Method and Apparatus for Adjusting Wake-Up Period of a Terminal in a Communications System

Abstract

A method and apparatus for adjusting a wake-up period of a terminal in a communications system. In at least one embodiment, the method includes: determining whether a network-side device retransmits a paging message in an area in which the terminal is located; and if a paging message is retransmitted, acquiring a time interval at which the paging message is retransmitted and the number R of times that the paging message is retransmitted, and adjusting the wake-up period of the terminal to a value equal to N times the time interval at which the paging message is retransmitted, wherein N is an integer and 2≦N≦R.

What is claimed is: 
     
         1 . A method for adjusting a wake-up period of a terminal in a communications system, comprising:
 determining whether a network-side device retransmits a paging message in an area in which the terminal is located; and   acquiring, in response to determining that the network-side device is retransmitted, a time interval at which the paging message is retransmitted and a number R of times that the paging message is retransmitted, and adjusting a wake-up period of the terminal to a value equal to N times the time interval at which the paging message is retransmitted, wherein N is an integer and 2≦N≦R.   
     
     
         2 . The method according to  claim 1 , wherein the determining whether a network side device retransmits a paging message further comprises:
 determining whether the terminal receives a same paging message in two consecutive wake-up periods before adjustment; and   determining that the paging message is retransmitted in response to determining that the terminal receives the same paging message in two consecutive wake-up periods before adjustment;   wherein the acquired time interval at which the paging message is retransmitted comprises a wake-up period before adjustment;   wherein the number R of times that the paging message is retransmitted equals two; and   wherein the wake-up period of the terminal is adjusted to a value twice the value of the wake-up period before adjustment.   
     
     
         3 . The method according to  claim 2 , wherein the determining whether the terminal receives a same paging message in two consecutive wake-up periods further comprises:
 performing, in response to the terminal receiving paging messages for another terminal when waking up in two consecutive wake-up periods before adjustment, a comparison to determine whether the paging messages received during the two consecutive wake-up periods are the same; and   determining that the paging message is retransmitted in response to determining that the paging messages received during the two consecutive wake-up periods being the same.   
     
     
         4 . The method according to  claim 3 , wherein the method further comprises:
 determining that no paging message is retransmitted, in response to determining that the paging messages received during the two consecutive wake-up periods are not the same.   
     
     
         5 . The method according to  claim 3 , wherein the determining whether the terminal receives a same paging message in two consecutive wake-up periods further comprises:
 discarding the message indicating that a paging channel is idle in response to the terminal receiving a message indicating that the paging channel is idle when waking up in any wake-up period before adjustment.   
     
     
         6 . The method according to  claim 5 , wherein, the method further comprises performing, after the discarding the message indicating that the paging channel is idle:
 increasing a number of times of receiving the message indicating that the paging channel is idle by one;   determining that no paging message is retransmitted in response to the number of times of receiving the message indicating that the paging channel is idle being greater than a second preset number of times; and   continuing to determine, after the message indicating that the paging channel is idle is received and in response to the number of times of receiving the message indicating that the paging channel is idle not being greater than the second preset number of times, whether the terminal receives a same paging message in two consecutive wake-up periods before adjustment.   
     
     
         7 . The method according to  claim 2 , wherein the determining whether the terminal receives a same paging message comprises:
 performing, in response to the terminal receiving paging messages for another terminal when waking up in the two consecutive wake-up periods before adjustment, a comparison to determine whether the paging messages received during the two times of wake-up are the same;   determining that the paging message is retransmitted in response to the paging messages received during the two times of wake-up being the same; and   increasing by one, in response to the paging messages received during the two times of wake-up being different, the number of times of determining to be different, and determining that no paging message is retransmitted in response to the number of times of the determining to be different is greater than a first preset number of times.   
     
     
         8 . The method according to  claim 7 , wherein the method further comprises:
 continuing to determine, in response to the number of times of the determining to be different not being greater than the first preset number of times, whether a paging message received when the terminal wakes up in a latter one of the two consecutive wake-up periods before adjustment during the previous comparison is the same as a paging message received when the terminal wakes up in a next wake-up period before adjustment until it is determined that the paging message is retransmitted or until it is determined that no paging message is retransmitted.   
     
     
         9 . The method according to  claim 1 , wherein the determining whether a network side device retransmits a paging message in a location area in which a terminal lies further comprises determining whether the maximum number X of times that the terminal consecutively receives a same paging message in M consecutive wake-up periods before adjustment is greater than 1, and determining that the paging message is retransmitted if X is greater than 1, wherein M is an integer greater than 1;
 wherein the acquired time interval at which the paging message is retransmitted comprises a wake-up period before adjustment, and wherein the number R of times that the paging message is retransmitted equals X; and   wherein the wake-up period of the terminal is adjusted to a value equal to N times the wake-up period before adjustment, wherein N≦X.   
     
