface/honeycomb interface

604‧‧‧ processor

606‧‧‧Storage device

612‧‧‧Network interface

1 is a logic block diagram illustrating an exemplary hybrid network system for use in conjunction with various features of the present invention.

2 is a functional block diagram of an exemplary embodiment of a User Equipment (UE) device.

3 is a graphical representation of a tuning offset period along an exemplary timeline, in accordance with an embodiment.

4 is a logic flow diagram detailing one embodiment of a method for network-based detection and mitigation for a hybrid client device receiving an interrupt event.

5 is a logic flow diagram detailing an exemplary embodiment of the method of FIG. 4 in the context of a long term evolution network and a code division multiple access 1X network.

6 is a functional block diagram of an exemplary embodiment of a wireless network device for implementing various methods of the present invention.

All schemas © Copyright is owned by Apple Inc. from 2012 to 2013. all rights reserved.

Referring now to the drawings in which like reference

Detailed Description of Exemplary Embodiments

Illustrative embodiments and aspects of the invention are now described in detail. Although these embodiments and aspects are mainly discussed in the context of Long Term Evolution (LTE), Code Division Multiple Access 1X (CDMA 1X) cellular networks, and CDMA 1X EVDO (Evolution Data Optimization), they are generally familiar with Those skilled in the art will recognize that the various features of the present invention are not so limited and can be used with other cellular technologies, such as TD-LTE (Time Division Long Term Evolution), TD-LTE-Advanced, TD-SCDMA (Time Division Synchronous Code Division Multiple Access) and Global System for Mobile Communications (GSM). In fact, the various features can be combined with any network (honeycomb network, wireless network, wired network, or other network) that can benefit from network-based detection and mitigation of mixed event devices receiving interrupt events.

LTE/CDMA 1X hybrid network operation -

FIG. 1 illustrates an exemplary hybrid network system 100. The exemplary hybrid network includes a first LTE RAN (Radio Access Network) 102A and a second CDMA 1X RAN 102B in communication with a User Equipment (UE) Client Device 200. As shown in Figure 1, the LTE RAN is non-synchronous with the CDMA 1X RAN and is completely unaware of the operation of another RAN. In other cases, the RAN may have a higher level of coordination; for example, the RAN may be loosely synchronized, or even closely synchronized in certain aspects of its operation.

Referring now to Figure 2, an exemplary user equipment (UE) device 200 is illustrated in greater detail. The UE of Figure 2 can be, for example, a single radio solution supporting circuit switched calls over CDMA 1X networks and packet switched calls over LTE; in particular, UEs have a single alternate for CDMA 1X or LTE processing Radio frequency (RF) processing "chain". In particular, a single RF chain periodically tune away from LTE and monitor CDMA 1X activity, and a single RF chain periodically tune away from CDMA 1X and monitor LTE activity. The UE includes: (i) one or more radio frequency (RF) front ends 202 (eg, other RF front ends may be present for other radio access technologies, etc.); (ii) one or more baseband processors 204; (iii) at least one application processor 206 and associated memory 208. In various implementations, the RF front end and baseband processor can be further dedicated to handling a single wireless technology, or generalized to cover multiple wireless technologies.

As shown, the exemplary UE includes a first RF front end coupled to a first baseband processor and a second baseband processor adapted to respectively interface to an LTE network and a CDMA 1X network Both. It should be further appreciated that the foregoing configurations are merely illustrative, and that various implementations may include other cellular technologies in various combinations, such as GSM, GPRS, EDGE, WCDMA, CDMA2000, CDMA 1X EVDO, LTE-A (LTE Into Order) and so on. Moreover, while only a single RF front end is shown for simplicity, it should be understood that the RF front end can (and generally will) include multiple receive and/or transmit antennas and/or chains. For example, MIMO (multiple input multiple output), SISO (single input single output), MISO (multiple loss) The single-input output and SIMO (single-input multiple-output) antenna configurations are widely used in the prior art and can be used consistently with the present invention.

