CN106604376B

CN106604376B - Channel monitoring control method, device and user terminal

Info

Publication number: CN106604376B
Application number: CN201611187621.0A
Authority: CN
Inventors: 江小威
Original assignee: Beijing Xiaomi Mobile Software Co Ltd
Current assignee: Beijing Xiaomi Mobile Software Co Ltd
Priority date: 2016-12-20
Filing date: 2016-12-20
Publication date: 2020-03-03
Anticipated expiration: 2036-12-20
Also published as: CN106604376A; CN111212466A

Abstract

The disclosure relates to a channel monitoring control method, a device and a user terminal, wherein the method comprises the following steps: monitoring a PDCCH; receiving a DRX instruction issued by a base station through a PDCCH, stopping monitoring the PDCCH in the current DRX period according to the DRX instruction, and restarting the DRX period; compared with the prior art that the DRX instruction can only be carried in the last downlink data and issued to the user terminal, the base station does not have the downlink data to be sent to the user terminal, and the base station can also send a discontinuous reception DRX instruction to the user terminal through the PDCCH so as to reduce the power consumption generated by monitoring the PDCCH by the user terminal.

Description

Channel monitoring control method, device and user terminal

Technical Field

The present disclosure relates to the technical field of intelligent user terminals, and in particular, to a channel monitoring control method, device and user terminal.

Background

In order to reduce the power consumption of the ue, a Discontinuous Reception (DRX) technique is introduced in Long Term Evolution (LTE), that is, the ue enters a sleep state when there is no data transmission, and the transceiver is turned off to reduce the power consumption.

The DRX cycle of the ue includes a time when the ue is in a DRX on state, i.e., an active state, and a time when the ue is in a DRX off state, i.e., a sleep state, when the ue is in the DRX on state, the ue monitors a Physical Downlink Control Channel (PDCCH for short), and the base station may send a DRX instruction to the ue through a Media Access Control (MAC) Control information Element (Control Element, CE for short) to stop monitoring the PDCCH Channel and enter the DRX off state in advance.

However, the MAC CE can only be placed in the MAC packet header of the downlink data and sent to the ue, so the DRX instruction can only be carried in the last downlink data and sent to the ue, and if the ue is in the DRX on state, the base station has no downlink data to send to the ue, which will cause the base station to fail to send the DRX instruction to the ue, and the ue cannot enter the DRX off state in advance, and can only continue to monitor the PDCCH channel, thereby increasing the power consumption of the ue.

Disclosure of Invention

The disclosure provides a channel monitoring control method, a channel monitoring control device and a user terminal, which are used for reducing the power consumption of the user terminal.

According to a first aspect of the embodiments of the present disclosure, a channel monitoring control method is provided, including:

monitoring a Physical Downlink Control Channel (PDCCH);

receiving a Discontinuous Reception (DRX) instruction issued by a base station through the PDCCH, wherein the DRX instruction is used for controlling a user terminal to stop monitoring the PDCCH;

and according to the DRX instruction, stopping monitoring the PDCCH in the current DRX period, and restarting the DRX period.

The technical scheme can comprise the following beneficial effects: the user terminal continuously monitors the PDCCH, and when the user terminal monitors the DRX instruction sent by the base station in the PDCCH, the user terminal stops monitoring the PDCCH in the current DRX period, so that the user terminal enters a DRX off state, namely a sleep state, corresponding to the current DRX period in advance.

In a first possible implementation manner of the first aspect, the monitoring a physical downlink control channel PDCCH includes:

and when the user terminal is in an active state in the current DRX period, monitoring a Physical Downlink Control Channel (PDCCH).

According to the first possible implementation manner of the first aspect, in a second possible implementation manner of the first aspect, the activation state includes a first state, or the activation state includes a first state and a second state;

monitoring a downlink when the user terminal is in the first state;

and monitoring the PDCCH when the user terminal is in the second state.

The technical scheme can comprise the following beneficial effects: the activation state comprises a first state, or the activation state comprises a first state and a second state, in the first state, the user terminal monitors a downlink between the base station and the user terminal and receives data or a control instruction sent by the base station, in the second state, the user terminal is in the activation state but does not receive data sent by the base station and continuously monitors a Physical Downlink Control Channel (PDCCH), when the user terminal is in the second state, the base station sends a DRX instruction to the user terminal through the PDCCH, the user terminal is controlled to stop monitoring the PDCCH in the current DRX period, the user terminal is enabled to enter the DRX off state corresponding to the current DRX period in advance, namely a sleep state, and the user terminal is prevented from continuously monitoring the PDCCH when the user terminal cannot receive the data sent by the base station.

