TELECOMMUNICATIONS SYSTEMS AND METHODS

摘要

A wireless telecommunications system including a base station and a terminal device and employing a radio interface having a downlink radio frame structure including radio subframes including an arrangement of reference symbols for channel estimation. The base station is configured to determine a period of time for which certain terminal device specific data are not scheduled for transmission to the terminal device and to communicate this information to the terminal device through selective suppression of at least one reference symbol. Different reference symbol(s) may be suppressed to indicate different periods of time. The terminal device is configured to monitor the reference symbols transmitted by a base station to identify where reference symbols are suppressed, to determine a period of time for which the terminal device is not expected to receive certain types of data and enter a reduced activity mode for that period to conserve processing and power resources.

主权项

1. A method of operating a terminal device in a wireless telecommunications system employing a radio interface including an arrangement of downlink reference symbols, the method comprising:
monitoring reference symbols transmitted by a base station; identifying that transmission by the base station of at least one reference symbol from the arrangement of downlink reference symbols is suppressed; determining a period of time for which to enter a reduced activity mode based on the identified at least one reference symbol for which transmission is suppressed; and initiating the reduced activity mode for the determined period of time.