Admission control and resource allocation in a communication system supporting application flows having quality of service requirements

• US 20040013089A1
• Filed: 04/28/2003
• Published: 01/22/2004
• Est. Priority Date: 11/08/2001
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Qualcomm, Inc.
• Original Assignee: Qualcomm, Inc.
• Inventors: Taneja, Mukesh, Pankaj, Rajesh
• Granted Patent: US 7,453,801 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 370/235
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 47/15 in relation to multipoint traffic arrangements for broadcast or multicast in data networks H04L12/18
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 47/18 End to end
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 47/20 Traffic policing
• 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 47/245 using preemption
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 47/41 by acting on aggregated flows or links
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 47/70 Admission control; Resource allocation
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 47/72 using reservation actions during connection setup
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 47/762 triggered by the network
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 47/801 Real time traffic
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 47/803 Application aware
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 47/805 QOS or priority aware
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 47/822 Collecting or measuring resource availability data
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 47/824 Applicable to portable or mobile terminals
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 47/83 based on usage prediction
• 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 28/26 Resource reservation
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 48/06 based on traffic conditions
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 72/52 : based on load
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 72/54 : based on quality criteria
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 8/04 : Registration at HLR or HSS [Home Subscriber Server]

Abstract

A method and apparatus for admission control in a communication system. An Access Network (AN) element determines available resources. When available resources are sufficient to support the requirements of a requested application flow, the AN admits the application flow. The AN periodically, and on trigger events, updates a measure of available resources. The admission control may operate in coordination with a scheduler applying a compensation factor to each flow type, and a compensation factor for aggregate flows of a given user.

Claims

1. A method for admission control in a communication system supporting Internet Protocol (IP) applications, the communication system including an Access Network (AN) and a plurality of Access Terminals (ATs), each of the ATs sending a requested data rate to the AN, the communication system supporting application flows having QoS requirements to the ATs, the method comprising:

determining available resources in the communication system;

receiving a request for a first application flow having a first traffic profile and a first QoS profile;

determining if the available resources support the request for the first application flow;

denying the first application flow if the first application flow has a corresponding data rate greater than an average requested data rate; and

admitting the first application flow if the corresponding data rate is not greater than the average requested data rate, and if the available resources support the request for the first application flow.

2. The method as in claim 1, wherein determining if the available resources support the first application flow;

comprises;

determining reserved resources in the communication system;

comparing the reserved resources to the capacity of the communication system; and

determining the available resources as the difference between the capacity and the reserved resources.

3. The method as in claim 2, further comprising:

determining an adaptive subscription factor for the first application flow.

4. The method as in claim 3, further comprising:

updating the adaptive subscription factor based on Quality of Service (QoS) statistics for the first application flow.

5. The method as in claim 4, further comprises:

determining QoS statistics for the first application flow;

comparing the QoS statistics for the first application flow to other current flows in the sector; and

updating the available resources and reserved resources in response to comparing the QoS statistics for the first application flow to other current flows in the sector.

6. The method as in claim 5, further comprising:

determining user presence of the first application flow in a sector of the wireless communication system; and

determining a sample duration for the first application flow,

wherein determining QoS statistics for the first application flow comprises;

determining QoS statistics for the first application flow during the sample duration.

7. The method as in claim 6, where a first sample duration is associated with rate violations and a second sample duration is associated with delay violations.

8. The method as in claim 6, wherein comparing the QoS statistics for the first application flow to other current flows in the sector comprises:

calculating a first fraction of slots used by flows having QoS requirements during the sample period;

calculating a second fraction of slots used by the first application flow during the sample period;

calculating a third fraction of QoS flows corresponding to a first QoS statistic;

comparing the third fraction to a corresponding threshold value; and

evaluating an adaptive subscription in response to comparing the third fraction to a corresponding threshold value.

9. A method for allocating resources in a communication system supporting Internet Protocol (IP) applications, the communication system including an Access Network (AN) and a plurality of Access Terminals (ATs), each of the ATs sending a requested data rate to the AN, the communication system supporting application flows having QoS requirements to the ATs, the method comprising:

for increases in adaptive subscription, preempting a first flow having a first type of QoS violation;

determining a preemption maximum value is reached for the first type of QoS violation; and

preempting a second flow having a second type of QoS violation.

