System and method for downlink machine-to-machine communications

• US 10,085,132 B2
• Filed: 11/23/2015
• Issued: 09/25/2018
• Est. Priority Date: 11/25/2014
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Huawei Technologies Co., Ltd. (Huawei Investment & Holding Co., Ltd.)
• Original Assignee: Huawei Technologies Co., Ltd. (Huawei Investment & Holding Co., Ltd.)
• Inventors: Li, Xu, Callard, Aaron, Zhang, Hang
• Primary Examiner(s): Ly, Anh-Vu
• Application Number:
  US14/949,231
• Publication Number:
  US 20160150349A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,037 Days
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/021 Services related to particular areas, e.g. point of interest [POI] services, venue services or geofences
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/06 Selective distribution of broadcast services, e.g. multimedia broadcast multicast service [MBMS]; Services to user groups; One-way selective calling services
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/70 Services for machine-to-machine communication [M2M] or machine type communication [MTC]
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 48/20 Selecting an access point
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 64/003 locating network equipment
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 72/51 based on terminal or device properties

Abstract

An embodiment method for downlink machine type communications (MTC), includes receiving, at a base station, parameters including a geographic location related to a remote equipment (RE), receiving a predicate identifying the RE, determining a target zone in which the RE is located, determining a radio bearer associated with the target zone, and transmitting a data packet and the predicate by the base station on the radio bearer to a plurality of REs disposed in the target zone, the plurality of REs comprising at least the RE.

Claims

1. A method for downlink machine type communications (MTC), comprising:

receiving, at a base station associated with a set of zones, parameters including a geographic location related to a remote equipment (RE);

receiving, at the base station associated with the set of zones, a predicate associated with the RE;

determining a target zone from the set of zones, in which the RE is located based on the geographic location;

determining a radio bearer from a set of radio bearers associated with the base station, the determined radio bearer associated with the target zone; and

transmitting a data packet and the predicate by the base station to a plurality of REs disposed in the target zone, the plurality of REs comprising at least the RE, wherein the data packet is transmitted on the determined radio bearer.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the parameters further include a service identifier (SID) of a machine type communication (MTC) application.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the predicate is transmitted on a control channel on a second radio bearer different from the determined radio bearer.

4. The method of claim 3, wherein the data packet is transmitted on a traffic channel.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the predicate identifies a group of REs including the RE.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein the predicate comprises two or more conditions, and the predicate is used by the RE to determine whether the RE is an intended recipient of the data packet such that:

when it is determined that the RE meets the two or more conditions, the RE processes the data packet; and

when it is determined that the RE does not meet the two or more conditions, the RE discards the data packet.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein each zone of the set of zones is associated with a different radio bearer of the set of radio bearers.

8. The method of claim 1, the transmitting comprising:

transmitting the data packet and the predicate by the base station on the radio bearer to the plurality of REs disposed in the target zone.

9. A network access point, comprising:

a transmitter;

a processor connected to the transmitter; and

a non-transitory computer readable storage medium connected to the processor and having stored thereon instructions that, when executed by the processor, cause the network access point to;

obtain parameters including a geographic location;

obtain data and a predicate associated with a remote equipment (RE);

determine a target zone from a set of zones associated with the network access point in which the RE is located based on the geographic location;

determine a radio bearer from a set of radio hearers associated with the network access point, the determined radio bearer associated with the target zone; and

transmit the predicate and a data packet comprising the data to a plurality of REs disposed in the target zone, the plurality of REs comprising at least the RE, wherein the data packet is transmitted on the determined radio hearer through the transmitter.

10. The network access point of claim 9, wherein the parameters further include a service identifier (SID) of a machine type communication (MTC) application.

11. The network access point of claim 9, wherein the instructions causing the network access point to transmit the predicate and the data packet comprise instructions that, when executed by the processor, cause the network access point to transmit the predicate on a control channel on a second radio bearer different from the determined radio bearer.

12. The network access point of claim 11, wherein the instructions causing the processor to transmit the predicate and the data packet further comprise instructions that, when executed by the processor, cause the processor to transmit the data packet on a traffic channel.

13. The network access point of claim 9, wherein the predicate identifies a group of REs including the RE.

14. The network access point of claim 9, wherein the parameters, the data and the predicate are received in a data packet.

15. A non-transitory computer-readable medium storing computer readable instructions that when executed cause one or more processors of a processing system to execute a method comprising:

receiving parameters including a geographic location related to a remote equipment (RE);

receiving a predicate associated with the RE;

determining a target zone from a set of zones associated with a base station in which the RE is located based on the geographic location;

determining a radio bearer from a set of radio bearers associated with the base the determined radio bearer associated with the target zone; and

transmitting a data packet and the predicate to a plurality of REs disposed in the target zone, the plurality of REs comprising at least the RE, wherein the data packet is transmitted on the determined radio bearer.

16. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 15, wherein the parameters further include a service identifier (SID) of a machine type communication (MTC) application.

17. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 15, wherein the predicate is transmitted on a control channel on a second radio bearer different from the determined radio bearer.

18. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 15, wherein the predicate associated with the RE identifies a group of REs in the target zone with at least one of a same type of device, a same service class, a same area, and a same RE group ID, wherein the group of REs comprises the RE.

19. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 15, wherein the predicate is transmitted in the data packet.

20. An apparatus for supporting wireless communications, the apparatus comprising:

at least one processor; and

a non-transitory computer readable storage medium storing programming for execution by the at least one processor, the programming including instructions to;

obtain parameters including a geographic location;

obtain data and a predicate associated with a remote equipment (RE);

determine a target zone from a set of zones associated with a base station in which the RE is located based on the geographic location;

send the predicate, information about the target zone, and a data packet comprising the data to the base station, the data packet prompting the base station to;

determine a radio bearer from a set of radio bearers associated with the base station, the determined radio bearer associated with the target zone; and

transmit the predicate and the data packet to at least one RE disposed in the target zone, the at least one RE comprising the RE, wherein the data packet is transmitted on the determined radio bearer.

21. The apparatus of claim 20, wherein the parameters further include a service identifier (SID) of a machine type communication (MTC) application.

22. The apparatus of claim 20, wherein the programming further includes instructions to transmit the predicate on a control channel on a second radio bearer different from the determined radio bearer.

23. The apparatus of claim 20, wherein the predicate associated with the RE identifies a group of REs in the target zone with at least one of a same type of device, a same service class, a same area, and a same RE group ID, the group of REs including the RE.

24. The apparatus of claim 20, wherein the predicate is transmitted in the data packet.

25. The apparatus of claim 20, wherein the parameters, the data and the predicate are received in a data packet.