Updating method for trigger message counter, machine type communication server and terminal

• US 9,380,478 B2
• Filed: 05/22/2012
• Issued: 06/28/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 03/27/2012
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: ZTE Corporation
• Original Assignee: ZTE Corporation
• Inventors: Yang, Kun
• Primary Examiner(s): PHUONG, DAI
• Application Number:
  US14/237,003
• Publication Number:
  US 20140220965A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,498 Days
• Field of Search: 455410-411, 4554121-413, 455/414.4, 455/415, 455/432.3, 455/433, 455/435.1, 455/466
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 24/02 Arrangements for optimising operational condition
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 24/08 Testing, supervising or monitoring using real traffic
• 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 28/12 using signalling between network elements
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/70 Services for machine-to-machine communication [M2M] or machine type communication [MTC]
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 8/02 Processing of mobility data, e.g. registration information at HLR [Home Location Register] or VLR [Visitor Location Register]; Transfer of mobility data, e.g. between HLR, VLR or external networks
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 8/22 Processing or transfer of terminal data, e.g. status or physical capabilities

Abstract

An updating method for a trigger message counter, a machine type communication server and a terminal are provided. The updating method for the trigger message counter includes: a machine type communication (MTC) server setting a trigger message counter locally, setting an upper limit and a lower limit of the trigger message counter and initializing a value of the trigger message counter; the MTC server sending trigger message to a terminal through a machine type communication-interworking function (MTC-IWF); and the MTC server receiving confirmation message returned by the terminal, and updating the value of the trigger message counter according to the confirmation message. With the above-mentioned updating method, the machine type communication server and the terminal, the server or the terminal is enabled to set and update the trigger message counter correctly, thus preventing the terminal or the server from detecting, responding to or canceling the trigger message wrongly.

Claims

1. An updating method for a trigger message counter, the method comprising:

a machine type communication (MTC) server setting a trigger message counter locally, setting an upper limit and a lower limit of the trigger message counter and initializing a value of the trigger message counter;

the MTC server sending trigger message to a terminal through a machine type communication-interworking function (MTC-IWF);

the MTC server receiving confirmation message returned by the terminal, and updating the value of the trigger message counter according to the confirmation message;

wherein,

the MTC server sending the trigger message to the terminal through the MTC-IWF comprises;

the MTC server sending the trigger message to the MTC-IWF, wherein the trigger message contains an external identification of the terminal and a trigger sequence number;

the MTC-IWF receiving the trigger message, finding a short message service center (SMS-SC) where the terminal is located according to the external identification of the terminal contained in the trigger message, and an one-to-one mapping table between the external identification and an internal identification of the terminal and a many-to-one mapping table between the internal identification and the SMS-SC stored locally, and sending newly-structured trigger message to the found SMS-SC, wherein the newly-structured trigger message contains the trigger sequence number and terminal route information;

the SMS-SC receiving the newly-structured trigger message, and sending short message carrying the newly-structured trigger message to the terminal through a mobility management unit according to the terminal route information contained in the newly-structured trigger message; and

wherein, the mobility management unit comprises one or more of a mobility management entity (MME), a Service General Packet Radio Service (GPRS) Supporting Node (SGSN) and a Mobile Switching Center (MSC).

2. The method according to claim 1, wherein,

the MTC server setting a trigger message counter locally, setting an upper limit and a lower limit of the trigger message counter and initializing a value of the trigger message counter comprises:

the MTC server setting a trigger sequence-number counter locally, and setting an upper limit and a lower limit of the trigger sequence-number counter and initializing a value of the sequence-number counter as zero.

3. The method according to claim 2, wherein,

the MTC server receiving confirmation message returned by the terminal, and updating the value of the trigger message counter according to the confirmation message comprises:

the MTC server receiving confirmation message representing that the receiving is successful returned by the terminal, and increasing the value of the trigger sequence-number counter by one;

or

the MTC server receiving confirmation message representing that the receiving is failed returned by the terminal, and keeping the value of the trigger sequence-number counter unchanged.

4. The method according to claim 3, wherein,

after the MTC server receives the confirmation message representing that the receiving is failed returned by the terminal, the method further comprises:

the MTC server canceling or resending the trigger message.

5. The method according to claim 3, wherein,

after the MTC server increases the value of the trigger message counter by one, the method further comprises:

after the MTC server determines that the value of the trigger sequence-number counter exceeds the upper limit, the MTC server resetting the value of the trigger sequence-number counter as zero.

6. The method according to claim 1, wherein,

the MTC server sending the trigger message to the terminal through the MTC-IWF comprises:

the MTC server sending the trigger message to the MTC-IWF, wherein, the trigger message contains the external identification of the terminal and the trigger sequence number;

the MTC-IWF receiving the trigger message, finding a mobility management unit where the terminal is located according to the external identification of the terminal contained in the trigger message, and an one-to-one mapping table between the external identification and an internal identification of the terminal and a many-to-one mapping table between the internal identification and the mobility management unit stored locally, and sending newly-structured trigger message to the found mobility management unit, wherein, the newly-structured trigger message contains the trigger sequence number and the internal identification of the terminal;

the mobility management unit receiving the newly-structured trigger message, and sending a non-access lay signaling (NAS) carrying the newly-structured trigger message to the terminal;

wherein, the mobility management unit comprises one or more of the MME, the SGSN and the MSC.

