Base Station Scheduling for Idle Mode User Equipment
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Solution Overview
Problem
In machine type communication (MTC) systems, when user equipment is in air-interface idle mode or when a ready timer expires, the base station cannot schedule and send downlink data packets effectively due to conflicts between access stratum timers and ready timers, leading to inefficiencies in resource utilization and increased battery consumption.
Innovation Solution
The base station sends first downlink control information with a resource indicator to user equipment in idle mode, and uses a mapping relationship table to schedule and send downlink data packets when a ready timer expires, ensuring resource allocation and data transmission even when the user equipment is in idle mode or the access stratum timer has expired.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If the base station maintains access stratum timer between base station and user equipment to control air interface mode, then the air interface mode can be controlled, but when the access stratum timer expires, the user equipment enters air-interface idle mode and the base station cannot schedule the UE to send downlink data packets
Solution Approach 1:
The base station sends downlink control information to the user equipment in advance before the access stratum timer expires, indicating that downlink data will be sent. This preliminary action allows the UE to prepare for data reception and prevents the scheduling failure that would occur if the UE had already entered idle mode due to timer expiration.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent introduces downlink control information as an intermediary mechanism between the base station and user equipment. This DCI acts as a mediator that can trigger the UE to remain in or return to connected mode, bridging the gap between the base station's scheduling decisions and the UE's mode state.
2Reliability
If the ready timer between base station and core network device expires, then the core network device sends paging request, but the user equipment listens only to scheduling based on C-RNTI and cannot receive downlink data
Solution Approach 1:
The base station sends downlink control information to the user equipment in advance, indicating that downlink data will be sent. This preliminary action occurs before the ready timer expiration scenario plays out, ensuring the UE is prepared to receive data regardless of the timer state between base station and core network.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent makes the user equipment's operational state dynamic by allowing it to switch between listening to C-RNTI-based scheduling and being alert for paging-based scheduling. The UE can dynamically adjust its reception mode based on the downlink control information received from the base station, adapting to the timer expiration scenario.
3Use of energy by moving object
If user equipment is in air-interface idle mode, then battery consumption is reduced, but the base station cannot send downlink data packets to the UE
Solution Approach 1:
The patent makes the user equipment's operational state dynamic. The UE can remain in idle mode to save battery, but when the base station needs to send data, it sends downlink control information that dynamically transitions the UE to a state where it can receive data. This allows the system to optimize between power saving and data transmission capability on demand.
Solution Approach 2:
The base station sends downlink control information in advance to prepare the user equipment for data reception. This preliminary action allows the UE to maintain idle mode (saving battery) until the moment data needs to be transmitted, at which point the DCI triggers the necessary state change for efficient data delivery.
Data Source
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AI summary
Embodiments of the present invention disclose a machine type communication scheduling method, a base station, and user equipment. An embodiment of a method in the embodiments of the present invention includes: sending, by a base station, first downlink control information to user equipment in an air-interface idle mode in a cell, where the first downlink control information includes a first resource indicator corresponding to a first identifier of target user equipment, and the first identifier is used to identify, during resource scheduling, the target user equipment that is in the air-interface idle mode and that is scheduled by the base station; and sending, by the base station, a first data packet to the target user equipment according to the first resource indicator. In the embodiments of the present invention, on one hand, a problem that when user equipment is in an air-interface idle mode, a base station cannot schedule the UE and send a corresponding downlink data packet is avoided. On the other hand, a problem that when a ready timer maintained between a base station and a core network device expires, downlink data that the core network device needs to send to target UE cannot be sent to the target UE because the user equipment listens only to scheduling that is based on a fourth identifier of the user equipment is avoided.