CN105519147B

CN105519147B - Method, device and system for multimedia broadcast multicast service

Info

Publication number: CN105519147B
Application number: CN201480036202.XA
Authority: CN
Inventors: 张毅
Original assignee: Zhuji Shangnuo Hardware Business Department
Current assignee: Zhuji shangnuo hardware business department
Priority date: 2014-12-05
Filing date: 2014-12-05
Publication date: 2020-08-21
Anticipated expiration: 2034-12-05
Also published as: WO2016086419A1; CN105519147A

Abstract

The embodiment of the invention provides a multimedia broadcast multicast service system, which comprises a multimedia broadcast service gateway MBMS-GW, a multi-cell multicast coordination entity MCE and an access point AP. The MCE receives a session message carrying an area identifier from the MME, determines an AC (access controller) required to receive the session message according to the area identifier and sends the session message to the AC, the AC determines an AP required to receive the session message and sends the session message to the AP, the AP establishes connection with the MBMS-GW according to the received session message, receives a multicast packet from the MBMS-GW, and broadcasts the multicast packet at an air interface after the multicast packet is analyzed by the AP. By implementing the embodiment of the invention, the user equipment can realize the eMBMS service through WIFI, so that the continuity of the eMBMS service is maintained.

Description

Method, device and system for multimedia broadcast multicast service

Technical Field

The present invention relates to the field of communications technologies, and in particular, to a method, an apparatus, and a method for multimedia broadcast multicast service.

Background

Conventionally, a wireless access network provides a point-to-point unicast bearer service, which supports upper layer user services such as file downloading and streaming transmission, but the unicast bearer service cannot share wireless and transmission resources of the access network. With the rapid development of smart phone users, the traffic generated by downloading mobile video services and application stores is rapidly increased, and even an LTE network inevitably generates a risk of congestion, so that on one hand, the service experience of users is reduced, and on the other hand, operators face a dilemma that the increment is not increased. For this reason, broadcast multicast services are introduced on mobile networks, where some interest-focused user services are transmitted in a point-to-multipoint manner by sharing radio and transmission resources, such as: live broadcast of major event videos, push of hot news and the like, network load is reduced, and meanwhile service experience of users is improved; on the other hand, the method provides opportunities for operators to reduce equipment investment, explore new business models and increase income.

Multimedia Broadcast Multicast Service (MBMS) is a Multimedia Broadcast Multicast function defined in 3gpp r 6. MBMS standard work was started in 2002 and frozen in 9 months in 2005, with a practical network implementation of 2007. Since 2008, the 3G network gradually promotes MBMS services. MBMS is one of mobile phone television standards, and a mobile operator can provide MBMS mobile phone television services in a large scale only by upgrading the existing WCDMA/HSPA network by software.

The eMBMS (enhanced multimedia broadcast multicast service) technology is an enhanced broadcast multicast technology based on the 3GPP R9 protocol, and is one of the most efficient video bearer technologies in the mobile field. Compared with the previous generation MBMS video bearer technology, the eMBMS technology can support a larger bandwidth, which means that more channels and video contents can be provided, and at the same time, the video picture is clearer and smoother, and the user experience is better.

Fig. 1 shows a logical architecture diagram of an existing eMBMS, which mainly includes the following logical entities: a Mobility Management Entity (MME), an eMBMS gateway (eMBMS-GW), a multi-cell/Multicast Coordination Entity (MCE), a base station (e.g., an evolved NodeB, eNB, or other type of base station), where the MBMS-GW communicates with the base station through an M1 interface, the MCE communicates with the base station through an M2 interface, and the MME communicates with the MCE through an M3 interface. The MCE is responsible for allocating radio resources of all base stations in a Multimedia Broadcast multicast Single Frequency Network (MBSFN) area, and the base stations are responsible for providing services to users of cells covered by the base stations in the MBSFN area.

Due to the problem of coverage of the LTE network, the LTE network cannot be covered in some places, and at this time, the user cannot receive the broadcast service, or when the user moves to a network weak coverage area or a network non-coverage area with a network coverage area, service interruption may be caused, and service experience of the user may be affected.

Disclosure of Invention

Embodiments of the present invention provide a multimedia broadcast multicast service system, which enables a user equipment to implement an eMBMS service through WIFI.

The first aspect of the present invention provides a multimedia broadcast multicast service system, including: a multimedia broadcast multicast service gateway (MBMS gate way, MBMS-GW), a multi-cell/Multicast Coordination Entity (MCE) and at least one Access Point (AP);

the MCE is used for determining an AP (access point) which needs to receive an eMBMS session according to the received area identifier and sending the eMBMS session to the determined AP;

the determined AP is used for establishing the connection between the determined AP and the MBMS-GW according to a multicast address identifier carried in an eMBMS session sent by an MCE, and receiving a multicast packet from the MBMS-GW;

and the determined AP is also used for broadcasting the multicast packet received from the MBMS-GW at a WIFI air interface.

With reference to the first aspect, in a first possible implementation manner of the first aspect, the determining an access point AP according to the received area identifier and sending an eMBMS session to the determined AP includes:

the MCE determines an AP according to the received area identifier, establishes connection between the MCE and the determined AP, and sends an eMBMS session to the determined AP; or the like, or, alternatively,

the MCE establishes connection between the MCE and the at least one AP, determines an AP according to the received area identification, and sends an eMBMS session to the determined AP.

With reference to the first aspect or the first possible implementation manner of the first aspect, in a second possible implementation manner of the first aspect, the method further includes an Access Controller (AC),

the MCE is configured to determine an AP according to the received area identifier, and send an eMBMS session to the determined AP, including:

the MCE is used for determining an AC according to the received area identification and sending an eMBMS session to the determined AC, and the determined AC determines an AP according to the area identification and distributes the eMBMS session to the determined AP.

