Method for increasing system capacity by transmitting control Signal for MBMS data by combining RLC and PDCP messages

• US 8,068,843 B2
• Filed: 08/13/2003
• Issued: 11/29/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 08/14/2002
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: LG Electronics, Inc. (LG Corporation)
• Original Assignee: LG Electronics, Inc. (LG Corporation)
• Inventors: Yi, Seung-June, Lee, Young-Dae, Lee, So-Young
• Primary Examiner(s): Magloire; Vladimir
• Application Number:
  US10/639,760
• Publication Number:
  US 20040103435A1
• Time in Patent Office: 3,030 Days
• Field of Search: 455/435.1, 455/435.2, 455450-4521
• US Class Current: 455/450
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 72/30 Resource management for broadcast services
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 76/10 Connection setup

Abstract

A method for transmitting a control signal for multimedia service data of UMTS (Universal Mobile Telecommunications System) includes MBMS service data that can be transmitted in a wireless system providing various types of MBMS service. An MBMS scheduling block including an MBMS service identifier list and scheduling information of MBMS RB set information and an MBMS service information block including one MBMS service identifier and MBMS RB set information for a corresponding service are transmitted to a terminal group.

Claims

1. A method of receiving a point-to-multipoint service by a mobile terminal belonging to a mobile terminal group corresponding to the point-to-multipoint service, the method comprising:

receiving on a broadcast channel, in a specific System Information Block (SIB), configuration information relating to a control channel only for the point-to-multipoint service;

receiving on the control channel a Radio Resource Control (RRC) radio bearer (RB) message that corresponds to the mobile terminal group, the RRC RB message including channel information and layer information for configuring a packet data convergence protocol (PDCP) layer and a Radio Link Control (RLC) layer;

processing the RRC RB message; and

based on the channel information and layer information in the RRC RB message, receiving the point-to-multipoint service, only at a mobile terminal belonging to the mobile terminal group, on a traffic channel that is a data channel only for the point-to-multipoint service, wherein the broadcast, control and traffic channels are logical channels between the RLC layer and a Medium Access Control (MAC) layer.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the channel information and the layer information on the control channel are configuration information for receiving the traffic channel;

and wherein the point-to-multipoint service is received through the traffic channel after receiving the configuration information for receiving the traffic channel on the control channel.

3. The method of claim 2, further comprising:

receiving via the control channel, a point-to-multipoint service information block containing point-to-multipoint service specific control information, the point-to-multipoint service information block being dedicated to a single point-to-multipoint service; and

receiving via the traffic channel, a single point-to-multipoint service based on the received point-to-multipoint service information block.

4. The method of claim 3, wherein the point-to-multipoint service information block is received at a scheduled time.

5. The method of claim 3, further comprising:

receiving a scheduling block prior to receiving the point-to-multipoint service information block, the scheduling block including information that indicates when the mobile terminal should receive the point-to-multipoint service information block.

6. The method of claim 5, wherein the mobile terminal receives information that indicates when the mobile terminal should receive the scheduling block through the broadcast channel.

7. The method of claim 6, wherein the information that indicates when the mobile terminal should receive the scheduling block is received through the specific SIB.

8. The method of claim 5, wherein the scheduling block is received periodically through the broadcast channel.

9. The method of claim 5, wherein the scheduling block includes information on whether the point-to-multipoint service information block is updated.

10. The method of claim 9, wherein the mobile terminal receives the point-to-multipoint service information block based on whether the information in the point-to-multipoint service information block is updated.

11. The method of claim 5, wherein the scheduling block includes an update tag, the update tag indicating whether the point-to-multipoint service information block is updated.

12. The method of claim 1, wherein the broadcast channel is a Broadcast Control Channel (BCCH).

13. The method of claim 1, wherein the control channel is a Multimedia Broadcast/Multicast Service (MBMS) Control Channel (MCCH).

14. The method of claim 1, wherein the traffic channel is a Multimedia Broadcast/Multicast Service (MBMS) Traffic Channel (MTCH).

15. In a wireless communications network, a method of transmitting a point-to-multipoint service to a mobile terminal belonging to a mobile terminal group corresponding to the point-to-multipoint service, the method comprising:

using a broadcast channel to transmit, in a specific System Information Block (SIB), configuration information relating to a control channel only for the point-to-multipoint service;

using the control channel to transmit a Radio Resource Control (RRC) radio bearer (RB) message that corresponds to the mobile terminal group, the RRC RB message including channel information and layer information for configuring a packet data convergence protocol (PDCP) layer and a Radio Link Control (RLC) layer;

using a traffic channel to transmit the point-to-multipoint service only to a mobile terminal belonging to the mobile terminal group, based on the channel information and layer information in the RRC RB message, the traffic channel being a data channel only for the point-to-multipoint service, wherein the broadcast, control and traffic channels are logical channels between the RLC and a Medium Access Control (MAC) layer.

16. The method of claim 15, wherein the channel information and the layer information are configuration information for transmitting the traffic channel;

and the point-to-multipoint service is transmitted through the traffic channel after transmitting the configuration information for transmitting the traffic channel on the control channel.

