CN102917311A - Method for realizing MBMS (multimedia broadcast and multicast service) continuous transmission - Google Patents

Abstract

The present invention provides a method for realizing MBMS (multimedia broadcast and multicast service) continuous transmission. The method comprises the following steps: an MCE (multi-cell/multicast-coordination entity) transmits one or more frequencies for MBMS transmission to a base station; and the base station broadcasts the frequencies for MBMS transmission in a plurality of cells. The method for realizing the MBMS continuous transmission can realize MBMS continuous transmission.

Description

A Method for Realizing MBMS Continuous Transmission

technical field

The invention relates to wireless communication technology, in particular to a method for realizing MBMS continuous transmission.

Background technique

FIG. 1 is a system architecture diagram of System Architecture Evolution (SAE). in:

User Equipment (UE) 101 is a terminal device for receiving data. Evolved Universal Terrestrial Radio Access Network (E-UTRAN) 102 is a radio access network including macro base stations (eNodeBs/NodeBs) that provide UEs with an interface to access the radio network. Mobility Management Entity (MME) 103 is responsible for managing UE's mobility context, session context and security information. Serving Gateway (SGW) 104 mainly provides user plane functions, and MME 103 and SGW 104 may be in the same physical entity. The packet data network gateway (PGW) 105 is responsible for functions such as billing and lawful interception, and may also be in the same physical entity as the SGW 104. A Policy and Charging Rules Function (PCRF) 106 provides Quality of Service (QoS) policies and charging rules. The General Packet Radio Service Support Node (SGSN) 108 is a network node device that provides routing for data transmission in the Universal Mobile Telecommunications System (UMTS). The Home Subscriber Server (HSS) 109 is the home subsystem of the UE, responsible for protecting user information including the current location of the user equipment, the address of the serving node, user security information, and the packet data context of the user equipment.

In order to effectively utilize the air interface resources, some mobile communication services are provided to users in the form of broadcast and multicast. This service is called Multimedia Broadcast and Multicast Service (MBMS, Multimedia Broadcast and Multicast Service). FIG. 2 is a structure diagram of an existing MBMS. Each MBMS service provides services in its own service area, and each cell in the service area has a dedicated control channel to transmit MBMS signaling. The BM-SC is a multimedia broadcast multicast service provider center, and MBMS data is sent from the BM-SC to the MBMS gateway (MBMS-GW). MBMS-GW is a logical node, other network nodes are not excluded, it is located between BM-SC and eNB, responsible for sending/broadcasting MBMS data packets to each eNB to transmit data. MBMS-GW sends data packets to corresponding eNB, and eNB sends data to users. Control signaling is sent from BM-SC to MBMS-GW, and then sent to EUTRAN through MME. Multi-cell multicast coordination entity (MCE, Multi-cell/multicast-Coordination Entity) is a node of EUTRAN, receives MBMS signaling, and decides whether to use multicast broadcast single frequency network (MBSFN, Multicast Broadcast Single Frequency Network) transmission mode, Then send signaling to the corresponding eNB.

The MBMS service can be transmitted in a single-carrier cell. In this way, different cells use different carriers, and users at the edge of the cell can only listen to the MBMS service of the current cell. However, if adjacent cells use the same carrier to transmit the same MBMS service and transmit the MBMS service in a synchronous manner, the user can receive the superposition of the two signal energies at the edge of the adjacent cell. Therefore, in the prior art, a continuous area is defined, and in this area, each eNB uses the same carrier to synchronously transmit the same MBMS signal, so as to improve the reception quality of the MBMS service of the user. This continuous area is called Single Frequency Network (SFN, Single Frequency Network) area.

The SFN area includes a group of geographically continuous cells, and these cells use the same radio resources to transmit a specific MBMS service synchronously. The SFN area belongs to and uniquely belongs to one MBMS service area.

Rel-11 will study the continuity of MBMS data reception, and define a mechanism to enable UE to receive MBMS service data with high priority. MBMS data is transmitted in an MBSFN area, and an MBSFN area corresponds to a group of geographically continuous cells, and these cells use the same frequency. Before the MBMS service starts, the UE in the idle mode may reside in a cell using other frequencies, and the UE in the connected mode may receive unicast services on other frequencies. How to enable the UE to know that the MBMS service has started and correctly select the cell where the MBMS service is to be transmitted is a technical problem to be solved by the present invention.

Contents of the invention

The invention provides a method for realizing continuous transmission of MBMS, so as to realize continuous transmission of MBMS.

A method for realizing continuous MBMS transmission provided by the present invention includes:

A. The multi-cell multicast coordination entity (MCE) sends the frequency used for MBMS service transmission to the base station, and the frequency is one or more;

B. The base station broadcasts the frequency used for MBMS service transmission in multiple cells.

It can be seen from the above technical solution that the method for realizing continuous transmission of MBMS provided by the present invention can enable the UE to monitor the control information of MBSFN by broadcasting information related to MBMS in a non-MBSFN cell, and the UE can go to the cell where MBSFN transmits Listen to MBMS data, so as to realize continuous transmission of MBMS.

Description of drawings

Figure 1 is an architecture diagram of the existing SAE system;

Fig. 2 structure diagram of existing MBMS;

Fig. 3 is the schematic diagram that the present invention classifies to the cell;

FIG. 4 is a schematic flow diagram of a method for realizing MBMS continuous transmission provided by the present invention;

FIG. 5 is a schematic flowchart of a method for realizing MBMS continuous transmission in Embodiments 1 and 3 of the present invention;

FIG. 6 is a schematic flowchart of a method for realizing MBMS continuous transmission in Embodiments 2, 4 and 5 of the present invention;

FIG. 7 is a schematic flowchart of another method for realizing MBMS continuous transmission provided by the present invention;

FIG. 8 is a schematic diagram of the Counting process in Embodiment 6 to Embodiment 8 of the present invention.