With reference to the first aspect or the first or second possible implementation manner of the first aspect, in a third possible implementation manner of the first aspect, the MCE stores a service area list, and the MCE matches the service area list and the received area identifier to determine an AP that needs to receive an eMBMS session.

With reference to the first aspect or the first or second possible implementation manner of the first aspect, in a fourth possible implementation manner of the first aspect, the AP stores a service area list, the AP reports the service area list to the MCE, and the MCE matches the service area list and the received area identifier to determine an AP that is to receive an eMBMS session.

With reference to the second possible implementation manner of the first aspect, in a fifth possible implementation manner of the first aspect, the AC stores a service area list, the AC reports the service area list to the MCE, and the MCE matches the service area list and the received area identifier to determine an AC that needs to receive an eMBMS session.

With reference to the first aspect or any one of the first to fifth possible implementation manners of the first aspect, in a sixth possible implementation manner of the first aspect, when the area identifier received by the MCE determines that there are an AP and an eNB, the MCE determines to send the eMBMS session only to the determined AP.

With reference to the sixth possible implementation manner of the first aspect, in a seventh possible implementation manner of the first aspect, when the MCE determines that there is an AP and an eNB according to the received area identifier, the determining, by the MCE, that an eMBMS session is only sent to the determined AP includes:

and when the MCE determines that the AP and the eNB exist according to the received area identification, the determined AP corresponds to the same service area as the determined eNB, and the MCE determines to only send the eMBMS session to the determined AP.

With reference to the first aspect or any one of the first to seventh possible implementation manners of the first aspect, in an eighth possible implementation manner of the first aspect, the AP is further configured to broadcast channel information over an air interface.

With reference to the first aspect or any one of the first to eighth possible implementation manners of the first aspect, in a ninth possible implementation manner of the first aspect, the UE is configured to receive channel information broadcast by the AP over an air interface, and parse the channel information.

With reference to the ninth possible implementation manner of the first aspect, in a tenth possible implementation manner of the first aspect, the UE is further configured to receive a multicast packet sent by the AP on a frequency channel obtained by the parsing, and parse the multicast packet.

In a second aspect, there is provided an MCE comprising: a receiving unit, a processing unit, a transmitting unit,

the receiving unit is used for receiving an eMBMS session sent by an MME, and the eMBMS session carries an area identifier;

the processing unit is used for determining an AP (access point) which needs to receive an eMBMS session according to the received area identifier;

the sending unit is used for sending the eMBMS session to the determined AP.

With reference to the second aspect, in a first possible implementation manner of the second aspect, the processing unit is further configured to:

and the processing unit determines the AC for receiving the eMBMS session according to the area identifier received by the receiving unit, so that the AC determines the AP needing to receive the eMBMS session according to an AP list.

With reference to the second aspect or the first possible implementation manner of the second aspect, in a second possible implementation manner of the second aspect, the apparatus further includes a storage unit, where the storage unit is located, is configured to store a service area list, and the processing unit matches the service area list and the received area identifier, and determines an AP that needs to receive an eMBMS session.

With reference to the second aspect, in a third possible implementation manner of the second aspect, the receiving unit is further configured to receive a service area list reported by the AP, and the processing unit matches the service area list with the received area identifier to determine the AP that needs to receive the eMBMS session.

With reference to the first possible implementation manner of the second aspect, in a fourth possible implementation manner of the second aspect, the receiving unit is further configured to receive a service area list reported by the AC, and the processing unit matches the service area list and the received area identifier, and determines that the AC that needs to receive an eMBMS session.

With reference to the second aspect or any one of the first to fourth possible implementation manners of the second aspect, in a fifth possible implementation manner of the second aspect, the determining unit is further configured to determine to send the eMBMS session only to the determined AP when the received area identifier determines that there are an AP and an eNB.

With reference to the fifth possible implementation manner of the second aspect, in a sixth possible implementation manner of the second aspect, when the received area identifier determines that there are an AP and an eNB, the determining unit determines to send the eMBMS session only to the determined AP, including:

when the received area identifier determines that an AP and an eNB exist, the determining unit determines that the determined AP and the determined eNB correspond to the same service area, and determines to send the eMBMS session only to the determined AP.

In a third aspect, an access point AP is provided, including: a receiving unit, a processing unit and a broadcasting unit;

the receiving unit is used for receiving an eMBMS session sent by the MCE or the AC, and the eMBMS session carries a multicast address identifier;

the processing unit is used for establishing connection with the MBMS-GW according to the multicast address identifier;

the receiving unit is further configured to receive a multicast packet from the MBMS-GW;

and the broadcasting unit is used for broadcasting the received multicast packet in an air interface.

With reference to the third aspect, in a first possible implementation manner of the third aspect, the method further includes a storage unit,

the storage unit is configured to store a service area list, so that the MCE matches the service area list and the multicast area identifier to determine an AP that needs to receive an eMBMS session.

With reference to the first possible implementation manner of the third aspect, in a second possible implementation manner of the third aspect, the sending unit is further configured to report the service area list stored in the storage unit to the MCE.

With reference to the third aspect or the first or second possible implementation manner of the third aspect, in a third possible implementation manner of the third aspect, the broadcasting unit is further configured to broadcast the channel information over a WIFI air interface.

In a fourth aspect, an access controller AC is provided, comprising: a receiving unit and a processing unit, wherein,

the receiving unit is used for receiving an eMBMS session sent by the MCE, and the eMBMS session carries an area identifier;

the processing unit is used for determining an AP (access point) which needs to receive a session according to the area identifier;

the sending unit is used for distributing the eMBMS session to the AP which is determined to need to receive the session.

With reference to the fourth aspect, in a first possible implementation manner of the fourth aspect, the memory further includes a storage unit,

the storage unit is used for storing a service area list;

the sending unit is further configured to send the service area list to the MCE.