10. The method as in claim 9, wherein preempting a second flow further comprises:

selecting the second flow based on a number of slots used for transmission of the second flow.

11. A method for scheduling resources in a wireless communication system supporting packet data application flows, the method comprising:

selecting at least one compensation factor for a quality of service parameter associated with a first type of application flow,

calculating the at least one compensation factor based on a quality of service parameter;

calculating a weight for the first type of application flow as a function of the at least one compensation factor;

calculating a per-flow scheduling factor using the weight; and

scheduling the application flow based on the scheduling factor.

12. The method as in claim 11, wherein a first user has a plurality of active application flows, the method further comprising:

computing an aggregate compensation factor for the plurality of application flows.

13. The method as in claim 12, wherein the plurality of active application flows includes application flows of the first type and of a second type.

14. The method as in claim 13, further comprising:

calculating a weight for a second type of application flow.

15. The method as in claim 14, further comprising:

selecting one of the plurality of active application flows for transmission.

16. An apparatus for admission control in a communication system supporting Internet Protocol (IP) applications, the communication system including an Access Network (AN) and a plurality of Access Terminals (ATs), each of the ATs sending a requested data rate to the AN, the communication system supporting application flows having QoS requirements to the ATs, the apparatus comprising:

means for determining available resources in the communication system;

means for receiving a request for a first application flow having a first traffic profile and a first QoS profile;

means for determining if the available resources support the request for the first application flow;

means for denying the first application flow if the first application flow has a corresponding data rate greater than an average requested data rate; and

means for admitting the first application flow if the corresponding data rate is not greater than the average requested data rate, and if the available resources support the request for the first application flow.

17. An apparatus for allocating resources in a communication system supporting Internet Protocol (IP) applications, the communication system including an Access Network (AN) and a plurality of Access Terminals (ATs), each of the ATs sending a requested data rate to the AN, the communication system supporting application flows having QoS requirements to the ATs, the apparatus comprising:

means for preempting a first flow having a first type of QoS violation for increases in adaptive subscription;

means for determining a preemption maximum value is reached for the first type of QoS violation; and

means for preempting a second flow having a second type of QoS violation.

18. An apparatus for scheduling resources in a wireless communication system supporting packet data application flows, the apparatus comprising:

means for selecting at least one compensation factor for a quality of service parameter associated with a first type of application flow,

means for calculating the at least one compensation factor based on a quality of service parameter;

means for calculating a weight for the first type of application flow as a function of the at least one compensation factor;

means for calculating a per-flow scheduling factor using the weight; and

means for scheduling the application flow based on the scheduling factor.

19. An apparatus for allocating resources in a communication system supporting Internet Protocol (IP) applications, the communication system including an Access Network (AN) and a plurality of Access Terminals (ATs), each of the ATs sending a requested data rate to the AN, the communication system supporting application flows having QoS requirements to the ATs, the apparatus comprising:

a flow classification unit adapted to receive an application flow and determine the Quality of Service (QoS) requirements of the application flow;

a scheduler coupled to the flow classification unit adapted to schedule packet data transmissions;

an admission control unit coupled to the flow classification unit and scheduler, the admission control unit adapted to admit application flows when available resources support a requested data rate;

a QoS monitor coupled to the flow classification unit, the scheduler and the admission control unit, the QoS monitor adapted to determine QoS violations for the application flow and maintain QoS statistics; and

an adaptation unit coupled to the admission control unit, the adaptation unit adapted to update a measure of available resources.

20. The apparatus as in claim 19, wherein the scheduler is adapted to schedule application flows in response to requested data rates.

21. The apparatus as in claim 19, wherein the scheduler is adapted to schedule application flows in response to QoS statistics.

22. The apparatus as in claim 19, wherein the scheduler is adapted to schedule application flows in response to QoS requirements.

23. The apparatus as in claim 19, wherein the scheduler is adapted to schedule application flows based on subscription information.