In a third possible implementation manner of the first aspect, the method further includes:

starting a first timer when the user terminal enters the first state, wherein the first timer is used for recording the time of the user terminal in the first state;

and if the user terminal receives a data transmission resource allocation instruction sent by the base station when monitoring a downlink, starting the second timer, wherein the second timer is used for recording the time of the user terminal in the second state, and the user terminal does not receive and transmit data in the second state.

According to the third possible implementation manner of the first aspect, in a fourth possible implementation manner of the first aspect, the restarting the DRX cycle includes at least one of:

stopping the first timer from timing;

stopping the second timer from timing;

the DRX cycle timer is restarted.

According to a third possible implementation manner of the first aspect or the fourth possible implementation manner of the first aspect, in a fifth possible implementation manner of the first aspect, the first state is an on duration state, and the second state is an inactivity state.

The technical scheme can comprise the following beneficial effects: during the operation period of the on duration timer or the operation period of the inactivity timer, the base station sends the control instruction to the user terminal through the PDCCH, so that the time range of sending the control instruction to the user terminal through the PDCCH by the base station is enlarged, and the flexibility of controlling the user terminal to stop monitoring the PDCCH by the base station in the current DRX period is improved.

According to a second aspect of the embodiments of the present disclosure, there is provided a channel monitoring control apparatus, including:

a monitoring module configured to monitor a Physical Downlink Control Channel (PDCCH);

a receiving module configured to receive a Discontinuous Reception (DRX) instruction issued by a base station through the PDCCH, wherein the DRX instruction is used for controlling a user terminal to stop monitoring the PDCCH;

and the control module is configured to stop monitoring the PDCCH and restart the DRX period in the current DRX period according to the DRX instruction.

In a first possible implementation manner of the second aspect, the listening module is configured to:

According to the first possible implementation manner of the second aspect, in a second possible implementation manner of the second aspect, the activation state includes a first state, or the activation state includes a first state and a second state;

the listening module is configured to:

monitoring a downlink when the user terminal is in the first state;

and monitoring the PDCCH when the user terminal is in the second state.

In a third possible implementation manner of the second aspect, the apparatus further includes: the system comprises a first starting module and a second starting module;

when the user terminal enters the first state, the first starting module is configured to start a first timer, and the first timer is used for recording the time when the user terminal is in the first state;

when the monitoring module monitors a downlink, the receiving module receives a data transmission resource allocation instruction sent by the base station, the second starting module is configured to start the second timer, the second timer is used for recording the time when the user terminal is in the second state, and the user terminal does not receive and transmit data in the second state.

According to a third possible implementation manner of the second aspect, in a fourth possible implementation manner of the second aspect, the control module includes:

a first control unit configured to control the first timer to stop counting time or control the second timer to stop counting time;

a second control unit configured to restart the DRX cycle timer.

According to a third possible implementation manner of the second aspect or the fourth possible implementation manner of the second aspect, in a fifth possible implementation manner of the second aspect, the first state is an on duration state, and the second state is an inactivity state.

According to a third aspect of the embodiments of the present disclosure, there is provided a user terminal, including:

a processor;

a memory configured to store processor-executable instructions;

wherein the processor is configured to:

monitoring a Physical Downlink Control Channel (PDCCH);

It is to be understood that both the foregoing general description and the following detailed description are exemplary and explanatory only and are not restrictive of the disclosure.

Drawings

The accompanying drawings, which are incorporated in and constitute a part of this specification, illustrate embodiments consistent with the present disclosure and together with the description, serve to explain the principles of the disclosure.

