APPARATUS AND METHOD FOR MULTICAST AND BROADCAST SERVICE IN BROADBAND WIRELESS ACCESS SYSTEM

• US 20080165750A1
• Filed: 01/04/2008
• Published: 07/10/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 01/05/2007
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd.
• Original Assignee: Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd.
• Inventors: KIM, Ki-Back
• Granted Patent: US 8,249,036 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 370/338
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/12 Arrangements for remote connection or disconnection of substations or of equipment thereof
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/189 in combination with wireless systems selective distribution or broadcast in wireless communication networks H04W4/06
• 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 52/0241 where no transmission is received, e.g. out of range of the transmitter
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 88/02 Terminal devices
• CPC Class Codes: Y02D 30/70 in wireless communication networks

Abstract

An apparatus and method for a Multicast and Broadcast Service (MBS) in a Broadband Wireless Access (BWA) system. In a method for operating a user terminal in a BWA system, an idle timer is driven when a flow for unicast connection has no traffic in an awake mode. Whether a broadcast service is being received is checked when the idle timer expires. The user terminal transitions from the awake mode to a fake idle mode when the broadcast service is being received.

Claims

1. An apparatus of a user terminal in a broadband wireless access system, the apparatus comprising:

a timer manager for driving an idle timer when a flow for unicast connection has no traffic in an awake mode; and

a state manager for checking whether a broadcast service is being received when the idle timer expires, and transitioning from the awake mode to a fake idle mode when the broadcast service is being received.

2. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the state manager transitions to an idle mode when the broadcast service is terminated in the fake idle mode.

3. The apparatus of claim 2, wherein the state manager checks whether a traffic is generated in the idle mode, transitions to the fake idle mode when a broadcast traffic is generated, and transitions to the awake mode when a unicast traffic is generated.

4. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the state manager transitions to the awake mode when a unicast traffic is generated in the fake idle mode.

5. The apparatus of claim 1, further comprising a controller for exchanging control messages for idle mode transition with a base station before transition to the fake idle mode.

6. The apparatus of claim 5, wherein the base station manages the user terminal in an idle mode in accordance with a control message.

7. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the timer manager drives a sleep timer when the flow for unicast connection has no traffic in the awake mode.

8. The apparatus of claim 7, wherein the state manager checks whether a broadcast service is being received when the sleep timer expires, transitions to a sleep mode when the broadcast service is not being received, and transitions to an idle mode when the idle timer expires in the sleep mode.

9. The apparatus of claim 7, wherein the state manager checks whether a broadcast service is being received when the sleep timer expires, and transitions to a fake sleep mode when the broadcast service is being received.

10. The apparatus of claim 9, further comprising a controller for exchanging control messages for sleep mode transition with a base station before transition to the fake sleep mode.

11. The apparatus of claim 9, wherein the state manager checks whether a broadcast service is being received when the idle timer expires in the fake sleep mode, and transitions through the awake mode to the fake idle mode when the broadcast service is being received.

12. The apparatus of claim 9, wherein the state manager transitions to the awake mode when a unicast traffic is generated in the fake sleep mode, and transitions to a sleep mode when the broadcast service is terminated in the fake sleep mode.

13. The apparatus of claim 12, wherein the state manager checks whether a traffic is generated in the sleep mode, transitions to the fake sleep mode when a broadcast traffic is generated, and transitions to the awake mode when a unicast traffic is generated.

14. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the fake idle mode is a submode included in an idle mode.

15. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the unicast connection is a connection for an Adaptive Modulation and Coding (AMC)-based traffic, and the broadcast service is a non-AMC service.

16. A method for operating a user terminal in a broadband wireless access system, the method comprising:

driving an idle timer when a flow for unicast connection has no traffic in an awake mode;

checking whether a broadcast service is being received when the idle timer expires; and

transitioning from the awake mode to a fake idle mode when the broadcast service is being received.

17. The method of claim 16, further comprising exchanging control messages for idle mode transition with a base station before transition to the fake idle mode.

18. The method of claim 17, wherein the base station manages the user terminal in an idle mode in accordance with a control message.

19. The method of claim 16, further comprising transitioning from the fake idle mode to an idle mode when the broadcast service is terminated in the fake idle mode.

20. The method of claim 19, further comprising:

transitioning to the awake mode when a unicast traffic is generated in the idle mode; and

transitioning to the fake idle mode when a multicast traffic is generated in the idle mode.

21. The method of claim 16, further comprising transitioning to the awake mode when a unicast traffic is generated in the fake idle mode.

22. The method of claim 16, further comprising driving a sleep timer when the flow for unicast connection has no traffic in the awake mode.

23. The method of claim 22, further comprising:

checking whether a broadcast service is being received when the sleep timer expires;

transitioning from the awake mode to a sleep mode when the broadcast service is not being received; and

transitioning from the sleep mode to an idle mode when the idle timer expires in the sleep mode.

24. The method of claim 22, further comprising:

checking whether a broadcast service is being received when the sleep timer expires; and

transitioning from the awake mode to a fake sleep mode when the broadcast service is being received.

25. The method of claim 24, further comprising exchanging control messages for sleep mode transition with a base station before transition to the fake sleep mode.

26. The method of claim 24, further comprising:

checking whether the idle timer expires in the fake sleep mode;

checking whether a broadcast service is being received when the idle timer expires; and

exchanging messages in the awake mode and transitioning to the fake idle mode when the broadcast service is being received.

27. The method of claim 24, further comprising:

transitioning to the awake mode when a unicast traffic is generated in the fake sleep mode; and

transitioning to the sleep mode when the broadcast service is terminated in the fake sleep mode.

28. The method of claim 27, further comprising:

transitioning to the fake sleep mode when a broadcast traffic is generated in the sleep mode; and

transitioning to the awake mode when a unicast traffic is generated in the sleep mode.

29. The method of claim 26, wherein the broadcast service is a Multicast and Broadcast Service (MBS).

30. The method of claim 16, wherein the fake idle mode is a submode included in an idle mode.

31. The method of claim 16, further comprising turning on/off a modem of the user terminal in the fake idle mode in accordance with a broadcast channel transmission period.

32. The method of claim 24, further comprising turning on/off a modem of the user terminal in the fake sleep mode in accordance with a broadcast channel transmission period.

33. The method of claim 16, wherein the unicast connection is a connection for an Adaptive Modulation and Coding (AMC)-based traffic, and the broadcast service is a non-AMC service.