Method and system for allocating media access control layer resources in a wireless communication environment

• US 8,400,976 B2
• Filed: 04/25/2011
• Issued: 03/19/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 05/19/2005
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Apple Inc.
• Original Assignee: Apple Inc.
• Inventors: Ma, Jianglei, Jia, Ming, Fong, Mo-Han, Zhu, Peiying, Tong, Wen, Zhang, Hung
• Primary Examiner(s): Nugyen, David Q
• Application Number:
  US13/093,419
• Publication Number:
  US 20110199996A1
• Time in Patent Office: 694 Days
• Field of Search: 370/329, 370/318, 370/203, 455/503, 455/518, 455/435.2
• US Class Current: 370/329
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 7/0413 MIMO systems
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 1/1887 Scheduling and prioritising arrangements
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/185 with management of multicast group membership
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 27/2627 Modulators
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 5/023 Multiplexing of multicarrier modulation signals multicarrier modulation H04L27/2601
• 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 48/10 using broadcasted information
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 72/04 Wireless resource allocation
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 72/20 Control channels or signalling for resource management
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 72/30 Resource management for broadcast services
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 74/004 in the uplink, i.e. towards network
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 74/006 in the downlink, i.e. towards the terminal
• CPC Class Codes: Y02D 30/00 Reducing energy consumption in communication networks

Abstract

A method and system for allocating shareable wireless transmission resources. A resource pool is established. The resource pool is divided into a plurality of physical layer allocation units usable for wirelessly transmitting control information and traffic data. The allocation units are assigned at the media access control layer for the wireless transmission of the control information and traffic data. The system and method of the present invention also allows mobile stations to be dynamically grouped into multicast groupings to reduce system overhead resource requirements.

Claims

1. A method for grouping control information for wireless communication with mobile devices, the method comprising:

a station associated with a wireless communication system defining at least one multicast group, each of the at least one multicast groups being defined by a multicast group ID and a list of member mobile stations, wherein defining the at least one multicast group includes;

temporarily grouping mobile stations sharing a layer 2 commonality;

assigning a multicast group ID for the commonality; and

including a mobile station having the layer 2 commonality of part of the at least one multicast group having a corresponding multicast group ID; and

the station transmitting at least a part of the control information by multicasting to the multicast group ID.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein defining the at least one multicast group includes:

predefining a multicast group ID for each of at least one supported service; and

including a mobile station having a supported service as part of a predefined multicast group having a corresponding multicast group ID.

3. The method of claim 1, further comprising updating membership in a multicast group periodically by one of unicast and broadcast signaling.

4. The method of claim 1, further comprising updating membership in the at least one multicast group by one of unicast and broadcast signaling.

5. The method of claim 4, further comprising transmitting resource allocation signaling to allocate resources to mobile stations in the at least one multicast group.

6. The method of claim 5, wherein the resource allocation signaling allocates resources to all mobile stations in the at least one multicast group without specifying the mobile stations in the at least one multicast group, the mobile stations in the at least one multicast group being known from previous signaling.

7. The method of claim 5, wherein the resource allocation signaling allocates resources to selected mobile stations in the at least one multicast group by setting a respective flag associated with each mobile station in the at least one multicast group.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein at least one mobile station can participate in a plurality of multicast groups.

9. The method of claim 1, wherein the method is applied to a wireless protocol selected from one of an evolution data-only (EV-DO), Universal Mobile Telecommunications System (UMTS), code division multiple access (CDMA), orthogonal frequency division multiplexing (OFDM), broadband OFDM (B-OFDM), broadband OFDM multiple input multiple output (B-OFDM-MIMO) and a 3rd Generation Partnership Project 3GPP protocol.

10. A system for grouping control information for wireless communication with mobile devices, the system comprising:

a wireless communication section operable to define at least one multicast group, the at least one multicast group being defined by a multicast group ID and a list of member mobile stations, wherein the wireless communication section is operable to define the at least one multicast group by;

temporarily grouping mobile stations sharing a layer 1 commonality;

assigning the multicast group ID for the commonality;

including a mobile station having the layer 1 commonality of part of the at least one multicast group having a corresponding multicast group ID; and

dynamically updating the at least one multicast group at each transmission time interval; and

a transmitter operable to transmit at least a part of a control information by multicasting a multicast group ID.

11. The system of claim 10, wherein the wireless communication section is operable to group mobile stations for uplink multicast according to at least one common mobile station preference.

12. The system of claim 11, wherein the common mobile station preference is a common data rate.

13. The system of claim 12, wherein the multicast group ID corresponds to a respective data rate index.

14. The system of claim 10, wherein the wireless communication section is operable to update membership in at least one multicast group by one of a unicast and broadcast signaling.

15. The system of claim 14, wherein the transmitter is operable to transmit resource allocation signaling to allocate resources to mobile stations in the at least one multicast group.

16. The system of claim 15, wherein the transmitter is operable to transmit resource allocation signaling to allocate resources to all mobile stations in the at least one multicast group without specifying the mobile stations in the at least one multicast group, the mobile stations in the at least one multicast group being known from previous signaling.

17. The system of claim 15, wherein the transmitter is operable to transmit resource allocation signaling to allocate resources to selected mobile stations in the at least one multicast group by setting a respective flag associated with each mobile station in the at least one multicast group.