17. The method of claim 16, further comprising:

transmitting via the control channel, a point-to-multipoint service information block containing point-to-multipoint service specific control information, the point-to-multipoint service information block being dedicated to a single point-to-multipoint service; and

transmitting via the traffic channel, a single point-to-multipoint service based on the transmitted point-to-multipoint service information block.

18. The method of claim 17, further comprising:

repeating the transmission of the point-to-multipoint service information block.

19. The method of claim 17, further comprising:

transmitting a scheduling block prior to transmitting the point-to-multipoint service information block, the scheduling block including information that indicates when the mobile terminal should receive the point-to-multipoint service information block.

20. The method of claim 19 further comprising:

transmitting information that indicates when the mobile terminal should receive the scheduling block through the broadcast channel.

21. The method of claim 20, wherein the information that indicates when the mobile terminal should receive the scheduling block is transmitted through the specific SIB.

22. The method of claim 19, wherein the scheduling block is transmitted periodically through the broadcast channel.

23. The method of claim 19, wherein the scheduling block includes information that indicates whether the point-to-multipoint service information block is updated.

24. The method of claim 23, wherein the transmission of the point-to-multipoint service information block is based on whether the information in the point-to-multipoint service information block is updated.

25. The method of claim 19, wherein the scheduling block includes an update tag, the update tag indicating whether the point-to-multipoint service information block is updated.

26. The method of claim 15, wherein the broadcast channel is a Broadcast Control Channel (BCCH).

27. The method of claim 15, wherein the control channel is a Multimedia Broadcast/Multicast Service (MBMS) Control Channel (MCCH).

28. The method of claim 15, wherein the traffic channel is a Multimedia Broadcast/Multicast Service (MBMS) Traffic Channel (MTCH).

29. A mobile terminal belonging to a mobile terminal group corresponding to a point-to-multipoint service, capable of operating in accordance with a radio interface protocol, and capable of receiving the point-to-multipoint service, the mobile terminal comprising:

a Radio Resource Control (RRC) layer adapted to receive, in a specific System Information Block (SIB), on a broadcast channel, configuration information relating to a control channel only for the point-to-multipoint service, the RRC layer further adapted to receive on the control channel, an RRC radio bearer (RB) message that corresponds to the mobile terminal group, the RRC RB message including channel information and layer information for configuring a packet data convergence protocol (PDCP) layer and a Radio Link Control (RLC) layer, the RRC layer further adapted to process the RRC RB message; and

a lower layer cooperating with the RRC layer and, based on the channel information and layer information in the RRC RB message, configured to receive, only at a mobile terminal belonging to the mobile terminal group, the point-to-multipoint service via a traffic channel that is a data channel only for the point-to-multipoint service, wherein the lower layer comprises the RLC layer and a Medium Access Control (MAC) layer, and wherein the broadcast channel, the control channel and the traffic channel are logical channels between the RLC layer and the MAC layer.

30. The mobile terminal of claim 29, wherein the lower layer cooperates with the RRC layer to receive the point-to-multipoint service through the traffic channel after the RRC layer receives the RRC radio bearer (RB) message.

31. The mobile terminal of claim 29, wherein the broadcast channel is a Broadcast Control Channel (BCCH).

32. The mobile terminal of claim 29, wherein the control channel is a Multimedia Broadcast/Multicast Service (MBMS) Control Channel (MCCH).

33. The mobile terminal of claim 29, wherein the traffic channel is a Multimedia Broadcast/Multicast Service (MBMS) Traffic Channel (MTCH).

34. A network supporting a radio interface protocol, and capable of providing a point-to-multipoint service to a mobile terminal belonging to a mobile terminal group corresponding to the point-to-multipoint service, the network comprising:

a Radio Resource Control (RRC) layer adapted to provide configuration information, in a specific System Information Block (SIB), on a broadcast channel, the configuration information, relating to a control channel only for the point-to-multipoint service, the RRC layer further adapted to provide on the control channel, an RRC radio bearer (RB) message that corresponds to the mobile terminal group, the RRC RB message including channel information and layer information for configuring a packet data convergence protocol (PDCP) layer and a Radio Link Control (RLC) layer, and

a lower layer cooperating with the RRC layer and, based on the channel information and layer information in the RRC RB message, configured to transmit, only to a mobile terminal belonging to the mobile terminal group, the point-to-multipoint service via a traffic channel that is a data channel only for the point-to-multipoint service, wherein the lower layer comprises the RLC layer and a MAC (Medium Access Control) layer, and wherein the broadcast channel, the control channel and the traffic channel are logical channels between the RLC layer and the MAC layer.

35. The network of claim 34, wherein the lower layer cooperates with the RRC layer to transmit the point-to-multipoint service through the traffic channel after the RRC layer transmits RRC radio bearer (RB) message.

36. The network of claim 34, wherein the broadcast channel is a Broadcast Control Channel (BCCH).

37. The network of claim 34, wherein the control channel is a Multimedia Broadcast/Multicast Service (MBMS) Control Channel (MCCH).

38. The network of claim 34, wherein the traffic channel is a Multimedia Broadcast/Multicast Service (MBMS) Traffic Channel (MTCH).