Additionally, in an exemplary embodiment, the UE 200 further includes a switch fabric 210 that can connect any one or more of the baseband processors 204 to each (or more) of the antennas 202. The illustrated handover fabric is adapted to connect the LTE baseband or CDMA 1X baseband to the RF front end. However, a common embodiment can connect a baseband processor to an antenna ("one-to-one"), connect a baseband processor to multiple antennas ("one-to-many"), and connect multiple baseband processors. To an antenna ("many to one"), and so on. This "switching" capability factor is required for a number of reasons, including, inter alia: (i) power management; (ii) processing efficiency/flexibility; and (iii) wireless electronics sets that may require only mobile devices to function at any one time. The antenna isolation constraint in . In some small form factor designs, there is not enough space during operation to completely isolate multiple antennas; therefore, only one antenna (or a limited subset) can be active at any time. Similarly, certain form factors are designed to reuse antennas for different wireless interfaces such that only one wireless interface can use a common antenna at any given time. Other motivators should be aware of other motivating factors, and such motivating factors are not further discussed herein (eg, commercial or profit considerations, network utilization, etc.).

In addition, it should be appreciated that other components are typically incorporated into UE 200, but are not discussed further herein. For example, the UE may include a user interface component (display screen, buttons, touch screen such as a multi-touch display, a dial pad, etc.), a memory component (eg, RAM (random access memory), fast) flash memory, hard disk drive (HDD), etc.), power management component (e.g., a battery, charger assembly, etc.), and an external interface ^{(e.g., FireWire TM, Universal Serial Bus TM} (USB), Thunderbolt , etc.).

Moreover, it should be appreciated that the UE depicted in FIG. 2 is merely illustrative of one exemplary embodiment. Further other variants for the use of the various features disclosed herein are described in more detail in the following co-owned and co-pending application: filed on Apr. 25, 2011, entitled &quot;DUAL NETWORK MOBILE DEVICE RADIO RESOURCE MANAGEMENT US Provisional Patent Application No. 61/______, US Provisional Patent Application No. 61/______, entitled "MULTIPLE NETWORK MOBILE DEVICE CONNECTION MANAGEMENT", filed on April 6, 2011, in January 2011 U.S. Provisional Patent Application No. 61/______, filed on the 14th, entitled "DYNAMIC LOADING IN DEVICES WITH MULTIPLE ANTENNAS", and filed on January 14, 2011, entitled "MULTIMODE USER EQUIPMENT WITH DUAL CIRCUIT ARCHITECTURE" US Provisional Patent Application No. 61/______, and U.S. Patent Application Serial No. 13/099,204, filed on May 2, 2011, entitled &quot;SINGLE-RADIO DEVICE SUPPORTING COEXISTENCE BETWEEN MULTIPLE RADIO ACCESS TECHNOLOGIES," The entire text of each of the examples is incorporated herein by reference.

The exemplary UE 200 of FIG. 2 is capable of LTE/CDMA 1X mixed mode operation within, for example, the hybrid network system of FIG. In particular, the UE 200 can issue a CDMA 1X voice call while registering with the LTE network. During the hybrid operation, the UE may register to both the LTE network 102A and the CDMA 1X network 102B. The UE can receive and respond to data and control messages from the LTE network or the CDMA 1X network; however, as previously discussed, the UE cannot respond to both networks simultaneously, and thus in the illustrated embodiment The UE is configured to always prioritize CDMA 1X (voice call) traffic prior to LTE (data) traffic to ensure that the user experience of the voice call is not affected. Other embodiments may have other prioritization schemes (eg, where voice calls have lower priority based on the type of traffic, historical device usage, QoS requirements, etc.).

Once the UE 200 has been connected to the LTE network 102A, the UE will periodically "tune" its radio from the LTE network to perform CDMA 1X maintenance actions, such as acquiring a CDMA 1X cell, to the CDMA 1X cell that is sought Register and receive CDMA 1X paging, and more. Depending on the radio conditions of the CDMA 1X network 102B, the time range of such actions may be eighty milliseconds (80 ms) in an exemplary embodiment until Several seconds (4s to 6s). In addition, the LTE connection can be dropped when the UE receives or places a voice call on the CDMA 1X network. As used hereinafter, the terms "tuning deviation", "detuning", etc. are used interchangeably, and similarly, the reciprocal terms "tuned in", "tuned back", etc. are used interchangeably. More generally, the "tune-off" operation is grouped into a larger group of user-side device reception interrupt events. Specifically, the client device (in the case of network coordination or no network coordination) initiates receipt of an interrupt event by the user device to deliberately or indirectly disable the reception of the user device. Achieve some other purpose or goal. Common examples include, for example, performing measurements on other networks, reducing power consumption, reducing interference with other nearby devices, reserving processing resources for other applications, and the like.

