CN102355630A - Method for managing multicast services - Google Patents

Abstract

The invention relates to a method for managing a multicast service (A, B, C), by means of which mobile terminal equipment (UE1, UE2) of a user subscribed to a multicast service (A, B, C) Network (RNC) receives multicast messages. It is an object of the invention to be able to utilize existing radio resources in a more economical manner. For this purpose, the mobile terminals (UE1, UE2) are each equipped with an input device. When the input device is activated, an activation message indicating whether the multicast service (A, B, C) is activated or deactivated is generated and transmitted to the mobile communication network (RNC).

Description

Method for managing multicast services

This application is a divisional application of an invention patent application with an application date of July 30, 2002, an application number of 02815455.X, and an invention title of "Method for Managing Multicast Service".

technical field

The present invention relates to a method for managing a multicast service. With this method, a mobile terminal device of a user who has subscribed to a multicast service will receive a multicast message through a mobile communication network.

Background technique

In the case of a multicast service, different users to whom the same multicast message is to be transmitted are designated as multicast groups bringing the users together. This multicast group is identified by a multicast address. Therefore, the message data to be transmitted is sent only once to this multicast address. Ideally, only one transmission is made by the multicast message transmitter to the multicast message receiver over the common connection line. It is not required for the transmitter to know where and how many receivers are hidden behind the multicast address.

In the known multicast services, there is a disadvantage that the multicast messages do not depend on whether certain mobile terminal equipment belonging to the relevant multicast group receive messages sent to the multicast group according to the user's wishes. A multicast message transmitted by all mobile radio cells in which a mobile terminal device is located. For this reason, when transmitting multicast messages, radio resources assigned to mobile terminals which do not receive multicast messages at the user's discretion are often occupied.

Contents of the invention

Accordingly, the object of the present invention is to propose a method for managing multicast services which makes use of existing radio resources in a more economical manner.

This task is solved in the method described at the outset in that the mobile terminals are respectively equipped with input means which, when activated, generate activation information indicating whether the multicast service is activated or deactivated and are transmitted to Mobile communication online.

By generating the information for temporarily deactivating the multicast service, the prerequisites are created for the mobile communication network receiving the transmitted information to be able to make better decisions about the allocation of its radio resources. It is known at any time which mobile terminal is exactly active on the multicast service.

The mobile communication network preferentially transmits multicast service messages only to those mobile terminals for which no deactivation information exists. In this way radio resources can be considerably saved.

A multicast service can be subdivided into a number of subservices, wherein the input device then allows the individual subservices to be deactivated. Naturally, the input device can also be used to reactivate individual or all sub-services.

In particular, it is preferred to store the activation information in the form of a table in the mobile terminal and in the mobile communication network, which table contains, for each sub-service, the entry whether the sub-service is activated or deactivated.

This registry may exist in the form of continuous updates from the mobile communication network, wherein the terminal equipment participating in the multicast service updates their respective registration form.

Description of drawings

The present invention will be described in more detail below with the aid of an embodiment. The single FIGURE shows a block diagram for the detailed illustration of the signaling connections between the nodes of the mobile communication network, the base stations and specific mobile terminals.

Detailed ways

It is assumed that two mobile radio stations UE1, UE2 are located in a mobile radio cell Z deployed by a base station BS, which is connected via a fixed network connection to a node of the mobile communication network RNC. Regardless of the mobile terminal equipment UE1, UE2 or the node of the mobile communication network RNC, they all work according to the protocol of the UMTS protocol architecture. Within this protocol architecture, a so-called RRC state is specified in particular, which indicates in which signaling level the mobile terminal and the RNC node of the mobile communication network are located.

Both mobile terminals UE1 and UE2 should initially be in "idle mode". In "idle mode", the mobile terminal equipment UE1, UE2 receives the "Broadcast" (broadcast) message from the RNC node of the mobile communication network and listens on the notification channel (PICH, PCH). The nodes of the mobile communication network RNC do not know the mobile terminals UE1, UE2 themselves, nor do they know whether the mobile terminals UE1, UE2 are in the cell controlled by them.