With reference to the fourth aspect or the first possible implementation manner of the fourth aspect, in a second possible implementation manner of the fourth aspect, the processing unit is further configured to establish a connection with an MBMS-GW according to a multicast address identifier carried in the eMBMS session;

the receiving unit is further configured to receive a multicast packet from the eMBMS.

With reference to the second possible implementation manner of the fourth aspect, in a third possible implementation manner of the fourth aspect, the sending unit is further configured to send the multicast packet to the determined AP.

In a fifth aspect, a UE for supporting reception of eMBMS broadcasts over WIFI is provided, comprising a receiving unit, a processing unit and a display unit;

the receiving unit is used for receiving channel information broadcasted by the AP;

the processing unit is used for analyzing the received channel information;

and the display unit is used for displaying the analyzed channel information.

With reference to the fifth aspect, in a first possible implementation manner of the fifth aspect, the receiving unit is further configured to receive a multicast packet sent by an AP;

the processing unit is further configured to parse the multicast packet;

the display unit is further configured to parse channel content presented by the multicast packet.

The multimedia broadcast multicast system provided by the embodiment of the invention comprises a multimedia broadcast service gateway MBMS-GW, a multi-cell multicast coordination entity MCE and an access point AP. The MCE receives a session message carrying an area identifier from the MME, determines an AC (access controller) required to receive the session message according to the area identifier and sends the session message to the AC, the AC determines an AP required to receive the session message and sends the session message to the AP, the AP establishes connection with the MBMS-GW according to the received session message, receives a multicast packet from the MBMS-GW, and broadcasts the multicast packet at an air interface after the multicast packet is analyzed by the AP. By implementing the embodiment of the invention, the user equipment can realize the eMBMS service through WIFI, so that the continuity of the eMBMS service is maintained.

Drawings

In order to more clearly illustrate the technical solutions of the embodiments of the present invention, the drawings needed to be used in the description of the embodiments are briefly introduced below, and it is obvious that the drawings in the following description are only some embodiments of the present invention, and it is obvious for those skilled in the art to obtain other drawings based on these drawings without creative efforts.

Fig. 1 is a diagram of a logical architecture of an eMBMS in the background art;

fig. 2-1 is a schematic structural diagram of a multimedia broadcast multicast service system according to an embodiment of the present invention;

fig. 2-2 is a schematic diagram of another mbms system according to an embodiment of the present invention;

fig. 3 is a flowchart illustrating a multimedia broadcast multicast service system according to an embodiment of the present invention;

fig. 4 is a schematic diagram of another mbms system according to an embodiment of the present invention;

fig. 5 is a flowchart illustrating another mbms system according to an embodiment of the present invention;

fig. 6-1 is a schematic diagram of another mbms system according to an embodiment of the present invention;

fig. 6-2 is a schematic diagram of another mbms system according to an embodiment of the present invention;

fig. 7 is a schematic diagram of another mbms system according to an embodiment of the present invention;

fig. 8 is a flowchart illustrating another mbms system according to an embodiment of the present invention;

fig. 9 is a flowchart illustrating another mbms system according to an embodiment of the present invention;

fig. 10 is a schematic structural diagram of an MCE according to an embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 11 is a schematic structural diagram of an AC according to an embodiment of the present invention;

fig. 12 is a schematic structural diagram of an AP according to an embodiment of the present invention;

fig. 13 is a schematic structural diagram of a UE according to an embodiment of the present invention;

fig. 14 is a schematic structural diagram of another MCE according to an embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 15 is a schematic structural diagram of another AC provided in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention;

fig. 16 is a schematic structural diagram of another AP according to an embodiment of the present invention;

fig. 17 is a schematic structural diagram of another UE according to an embodiment of the present invention;

Detailed Description

The technical solutions of the embodiments of the present invention will be described clearly and completely with reference to the accompanying drawings in the embodiments of the present invention, and it is obvious that the described embodiments are only a part of the embodiments of the present invention, and not all of the embodiments. All other embodiments, which can be derived by a person skilled in the art from the embodiments given herein without making any creative effort, shall fall within the protection scope of the present invention.

Example one

An embodiment of the present invention provides a broadcast system, as shown in fig. 2-1, including an MBMS-GW, an MCE, an Access Point (AP) and an Access Controller (AC); the MCE receives a session message sent by the MME, determines an AC (access controller) to receive the session message according to the area identifier in the session message, and the MCE and the AC can communicate through an M2 interface; the AC receives the session message sent by the MCE, the AP to receive the session is determined according to the session message, and the AC and the AP can communicate through a CAPWAP protocol or a private protocol interface; after receiving the session message sent by the AC, the AP establishes connection with the MBMS-GW and receives a multicast packet from the MBMS-GW, and the AP and the MBMS-GW can communicate through an M1 interface; and after receiving the multicast packet, the AP broadcasts the multicast packet at a WIFI air interface. Wherein the M1 interface, M2 interface may conform to existing 3GPP protocols.

The broadcast system provided by the embodiment of the present invention may specifically implement the flow shown in fig. 3:

as shown in 301 in fig. 3, the MCE receives a session message, such as a session start request, sent by the MME, where the session message carries an area identifier (if the session message carries multiple area identifiers, the session message may be represented in an area list form), and the MCE determines, according to the received area identifier, ACs that are to receive the session message, and sends the session message to the determined ACs. It is understood that the MCE may communicate with a plurality of ACs, which is illustrated as one AC.

The area identifier received by the MCE may be used to identify an eMBMS service area. The eMBMS service area refers to a geographical area range sent by the eMBMS service, and if the geographical area ranges sent by a plurality of eMBMS services are the same, the eMBMS services can use the same area identifier. An eMBMS service area may be an area with common features, such as: world expo, superstores, airports, etc. One eMBMS service may be sent to multiple eMBMS service areas. Network operation and maintenance personnel can divide a plurality of area identifications for the whole network cell, and define a plurality of area identifications to form an eMBMS service area.

