Method and system for sending MTC device trigger information, and target user equipment

• US 9,215,550 B2
• Filed: 12/09/2011
• Issued: 12/15/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 08/24/2011
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: ZTE Corporation
• Original Assignee: ZTE Corporation
• Inventors: Xu, Hui
• Primary Examiner(s): Nguyen, Brian D
• Application Number:
  US13/989,294
• Publication Number:
  US 20140185522A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,467 Days
• Field of Search: 370/328, 370/236, 370/389, 370/392, 370/401, 370/466
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 2101/654 International mobile subscriber identity [IMSI] numbers
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 61/106 across networks, e.g. mapping telephone numbers to data network addresses
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 61/4588 containing mobile subscriber information, e.g. home subscriber server [HSS]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/34 involving the movement of software or configuration parameters network booting or remote initial program loading [RIPL] G06F9/4416
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/20 Services signaling; Auxiliary data signalling, i.e. transmitting data via a non-traffic channel
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/70 Services for machine-to-machine communication [M2M] or machine type communication [MTC]

Abstract

A method and system for sending Machine Type Communication (MTC) device trigger information and target user equipment is disclosed. An MTC server sets contents of MTC device trigger information, and sends the received MTC device trigger information to a network node equipment. The network node equipment searches a core network equipment corresponding to a target user equipment, and sends the received MTC device trigger information to the core network equipment. The core network equipment forwards the MTC device trigger information to the target user equipment via a radio access network. The target user equipment receives the MTC device trigger information, and sends an MTC device trigger information acknowledgement message to the core network equipment. Through the solution of the disclosure, the sending of MTC device trigger information in a 3GPP network can be realized.

Claims

1. A method for sending Machine Type Communication (MTC) device trigger information, comprising:

an MTC server setting contents of the MTC device trigger information and sending the MTC device trigger information to a network node equipment;

the network node equipment searching a core network equipment corresponding to a target user equipment and forwarding the MTC device trigger information to the core network equipment;

the core network equipment forwarding the MTC device trigger information to the target user equipment via a Radio Access Network (RAN); and

the target user equipment receiving the MTC device trigger information and sending an MTC device trigger information acknowledgement message to the core network equipment;

wherein the contents of the MTC device trigger information comprises;

an MTC device identifier and an MTC device trigger validity period;

wherein the MTC device identifier is an external identifier of 3rd Generation Partnership Project (3GPP) network, a corresponding internal identifier of the 3GPP network is International Mobile Subscriber Identity (IMSI), and the mapping between the external identifier and the internal identifier is completed by an MTC InterWorking Function (MTC-IWF), or a Home Subscriber Server (HSS), or a Home Location Register (HLR);

wherein sending the MTC device trigger information to the network node equipment comprises;

deriving the internal identifier of the 3GPP network IMSI, according to the MTC device identifier in the contents of the MTC device trigger information, searching the network node equipment corresponding to the target user equipment according to the internal identifier of the 3GPP network IMSI, and sending the MTC device trigger information to the network node equipment.

2. The method according to claim 1, wherein the contents of the MTC device trigger information comprises at least one of the following:

an application identifier, priority of the MTC device trigger information, an IP address of the MTC server, port and MTC device trigger reference number.

3. The method according to claim 2, wherein the network node equipment searching a core network equipment corresponding to a target user equipment and sending the MTC device trigger information to the core network equipment comprises:

the network node equipment receiving the MTC device trigger information, modifying the MTC device identifier in the contents of the MTC device trigger information to the internal identifier of the 3GPP network IMSI, searching the core network equipment corresponding to the target user equipment via the HSS or the HLR, and sending the MTC device trigger information to the core network equipment.

4. The method according to claim 3, further comprising:

the network node equipment resending the MTC device trigger information after failing to send the MTC device trigger information.

5. The method according to claim 2, further comprising:

before the network node equipment resends the MTC device trigger information, the network node equipment determining whether to delete the MTC device trigger information according to the MTC device trigger validity period in the contents of the MTC device trigger information.

6. The method according to claim 2, wherein the core network equipment forwarding the MTC device trigger information to the target user equipment via the radio access network comprises:

the core network equipment forwarding the MTC device trigger information to the target user equipment via page message, or broadcast message System Information Block (SIB), or signalling connection being performed in the radio access network.

7. The method according to claim 6, further comprising:

the core network equipment forwarding the MTC device trigger information immediately when the priority of the MTC device trigger information in the contents of the MTC device trigger information is emergency.

8. The method according to claim 6, further comprising:

before the core network equipment resends the MTC device trigger information the core network equipment determining whether to delete the MTC device trigger information according to the MTC device trigger validity period in the contents of the MTC device trigger information.

9. The method according to claim 2, further comprising:

after the target user equipment sends the MTC device trigger information acknowledgment message to the core network equipment, the target user equipment judging whether the MTC device trigger information is repeated according to the MTC device trigger reference number information in the contents of the MTC device trigger information, if not repeated, requesting to establish a Packet Data Network (PDN) connection or to activate a Packet Data Protocol (PDP) context.