Detailed ways

In order to make the object, technical solution and advantages of the present invention clearer, the present invention will be further described in detail below with reference to the accompanying drawings and examples.

The cells on the base station are divided into three types, as shown in FIG. 3 . One type is the cell for MBMS data transmission, see the first type of cell shown in Figure 3, this type of cell belongs to the MBSFN area, and uses the same frequency. If the UE is in this type of cell, the UE can receive the system information block (SIB, System Information Block) information and MBMS point-to-multipoint control channel (MCCH, MBMS point-to-multipoint Control Channel) information of this cell. This process is the same as the current The definition process is the same. A type of cell is a cell that does not participate in MBMS data transmission, see the second type of cell shown in Figure 3, this type of cell may completely/partially overlap with the first type of cell in geographical location, but use a different frequency, or this type of cell The cell uses the same frequency as the MBSFN area, but is set as a "reserved cell", or this type of cell uses the same frequency as the MBSFN area, and is not set as an MBSFN area. UEs in the second type of cell can receive the first The UE can switch/reselect to the frequency for MBMS data transmission. In this type of cell, in order to ensure that the UE can switch to the frequency of MBMS data transmission, the base station needs to notify the UE of some information, which helps the UE select a cell for MBMS transmission. The notified information includes at least the frequency of MBMS transmission. There is another type of cell. This type of cell does not participate in MBMS data transmission, and does not overlap with the geographical location of the cell that transmits MBMS data. See the third type of cell shown in Figure 3. This type of cell does not need to provide information, and the UE cannot switch /Reselect to the cell where the MBMS is to be transmitted, because this type of cell is not adjacent to the cell where the MBMS is to be transmitted.

A solution provided by the present invention is: MCE decides on which/which frequencies to broadcast MBMS service, and the base station decides which cells to broadcast this/these frequencies. The flow chart of the program is shown in Figure 4, including:

Step 401: The MCE determines which frequency/frequency MBMS is to be transmitted according to the collected MBSFN synchronization area identifier of the cell, or according to OAM configuration, and notifies the base station of the MBMS transmission frequency.

Step 402: The base station receives the message, decides in which cells the frequency of MBMS transmission is broadcasted, and broadcasts the information to the UE. The base station can decide to broadcast the frequency of MBMS transmission in all cells, or broadcast in some cells, for example, transmit only in cells that overlap with the cell to transmit MBMS data (that is, the second type of cell), or both The broadcast is broadcasted on the cell to transmit MBMS data (ie: the first type of cell), and also broadcast on the cell that does not participate in MBMS data transmission and has overlapping coverage with the cell to transmit MBMS data (ie: the second type of cell). The UE interested in MBMS knows the frequency of MBMS transmission, can listen to the MBMS control information on these frequencies, obtain the MBMS control information on these frequencies, and when the service that the UE is interested in starts, the UE can switch to this frequency Listen to MBMS services.

Embodiment 1 describes that when the base station and the MCE establish the M2 interface, the MCE notifies the base station on which frequency the MBMS service will be broadcasted, and then the base station broadcasts the frequency on which the MBMS service will be transmitted, as shown in FIG. 5 . FIG. 5 is a schematic flowchart of the method for realizing continuous MBMS transmission in Embodiments 1 and 3 of the present invention. In Embodiment 1, the method shown in FIG. 5 may include the following steps:

Step 501: the base station sends an "M2 establishment request" message to the MCE. The message includes the identification of the base station and the information of the cell on the base station, and the information of the cell includes: the identification of the cell, the MBSFN area identification of the cell and the list of service area identifications of the cell.

Step 502: The MCE sends an "M2 Setup Response" message to the base station. The MCE receives M2 establishment request messages from multiple base stations. According to the MBSFN synchronization area supported by the cell, the MCE decides which frequency the MBMS will be on. The MCE notifies the base station on which frequency the MBMS service is to be broadcast.

The "M2 Setup Response" message includes the configuration information of the Broadcast Control Channel (BCCH, Broadcast Control Channel) related to the MCE identifier and the MCCH. This configuration information is for one MBSFN area. The specific content of this configuration information includes: MBSFN area identifier, physical downlink control channel (PDCCH, Physical Downlink Control Channel) length, repetition period, offset, modulation period, subframe allocation information and cell information list. The cell information includes: a cell identifier, and a mark of whether the cell is a reserved cell or a non-reserved cell.

As mentioned above, the MCE also needs to notify the base station which frequency/frequency the MBMS service is to be broadcast on through the "M2 Setup Response". Notifications can take many forms.

The first method, "M2 Setup Response", contains frequency information for MBMS transmissions. For example, if the message contains F1 and F2, it indicates that MBMS will be broadcast on F1 and F2, and there is no need to specify which service will be broadcast on F1.

The second method, "M2 Setup Response" contains the MBSFN area identifier for MBMS transmission. The MBSFN area identifier is related to the frequency. Knowing the MBSFN area identifier, the base station knows which frequency to transmit MBMS data on. For example, the message contains MBSFN Area-1, indicating that MBMS will be transmitted on MBSFN Area-1. In the "M2 Setup Response" message, the MBMS area ID and cell ID list have been configured, that is, an MBMS area ID is assigned to each cell. As long as the "M2 Setup Response" indicates the MBSFN area ID that the MBMS will transmit, the cell will know whether it will participate in MBSFN transmission by comparing its own MBMS area ID with the MBSFN area ID that the MBMS will transmit.