In 301, the MCE determines, according to the received area identifier, an AC to receive the session message, and there may be a plurality of implementation manners, where a first implementation manner includes:

the MCE queries a correspondence table between the service area and the AC according to the area identifier carried in the received session message sent from the MME, where the service area may be a set of areas identified by the area identifier, so as to determine the AC to receive the session. Specifically, for example, the MCE obtains a service area identified by an area identifier according to the area identifier carried in the session message sent by the MME, and further determines, based on the obtained service area, an AC that needs to receive the session according to a correspondence between the service area and the AC. The correspondence table between the service area and the AC is an expression form of the correspondence between the service area and the AC, and may be in other forms.

The correspondence table between the service area and the AC may be stored in the MCE; the service area and the AC corresponding relation table may also be stored in other locations in the network, and when necessary, the MCE may obtain the corresponding relation table between the service area and the AC through the signaling message, or the MCE may query the corresponding relation table between the service area and the AC stored in other locations in the network through the signaling message. The correspondence table between the service area and the AC may be generated as follows, for example, as shown at 3012 in fig. 3: and the MCE generates a corresponding relation table of the service area and the AC according to the available service area list of the AP and the attribution relation of the AP and the AC.

Optionally, the MCE may further generate a correspondence table between the service area and the AC according to a correspondence between the AC and the SCTP link, a service area list available to the AP, and an attribution relationship between the AP and the AC.

The MCE may obtain the affiliation between the AP and the AC by:

as shown in 3011 in fig. 3, after the AC is started, a connection is established with the MCE, for example, the AC and the MCE may establish a Stream Control Transmission Protocol (SCTP) connection, after the AC and the MCE establish a connection, the AC reports an AP list managed by the AC through a message, for example, a setup request message, and the MCE generates an attribution relationship table of the AP and the AC according to the AP list managed by the AC carried in the AC report message, where the attribution relationship table is taken as an example to represent a relationship between the AP and the AC, and a specific implementation form is not limited.

Optionally, the service area list available to the AP may be preconfigured in the MCE, or the AC reports the service area list to the MCE, for example, the AC reports the service area list configured by the AC to the MCE through a setup request message.

In 301, the MCE determines, according to the received area identifier, an AC to receive the session message, and a second implementation manner includes:

the MCE receives a session message which is sent by the MME and carries the area identification, determines ACs which need to receive the session, and then establishes connection with the ACs.

The specific implementation process refers to the first implementation manner, and the difference is that in the second implementation manner, after determining the AC to receive the session according to the area identifier, the MCE establishes a connection with the determined AC, and the specific implementation process is described in detail in the first implementation manner, and is not described herein again.

After the MCE determines the ACs that are to receive the session messages, the session messages are distributed to these determined ACs.

If the MCE queries the corresponding relationship table between the service area and the AC according to the area identifier carried in the session message received from the MME, and determines that the service area has a corresponding AC, it determines to distribute the session message to the ACs, specifically, the MCE distributes the session message to the corresponding AC through the M2 interface, and optionally, the MCE carries an AP list for redistributing the AC in the session message distributed to the AC;

as shown at 302 in fig. 3, the AC receives session messages distributed by the MCE, determines APs to receive the session messages, and distributes the session messages to the APs;

specifically, the MCE sends a session start request message to the determined AC, where the message carries an AP list managed by the AC that receives the message, and the AC determines, according to the AP list, the APs that are to receive the session message, and distributes the session message to the determined APs.

Optionally, the AC may query the configured available service area list of the APs according to the service area list carried in the session message sent by the MCE, determine the APs to receive the session, and distribute the session message to the APs. Specifically, for example, the AC determines an area that needs to receive the MBMS service according to the service area information carried in the session message sent by the MCE, and then determines which APs are located in the area that needs to receive the MBMS service according to the service area of the available AP known by the AC side, thereby determining the APs that need to receive the session, and distributing the session message to the APs.

As shown in 303 in fig. 3, the AP receives an AC distribution session message, establishes a connection between the AP and the MBMS-GW according to a multicast address identifier carried in the session message, and receives a multicast packet from the MBMS-GW;

specifically, for example, after receiving a session message distributed by the AC, the AP records a correspondence between a TMGI (temporary mobile group identity) and a user plane multicast IP address, where the TMGI is an identity used in the eMBMS to uniquely identify a multicast and broadcast bearer service, and joins a multicast group according to the user plane multicast IP address carried in the session, and the AP and the MBMS-GW perform communication through an M1 interface. The AP receives the multicast packet from the MBMS-GW through the M1 interface. The AP may periodically broadcast the channel information over the air interface, so that the UE receives the channel information broadcast by the AP.

Optionally, as shown in fig. 2-2, a connection between the AC and the MBMS-GW may be established, which may be specifically implemented by an M1 interface, at this time, the AC records a correspondence between the TMGI carried in the session message and the user plane multicast IP address, and adds the user plane multicast IP address to the M1 interface. The AC receives the multicast packet from the MBMS-GW through the M1 interface and then distributes the received broadcast data to the designated AP.

Further, after receiving the multicast packet from the MBMS-GW, the AP processes the received multicast packet and broadcasts the multicast packet on the WIFI air interface.

Specifically, after the AP receives the multicast packet, the GTPU and the Sync header are stripped to obtain a payload IP packet, and the payload IP packet is broadcast at the WIFI air interface; and simultaneously recording the corresponding relation between the multicast address of the payload IP packet and the TMGI, and summarizing the corresponding relation of all MBMS sessions of the AP by the AP and broadcasting the corresponding relation on the configured appointed IP multicast group.

With the broadcast system provided by the above embodiment, the UE may receive the eMBMS service through WIFI. For the UE which does not support the concurrence of WIFI and LTE, namely the UE cannot simultaneously support the reception of the eMBMS service through the WIFI and the reception of the eMBMS service through the LTE network; or even though the UE supports concurrent WIFI and LTE, when the UE enters an LTE weak coverage area, the UE terminates receiving the eMBMS service through the LTE network and accesses WIFI to receive the eMBMS service.

