Rate control for multiplexed voice and data in a wireless communications system

• US 20030223454A1
• Filed: 05/29/2002
• Published: 12/04/2003
• Est. Priority Date: 05/29/2002
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Lucent Technologies, Inc. (Nokia Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Lucent Technologies, Inc. (Nokia Corporation)
• Inventors: Rubin, Harvey, Abraham, Santosh P., Saraydar, Cem U., Chuah, Mooi C.
• Granted Patent: US 7,170,858 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 370/465
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 47/10 Flow control; Congestion control
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 47/2416 Real-time traffic
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 47/2441 relying on flow classification, e.g. using integrated services [IntServ]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 47/365 Dynamic adaptation of the packet size
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 47/522 Dynamic queue service slot or variable bandwidth allocation
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 47/6215 Individual queue per QOS, rate or priority
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 28/02 Traffic management, e.g. flow control or congestion control
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 28/0247 based on conditions of the access network or the infrastructure network central resource management H04W28/16
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 28/10 Flow control between communication endpoints
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 28/16 Central resource management; Negotiation of resources or communication parameters, e.g. negotiating bandwidth or QoS [Quality of Service]
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 8/04 Registration at HLR or HSS [Home Subscriber Server]
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 92/12 between access points and access point controllers

Abstract

Disclosed is a method of controlling communication rates over a link within a communications system. The method includes storing packets associated with voice and data traffic in individual buffers, and determining an instantaneous number of active voice and active data traffic in the individual buffers. Furthermore, a total link bandwidth that the active voice traffic will consume during a frame interval is determined, and an available link bandwidth, for the active data traffic, remaining after the total link bandwidth is calculated. Finally, rate control is applied to fit the active data traffic in the available link bandwidth. Rate control is achieved by allowing a data session to send data at a portion of its full-rate, where the portion is determined as a function of the instantaneous load generated by all sessions carried on the link.

Claims

1. A method of controlling communication rates over a link within a communications system, the method comprising:

applying rate control to multiplexed traffic, the rate control affecting only a portion of the multiplexed traffic.

2. The method according to claim 1, wherein the multiplexed traffic includes both voice and data portions.

3. The method according to claim 2, wherein only the data portion of the multiplexed traffic has rate control applied thereto.

4. The method according to claim 1, further comprising determining a total bandwidth occupied by active voice traffic.

5. The method according to claim 1, further comprising determining bandwidth available to data traffic by subtracting a total bandwidth occupied by voice traffic from a total bandwidth available in the link.

6. The method according to claim 5, wherein the rate control is applied only to the data traffic.

7. The method according to claim 1, further comprising storing both voice and data traffic in individual buffers of the communications system.

8. The method according to claim 7, further comprising multiplexing the voice and data traffic to obtain the multiplexed traffic.

9. The method according to claim 8, wherein the data traffic of the multiplexed traffic is the portion thereof that receives the rate control.

10. A computer-readable medium having at least one code segment embodied thereon that causes a processor to perform the method according to claim 1.

11. A method of controlling communication rates over a link within a communications system, the method comprising:

storing packets associated with voice and data traffic in individual buffers;

determining a number of instantaneous active voice and active data traffic in the individual buffers every frame interval or every plurality of frame intervals;

determining a total link bandwidth that the active voice traffic will consume during a frame interval;

determining an available link bandwidth, for the active data traffic, remaining after the total link bandwidth is determined; and

applying rate control only to the active data traffic in order to fit the active data traffic in the available link bandwidth.