Step 503: The base station broadcasts the BCCH configuration information related to the MCCH configured by the MCE in step 502. This information is for the MBSFN area, and the MCE configures a "cell information list" in step 502, indicating the cell identity and whether the cell is a reserved cell. The base station broadcasts this information in all non-reserved cells indicated in the "cell information list".

The base station also needs to broadcast another information, which is which frequency/frequency the MBMS will be transmitted. Different from the BCCH configuration information related to the above MCCH, the base station needs to decide which cells to broadcast the information. The cells on the base station are divided into two types. One type is the cells that provide MBMS service transmission. The first type of cells shown in FIG. 3 use the same frequency as the MBMS configured by the MCE. The first type of cell does not participate in MBMS transmission, but needs to broadcast the frequency of MBMS. The second type of cell shown in Figure 3 allows users of this type of cell to know the frequency of MBMS, and the UE can monitor (Detect) the cell of this frequency at this frequency Control information related to MBMS, such as information transmitted on SIB 13 and MCCH. The base station may determine whether the cell belongs to the second type of cell based on the SAI. Each cell corresponds to a set of SAI (Service Area Identifier). If the service area of the cell overlaps with the cell that will provide MBMS services, the base station will broadcast the frequency/MBSFN area that the MBMS service will be transmitted in this cell. logo.

For example: the SAI of Cell-1=1, 2, the frequency is F1, the SAI of Cell-2=1, the frequency is F2. The MCE configures the frequency for broadcasting the MBMS service as F1, and the base station knows that Cell-1 will participate in the transmission of the MBMS service. Both Cell-2 and Cell-1 have SAI=1 and overlap areas, and the base station needs to broadcast frequency information or MBSFN area identifiers for MBMS service transmission on Cell-2.

Embodiment 1 is that when the M2 interface is established, the MCE notifies the base station on which frequency the MBMS will be broadcast. The disadvantage of this solution is that it cannot indicate which frequency a specific service is broadcast on. The UE needs to monitor all frequencies that may broadcast MBMS services, and obtain the MBMS control information broadcast on this frequency. The control information contains MBMS service identifiers. After obtaining the control information, the UE can determine which frequency to receive. Moreover, the establishment of the M2 interface may be long before the actual transmission of the MBMS, and the monitoring of the UE means a waste of UE energy.

In the second embodiment below, when the service is about to start, the MCE notifies the base station on which frequency the MBMS will be broadcasted, and then the base station broadcasts the frequency on which the MBMS service will be transmitted, as shown in FIG. 6 . FIG. 6 is a schematic flow chart of the methods for realizing continuous MBMS transmission in Embodiments 2, 4 and 5 of the present invention. In Embodiment 2, the method shown in FIG. 6 may include the following steps:

Step 601: BM-SC sends a "Session Start" (session start) message to MBMS-GW. The message indicates that the MBMS service is about to start, and provides attribute information of the MBMS Session. The message includes: IP multicast address of MBMS, Qos information, MBMS service range information, Session identifier, Session duration, MBMS control node information, and waiting for the first session. The minimum time for a packet to be sent.

Step 602: MBMS-GW sends a "Session Start Response" message to BM-SC.

Step 603: MBMS-GW sends a "Session Start" message to MME. The message includes: IP multicast address of MBMS, Qos information, MBMS service scope information, Session identifier, Session duration, and the minimum time for waiting for the first data packet to be sent.

Step 604: MME sends a "Session Start Response" message to MBMS-GW.

Step 605: MME sends a "Session Start" message to MCE. The message includes: IP multicast address of MBMS, attribute information of Session and minimum time for waiting for the first data packet to be sent.

Step 606: MCE sends a "Session Start Response" message to MME.

Step 607: The MCE performs a user counting (Counting) process. The Counting process can use the currently defined Counting process, and can also use the process defined in the present invention. For the Counting process defined in the present invention, please refer to the relevant descriptions in Embodiment 6 to Embodiment 8.

Step 608: The MCE may determine the frequency for MBMS service transmission according to the Counting result or OAM configuration, and the MCE sends a "Session Start" message to the base station. The message includes: IP multicast address of MBMS, attribute information of Session and minimum time for waiting for the first data packet to be sent. The message also includes the frequency of MBMS service transmission or the identifier of the MBSFN area. MCE sends the message to all base stations in the MBSFN area.

Step 609: The base station sends a "Session Start Response" message to confirm receipt of the MBMS Session Start message.

Step 610: Having obtained which frequency/frequency the MBMS will be transmitted on, the base station has to decide in which cells to broadcast the information, and the decision method is the same as step 503. For the UE in idle mode, if the UE has set the priority of the MBMS service to be high, the UE can perform cell reselection to select the cell to transmit the MBMS service. For a UE in connected mode, the base station may handover the UE to a cell where the MBMS service is to be transmitted, or configure the cell to transmit the MBMS service as a secondary component carrier (SCC) of the UE.

It is determined in which cells need to broadcast the MBMS frequency, and the base station broadcasts the information to the UE. The content of the broadcast can be:

Manner 1: The base station broadcasts the frequency of the MBMS.

Mode 2: The base station broadcasts the frequency of the MBMS and the ID of the MBMS.

Step 611: The MCE sends a "MBMS scheduling information configuration" message to the base station, and the message is used to configure the information transmitted on the MCCH. The "MBMS scheduling information configuration" message includes: MBSFN area identifier, MBSFN subframe configuration information, physical multicast channel (PMCH) configuration information and MBMS identifier carried on PMCH.