Example two

An embodiment of the present invention provides another multimedia broadcast multicast service system, including, as shown in fig. 4, an MBMS-GW, an MCE, and an AP; the MCE determines an AP to receive a session and distributes session messages to the AP, and the MCE and the AP communicate through an M2 interface; the AP receives the multicast packet from the MBMS-GW and broadcasts the multicast packet on an air interface, and the AP and the MBMS-GW communicate through an M1 interface, wherein the M1 interface and the M2 interface conform to a 3GPP protocol. The broadcasting system provided by the embodiment of the present invention may specifically implement the method steps shown in fig. 5.

The difference between the broadcasting system provided in this embodiment and the broadcasting system provided in the first embodiment is that only the AP is included in this embodiment, and the AC is not included. The functions of the AP in this embodiment are the functions of the AC and the AP in the first embodiment. The specific implementation process of the broadcast is as follows:

as shown in 501 in fig. 5, the MCE receives a session message sent by the MME, where the session message carries an area identifier, and determines APs according to the received area identifier, and sends the session message to the determined APs;

the process of determining, by the MCE, the AP to receive the session may refer to the process of determining, by the MCE, the AC to receive the session in the first embodiment;

as shown in 502 in fig. 5, the AP establishes a connection between the determined AP and the MBMS-GW according to a multicast address identifier carried in a session message, and receives a multicast packet from the MBMS-GW;

For a specific implementation process, reference is made to the first embodiment, which is not described herein again, and the AP in this embodiment may implement the functions of the AC and the AP in the first embodiment.

EXAMPLE III

Another multimedia broadcast multicast service system provided in an embodiment of the present invention includes, as shown in fig. 6-1, fig. 6-2, an MBMS-GW, an MCE, an AC, an AP, and an eNB; in the embodiment of the present invention, a base station (eNB is taken as an example for explanation in this embodiment) is added on the basis of the foregoing embodiment, so that the eMBMS service can be implemented by the base station. The MCE determines an eNB according to the area identifier, the MCE and the eNB communicate through an M2 interface, and the eNB receives an IP multicast packet from the MBMS-GW through the M1 interface and sends and receives services on a designated frame through an air interface when a service scheduling period arrives. Fig. 8 shows a specific implementation of a broadcast system according to an embodiment of the present invention. The specific implementation process is as follows:

and the MCE receives a session message sent by the MME, wherein the session message carries the area identification. And the MCE determines whether a corresponding AC or cell exists according to the area identification.

Specifically, as shown in 801 in fig. 8, the MCE determines whether there is a corresponding AC according to the received area identifier, and may distribute the session message to the determined ACs by querying a correspondence table between the service area and the AC, if there is a corresponding AC, and further determine an AP that needs to receive the session message, and implement the eMBMS service through WIFI, where a specific implementation process is as described in the foregoing embodiment, and is not described here again.

The MCE can also inquire a corresponding eNB list according to the area identification so as to determine an eNB which is to receive the eMBMS session, and if the business area has a corresponding cell according to the received area identification, the eMBMS session is distributed to the eNB to which the cell belongs. Specifically, the MCE determines whether resources in the MBSFN subframe resource pool are sufficient according to a service QoS parameter corresponding to the eMBMS session, and if so, allocates resources occupied by a Physical Multicast Channel (PMCH) and allocates an LCID corresponding to the session. On one hand, the MCE informs the eNB to establish a corresponding M1 interface (the eNB sends an IGMP report message to apply for establishing a multicast route from the MBMS GW to the eNB) through a Session Start flow; on the other hand, the eNB is informed to reserve corresponding air interface resources through the Scheduling Info flow. The eNB informs the UE through a system message according to the air interface resource configuration, unpacks and caches the IP multicast packet received from the MBMS GW; and when the service scheduling period arrives, the service is sent down in the appointed frame through an air interface, so that the eMBMS broadcast service is realized through the eNB.

Optionally, as shown in fig. 7, the AC and the AP may be integrated into a whole, and a single AP implements the functions of the AC and the AP, where a specific implementation manner is shown in fig. 9, which has been discussed in detail in the foregoing embodiments and is not described here again.

When the MCE queries that the service areas respectively have corresponding cells and ACs according to the received service area identifiers, the MCE may respectively distribute sessions to enbs and ACs corresponding to the service areas, and at this time, different UEs may respectively use WIFI and LTE as bearers to implement eMBMS services.

Specifically, a UE is taken as an example to illustrate that, if the UE only enters a WIFI coverage area of the broadcast system shown in this embodiment, the UE may implement an eMBMS service by using WIFI as a bearer; if the UE only enters the LTE coverage area of the broadcast system, the UE can realize the eMBMS service by taking LTE as a bearer; if the area where the UE enters has both WIFI coverage and LTE coverage, that is, the AC corresponding to the service area carried in the message distributed by the MCE and the cell corresponding to the service area carried by the MCE have repeated coverage areas, and the UE enters the repeated coverage areas, for the UE supporting the concurrent WIFI service and LTE service, the UE may receive the eMBMS service through the LTE network, and may also receive more other eMBMS service contents through the WIFI network, for example, the UE may receive five channels of CCTV1-CCTV5 through the LTE network, and may also receive other different channels of CCTV11-CCTV14 through the WIFI network.

The WIFI coverage can be used as a pilot frequency coverage area of the eMBMS, and the broadcast service of a small area can be flexibly customized based on the WIFI coverage area, so that a user can realize more regional program contents in the WIFI coverage area through UE.