Referring back to the exemplary UE 200 of Figure 2, there are several events that can trigger a tune-away event. Common examples include (not limited to): (i) registration; (ii) location update; (iii) paging; (iv) search operation; (v) cell measurement; (vi) voice call event (mobile device initiation (MO) (ie, issued by the mobile device) and the termination of the mobile device (MT) (ie, received by the mobile device); (vii) the service suspension (OOS) procedure, and the like. The tuning deviation event may be periodic (or otherwise scheduled in a predictable manner), or may be a completely unpredictable interrupt event, or a variant or combination thereof. The duration of the tuning deviation event varies dramatically from a few milliseconds to a few seconds.

For example, within the context of the content, the UE may periodically tune away from the LTE network to tune into the CDMA 1X network to detect the paging channel, and perform the measurement of the serving cell and the neighboring cell of the CDMA 1X network. . Less frequently, tuning deviation events can require substantially longer intervals to perform lengthy maintenance tasks. For example, an exemplary timeline is shown in FIG. As illustrated, during normal operation, the mobile device periodically tunes to the CDMA 1X network for a brief time interval 302. Occasionally, the device must perform a more lengthy task 304. Common examples of lengthy tasks include (not limited to) Location Area Update (LAU), where mobile devices must actively exchange information with CDMA 1X networks; periods of poor reception (eg, mobile devices may require additional time to decode message delivery ( For example, pass Call channel, etc.)); and so on.

While the foregoing is discussed with respect to LTE/CDMA 1X capable client devices, it should be further appreciated that similar (if not the same) complication occurs in other hybrid client devices. For example, other mobile devices may be capable of implementing Time Division Long Term Evolution (TD-LTE) technology and Time Division Synchronous Code Division Multiple Access (TD-SCDMA) technology. In LTE (also known as Frequency Division Duplex LTE (FD-LTE)), different frequencies are used to transmit the downlink and uplink. In Time Division Duplex LTE (TD-LTE), the downlink and uplink are on the same frequency, and separation occurs in the time domain such that each direction in the call is assigned to a particular time slot.

Similarly, Time Division Synchronous Coded Multiple Access (TD-SCDMA) allows traffic to be transmitted on the uplink (from the mobile terminal to the base station) and on the downlink using different time slots in the same frame ( From base station to mobile terminal).

Embodiments of the present invention contemplate that such techniques are used collectively and separately (in conjunction with other techniques) in a hybrid network, such as by using the methods described herein with reference to Figure 4 (except using the radio access technology set forth herein) One or more different combinations). For example, in an exemplary embodiment related to both TD-LTE and TD-SCDMA, a UE connected to a TD-LTE network will periodically tune its radio (or event based or based on others) Deviating from the TD-LTE network to perform TD-SCDMA actions, such as cell selection, registration, and receiving paging.

In addition, the Global System for Mobile Communications (GSM) is a cellular technology standard that has evolved several advancements, including Integrated Packet Radio Service (GPRS), Enhanced Data Rate GSM Evolution (EDGE), and also known as 3G (third generation). UMTS Universal Mobile Telecommunications System (UMTS). Various other common embodiments may further combine any of LTE or TD-LTE with GSM, GPRS, EDGE, UMTS, and the like.

Unfortunately, during a tune-away operation, the network (eg, an evolved NodeB (eNB)) may not know that the UE has been detuned. This situation may have significant undesirable effects. For example, the eNB may grant uplink (UL) resources to the UE (these will not be used) Resources), or grant downlink (DL) resources for transmission (these transmissions will be lost). Similarly, the eNB will not receive Physical Uplink Control Channel (PUCCH) information (eg, Hybrid Automatic Repeat Request (HARQ) Answer (ACK) / Negative Acknowledgement (NACK); Channel Quality Indicator (CQI), Rank Indication ( RI), Precoding Matrix Information (PMI), etc., which may result in unnecessary retransmissions and/or incorrect or outdated information.

