Group-based machine to machine communication

• US 8,891,423 B2
• Filed: 12/22/2010
• Issued: 11/18/2014
• 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
• Primary Examiner(s): Skripnikov, Alex
• Application Number:
  US12/975,711
• Publication Number:
  US 20120004003A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,427 Days
• Field of Search: None
• US Class Current: 370/311
• 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:

waking up from a sleep cycle;

listening for at least one of paging or broadcast from a communication network;

receiving an indication from the communication network via the at least one of paging or broadcast, the indication comprising information associated with an IP address, wherein the IP address is allocated for a machine type communication (MTC) group comprising a plurality of MTC wireless transmit/receive units (WTRUs), wherein the IP address is allocated prior to a MTC WTRU network registration process associated with the MTC group;

obtaining the IP address based on the received indication;

sending data using the obtained IP address in a prescribed transmission window; and

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

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 allocated IP address is released upon the MTC WTRUs completing data transmission.

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

6. The method of claim 1, further comprising performing network registration on behalf of the MTC group.

7. The method of claim 1, further comprising sending a network registration request on behalf of the MTC group, and wherein the indication from the communication network is received in response to the network registration request.

8. The method of claim 7, wherein the network registration request comprises a group International Mobile Subscriber Identity (IMSI) associated with the MTC group.

9. The method of claim 7, wherein the network registration request comprises a group IMSI associated with the MTC group and at least one MTC WTRU identifier.

10. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

listening on a broadcast channel upon waking up from the sleep cycle;

receiving a broadcast message comprising an IMSI;

determining 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, processing the received broadcast message.

11. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

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

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

12. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

receiving a paging message;

determining whether the WTRU is in a control cycle;

based on a determination that the WTRU is in the control cycle, determining 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, waiting for a master MTC WTRU of the MTC group to perform network registration on behalf of the MTC group.

13. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

receiving a paging message;

determining whether the WTRU is in a control cycle;

based on a determination that the WTRU is in the control cycle, determining 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, requesting an IP address dedicated to the WTRU and radio resources.

14. The method of claim 1, 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.

15. The method of claim 1, wherein the prescribed transmission window is determined based on a page from the communication network.

16. The method of claim 1, wherein the method is performed at at least one of the plurality of the MTC WTRUs, and the method further comprising initiating a release of the allocated IP address upon completing data transmission if the at least one of the plurality of the MTC WTRUs is the last WTRU in the MTC group to transmit data.

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

a processor configured to;

wake up from a sleep cycle;

listen for at least one of paging or broadcast from a communication network;

receive an indication from the communication network via the at least one of paging or broadcast, the indication comprising information associated with an IP address, wherein the IP address is allocated for a machine type communication (MTC) group prior to a MTC WTRU network registration process associated with the MTC group, the MTC group comprising a plurality of MTC WTRUs;

obtain the IP address based on the received indication;

determine a prescribed transmission window associated with the WTRU for transmitting data;

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

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

18. The WTRU of claim 17, wherein the WTRU acts as a master MTC WTRU of the MTC group, and the processor is further configured to:

perform network registration on behalf of the MTC group.

19. The WTRU of claim 17, wherein the WTRU acts as a master MTC WTRU of the MTC group, and the processor is further configured to:

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

20. The WTRU of claim 19, wherein the network registration request comprises a group International Mobile Subscriber Identity (IMSI) associated with the MTC group.

21. The WTRU of claim 19, wherein the network registration request comprises a group IMSI associated with the MTC group, and at least one MTC WTRU identifier.

22. The WTRU of claim 17, wherein the processor is further configured to:

listen on a broadcast channel upon waking up from the sleep cycle;

receive a broadcast message comprising an IMSI;

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.

23. The WTRU of claim 17, wherein the WTRU acts as a slave MTC WTRU of the MTC group, and the processor 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 the sleep cycle; and

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

24. The WTRU of claim 17, wherein the WTRU acts as a slave MTC WTRU of the MTC group, and wherein the processor is further configured to

receive a paging message;

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 WTRU of the MTC group to perform network registration on behalf of the MTC group.

25. The WTRU of claim 17, wherein the processor is further configured to

receive a paging message;

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 an IP address dedicated to the WTRU and radio resources.

26. The WTRU of claim 17, 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.

27. The WTRU of claim 17, wherein the prescribed transmission window associated with the WTRU is determined based on a page from the communication network.

28. The WTRU of claim 17, wherein the processor is further configured to:

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

29. The WTRU of claim 17, wherein allocation of the IP address is triggered by a service request from an MTC access server.

30. The WTRU of claim 17, 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.

31. The WTRU of claim 17, wherein the allocated IP address is released upon the MTC WTRUs completing data transmission.

32. The WTRU of claim 17, wherein the allocated IP address is maintained upon the MTC WTRUs completing data transmission.