For the UE which does not support the concurrence of the WIFI service and the LTE service, the eBM broadcast service can be received through the WIFI when the UE independently enters a WIFI network; when the UE independently enters the LTE network, the eBM broadcast service can be received through the LTE network; when the UE enters a common coverage area of the WIFI network and the LTE network, the UE can select to preferentially access the WIFI network, so that the eMBMS service can be received through the WIFI network.

Optionally, when the service area carried in the message has a corresponding AC and a cell, the MCE may select to distribute the session only to the corresponding AC, so that the UE may receive the eMBMS service only through the AP to which the AC belongs, that is, implement the eMBMS service through WIFI.

Optionally, when the service area carried in the message has a corresponding AC and a cell, and when the service area corresponding to the AC and the service area corresponding to the cell overlap, the MCE may also distribute the session only to the corresponding AC, so that the UE may receive the eMBMS service only through the AP to which the AC belongs. Of course, the MCE may also choose to implement the eMBMS service only through the eNB.

The structure for implementing the eMBMS service by only laying out WIFI as a bearer is shown in fig. 2-1, fig. 2-2, and fig. 4; although the structure that the eMBMS service can be realized by using WIFI and LTE networks as bearers respectively is laid out, as shown in fig. 6-1, 6-2, and 7, the eMBMS service is realized by using only WIFI as a bearer, and as a result, the eMBMS service can be realized by using only WIFI as a bearer by the UE, which can be understood as a WIFI only scenario. In a typical scene, such as a user privacy place like a gymnasium, the eMBMS can be expanded through a WIFI coverage area, and the eMBMS can not be provided in an LTE network. On one hand, for the UE which does not support the concurrence of the WIFI service and the LTE service, the eMBMS service can be received through the WIFI; even for a UE supporting concurrent WIFI and LTE services, the UE may receive eMBMS services through only WIFI.

Example four

An embodiment of the present invention provides a multi-cell/Multicast Coordination Entity (MCE), which can be applied to the broadcast system provided in the foregoing embodiment, and includes, as shown in fig. 10, the MCE including: a receiving unit 100, a processing unit 101 and a transmitting unit 102;

a receiving unit 100, configured to receive a session message sent by an MME, where the session message carries an area identifier; a processing unit 101, configured to determine an AC or an AP according to the received area identifier;

specifically, in the embodiment of the present invention, the present invention may further include a storage unit 103, where the storage unit 103 stores a correspondence table between the service area and the AC or AP, and the correspondence table may be generated in the following manner;

the receiving unit 100 is configured to receive a message reported by an AC or an AP, the processing unit 101 generates an attribute relationship table of the AP and the AC, the processing unit 101 is further configured to generate a corresponding relationship between an AC and an SCTP link according to an AC identifier carried in the message, or generate a corresponding relationship between an AP and an SCTP link according to an AP identifier carried in the message, and the processing unit 101 generates a corresponding relationship table between a service area and the AC or the AP according to the attribute relationship and the corresponding relationship.

A sending unit 102, configured to send a session message to the determined AC or AP.

The processing unit 101 is further configured to determine, when the received area identifier determines that the session distribution message includes an AC or an AP, and an eNB, to select to distribute the eMBMS session only through the AC or the AP, or to select to distribute the eMBMS session only through the eNB.

The processing unit 101 may further be configured to determine that, when the received area identifier determines that there is an AC or an AP for distributing the eMBMS session and the eNB, and when a service area corresponding to the determined AC or AP is the same as a service area corresponding to the determined eNB, it determines to select to distribute the eMBMS session only through the AC or the AP; it may also choose to distribute eMBMS sessions only through the eNB.

EXAMPLE five

An embodiment of the present invention provides an Access Controller (AC), which may be specifically applied to the broadcast system provided in the foregoing embodiment, as shown in fig. 11, and includes: a receiving unit 200, a processing unit 201 and a transmitting unit 202;

a receiving unit 200, configured to receive a session message sent by an MCE, where the session message carries an area identifier;

a processing unit 201, configured to determine, according to the area identifier, an AP to receive a session;

a sending unit 202, configured to distribute the session message to the determined AP.

The AC provided in the embodiment of the present invention may further include a storage unit 203, where the storage unit 203 stores a service area list, and the sending unit 202 is further configured to send the service area list stored in the storage unit 203 to the MCE.

The processing unit 201 may also be configured to establish a connection with the MBMS-GW according to the multicast address identifier carried in the session message; specifically, the processing unit may communicate with the MBMS-GW through an M1 interface, and the receiving unit 200 receives the multicast packet from the MBMS-GW.

The sending unit 202 may be further configured to send the multicast packet to the determined AP.

EXAMPLE six

An embodiment of the present invention provides an Access Point (AP), which may be specifically applied to the broadcast system provided in the foregoing embodiment, as shown in fig. 12, and includes a receiving unit 300, a processing unit 301, and a broadcasting unit 302;

a receiving unit 300, configured to receive a session message sent by an MCE or an AC, where the session message carries a multicast address identifier;

a processing unit 301, configured to establish a connection with an MBMS-GW according to the multicast address identifier; in particular, the processing unit may communicate with the MBMS-GW via an M1 interface.

A receiving unit 300, further configured to receive a multicast packet from the MBMS-GW;

a broadcasting unit 302, configured to broadcast the received multicast packet over a WIFI air interface.

The AP provided in the embodiment of the present invention may further include a storage unit 303, where the storage unit 303 stores a service area list, and the sending unit 302 is further configured to send the service area list stored in the storage unit 303 to the MCE.

EXAMPLE six

An embodiment of the present invention provides a User Equipment (UE), which may be specifically applied to the broadcast system provided in the foregoing embodiment, and the eMBMS broadcast service is implemented by the broadcast system provided in the foregoing embodiment, including, as shown in fig. 13, a receiving unit 400, a processing unit 401, and a display unit 402.

It is understood that the UE may be any access device such as a cell phone, tablet, etc.

