Cluster Communication Method and System, User Equipment and Network-Side Equipment

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-2016269189-A1
Application number	US-201415034549-A
Country	US
Kind code	A1
Filing date	May 23, 2014
Priority date	Nov 8, 2013
Publication date	Sep 15, 2016
Grant date	—

Abstract

Disclosed are a cluster communication method and system, a user equipment and a network side device. The cluster communication method disclosed in the embodiment of the present document includes: when a cluster user equipment (UE) is interested in receiving or is currently receiving a cluster service in a multimedia broadcast multicast service (MBMS) bearer, if the cluster UE judges that it is needed to transmit the cluster service via a unicast bearer, sending a request to a cluster application server (AS) for transmitting the cluster service via a unicast bearer; after the AS accepts the request of the cluster UE and establishes a unicast bearer with the cluster UE, the cluster UE receiving cluster data via the unicast bearer and stopping receiving the cluster data in the MBMS bearer. The embodiment of the present document further discloses a user equipment, a network side device and a cluster communication system.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1 . A cluster communication method, wherein, the method comprises:
when a cluster user equipment (UE) is interested in receiving or is currently receiving a cluster service in a multimedia broadcast multicast service (MBMS) bearer, the cluster UE judging whether it is needed to transmit the cluster service via a unicast bearer, and if yes, sending a request for transmitting the cluster service via a unicast bearer to a cluster application server (AS) at a network side; after the cluster AS accepts the request of the cluster UE and establishes a unicast bearer with the cluster UE, the cluster UE receiving cluster data via the unicast bearer, and stopping receiving cluster data in the MBMS bearer.

2 . The cluster communication method of claim 1 , wherein, the method further comprises:
if the cluster application server which is a network side device does not establish a unicast bearer with the cluster UE, the cluster UE receiving the cluster data via the MBMS bearer.

3 . The cluster communication method of claim 1 , wherein, a cluster service in an MBMS bearer which the cluster UE is interested in receiving or is currently receiving refers to:
a cluster service which the cluster UE is interested in receiving or is currently receiving via the MBMS bearer within the MBMS coverage area.

4 . The cluster communication method of claim 1 , wherein, the step of the cluster UE judging whether it is needed to transmit the cluster service via a unicast bearer comprises:
the cluster UE determining that it is needed to transmit the clusters service via a unicast bearer when judging that any of the following conditions is satisfied: the cluster UE leaving a multicast-broadcast single frequency network (MBSFN) area of the cluster service which the UE is interested in receiving or is currently receiving; or the cluster UE determining that the MBSFN signal quality is poor; or the cluster UE being located in a border cell of the MBSFN area bearing the cluster service which the UE is interested in receiving or is currently receiving; or, the cluster UE itself not having MBMS capability; or the cluster UE applying to the network for a speaking right, to send uplink data after obtaining the speaking right; or other reasons considered by the cluster UE for establishing a unicast bearer.

5 . The cluster communication method of claim 4 , wherein, the cluster UE leaving an MBSFN area of the cluster service which the UE is interested in receiving or is currently receiving refers to:
the cluster UE not finding out or being unable to read a system broadcast message for configuring MBMS parameters within a local cell; or the cluster UE not finding out or being unable to read an MBMS Control Channel (MCCH) within the local cell; or the cluster UE finding out that an MBMS service area to which the local cell belongs does not belong to a broadcast area of the cluster service by reading out the system broadcast message in the local cell; or, the cluster UE not having configuration parameters of the cluster service in the MCCH read out within the local cell or, wherein, the cluster UE determining that the MBSFN signal quality is poor refers to: the cluster UE measuring received MBMS bearer signal quality and determining that the MBMS bearer signal quality does not satisfy cluster service reception requirements based on a measurement result, wherein parameters for the MBMS bearer signal quality comprise any one or more of the following: MBSFN reference signal receiving power (RSRP), MBSFN reference signal receiving quality (RSRQ), MBSFN received signal strength indicator (RSSI)\MBSFN reference signal signal-to-noise ratio (RS SNR), MBSFN block error rate (BLER), Or wherein, the other reasons for establishing a unicast bearer comprise at least one of a high-priority task and a delay-sensitive task.

