WO2011129674A2

WO2011129674A2 - Access control method and device for machine type communications in a wireless communication network environment

Info

Publication number: WO2011129674A2
Application number: PCT/KR2011/002764
Authority: WO
Inventors: Satish Nanjunda Swamy Jamadagni; Sarvesha Anegundi Ganapathi; Pradeep Krishnamurthy Hirisave
Original assignee: Samsung Electronics Co., Ltd.
Priority date: 2010-04-16
Filing date: 2011-04-18
Publication date: 2011-10-20
Also published as: KR20130058692A; EP2559314A2; KR101771765B1; US9420608B2; EP2559314B1; EP2559314A4; US20130039317A1; WO2011129674A3

Abstract

The present invention provides an access control method and system for machine type communications in a wireless communication network environment. In one embodiment, a broadcast message is received from a base station over a machine-to-machine (M2M) broadcast control channel. The broadcast message includes header information and one or more m-random access channel (mRACH) parameters. Then, it is determined whether an mRACH message can be sent to the base station based on the header information in the received broadcast message. If it is determined true, an mRACH message is sent to the base station based on the one or more mRACH parameters for establishing an uplink connection with the base station, otherwise the broadcast message received from the base station is ignored. Then, a resource assignment message indicating successful connection establishment with the base station is received in response to the mRACH message.

Description

ACCESS CONTROL METHOD AND DEVICE FOR MACHINE TYPE COMMUNICATIONS IN A WIRELESS COMMUNICATION NETWORK ENVIRONMENT

The present invention relates to the field of wireless communications, and more particularly relates to access control method and device for machine type communication in a wireless communication network environment.

Machine Type communications (MTC) is currently being discussed in the 3GPP forum and the requirements for M2M architecture have been specified. The contention-based RACH procedure allows a large UE population to make use of a limited number of RACH preambles in order to access the wireless communication network. When considering M2M devices, the problem with a large number of MTC devices accessing the wireless communication network at the same time is still an issue. The RACH capacity in a wireless communication network such as GERAN is a critical problem that needs to be solved in order to support a large number of devices in a GERAN cell.

As an example, consider a smart metering application which requires the MTC devices to send their data around the same time e.g., every hour or during a limited time period during off peak hours.

The consequence of having such an application is that it can result in a situation where a large number of MTC devices are trying to access the GERAN network at the same time. Such a phenomenon can be a disaster for the normal legacy users as the RACH resources would be effectively wiped out. Even the MTC devices may suffer from RACH failures due to successive contention failure.

The present invention provides a method and device for access control of machine type communication in a wireless communication network environment. In one aspect, a method of a machine type communication device (MTC) for establishing a connection with a base station in a wireless communication network environment comprising:

receiving a broadcast message from a base station over a machine-to-machine (M2M) broadcast control channel, wherein the broadcast message includes header information and one or more m-random access channel (mRACH) parameters;

determining whether a mRACH message can be sent to the base station based on the header information in the received broadcast message;

if so, sending a mRACH message to the base station based on the one or more mRACH parameters for establishing an uplink connection with the base station; and

receiving a resource assignment message indicating successful connection establishment with the base station in response to the mRACH message.

In another aspect, a machine type communication (MTC) device includes a processor, and memory coupled to the process. The memory is configured to temporarily store instructions, that when executed by the processor, cause the processor to perform a method described above.

Figure 1 illustrates a system diagram of a GPRS EDGE radio access network (GERAN) implementing embodiments of the present subject matter.

Figure 2 is a process flowchart of an exemplary method of establishing a connection with a base station, according to one embodiment.

Figure 3 is a block diagram of an exemplary MTC device showing various components for implementing embodiments of the present subject matter.

The drawings described herein are for illustration purposes only and are not intended to limit the scope of the present disclosure in any way.

The present invention provides an access control method and device for machine type communications in a wireless communication network environment. In the following detailed description of the embodiments of the invention, reference is made to the accompanying drawings that form a part hereof, and in which are shown by way of illustration specific embodiments in which the invention may be practiced. These embodiments are described in sufficient detail to enable those skilled in the art to practice the invention, and it is to be understood that other embodiments may be utilized and that changes may be made without departing from the scope of the present invention. The following detailed description is, therefore, not to be taken in a limiting sense, and the scope of the present invention is defined only by the appended claims.

Figure 1 illustrates a system diagram of a GPRS EDGE radio access network (GERAN) 100 implementing embodiments of the present subject matter. In Figure 1, the GERAN network 100 includes a base station 102, machine type communication (MTC) devices 104A-N, and legacy user equipments (UEs) 106A-N. The MTC devices 104A-N may include cameras, microphones, consumer electronic devices, sensor nodes, televisions with embedded modems and so on. The legacy UEs 106A-N may include mobile phones, personal digital assistants, and the like.

