METHOD OF CONTROLLING MACHINE-TYPE COMMUNICATIONS (MTC) IN A WIRELESS COMMUNICATIONS NETWORK

• US 20150009813A1
• Filed: 01/24/2013
• Published: 01/08/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 02/17/2012
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: NEC Corporation
• Original Assignee: NEC Corporation
• Inventors: Nguyen, Phong
• Granted Patent: US 10,085,171 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 370/230
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 61/5038 for local use, e.g. in LAN or USB networks, or in a controller area network [CAN]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/12 specially adapted for proprietary or special-purpose networking environments, e.g. medical networks, sensor networks, networks in vehicles or remote metering networks
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 28/0215 based on user or device properties, e.g. MTC-capable devices services for machine-to-machine communication [M2M] or machine type communication [MTC] H04W4/70; wireless resource selection or allocation plan definition based on terminal or device properties H04W72/51
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/70 Services for machine-to-machine communication [M2M] or machine type communication [MTC]
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 48/14 using user query or user detection
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 72/51 based on terminal or device properties
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 74/002 Transmission of channel access control information
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 8/26 Network addressing or numbering for mobility support

Abstract

There is provided a method of controlling machine-type communications (MTC) in a wireless communications network (500). The method includes assigning (610) network identification to a first MTC device (20) of a specified access class. The specified access class substantially simultaneously requests network access to the wireless communications network (500) when a trigger event occurs.

Claims

1. A method of controlling machine-type communications (MTC) in a wireless communications network, the method comprising:

assigning network identification to a first MTC device of a specified access class.

2. A method as claimed in claim 1, further comprising:

monitoring the first MTC device of the specified access class for detection of a surge in network access requests to the wireless communications network indicative of the trigger event;

dynamically allocating a random access resource of the wireless communications network to the first MTC device of the specified access class in response to the surge; and

communicating information indicative of the dynamically allocated random access resource to the first MTC device of the specified access class based on the network identification so that the first MTC device of the specified access class is configured to access the wireless communication network based on the information,

wherein the specified access class substantially simultaneously requests network access to the wireless communications network in response to a trigger event that affects the first MTC device of the specified access class.

3. A method as claimed in claim 1 r 2, further comprising:

registering a list which includes the network identification of the first MTC device of the specified access class.

4. A method as claimed in claim 3, further comprising:

allocating a minimum random access resource of the wireless communications network to the first MTC device of the specified access class based on the list.

5. A method as claimed in claim 4, further comprising:

allocating a minimum random access resource of the wireless communications network to a second MTC device of a general access class,

wherein the second MTC device requests network access to the wireless communications network individually and/or requests network access according to a preconfigured access scheme.

6. A method as claimed in claim 5, further comprising:

allocating a shared random access resource of the wireless communications network to the second MTC device of the general access class and the first MTC device of the specified access class based on the list, and dynamically allocating at least some of the shared random access resource to the first MTC device of the specified access class when the surge is detected.

7. A method as claimed in claim 6, further comprising:

allocating a dedicated random access resource of the wireless communications network to the first MTC device of the specified access class based on the list, and dynamically allocating the dedicated random access resource to the first MTC device of the specified access class when the surge is detected.

8. A method as claimed in claim 3, further comprising:

registering the list of the network identification of each of the first MTC device of the specified access class on an MTC server configured to receive information from the first MTC device via the wireless communications network.

9. A method as claimed in claim 8, further comprising:

the MTC server monitoring for a change in the number of MTC devices of the specified access class registered in the list in the wireless communications network for maintenance and/or tracking of the first MTC device of the specified access class in the wireless communications network.

10. A machine-type communications (MTC) device for communicating over a wireless communication network, the MTC device being of a specified access class, and the MTC device comprising:

a controller configured to;

register the MTC device with a server in the wireless communication network such that a network identification is assigned to the MTC device.

11. A machine-type communications (MTC) device as claimed in claim 10,

wherein the controller further configured to:

request network access of the wireless communication network; and

receive information indicative of a dynamically allocated random access resource to the MTC device of the specified access class based on the assigned network identification so that the MTC device is configured to access the wireless communication network based on the information,

wherein the specified access class substantially simultaneously requests network access to the wireless communications network in response to a trigger event that affects the MTC device of the specified access class, and

wherein the random access resource of the wireless communications network is dynamically allocated to the MTC device of the specified access class in response to a surge in network access requests to the wireless communications network indicative of the trigger event.

12. A server for machine-type communications (MTC) in a wireless communications network, the server comprising:

an assignment unit to assign network identification to a first MTC device of a specified access class.

13. A server as claimed in claim 12, further comprising:

a monitoring unit to monitor the first MTC device of the specified access class for detection of a surge in network access requests to the wireless communications network indicative of the trigger event;

an allocation unit to dynamically allocate a random access resource of the wireless communications network to the first MTC device of the specified access class in response to the surge; and

a communication unit to communicate information indicative of the dynamically allocated random access resource to the first MTC device of the specified access class based on the network identification so that the first MTC device of the specified access class is configured to access the wireless communication network based on the information,

wherein the specified access class substantially simultaneously requests network access to the wireless communications network in response to a trigger event that affects the first MTC device of the specified access class.

14. A server as claimed in claim 12, wherein the server comprises a base station in the wireless communications network.

15-22. -22. (canceled)