6 . (canceled)

7 . (canceled)

8 . The cluster communication method of claim 1 , wherein, the step of the cluster UE sending a request for transmitting the cluster service via a unicast bearer to the cluster AS comprises:
the cluster UE being in a connected state, and sending a request for establishing a unicast bearer to the cluster AS via an application layer signaling or an EPS signaling, wherein, the EPS signaling comprises an air interface signaling and an EPC signaling.

9 . A cluster communication method, wherein, the method comprises:
a cluster application server (AS) receiving a request sent by a cluster user equipment (UE) for transmitting a cluster service via a unicast bearer, the cluster AS determining whether it is needed to use a unicast bearer to transmit cluster data according to local information and request information of the cluster UE, if yes, establishing a unicast bearer between the cluster AS which is a network side device and the cluster UE, and transmitting the cluster data to the cluster UE via the unicast bearer.

10 . The cluster communication method of claim 9 , wherein, the method further comprises:
if the AS determines that it is not needed to use a unicast bearer to transmit the cluster data, transmitting the cluster data to the cluster UE via the MBMS bearer.

11 . The cluster communication method of claim 9 , wherein, a step of the cluster AS determining that it is needed to use a unicast bearer to transmit the cluster data according to local information and request information of the cluster UE comprises:
judging whether there is an available MBMS bearer or an MBMS bearer that can be established, if it is judged that there is no available MBMS bearer or an MBMS bearer that can be established, determining that it is needed to use a unicast bearer to transmit the cluster data; wherein, the available MBMS bearer refers to that the cluster UE is in an MBMS coverage area, and the cluster service has started but is not over yet; the MBMS bearer that can be established refers to that the cluster UE is in an MBMS coverage area, but the cluster service has not started yet.

12 . A user equipment (UE), comprising a judging module and a communicating module, wherein:
the judging module is configured to: when a local user equipment (UE) is interested in receiving or is currently receiving a cluster service in a multimedia broadcast multicast service (MBMS) bearer, further judge whether it is needed to transmit the cluster service via a unicast bearer; the communicating module is configured to: when the judging module judges that it is needed to transmit the cluster service via a unicast bearer, send a request for transmitting the cluster service via a unicast bearer to a cluster application server (AS) which is a corresponding network side device; after the local UE establishes a unicast bearer with the corresponding network side, receive cluster data via the unicast bearer, and stop receiving cluster data in the MBMS bearer.

13 . The UE of claim 12 , wherein,
the communicating module is further configured to: if the local UE does not establish a unicast bearer with the cluster AS which is the corresponding network side device, receive the cluster data via the MBMS bearer.

14 . The UE of claim 13 , wherein, the judging module is configured to judge that the local UE is interested in receiving or is currently receiving the cluster service in the MBMS bearer in the following manner:
the judging module judging that the local UE is interested in receiving or is currently receiving the cluster service via the MBMS bearer within the MBMS coverage area.

15 . The UE of claim 12 , wherein, the judging module is configured to judge whether it is needed to transmit

Assignees

• Zte Corp

Inventors

• Xu Hui
• Mao Lei
• Ma Zijiang
• Gao Youjun

Classifications

• H04L12/189 Primary

  in combination with wireless systems (selective distribution or broadcast in wireless communication networks H04W4/06) · CPC title

• H04W24/08

  Testing, {supervising or monitoring} using real traffic · CPC title

• H04L12/1877

  Measures taken prior to transmission · CPC title

• H04W76/20

  Manipulation of established connections · CPC title

• H04L5/0048

  Allocation of pilot signals, i.e. of signals known to the receiver (allocation of control signalling H04L5/0053; use of control signalling H04L5/0091) · CPC title