A receiving unit 400 for receiving channel information broadcasted by the AP;

a processing unit 401, configured to parse the received channel information;

a display unit 402 for displaying the parsed channel information.

A receiving unit 400, configured to receive a multicast packet sent by an AP on the analyzed frequency channel;

a processing unit 401, further configured to parse the multicast packet;

the display unit 402 is further configured to display the channel content presented by the multicast packet.

EXAMPLE seven

An embodiment of the present invention provides a multi-cell/Multicast Coordination Entity (MCE), which may be specifically applied to the broadcast system provided in the foregoing embodiment, and includes, as shown in fig. 14, a communication interface 501, a processor 502, and a memory 503;

a communication interface 501, configured to receive a session message sent by an MME, where the session message carries an area identifier;

a processor 502, configured to determine an AC or an AP according to the received area identifier;

specifically, in the embodiment of the present invention, the present invention further includes a memory 503, where the memory 503 stores a correspondence table between the service area and the AC or AP, and the correspondence table may be generated in the following manner;

the information reported by the AC or the AP is received through the communication interface 501, the processor 502 generates an attribute relationship table of the AP and the AC, the processor 502 is further configured to generate a corresponding relationship between the AC and the SCTP link according to the AC identifier carried in the information, or generate a corresponding relationship between the AP and the SCTP link according to the AP identifier carried in the information, and the processor 502 generates a corresponding relationship table of the service area and the AC or the AP according to the attribute relationship and the corresponding relationship.

Via the communication interface 501 for sending session messages to the determined AC or AP.

The processor 502 is further configured to determine to select to distribute the eMBMS session only through the AC or the AP, or to select to distribute the eMBMS session only through the eNB when the received area identifier determines that the session message has the AC or the AP, and the eNB.

The processor 502 may be further configured to determine to select to distribute the eMBMS session only through the AC or the AP when the received area identifier determines that the eNB and the AC or the AP exist for distributing the eMBMS session, and when the service area corresponding to the determined AC or the AP is the same as the service area corresponding to the determined eNB; it may also choose to distribute eMBMS sessions only through the eNB.

Example eight

An Access Controller (AC) provided in an embodiment of the present invention may be specifically applied to the broadcasting system provided in the foregoing embodiment, and includes, as shown in fig. 15, a communication interface 601, a processor 602, and a memory 603;

a communication interface 601, configured to receive a session message sent by an MCE, where the session message carries an area identifier;

a processor 602 configured to determine an AP to receive a session according to the area identifier;

the session message is distributed to the determined AP via the communication interface 601.

The AC provided in the embodiment of the present invention may further include a memory 603, where the memory 603 stores a service area list, and the service area list stored in the memory 603 is sent to the MCE through the communication interface 601.

The processor 602 may further be configured to establish a connection with the MBMS-GW according to the multicast address identifier carried in the session message; specifically, the processor 602 may communicate with the MBMS-GW via an M1 interface and receive multicast packets from the MBMS-GW via an M1 interface.

The communication interface 601 may also be configured to send the multicast packet to the determined AP.

Example nine

An Access Point (AP) provided in an embodiment of the present invention may be specifically applied to the broadcasting system provided in the foregoing embodiment, and includes, as shown in fig. 16, a communication interface 701, a processor 702, a memory 703 and a broadcasting interface 704;

a communication interface 701, configured to receive a session message sent by an MCE or an AC, where the session message carries a multicast address identifier;

a processor 702, configured to establish a connection with an MBMS-GW according to the multicast address identifier; in particular, the processor 702 may communicate with the MBMS-GW via an M1 interface.

Multicast packets may also be received from the MBMS-GW via communications interface 701;

and the broadcast button 704 is configured to broadcast the received multicast packet at a WIFI air interface.

The AP provided in the embodiment of the present invention may further include a memory 703, where the memory 703 stores a service area list, and the service area list stored in the memory 703 may also be sent to the MCE through the communication interface 701.

Example ten

An embodiment of the present invention provides a User Equipment (UE), which may be specifically applied to the broadcast system provided in the foregoing embodiment, and the eMBMS broadcast service is implemented by the broadcast system provided in the foregoing embodiment, including, as shown in fig. 17, a receiver 801, a processor 802, and a display 803.

A receiver 801 for receiving channel information broadcast by an AP;

a processor 802 configured to parse the channel information received from the AP.

A receiver 801, configured to receive a multicast packet sent by an AP;

a processor 802 that is further configured to parse the multicast packet,

a display 804 for displaying according to the multicast packet parsed by the processor so that the user can view the channel content through the display.

The embodiments in the present specification are described in a progressive manner, and the same and similar parts among the embodiments are referred to each other, and each embodiment focuses on the differences from the other embodiments. In particular, for the apparatus embodiment, since it is substantially similar to the method embodiment, it is relatively simple to describe, and reference may be made to some descriptions of the method embodiment for relevant points.

It should be noted that the above-described device embodiments are merely illustrative, where the units described as separate parts may or may not be physically separate, and the parts displayed as units may or may not be physical units, may be located in one place, or may be distributed on multiple network units. Some or all of the modules may be selected according to actual needs to achieve the purpose of the solution of the present embodiment. In addition, in the drawings of the embodiment of the apparatus provided by the present invention, the connection relationship between the modules indicates that there is a communication connection between them, and may be specifically implemented as one or more communication buses or signal lines. One of ordinary skill in the art can understand and implement it without inventive effort.

Through the above description of the embodiments, those skilled in the art will clearly understand that the present invention may be implemented by software plus necessary general hardware, and may also be implemented by hardware including integrated circuits, CPUs, memories, components and the like. Generally, functions performed by computer programs can be easily implemented by corresponding hardware, and specific hardware structures for implementing the same functions can be various, such as analog circuits, digital circuits, or circuits. However, the implementation of a software program is a more preferable embodiment for the present invention. Based on such understanding, the technical solutions of the present invention may be embodied in the form of a software product, which is stored in a readable storage medium, such as a floppy disk, a usb disk, a removable hard disk, a Read-Only Memory (ROM), a Random-access Memory (RAM), a magnetic disk or an optical disk of a computer, and includes instructions for enabling a computer device (which may be a personal computer, a server, or a network device) to execute the methods according to the embodiments of the present invention.