18. The system of claim 10, wherein the wireless communication section is operable to assign at least one mobile station to a plurality of multicast groups.

19. The system of claim 10, wherein the signaling is applied to a wireless protocol selected from one of an evolution data-only (EV-DO), Universal Mobile Telecommunications System (UMTS), code division multiple access (CDMA), orthogonal frequency division multiplexing (OFDM), broadband OFDM (B-OFDM), broadband OFDM multiple input multiple output (B-OFDM-MIMO) and a 3rd Generation Partnership Project 3GPP protocol.

20. A method for grouping control information for wireless communication with mobile devices, the method comprising:

a station associated with a wireless communication system defining at least one multicast group, each of the at least one multicast groups being defined by a multicast group ID and a list of member mobile stations, wherein defining the at least one multicast group includes;

temporarily grouping mobile stations sharing a layer 1 commonality;

assigning a multicast group ID for each commonality;

including a mobile station having the layer 1 commonality of part of the at least one multicast group having a corresponding multicast group ID; and

dynamically updating the multicast group at each transmission time interval; and

the station transmitting at least a part of the control information by multicasting to the multicast group ID.

21. The method of claim 20, further comprising updating membership in the at least one multicast group every transmission time interval.

22. The method of claim 20, wherein the grouping of mobile stations for uplink multicast is performed according to at least one common mobile station preference.

23. The method of claim 22, wherein the common mobile station preference is a common data rate.

24. The method of claim 23, wherein the multicast group ID corresponds to a respective data rate index.

25. A method for grouping control information for wireless communication with mobile devices, the method comprising:

a station associated with a wireless communication system defining at least one multicast group, each of the at least one multicast groups being defined by a multicast group ID and a list of member mobile stations;

the station transmitting at least a part of the control information by multicasting to the multicast group ID;

the station updating membership in the at least one multicast group by one of unicast and broadcast signaling;

the station transmitting resource allocation signaling to allocate resources to mobile stations in the at least one multicast group, wherein the resource allocation signaling allocates resources to selected mobile stations in the at least one multicast group by setting a respective flag associated with each mobile station in the at least one multicast group.

26. A system for grouping control information for wireless communication with mobile devices, the system comprising:

a wireless communication section operable to define at least one multicast group, the at least one multicast group being defined by a multicast group ID and a list of member mobile stations, wherein the wireless communication section is operable to define the at least one multicast group by;

temporarily grouping mobile stations sharing a layer 2 commonality; and

assigning the multicast group ID for the commonality; and

a transmitter operable to transmit at least a part of a control information by multicasting a multicast group ID.

27. The system of claim 26, wherein the wireless communication section is operable to update membership in the at least one multicast group periodically by one of unicast and broadcast signaling.

28. The system of claim 27, wherein the wireless communication section is operable to update membership in the at least one multicast group every transmission time interval.

29. A system for grouping control information for wireless communication with mobile devices, the system comprising:

a wireless communication section operable to define at least one multicast group, the at least one multicast group being defined by a multicast group ID and a list of member mobile stations, wherein the wireless communication section is operable to update membership in at least one multicast group by one of a unicast and broadcast signaling; and

a transmitter operable to transmit at least a part of a control information by multicasting a multicast group ID, wherein the transmitter is operable to transmit resource allocation signaling to allocate resources to mobile stations in the at least one multicast group, wherein the transmitter is operable to transmit resource allocation signaling to allocate resources to selected mobile stations in the at least one multicast group by setting a respective flag associated with each mobile station in the at least one multicast group.

30. A non-transitory, computer accessible memory medium storing program instructions for grouping control information for wireless communication with mobile devices, wherein the program instructions are executable to:

define at least one multicast group, each of the at least one multicast groups being defined by a multicast group ID and a list of member mobile stations, wherein defining the at least one multicast group includes;

temporarily grouping mobile stations sharing a layer 2 commonality;

assigning a multicast group ID for the commonality; and

including a mobile station having the layer 2 commonality of part of the at least one multicast group having a corresponding multicast group ID; and

transmit at least a part of the control information by multicasting to the multicast group ID.

31. A non-transitory, computer accessible memory medium storing program instructions for grouping control information for wireless communication with mobile devices, wherein the program instructions are executable to:

define at least one multicast group, each of the at least one multicast groups being defined by a multicast group ID and a list of member mobile stations, wherein defining the at least one multicast group includes;

temporarily grouping mobile stations sharing a layer 1 commonality;

assigning a multicast group ID for each commonality;

including a mobile station having the layer 1 commonality of part of the at least one multicast group having a corresponding multicast group ID; and

dynamically updating the multicast group at each transmission time interval; and

transmit at least a part of the control information by multicasting to the multicast group ID.

32. A non-transitory, computer accessible memory medium storing program instructions for grouping control information for wireless communication with mobile devices, wherein the program instructions are executable to:

define at least one multicast group, each of the at least one multicast groups being defined by a multicast group ID and a list of member mobile stations;

transmit at least a part of the control information by multicasting to the multicast group ID;

update membership in the at least one multicast group by one of unicast and broadcast signaling;

transmit resource allocation signaling to allocate resources to mobile stations in the at least one multicast group, wherein the resource allocation signaling allocates resources to selected mobile stations in the at least one multicast group by setting a respective flag associated with each mobile station in the at least one multicast group.