초록 ▼

The use of multiple states of mobile communication device operation to allow a single base station to support a relatively large number of mobile nodes is described. The various states require different amounts of communications resources, e.g., bandwidth. Four supported states of operation are an o

The use of multiple states of mobile communication device operation to allow a single base station to support a relatively large number of mobile nodes is described. The various states require different amounts of communications resources, e.g., bandwidth. Four supported states of operation are an on-state, a hold-state, a sleep-state, and an access-state. Each mobile node in the on-state is allocated communication resources to perform transmission power control signaling, transmission timing control signaling and to transmit data as part of a data uplink communications operation. Each mobile node in the hold-state is allocated communication resources to perform transmission timing control signaling and is provided a dedicated uplink for requesting a state transition and a shared resource for transmitting acknowledgements. In the sleep state a mobile node is allocated minimal resources and does not conduct power control signaling or timing control signaling. Data may be received in the on and hold states.

대표청구항 ▼

What is claimed is: 1. A communications method, the method comprising: operating a wireless terminal, at different times, in each one of at least three different operational states, the three different operational states including a first state, a second state and a third state; wherein operating t

What is claimed is: 1. A communications method, the method comprising: operating a wireless terminal, at different times, in each one of at least three different operational states, the three different operational states including a first state, a second state and a third state; wherein operating the wireless terminal in the first state includes using a first amount of a control communications resource used to send control signals between a base station and said wireless terminal; wherein operating the wireless terminal in the second state includes using a second amount of said control communications resource, said second amount of said control communications resource being less than said first amount, said second amount of said control communications resource including a dedicated unlink signaling channel and a shared downlink signaling channel, said shared downlink signal channel being used to communicate information relating to the allocation of data channel segments; and wherein operating the wireless terminal in the third state includes using a third amount of said control communications resource which is less than said first and second amounts. 2. The method of claim 1, further comprising: transitioning from one of said three states to another one of said three states in response to a change in user activity; and wherein said information relating to the allocation of data channel segments indicates the assignment of data channel segments. 3. The method of claim 1, wherein said first state is an on state, said second state is a hold state, and said third state is a sleep state. 4. The method of claim 1, wherein said third amount of control communications resource includes a third set of communications elements, which said second amount of control communications resource includes a second set of communications elements which includes additional communications elements in addition to said third set of communications elements, and where said first amount of control communications resource includes a first set of communications elements which includes said second set of communications elements in addition to said second set of communications elements. 5. The method of claim 4, wherein said communications elements correspond to segments of communications channels used by said wireless terminal. 6. The method of claim 1, wherein operating in said second state includes: transmitting at most, a small number of bits over said unlink signaling channel during any one unlink signaling transmission period. 7. The method of claim 6, wherein said small number of bits includes at most 8 bits. 8. The method of claim 1, wherein operating said wireless terminal in said second state includes allowing at least one unlink channel segment dedicated to use by said wireless terminal to go unused, said wireless terminal not transmitting any signal into said dedicated unlink channel segment. 9. The method of claim 1, wherein operating said wireless terminal in said second state includes transmitting a state transition request using an uplink channel segment dedicated to said wireless terminal, the dedication of said uplink channel segment to said wireless terminal avoiding possible contention with other wireless terminals for use of said dedicated uplink channel segment. 10. The method of claim 1, wherein in said second state said wireless terminal does not receive any downlink control resources dedicated exclusively to said wireless terminal other than downlink resources used for power control or timing control signaling. 11. The method of claim 1, further comprising operating a base station to communicate with a plurality of wireless terminals, said wireless terminal being one of said plurality of wireless terminals, operating said base station including allowing at least some segments of a downlink allocation assignment channel to go unused, said base station not transmitting into said unused downlink allocation assignment channel segments. 12. The method of claim 1, wherein operating said wireless terminal in said third state includes: transmitting an uplink channel resource allocation request in a segment of a common signaling channel into which other wireless terminals can also transmit uplink channel resource allocation requests thereby possibly creating signaling conflicts. 13. The method of claim 12, wherein said step of transmitting an uplink channel resource allocation request is performed as part of a transition from said third state to one of the other two possible states of operation. 14. The method of claim 1, wherein said first and second amounts of control communications resources each include dedicated downlink control channel segments allocated to said wireless terminal for use in communicating control information to said wireless terminal, dedicated downlink control channel segments being used at a lower rate to communicate control information to said wireless terminal in said second state of operation than in said first state of operation. 15. The method of claim 14, wherein the rate at which timing control signals are transmitted by said wireless terminal in said first state is at least as fast as the rate at which timing control signals are transmitted by said wireless terminal while operating in said second state. 16. The method of claim 15, wherein in any state of operation in which power control signals are transmitted, the wireless terminal transmits said power control signals at a rate no slower than the rate at which timing control signals are being transmitted. 