Step 612: the base station sends a "MBMS scheduling information configuration response" message to the MCE.

Step 613: The base station broadcasts the MCCH information configured by the MCE in step 611.

Step 614: the base station joins the multicast group of the MBMS-GW, and establishes a user plane with the MBMS-GW. Afterwards, the data packet can be transmitted from BM-SC to MBMS-GW, and then MBMS-GW transmits the data packet to all base stations that join this multicast group. The base station sends data packets to the UE according to currently defined mechanisms.

Another solution provided by the present invention is: MCE decides on which/which frequency to broadcast MBMS service, and MCE decides which cell to broadcast this/these frequencies. The flow chart of the program is shown in Figure 7, including:

Step 701: The MCE decides which frequency/frequency the MBMS should be transmitted according to the MBSFN synchronization area identifier of the collected cell, or according to the configuration of the OAM, and the MCE decides in which cells the frequency of the MBMS transmission is broadcast, and then notifies the base station of the MBMS transmission frequency A list of frequencies and cell identities on which to broadcast MBMS transmission frequencies.

Step 702: the base station receives the message, and broadcasts the frequency of MBMS transmission to the UE according to the configuration of the MCE. The UE interested in MBMS can get the notification information of MBMS on these frequencies, and when the service that the UE is interested in starts, the UE can listen to the MBMS service on this frequency.

Embodiment 3 describes that when the M2 interface is established, the MCE notifies the base station on which frequency the MBMS is broadcasted, and the base station broadcasts the frequency of MBMS service transmission, as shown in FIG. 5 . In Embodiment 3, the method shown in FIG. 5 may include the following steps:

Step 501: the base station establishes an M2 interface with the MCE. The base station sends an "M2 Setup Request" message. The message includes the identity of the base station, the identity of the cell on the base station, and the information of the cell. The cells are divided into two types, one is the cells that support the MBMS synchronization capability, and the other is the cells that do not support the MBMS synchronization capability. For the first type of cell, the cell information includes the cell's MBSFN synchronization area ID and the cell's service area ID list. If the cell does not have the MBSFN synchronization capability, the base station also reports the information of the cell to the MCE, and the cell information includes the cell identifier and the service area identifier (SAI) list of the cell.

Step 502: The MCE sends an "M2 Setup Response" message to the base station. The MCE receives M2 establishment request messages from multiple base stations. According to the MBSFN synchronization area supported by the cell, the MCE decides on which frequency the MBMS will be broadcast. In the "M2 establishment response" message, the MCE notifies the base station on which frequency the MBMS service will be broadcast. .

The "M2 Setup Response" message includes the MCE identifier and BCCH configuration information related to the MCCH. This information is for one MBSFN area. The specific content of this information includes: MBSFN area identifier, PDCCH length, repetition period, offset, modulation period, subframe allocation information and cell information list. The cell information includes: a cell identifier and a mark of whether the cell is a reserved cell or a non-reserved cell. The base station broadcasts MCCH-related BCCH configuration information in the non-reserved cells indicated by the configured "cell information list".

The MCE also needs to notify the base station on which frequency to broadcast the MBMS service through the "M2 establishment response". The base station broadcasts this information to the UE through a control channel, which can be a new broadcast channel or an MCCH channel. Notifications can take many forms.

In addition to notifying the base station on which frequency to broadcast the MBMS service, the MCE also needs to notify the base station on which cells to broadcast this information. The MCE has to decide in which cells to broadcast the frequency/MBSFN area identifier that the MBMS service will be transmitted. It can be broadcast in all cells, or broadcast in some cells according to some principles. Below is an example to select which cells to broadcast on. Through the "M2 Establishment Request" message, the MCE knows the cell information on the base station, and each cell corresponds to a set of SAI (Service Area Identification). If the service area of the cell overlaps with the cell that will provide MBMS services, Then the MCE decides to broadcast the frequency/MBSFN area identifier where the MBMS service will be transmitted in this cell.

Notifications can take many forms.

The first one, "M2 Setup Response" contains the frequency information of MBMS transmission and the cell identification list. The cells indicated by the cell identification list will broadcast frequency information of MBMS transmission.

The second type, "M2 Setup Response" contains the MBSFN area ID and cell ID list for MBMS transmission. The cells indicated by the cell identification list will broadcast frequency information of MBMS transmission.

Step 503: the base station broadcasts BCCH configuration information related to the MCCH configured by the MCE. The base station broadcasts on which frequency/MBSFN area the MBMS will be broadcast.

In the fourth embodiment below, when the service is about to start, the MCE notifies the base station on which frequency the MBMS will be broadcasted, and indicates in which cells the information needs to be broadcasted, as shown in FIG. 6 . In Embodiment 4, the method shown in FIG. 6 may include the following steps:

Step 601: BM-SC sends a "Session Start" message to MBMS-GW. The message indicates that the MBMS service is about to start, and provides attribute information of the MBMS Session. The message includes: IP multicast address of MBMS, Qos information, MBMS service range information, Session identifier, Session duration, MBMS control node information, and waiting for the first session. The minimum time for a packet to be sent.

Step 602: MBMS-GW sends a "Session Start Response" message to BM-SC.

Step 603: MBMS-GW sends a "Session Start" message to MME. The message includes: IP multicast address of MBMS, Qos information, MBMS service scope information, Session identifier, Session duration, and the minimum time for waiting for the first data packet to be sent.

