TECHNIQUES TO MANAGE GROUP CONTROLING SIGNALING FOR MACHINE-TO-MACHINE DEVICES

• US 20130258953A1
• Filed: 03/30/2012
• Published: 10/03/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 03/30/2012
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Apple Inc.
• Original Assignee: Intel Corporation
• Inventors: Huang, Rui, Li, Honggang
• Granted Patent: US 9,131,480 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 370/329
• 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 72/121 for groups of terminals or users
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 72/20 Control channels or signalling for resource management
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 72/23 in the downlink direction of a wireless link, i.e. towards a terminal

Abstract

Techniques to manage group control signaling for machine-to-machine (M2M) devices are described. An apparatus may comprise a processor circuit, and a M2M control component arranged for execution by the processor circuit to manage M2M group control signaling in a wireless network for multiple M2M devices in a M2M group, the M2M control component to generate a resource allocation for multiple M2M devices of a M2M group, generate a M2M group control message with the resource allocation, and send the M2M group control message to the M2M devices in the M2M group. Other embodiments are described and claimed.

Claims

1. A computer-implemented method, comprising:

assigning multiple machine-to-machine (M2M) devices to a M2M group represented by a M2M group identifier (MGID) in order to perform M2M group control signaling for a wireless network;

generating a resource allocation for the M2M devices of the M2M group;

generating a M2M group control message with the resource allocation; and

sending the M2M group control message to the M2M devices in the M2M group with the MGID.

2. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, comprising generating the M2M group control message with the resource allocation comprising a M2M device resource map providing resource information as to when each M2M device is to communicate data.

3. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, comprising generating the M2M group control message with the resource allocation based on a localized resource allocation scheme.

4. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, comprising generating the M2M group control message with the resource allocation based on a localized resource allocation scheme, the M2M group control message comprising a M2M device resource map, a start index value and a single resource block size value for all of the M2M devices.

5. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, comprising generating the M2M group control message with the resource allocation based on a distributed resource allocation scheme.

6. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, comprising generating the M2M group control message with the resource allocation based on a distributed resource allocation scheme with explicit resource information.

7. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, comprising generating the M2M group control message with the resource allocation, the M2M group control message comprising a M2M device resource schedule, a start index value and a resource block size value for each of the M2M devices.

8. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, comprising generating the M2M group control message with the resource allocation based on a distributed resource allocation scheme with differential resource information.

9. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, comprising:

generating the M2M group control message with the resource allocation, the M2M group control message comprising a M2M device resource schedule, a start index value, a first resource block size value for a first M2M device, and a differential indicator for a second M2M device, the differential indicator comprising;

a single bit when a second resource block size value for the second M2M device matches the first resource block size value for the first M2M device;

or

the second resource block size value when the second resource block size value for the second M2M device does not match the first resource block size value for the first M2M device.

10. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, comprising sending the M2M group control message to the M2M devices in the M2M group with the MGID in a single frame or subframe.

11. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, comprising sending the M2M group control message to the M2M devices in the M2M group with the MGID in multiple frames or subframes.

12. An apparatus, comprising:

a processor circuit; and

a machine-to-machine (M2M) control component arranged for execution by the processor circuit to manage M2M group control signaling in a wireless network for multiple M2M devices in a M2M group, the M2M control component to generate a resource allocation for multiple M2M devices of a M2M group, generate a M2M group control message with the resource allocation, and send the M2M group control message to the M2M devices in the M2M group.

13. The apparatus of claim 12, comprising a connection manager component arranged for execution by the processor circuit to establish a wireless connection with the M2M devices.

14. The apparatus of claim 12, comprising a M2M group component arranged for execution by the processor circuit to assign multiple M2M devices to a M2M group represented by a M2M group identifier (MGID).

15. The apparatus of claim 12, the M2M control component to generate the M2M group control message with the resource allocation based on a localized resource allocation scheme.

16. The apparatus of claim 12, the M2M control component to generate the M2M group control message with the resource allocation based on a distributed resource allocation scheme with explicit resource information or differential resource information.

17. The apparatus of claim 12, comprising a radio frequency (RF) transceiver coupled to the processor circuit, the RF transceiver arranged to transmit electromagnetic representations of the M2M group control message to the M2M devices in the M2M group with a M2M group identifier (MGID) in a downlink (DL) control channel of the wireless network.

18. At least one computer-readable storage medium comprising instructions that, when executed, cause a system to:

generate a resource allocation for M2M devices of a M2M group;

generate a M2M group control message with the resource allocation; and

send the M2M group control message to the M2M devices in the M2M group.

19. The computer-readable storage medium of claim 18, comprising instructions that when executed cause the system to generate the M2M group control message based on a localized resource allocation scheme or a distributed resource allocation scheme.

20. The computer-readable storage medium of claim 18, comprising instructions that when executed cause the system to send the M2M group control message to the M2M devices in the M2M group in one or more frames or subframes.