17. The method of claim 1, wherein operating said wireless terminal in at least one of said first, second and third states of operation includes operating said wireless terminal to use orthogonal frequency division signaling in an uplink to said base station. 18. The method of claim 1, wherein operating said wireless terminal in at least two of said three states includes receiving timing correction signals from the base station in a communications channel segment dedicated to said wireless terminal to the exclusion of use of said communication channel segment by other wireless terminals. 19. The method of claim 1, wherein said method further includes operating the base station, operating said base station including: controlling the base station to allocate, over at least one one-second time period, more downlink communications resources used to communicate user data from the base station to wireless terminals in said cell which are in the first state, than which are in said second state. 20. The method of claim 19, wherein user data does not include power control and timing control signals. 21. The method of claim 1, wherein said wireless terminal is allocated at least some downlink data channel segments during said second state, the step of operating said wireless terminal in said second state including: receiving at least some user data, transmitted in said at least some downlink data channel segments, from said base station. 22. The method of claim 21, wherein said wireless terminal is allowed no uplink traffic channel data segments which can be used to transmit user data while said wireless terminal is in said second state. 23. The method of claim 1, wherein said method further includes operating a base station, included in the same cell as said wireless terminal, to control transitions of said wireless terminal between at least two of said three states as a function of quality of service profile information associated with said wireless terminal. 24. The method of claim 23, wherein said base station further controls transitions of said wireless terminal between at least two of said three states as a function of traffic quality of service profile information associated with said wireless terminal. 25. The method of claim 1, wherein operating said wireless terminal further includes: controlling transitions of said wireless terminal between at least two of said three states as a function of quality of service profile information associated with said wireless terminal. 26. A wireless terminal, comprising: a device status control module for controlling said wireless terminal to operate, at different times, in each one of at least three different operational states, the three different operational states including a first state, a second state and a third state; a first set of control modules used for controlling communication with a base station, during said first state of operation, using a first amount of a control communications resource used to communicate control signals between the base station and said wireless terminal; a second set of control modules used for controlling communication with the base station, during said second state of operation, using a second amount of said control communications resource, said second amount of said control communications resource being less than said first amount, said second amount of said control communications resource including a dedicated uplink signaling channel and a shared downlink signaling channel, said shared downlink channel being used to communicate information relating to the allocation of data channel segments; and a third set of control modules used for controlling communication with the base station, during said third state of operation, using a third amount of said control communications resource which is less than said first and second amounts. 27. The wireless terminal of claim 26, further comprising: a user input device; and wherein said device status control module is responsive to input from said user input device and controls transitions from one of said three states to another one of said three states in response to user input received from said user input device. 28. The wireless terminal of claim 27, wherein said first state is an on state, said second state is a hold state, and said third state is a sleep state. 29. The wireless terminal of claim 26, wherein said third amount of control communications resource includes a third set of communications elements, wherein said second amount of control communications resource includes a second set of communications elements which includes additional communications elements in addition to said third set of communications elements, and wherein said first amount of control communications resource includes a first set of communications elements which includes said second set of communications elements in addition to said second set of communications elements. 30. The wireless terminal of claim 29, wherein the communications elements of segments of control channels. 31. A communications method, the method comprising: operating a wireless terminal, at different times, in each one of at least three different operational states, the three different operational states including a first state, a second state and a third state, wherein operating the wireless terminal in the first state includes using a first amount of a control communications resource used to send control signals between a base station and said wireless terminal; wherein operating the wireless terminal in the second state includes using a second amount of said control communications resource, said second amount of said control communications resource being less than said first amount, said second amount of said control communications resource including a dedicated uplink signaling channel and a shared downlink signaling channel, said shared downlink signal channel being used to communicate information relating to the allocation of data channel segments; wherein operating the wireless terminal in the third state includes using a third amount of said control communications resource which is less than said first and second amounts; and wherein operating said wireless terminal in said first state and said second state further includes performing timing control signaling operations in both of said states, said timing control signaling operations including receiving and processing timing control signals from said base station, said timing control signals including timing adjustment instructions, said processing including making timing adjustments in accordance with said timing adjustment instructions. 32. The method of claim 1, wherein said shared downlink signaling channel used in the second state is a slow paging channel. 33. The method of claim 32, wherein operating the wireless terminal in a first state includes monitoring a shared fast paging channel and said slow paging channel; and wherein said fast paging channel is not monitored by the wireless terminal during said second state. 