Step 604: MME sends a "Session Start Response" message to MBMS-GW.

Step 605: MME sends a "Session Start" message to MCE. The message includes: IP multicast address of MBMS, attribute information of Session and minimum time for waiting for the first data packet to be sent.

Step 606: MCE sends a "Session Start Response" message to MME.

Step 607: The MCE performs a counting process. The Counting process can use the currently defined Counting process, and can also use the process defined in the present invention. For the Counting process defined in the present invention, please refer to the relevant descriptions in Embodiment 6 to Embodiment 8.

Step 608: The MCE may determine the frequency for MBMS service transmission according to the counting result or OAM configuration, and the MCE sends a "Session Start" message to the base station. The message includes: IP multicast address of MBMS, attribute information of Session and minimum time for waiting for the first data packet to be sent. The message also includes the frequency of MBMS service transmission or the identifier of the MBSFN area. MCE sends the message to all base stations in the MBSFN area.

In addition to informing the base station on which frequency to broadcast the MBMS service, the MCE also needs to determine and notify the base station in which cells to broadcast this information. It can be broadcast in all cells, or broadcast in some cells according to some principles. Below is an example to select which cells to broadcast on. Through the "M2 Establishment Request" message, the MCE knows the cell information on the base station, and each cell corresponds to a set of SAI (Service Area Identification). If the service area of the cell overlaps with the cell that will provide MBMS services, Then the MCE decides to broadcast the frequency/MBSFN area identifier where the MBMS service will be transmitted in this cell.

Notifications can take many forms.

The first one, "Session Start" contains the frequency information and cell identification list of MBMS transmission. The cells indicated by the cell identification list will broadcast frequency information of MBMS transmission.

The second type, "Session Start" includes frequency information of MBMS transmission, MBMS identification and cell identification list. The cells indicated by the cell identification list will broadcast frequency information of MBMS transmission.

The third type, "Session Start" contains the list of MBSFN area IDs and cell IDs for MBMS transmission. The cells indicated by the cell identification list will broadcast frequency information of MBMS transmission.

The fourth type, "Session Start" includes the MBSFN area ID of MBMS transmission, MBMS ID and cell ID list. The cells indicated by the cell identification list will broadcast frequency information of MBMS transmission.

Fifth, "Session Start" includes the frequency of MBMS transmission, the ID of MBMS and the instruction to broadcast this information in all cells.

Step 609: The base station sends a "Session Start Response" message to confirm receipt of the MBMS Session Start message.

Step 610: the base station broadcasts the information to the UE. It can be broadcast through a new broadcast information (SIB), or broadcast to the UE through a common/dedicated control channel. The content of the broadcast can be:

Manner 1: The base station broadcasts the frequency of the MBMS.

Mode 2: The base station broadcasts the frequency of the MBMS and the ID of the MBMS.

Step 611: The MCE sends a "MBMS scheduling information configuration" message to the base station. The "MBMS scheduling information configuration" message includes: the MBSFN area identifier, the configuration information of the MBSFN subframe, the configuration information of the PMCH and the MBMS identifier carried on the PMCH.

Step 612: the base station sends a "MBMS scheduling information configuration response" message to the MCE.

Step 613: The base station broadcasts the MCCH information configured by the MCE in step 611.

Step 614: the base station joins the multicast group of the MBMS-GW, and establishes a user plane with the MBMS-GW. Afterwards, the data packet can be transmitted from BM-SC to MBMS-GW, and then MBMS-GW transmits the data packet to all base stations that join this multicast group. The base station sends data packets to the UE according to currently defined mechanisms.

Embodiment five:

The flow diagram of the method for realizing MBMS continuous transmission in Embodiment 5 of the present invention is shown in FIG. 6, including:

Step 601: BM-SC sends a "Session Start" message to MBMS-GW. The message indicates that the MBMS service is about to start, and provides attribute information of the MBMS Session. The message includes: IP multicast address of MBMS, Qos information, MBMS service range information, Session identifier, Session duration, MBMS control node information, and waiting for the first session. The minimum time for a packet to be sent.

Step 602: MBMS-GW sends a "Session Start Response" message to BM-SC.

Step 603: MBMS-GW sends a "Session Start" message to MME. The message includes: IP multicast address of MBMS, Qos information, MBMS service scope information, Session identifier, Session duration, and the minimum time for waiting for the first data packet to be sent.

Step 604: MME sends a "Session Start Response" message to MBMS-GW.

Step 605: MME sends a "Session Start" message to MCE. The message includes: IP multicast address of MBMS, attribute information of Session and minimum time for waiting for the first data packet to be sent.

Step 606: MCE sends a "Session Start Response" message to MME.

Step 607: The MCE performs the Counting process. The Counting process can use the currently defined Counting process, and can also use the process defined in the present invention. For the Counting process defined in the present invention, please refer to the relevant descriptions in Embodiment 6 to Embodiment 8.

Step 608: The MCE may determine the frequency for MBMS service transmission according to the counting result or OAM configuration, and the MCE sends a "Session Start" message to the base station. The message includes: IP multicast address of MBMS, attribute information of Session and minimum time for waiting for the first data packet to be sent. The message also contains the frequency of MBMS service transmission. MCE sends the message to all base stations in the MBSFN area.

Step 609: The base station sends a "Session Start Response" message to confirm receipt of the MBMS Session Start message.

Step 610: the base station broadcasts the information to the UE. The content of the broadcast can be:

Manner 1: The base station broadcasts the frequency of the MBMS.

Mode 2: The base station broadcasts the frequency of the MBMS and the ID of the MBMS.