Users of UE1 and UE2 all subscribe to multicast services A, B and C, and belong to designated multicast groups MA, MB, MC.

It is further assumed that the mobile terminal UE1 changes from the RRC state "idle mode" to the RRC state "CELL-DCH" because, for example, it receives a call. For this purpose, the mobile terminal UE1 is informed of the incoming call. The mobile terminal UE1 then establishes a signaling connection with a node of the mobile communication network RNC, and in the mobile communication network RNC the mobile terminal UE1 sends a message "RRC Connection Request" to the node of the mobile communication network RNC. The node of the mobile communication network RNC then sends back the message "RRC Connection Set Up" (RRC Connection Set Up) to the mobile terminal UE1. The mobile terminal equipment UE1 configures its protocol layer, and sends back "RRC Connection Set Up Complete" (complete RRC connection establishment) to the node of the mobile communication network RNC to confirm that the signaling connection is established.

For example, in the message "RRC Connection Set Up Complete" to the node of the mobile communication network RNC, it is now possible to send the registration table stored there to the node of the mobile communication network RNC. In the registry, for each multicast service A, B, C is assigned an item of information indicating whether the multicast service concerned is activated or deactivated. In the event of deactivation, no multicast messages should be sent to the relevant mobile terminal UE1, UE2.

Registration in this table can be done via the keyboard as input device of the mobile terminal UE1, UE2.

Now, if the multicast message transmission is suitable for the multicast group MA, the nodes of the mobile communication network RNC must find out where the relevant multicast group mobile terminals are located. Since the cost of using the multicast services A, B and C should also be considered, the node of the mobile communication network RNC must also know which subscribers are activated and want to receive the information of the current multicast services A, B and C .

For this purpose, the node of the mobile communication network RNC checks the mobile terminals UE1, UE2 controlled by it to see whether the multicast group MA is marked as active for them in the registry to which the mobile terminal UE1, UE2 belongs.

Furthermore, the node of the mobile communication network RNC informs the mobile terminal UE2 that a multicast transmission of a message to the multicast group MA is awaited. At this point, the mobile terminal UE2 will check in its registry whether its user has activated the multicast group MA. Since this should be the case in the current implementation, the mobile terminal equipment UE2 now establishes a signaling connection to the RNC node of the mobile communication network via the base station BS, and also updates its actual registration form in the "RRC Connection Set Up Complete" message. to the node of the mobile communication network RNC.

For this purpose, the nodes of the mobile communication network RNC now know that the two mobile terminals UE1, UE2 are willing to receive message data for the multicast group MA and allocate the available radio resources accordingly. For the other mobile terminals of the multicast group MA for which one or more multicast services have been deactivated, the message transmission is stopped.

It should be emphasized that the registry can be updated in this way at the nodes of the mobile communication network RNC to ensure reliable updates. For this purpose, any regularly occurring signaling connection between the mobile terminal UE1, UE2 and the RNC node of the mobile communication network can be used. The registration form for activating/deactivating the multicast services A, B, C is also only transmitted when the mobile terminal UE1, UE2 has received notification that a multicast message belonging to the multicast group MA has been determined.

Claims (3)

1. A method of managing a multicast service, by which a mobile terminal of a user who has subscribed to a multicast service (A, B, C) and belongs to a designated multicast group (MA, MB, MC) The device receives the multicast message through the mobile communication network under the condition of receiving the notification through the mobile communication network. It is characterized in that the mobile terminal equipment (UE1, UE2) is equipped with an input device, and when the input device is activated, an instruction is generated. Whether the multicast service (A, B, C) is activated or deactivated, the deactivation/activation information is transmitted to the mobile communication network (RNC); and the mobile communication network (RNC) only transmits the multicast The service (A, B, C) information is transmitted to the mobile terminal equipment (UE1, UE2) presenting the activation information. 2. The method of claim 1, It is characterized in that, The multicast services (A, B, C) are divided into several sub-services and the input means allow each individual sub-service to be deactivated. 3. The method of claim 2, It is characterized in that, Activation information in the mobile terminal (UE1, UE2) and in the mobile communication network (RNC) is stored in the form of a registry containing either activation or deactivation for each sub-service.

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