34. The method of claim 33, wherein during said third state, the wireless terminal does not use a dedicated uplink signaling channel. 35. A wireless terminal, comprising: a device status control module for controlling said wireless terminal to operate, at different times, in each one of at least three different operational states, the three different operational states including a first state, a second state and a third state; a first set of control modules used for controlling communication with a base station, during said first state of operation, using a first amount of a control communications resource used to communicate control signals between the base station and said wireless terminal; a second set of control modules used for controlling communication with the base station, during said second state of operation, using a second amount of said control communications resource, said second amount of said control communications resource being less than said first amount, said second amount of said control communications resource including a dedicated uplink signaling channel and a shared downlink signaling channel, said shared downlink channel being used to communicate information relating to the allocation of data channel segments; a third set of control modules used for controlling communication with the base station, during said third state of operation, using a third amount of said control communications resource which is less than said first and second amounts; wherein at least one of said control modules in said first set of control modules is a timing control module for processing timing adjustment instructions from said base station, said processing including making timing adjustments in accordance with said timing adjustment instructions; wherein at least one of said control modules in said second set of control modules is a timing control module for processing timing adjustment instructions from said base station, said processing including making timing adjustments in accordance with said timing adjustment instructions; and wherein another control module in each of said first and second sets of control modules is a slow paging channel monitoring module. 36. A memory embodying processor executable routines for controlling a wireless terminal to implement a communications method, the communications method comprising: operating, at different times, in each one of at least three different operational states, the three different operational states including a first state, a second state and a third state, wherein operating in the first state includes using a first amount of a control communications resource used to send control signals between a base station and said wireless terminal; wherein operating in the second state includes using a second amount of said control communications resource, said second amount of said control communications resource being less than said first amount, said second amount of said control communications resource including a dedicated uplink signaling channel and a shared downlink signaling channel, said shared downlink signal channel being used to communicate information relating to the allocation of data channel segments; and wherein operating in the third state includes using a third amount of said control communications resource which is less than said first and second amounts. 37. The method of claim 36, further comprising the step of: transitioning from one of said three states to another one of said three states in response to a change in user activity. 38. The method of claim 37, wherein said first state is an on state, said second state is a hold state, and said third state is a sleep state. 39. A device including a processor, the processor configured to control a wireless terminal to: operate, at different times, in each one of at least three different operational states, the three different operational states including a first state, a second state and a third state, wherein operating in the first state includes using a first amount of a control communications resource used to send control signals between a base station and said wireless terminal; wherein operating in the second state includes using a second amount of said control communications resource, said second amount of said control communications resource being less than said first amount, said second amount of said control communications resource including a dedicated uplink signaling channel and a shared downlink signaling channel, said shared downlink signal channel being used to communicate information relating to the allocation of data channel segments; and wherein operating in the third state includes using a third amount of said control communications resource which is less than said first and second amounts. 40. The device of claim 39, wherein the processor is further configured to control a wireless terminal to: transition from one of said three states to another one of said three states is in response to a change in user activity. 41. The device of claim 40, wherein said first state is an on state, said second state is a hold state, and said third state is a sleep state. 42. A wireless terminal, comprising: device status control means for controlling said wireless terminal to operate, at different times, in each one of at least three different operational states, the three different operational states including a first state, a second state and a third state; first control means for controlling communication with a base station, during said first state of operation, using a first amount of a control communications resource used to communicate control signals between the base station and said wireless terminal; second control means used for controlling communication with the base station, during said second state of operation, using a second amount of said control communications resource, said second amount of said control communications resource being less than said first amount, said second amount of said control communications resource including a dedicated uplink signaling channel and a shared downlink signaling channel, said shared downlink channel being used to communicate information relating to the allocation of data channel segments; and third control means for controlling communication with the base station, during said third state of operation, using a third amount of said control communications resource which is less than said first and second amounts. 43. The wireless terminal of claim 42, further comprising: user input means for receiving user input; and wherein said device status control means is responsive to input from said user input device and controls transitions from one of said three states to another one of said three states in response to user input received from said user input device. 44. The wireless terminal of claim 43, wherein said first state is an on state, said second state is a hold state, and said third state is a sleep state.