     
         10 . The method according to  claim 9 , wherein the determining whether a network-side device retransmits a paging message in a location area in which a terminal lies further comprises determining that no paging message is retransmitted if X is greater than 1. 
     
     
         11 . The method according to  claim 1 , wherein the method further comprises performing, before the adjusting a wake-up period of the terminal to a value equal to N times the time interval at which the paging message is retransmitted:
 waiting a preset time;   adjusting the wake-up period of the terminal, in response to no interruption event occurring in the preset time, and after the waiting the preset time, to a value equal to N times the time interval at which the paging message is retransmitted; and   waiting, in response to an interruption event occurring in the preset time, and from the time when the interruption event occurs, the preset time again, and adjusting the wake-up period of the terminal to a value equal to N times the time interval at which the paging message is retransmitted.   
     
     
         12 . The method according to  claim 1 , further comprising stopping the ongoing adjustment of the wake-up period of the terminal in response to the terminal entering a new location area. 
     
     
         13 . A terminal in a communications system, comprising:
 a receiver;   at least one processor connected to the receiver;   a non-transitory computer readable medium connected to the processor and having stored thereon instructions that, when executed by the processor, cause the processor to:
 determine whether a network-side device retransmits a paging message in an area in which the terminal is located; 
 acquire, in response to determining that a paging message is retransmitted, a time interval at which the paging message is retransmitted and a number R of times that the paging message is retransmitted; and 
 adjust a wake-up period of the terminal to a value equal to N times the time interval at which the paging message is retransmitted, wherein N is an integer and 2≦N≦R. 
   
     
     
         14 . The terminal according to  claim 13 , wherein the receiver is configured to receive a message delivered by the network side device when the terminal wakes up in each wake-up period before adjustment. 
     
     
         15 . The terminal according to  claim 13 , wherein the non-transitory computer readable medium further has stored thereon instructions that cause the processor to:
 determine whether the terminal receives a same paging message in two consecutive wake-up periods before adjustment;   determine that the paging message is retransmitted in response to determining that the terminal receives the same paging message in two consecutive wake-up periods before adjustment,   use, in response to determining that the terminal receives the same paging message in two consecutive wake-up periods before adjustment, the wake-up period before adjustment as the acquired time interval at which the paging message is retransmitted;   use 2 as the number R of times that the paging message is retransmitted in response to determining that the terminal receives the same paging message in two consecutive wake-up periods before adjustment; and   adjust the wake-up period of the terminal to a value twice the value of the wake-up period before adjustment.   
     
     
         16 . The terminal according to  claim 15 , wherein the non-transitory computer readable medium further has stored thereon instructions that cause the processor to:
 perform, in response to the terminal receives paging messages for another terminal when the terminal wakes up in two consecutive wake-up periods before adjustment, a comparison to determine whether the paging messages received during the two consecutive wake-up periods are the same; and   determine that the paging message is retransmitted in response to determining that the paging messages received during the two consecutive wake-up periods are the same.   
     
     
         17 . The terminal according to  claim 16 , wherein the non-transitory computer readable medium further has stored thereon instructions that cause the processor to:
 determine that no paging message is retransmitted if the paging messages received during the two consecutive wake-up periods are not the same.   
     
     
         18 . The terminal according to  claim 15 , wherein the non-transitory computer readable medium further has stored thereon instructions that cause the processor to:
 perform a comparison, in response to the receiver receiving paging messages for another terminal when the terminal wakes up in two consecutive wake-up periods before adjustment, to determine whether the paging messages received during this two times of wake-up are the same;   determine that the paging message is retransmitted in response to the paging messages received during this two times of wake-up being the same;   increase, by one, in response to the paging messages received during this two times of wake-up being different, the number of times of determining to be different; and   determine that no paging message is retransmitted in response to the paging messages received during this two times of wake-up being different and further in response to the number of times of the determining to be different being greater than a first preset number of times.   
     
     
         19 . The terminal according to  claim 18 , wherein the non-transitory computer readable medium further has stored thereon instructions that cause the processor to:
 continue to determine, in response to the number of times of the determining to be different not being greater than the first preset number of times, whether a paging message received when the terminal wakes up in the latter one of the two consecutive wake-up periods before adjustment during the previous comparison is the same as a paging message received when the terminal wakes up in a next wake-up period before adjustment until it is determined that the paging message is retransmitted or it is determined that no paging message is retransmitted.   
     
     
         20 . The terminal according to  claim 16 , wherein the non-transitory computer readable medium further has stored thereon instructions that cause the processor to:
 discard the message indicating that a paging channel is idle in response to the receiver receiving a message indicating that a paging channel is idle when the terminal wakes up in any wake-up period before adjustment.