Step 611: The MCE sends a "MBMS scheduling information configuration" message to the base station. The "MBMS scheduling information configuration" message includes: the MBSFN area identifier, the configuration information of the MBSFN subframe, the configuration information of the PMCH and the MBMS identifier carried on the PMCH.

In addition to the above information, the message also includes frequency information of MBMS transmission and a list of cell identities to transmit the frequency information. The MCE may decide to broadcast in all cells, or broadcast in some cells according to some principles. Below is an example to select which cells to broadcast on. Through the "M2 Establishment Request" message, the MCE knows the cell information on the base station, and each cell corresponds to a set of SAI (Service Area Identification). If the service area of the cell overlaps with the cell that will provide MBMS services, Then the MCE decides to broadcast the frequency/MBSFN area identifier where the MBMS service will be transmitted in this cell.

Notifications can take many forms.

The first type, "MBMS Scheduling Information Configuration" includes MBMS transmission frequency information and a list of cell identities. The cells indicated by the cell identification list will broadcast frequency information of MBMS transmission.

The second type, "MBMS Scheduling Information Configuration" includes MBMS transmission frequency information, MBMS ID and cell ID list. The cells indicated by the cell identification list will broadcast frequency information of MBMS transmission.

The third type, "MBMS Scheduling Information Configuration" includes a list of MBSFN area identifiers and cell identifiers for MBMS transmission. The cells indicated by the cell identification list will broadcast frequency information of MBMS transmission.

Fourth, "MBMS scheduling information configuration" includes the MBSFN area identifier for MBMS transmission, the MBMS identifier and the list of cell identifiers. The cells indicated by the cell identification list will broadcast frequency information of MBMS transmission.

Fifth, "MBMS scheduling information configuration" includes the frequency of MBMS transmission, the ID of MBMS and the instruction to broadcast the information in all cells.

Step 612: the base station sends a "MBMS scheduling information configuration response" message to the MCE.

Step 613: the base station broadcasts the MCCH information configured by the MCE in step 611 in the MBSFN area indicated by the MCE. The base station also needs to broadcast the frequency of MBMS transmission in the cell indicated by the MCE, which can be broadcast through a new broadcast information (SIB), or broadcast to the UE through a public/dedicated control channel.

Step 614: the base station joins the multicast group of the MBMS-GW, and establishes a user plane with the MBMS-GW. Afterwards, the data packet can be transmitted from BM-SC to MBMS-GW, and then MBMS-GW transmits the data packet to all base stations that join this multicast group. The base station sends data packets to the UE according to currently defined mechanisms.

Embodiment 6 to Embodiment 8 describe the Counting process. This process can be used in combination with the foregoing Embodiment 2, Embodiment 4, and Embodiment 5, and can also be used together with not limited to the embodiments of the present invention.

Embodiment six:

FIG. 8 is a schematic diagram of the Counting process in Embodiment 6 to Embodiment 8 of the present invention. Referring to Fig. 8, in embodiment six, the Counting process includes:

Step 801: The MCE sends a "MBMS Service Counting Request" message to the base station. The message includes the MBSFN area identifier and the MBMS service identifier to be counted.

Step 802: The base station sends an "MBMS Service Counting Response" message to the MCE to confirm receipt of the message in step 801.

Step 803: the base station sends a counting message to the UE in the cell corresponding to the MBSFN area.

Step 804: The UE knows that counting is performed by monitoring the MBMS control information on the cell in the MBSFN area. If the UE's current serving cell does not belong to the MBSFN area, the UE sends a Counting response message on its own serving cell. The message includes the ID of the service it is interested in, and may also contain information indicating whether the UE has set the priority of the MBMS service higher than that of the common unicast service. The specific implementation method is as follows:

In one method, the UE adopts a bitmap (bitmap) method, and a bit indicates whether a certain MBMS service has a higher priority than a common unicast service. For example, there are 10 services to be counted, and the UE sends a 10-bit bitmap, each bit corresponds to a service to be counted, and the value of the bit is used to indicate whether the priority of the corresponding service is higher than that of ordinary unicast services. For example: the first bit is used to indicate whether the priority of the first service is higher than that of ordinary unicast services. If it is set to 1, it means it is higher than ordinary unicast services, and 0 means it is lower than ordinary unicast services.

In the second method, the UE only sets an indication to indicate that the priority of the MBMS service is set to be higher than that of the common unicast service. In this way, all MBMS services are higher than ordinary unicast services.

In the third method, the UE sets the MBMS service identifier and its corresponding priority indication. For example (TMGI-1, an indication that the priority is higher than ordinary unicast services).

The Counting response message also includes the frequency suggested by the UE. Combined with the UE's measurement report, the base station can hand over the UE to a cell in the MBSFN area.

Or the Counting response message also includes a cell identifier suggested by the UE, and the base station can handover the UE to the cell suggested by the UE.

Embodiment seven:

Referring to Fig. 8, in embodiment seven, the Counting process includes:

In step 801, the MCE sends a "MBMS Service Counting Request" message to the base station. The message includes the MBSFN area identifier and the MBMS service identifier to be counted.

In step 802, the base station sends an "MBMS Service Counting Response" message to the MCE to confirm receipt of the message in step 801 .

In step 803, the base station sends a counting message to the UE in the cell corresponding to the MBSFN area. In addition to sending in the cell corresponding to the MBSFN area, the base station also needs to send the counting message on the cell overlapping with the MBSFN area. Counting messages can be sent in the following two ways:

The first way: sending through MCCH, the message includes the service identifier to be counted.

