Method and device for monitoring MCCH notification information, and user equipment

• US 8,897,143 B2
• Filed: 06/13/2010
• Issued: 11/25/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 02/11/2010
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: ZTE Corporation
• Original Assignee: ZTE Corporation
• Inventors: Xu, Hui
• Primary Examiner(s): Lai, Andrew
• Assistant Examiner(s): LEE, ANDREW CHUNG CHEUNG
• Application Number:
  US13/258,305
• Publication Number:
  US 20120263043A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,626 Days
• Field of Search: 370/241, 370/252, 370/253, 370/311, 370/312, 370/319, 370/320, 370/328, 455 301- 305, 455/404.1, 455/434, 455/522
• US Class Current: 370/241
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 72/30 Resource management for broadcast services

Abstract

The present invention discloses a method for monitoring Multicast Control Channel (MCCH) notification information, comprising: in a Multicast-Broadcast Single Frequency Network (MBSFN) cell that includes more than two MCCHs, when user equipment (UE) determines that the required MBMS service is not started, the UE further determines whether there is a correspondence relationship between the required MBMS service and the MCCHs, if yes, the UE just monitors the notification information of the MCCH corresponding to the required MBMS service; otherwise, the UE monitors the notification information of all the MCCHs in the MBSFN cell. The invention also discloses a device for monitoring MCCH notification information and user equipment. The present invention guarantees that the UE can timely receive an MBMS service that is not started currently in a cell with overlapped MBSFN areas.

Claims

1. A method for monitoring Multicast Control Channel (MCCH) notification information, comprising:

in a Multicast Broadcast Single Frequency Network (MBSFN) cell that includes more than two MCCHs, when user equipment (UE) determines that a required MBMS service is not started, further determining by the UE whether there is a correspondence relationship between the required MBMS service and the MCCHs, if there is, only monitoring notification information of an MCCH corresponding to the required MBMS service, otherwise, monitoring notification information of all the MCCHs in the MBSFN cell,

wherein the UE is the one that is in RRC_IDLE status or RRC_CONNECTED status;

the UE is the one that is receiving an MBMS service or the one that is interested in receiving an MBMS service,

the UE determining whether there is a correspondence relationship between the required MBMS service and the MCCHs;

wherein the MBSFN cell includes more than two MCCHs and, the MBSFN cell is located in an area where more than two MBSFN areas are overlapped;

the UE further obtains a correspondence relationship between an MBMS service and the MCCHs according to at least one of received Electronic Service Guide (ESG), MCCH information, short message, multimedia message, system message, Radio Resource Control (RRC) information and MCCH notification information, and further determines whether the required MBMS service has a corresponding MCCH.

2. The monitoring method according to claim 1, when the UE determines that there is a correspondence relationship between the required MBMS service and the MCCHs, the method further comprising:

when the UE determines that the MCCH changes according to the notification information of the monitored MCCH, reading information in the changed MCCH and obtaining configuration information of the required MBMS service.

3. The monitoring method according to claim 2, wherein the UE determining that an MCCH changes according to the notification information of the monitored MCCH is:

the UE detects MCCH notification information on an MBSFN subframe indicated by a system message and determines that when contents of downlink control information (DCI) of the MCCH notification information change, the MCCH corresponding to the MCCH notification information changes.

4. The monitoring method according to claim 1, when the UE determines that there is no correspondence relationship between the required MBMS service and the MCCHs, the method further comprising:

when the UE determines that an MCCH changes according to the notification information of the monitored MCCHs, reading information in the changed MCCH, and determining whether the required MBMS service is included, if it is included, obtaining configuration information of the required MBMS service.

5. The monitoring method according to claim 4, wherein the UE determining that an MCCH changes according to the notification information of the monitored MCCH is:

the UE detects MCCH notification information on an MBSFN subframe indicated by a system message and determines that when contents of downlink control information (DCI) of the MCCH notification information change, the MCCH corresponding to the MCCH notification information changes.

6. A device for monitoring Multicast Control Channel (MCCH) notification information, comprising:

a first determining unit, a first monitoring unit and a second monitoring unit, wherein,

the first determining unit is adapted to, in a Multicast Broadcast Single Frequency Network (MBSFN) cell that includes more than two MCCHs, when determining that an MBMS service required by the UE is not started, further determine whether there is a correspondence relationship between the required MBMS service and the MCCHs, if there is, trigger the first monitoring unit, otherwise, trigger the second monitoring unit;

the first monitoring unit is adapted to only monitor notification information of an MCCH corresponding to the required MBMS service;

the second monitoring unit is adapted to monitor notification information of all the MCCHs in the MBSFN cell,

wherein the UE is the one that is in RRC_IDLE status or RRC_CONNECTED status;

the UE is the one that is receiving an MBMS service or the one that is interested in receiving an MBMS service, wherein the MBSFN cell includes more than two MCCHs and, the MBSFN cell is located in an area where more than two MBSFN areas are overlapped;

the first determining unit obtains the correspondence relationship between an MBMS service and the MCCHs according to at least one of ESG, MCCH information, short message, multimedia message, system message, RRC information and MCCH notification information received by the UE, and further determines whether the required MBMS service has a corresponding MCCH.

7. The monitoring device according to claim 6, further comprising a second determining unit, a first reading unit and a first obtaining unit, wherein,

the second determining unit is adapted to trigger the first reading unit when determining that the MCCH changes according to the notification information of the MCCH monitored by the first monitoring unit;

the first reading unit is adapted to read information in the changed MCCH;

the first obtaining unit is adapted to obtain configuration information of the required MBMS service from the information in the changed MCCH.

8. The monitoring device according to claim 7, wherein the second determining unit or the third determining unit detects MCCH notification information on an MBSFN subframe indicated by a system message and determines that when contents of downlink control information (DCI) of the MCCH notification information change, the MCCH corresponding to the MCCH notification information changes.

9. The monitoring device according to claim 6, further comprising a third determining unit, a second reading unit, a fourth determining unit and a second obtaining unit, wherein,

the third determining unit is adapted to trigger the second reading unit when determining that an MCCH changes according to notification information of the MCCHs monitored by the second monitoring unit;

the second reading unit is adapted to read information in the changed MCCH;

the fourth determining unit is adapted to determine whether the required MBMS service is included in the information in the changed MCCHs, if it is included, trigger the second obtaining unit;

the second obtaining unit is adapted to obtain configuration information of the required MBMS service.

10. The monitoring device according to claim 9, wherein the second determining unit or the third determining unit detects MCCH notification information on an MBSFN subframe indicated by a system message and determines that when contents of downlink control information (DCI) of the MCCH notification information change, the MCCH corresponding to the MCCH notification information changes.