Method and apparatus for triggering and synchronizing machine type communication devices

• US 9,020,540 B2
• Filed: 03/30/2012
• Issued: 04/28/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 04/01/2011
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: IOT Holdings, Inc. (InterDigital, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: InterDigital Patent Holdings, Inc. (InterDigital, Inc.)
• Inventors: Karampatsis, Dimitrios, Shaheen, Kamel M.
• Primary Examiner(s): GESESSE, TILAHUN
• Application Number:
  US13/435,330
• Publication Number:
  US 20120252517A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,124 Days
• US Class Current: 455/458
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/70 Services for machine-to-machine communication [M2M] or machine type communication [MTC]
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 60/04 using triggered events
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 68/00 User notification, e.g. alerting and paging, for incoming communication, change of service or the like
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 76/28 Discontinuous transmission [DTX]; Discontinuous reception [DRX]

Abstract

Methods and apparatus for triggering and synchronizing a machine type communication (MTC) device are described. MTC devices may operate in a time controlled mode, where the MTC device attaches to a network at specified intervals to report to a network. The time controlled mode may include two time controlled cycles, a reporting cycle and a control cycle. Methods are also described for communicating the reporting and control cycles between the MTC device and the network or MTC server. These cycles may be communicated on an application layer, by an MTC server using an MTCsp interface or via MTC configuration. In addition, triggering cycles may be sent via the Non-Access-Stratum (NAS) layer by extending discontinuous reception (DRX) cycles or by allowing a network to send the cycles over a broadcast channel by defining new System information block (SIB) information.

Claims

1. A method of triggering and synchronizing a machine type communication (MTC) wireless transmit/receive unit (WTRU), the method comprising:

attaching to a core network and establishing a PDN (packet data network) connection;

establishing a connection with an MTC server;

receiving, from the MTC server, a scheduling message that includes reporting period information and control period information that are associated with an extended discontinuous reception (DRX) cycle;

wherein during a control period, the MTC WTRU is configured to monitor at least one of a paging channel or a broadcast channel for triggering and wherein during a reporting period the MTC WTRU is configured to establish a connection and transmit reporting information;

entering idle/offline mode based on the received scheduling message.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the reporting period information and control period information are communicated between the MTC WTRU and the network using at least one of an application layer, a device-trigger gateway/MTC server interface and MTC configuration.

3. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

receiving a trigger via a device-trigger gateway/MTC server interface.

4. The method of claim 3, wherein at least one updated reporting period information and control period information is received via the device-trigger gateway/MTC server interface.

5. The method of claim 1, further comprising monitoring for triggering information on at least one of a paging channel or a broadcast channel.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein the MTC WTRU is pre-configured with control period information associated with discontinuous reception (DRX).

7. The method of claim 1, wherein the MTC WTRU includes discontinuous reception (DRX) information in at least one of tracking/routing area update messages and attach/detach request messages.

8. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

receiving at least one of attach accept/reject, detach accept/reject or tracking area update/routing area update accept/reject messages that includes at least an updated control period information and reporting period information.

9. The method of claim 1, wherein the scheduling message includes location information.

10. The method of claim 1, wherein the core network locally stores reporting period information and control period information.

11. The method of claim 1, wherein the MTC WTRU has network preconfigured control period information and preconfigured reporting period information.

12. A machine type communication (MTC) wireless transmit/receive unit (WTRU), comprising:

the MTC WTRU configured to attach to a core network and establish a packet data network (PDN) connection;

the MTC WTRU further configured to establish a connection with an MTC server;

a receiver configured to receive, from the MTC server, a scheduling message that includes reporting period information and control period information that are associated with an extended discontinuous reception (DRX) cycle;

the receiver further configured to monitor for triggering information on one of a paging channel or a broadcast channel during a control period, wherein the MTC WTRU is configured to enter an idle/offline mode;

a processor configured to initiate a connection with the MTC server during a reporting period to report information.

13. A method of triggering and synchronizing machine type communication (MTC) implemented in an MTC server, the method comprising:

receiving network scheduling information from a core network;

establishing a connection with an MTC wireless transmit receive unit (WTRU);

generating a scheduling message for the MTC WTRU, based at least in part on the received network scheduling information;

transmitting, to the MTC WTRU, the scheduling message which includes reporting period information and control period information associated with an extended discontinuous reception (DRX) cycle;

wherein during control periods, the MTC WTRU is configured to monitor at least one of a paging channel or a broadcast channel for triggering and wherein during a reporting period the MTC WTRU is configured to establish a connection and transmit reporting information;

entering idle/offline mode based on the received scheduling message.

14. The method of claim 13, wherein the reporting period and control period is communicated using at least one of an application layer, a device-trigger gateway/MTC server interface and MTC configuration.

15. The method of claim 13, further comprising transmitting a trigger to the MTC WTRU.

16. The method of claim 13, wherein the scheduling message includes location information.

17. The method of claim 13, wherein the core network locally stores reporting period information and control period information.