More serious consequences can occur when the UE uses "outdated" information for inappropriate operation. For example, if the eNB does not receive a sounding reference signal (SRS), the eNB may improperly schedule the UE for the UL schedule. Similarly, the UE and the eNB may lose synchronization if the radio resource connection (RRC) inactivity timer expires during the tune-away operation. In either case, the UE may transmit control signaling (eg, PUCCH transmission, SRS transmission, Physical Random Access Channel (PRACH), etc.) on the outdated resource, which contributes to overall network pollution.

In still other cases, the UE and the eNB may completely lose connectivity. This situation can result in an extended time for the UE's service blackout. For example, premature radio link failure (RLF) can cause other synchronization problems, spotty reception, and excessive connection attempts.

method-

Referring now to Figure 4, an embodiment of a method 400 for network-based detection and mitigation of a hybrid client device receiving an interrupt event is illustrated. In one case, the client device is connected to the first network, wherein the first network is completely unaware of the connection of the client device to other networks. Alternatively, the first network may have limited information about nearby networks (eg, timing information, registered devices, etc.) that may be renewed periodically, but are not integrated into the operational decisions of the first network.

At step 402, the network determines a receive loss event associated with the client device. In one variation, the reception loss is detected based on one or more handshakes or events that are incomplete and/or not received. In an alternative variant, the reception loss is detected based on the length of time that the signal is not received from the user device.

In still other alternative variations, the receive loss event is signaled to the network. In one embodiment, the signaling is implicit in one or more existing protocols (i.e., the loss event can be inferred only by a call to the agreement). Alternatively, the signaling may be explicit (eg, using a proprietary messaging protocol implemented for a purpose, or alternatively using an existing messaging protocol that has been "changed" or "bearing" necessary to signal), or may be used A "hybrid" approach to implicit or explicit techniques, such as one of the two techniques is more suitable for one operating situation, while the other is more suitable for another.

In still other variations, the reception loss is based on one or more failed access attempts initiated by the network.

It will also be appreciated that combinations of the foregoing may be used simultaneously (eg, two of the three implicit/explicit criteria must be met prior to establishing "lost"), or alternatively used in different situations (eg, in one A set of criteria or a set of criteria is used in the case, and another set or another set of criteria is used in the second case).

At step 404 of method 400, the network adjusts the operation of the client device. In an embodiment, the network is adjusted by leaving less resources for the client device. Alternatively, the network may not reserve any resources for the client device. These actions result in a reduction in "wasted" network resources; that is, the release of resources that would otherwise be allocated to the client but not used.

In an embodiment, the network may revoke one or more layers of the context of the device. In an exemplary embodiment, one or more layers of the device context include status information for one or more communication protocol stack software elements or layers. For example, in such a scenario, the network may revoke one or more of the following: an entity software layer, a radio link layer, a media access (eg, MAC) layer, and the like.

In step 406, the network monitors the reception recovery; if the reception is resumed, the network resumes normal operation (this situation may occur immediately, or ensure that the reception actually waits for a "response" or other period of reliable recovery, so that ( For example) Prevent the device from repeating the loop mode). In an embodiment, the network negotiates with the client device for the connected operation. Resources. In an alternate embodiment, the network and the client device resume or renegotiate one or more layers of device context information. For example, in one such example, the network may restart one or more of the following: an entity software layer, a radio link layer, a media access layer, and the like.

In another variation, the network is only pre-assigned to the assignment associated with the client immediately prior to the loss event; this approach advantageously excludes further negotiation between the network and the client device.

In a variant, the selection of which of the foregoing techniques is applied is based on one or more criteria; for example, the duration of the lost event. For example, if the loss event duration is relatively short (ie, 100 ms in the context of the example context discussed above), then the network will choose to reformulate the previous resource allocation without negotiation. However, when the specified threshold is exceeded (ie, for example, 1000ms or 1s), renegotiation is invoked.

Otherwise, if the reception is not resumed (e.g., within a defined time window, number of events, cycles, etc., as described below with respect to the illustrative embodiments), the network disconnects the client device at step 408.

Instance operation -

Referring now to Figure 5, an exemplary embodiment of the method 400 of Figure 4 is shown and described. In particular, an illustrative embodiment of a method 500 for network-based detection and mitigation for a hybrid client device receiving an interrupt event is illustrated.