In one embodiment, the MTC devices 104A-N are programmed to listen to one or more broadcast messages upon synchronizing with the base station 102. The instructions to listen to broadcast messages are programmed in a subscriber identity module (SIM) card installed in the MTC devices. Alternatively, the instructions may be communicated in an mBCCH message to the MTC devices. In other words, the MTC devices 104A-N do not send a random access channel (RACH) message over a RACH channel (e.g., meant for legacy UEs 106A-N) for establishing an uplink connection with the base station 102 upon synchronizing with the base station 102, but rather listen to the broadcast messages.

The base station 102 periodically transmits a broadcast message including header information and mRACH parameters over a M2M broadcast control channel (mBCCH). The mRACH parameters control mRACH utilization for M2M devices 104A-N. The mRACH parameters include maximum number of retransmissions allowed, number of slots to spread transmission, cell bared for access, call re-establishment allowed. Exemplary mRACH parameters information element is shown below:

Table 1

It can be seen that, the mRACH parameters are different from RACH parameters associated with the legacy UEs 106A-N. Each of the MTC devices 104A-N, upon receiving the broadcast message, decodes the header information in the broadcast message and determines whether the mRACH message can be sent to the base station 102. If so, one or more of the MTC devices 104A-N sends an mRACH message to the base station 102 using the mRACH parameters for establishing an uplink connection with the base station 102. The base station 102, upon receiving the mRACH message, sends a resource assignment message indicating successful establishment of connection to the one or more of the MTC devices 104A-N.

Figure 2 is a process flowchart of an exemplary method of establishing a connection with the base station 102, according to one embodiment. At step 202, a broadcast message is received by a MTC device 104A from the base station 102. The broadcast message includes header information and mRACH parameters. The header information includes a traffic flow indicator (TFI) and a universal standard flag (USF). At step 204, it is determined whether the TFI in the broadcast message matches with a TFI associated with the MTC device 104A. If the TFI matches, then it implies that the broadcast message is intended for the MTC devices 104A-N.

If match is found, then at step 206, it is determined whether the USF in the broadcast message matches with a USF associated with the MTC device 104A. If no match is found, the broadcast message is ignored at step 208. If the USF matches, then it implies that mRACH parameters are intended for the MTC device 104A. Accordingly, at step 210, an mRACH message is sent to the base station 102 over an assigned mRACH based on the mRACH parameters. The mRACH message is sent for establishing an uplink connection with the base station 102. If no match is found, the process performs step 208.

At step 212, a resource assignment message indicating successful connection establishment is received from the base station 102 in response to the mRACH message. Thus, a connection is successfully established between the base station 102 and the MTC device 104A. Now, the MTC device 104A starts transmitting burst of data to the base station over the mRACH. In one embodiment, the base station 102 indicates to the MTC device 104A in the broadcast message which of the time slots is to be used of the available four burst. It can be noted that, only 4 bursts of data are allowed for transmission in one block period. Additionally, when network access behaviour associated with the MTC device 104 is periodic, a notification is sent to the base station 102 using the assigned mRACH. Accordingly, allocation of a reserved radio block period (RRBP) is received from the base station 102 for communicating data with the base station 102. The MTC device 104A then communicates data to the base station 102 using the RRBP.

Figure 3 is a block diagram of the MTC device 104A showing various components for implementing embodiments of the present subject matter. In Figure 4, the MTC device 104A includes a processor 302, memory 304, a read only memory (ROM) 306, a transceiver 308, a bus 310, a communication interface 312, a display 314, an input device 316, and a cursor control 318.

The processor 302, as used herein, means any type of computational circuit, such as, but not limited to, a microprocessor, a microcontroller, a complex instruction set computing microprocessor, a reduced instruction set computing microprocessor, a very long instruction word microprocessor, an explicitly parallel instruction computing microprocessor, a graphics processor, a digital signal processor, or any other type of processing circuit. The processor 302 may also include embedded controllers, such as generic or programmable logic devices or arrays, application specific integrated circuits, single-chip computers, smart cards, and the like.

The memory 304 and the ROM 306 may be volatile memory and non-volatile memory. The memory 304 includes instructions temporarily stored therein to establish a connection with a base station, according to the embodiments of the present subject matter. For example, when the instructions stored in the memory 304 are executed by the processor 302, the processor 302 performs the method of Figure 2. A variety of computer-readable storage media may be stored in and accessed from the memory elements. Memory elements may include any suitable memory device(s) for storing data and machine-readable instructions, such as random access memory, erasable programmable read only memory, electrically erasable programmable read only memory, hard drive, removable media drive for handling memory cards, Memory SticksTM, and the like.

