In-band flow control methods for communications systems

• US 20030214906A1
• Filed: 05/15/2002
• Published: 11/20/2003
• Est. Priority Date: 05/15/2002
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: WSOU Investments, LLC (WSOU Holdings, LLC)
• Original Assignee: Alcatel-Lucent SA (Nokia Corporation)
• Inventors: Young, Gordon Peter, Hu, Teck H.
• Granted Patent: US 8,089,879 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 370/231
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 1/0029 Reduction of the amount of signalling, e.g. retention of useful signalling or differential signalling power control H04W52/04
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 47/10 Flow control; Congestion control
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 47/33 using forward notification
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 47/35 by embedding flow control information in regular packets, e.g. piggybacking
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 28/0205 at the air interface dynamic wireless traffic scheduling H04W72/12
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 28/0252 per individual bearer or channel dynamic wireless traffic scheduling H04W72/12
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 28/10 Flow control between communication endpoints
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 28/12 using signalling between network elements
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 8/04 Registration at HLR or HSS [Home Subscriber Server]

Abstract

In the method, a source device places identifiers in data packets to be transmitted. The identifiers may include in-band flow control acknowledgment data in response to a flow control request transmitted from a destination device. When the destination device receives the transmitted data packets, the destination device will proceed based on the data contained in the data packets that are to be decoded at the destination device. If the decoded data packet contains in-band flow control acknowledgment data in response to a flow control request from the destination device, the destination device processes the data packets based on the received in-band flow control acknowledgment data.

Claims

1. A method of transmitting data packets, comprising:

inserting a flow control acknowledgment for a destination device in a non-payload portion of a data packet; and

transmitting the data packet to the destination device with the flow control acknowledgment, the flow control acknowledgment being transmitted in response to a flow control request from the destination device.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein space in said portion is provided for inserting said flow control acknowledgment.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein said flow control acknowledgment contains information indicating that the flow control request has been received and that transmission for a particular flow is being terminated.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein said flow control acknowledgment contains information indicating that the flow control request has been received, that the destination device should continue to send flow control requests, and that data flow to the destination device will remain active into the future.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein said flow control acknowledgment contains information indicating that a flow control request to restart data flow has been received, and that the destination device is to resume receiving the data flow.

6. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

assigning a transmission sequence number to the data packet that includes the flow control acknowledgment, the transmission sequence number representing a transmission sequence for the data packet; and

inserting said transmission sequence number in said portion, the flow control request also being provided in a space of the portion with the assigned transmission sequence number, if the destination device had previously transmitted a flow control request.

7. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

generating an acknowledgment sequence number to be inserted in a portion of the data packet, the acknowledgment sequence number indicating a transmission sequence number of a data packet that has been received by the destination device,

wherein the flow control acknowledgment with a pre-allocated acknowledgment sequence number is inserted in place of the generated acknowledgment sequence number in said portion prior to said step of transmitting, if the destination device had previously transmitted a flow control request.

8. An apparatus for transmitting data packets, comprising:

a transmission sequence generator assigning transmission sequence numbers to data packets, the transmission sequence number indicating a sequence of transmission for the data packets, the transmission sequence generator further inserting a flow control acknowledgment for a destination device in a portion of each of the data packets allocated for a transmission sequence number; and

a transmitter transmitting the data packets to a destination device, the flow control acknowledgment being transmitted in response to a flow control request from the destination device.

9. The apparatus of claim 8, wherein the destination device is a user equipment served by the apparatus in a High Speed Downlink Packet Access (HSDPA) specification of a Universal Mobile Telecommunication System (UMTS).

10. The apparatus of claim 8, wherein said flow control acknowledgment contains information indicating that the flow control request has been received and that transmission for a particular flow is being terminated.

11. The apparatus of claim 8, wherein said flow control acknowledgment contains information indicating that the flow control request has been received, that the destination device should continue to send flow control requests, and that data flow to the destination device will remain active into the future.

12. The apparatus of claim 8, wherein said flow control acknowledgment contains information indicating that a flow control request to restart data flow has been received, and that the destination device is to resume receiving the data flow.