Fig. 1 is a flowchart illustrating a first embodiment of a channel sensing control method according to an exemplary embodiment;

fig. 2 is a flowchart illustrating a second embodiment of a channel sensing control method according to an exemplary embodiment;

figure 3 is a schematic diagram of a DRX cycle provided by the embodiment shown in figure 2;

fig. 4 is a flowchart illustrating a third embodiment of a channel sensing control method according to an exemplary embodiment;

fig. 5 is a block diagram illustrating a first embodiment of a channel sensing control apparatus according to an exemplary embodiment;

fig. 6 is a block diagram illustrating a second embodiment of a channel sensing control apparatus according to an exemplary embodiment;

fig. 7 is a block diagram illustrating a third embodiment of a channel sensing control apparatus according to an exemplary embodiment;

FIG. 8 is a block diagram illustrating a user terminal in accordance with an exemplary embodiment;

fig. 9 is a block diagram illustrating another user terminal according to an example embodiment.

With the foregoing drawings in mind, certain embodiments of the disclosure have been shown and described in more detail below. These drawings and written description are not intended to limit the scope of the disclosed concepts in any way, but rather to illustrate the concepts of the disclosure to those skilled in the art by reference to specific embodiments.

Detailed Description

Reference will now be made in detail to the exemplary embodiments, examples of which are illustrated in the accompanying drawings. When the following description refers to the accompanying drawings, like numbers in different drawings represent the same or similar elements unless otherwise indicated. The implementations described in the exemplary embodiments below are not intended to represent all implementations consistent with the present disclosure. Rather, they are merely examples of apparatus and methods consistent with certain aspects of the present disclosure, as detailed in the appended claims.

Fig. 1 is a flowchart illustrating a first embodiment of a channel monitoring control method according to an exemplary embodiment, where the method may be performed by a channel monitoring control apparatus, and the channel monitoring control apparatus may be integrated in a User Equipment (UE), as shown in fig. 1, where the method includes the following steps:

in step 101, a physical downlink control channel PDCCH is monitored.

In this embodiment, the ue has a Discontinuous Reception (DRX) function, that is, when the ue has no data transmission, the ue enters a sleep state and turns off the transceiver unit to achieve the purpose of reducing power consumption. The DRX cycle of the ue includes a time when the ue is in a DRX on state, i.e., an active state, and a time when the ue is in a DRXoff state, i.e., a sleep state, and when the ue is in the DRX on state, i.e., the active state, in the current DRX cycle, the ue monitors a Physical Downlink control channel (PDCCH for short) between the base station and the ue.

In step 102, a discontinuous reception DRX command issued by the base station through the PDCCH is received, where the DRX command is used to control the ue to stop monitoring the PDCCH.

In this embodiment of the present disclosure, optionally, the base station communicating with the user terminal is an Evolved Node B (eNodeB for short) in Long term evolution (LTE for short), and the eNodeB sends a control instruction to the user terminal through a PDCCH channel, where optionally, the control instruction is a DRX instruction, and the DRX instruction is used to control the user terminal to stop monitoring the PDCCH channel.

In step 103, according to the DRX command, the monitoring of the PDCCH is stopped in the current DRX cycle, and the DRX cycle is restarted.

In this embodiment, the ue continuously monitors the PDCCH, and after monitoring the DRX command sent by the eNodeB in the PDCCH, the ue stops monitoring the PDCCH in the current DRX cycle, so that the ue enters a DRX off state, i.e. a sleep state, corresponding to the current DRX cycle in advance, and after finishing the DRX off state corresponding to the current DRX cycle, the ue enters a next DRX cycle and monitors the PDCCH again.

In this embodiment, the ue continuously monitors the PDCCH, and after monitoring the DRX instruction sent by the base station in the PDCCH, the ue stops monitoring the PDCCH in the current DRX cycle, so that the ue enters into the DRX off state, i.e. the sleep state, corresponding to the current DRX cycle in advance.

Fig. 2 is a flowchart illustrating a second embodiment of a channel sensing control method according to an exemplary embodiment, and as shown in fig. 2, the method may include the following steps:

in step 201, when the ue is in an active state in the current DRX cycle, the ue monitors a physical downlink control channel PDCCH.

As shown in fig. 3, T1, T2, and T3 respectively represent DRX cycles, T1, T2, and T3 may be the same or different, and the user terminal wakes up at the beginning of each DRX cycle, i.e. enters an active state, where the active state includes a first state, as shown in fig. 3, T1, T2, and T3 respectively include a T1 period, and during T1, the user terminal is in the first state, optionally, the first state is an on duration state, and during T1, the user terminal monitors a downlink between the base station and the user terminal, receives data or a control command transmitted by the base station, optionally, the base station is an eNodeB in the LTE system.

