METHOD AND APPARATUS FOR SUPPORTING MBMS IN SYSTEM ARCHITECTURE EVOLUTION

• US 20100110961A1
• Filed: 03/20/2008
• Published: 05/06/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 03/21/2007
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Nokia Technologies Oy (Nokia Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Alcatel-Lucent SA (Nokia Corporation)
• Inventors: Wang, He, Wang, Yonggang, Hu, Zhongji, Chao, Hua
• Granted Patent: US 8,451,764 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 370/312
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 76/40 for selective distribution or broadcast
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 88/18 Service support devices; Network management devices

Abstract

The present invention discloses a system structure for supporting Evolved Multimedia Broadcast/Multicast Service (Evolved MBMS), comprising: a Broadcast/Multicast Service Center (BM-SC) for initiating control signaling and bearer services for Multimedia Broadcast/Multicast Service (MBMS); a System Architecture Evolved Gateway (SAE GW) for receiving MBMS service data and MBMS control signaling or service data from another network, and forwarding the received service data and control signaling; a Broadcast/Multicast Management Entity (BME) for receiving, processing and forwarding the MBMS control signaling, and determining, for each item of the service data for MBMS, an enhanced Node B (eNB) which needs to receive the control signaling; and an multicast User Plane Entity (mUPE) for receiving the MBMS service data, processing the received MBMS service data in Evolved Packet System Architecture Evolution, and forwarding the processed MBMS service data to a downstream node.

Claims

1. A system structure for supporting Evolved Multimedia Broadcast/Multicast Service (Evolved MBMS), comprising:

a Broadcast/Multicast Service Center (BM-SC) for initiating control signaling and bearer services for Multimedia Broadcast/Multicast Service (MBMS);

a System Architecture Evolved Gateway (SAE GW) for receiving MBMS service data and MBMS control signaling or service data from another network, and forwarding the received service data and control signaling;

a Broadcast/Multicast Management Entity (BME) for receiving, processing and forwarding the MBMS control signaling, and determining, for each item of the service data for MBMS, an enhanced Node B (eNB) which needs to receive the control signaling; and

an multicast User Plane Entity (mUPE) for receiving the MBMS service data, processing the received MBMS service data in Evolved Packet System Architecture Evolution, and forwarding the processed MBMS service data to a downstream node.

2. The system structure of claim 1, wherein the SAE GW comprises:

a Packet Data Network SAE GW for receiving the MBMS service data and the MBMS control signaling from the BM-SC or another network, storing locally service parameters and forwarding the received service data and control signaling to a Serving SAE GW;

the Serving SAE GW for receiving the MBMS service data and the MBMS control signaling from the Packet Data Network SAE GW, storing locally service parameters and forwarding the received service data and control signaling to the downstream node.

3. The system structure of claim 2, wherein the Serving SAE GW and the Packet Data Network SAE GW are located at one same physical node.

4. The system structure of claim 2, wherein the Serving SAE GW and the Packet Data Network SAE GW are located at different physical nodes.

5. The system structure of claim 2, wherein the Serving SAE GW has a function of distribution tree management on the MBMS to be forwarded.

6. The system structure of claim 2, wherein the Serving SAE GW stores locally parameters contained in the forwarded control signaling.

7. The system structure of claim 1, wherein the BME stores parameters contained in the forwarded control signaling.

8. The system structure of claim 1, wherein the BME has a function of distribution tree management on the MBMS to be forwarded.

9. The system structure of claim 1, wherein the BME is a management entity for Evolved MBMS.

10. The system structure of claim 1, wherein the BME can be implemented as an individual network cell, or can be provided in a Multicast Coordination Entity (MCE) or a Mobility Management Entity (MME).

11. The system structure of claim 1, wherein the BME is connected to the Serving SAE GW and a node (eNB) via interfaces, respectively.

12. The system structure of claim 1, wherein the MBMS is Evolved MBMS.

13. A method for supporting Multimedia Broadcast/Multicast Service (MBMS) in system architecture evolution, comprising the steps of:

initiating, by a Broadcast/Multicast Service Center (BM-SC), MBMS bearer services and forwarding the services to a System Architecture Evolved Gateway (SAE GW), or sending service data by another network to the SAE GW;

forwarding, by the SAE GW, the received MBMS service data or the service data from the another network to an multicast User Plane Entity (mUPE) after the SAE GW receives the MBMS service data or the service data from another network;

performing, by the mUPE, a core-network processing on the received MBMS service data in Evolved Packet Core Network and forwarding the processed MBMS service data to a downstream node after the mUPE receives the MBMS service data.

14. The method of claim 13, further comprising the step of performing, by the SAE GW, distribution tree management on the MBMS to be forwarded.

15. The method of claim 13, further comprising the step of performing, by a Broadcast/Multicast Management Entity (BME), distribution tree management on the MBMS to be forwarded.

16. The method of claim 13, wherein the MBMS is Evolved MBMS.

17. A method for transmitting Multimedia Broadcast/Multicast Service (MBMS) in system architecture evolution, comprising the steps of:

initiating, by a Broadcast/Multicast Service Center (BM-SC), an MBMS Session Start message and forwarding the MBMS Session Start message to a corresponding System Architecture Evolved Gateway (SAE GW);

forwarding, by the SAE GW, the received MBMS Session Start message to a corresponding Broadcast/Multicast Management Entity (BME) after the SAE GW receives the MBMS Session Start message;

sending, by the SAE GW, a response message back to the BM-SC in response to the reception of the MBMS Session Start message, so as to acknowledge the reception of the message;

receiving, by the BME, the MBMS Session Start message forwarded from the SAE GW, and forwarding the received MBMS Session Start message to each of enhance Node Bs (eNBs) which are connected to the BME and located in the service area covered by the MBMS;

sending, by the BME, a response message back to the SAE GW in response to the reception of the MBMS Session Start message so as to acknowledge the reception of the message;

sending, by each of the eNBs, a response message back to the BME in response to the reception of the MBMS Session Start message so as to acknowledge the reception of the message.

18. The method of claim 17, further comprising the step of storing locally parameters contained in the MBMS Session Start message by the SAE GW.

19. The method of claim 17, further comprising the step of storing locally parameters contained in the MBMS Session Start message by the BME.

20. The method of claim 17, wherein the BME is able to update and stop an MBMS Session.