13. An apparatus for transmitting data packets, comprising:

an acknowledgment sequence number generator generating acknowledgment sequence numbers for data packets, the acknowledgment sequence number indicating a transmission sequence number of a data packet that has been received by a destination device and being allocated a space in each data packet, the acknowledgment sequence generator further inserting a flow control acknowledgment for a destination device in said allocated space of each of the data packets in place of said generated acknowledgment sequence number;

a transmitter transmitting the data packets to a destination device, the flow control acknowledgment being transmitted in response to a flow control request from the destination device.

14. The apparatus of claim 13, wherein the destination device is a user equipment served by the apparatus in a High Speed Downlink Packet Access (HSDPA) specification of a Universal Mobile Telecommunication System (UMTS).

15. The apparatus of claim 13, wherein said flow control acknowledgment contains information indicating that the flow control request has been received and that transmission for a particular flow is being terminated.

16. The apparatus of claim 13, wherein said flow control acknowledgment contains information indicating that the flow control request has been received, that the destination device should continue to send flow control requests, and that data flow to the destination device will remain active into the future.

17. The apparatus of claim 13, wherein said flow control acknowledgment contains information indicating that a flow control request to restart data flow has been received, and that the destination device is to resume receiving the data flow.

18. A method of receiving data packets, comprising:

receiving data packets at a destination device, each data packet containing a flow control acknowledgment in a non-payload portion to respond to a flow control request from the destination device;

storing the received data packets in at least one buffer; and

processing the data packets based at least on the received flow control acknowledgment.

19. The method of claim 18, wherein said flow control acknowledgment contains information indicating that the flow control request has been received and that transmission for a particular flow is being terminated.

20. The method of claim 18, wherein said flow control acknowledgment contains information indicating that the flow control request has been received, that the destination device should continue to send flow control requests, and that data flow to the destination device will remain active into the future.

21. The method of claim 18, wherein said flow control acknowledgment contains information indicating that a flow control request to restart data flow has been received, and that the destination device is to resume receiving the data flow.

22. An apparatus for receiving data packets, comprising:

a receiver receiving data packets from a source device, each data packet having a transmission sequence number indicating a sequence of transmission for the data packets, a portion of each data packets being allocated for the transmission sequence number also containing a flow control acknowledgment for the apparatus;

a buffer storing the received data packets; and

an outputter outputting an acknowledge response at least based on the transmission sequence numbers of the data packets and the flow control acknowledgment.

23. The apparatus of claim 22, wherein the source device is a base station serving the apparatus in a High Speed Downlink Packet Access (HSDPA) specification of a Universal Mobile Telecommunication System (UMTS).

24. The apparatus of claim 22, wherein said flow control acknowledgment contains information indicating that the flow control request has been received and that transmission for a particular flow is being terminated by the source device.

25. The apparatus of claim 22, wherein said flow control acknowledgment contains information indicating that the flow control request has been received by the source device, that the apparatus should continue to send flow control requests, and that data flow to the apparatus will remain active into the future.

26. The apparatus of claim 22, wherein said flow control acknowledgment contains information indicating that a flow control request to restart data flow has been received, and that the destination device is to resume receiving the data flow.

27. An apparatus for receiving data packets, comprising:

a receiver receiving data packets from a source device, each data packet having a portion that is allocated for insertion of an acknowledgment sequence number indicating a transmission sequence number of a data packet that has been received by the apparatus, the portion containing a flow control acknowledgment that is provided in place of the acknowledgment sequence number if the apparatus had previously transmitted a flow control request to the source device;

a buffer storing the received data packets; and

an outputter outputting an acknowledge response at least based on the flow control acknowledgment in a stored data packet.

28. The apparatus of claim 27, wherein the source device is a base station serving the apparatus in a High Speed Downlink Packet Access (HSDPA) specification of a Universal Mobile Telecommunication System (UMTS).

29. The apparatus of claim 27, wherein said flow control acknowledgment contains information indicating that the flow control request has been received and that transmission for a particular flow is being terminated by the source device.

30. The apparatus of claim 27, wherein said flow control acknowledgment contains information indicating that the flow control request has been received by the source device, that the apparatus should continue to send flow control requests, and that data flow to the apparatus will remain active into the future.

31. The apparatus of claim 27, wherein said flow control acknowledgment contains information indicating that a flow control request to restart data flow has been received, and that the destination device is to resume receiving the data flow.