Method for remotely controlling a device by means of a fixed transceiver station, device, use of a fixed transceiver station and program

[0001]

The present invention relates to a method for remote control of a device by means of a fixed transceiver station in a radio cell of a mobile telecommunications network of the type either Long Term Evolution (LTE) or terrestrial radio access network (UTRAN) of a universal mobile telecommunications system (UMTS).

[0002] In LTE and UMTS networks, it is not possible to remotely control individual devices, groups of devices or any number of automatic devices (machine devices) without using dedicated control messages. This means that • any automatic device must implement a full radio resource control (RRC) stack, • any automatic device must implement a transceiver, and • there is no mechanism to allow the mobile network operator to remotely control any device without first establishing a radio resource control (RRC) connection between the device and the network.

Thus, an automatic device that has not implemented a radio resource control (RRC) stack can not be remotely controlled by a mobile telecommunications network operator. Furthermore, an automatic device without a transceiver can not be remotely controlled by a mobile network operator In a Universal Mobile System (UMTS) document; Radio Resource Control (RRC); Protocol specification 3GPP TS 25.331 version 8.2.0 8 edition; ETSI TS 125 331 describes a system "for broadcasting system information from the UTRAN network to EU equipment in a cell".

telecommunications

Telecommunications

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Control information containing the identification part for determining the device is not provided. In addition, the device has a network registration.

[0003] This is a constraint on the mobile telecommunications network operator, since this means that some devices can not be remotely controlled at all; while other devices can only be controlled using a radio resource control (RRC) connection that requires the device to register on the network and use dedicated network resources.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION [0004] It is an object of the present invention to provide a method for remotely controlling a device via a fixed transceiver station in a cellular radio cell of a long term telecommunications mobile telecommunications network (LTE) or terrestrial radio access network (UTRAN) of a universal mobile telecommunications system ( UMTS). Another object of the present invention is to provide a device for remote control and the use of a fixed transceiver station for remote control of such a device.

The object of the present invention is achieved by the remote control method of the device according to claim 1. [0006] Thus, it is advantageously possible to use low-cost automatic devices that can be remotely controlled by mobile telecommunications network operators. A low-cost automatic device can be implemented without the need of a transceiver, and by implementing only a very limited radio resource control (RRC) stack. In addition, because such cheap automatic devices do not register on the network, this saves network resources, e.g. in relation to the subscriber identification module

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(SIM), a home location register (HLR) or the like.

[0007] According to the present invention, it is therefore advantageous if the device does not have a connection of controlling radio resources to the network. By the term "does not have a radio resource control (RRC) connection to the network" it should be understood that no radio resource control is implemented at all, or that only a limited radio resource control (RRC) stack is present in the (automatic) device (or for him) according to the present invention and used in accordance with the inventive method.

According to the present invention, it is possible to build and use, by a mobile telecommunications network operator, cheap automatic devices in its Long Term Evolution (LTE) network and / or a universal mobile telecommunications network (UMTS) network without losing the ability to remotely control them; configure them. The only requirement is for such devices to be able to read system information broadcast messages (system information blocks (SIBs) sent by a stationary transceiver station (e.g., a NodeB node or other base station) in the broadcast common control channel.

[0009] According to the present invention, it is advantageous if the control channel is a type 2 system information block (SIB).

[0010] In addition, it is advantageous if the control information includes at least one UMTS registration area (URA) registration area (URA).

[0011] The Bl type 2 system information (SIB) includes a UMTS registration area identification (URA) list. According to 3GPP, the identification of the UMTS registration area (URA) (or URA ID) covers a range from 1 to 65536 (2^sixteen). According to the present invention, a reserved set is defined

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UMTS registration area (URA) identification, which will not be used in ordinary network planning.

[0012] According to the present invention, each remote device reads a Type 2 system information block (SIB) control channel as is the case with the 3GPP specification. If the device detects any reserved UMTS registration area (URA) in the received UMTS registration area identification (URA), then it interprets it as a code and takes the appropriate action, e.g., activates / deactivates, changes frequency, or any other action. The code may be transmitted as a specific combination of reserved UMTS registration area (URA) identifications in the UMTS registration area identification (URA), or as a combination of reserved UMTS registration area identification (URA) in UMTS registration area identification (URA) list for a certain period of time .

[0013] According to the present invention, it is furthermore advantageous if

- the control information includes a control part for determining the remote controlled operation of the device, and / or

the identification part of the control information is defined by one device or multiple devices, preferably the identification part and / or the control part are formed by one identification of the UMTS registration area (URA) or by a plurality of UMTS registration area identification (URA).

[0014] This means that the control information preferably comprises an identification part as well as a control part. In addition, this means that both the identification part and the control part can be provided in the form of one identification of the UMTS registration area (URA) or in the form of multiple identification of the UMTS registration area (URA).

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[0015] It is possible by the invention that (including, e.g.

that it is in line with in one part

URA) of the group and it is preferred according to the present UMTS registration area (URA) of 16 bits) is used both to provide the identification part (or portions of the identification part) and the control part (or fragments of the control part). For example, it is possible, by various alternatives of the present invention, to provide a single URA area with an identifiable and control part, e.g.

- 14 bits (one single area is used for the address of the device (or devices) to be remotely controlled (ie they form the identification part), and 2 bits are used as the control part, i.e. indicate which action should be performed by device);

- 15 bits (one single URA area) are used for the address of the device (or group of devices) to be remotely controlled (ie they form the identification part), and 1 bit is used as the control part, ie indicate which operation should be done by the device).

According to an alternative embodiment of the present invention, it is possible that two URA areas are used to carry the identification part and the control part, e.g.

