Mobile wireless communication device and method

• US 10,555,273 B2
• Filed: 02/04/2019
• Issued: 02/04/2020
• Est. Priority Date: 05/18/2015
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Huawei Technologies Duesseldorf GmbH (Huawei Technologies Netherlands BV)
• Original Assignee: Huawei Technologies Duesseldorf GmbH (Huawei Technologies Netherlands BV)
• Inventors: Kaloxylos, Alexandros, Bulakci, Oemer, Chatzikokolakis, Konstantinos, Spapis, Panagiotis, Alonistioti, Athanasia
• Primary Examiner(s): Patel, Nimesh
• Application Number:
  US16/266,855
• Publication Number:
  US 20190174450A1
• Time in Patent Office: 365 Days
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 64/00 Locating users or terminals or network equipment for network management purposes, e.g. mobility management
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 68/02 Arrangements for increasing efficiency of notification or paging channel
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 74/0833 Random access procedures, e.g. with 4-step access
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 76/27 Transitions between radio resource control [RRC] states
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 84/005 Moving wireless networks
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 84/20 Master-slave selection or change arrangements

Abstract

The disclosure relates to a mobile wireless communication device (101a-c) configured to communicate with a location management server (105) over a wireless communication network. The mobile wireless communication device (101a-c) is configured to be part of a cluster of mobile wireless communication devices managed on the basis of a clustering protocol, wherein the clustering protocol is configured to select one of the mobile wireless communication devices (101a-c) of the cluster of mobile wireless communication devices to be a cluster head for representing the cluster of mobile wireless communication devices. The mobile wireless communication devices (101a-c) of the cluster of mobile wireless communication devices are either in a network-connected mode or a network-idle mode relative to the wireless communication network.

Claims

1. A mobile wireless communication device in a communication system, the mobile wireless communication device comprising:

a processor; and

a non-transitory computer readable medium storing instructions, that when executed by the processor, cause the mobile wireless communication device to perform the following steps;

selecting a second mobile wireless communication device in a cluster of mobile wireless communication devices, including the mobile wireless communication device itself, being in a network-connected mode as a cluster rapporteur for communicating with a location management server, wherein when the mobile wireless communication device is a cluster head, selecting itself as the cluster rapporteur for communicating with the location management server, when the mobile wireless communication device is in the network-connected mode or the network-idle mode and the other mobile wireless communication devices of the cluster of mobile wireless communication devices are in the network-idle mode; and

sending, when the mobile wireless communication device is the cluster rapporteur, cluster location management information to the location management server, wherein the cluster location management information comprises at least one of information about a location of the cluster head and information about respective locations of the mobile wireless communication devices in the cluster of mobile wireless communication devices.

2. The mobile wireless communication device of claim 1, wherein the steps further comprise determining the frequency or the content of the cluster location management information or the events that trigger the sending of cluster location management information to the location management server.

3. The mobile wireless communication device of claim 1, wherein the cluster location management information further comprises at least one of an identifier of the cluster of mobile wireless communication devices, location information about the cluster head, information about the velocity of the cluster head, a list pairing an identifier of a wireless mobile communication device of the cluster of mobile wireless communication devices with an identifier of a cell of the wireless communication network, and the coverage area of the cluster of mobile wireless communication devices.

4. The mobile wireless communication device of claim 1, wherein the steps further comprise sending the steps further comprise sending cluster location management information the location management server, each time at least one of a new mobile wireless communication device joins the cluster of mobile wireless communication devices, a mobile wireless communication device leaves the cluster of mobile wireless communication devices and the cluster of mobile wireless communication devices is modified.

5. The mobile wireless communication device of claim 1, wherein the steps further comprise communicating with at least one other mobile wireless communication devices of the cluster of mobile wireless communication devices over an intra-cluster communication channel.

6. A method for transmitting data in a wireless communication network, comprising:

selecting one of a plurality of mobile wireless communication devices in a cluster of mobile wireless communication devices being in a network-connected mode as a cluster rapporteur for communicating with the location management server, wherein when a mobile wireless communication device is a cluster head, selecting it as the cluster rapporteur for communicating with the location management server, when the mobile wireless communication device is in the network-connected mode or the network-idle mode and the other mobile wireless communication devices of the cluster of mobile wireless communication devices are in the network-idle mode; and

sending cluster location management information to the location management server, wherein the cluster location management information comprises at least one of information about a location of the cluster head and information about respective locations of the mobile wireless communication devices in the cluster of mobile wireless communication devices.

7. The method according to claim 6, further comprising:

determining the frequency or the content of the cluster location management information or the events that trigger the sending of cluster location management information to the location management server.

8. The method according to claim 6, wherein the cluster location management information further comprises at least one of an identifier of the cluster of mobile wireless communication devices, location information about the cluster head, information about the velocity of the cluster head, a list pairing an identifier of a wireless mobile communication device of the cluster of mobile wireless communication devices with an identifier of a cell of the wireless communication network, and the coverage area of the cluster of mobile wireless communication devices.

9. The method according to claim 6, further comprising:

sending cluster location management information the location management server, each time at least one of a new mobile wireless communication device joins the cluster of mobile wireless communication devices, a mobile wireless communication device leaves the cluster of mobile wireless communication devices and the cluster of mobile wireless communication devices is changed in a different way.

10. The method according to claim 6, further comprising:

communicating with at least one other mobile wireless communication devices of the cluster of mobile wireless communication devices over an intra-cluster communication channel.