In one scenario, the hybrid client device is a single radio solution capable of communicating with a Long Term Evolution (LTE) network and a Code Division Multiple Access 1X (CDMA 1X) network. Although the following operations are described with respect to an evolved Node B (eNB) of an LTE network, it should be readily appreciated that various aspects of the present invention can be widely applied to base stations (without technology) and, more generally, to applications. Any type of wireless server device (eg, a special network, etc.).

In short, during normal operation, the eNB configures the UE with a dedicated entity uplink control channel (PUCCH) and/or sounding reference during radio resource connection (RRC) setup. Signal (SRS) resources. The dedicated PUCCH resources enable the UE to transmit one or more of: a scheduling request (SR), a channel quality indicator (CQI), a rank indication (RI), and/or a precoding matrix index (PMI). Each PUCCH resource is identified, inter alia, by the location of the dedicated resource (eg, time slot, subcarrier), periodicity, and offset. Dedicated SRS resources are specified based on the bandwidth, location, periodicity, and offset of the dedicated resources.

The existing eNB may determine whether the PUCCH and/or SRS has not been recovered from the UE. In general, this capability is roughly classified under discontinuous transmission (DTX) detection. Common solutions for DTX detection show various degrees of success, especially in terms of implementation algorithms, channel conditions, and neighbor cell interference.

Referring to Figure 5, at step 502, the eNB monitors the UE tuning offset event. In an exemplary embodiment, the eNB monitors one or more lost PUCCH and/or SRS signals, for example, via DTX detection.

In some variations, the eNB monitors multiple lost PUCCHs and/or SRSs (eg, one or more DTXs occur). Checking for multiple DTX occurrences ensures that the UE is actually tuned off (as opposed to only instantaneous receive loss due to, for example, severe degradation). The number of consecutive DTXs can be selected based on a trade-off between detecting the time of the true tuning deviation without the UL transmission and the probability of the false alarm (based on the eNB PUCCH/SRS DTX). In some embodiments, the tradeoff may be dynamically adjusted to be optimal based on, for example, the probability of success, the probability of error detection, the total detection time, and the like. In one such variant, the eNB initiates a timer function (eg, DTX_Monitoring_Timer ) once the eNB has detected a DTX event. In an embodiment, the length of the DTX_Monitoring_Timer has a maximum upper limit (eg, such that radio link failure (RLF) is not declared during DTX monitoring timeout ).

In some embodiments, the UE can communicate explicitly or implicitly with the eNB to provide information regarding the upcoming tuning offset period. For example, in one such situation, the eNB is implicitly signaled via an existing messaging scheme. If, for example, the UE transmits a plurality of consecutive CQI measurement results having a predetermined value on the PUCCH/PUSCH resource (eg, For example, a null or zero value CQI is currently reserved and indicates that the defined modulation and coding scheme (MCS) cannot be supported given a spectral efficiency estimate, the eNB may infer an upcoming tuning offset period.

In another such example, when the UE transmits a number of consecutive Buffer Status Reports (BSRs) with null values (or zero values) on the available UL grants, the eNB may infer an upcoming tuning offset period.

In still other examples, the eNB may infer an upcoming tuning offset period based on a number of consecutive power headroom (PHR) reports having a specified value (eg, LTE has a lowest PHR value of -23 dBm). It should be appreciated that the detection of the tune-off event can also be based on any combination of the foregoing.

In an embodiment, if the DTX_Monitoring_Timer expires before receiving the UE activity, the eNB regards the UE as a UE that is tuned to deviate, and proceeds to step 504. Alternatively, if the DTX_Monitoring_Timer has not expired (eg, UE activity occurs before the timer expires), the eNB treats the UE as a momentary discontinuity (ie, the corrective action is unnecessary).

Referring to step 504, the eNB may compensate for the tuned UE by performing one or more corrective actions.

In an exemplary embodiment, the eNB initiates a timer function (eg, Tune-away_Release_Timer ). In an exemplary implementation, Tune-away_Release_Timer is selected based on a trade-off between detecting the time of UE recovery and the probability of complete disconnection. In some embodiments, this trade-off may be dynamically adjusted to be optimal based on, for example, maximizing the tuning offset time, minimizing the reconnection time, minimizing the time to reconnect in the event of actual reception loss, and the like. In one such variant, once the eNB has detected a tune-away event, the eNB initiates another timer (eg, Tune-away_Release_Timer ).

