Method and apparatus for improved multicast service

• US 9,007,978 B2
• Filed: 12/07/2010
• Issued: 04/14/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 12/07/2010
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Alcatel-Lucent SA (Nokia Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Alcatel-Lucent SA (Nokia Corporation)
• Inventors: Bejerano, Yigal, Abramovici, Gabriela M., Guo, Katherine H., Izsak, Tuvia, Nandagopal, Thyagarajan
• Primary Examiner(s): Moore, Ian N
• Assistant Examiner(s): Huynh, Dung B
• Application Number:
  US12/962,362
• Publication Number:
  US 20120140648A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,589 Days
• Field of Search: None
• US Class Current: 370/312
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/1868 Measures taken after transmission, e.g. acknowledgments
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/189 in combination with wireless systems selective distribution or broadcast in wireless communication networks H04W4/06
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 24/08 Testing, supervising or monitoring using real traffic
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 72/30 Resource management for broadcast services

Abstract

Various methods and devices are provided to address the need for improved multicast operation. In one method, a station transmits (401) a multicast packet to a plurality of mobile devices and to a group of monitoring stations (MSs). An indication of whether the multicast packet was received by that MS is received (402) from each monitoring station (MS) of the group of MSs. When this indication indicates that the multicast packet was not received, the multicast packet is retransmitted (403) to the plurality of mobile devices and to the group of MSs.

Claims

1. A method for improved multicast transmission service, the method comprising:

transmitting by a station a multicast packet to a plurality of mobile devices and to a group of monitoring stations in a coverage area, the monitoring stations being fixed access points positioned at edges of the coverage area;

receiving from each monitoring station of the group of monitoring stations an indication of whether the multicast packet was received by that monitoring station;

determining whether to retransmit the multicast packet to the plurality of mobile devices and to the group of monitoring stations based on the indication of whether the multicast packet was received, but independent of feedback from each of the plurality of mobile devices; and

retransmitting the multicast packet to the plurality of mobile devices and to the group of monitoring stations when the indication received from at least one monitoring station of the group of monitoring stations indicates that the multicast packet was not received;

transmitting by the station additional multicast packets to the plurality of mobile devices and to the group of monitoring stations to produce a multicast sequence;

after transmitting the multicast sequence, receiving from each monitoring station of the group of monitoring stations an indication of whether multicast packets in the multicast sequence were received by each monitoring station;

utilizing Point Coordination Function (PCF) mode to obtain feedback from each monitoring station of the group of monitoring stations after transmitting the multicast sequence;

receiving from at least one monitoring station of the group of monitoring stations an indication of at least one of channel quality and a level of channel traffic observed by the at least one monitoring station; and

utilizing the indication of at least one of channel quality and a level of channel traffic to determine a modulation scheme for transmitting multicast packets.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

utilizing the indication of at least one of the channel quality and the level of channel traffic to determine whether to retransmit the multicast packet.

3. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

transmitting by the monitoring station a marker between the end of the multicast sequence and the beginning of the next multicast sequence in a multicast flow.

4. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

limiting each multicast sequence to a maximum number of packets and a maximum duration, whichever is reached first.

5. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

sending a Block-ACK-Req message to obtain feedback via Block-ACK messages from each monitoring station of the group of monitoring stations.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein each monitoring station from the group of monitoring stations comprises a pre-deployed, fixed transceiver device.

7. An article of manufacture comprising a non-transitory processor-readable storage medium storing one or more software programs which when executed by one or more processors performs a method comprising:

transmitting by a station a multicast packet to a plurality of mobile devices and to a group of monitoring stations in a coverage area, the monitoring stations being fixed access points positioned at edges of the coverage area;

receiving from each monitoring station of the group of monitoring stations an indication of whether the multicast packet was received by that monitoring station;

determining whether to retransmit the multicast packet to the plurality of mobile devices and to the group of monitoring stations based on the indication of whether the multicast packet was received, but independent of feedback from each of the plurality of mobile devices;

retransmitting the multicast packet to the plurality of mobile devices and to the group of monitoring stations when the indication received from at least one monitoring station of the group of monitoring stations indicates that the multicast packet was not received;

transmitting by the station additional multicast packets to the plurality of mobile devices and to the group of monitoring stations to produce a multicast sequence;

after transmitting the multicast sequence, receiving from each monitoring station of the group of monitoring stations an indication of whether multicast packets in the multicast sequence were received by each monitoring station;

utilizing Point Coordination Function (PCF) mode to obtain feedback from each monitoring station of the group of monitoring stations after transmitting the multicast sequence;

receiving from at least one monitoring station of the group of monitoring stations an indication of at least one of channel quality and a level of channel traffic observed by the at least one monitoring station; and

utilizing the indication of at least one of channel quality and a level of channel traffic to determine a modulation scheme for transmitting multicast packets.

8. A transceiver node of a communication system, the transceiver node being configured to communicate with other devices in the system, the transceiver node comprising:

a transceiver configured to,

transmit a multicast packet to a plurality of mobile devices and to a group of monitoring stations in a coverage area, the monitoring stations being fixed access points positioned at edges of the coverage area,

receive, from each monitoring station of the group of monitoring stations, an indication of whether the multicast packet was received by the monitoring station, and

receive from at least one monitoring station of the group of monitoring stations an indication of at least one of channel quality and a level of channel traffic observed by the at least one monitoring station; and

a processor configured to,

determine whether to retransmit the multicast packet to the plurality of mobile devices and to the group of monitoring stations based on the indication of whether the multicast packet was received, but independent of feedback from each of the plurality of mobile devices, and

utilize the indication of at least one of channel quality and a level of channel traffic to determine a modulation scheme for transmitting multicast packets; and

wherein the transceiver is further configured to,

retransmit the multicast packet to the plurality of mobile devices and to the group of monitoring stations when the indication received from at least one monitoring station of the group of monitoring stations indicates that the multicast packet was not received,

transmit additional multicast packets to the plurality of mobile devices and to the group of monitoring stations to produce a multicast sequence,

after transmitting the multicast sequence, receive from each monitoring station of the group of monitoring stations an indication of whether multicast packets in the multicast sequence were received by each monitoring station, and

utilize Point Coordination Function (PCF) mode to obtain feedback from each monitoring station of the group of monitoring stations after transmitting the multicast sequence.