Burst scheduling in a wireless communication system

• US 20030125035A1
• Filed: 09/27/2002
• Published: 07/03/2003
• Est. Priority Date: 12/19/2001
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Nortel Networks Limited (Nortel Networks Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Nortel Networks Limited (Nortel Networks Corporation)
• Inventors: Yavuz, Mehmet, Khafizov, Farid T.
• Application Number:
  US10/256,945
• Publication Number:
  US 20030125035A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 455/450
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 72/54 based on quality criteria

Abstract

A method for servicing data communications in a cellular wireless communication system supports data communications on fundamental channels (FCHs) and supplemental channels (SCHs). The method includes first determining an operational relationship between a burst duration and a burst delay of the SCHs and Transmission Control Protocol (TCP) layer throughput provided by the cellular wireless communication system. The operational relationship relates TCP layer throughput as a function of the burst duration and burst delay of the SCHs. Then, the method includes servicing, by a base station of the cellular wireless communication system, data communications for a plurality of wireless terminals using a plurality of FCHs and at least one SCH. In servicing the data communications, the burst duration and the burst delay of the at least one SCH are managed in an attempt to provide a minimal TCP layer throughput degradation for at least some of the plurality of wireless terminals.

Claims

1. A method for servicing data communications in a cellular wireless communication system that supports data communications on fundamental channels (FCHs) and supplemental channels (SCHs), the method comprising:

determining an operational relationship between a burst duration and a burst delay of the SCHs and Transmission Control Protocol (TCP) layer throughput provided by the cellular wireless communication system, wherein the operational relationship relates TCP layer throughput as a function of the burst duration and burst delay of the SCHs;

servicing, by a base station of the cellular wireless communication system, data communications for a plurality of wireless terminals using a plurality of FCHs and at least one SCH; and

managing the burst duration and the burst delay of the at least one SCH in an attempt to provide a minimal TCP layer throughput degradation for at least some of the plurality of wireless terminals.

2. The method of claim 1:

wherein the operational relationship is also a function of bandwidth ratio of the SCHs and FCHs; and

further comprising managing the bandwidth ratio of the at least one SCH and the plurality of FCHs in an attempt to provide a minimal TCP layer throughput degradation for at least some of the plurality of wireless terminals.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein the bandwidth ratio is equal to the sum of a SCH bandwidth and a FCH bandwidth divided by the FCH bandwidth.

4. The method of claim 1, further comprising managing the allocation of the at least one SCH in an attempt to provide a minimal TCP layer throughput degradation for at least some of the plurality of wireless terminals.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein TCP layer throughput degradation is characterized as a percentage of maximum allowable TCP throughput.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein managing the burst duration and the burst delay of the at least one SCH is performed so that at least some of the plurality of wireless terminals receives at least a minimum percentage of maximum allowable TCP throughput.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein managing the burst duration and the burst delay of the at least one SCH is performed so that each of the plurality of wireless terminals receives at least a minimum percentage of maximum allowable TCP throughput.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein managing the burst duration and burst delay of the at least one SCH in an attempt to provide a minimal TCP layer throughput degradation for at least some of the plurality of wireless terminals is performed by a Radio Resource Manager operating at the base station.

9. The method of claim 1, wherein the at least one SCH is shared by the plurality of wireless terminals.

10. The method of claim 1, wherein the at least one SCH includes a plurality of SCHs.

11. A cellular wireless communication system that supports data communications on fundamental channels (FCHs) and supplemental channels (SCHs), the cellular wireless communication system comprising:

a wireless network infrastructure that operably couples to at least one data network;

at least one base station operably coupled to the wireless network infrastructure that services data communications for a plurality of wireless terminals using a plurality of FCHs and at least one SCH; and

wherein the base station manages a burst duration and a burst delay of the at least one SCH in an attempt to provide a minimal Transmission Control Protocol (TCP) layer throughput degradation for at least some of the plurality of wireless terminals, wherein the base station manages the burst duration and burst delay of the at least one SCH based upon an operational relationship between TCP layer throughput and burst duration and burst delay of the at least one SCH.

12. The cellular wireless communication system of claim 11, wherein:

the operational relationship is also a function of a bandwidth ratio of the SCHs and FCHs; and

the base station manages the bandwidth ratio of the at least one SCH and the plurality of FCHs in an attempt to provide a minimal TCP layer throughput degradation for at least some of the plurality of wireless terminals.

13. The cellular wireless communication system of claim 12, wherein the bandwidth ratio is equal to the sum of a SCH bandwidth and a FCH bandwidth divided by the FCH bandwidth.

14. The cellular wireless communication system of claim 11, wherein the base station manages the burst duration and the burst delay of the at least one SCH so that at least some of the plurality of wireless terminals receives at least a minimum percentage of a maximum allowable TCP throughput.

15. The cellular wireless communication system of claim 11, wherein the base station manages the burst duration and the burst delay of the at least one SCH so that each of the plurality of wireless terminals receives at least a minimum percentage of maximum allowable TCP throughput.

16. The cellular wireless communication system of claim 11, wherein the at least one SCH is shared by the plurality of wireless terminals.

17. The cellular wireless communication system of claim 11, wherein the at least one SCH includes a plurality of SCHs.

20. The base station of claim 11, wherein the at least one SCH includes a plurality of SCHs.

18. A cellular wireless communication system base station that supports data communications on fundamental channels (FCHs) and supplemental channels (SCHs), the base station comprising comprising:

a network interface that operably couples the base station to at least one data network;

at least one wireless interface operably coupled to the network interface that services data communications for a plurality of wireless terminals using a plurality of FCHs and at least one SCH;

a processor operably coupled to the network interface and to the at least one wireless network interface; and

a memory operably coupled to the processor that stores a plurality of software instructions executable by the processor that, upon execution cause the base station to manage a burst duration and a burst delay of the at least one SCH in an attempt to provide a minimal Transmission Control Protocol (TCP) layer throughput degradation for at least some of the plurality of wireless terminals, wherein the base station manages the burst duration and burst delay of the at least one SCH based upon an operational relationship between TCP layer throughput and burst duration and burst delay of the at least one SCH.

19. The base station of claim 18, wherein:

the operational relationship is also a function of a bandwidth ratio of the SCHs and FCHs; and

execution of the software instructions also cause the base station to manage the bandwidth ratio of the at least one SCH and the plurality of FCHs in an attempt to provide a minimal TCP layer throughput degradation for at least some of the plurality of wireless terminals.