Common examples of corrective actions include, for example and without limitation, the following: (i) temporarily suspending the scheduling of the UE; (ii) temporarily suspending RRC_Inactivity_Timer (if it is being executed); (iii) temporarily suspending C-DRX_Inactivity_Timer (connected DRX operation) (if it is being executed); (iv) temporarily suspend the RRC procedure (eg, handover operation, radio link monitoring, re-establishment, etc.) (if it is being executed); (v) temporarily suspend various software stack components (for example, Media Access Control (MAC) layer, Radio Link Control (RLC) layer, Packet Data Aggregation Protocol (PDCP) layer (if implemented); and/or (vi) release any (or part of) physical layer-specific resources ( For example, time slots, subcarriers, resource blocks, etc.).

At decision point 505 of method 500, the eNB monitors UE recovery. If the UE recovers, the eNB proceeds to step 506. Alternatively, if the expiration Tune-away_Release_Timer in the case of activities do not appear, then the eNB proceeds to step 508 to restore the initial eNB. Alternatively, if the Tune-away_Release_Timer expires without activity, the eNB may proceed directly to step 510 (and thus shut down the UE).

In a variant, the eNB monitors random access channel (RACH) operations. If the UE initiates a RACH attempt, the eNB will serve the UE and restore the UE via the procedure of step 506; otherwise, the eNB proceeds to step 508.

In another variation, the eNB monitors PUCCH and/or SRS access from the UE, or alternatively, the eNB may also monitor RACH procedures from UEs that are tuned to deviate. In an exemplary embodiment, if a minimum threshold continuous PUCCH and/or SRS is detected, the eNB may consider the UE to be tuned back to the LTE network. For an RACH type embodiment, if the UE initiates a RACH procedure (which is successful), the eNB will consider the UE to be tuned back to the LTE network.

Referring now to step 506, the eNB restores the previous state of the UE. The recovery of operations may include, without limitation, the following: (i) re-schedule the scheduling of the UE; (ii) resume RRC_Inactivity_Timer (if temporarily suspended); (iii) resume C-DRX_Inactivity_Timer (if temporarily suspended); Iv) resume the RRC procedure (eg handover operation, radio link monitoring, re-establishment, etc.) (if temporarily suspended); (v) resume any stopped software stack components (eg media access control (MAC) layer) , Radio Link Control (RLC) layer, Packet Data Aggregation Protocol (PDCP) layer; and/or (vi) set up any entity layer specific resources (eg, time slots, subcarriers, resource blocks, etc.).

Finally, at step 508, the eNB may attempt to re-establish a connection to the UE. If the UE responds to the eNB's re-establishment attempt, the eNB may reinstate the UE at step 506. If the re-establishment attempt fails, the eNB may completely shut down the UE (step 510). For example, in an exemplary embodiment, the eNB sends a Physical Downlink Control Channel (PDCCH) message, and if the UE is "tuned in", the UE will responsively initiate a RACH attempt, and the eNB may proceed to Step 506. If the eNB does not receive the RACH, the eNB proceeds to step 510. It will also be appreciated that the eNB can be configured to apply various retry and/or timeout logic to the aforementioned procedures; for example, n retry attempts and/or expiration of the timer before proceeding to step 510.

At step 510, the eNB shuts down the UE (when the connection cannot be re-established). In an embodiment, this scenario includes releasing any dedicated radio resources, removing the UE from the UE database in the role of the eNB, transitioning the UE to an RRC_IDLE operation, and releasing any signaling and data radio bearers.

Device -

FIG. 6 illustrates an illustrative embodiment of a network entity 600 configured in accordance with the present invention. The network entity can be a separate entity or combined with other network entities (eg, base stations, base station controllers, radio access network controllers, etc.). In an exemplary embodiment, the network entity includes a Long Term Evolution (LTE) evolved Node B (eNB).

As shown in FIG. 6, network entity 600 generally includes a wireless (e.g., cellular) interface 602 for interfacing with a cellular device, a processor 604, and a storage device 606. The cellular interface is shown as a wireless cellular interface configured for communication with one or more mobile devices, but may be replaced with other configurations and functionality. For example, in an alternate embodiment, the cellular interface can be wired communication to a base station, where the base station communicates with the mobile device.