In other embodiments, the active state includes a first state and a second state, such as the DRX cycle T2 shown in fig. 3, where during T1, the ue is in the first state, for example, the on duration state, the ue monitors the downlink between the base station and the ue, receives data or a control command sent by the base station, during T2 after T1, the ue receives data sent by the base station, that is, the ue may also receive data sent by the base station for a period of time after the on duration state elapses, and when the ue does not receive data sent by the base station, enters the second state, for example, T3, optionally, the second state is an inactivity state, and during the inactivity state, that is, T3, the ue is in the active state, but does not monitor data sent by the base station, and continues to monitor the physical downlink control channel PDCCH. If the ue is in inactivity state and has not timed out, it may also receive data sent by the base station, for example, during t 4. When the base station finishes transmitting data or the inactivity state of the ue is over, the ue enters the DRX off state, i.e. the sleep state, for example, during t 5. After the DRX off state, i.e., T5 period, is finished, the user terminal enters the on state, which is the first state of the next DRX cycle T3, e.g., T1 period in the DRX cycle T3.

In step 202, a Discontinuous Reception (DRX) instruction issued by the base station through the PDCCH is received, and the DRX instruction is used for controlling the user terminal to stop monitoring the PDCCH.

As shown in fig. 3, during T3, the ue is in an active state, but does not receive data sent by the base station, and continuously monitors the PDCCH, in the embodiment of the present disclosure, optionally, during T3, the base station sends a control command to the ue through the PDCCH channel, where the control command is a DRX command, and the DRX command is used to control the ue to stop monitoring the PDCCH channel in the current DRX cycle, i.e., DRX cycle T2.

In step 203, according to the DRX command, the monitoring of the PDCCH is stopped in the current DRX cycle, and the DRX cycle is restarted.

After monitoring a DRX instruction sent by an eNodeB in a PDCCH, the user terminal stops monitoring the PDCCH in the current DRX period, namely a DRX period T2, and enters a DRX off state, namely a sleep state, corresponding to a DRX period T2 in advance, and after finishing the DRX off state, namely a period T5, corresponding to a DRX period T2, the user terminal enters the next DRX period and monitors the PDCCH again.

In this embodiment, the active state includes a first state, or the active state includes a first state and a second state, in the first state, the ue monitors a downlink between the base station and the ue and receives data or a control command sent by the base station, in the second state, the ue is in the active state but does not receive data sent by the base station and continuously monitors a physical downlink control channel PDCCH, and when the ue is in the second state, the base station sends a DRX command to the ue through a PDCCH channel and controls the ue to stop monitoring a PDCCH channel in a current DRX cycle, so that the ue enters a DRX off state, i.e., a sleep state, corresponding to the current DRX cycle in advance, and the ue is prevented from continuously monitoring the PDCCH channel when the ue does not receive data sent by the base station.

Fig. 4 is a flowchart illustrating a third embodiment of a channel sensing control method according to an exemplary embodiment, where as shown in fig. 4, the method may include the following steps:

in step 301, the ue starts a first timer when entering the first state, and monitors a downlink.

In this embodiment of the present disclosure, optionally, the first timer is an on duration timer, and the second timer is an inactivity timer. The on duration timer records the time that the user terminal is in the first state, i.e., the on duration state. The inactivity timer records the time that the ue is in the second state, i.e., the inactivity state. As shown in fig. 3, in the DRX cycles T1, T2, and T3, when the ue enters the first state, i.e., at the beginning of the period T1, the ue starts a first timer, i.e., an on duration timer, optionally, the time that the ue is in the first state is determined by the first timer, and at the timeout of the first timer, the ue ends the first state.

In step 302, if the ue receives a data transmission resource allocation command sent by the base station while monitoring a downlink, the second timer is started and the PDCCH is monitored.

During the period t1, the ue is in the first state, i.e., on duration state, monitors the downlink between the bs and the ue, and during the process of monitoring the downlink, if the ue receives a data transmission resource allocation command sent by the bs, the ue starts the inactivity timer, which is the second timer, and enters the inactivity state, t3 indicates that the inactivity timer is not expired, and the ue does not receive data sent by the bs and does not send data to the bs during the time t3 when the inactivity timer is not expired, and continues to monitor the PDCCH, which is the physical downlink control channel.