10. The method according to claim 2, further comprising:

the target user equipment establishing application layer communication with the MTC server according to the address of the MTC server and the port information in the contents of the MTC device trigger information.

11. The method according to claim 2, wherein

the network node equipment comprises:

an MTC-IWF, an HSS, an HLR, a Short Message Service-Service Centre (SMS-SC), or an IP-Short-Message-Gateway (IP-SM-GW); and

the core network equipment comprises;

a Mobility Management Entity (MME), a Serving General Packet Radio Service (GPRS), a Support Node (SGSN), a Mobile-services Switching Centre Gateway for Short Message Service (SMS-GMSC), a Short Message Service Router (SMS Router), or a Mobile-services Switching Centre (MSC).

12. The method according to claim 1, wherein

the network node equipment comprises:

an MTC-IWF, an HSS, an HLR, a Short Message Service-Service Centre (SMS-SC), or an IP-Short-Message-Gateway (IP-SM-GW); and

the core network equipment comprises;

a Mobility Management Entity (MME), a Serving General Packet Radio Service (GPRS), a Support Node (SGSN), a Mobile-services Switching Centre Gateway for Short Message Service (SMS-GMSC), a Short Message Service Router (SMS Router), or a Mobile-services Switching Centre (MSC).

13. The method according to claim 1, wherein

the network node equipment comprises:

an MTC-IWF, an HSS, an HLR, a Short Message Service-Service Centre (SMS-SC), or an IP-Short-Message-Gateway (IP-SM-GW); and

the core network equipment comprises;

a Mobility Management Entity (MME), a Serving General Packet Radio Service (GPRS), a Support Node (SGSN), a Mobile-services Switching Centre Gateway for Short Message Service (SMS-GMSC), a Short Message Service Router (SMS Router), or a Mobile-services Switching Centre (MSC).

14. A system for sending MTC device trigger information, comprising an MTC server, a network node equipment, a core network equipment and a target user equipment, wherein:

the MTC server is configured to set contents of the MTC device trigger information, and send the MTC device trigger information to the network node equipment;

the network node equipment is configured to search a core network equipment corresponding to the target user equipment, and forward the MTC device trigger information to the core network equipment;

the core network equipment is configured to forward the MTC device trigger information to the target user equipment via a Radio Access Network;

the target user equipment is configured to receive the MTC device trigger information, and send an MTC device trigger information acknowledgement message to the core network equipment;

wherein the contents of the MTC device trigger information comprises;

an MTC device identifier and an MTC device trigger validity period;

wherein the MTC device identifier is an external identifier of 3rd Generation Partnership Project (3GPP) network, a corresponding internal identifier of the 3GPP network is International Mobile Subscriber Identity (IMSI), and the mapping between the external identifier and the internal identifier is configured to be completed by an MTC Interworking Function (MTC-IWF), or a Home Subscriber Server (HSS), or a Home Location Register (HLR); and

wherein the MTC server is further configured to send the MTC device trigger information to the network node equipment through the following process;

deriving the internal identifier of the 3GPP network IMSI, according to the MTC device identifier in the contents of the MTC device trigger information, searching the network node equipment corresponding to the target user equipment according to the internal identifier of the 3GPP network IMSI, and sending the MTC device trigger information to the network node equipment.

15. The system according to claim 14, wherein the network node equipment is configured to receive a MTC device trigger information, modify the MTC device identifier in the contents of the MTC device trigger information to internal identifier of 3GPP network IMSI, search a core network equipment corresponding to the target user equipment via an HSS or an HLR, and send the MTC device trigger information to the core network equipment.

16. The system according to claim 14, wherein the target user equipment comprises a receiving unit and a sending unit, wherein

the receiving unit is configured to receive the MTC device trigger information sent by the core network equipment;

the sending unit is configured to send the MTC device trigger information acknowledgement message to the core network equipment.

17. A target user equipment, comprising a receiving unit and a sending unit, wherein

the receiving unit is configured to receive MTC device trigger information sent by a core network equipment, wherein the contents of the MTC device trigger information is set by an MTC server;

wherein the contents of the MTC device trigger information comprises;

an MTC device identifier and an MTC device trigger validity period;

wherein the MTC device identifier is an external identifier of 3rd Generation Partnership Project (3GPP) network, a corresponding internal identifier of the 3GPP network is International Mobile Subscriber Identity (IMSI), and the mapping between the external identifier and the internal identifier is configured to be completed by an MTC Interworking Function (MTC-IWF), or a Home Subscriber Server (HSS), or a Home Location Register (HLR); and

wherein the MTC server is configured to derive the internal identifier of the 3GPP network IMSI, according to the MTC device identifier in the contents of the MTC device trigger information, search the network node equipment corresponding to the target user equipment according to the internal identifier of the 3GPP network IMSI, and send the MTC device trigger information to the network node equipment;

the sending unit is configured to send an MTC device trigger information acknowledgement message to the core network equipment.