The second method: send by broadcasting information, and the message includes the service identifier to be counted.

In step 804, the UE receives a counting message in the current serving cell. The message contains the ID of the service it is interested in, and the UE sends a counting response message in the current serving cell, which may also contain the priority set by the UE for MBMS. The specific implementation method is as follows:

In one method, the UE adopts a bitmap, and a bit indicates whether a certain MBMS service has a higher priority than a common unicast service. For example, there are 10 services to be counted, and the UE sends a 10-bit bitmap, each bit corresponds to a service to be counted, and the value of the bit is used to indicate whether the priority of the corresponding service is higher than that of ordinary unicast services. For example: the first bit is used to indicate whether the priority of the first service is higher than that of ordinary unicast services. If it is set to 1, it means it is higher than ordinary unicast services, and 0 means it is lower than ordinary unicast services.

In the second method, the UE only sets an indication to indicate that the priority of the MBMS service is set to be higher than that of the common unicast service. In this way, all MBMS services are higher than ordinary unicast services.

In the third method, the UE directly includes the MBMS service identifier and priority indication. For example (TMGI-1, an indication that the priority is higher than ordinary unicast services).

The Counting response message also includes the frequency suggested by the UE. Combined with the UE's measurement report, the base station can hand over the UE to a cell in the MBSFN area.

Or the Counting response message also includes a cell identifier suggested by the UE, and the base station can handover the UE to the cell suggested by the UE.

Embodiment eight:

Referring to Fig. 8, in the eighth embodiment, the Counting process includes:

In step 801, the MCE sends a "MBMS Service Counting Request" message to the base station. The message includes the MBSFN area identifier and the MBMS service identifier to be counted, and the message also includes the identifier of the cell overlapping with the MBSFN area.

In step 802, the base station sends a "MBMS Service Counting Response" message to the MCE to confirm receipt of the message in step 1101 .

In step 803, the base station sends a counting message to the UE in a cell corresponding to the MBSFN area and a cell overlapping with the MBSFN area. Counting messages can be sent in the following two ways:

The first way: sending through MCCH, the message includes the service identifier to be counted.

The second method: send by broadcasting information, and the message includes the service identifier to be counted.

In step 804, the UE receives a counting message in the current serving cell. The message contains the ID of the service it is interested in. The counting response message sent by the UE in the current serving cell also contains the priority set by the UE for MBMS. The specific implementation method is as follows:

In one method, the UE adopts a bitmap, and a bit indicates whether a certain MBMS service has a higher priority than a common unicast service. For example, there are 10 services to be counted, and the UE sends a 10-bit bitmap, each bit corresponds to a service to be counted, and the value of the bit is used to indicate whether the priority of the corresponding service is higher than that of ordinary unicast services. For example: the first bit is used to indicate whether the priority of the first service is higher than that of ordinary unicast services. If it is set to 1, it means it is higher than ordinary unicast services, and 0 means it is lower than ordinary unicast services. The base station can hand over the UE to a cell in the MBSFN area.

In the second method, the UE only sets an indication to indicate that the priority of the MBMS service is set to be higher than that of the common unicast service. In this way, all MBMS services are higher than ordinary unicast services. The base station can hand over the UE to a cell in the MBSFN area.

In the third method, the UE directly includes the MBMS service identifier and priority indication. For example (TMGI-1, an indication that the priority is higher than ordinary unicast services). The base station can hand over the UE to a cell in the MBSFN area.

The Counting response message also includes the frequency suggested by the UE. Combined with the UE's measurement report, the base station can hand over the UE to a cell in the MBSFN area.

Or the Counting response message also includes a cell identifier suggested by the UE, and the base station can handover the UE to the cell suggested by the UE.

It can be seen from the above-mentioned embodiments that the method for realizing continuous MBMS transmission provided by the present invention can enable UE to monitor MBSFN control information by broadcasting information related to MBMS in a non-MBSFN cell, and the UE can go to the cell where MBSFN transmits Listen to MBMS data, so as to realize continuous transmission of MBMS

The above descriptions are only preferred embodiments of the present invention, and are not intended to limit the present invention. Any modifications, equivalent replacements, improvements, etc. made within the spirit and principles of the present invention shall be included in the present invention. within the scope of protection.

Claims (16)