In step 303, a discontinuous reception DRX instruction issued by the base station through the PDCCH is received, where the DRX instruction is used to control the ue to stop monitoring the PDCCH.

The active state includes an on duration state and an inactivity state, as shown in fig. 3, a period t1 is an on duration timer running period, and a period t3 is an inactivity timer running period, in this embodiment, optionally, during the on duration timer running period or the inactivity timer running period, the base station sends a control instruction to the ue through the PDCCH channel, and controls the ue to stop monitoring the PDCCH channel in the current DRX cycle.

In other embodiments, optionally, when the ue is in an active state, the base station sends a control instruction to the ue through the PDCCH channel, and controls the ue to stop monitoring the PDCCH channel in the current DRX cycle. As shown in fig. 3, during the periods t1, t2, t3 and t4, the ue is in an active state, i.e. except for the period t1 and the period t3, the base station may also send a control command to the ue through the PDCCH during the period t2 or the period t 4.

In step 304, according to the DRX command, the monitoring of the PDCCH is stopped in the current DRX cycle, and the DRX cycle is restarted.

After monitoring a DRX instruction sent by an eNodeB in a PDCCH channel, a user equipment stops monitoring the PDCCH channel in a current DRX cycle, i.e., DRX cycle T2, and enters a DRX off state, i.e., a sleep state, corresponding to DRX cycle T2 in advance, and restarts the DRX cycle at the same time. Stopping the first timer from timing; stopping the second timer from timing; the DRX cycle timer is restarted.

In this embodiment, during the operation of the on duration timer or the operation of the inactivity timer, the base station sends the control instruction to the ue through the PDCCH, so that the time range of sending the control instruction to the ue through the PDCCH by the base station is increased, and the flexibility of controlling the ue to stop monitoring the PDCCH in the current DRX cycle by the base station is improved.

Fig. 5 is a block diagram illustrating a first embodiment of a channel monitoring control apparatus according to an exemplary embodiment, and as shown in fig. 5, the apparatus includes a monitoring module 11, a receiving module 12, and a control module 13.

A monitoring module 11 configured to monitor a physical downlink control channel PDCCH.

A receiving module 12, configured to receive a discontinuous reception DRX instruction issued by the base station through the PDCCH, where the DRX instruction is used to control the ue to stop monitoring the PDCCH.

And the control module 13 is configured to stop monitoring the PDCCH and restart the DRX cycle in the current DRX cycle according to the DRX command.

The channel monitoring control apparatus provided in this embodiment may be used to execute the technical solution of the method embodiment shown in fig. 1.

Fig. 6 is a block diagram of a second embodiment of a channel monitoring control apparatus according to an exemplary embodiment, as shown in fig. 6, on the basis of the embodiment shown in fig. 5, a monitoring module 11 is configured to: and when the user terminal is in an active state in the current DRX period, monitoring a Physical Downlink Control Channel (PDCCH).

The activation state comprises a first state, or the activation state comprises a first state and a second state; in other embodiments, the listening module 11 is configured to: monitoring a downlink when the user terminal is in the first state; and monitoring the PDCCH when the user terminal is in the second state.

As shown in fig. 6, the channel sensing control apparatus further includes: a first enabling module 14 and a second enabling module 15. When the user terminal enters the first state, the first starting module 14 is configured to start a first timer, where the first timer is used to record the time when the user terminal is in the first state; when the monitoring module monitors the downlink, the receiving module 12 receives a data transmission resource allocation instruction sent by the base station, and the second starting module 14 is configured to start the second timer, where the second timer is used to record the time when the ue is in the second state, and the ue does not receive and transmit data in the second state.

The channel monitoring control apparatus provided in this embodiment may be used to execute the technical solution of the method embodiment shown in fig. 2.

Fig. 7 is a block diagram of a third embodiment of a channel monitoring control apparatus according to an exemplary embodiment, as shown in fig. 7, on the basis of the embodiment shown in fig. 6, the control module 13 includes: a first control unit 131 and a second control unit 132.

A first control unit 131 configured to control the first timer to stop counting time, or control the second timer to stop counting time.

A second control unit 132 configured to restart the DRX cycle timer.

The channel monitoring control apparatus provided in this embodiment may be used to execute the technical solution of the method embodiment shown in fig. 4.

