GROUP-BASED MACHINE TO MACHINE COMMUNICATION

• US 20120004003A1
• Filed: 12/22/2010
• Published: 01/05/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 12/22/2009
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: InterDigital Patent Holdings, Inc. (InterDigital, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: InterDigital Patent Holdings, Inc. (InterDigital, Inc.)
• Inventors: Shaheen, Kamel M., Purkayastha, Debashish
• Granted Patent: US 8,891,423 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 455/509
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 61/5069 for group communication, multicast communication or broadcast communication
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/08 User group management
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/70 Services for machine-to-machine communication [M2M] or machine type communication [MTC]
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 60/00 Affiliation to network, e.g. registration; Terminating affiliation with the network, e.g. de-registration
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 8/06 Registration at serving network Location Register, VLR or user mobility server
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 8/186 Processing of subscriber group data
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 8/26 Network addressing or numbering for mobility support

Abstract

Methods and apparatus are provided for performing group-based machine-to-machine communication. Machine-type communication (MTC) wireless transmit/receive units (WTRUs) may operate in MTC groups. MTC WTRUs belonging to the same MTC group may use a group-based International Mobile Subscriber Identity (IMSI) and a group-based IP address for data transmission. Group-based network registration may be performed. A group-based IP address and radio resources may be proactively allocated for an MTC group. A master MTC may perform network registration/attachment process on behalf of the MTC group. A group of MTC WTRUs may transmit data according to staggered time windows.

Claims

1. A method for performing group-based machine-to-machine communication, the method comprising:

receiving an indication from a communication network, the indication comprising information associated with an IP address, wherein the IP address is allocated for a machine type communication (MTC) group, the MTC group comprising a plurality of MTC transmit/receive units (WTRUs);

obtaining the IP address based on the received indication; and

transmitting data using the obtained IP address in a prescribed transmission window.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein allocation of the IP address is triggered by a service request from an MTC access server.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the indication from the communication network further comprises information associated with radio resources allocated for the MTC group, and the method further comprising obtaining the radio resources based on the received indication.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the IP address is allocated prior to a MTC WTRU registration process.

5. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

waking up from a sleep cycle; and

listening for at least one of paging and broadcast from the communication network; and

returning to the sleep cycle upon the MTC WTRUs completing data transmission.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein the allocated IP address is released upon the MTC WTRUs completing data transmission.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein the allocated IP address is maintained upon the MTC WTRUs completing data transmission.

8. A wireless transmit and receive unit (WTRU) configured to perform group-based machine-to-machine communication, the WTRU comprising:

a transceiver configured to;

receive an indication from a communication network, the indication comprising information associated with an IP address, wherein the IP address is allocated for an MTC group, the MTC group comprising a plurality of MTC WTRUs, and

transmit data using the allocated IP address in a prescribed transmission window; and

a processor configured to;

obtain the IP address based on the received indication; and

determine the prescribed transmission window associated with the WTRU for transmitting data.

9. The WTRU of claim 8, wherein the WTRU acts as a master MTC of the MTC group, and the processor is further configured to:

perform network registration on behalf of the MTC group.

10. The WTRU of claim 8, wherein the WTRU acts as a master MTC of the MTC group, and the transceiver is further configured to:

send a network registration request on behalf of the MTC group, and wherein the indication from the communication network is sent in response to the network registration request.

11. The WTRU of claim 10, wherein the network registration request comprises a group International Mobile Subscriber Identity (IMSI) associated with the MTC group.

12. The WTRU of claim 10, wherein the network registration request comprises a group IMSI associated with the MTC group, and at least one MTC WTRU identifier.

13. The WTRU of claim 8, wherein the transceiver is further configured to:

listen on a broadcast channel upon waking up from a sleep cycle, and

receive a broadcast message comprising an IMSI; and

the processor is further configured to;

determine whether the IMSI matches a group IMSI associated with the MTC group, and

based on a determination that the IMSI matches the group IMSI associated with the MTC group, process the received broadcast message.

14. The WTRU of claim 8, wherein the WTRU acts as a slave MTC of the MTC group, and the transceiver is further configured to:

listen on a broadcast channel for an indication that the MTC group has been attached to the network upon waking up from a sleep cycle; and

upon receiving the indication that the MTC group has been attached to the network, monitoring a paging channel for the indication of a prescribed transmission window associated with the WTRU.

15. The WTRU of claim 8, wherein the WTRU acts as a slave MTC of the MTC group, and wherein the transceiver is further configured to

receive a paging message, and

the processor is further configured to:

determine whether the WTRU is in a control cycle;

based on a determination that the WTRU is in the control cycle, determine whether the received paging message is directed to the MTC group; and

based on a determination that the received paging message is directed to the MTC group, wait for a master MTC of the MTC group to perform network registration on behalf of the MTC group.

16. The WTRU of claim 8, wherein the transceiver is further configured to

receive a paging message, and

the processor is further configured to:

determine whether the WTRU is in a control cycle;

based on a determination that the WTRU is in the control cycle, determine whether the received paging message is directed to the MTC group or to the WTRU; and

based on a determination that the received paging message is directed to the WTRU, request a WTRU-based IP address and radio resources.

17. The WTRU of claim 8, wherein the IP address is allocated by the communication network upon a service request from an MTC access server for facilitating a machine-to-machine communication with the MTC group.

18. The WTRU of claim 8, wherein the prescribed transmission window associated with the WTRU is determined based on a page from the communication network.

19. The WTRU of claim 8, wherein the processor is further configured to:

initiate the release of the allocated IP address upon completing data transmission if the WTRU is the last WTRU in the MTC group to transmit data.

20. A core network configured to facilitate group-based machine-to-machine communication, the core network comprising:

a transceiver configured to;

receive an indication from an MTC access server to facilitate communication between the MTC access server and an MTC group, the MTC group comprising a plurality of MTC WTRUs,

a processor configured to;

allocate an IP address and radio resources for the MTC group upon receiving the indication from the MTC access server; and

transmit information associated with the allocated IP address and radio resources to the plurality of MTC WTRUs in the MTC group.