1. A method for realizing multimedia broadcast multicast service (MBMS) continuous transmission, characterized in that, comprising: A. The multi-cell multicast coordination entity (MCE) sends the frequency used for MBMS service transmission to the base station, and the frequency is one or more; B. The base station broadcasts the frequency used for MBMS service transmission in multiple cells. 2. The method according to claim 1, characterized in that: The multiple cells are determined by the base station. 3. The method according to claim 1, characterized in that: The multiple cells are determined by the MCE; The A further includes: the MCE sends the identities of the multiple cells to the base station. 4. The method according to claim 2, characterized in that: Before said A, it further includes: the base station sends an M2 establishment request message to the MCE, and the message carries: the identity of the base station and the information of the cell on the base station, and the information of the cell includes: the identity of the cell, the multicast broadcast single frequency network (MBSFN) of the cell ) area identification and the service area identification list of the cell; According to the MBSFN area identifier of the cell carried in the M2 establishment request message, the MCE uses the frequency with the largest deployment range as the frequency used for MBMS service transmission, or determines the frequency used for MBMS service according to the configuration of Operation and Maintenance Management (OAM). frequency of traffic transmission; In the above A, the MCE carries the frequency used for MBMS service transmission or the MBSFN area identifier of MBMS service transmission in the M2 setup response message and sends it to the base station. 5. The method according to claim 2, characterized in that: Before said A, it further includes: after the MCE receives the session start (Session Start) message, the user statistics (Counting) process is performed; The frequency used for MBMS service transmission is determined by the MCE according to the Counting result, or determined according to the OAM configuration; In A, the MCE carries the frequency used for MBMS service transmission or the MBSFN area identifier for MBMS service transmission in a Session Start message or an MBMS scheduling information configuration message and sends it to the base station. 6. The method according to claim 3, characterized in that: Before said A, it further includes: the base station sends an M2 establishment request message to the MCE, and the message carries: the identity of the base station and the information of the cell on the base station. For a cell that supports MBMS synchronization capability, the information of the cell includes: the identity of the cell, the cell MBSFN area identification and the service area identification list of the cell; for a cell that does not support MBMS synchronization capability, the information of the cell includes: the identification of the cell and the service area identification (SAI) of the cell; According to the MBSFN area identifier of the cell carried in the M2 establishment request message, the MCE uses the frequency with the largest deployment range as the frequency for MBMS service transmission, or determines the frequency for MBMS service transmission according to OAM configuration; In said A, the MCE sends the frequency used for MBMS service transmission and the identities of the multiple cells to the base station in the M2 setup response message; Or, the MCE carries the MBSFN area identifier for MBMS service transmission and the identifiers of the multiple cells in the M2 setup response message and sends it to the base station. 7. The method of claim 3, wherein: Before said A, it further includes: after the MCE receives the Session Start message, perform the Counting process; The frequency used for MBMS service transmission is determined by the MCE according to the Counting result, or determined according to the OAM configuration; In said A, the MCE carries the frequency used for MBMS service transmission and the identifiers of the multiple cells in a Session Start message or an MBMS scheduling information configuration message and sends it to the base station; Or, the MCE carries the frequency used for MBMS service transmission, the identifier of the MBMS service, and the identifiers of the multiple cells in the Session Start message or the MBMS scheduling information configuration message and sends it to the base station; Or, the MCE carries the MBSFN area identifier of the MBMS service transmission and the identifiers of the multiple cells in the Session Start message or the MBMS scheduling information configuration message and sends it to the base station; Or, the MCE carries the MBSFN area identifier of the MBMS service transmission, the MBMS service identifier and the identifiers of the multiple cells in the Session Start message or the MBMS scheduling information configuration message and sends it to the base station; Alternatively, the MCE carries the frequency used for MBMS service transmission, the identifier of the MBMS service, and the indication information indicating that the frequency used for MBMS service transmission is broadcast in all cells in the Session Start message or the MBMS scheduling information configuration message and sends it to the base station. 8. The method according to claim 4 or 6, further comprising after said B: C. A user terminal (UE) in the cell that is interested in the MBMS service monitors the frequency used for MBMS service transmission, learns the control information of the MBMS service, and switches to the frequency used for MBMS service transmission when the MBMS service starts. receive MBMS services on the frequency. 9. The method according to claim 5 or 7, characterized in that: In said B, the base station further broadcasts the identifier of the MBMS service in the multiple cells. 10. The method according to claims 1 to 7, characterized in that: The base stations are divided into three categories: the first type of cell is a cell that uses the frequency used for MBMS service transmission; the second type of cell is a cell that has overlapping coverage with the first type of cell but uses a different frequency, or is different from the use of A cell that uses the frequency for MBMS service transmission but is set as a reserved cell, or a cell that uses the frequency for MBMS service transmission but is not set as an MBSFN area; the third type of cell is a cell other than the first type Subdistricts and subdivisions other than the second type of subdivision; The plurality of cells includes: all cells under the base station, or includes: cells of the second type, or includes: cells of the first type and cells of the second type. 11. The method of claim 10, wherein: Cells having an overlapping SAI with cells of the first type belong to cells of the second type. 12. The method according to claim 5 or 7, wherein the Counting process comprises: The MCE sends an MBMS service Counting request message to the base station, and the message includes the MBSFN area identifier and the MBMS service identifier to be Counted; The base station sends an MBMS service Counting response message to the MCE; The base station sends a Counting message to the UE in the cell corresponding to the MBSFN area; The UE learns that Counting is now performed by monitoring the MBMS control information on the cell in the MBSFN area. If the UE's current serving cell does not belong to the MBSFN area, it sends a Counting response message on its current serving cell. The Counting response message includes: UE sense Business ID of interest. 13. The method of claim 12, wherein: The Counting response message also includes: an indication of whether the UE sets the priority of the MBMS service higher than that of the common unicast service, and includes a frequency or a cell ID suggested by the UE. 14. The method according to claim 13, characterized in that the specific implementation of the indication is: Realized by bitmap; Or the indication occupies 1 bit, and uses different values to indicate whether the UE sets the priority of the MBMS service to be higher than that of the common unicast service; Alternatively, the way of priority is adopted, and the MBMS service identifier corresponds to the priority indication one by one. 15. The method of claim 13, wherein: The base station further sends a Counting message to the UE in a cell overlapping with the MBSFN area, the Counting message is sent through the MBMS point-to-multipoint control channel (MCCH), and the message includes the MBMS service identifier to be Counted, or the message is broadcasted The information is sent, and the information includes the MBMS service identification to be Counted; The UE receives the Counting message in the current serving cell, and if the Counting message includes the ID of the MBMS service that the UE is interested in, the UE sends a Counting response message in the current serving cell. 16. The method of claim 15, wherein: The MBMS service Counting request message sent by the MCE to the base station further includes the identity of the cell overlapping with the MBSFN area.

Images