The cellular interface 602 of the device 600 shown in Figure 6 of the upper level includes one or more radio transceivers configured to transmit and receive data via radio frequency transmission (RF) road. Common embodiments of a radio transceiver typically include a data processor, and one or more antennas. In an exemplary embodiment of the invention, the radio transceiver is configured in accordance with a Long Term Evolution (LTE) radio access technology. It will be appreciated that various other embodiments of the invention may be configured for use with other cellular and/or wireless standards. Common examples of such technologies include: GSM, GPRS, EDGE, WCDMA, CDMA2000, CDMA 1X, CDMA 1X-EVDO, LTE-A, etc., and various combinations thereof.

During normal operation, the aforementioned cellular interface 602 adjusts the detection and mitigation of the interrupt event received by the hybrid client device.

Processor 604 includes one or more processors (or multi-core processors). Additionally, the processor is coupled to the processing memory and/or the storage device. Common implementations of the processing subsystem are implemented in signal processors, general purpose processors, network processors, field programmable gate arrays (FPGAs), digital signal processors (DSPs), and any combination of the foregoing. Typical implementations of memory and storage devices include random access memory (RAM) and its variations (dynamic RAM, static RAM, synchronous RAM, etc.), flash memory, and hard disk drives (HDD). In addition, it should be further appreciated that one or more of the memory devices can be further configured in a variety of redundancy schemes, such as a redundant array of inexpensive disks (RAID).

In an exemplary embodiment, network entity 600 is further coupled to the wired network infrastructure via network interface 612. The network interface is typically adapted for use with an Ethernet network, but other suitable network changes include Synchronous Optical Network Connection (SONET), Asynchronous Transfer Mode (ATM), MoCA, and the like. Various forms of physical interfaces are widely used in the related art, including, for example, Ethernet cables (eg, CAT5), coaxial cables, fiber optics, and the like.

It will be appreciated that while certain features of the invention are described in terms of a particular sequence of steps of the method, these descriptions are only illustrative of the broader methods and may be modified as needed for the particular application. In some cases, certain steps may be made unnecessary or optional. In addition, some steps or functionality may be added to the disclosed embodiments or the order of execution of two or more steps may be changed. All such variations are considered to be encompassed within the invention.

While the invention has been shown and described with reference to the embodiments of the embodiments of the invention The foregoing description is the best mode currently contemplated. This description is not intended to be limiting, but rather to be construed as illustrative of the general principles of the invention.

400‧‧‧Network-based detection and mitigation method for mixed client devices receiving interrupt events

Claims (20)