With regard to the channel monitoring control apparatus in the above embodiment, the specific manner in which each module and sub-module performs operations has been described in detail in the embodiment related to the method, and will not be elaborated here.

Having described the internal functions and structure of the channel monitoring control device, as shown in fig. 8, in practice, the channel monitoring control device is a user terminal, and includes:

a processor;

a memory configured to store processor-executable instructions;

wherein the processor is configured to:

monitoring a Physical Downlink Control Channel (PDCCH);

Fig. 9 is a block diagram illustrating another user terminal according to an example embodiment. For example, the user terminal 800 may be a mobile phone, a computer, a digital broadcast terminal, a messaging device, a game console, a tablet device, a medical device, a fitness device, a personal digital assistant, and the like.

Referring to fig. 9, user terminal 800 may include one or more of the following components: processing component 802, memory 804, power component 806, multimedia component 808, audio component 810, input/output (I/O) interface 812, sensor component 814, and communication component 816.

The processing component 802 generally controls overall operation of the user terminal 800, such as operations associated with display, telephone calls, data communications, camera operations, and recording operations. The processing components 802 may include one or more processors 820 to execute instructions to perform all or a portion of the steps of the methods described above. Further, the processing component 802 can include one or more modules that facilitate interaction between the processing component 802 and other components. For example, the processing component 802 can include a multimedia module to facilitate interaction between the multimedia component 808 and the processing component 802.

The memory 804 is configured to store various types of data to support operation at the device 800. Examples of such data include instructions for any application or method operating on user terminal 800, contact data, phonebook data, messages, pictures, videos, and so forth. The memory 804 may be implemented by any type or combination of volatile or non-volatile memory devices such as Static Random Access Memory (SRAM), electrically erasable programmable read-only memory (EEPROM), erasable programmable read-only memory (EPROM), programmable read-only memory (PROM), read-only memory (ROM), magnetic memory, flash memory, magnetic or optical disks.

Power components 806 provide power to the various components of user terminal 800. The power components 806 may include a power management system, one or more power sources, and other components associated with generating, managing, and distributing power for the user terminal 800.

The multimedia component 808 includes a screen providing an output interface between the user terminal 800 and the user. In some embodiments, the screen may include a Liquid Crystal Display (LCD) and a Touch Panel (TP). If the screen includes a touch panel, the screen may be implemented as a touch screen to receive an input signal from a user. The touch panel includes one or more touch sensors to sense touch, slide, and gestures on the touch panel. The touch sensor may not only sense the boundary of a touch or slide action, but also detect the duration and pressure associated with the touch or slide operation. In some embodiments, the multimedia component 808 includes a front facing camera and/or a rear facing camera. The front-facing camera and/or the rear-facing camera may receive external multimedia data when the device 800 is in an operational mode, such as mode or video mode. Each front camera and rear camera may be a fixed optical lens system or have a focal length and optical zoom capability.

The audio component 810 is configured to output and/or input audio signals. For example, the audio component 810 includes a Microphone (MIC) configured to receive external audio signals when the user terminal 800 is in an operating mode, such as a call mode, a recording mode, and a voice recognition mode. The received audio signals may further be stored in the memory 804 or transmitted via the communication component 816. In some embodiments, audio component 810 also includes a speaker for outputting audio signals.

The I/O interface 812 provides an interface between the processing component 802 and peripheral interface modules, which may be keyboards, click wheels, buttons, etc. These buttons may include, but are not limited to: a home button, a volume button, a start button, and a lock button.

Sensor component 814 includes one or more sensors for providing various aspects of state assessment for user terminal 800. For example, sensor assembly 814 may detect the open/closed state of device 800, the relative positioning of components, such as a display and keypad of user terminal 800, sensor assembly 814 may also detect a change in the position of user terminal 800 or a component of user terminal 800, the presence or absence of user contact with user terminal 800, the orientation or acceleration/deceleration of user terminal 800, and a change in the temperature of user terminal 800. Sensor assembly 814 may include a proximity sensor configured to detect the presence of a nearby object without any physical contact. The sensor assembly 814 may also include a light sensor, such as a CMOS or CCD image sensor, for use in imaging applications. In some embodiments, the sensor assembly 814 may also include an acceleration sensor, a gyroscope sensor, a magnetic sensor, a pressure sensor, or a temperature sensor.

