Congestion in a wireless network

• US 10,039,028 B2
• Filed: 11/12/2013
• Issued: 07/31/2018
• Est. Priority Date: 11/12/2013
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Vasona Networks, Inc. (ZephyrTel, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Vasona Networks, Inc. (ZephyrTel, Inc.)
• Inventors: Weill, Ofer, Ben-Nun, Michael, Bar Yanai, Roni
• Primary Examiner(s): Vu, Huy D
• Assistant Examiner(s): CUNNINGHAM, KEVIN M
• Application Number:
  US14/077,788
• Publication Number:
  US 20150131450A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,722 Days
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 43/0864 Round trip delays
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 43/16 Threshold monitoring
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 47/283 in response to processing delays, e.g. caused by jitter or round trip time [RTT]
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 28/0284 detecting congestion or overload during communication monitoring arrangements H04L43/00

Abstract

Examples of methods, systems, and computer program products relating to supervising data in a wireless network are disclosed. At least part of a system may be located between a packet data network and a base station, and/or may be at least logically separate from the base station. The system may be capable of evaluating the service provided by the base station, and may be capable of determining whether or not any action should consequently be performed. Examples of an action may include an action which may not necessarily affect en-route data packets such as outputting a report, and/or an action which may affect en-route data packets such as delaying packets, not delaying packets, and/or stopping the delaying of packets. An action which affects data packets may or may not affect data packets uniformly. An action may or may not result in an improvement in quality of user experience.

Claims

1. A method of observing congestion in a wireless network, comprising:

intercepting packets exchanged between a base station and a packet data network, by a supervisor computer, separate from the base station;

noting times of the intercepted packets at the supervisor computer;

identifying in the intercepted packets, pairs of corresponding packets;

for a plurality of user equipments serviced during a time span by the base station, estimating an incoming data rate to the base station and an outgoing data rate from the base station to the user equipments, responsive to the intercepted packets;

estimating parameters indicative of a fullness of at least one queue in the base station, responsive to the estimated incoming data rates and outgoing data rates of the plurality of user equipments;

determining one or more thresholds dependent on current conditions at the time of estimating the parameters;

comparing the estimated parameters indicative of service to the plurality of user equipments or a function of the estimated parameters to the one or more thresholds;

determining whether or not said base station is congested at least partly based on a percentage of the plurality of user equipments serviced by the base station for which the comparison indicated that the estimated parameters were above the one or more thresholds; and

if determined that said base station is congested, outputting a report of said congestion.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein said estimating parameters indicative of a fullness of at least one queue in the base station and the comparing are performed a plurality of times during a time duration and wherein said determining is based on at least one result from at least one of said plurality of times that said comparing is performed.

3. The method of claim 1, further comprising estimating for a user equipment in said plurality, a round trip time.

4. The method of claim 3, wherein estimating a round trip time (RTT) comprises estimating an adjusted round trip time which is a difference between a round trip time and a round trip time adjustment.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein comparing the estimated parameters comprises comparing a function of the estimated parameters, which is an average of at least two estimated parameters respectively associated with at least two user equipments in said plurality.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein said determining whether or not said base station is congested includes:

determining that said base station is congested if a result of said comparing is indicative of an average of round trip times or adjusted round trip times being above a threshold.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein said determining whether or not said base station is congested includes:

if determined that said base station is congested, determining a level of congestion.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein said report includes an indication of congestion.

9. The method of claim 1, wherein said report includes an indication of level of congestion.

10. The method of claim 1, wherein said report is outputted to an operator.

11. The method of claim 1, wherein said report is outputted to an external element.

12. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

outputting a report regarding status of one or more queues in the base station.

13. The method of claim 1, wherein the one or more thresholds include different thresholds for different user equipments.

14. The method of claim 1, wherein the one or more thresholds vary over time.

15. The method of claim 1, wherein the one or more thresholds are determined responsively to types of data packets recently served by the base station.

16. The method of claim 1, wherein estimating the parameters comprises estimating a round trip time of transmissions to the user equipments and wherein the parameters are a function of the round trip time and of a difference between an outgoing rate and an incoming rate to the base station.

17. The method of claim 1, wherein estimating the outgoing data rate from the base station comprises estimating a difference between two times noted for two different acknowledgement packets, divided by a difference between noted sequence numbers of the two packets.

18. The method of claim 1, wherein estimating the outgoing data rate from the base station comprises estimating a rate of intercepted data packets on their way to the base station, destined for one or more particular UEs.

19. A system for observing congestion in a wireless network, comprising:

a congestion evaluator configured, to intercept packets exchanged between a base station and a packet data network, note times of the intercepted packets, identify in the intercepted packets, pairs of corresponding packets, for a plurality of user equipments serviced during a time span by the base station, to estimate an incoming data rate to the base station and an outgoing data rate from the base station to the user equipments, responsive to the intercepted packets, to estimate parameters indicative of a fullness of at least one queue in the base station, responsive to the estimated incoming data rates and outgoing data rates of the plurality of user equipments;

said congestion evaluator further configured to determine one or more thresholds dependent on current conditions at the time of estimating the parameters, to compare the estimated parameters indicative of service to the plurality of user equipments or a function of the estimated parameters to the one or more thresholds and to determine whether or not said base station is congested at least partly based on a percentage of the plurality of user equipments serviced by the base station for which the comparison indicated that the estimated parameters were above the one or more thresholds; and

a reporter configured, if determined that said base station is congested, to output a report of said congestion.

20. The system of claim 19, further comprising:

a noter configured to note times associated with data packets, wherein estimation of a parameter is at least partly based on one or more of said noted times.

21. The system of claim 20, wherein said noter is further configured to note sequence numbers associated with data packets, wherein estimation of a parameter is at least partly based on one or more of said noted sequence numbers.

22. The system of claim 19, wherein at least part of said system is located in the wireless network between a packet data network and one or more base stations.

23. A computer program product comprising a non-transitory computer useable medium having computer readable code embodied therein for observing congestion in a wireless network, the computer program product comprising:

computer readable program code for causing a computer, separate from a base station, to intercept packets exchanged between the base station and a packet data network, note times of the intercepted packets, identify in the intercepted packets, pairs of corresponding packets, and for a plurality of user equipments serviced during a time span by the base station, estimate an incoming data rate to the base station and an outgoing data rate from the base station to the user equipments, responsive to the intercepted packets, and estimate parameters indicative of a fullness of at least one queue in the base station, responsive to the estimated incoming data rates and outgoing data rates of the plurality of user equipments;

computer readable program code for causing a computer to determine one or more thresholds dependent on current conditions at the time of estimating the parameters, and to compare the estimated parameters indicative of service to the plurality of user equipments or a function of the estimated parameters to the one or more thresholds;

computer readable program code for causing a computer determine whether or not said base station is congested at least partly based on a percentage of the plurality of user equipments serviced by the base station for which the comparison indicated that the estimated parameters were above the one or more thresholds; and

computer readable program code for causing a computer, if it is determined that said base station is congested, to output a report of said congestion.

24. The computer program product of claim 23, further comprising:

computer readable code for causing the computer to note times associated with data packets, wherein estimation of a parameter is at least partly based on one or more of said noted times.