Management of machine-to-machine traffic in a wireless communication network
View Patent ↗A wireless access node to manage machine-to-machine data transmissions comprises a processing system, a wireless communication transceiver, and a communication transceiver. The processing system is configured to allocate a plurality of machine-to-machine channels reserved for machine-to-machine communications, and assign individual quality of service levels to individual ones of the machine-to-machine channels per sector. The wireless communication transceiver is configured to receive machine-to-machine traffic on one of the machine-to-machine channels. The processing system is configured to determine a quality of service level for the machine-to-machine traffic based on the sector and the machine-to-machine channel over which the machine-to-machine traffic was received. The communication transceiver is configured to transfer the machine-to-machine traffic for delivery to a machine-to-machine server based on the quality of service level for the machine-to-machine traffic.
1. A method of operating a wireless access node to manage machine-to-machine data transmissions, the method comprising:
assigning individual timeslots to individual ones of machine-to-machine channels reserved for machine-to-machine communications;
assigning individual quality of service levels to the individual ones of the machine-to-machine channels per sector of a plurality of sectors;
wirelessly receiving machine-to-machine traffic over the machine-to-machine channels;
assigning the individual quality of service levels to the machine-to-machine traffic based on the individual quality of service levels assigned to the individual ones of the machine-to-machine channels over which the data was received;
transferring the machine-to-machine traffic for delivery to a machine-to-machine server based on the individual quality of service levels for the machine-to-machine traffic; and
determining that a plurality of machine-to-machine devices transmitting the machine-to-machine traffic on one of the machine-to-machine channels are experiencing a collision and responsively, instructing the machine-to-machine devices to each utilize a random timer to individually wait random amounts of time before attempting to retransmit the machine-to-machine traffic.
2. The method of claim 1 wherein transferring the machine-to-machine traffic for delivery to the machine-to-machine server based on the individual quality of service levels for the machine-to-machine traffic comprises transferring one or more groups of machine-to-machine traffic having higher ones of the individual quality of service levels first before transferring other groups of machine-to-machine traffic having lower ones of the individual quality of service levels.
3. The method of claim 1 wherein the machine-to-machine devices are located in a sector of the plurality of sectors that require a particular one of the individual quality of service levels and are configured to share one of the machine-to-machine channels assigned the particular one of the individual quality of service levels required by the machine-to-machine devices.
4. The method of claim 1 further comprising aggregating the data into a plurality of groups having different ones of the individual quality of service levels based on the individual quality of service levels assigned to data in the machine-to-machine traffic.
5. The method of claim 1 wherein the plurality of machine-to-machine channels comprise a random access channel.
6. The method of claim 1 wherein the plurality of machine-to-machine channels comprise a signaling channel.
7. The method of claim 1 wherein the plurality of machine-to-machine channels comprise a paging channel.
8. A wireless access node to manage machine-to-machine data transmissions, the wireless access node comprising:
a processing system configured to assign individual timeslots to individual ones of machine-to-machine channels reserved for machine-to-machine communications, and assign individual quality of service levels to the individual ones of the machine-to-machine channels per sector of a the plurality of sectors;
a wireless communication transceiver configured to receive machine-to-machine traffic over the machine-to-machine channels;
the processing system configured to assign the individual quality of service levels to data in the machine-to-machine traffic based on the individual quality of service levels assigned to the individual ones of the machine-to-machine channels over which the data was received;
a communication transceiver configured to transfer the machine-to-machine traffic for delivery to a machine-to-machine server based on the individual quality of service levels for the machine-to-machine traffic;
the processing system configured to determine that a plurality of machine-to-machine devices transmitting the machine-to-machine traffic on one of the machine-to-machine channels are experiencing a collision; and
the communication transceiver configured to instruct the machine-to-machine devices to each utilize a random timer to individually wait random amounts of time before attempting to retransmit the machine-to-machine traffic.
9. The wireless access node of claim 8 wherein the communication transceiver configured to transfer the machine-to-machine traffic for delivery to the machine-to-machine server based on the individual quality of service levels for the machine-to-machine traffic comprises the communication transceiver configured to transfer one or more groups of machine-to-machine traffic having higher ones of the individual quality of service levels first before transferring other groups of machine-to-machine traffic having lower ones of the individual quality of service.
10. The wireless access node of claim 8 wherein the machine-to-machine devices are located in a sector of the plurality of sectors that require a particular one of the individual quality of service levels and are configured to share one of the machine-to-machine channels assigned the particular one of the individual quality of service levels required by the machine-to-machine devices.
11. The wireless access node of claim 8 wherein the processing system is further configured to aggregate the data into a plurality of groups having different ones of the individual quality of service levels based on the individual quality of service levels assigned to data in the machine-to-machine traffic.
12. The wireless access node of claim 8 wherein the plurality of machine-to-machine channels comprise a random access channel.
13. The wireless access node of claim 8 wherein the plurality of machine-to-machine channels comprise a signaling channel.
14. The wireless access node of claim 8 wherein the plurality of machine-to-machine channels comprise a paging channel.
15. A computer apparatus to manage machine-to-machine data transmissions, the apparatus comprising:
at least one non-transitory computer-readable storage medium storing software instructions which, when executed by a wireless access node, direct the wireless access node to assign individual timeslots to individual ones of machine-to-machine channels reserved for machine-to-machine communications, assign individual quality of service levels to the individual ones of the machine-to-machine channels per sector of a the plurality of sectors, wirelessly receive machine-to-machine traffic over the machine-to-machine channels, assign the individual quality of service levels to the machine-to-machine traffic based on the individual quality of service levels assigned to the individual ones of the machine-to-machine channels over which the data was received, transfer the machine-to-machine traffic for delivery to a machine-to-machine server based on the individual quality of service levels for the machine-to-machine traffic, determine that a plurality of machine-to-machine devices transmitting the machine-to-machine traffic on one of the machine-to-machine channels are experiencing a collision and responsively, instruct the machine-to-machine devices to each utilize a random timer to individually wait random amounts of time before attempting to retransmit the machine-to-machine traffic.
16. The apparatus of claim 15 wherein the software instructions are further configured to direct the wireless access node to transfer one or more groups of machine-to-machine traffic having higher ones of the individual quality of service levels first before transferring other groups of machine-to-machine traffic having lower ones of the individual quality of service levels.
17. The apparatus of claim 15 wherein the machine-to-machine devices are located in a sector of the plurality of sectors that require a particular one of the individual quality of service levels and are configured to share one of the machine-to-machine channels assigned the particular one of the individual quality of service levels required by the machine-to-machine devices.
18. The apparatus of claim 15 wherein the software instructions are further configured to aggregate the data into a plurality of groups having different ones of the individual quality of service levels based on the individual quality of service levels assigned to data in the machine-to-machine traffic.
19. The apparatus of claim 15 wherein the plurality of machine-to-machine channels comprise a random access channel.
20. The apparatus of claim 15 wherein the plurality of machine-to-machine channels comprise a signaling channel.