7. The method according to claim 1, wherein,

the MTC server setting the trigger message counter locally, and setting the upper limit and the lower limit of the trigger message counter and initializing the value of the trigger message counter further comprises:

the MTC server setting a trigger attempt counter locally, and setting an upper limit and a lower limit of the trigger attempt counter and initializing a value of the trigger attempt counter as zero.

8. The method according to claim 7, wherein,

during a process of the MTC server sending the trigger message to the terminal through the MTC-IWF, every time the MTC server sends the trigger message of a same trigger sequence number to the terminal through the MTC-IWF, the value of the trigger attempt counter is increased by one;

or, if the MTC server sends the trigger message of a next trigger sequence number to the terminal through the MTC-IWF, then the value of the trigger attempt counter is reset as zero;

or, if the value of the trigger attempt counter equals to the upper limit of the trigger attempt counter, the MTC server fails to send the trigger message of a current trigger sequence number, then the MTC server cancels the trigger message of the current trigger sequence number, and resets the value of the trigger attempt counter as zero when initiating the trigger message of the next trigger sequence number.

9. The method according to claim 8, wherein,

during a process of the MTC server updating the value of the trigger message counter according to the confirmation message, if the value of the trigger sequence-number counter is increased by one, then the value of the trigger attempt counter keeps unchanged;

or, if the value of the trigger sequence-number counter is kept unchanged, then the value of the trigger attempt counter is increased by one.

10. A machine type communication (MTC) server comprising:

a hardware processor; and

a storage device for storing executable instructions that when executed by the hardware processor cause the hardware processor to perform steps in modules as follows;

a setting module configured to set a trigger message counter locally, and set an upper limit and a lower limit of the trigger message counter and initialize a value of the trigger message counter;

a sending module configured to send trigger message to a terminal through a machine type communication-interworking function (MTC-IWF);

a processing module configured to receive confirmation message returned by the terminal, and update the value of the trigger message counter according to the confirmation message;

wherein the sending module is configured to send the trigger message to a terminal through a machine type communication-interworking function (MTC-IWF) by the following way;

the sending module sending the trigger message to the MTC-IWF, wherein the trigger message contains an external identification of the terminal and a trigger sequence number;

the MTC-IWF receiving the trigger message, finding a short message service center (SMS-SC) where the terminal is located according to the external identification of the terminal contained in the trigger message, and a one-to-one mapping table between the external identification and an internal identification of the terminal and a many-to-one mapping table between the internal identification and the SMS-SC stored locally, and sending newly-structured trigger message to the found SMS-SC, wherein the newly-structured trigger message contains the trigger sequence number and terminal route information;

the SMS-SC receiving the newly-structured trigger message, and sending short message carrying the newly-structured trigger message to the terminal through a mobility management unit according to the terminal route information contained in the newly-structured trigger message; and

wherein the mobility management unit comprises one or more of a mobility management entity (MME), Service General Packet Radio Service (GPRS) Supporting Node (SGSN) and a Mobile Switching Center (MSC).

11. The MTC server according to claim 10, wherein,

the setting module is configured to set a trigger sequence-number counter locally, and set an upper limit and a lower limit of the trigger sequence-number counter and initialize a value of the sequence-number counter as zero.

12. The MTC server according to claim 11, wherein,

the processing module is configured to receive confirmation message representing that the receiving is successful returned by the terminal, and increase the value of the trigger sequence-number counter by one;

or receive confirmation message representing that the receiving is failed returned by the terminal, and keep the value of the trigger sequence-number counter unchanged.

13. The MTC server according to claim 12, wherein,

the processing module is further configured to reset the value of the trigger sequence-number counter as zero after determining that the value of the trigger sequence-number counter exceeds the upper limit.

14. The MTC server according to claim 10, wherein,

the setting module is further configured to set a trigger attempt counter locally, and set an upper limit and a lower limit of the trigger attempt counter and initialize a value of the trigger attempt counter as zero.

15. The MTC server according to claim 14, wherein,

the sending module is further configured to:

every time sending the trigger message of a same trigger sequence number to the terminal through the MTC-IWF, increase the value of the trigger attempt counter by one;

or, if sending the trigger message of a next trigger sequence number to the terminal through the MTC-IWF, then reset the value of the trigger attempt counter as zero;

or, if the value of the trigger attempt counter equals the upper limit of the trigger attempt counter and the trigger message of a current trigger sequence number is failed to be sent, then reset the value of the trigger attempt counter as zero when initiating the trigger message of the next trigger sequence number,

or,

wherein the processing module is further configured to;

if the value of trigger sequence-number counter is increased by one, then keep the value of the trigger attempt counter unchanged;

or, if the value of trigger sequence-number counter is kept unchanged, then increase the value of the trigger attempt counter by one.