The above description is only for the specific embodiments of the present invention, but the scope of the present invention is not limited thereto, and any person skilled in the art can easily conceive of the changes or substitutions within the technical scope of the present invention, and all the changes or substitutions should be covered within the scope of the present invention. Therefore, the protection scope of the present invention shall be subject to the protection scope of the appended claims.

Claims

1. A multimedia broadcast multicast service system, comprising: multimedia broadcast multicast service gateway MBMS-GW, multi-cell multicast coordination entity MCE and at least one access point AP; the AP and the MBMS-GW communicate through an M1 interface;

the determined AP is also used for broadcasting the multicast packet received from the MBMS-GW at a WIFI air interface;

wherein, the determining an Access Point (AP) according to the received area identifier and sending an eMBMS session to the determined AP comprises: the MCE determines an AP according to the received area identifier, establishes connection between the MCE and the determined AP, and sends an eMBMS session to the determined AP; or the MCE establishes connection between the MCE and the at least one AP, determines an AP according to the received area identifier, and sends an eMBMS session to the determined AP;

wherein, when the area identifier received by the MCE determines that there are an AP and an eNB, the MCE determines to send an eMBMS session only to the determined AP, including:

when the MCE determines that an AP and an eNB exist according to the received area identification, the determined AP corresponds to the same service area as the determined eNB, and the MCE determines to only send an eMBMS session to the determined AP;

the area identifier is used for identifying an eMBMS service area, the eMBMS service area refers to a geographical area range sent by the eMBMS service, if the geographical area ranges sent by a plurality of eMBMS services are the same, the eMBMS services can use the same area identifier, the eMBMS service area is an area with common characteristics, and one eMBMS service can be sent to the plurality of eMBMS service areas.

2. The system according to claim 1, further comprising an access controller AC,

3. The system of claim 1,

and the MCE stores a service area list, matches the service area list with the received area identification and determines the AP needing to receive the eMBMS session.

4. The system of claim 2,

5. The system of claim 1,

and the AP stores a service area list, reports the service area list to the MCE, and the MCE matches the service area list with the received area identifier to determine the AP to receive the eMBMS session.

6. The system of claim 2,

7. The system of claim 3,

8. The system of claim 2,

and the AC stores a service area list, the AC reports the service area list to the MCE, and the MCE matches the service area list with the received area identification and determines the AC needing to receive the eMBMS session.

9. The system according to any one of claims 1 to 8,

the AP is further configured to broadcast channel information over an air interface.

10. The system according to any of claims 1-8, further comprising a UE,

and the UE is used for receiving the channel information broadcast by the AP at the air interface and analyzing the channel information.

11. The system of claim 10,

and the UE is also used for receiving the multicast packet sent by the AP on the channel acquired by the analysis and analyzing the multicast packet.

12. An MCE, comprising: a receiving unit, a processing unit, a transmitting unit,

the sending unit is configured to send an eMBMS session to the determined AP, where the AP communicates with the MBMS-GW through an M1 interface;

the determining unit is further configured to determine to send an eMBMS session only to the determined AP when the received area identifier determines that there are an AP and an eNB;

wherein, when the received area identifier determines that there are an AP and an eNB, the determining unit determines to send the eMBMS session only to the determined AP, including: when the received area identifier determines that an AP and an eNB exist, the determined AP and the determined eNB correspond to the same service area, and the determining unit determines to send the eMBMS session only to the determined AP;

13. The MCE of claim 12, wherein the processing unit is further configured to:

14. The MCE according to claim 12 or 13, further comprising a storage unit,

the processing unit matches the service area list with the received area identifier and determines an AP (access point) which needs to receive an eMBMS (evolved multimedia broadcast multicast service) session.

15. The MCE of claim 12,

the receiving unit is further configured to receive a service area list reported by the AP, and the processing unit matches the service area list with the received area identifier to determine the AP that needs to receive the eMBMS session.

16. The MCE of claim 13,

the receiving unit is further configured to receive a service area list reported by the AC, and the processing unit matches the service area list with the received area identifier and determines the AC that needs to receive the eMBMS session.

17. An access point, AP, comprising: a receiving unit, a processing unit and a broadcasting unit;

the processing unit is configured to establish a connection with the MBMS-GW according to the multicast address identifier, where the AP communicates with the MBMS-GW through an M1 interface;

the broadcast unit is used for broadcasting the received multicast packet in an air interface;

wherein the content of the first and second substances,

when the MCE determines that the AP and the eNB exist according to the received area identification, the determined AP corresponds to the same service area as the determined eNB, and the MCE determines to only send an eMBMS session to the determined AP;

18. The AP of claim 17, further comprising a storage unit,

19. The AP of claim 18,

the sending unit is further configured to report the service area list stored in the storage unit to the MCE.

20. The AP of any one of claims 17-19,

the broadcasting unit is further used for broadcasting the channel information at a WIFI air interface.

21. An access controller, AC, comprising: a receiving unit and a processing unit, wherein,

the processing unit is used for determining an AP which needs to receive a session according to the area identifier, and the AP and the MBMS-GW communicate through an M1 interface;

the sending unit is used for distributing the eMBMS session to the AP which is determined to need to receive the session; wherein

22. The AC of claim 21, further comprising a storage unit,

the storage unit is used for storing a service area list;

23. The AC of claim 21 or 22,

the processing unit is further configured to establish a connection with the MBMS-GW according to a multicast address identifier carried in the eMBMS session;

24. The AC of claim 23,

the sending unit is further configured to send the multicast packet to the determined AP.