MBMS User Counting via Access Slot Allocation
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Solution Overview
Problem
Current methods for counting interested secondary stations in mobile radio networks, such as UMTS, require significant signaling traffic, leading to wasteful use of radio resources and unnecessary interference, especially when a large number of users are interested in receiving a service.
Innovation Solution
A method where a primary station allocates access time slots for secondary stations to indicate their interest in a service, allowing for efficient estimation of user interest by transmitting a predetermined signal, reducing the need for accurate counting and minimizing interference.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Measurement precision
If individual user information is collected through state transition signaling, then accurate user counting is achieved, but signaling load and radio resource consumption increase significantly
Solution Approach 1:
The patent uses a counting indicator signal that acts as a simplified copy or representation of user interest, rather than transmitting full individual user information. Each user sends just a counting indicator in allocated slots, providing sufficient information for service mode selection without the overhead of complete user profiles
Solution Approach 2:
The patent extracts only the essential information needed for service delivery decision (user count estimate) from the complete set of possible user data. By allocating specific access slots for counting indicators and ignoring other user information, the system obtains sufficient data while minimizing signaling traffic
2Loss of information
If all user signaling information is transmitted, then complete user data is available, but radio resources are wasted and interference increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies local quality by allocating specific, localized resources (certain uplink access slots) exclusively for the counting function. This spatial and temporal separation ensures that counting signaling does not interfere with other user communications, as only designated slots are used for transmitting counting indicators
Solution Approach 2:
The system extracts and transmits only the essential counting information rather than complete user data. By sending merely a counting indicator signal in allocated slots, the system obtains sufficient information for service mode selection while minimizing radio resource consumption and interference
3Ease of operation
If dedicated channels are set up for each user, then individual power control is achieved, but system complexity increases for service delivery
Solution Approach 1:
The patent implements a dynamic service delivery approach where the system adapts between point-to-point and point-to-multipoint modes based on the estimated number of interested users. This dynamic selection allows the system to optimize between individual power control (for small groups) and efficient multicast (for large groups) without permanently configuring complex dedicated channels for all users
Data Source
AI summary
A method of operating a radio network, such as UMTS or cdma2000, which comprises at least one primary station (PS), i.e. and access point or bare station, and a plurality of secondary stations (SSI, SS2, SS3), i.e. mobile stations. The primary station determines the level of interest of the users of the secondary stations in a particular service, such as Multimedia Broadcasting and Multicast Services (MBMS), by allocating a respective plurality of access slots in which the secondary stations can transmit an indication of its interest. The primary station receives the indications of interest to and estimates the level of interest from the number of transmitted indications, for example whether or not they exceed a threshold value. Depending on the result of the estimation process the primary station selects a particular one of at least two transmission modes for transmitting the service. According to said “approximation counting” of users interested in an MBMS service, the primary station selects a certain transmission mode for the implementation of the service (i.e. a point-to-point or a point-to-multipoint basis).