A wireless network device configured for hybrid network device to receive network-based detection and mitigation of an interrupt event, the wireless network device comprising: at least one wireless interface, the at least one wireless interface configured For communicating wirelessly via at least a first wireless technology and a second wireless technology, the first wireless technology is different from the second wireless technology; at least one processor is in communication with the at least one wireless interface; and Logic communicating with the at least one processor, the logic being configured to cause the wireless network device to perform the step of identifying one of a receive loss event associated with a wireless interface of a client device, The wireless interface of the client device conforms to the second wireless technology; adjusting at least one aspect of operation of the one of the client devices, the adjusting resulting in reduced utilization of network resources by the user device during at least one time period; monitoring Whether the client device resumes receiving during the time period; when the client device resumes receiving during the time period, according to an establishment Agreement resumed normal operation of the device of the user terminal; and when the client device is received during the time period is not recovered, the UE device is disconnected. The wireless network device of claim 1, wherein the wireless network device adjusts the at least one aspect of the operation for the client device by not allocating resources to the client device during the time period. The wireless network device of claim 1, wherein the wireless network device changes at least one of a physical uplink control channel (PUCCH) resource and/or a sounding reference signal (SRS) resource to the client device One of the allocations to adjust for the client The at least one aspect of the operation of the piece. The wireless network device of claim 1, wherein the wireless network device adjusts the one or more layers of the user device content context to adjust the at least one aspect of the operation for the user device The one or more layers of the end device context context contain information for one or more communication protocol stacking software elements or layers. The wireless network device of claim 4, wherein one or more of the layers comprise one or more of: (i) an entity software layer; (ii) a radio link layer; and/or ( Iii) A Media Access Control (MAC) layer. The wireless network device of claim 1, wherein the first wireless technology comprises a code division multiple access (CDMA) based technology, and the second wireless technology comprises an orthogonal frequency division multiplexing (OFDM) based technology . The wireless network device of claim 6, wherein: the OFDM-based technology comprises a Long Term Evolution (LTE)-compliant technology, the wireless network device being associated with an enhanced Node B (eNB) of an LTE network, And the wireless network device recovers from the client device by monitoring at least one of: (i) a physical uplink control channel (PUCCH) data element; and (ii) a sounding reference signal ( SRS) a data element to monitor whether the client device resumes reception during the time period. A method for network-based detection and mitigation for a hybrid client device receiving an interrupt event, the method comprising: receiving a loss event in a wireless network device: identifying one of a wireless interfaces associated with a user device One occurring; adjusting at least one aspect of operation of the one of the client devices, the adjustment resulting in reduced utilization of network resources by the client device during a time period; Monitoring whether the client device resumes reception during the time period; when the client device resumes receiving, resumes normal operation of the client device according to an established protocol; and otherwise disconnects the client device. The method of claim 8, wherein the receiving loss event comprises a loss of reception by a wireless interface of the one of the client devices, the loss being caused by the client device performing a tuning deviation event. The method of claim 9, wherein the tuning deviation event is performed in accordance with a prescribed protocol within one of the Long Term Evolution (LTE) technical standards that the client device conforms to. The method of claim 9, wherein the wireless network device identifies the occurrence of the receive loss event by evaluating one or more communications received from the client device. The method of claim 11, wherein the one or more communications comprise a plurality of consecutive channel quality indicator (CQI) measurements comprising an uplink control or a shared channel value having a null or zero value. The method of claim 11, wherein the one or more communications comprise a plurality of consecutive buffer status reports (BSRs) having null values (or zero values) on the available uplink grants. The method of claim 11, wherein the one or more communications comprise a plurality of consecutive Power Headroom Reports (PHRs) having a specified value. A client device, comprising: at least one wireless interface configurable for wireless communication via at least a first wireless technology and a second wireless technology, the first wireless technology being different from the second wireless technology; At least one processor in data communication with the at least one wireless interface; and logic for data communication with the at least one processor, the logic configured to cause the client device to perform the following steps: Signaling an existing message protocol for receiving a lost event via a change of use to signal an occurrence or an initial occurrence of the receive loss event associated with the at least one wireless interface to a network Receiving, by the network entity, at least one adjustment of at least one aspect of operation of one of the client devices, the at least one adjustment resulting in reduced utilization of network resources by the client device for at least one time period; The at least one adjustment for the operation of the client device. The client device of claim 15, wherein the client device signals the occurrence of the receipt loss event or the initial occurrence to the network entity by transmitting one or more communications to the network entity. The client device of claim 16, wherein the one or more communications comprise a plurality of consecutive channel quality index (CQI) measurements comprising an uplink control or shared channel value having a null or zero value. The client device of claim 16, wherein the one or more communications comprise a plurality of consecutive Buffer Status Reports (BSRs) having a null (or zero) value on an available uplink grant. The client device of claim 16, wherein the one or more communications comprise a plurality of consecutive power headroom (PHR) reports having a specified value. A computer readable device comprising a storage medium, the storage medium comprising at least one computer program consisting of a plurality of instructions for providing network-based detection and mitigation of an interrupt event by a client device, the plurality of instructions being Executing on a processor causes a client device to perform the steps of: receiving an occurrence of a loss event by transmitting one or more of the following, associated with at least one wireless interface of the client device or The initial occurrence is signaled to a network entity: a plurality of consecutive channel quality indicator (CQI) measurements, including one An uplink control value or a shared channel value of null or zero value, a plurality of consecutive buffer status reports (BSRs) having null values (or zero values) on the available uplink grants, and a plurality of a continuous power headroom report (PHR) having a specified value; receiving, from a network entity, at least one adjustment of at least one aspect of operation of one of the client devices, the at least one adjustment resulting in at least one time period The utilization of the network resources by the client device is reduced; and at least one adjustment of the operation for the client device is implemented.