- 16 bits (one of the two URA areas) are used for the address of the device (or group of devices) to be remotely controlled (ie they form the identifying part), and 16 bits (the second of the two URA areas) are used as the control part , i.e., indicate which action should be performed by the device);

- 24 bits (two URA areas, i.e. one URA area and 8 bits of the other URA area) are used for the address of the device (or group of devices) to be remotely

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Type 8 as HNB (Name) is controlled (i.e., these bits are the identifying part), and 8 bits are used as the control part, i.e. they indicate which operation should be performed).

[0016] The implementation of the present invention in the Long Term Evolution (LTE) network would be based on the use of another type of control channel and other type of control information, e.g. use of the control information system (SIB) block and use of the NodeB NodeB name) (Home NodeB control information.

[0017] Another object of the present invention is a device according to claim 7.

[0018] It is advantageously possible to use UMTS registration area identification (URA) for remote control of the device.

[0019] Such devices in accordance with the present invention are preferably simple devices that do not necessarily need a full radio resource control (RRC) stack. Examples of such simple devices could be, e.g., repeaters used in a radio cell of a mobile telecommunications network to enhance radio coverage in specific areas of a cell, e.g. in buildings or the like.

[0020] Another object of the present invention is the use of a fixed transceiver station for remote control of a device according to claim 11.

[0021] In yet another aspect of the present invention is a program comprising a computer readable program code for controlling a stationary transceiver station to perform a method according to the present invention.

[0022] Another object of the present invention is a computer program product comprising a stationary control station as mentioned above.

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[0023] These and other characteristics, features and advantages of the present invention will become apparent from the following detailed description, taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, which illustrate, by way of example, the principles of the invention. The description is given as an example only, without limiting the scope of the invention. References referred to below refer to the attached drawings.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS [0024] Figure 1 schematically illustrates an example of a stationary transceiver station controlling a device in accordance with the present invention.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION [0025]

The present invention will be described with reference to specific specific reference to the embodiments and drawings thereof, but the invention is not limited, but only by the claims. The drawings described are only schematic and non-limiting. In the drawings, the size of some of the elements for illustration purposes can be exaggerated and inconsistent with the scale.

[0026] When a specific or unspecified expression is applied to a noun in the singular, e.g. "sure", "some", "ten", it also includes the plural of this noun, unless specifically indicated otherwise.

[0027] Furthermore, the terms first, second, third and the like in the description and the claims are used to distinguish between similar elements and not necessarily to describe a sequential or chronological order. It should be understood that the terms thus used are interchangeable under appropriate circumstances, and that examples

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The inventors described herein are capable of functioning in other sequences than described or illustrated herein.

[0028] Figure 1 schematically shows an example of a stationary transceiver station controlling a device 20 in accordance with the present invention.

[0029] A stationary transceiver station or telecommunications 30 is part of a mobile network

The telecommunications network 30 according to the present invention is a Long Term Evolution (LTE) network or a UMTS ground-based radio access network (UTRAN).

[0030] The stationary transceiver station 10 emits control information 11 in the control channel. The control information 11 is information specific to the radio cell of the stationary transceiver station 10. The control channel is a channel or part of a channel used for broadcasting location information, in particular UMTS registration area identification information (URA). Preferably, the control channel is a system information block (SIB) channel, more preferably a system information block (SIB) type 2 channel.

[0031] The control information 11 is preferably the identification of a UMTS registration area (URA) or a plurality of UMTS registration area (URA) identification. According to 3GPP, UMTS registration area (URA) identifications range from 1 to 65536 (2^sixteen), and the UMTS registration area identification (URA) list may contain a maximum of 8 UMTS registration area (URA) identifications. In accordance with the present invention, this is used for remote control of the device 20. The device 20 is preferably a device that does not have a full radio resource control (RRC) stack. The range of possible UMTS registration area (URA) identification values ​​used for cell identification within the telecommunications network is reduced so that

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The UMTS registration area (URA) identification number can be used for remote control of the device 20. This means that a set of reserved UMTS registration area (URA) is created for use for remote control of the device 20. In the case where the device 20 receives the UMTS registration area (URA) identification from a reserved UMTS registration area (URA) set, such UMTS registration area (URA) identification is not interpreted as cell-specific identification information, but as a coded remote control command or part thereof.

[0032] The apparatus 20 includes reception means 21 capable of receiving control information 11 from a fixed transceiver station 10. Furthermore, the device 20 comprises control means 22 that are capable of decoding control information 11. This means that due to the control means 22, the control information may be interpreted as a command received from a fixed transceiver station 10.

[0033] Possible actions to be performed by the device 20 as a result of reception of the control information 11 include:

• the device 20 is activated;

• the device 20 is inactivated;

• the device 20 changes its frequency;

• the device 20 provides any feedback or acknowledgment, e.g. to the user.

According to an embodiment of the present invention, the control information 11 is sent repeatedly in an unchangeable manner (e.g., each time a type 2 system information block (SIB) is broadcast) representing the same remote control command. Of course, the control information 11 must be changed in the case when the remote control command is changed.

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[0035] According to another embodiment of the present invention, the control information 11 corresponding to a remote control command comprises broadcasting a type 2 system information block (SIB) at different times, e.g. according to a specific sequence.

[0036] According to the present invention, it is possible that the control information 11 includes an identification part and a control part. The identification part is used for individual determination of the device 20 from a given number of such devices also in the radio coverage area of ​​the fixed transceiver station 10. For example, the identification portion of the control information may comprise a (unique) serial number of the device 20 to be addressed.

Deutsche Telekom AG

Deutsche Telekom (UK) Limited

Proxy:

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EP 2 532 180 B1