Group-based paging for machine-type-communication (MTC) devices

• US 8,971,270 B2
• Filed: 01/25/2011
• Issued: 03/03/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 03/26/2010
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Panasonic Intellectual Property Corporation of America (Panasonic Holdings Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Panasonic Intellectual Property Corporation of America (Panasonic Holdings Corporation)
• Inventors: Bachmann, Jens, Velev, Genadi, Ikeda, Shinkichi, Aoyama, Takahisa
• Primary Examiner(s): Orgad, Edan
• Assistant Examiner(s): SONG, REBECCA E
• Application Number:
  US13/634,615
• Publication Number:
  US 20130136072A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,498 Days
• Field of Search: 455/503, 455/519, 455/518
• US Class Current: 370/329
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/00 Services specially adapted for wireless communication networks; Facilities therefor
• 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 68/00 User notification, e.g. alerting and paging, for incoming communication, change of service or the like
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 68/02 Arrangements for increasing efficiency of notification or paging channel

Abstract

The invention relates to a method for paging a group of MTC devices, and for transmitting parameter information to the MTC devices using the paging mechanism. MTC devices are grouped together and a different group ID per group to which the MTC device belongs is assigned to the MTC device. A specific group paging resource indication is determined for each group wherein each MTC device is assigned one of the group paging resource indications. The network pages MTC devices of a group by transmitting a paging message at the corresponding channel resources and including the corresponding group ID. Additionally, the group paging resource indications of several groups of MTC devices can be aligned in such a way with the transmissions and re-transmissions by the network, that the different groups respectively receive the transmission and re-transmissions of the paging message.

Claims

1. A method for paging at least a first, a second, and a third group of devices, attached to at least one radio control entity (eNB) in a network, the method comprising the steps of:

assigning a group paging target identity and a group paging resource indication during paging to all devices of the first group of devices;

transmitting from an entity in the network a first paging message to the at least one radio control entity, the first paging message comprising the group paging target identity and the group paging resource indication,

based on the received group paging resource indication, calculating by the at least one radio control entity transmission resources on a radio channel for transmitting a second paging message to the devices of the first group,

transmitting by the at least one radio control entity the second paging message, said second paging message comprising the group paging target identity at the calculated transmission resources of the radio channel,

receiving by the devices of the first group the second paging message at the calculated transmission resources of the radio channel,

assigning a second group paging target identity to the devices of the first group, second group and third group,

assigning a second group paging resource indication to the devices of the second group used by the devices of the second group to calculate the radio channel resources to receive paging messages, wherein the second group paging resource indication is determined such that a re-transmission of the second paging message transmitted for the first group of devices is received by the devices of the second group,

assigning a third group paging resource indication to the devices of the third group used by the devices of the third group to calculate the radio channel resources to receive paging messages, wherein the third group paging resource indication is determined such that a second re-transmission of the second paging message transmitted for the first group of devices is received by the devices of the third group,

wherein the third group paging resource indication differs from the second group paging resource indication by the same amount as the second group paging resource indication differs from the group paging resource indication,

wherein the radio control entity performs re-transmissions of the second paging message based on a cycle parameter, and

wherein the devices of the first, second and third group use a second cycle parameter for calculating the radio channel resources to receive paging messages, wherein the second cycle parameter is three times the amount of the cycle parameter used by the radio control entity.

2. The method according to claim 1, wherein the group paging target identity is part of a group international mobile subscription identity for the devices of the first group, and the group international mobile subscription identity further comprises parameters specific to the devices of the first group, wherein the parameters indicate an access restriction to the network for the devices of the first group.

3. The method according to claim 2, wherein the parameters in the group international mobile subscription identity indicates a time for which the devices of the first group shall postpone the connection to the network after having received a paging message instructing the devices of the first group to connect to the network.

4. The method according to claim 3 further comprising the steps of:

deciding by the devices of the first group whether the second paging message is destined to the first group of devices based on the group identity comprised within the group paging target identity, and

deciding by the devices of the first group whether to adopt the parameters comprised within the group paging target identity or to transit from an idle state into a connected state, based on the parameters comprised within the group international mobile subscription identity.

5. The method according to claim 1, wherein a different international mobile subscriber identity is assigned to each device, the method further comprising the steps of:

calculating by each device of the first group radio channel resources for receiving paging messages based on the group paging resource indication of the first group and/or based on the international mobile subscriber identity.

6. The method according to claim 1, wherein a device belongs to at least two different groups of devices being identified by two different group paging target identities, and wherein the device is assigned one of the two different group paging target identities.

7. The method according to claim 1, wherein the cycle parameter corresponds to the difference between the group paging resource indication of the first group of devices and the second group paging resource indication of the second group of devices.

8. The method according to claim 1, wherein the second cycle parameter is double the amount of the cycle parameter used by the radio control entity.

9. A paging entity in a network for paging a first group of devices, attached to at least one radio control entity in the network, the paging entity comprising:

a mobility management entity adapted to generate and assign a group paging target identity and a group paging resource indication to all devices of the first group during paging,

a transmitter adapted to transmit a first paging message to the at least one radio control entity, the first paging message comprising the group paging target identity and the group paging resource indication,

wherein the group paging resource indication is used by the radio control entity to calculate transmission resources on a radio channel to transmit a second paging message on the radio channel to be received by the devices of the first group, wherein;

the mobility management entity is further adapted to assign a second group paging target identity to devices of the first group, second group and third group,

the mobility management entity is further adapted to assign a second group paging resource indication to the devices of the second group, the second group paging resource indication being used by the devices of the second group to calculate the radio channel resources to receive paging messages,

a processor adapted to determine the second group paging resource indication such that a re-transmission of the second paging message transmitted for the devices of the first group is received by the devices of the second group,

the mobility management entity is further adapted to assign a third group paging resource indication to devices of the third group, the third group paging resource indication used by the devices of the third group to calculate the radio channel resources to receive paging messages,

the processor is further adapted to determine the third group paging resource indication such that a second re-transmission of the second paging message transmitted for the first group of devices is received by the devices of the third group,

the third group paging resource indication differs from the second group paging resource indication by the same amount as the second group paging resource indication differs from the group paging resource indication.