Communications component 816 is configured to facilitate communications between user terminal 800 and other devices in a wired or wireless manner. The user terminal 800 may access a wireless network based on a communication standard, such as WiFi, 2G or 3G, or a combination thereof. In an exemplary embodiment, the communication component 816 receives a broadcast signal or broadcast related information from an external broadcast management system via a broadcast channel. In an exemplary embodiment, the communication component 816 further includes a Near Field Communication (NFC) module to facilitate short-range communications. For example, the NFC module may be implemented based on Radio Frequency Identification (RFID) technology, infrared data association (IrDA) technology, Ultra Wideband (UWB) technology, Bluetooth (BT) technology, and other technologies.

In an exemplary embodiment, the user terminal 800 may be implemented by one or more Application Specific Integrated Circuits (ASICs), Digital Signal Processors (DSPs), Digital Signal Processing Devices (DSPDs), Programmable Logic Devices (PLDs), Field Programmable Gate Arrays (FPGAs), controllers, micro-controllers, microprocessors or other electronic components for performing the above-described methods.

In an exemplary embodiment, a non-transitory computer-readable storage medium comprising instructions, such as the memory 804 comprising instructions, executable by the processor 820 of the user terminal 800 to perform the above-described method is also provided. For example, the non-transitory computer readable storage medium may be a ROM, a Random Access Memory (RAM), a CD-ROM, a magnetic tape, a floppy disk, an optical data storage device, and the like.

A non-transitory computer readable storage medium having instructions therein, which when executed by a processor of a mobile terminal, enable the mobile terminal to perform a channel sensing control method, the method comprising:

monitoring a Physical Downlink Control Channel (PDCCH);

Other embodiments of the disclosure will be apparent to those skilled in the art from consideration of the specification and practice of the disclosure disclosed herein. This application is intended to cover any variations, uses, or adaptations of the disclosure following, in general, the principles of the disclosure and including such departures from the present disclosure as come within known or customary practice within the art to which the disclosure pertains. It is intended that the specification and examples be considered as exemplary only, with a true scope and spirit of the disclosure being indicated by the following claims.

It will be understood that the present disclosure is not limited to the precise arrangements described above and shown in the drawings and that various modifications and changes may be made without departing from the scope thereof. The scope of the present disclosure is limited only by the appended claims.

Claims

1. A method for controlling channel sensing, the method comprising:

monitoring a Physical Downlink Control Channel (PDCCH);

and according to the DRX instruction, stopping monitoring the PDCCH in the current DRX period, and restarting the DRX period after the current DRX period is finished.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the monitoring a Physical Downlink Control Channel (PDCCH) comprises:

3. The method of claim 2, wherein the activation state comprises a first state, or wherein the activation state comprises a first state and a second state;

monitoring a downlink when the user terminal is in the first state;

and monitoring the PDCCH when the user terminal is in the second state.

4. The method of claim 3, further comprising:

5. The method of claim 4, wherein the restarting the DRX cycle comprises at least one of:

stopping the first timer from timing;

stopping the second timer from timing;

the DRX cycle timer is restarted.

6. The method of claim 3 or 4, wherein the first state is an on duration state and the second state is an inactivity state.

7. An apparatus for controlling channel sensing, the apparatus comprising:

and the control module is configured to stop monitoring the PDCCH in the current DRX period according to the DRX instruction, and restart the DRX period after the current DRX period is finished.

8. The apparatus of claim 7, wherein the listening module is configured to:

9. The apparatus of claim 8, wherein the activation state comprises a first state, or wherein the activation state comprises a first state and a second state;

the listening module is configured to:

monitoring a downlink when the user terminal is in the first state;

and monitoring the PDCCH when the user terminal is in the second state.

10. The apparatus of claim 9, further comprising: the system comprises a first starting module and a second starting module;

11. The apparatus of claim 10, wherein the control module comprises:

a second control unit configured to restart the DRX cycle timer.

12. The apparatus of claim 9 or 10, wherein the first state is an on duration state and the second state is an inactive state.

13. A user terminal, comprising:

a processor;

a memory configured to store processor-executable instructions;

wherein the processor is configured to:

monitoring a Physical Downlink Control Channel (PDCCH);