Group based mobility optimization method and device in machine-type communication

• US 9,307,390 B2
• Filed: 01/08/2010
• Issued: 04/05/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 01/08/2010
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Gemalto SA (Thales SA)
• Original Assignee: Gemalto SA (Thales SA)
• Inventors: Lei, Zhengxiong
• Primary Examiner(s): Bednash, Joseph
• Application Number:
  US13/520,839
• Publication Number:
  US 20130021970A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,279 Days
• Field of Search: 370/328, 370/329, 370/331
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 36/0027 for a plurality of data sessions of end-to-end connections, e.g. multi-call or multi-bearer end-to-end data connections
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/08 User group management
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/70 Services for machine-to-machine communication [M2M] or machine type communication [MTC]
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 60/00 Affiliation to network, e.g. registration; Terminating affiliation with the network, e.g. de-registration
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 8/06 Registration at serving network Location Register, VLR or user mobility server

Abstract

The present invention relates to a method and device of performing Tracking Area Update TAU for a group of Machine-Type Communication MTC devices in a communication network. According to an embodiment of the present invention, the group comprises a first MTC device and at least one second MTC device that have the same group ID and location information, the communication network comprises an old Mobility Management Entity MME and a new Mobility Management Entity MME before and after TAU, respectively, for providing mobility management to the group of MTC devices, and the method comprises: after the new MME receives a TAU request about the first MTC device, obtaining a context of the first MTC device from the old MME; the new MME checking the context of the first MTC device to find the group ID of the group; and if the group ID is included in the context of the first MTC device, the new MME utilizing the group ID to obtain from the old MME a context of the at least one second MTC device.

Claims

1. A method of performing Tracking Area Update (TAU) for a group of Machine-Type Communication (MTC) devices in a communication network, the group comprising a first MTC device and at least one second MTC device that have the same group ID and location information, the communication network comprising an old Mobility Management Entity (MME) and a new Mobility Management Entity (MME) before and after TAU, respectively, for providing mobility management to the group of MTC devices, the method comprising:

a. after the new MME receives a TAU request about the first MTC device, obtaining a context of the first MTC device from the old MME;

b. the new MME checking the context of the first MTC device to find the group ID of the group, and when the new MME receives other TAU request with the same location information sent by the at least one second MTC device, suspending the handling of the other TAU request; and

c. if the group ID is included in the context of the first MTC device, the new MME utilizing the group ID to obtain from the old MME a context of the at least one second MTC device.

2. The method according to claim 1, wherein, the step c further includes:

c1. if the group ID is included in the context of the first MTC device, the new MME utilizing the group ID to query for information of the first MTC device and the at least one second MTC device included in the group;

c2. the new MME sending to the old MME a Context Request message including the group ID.

3. The method according to claim 2, wherein, the step c further includes:

c3. the old MME utilizing the group ID to query for information of the first MTC device and the at least one second MTC device included in the group; and

c4. the old MME providing the context of the at least one second MTC device to the new MME according to information of the at least one second MTC device.

4. The method according to claim 1, further including:

after obtaining the context of the at least one second MTC device from the old MME, the new MME sending to the old MME a Context Acknowledge including the group ID to acknowledge the receipt of the context of the first MTC device and of the context of the at least one second MTC device.

5. The method according to claim 1, wherein, the communication network further includes a Serving GateWay (SGW) which serves the group of MTC devices before TAU, and the method further includes:

the old MME sending to the SGW a Delete Session Request including the group ID, and after the SGW queries for information of the first MTC device and the at least one second MTC device included in the group, sending to the old MME a Delete Session Response including the group ID.

6. The method according to claim 1, wherein, when an MTC device is attached to the communication network, the old MME device adds, when creating a context for the MTC device, the group ID in the context.

7. A Mobility Management Entity (MME) of performing mobility management for a group of Machine-Type Communication (MTC) devices in a communication network, the group comprising a first MTC device and at least one second MTC device that have the same group ID and location information, the communication network comprising an old MME for providing mobility management to the group of MTC devices before TAU, the MME comprising a processor configured to execute:

a context of the first MTC device obtaining module configured to, after receiving a TAU request about the first MTC device, obtain a context of the first MTC device from the old MME;

a checking module configured to check the context of the first MTC device to find the group ID of the group;

a context of the second MTC device obtaining module configured to utilize the group ID to obtain from the old MME a context of the at least one second MTC device; and

a suspending module configured to, when receiving other TAU request with the same location information sent by the at least one second MTC device, suspend the handling of the other TAU request.

8. The MME according to claim 7, wherein, the context of the second MTC device obtaining module further includes:

a query module configured to, if the group ID is included in the context of the first MTC device, utilizing the group ID to query for information of the first MTC device and the at least one second MTC device included in the group;

a context request module configured to send to the old MME a Context Request message including the group ID; and

a context reception module configured to receive the context of the at least one second MTC device provided by the old MME.

9. The MME according to claim 7, wherein the processor is further configured to execute:

a context acknowledge module configured to, after obtaining the context of the at least one second MTC device from the old MME, send to the old MME a Context Acknowledge including the group ID to acknowledge the receipt of the context of the first MTC device and of the context of the at least one second MTC device.

10. An MTC Mobility Group Server for a communication network, the server including storage device and query device,

the storage device storing, for a group including a plurality of MTC devices, an association between a group ID of the group and identities of the MTC devices in the group, wherein when an MTC device in the group is attached to the communication network, the identity of the MTC device is added into the group, and when an MTC device in the group is detached from the communication network, the identity of the MTC device is removed from the group;

the server also including query device, which is configured to, when the server receives Get Group Member Information Request, provide the identities of the MTC devices included in the group.