Embodiments of the present subject matter may be implemented in conjunction with modules, including functions, procedures, data structures, and application programs, for performing tasks, or defining abstract data types or low-level hardware contexts. Machine-readable instructions stored on any of the above-mentioned storage media may be executable by the processor 302. For example, a computer program may include machine-readable instructions capable of establishing a connection with the base station 102 using mRACH parameters, according to the teachings and herein described embodiments of the present subject matter. In one embodiment, the program may be included on a storage medium and loaded from the storage medium to a hard drive in the non-volatile memory. The machine-readable instructions may cause the MTC device 104A to encode according to the various embodiments of the present subject matter.

The bus 310 acts as interconnect between various components of the MTC device 104A. The components such as the transceiver 308, communication interfaces 312, the display 314, the input device 316, and the cursor control 318 are well known to the person skilled in the art and hence the explanation is thereof omitted.

The present embodiments have been described with reference to specific example embodiments, it will be evident that various modifications and changes may be made to these embodiments without departing from the broader spirit and scope of the various embodiments. Furthermore, the various devices, modules, selectors, estimators, and the like described herein may be enabled and operated using hardware circuitry, for example, complementary metal oxide semiconductor based logic circuitry, firmware, software and/or any combination of hardware, firmware, and/or software embodied in a machine readable medium. For example, the various electrical structure and methods may be embodied using transistors, logic gates, and electrical circuits, such as application specific integrated circuit.

Claims

A method of a machine type communication device (MTC) for establishing a connection with a base station in a wireless communication network environment comprising:

receiving a broadcast message from a base station over a machine-to-machine (M2M) broadcast control channel, wherein the broadcast message includes header information and one or more m-random access channel (mRACH) parameters;

determining whether a mRACH message can be sent to the base station based on the header information in the received broadcast message;

if so, sending a mRACH message to the base station based on the one or more mRACH parameters for establishing an uplink connection with the base station; and

receiving a resource assignment message indicating successful connection establishment with the base station in response to the mRACH message.
The method of claim 1, wherein determining whether a mRACH message can be sent to the base station based on the header information in the received broadcast message further comprises:

if not, ignoring the broadcast message received from the base station.
The method of claim 1, wherein the header information includes a traffic flow indicator and a universal standard flag.
The method of claim 1, wherein determining whether a mRACH message can be sent to the base station based on the header information in the received broadcast message comprises:

determining whether the traffic flow indicator in the header information matches with a traffic flow indicator associated with the MTC device;

if so, determining whether the universal standard flag in the header information matches with a universal standard flag associated with the MTC device; and

if not, ignoring the broadcast message received from the base station.
The method of claim 4, wherein determining whether the universal standard flag in the header information matches with the universal standard flag associated with the MTC device comprises:

if so, sending a mRACH message to the base station using the one or more mRACH parameters in the broadcast message;

if not, ignoring the broadcast message received from the base station.
The method of claim 1, further comprising:

sending a notification to the base station when network access behaviour associated with the MTC device is periodic; and

receiving allocation of a reserved radio block period (RRBP) from the base station for communicating data with the base station.
The method of claim 1, wherein the mRACH parameters comprises maximum number of retransmissions allowed, number of slots to spread transmission, cell bared for access, and call re-establishment allowed.
A machine type communication (MTC) device comprising:

a processor; and

memory coupled to the processor, and configured to temporarily store instructions, that when executed by the processor, cause the processor to perform comprising:

receiving a broadcast message from a base station over a machine-to-machine (M2M) broadcast control channel, wherein the broadcast message includes header information and one or more m-random access channel (mRACH) parameters;

determining whether an mRACH message can be sent to the base station based on the header information in the received broadcast message;

if so, sending a mRACH message to the base station based on the one or more mRACH parameters for establishing an uplink connection with the base station; and

receiving a resource assignment message indicating successful connection establishment with the base station in response to the mRACH message.
The device of claim 8, wherein determining whether a mRACH message can be sent to the base station based on the header information in the received broadcast message further comprises:

if not, ignoring the broadcast message received from the base station.
The device of claim 8, wherein the header information includes a traffic flow indicator and a universal standard flag.
The device of claim 8, wherein determining whether a mRACH message can be sent to the base station based on the header information in the received broadcast message comprises:

determining whether the traffic flow indicator in the header information matches with a traffic flow indicator associated with the MTC device;

if so, determining whether the universal standard flag in the header information matches with a universal standard flag associated with the MTC device; and

if not, ignoring the broadcast message received from the base station.
The device of claim 8, wherein determining whether the universal standard flag in the header information matches with the universal standard flag associated with the MTC device comprises:

if so, sending a mRACH message to the base station using the one or more mRACH parameters in the broadcast message;

if not, ignoring the broadcast message received from the base station.
The device of claim 8, wherein the method further comprises:

sending a notification to the base station when network access behaviour associated with the MTC device is periodic; and

receiving allocation of a reserved radio block period (RRBP) from the base station for communicating data with the base station.
The device of claim 8, wherein the mRACH parameters comprises maximum number of retransmissions allowed, number of slots to spread transmission, cell bared for access, and call re-establishment allowed.