Method for providing multicast/broadcast service continuity for mobile terminals

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-2016374050-A1
Application number	US-201414902043-A
Country	US
Kind code	A1
Filing date	Jul 1, 2014
Priority date	Jul 1, 2013
Publication date	Dec 22, 2016
Grant date	—

Abstract

A method for providing multicast/broadcast service continuity for mobile terminals in a radio access network includes the mobile terminals registering with a base station of said radio access network regarding the multicast/broadcast service and the base station transmitting multicast/broadcast service related data as group communications to registered mobile terminals. The method involves performing, by a first mobile terminal, multicast/broadcast service related radio measurements, and taking, based on the results of the multicast/broadcast service related radio measurements, a decision on actions to be performed by at least one of the base station and the first mobile terminal for preserving reliable transmission/reception of the multicast/broadcast service related data to/by the first mobile terminal.

First claim

1 . A method for providing multicast/broadcast service continuity for mobile terminals in a radio access network, wherein the mobile terminals register with a base station of said radio access network regarding the multicast/broadcast service and wherein the base station transmits multicast/broadcast service related data as group communications to registered mobile terminals, the method comprising:
performing, by a first mobile terminal, multicast/broadcast service related radio measurements; and taking, based on the results of the multicast/broadcast service related radio measurements, a decision on actions to be performed by at least one of the base station and the first mobile terminal for preserving reliable transmission/reception of the multicast/broadcast service related data to/by the first mobile terminal.

2 . The method according to claim 1 , wherein the multicast/broadcast service is a Multimedia Broadcast Multicast Service (MBMS).

3 . The method according to claim 1 , wherein the first mobile terminal transmits the multicast/broadcast service related radio measurement results to the base station.

4 . The method according to claim 1 , wherein existing radio measurements used for mobility procedures of the first mobile terminal are extended to additionally include information about the multicast/broadcast service radio signal quality.

5 . The method according to claim 1 , wherein the multicast/broadcast service related radio measurements include measurements on one or more of multicast/broadcast service radio bearer signal strength, decoding errors, and block error rates of received multicast/broadcast service radio bearer data.

6 . The method according to claim 3 , wherein a multimedia broadcast/multicast service signal frequency network (MBSFN) carrier symbol is employed as a reference signal to generate the multicast/broadcast service related information in the radio measurement results of the first mobile terminal transmitted to the base station.

7 . The method according to claim 1 , wherein the first mobile terminal transmits the multicast/broadcast service related radio measurement reports to the base station by means of radio resource control (RRC) signaling.

8 . The method according to claim 1 , wherein the base station determines whether to configure the first mobile terminal to send multicast/broadcast service related radio measurement reports to the base station.

9 . The method according to claim 8 , wherein the determination of whether to configure the first mobile terminal to send multicast/broadcast service related radio measurement reports to the base station is made individually for each activated multicast/broadcast service radio bearer of the first mobile terminal.

10 . The method according to claim 1 , wherein the base station configures the first mobile terminal with relevant multicast/broadcast service related thresholds.

11 . The method according to claim 10 , wherein the multicast/broadcast service related thresholds are employed by the first mobile terminal to trigger actions to avoid packet losses of multicast/broadcast service data.

12 . The method according to claim 11 , wherein the multicast/broadcast service related thresholds are configured by the base station.

13 . The method according to claim 11 , wherein the mobile terminal initiates application layer signaling to request unicast transmission from a sending server upon detection that the configured multicast/broadcast service related thresholds are at least one of overrun or underrun.

14 . The method according to claim 1 , wherein if the first mobile terminal reports conditions for multicast/broadcast service reception/transmission either falling below or exceeding predefined thresholds, the base station determines the actions for preserving the service continuity for multicast/broadcast service data reception.

15 . The method according to claim 14 , wherein an action determined by the base station includes triggering said mobile terminal to perform application layer signaling for requesting unicast delivery.

16 . The method according to claim 14 , wherein an action determined by the base station includes mapping of the multicast/broadcast service data over existing unicast radio bearers.

17 . The method according to claim 16 , wherein the mapping is applied in cases in which the first mobile terminal is assumed to recover within a predefined time interval from the radio conditions for multicast/broadcast service reception/transmission either falling below or exceeding predefined thresholds.

18 . The method according to claim 1 , wherein the base station informs the first mobile terminal about transmission of the multicast/broadcast service data over a particular default radio bearer.

19 . The method according to claim 1 , wherein the base station determines and applies different scheduling priorities for transmission of multicast/broadcast service data and unicast data over a same default radio bearer.

20 . The method according to claim 19 , wherein the base station dynamically modifies the different scheduling priorities depending on a load situation in a respective radio cell.

21 . The method according to claim 1 , wherein an action determined by the base station includes handing over the mobile terminal to a base station of a neighbor cell.

22 . A base station for providing multicast/broadcast service continuity for mobile terminals in a radio access network, the base station being configured to:
transmit multicast/broadcast service related data as group communications to mobile terminals registered with the base station regarding said multicast/broadcast service; receive results of multicast/broadcast service related radio measurements performed by a first mobile terminal; and, make, based on the received results, a decision on actions to be performed for preserving reliable transmission of the multicast/broadcast service related data to mobile terminals registered with the base station.

23 . The base station according to claim 22 , the base station being further configured to apply a scheduling mechanism that subdivides packets of a first radio bearer in order to enable different scheduling treatments of multicast/broadcast service data and unicast data.

24 . A mobile terminal with multicast/broadcast service continuity support, the mobile terminal being configured to:
register with a base station of a radio access network regarding the multicast/broadcast service; receive from the base station multicast/broadcast service related data as group communications; perform multicast/broadcast service related radio measurements; and make a decision on actions to be performed for preserving reliable reception of the multicast/broadcast service related data based on the results of the multicast/broadcast service related radio measurements.

25 . The mobile terminal according to claim 24 , wherein the multicast/broadcast service related radio measurements are performed as an extension of existing radio measurements used for mobility procedures of the mobile terminal.

26 . The mobile terminal according to claim 24 , wherein the mobile terminal is further configured to initiate application layer signaling for requesting unicast transmission from a sending server upon detection that multicast/broadcast service related thresholds configured in the mobile terminal by the base station

Assignees

• Nec Europe Ltd

Inventors

• Prasad Athul
• Velev Genadi

Classifications

• H04W36/0088

  Scheduling hand-off measurements · CPC title

• H04L12/1868

  Measures taken after transmission, e.g. acknowledgments · CPC title

• H04W60/04

  using triggered events · CPC title

• H04W4/06

  Selective distribution of broadcast services, e.g. multimedia broadcast multicast service [MBMS]; Services to user groups; One-way selective calling services · CPC title

• H04W36/0007 Primary

  for multicast or broadcast services, e.g. MBMS (multicast or broadcast application services H04W4/06; resource management for broadcast services H04W72/30; connection management for selective distribution or broadcast H04W76/40) · CPC title