Packet-priority control apparatus and method thereof

• US 20050063392A1
• Filed: 09/02/2004
• Published: 03/24/2005
• Est. Priority Date: 09/04/2003
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Google LLC (Alphabet Inc.)
• Original Assignee: NTT Docomo Incorporated (Nippon Telegraph and Telephone Corporation)
• Inventors: Ofuji, Yoshiaki, Abeta, Sadayuki, Sawahashi, Mamoru
• Granted Patent: US 7,668,150 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 370/395.420
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 1/1887 Scheduling and prioritising arrangements
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 47/10 Flow control; Congestion control
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 47/2433 Allocation of priorities to traffic types
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 47/2458 Modification of priorities while in transit
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 47/50 Queue scheduling
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 47/56 implementing delay-aware scheduling
• 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 72/542 using measured or perceived quality
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 72/569 of the traffic information
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 8/04 Registration at HLR or HSS [Home Subscriber Server]

Abstract

An apparatus for packet-priority control for controlling a priority for packets input includes packet-priority setting means for setting hierarchically the priority for the packet input based on predetermined elements, and to adjust, taking into account other elements according to which the priority for the packet varies over time, the set priority, and wireless-resource allocating means for determining a packet for which a wireless resource is to be allocated in accordance with the adjusted priority.

Claims

1. An apparatus for packet-priority control for controlling a priority for each of one or more packets input, comprising:

packet-priority setting means configured to set into a hierarchical level the priority for said packet input based on one or more predetermined elements, and to adjust taking into account one or more elements, other than said predetermined elements, according to which elements the priority for the packet varies over time, said set priority; and

wireless-resource allocating means configured to determine the packet for which a wireless resource is allocated in accordance with said adjusted priority.

2. The apparatus for packet-priority control as claimed in claim 1,

wherein said packet-priority setting means further comprises:

classification means for classifying said packet input, according to said predetermined elements, into a group within a plurality of groups, each of the groups having a different priority depending on the hierarchical level to which the group belongs; and

queue-forming means for forming a queue in accordance with an attribute of said group classified into.

3. The apparatus for packet-priority control as claimed in claim 2,

wherein said queue-forming means further comprises:

first queue-forming means for forming one queue for said group classified into, having as said attribute an attribute that the elements other than said predetermined elements are not taken into account; and

second queue-forming means for forming a queue per call for a group having as said attribute an attribute that the elements other than the predetermined elements are taken into account; and

wherein said packet-priority setting means further comprises;

queue-priority setting means for setting, a priority for said group taking into account said elements other than the predetermined elements, as a priority for said queue formed per call; and

queue-priority control means for controlling, for the priority for said queue formed per call, when determining the priority taking into account yet other elements besides said elements other than the predetermined elements, the priority per call based on said yet other elements of a packet stored in each queue.

4. The apparatus for packet-priority control as claimed in claim 1,

wherein, when setting in the hierarchical level using said predetermined elements the priority for said packet input, out of said predetermined elements, each of the elements is taken into account at the hierarchical level which is relatively shallow the higher the importance of the element.

5. The apparatus for packet-priority control as claimed in claim 1,

wherein, when setting in the hierarchical level using said predetermined elements the priority for said packet input, out of said predetermined elements, each of the elements is taken into account such that the difference in the priority is larger the higher the importance of the element.

6. The apparatus for packet-priority control as claimed in claim 1,

wherein said packet-priority setting means takes into account, when setting the priority for said packet input into the hierarchy, first the delay tolerance of the packet.

7. The apparatus for packet-priority control as claimed in claim 2, further comprising:

priority-group control means for controlling a priority of a packet belonging to a given group depending on the type of the groups formed by the classifying based on any one of said predetermined elements.

8. The apparatus for packet-priority control as claimed in claim 3:

wherein said queue-priority control means controls the priority for said queue formed per call based on any one of said predetermined elements.

9. The apparatus for packet-priority control as claimed in claim 8:

wherein said queue-priority control means uses, when controlling the priority for said queue formed per call based on a reception state of a receiving station, reception-quality information such as the receiving CIR or the receiving SIR, or the required MCS measured at the receiving station, as information representing said reception state.

10. The apparatus for packet-priority control as claimed in claim 9:

wherein said queue-priority control means controls, when controlling the priority for said queue formed per call based on said reception-quality information, said priority based on the value computed in accordance with;

$\begin{array}{cc}-[\begin{array}{cc}{Q}_{\mathrm{inst}}& \left(Q_{\mathrm{inst}}><br><br>Q_w\right)\\ Q_{\mathrm{inst}}/Q_{\mathrm{avg}}<br><br>\mathrm{•<br><br>}<br><br>\text{\hspace{1em}<br><br>}<br><br>Q_w& \left(Q_{\mathrm{inst}}\le <br><br>Q_w\right)\end{array}& \left(1\right)\end{array}$

with “

Q_inst”

representing the instantaneous reception quality of the receiving station at a receiving end, “

Q_avg”

representing the average reception quality of the receiving station at the receiving end, and “

Q_w”

being a predetermined constant.

11. The apparatus for packet-priority control as claimed in claim 10:

wherein the value of said “

Q_w”

is determined based on the delay tolerance of the packet.

12. The apparatus for packet-priority control as claimed in claim 8:

wherein said queue-priority control means controls the priority for said queue formed per call based on the elapsed time period starting from the outgoing time at a source of a packet being held at the beginning of the queue.

13. The apparatus for packet-priority control as claimed in claim 8:

wherein said queue-priority control means controls the priority for said queue formed per call based on the elapsed time period starting from the outgoing time of, out of one or more packets held in the queue, a packet having the largest elapsed time period starting from the outgoing time at a source of the packet.

14. The apparatus for packet-priority control as claimed in claim 12:

wherein said queue-priority control means controls, when controlling the priority for said queue formed per call based on said elapsed time period, said priority based on the value computed in accordance with;

$\begin{array}{cc}-[\begin{array}{cc}0& \left(t<<br><br>T_{\mathrm{req}}-T_{\mathrm{Pri}}\right)\\ a& \left(t\ge <br><br>T_{\mathrm{req}}-T_{\mathrm{Pri}}\right)\end{array};<br><br>\mathrm{or}& \left(2\right)\\ -[\begin{array}{cc}a<br><br>\text{\hspace{1em}<br><br>}<br><br>\mathrm{•<br><br>}<br><br>\text{\hspace{1em}<br><br>}<br><br>t/\left(T_{\mathrm{req}}-T_{\mathrm{Pri}}\right)& \left(t<<br><br>T_{\mathrm{req}}-T_{\mathrm{Pri}}\right)\\ a& \left(t\ge <br><br>T_{\mathrm{req}}-T_{\mathrm{Pri}}\right)\end{array},& \left(3\right)\end{array}$

with “

t”

representing the elapsed time period of the packet, “

T_req”

representing the delay tolerance of the packet, “

T_pri”

being a predetermined constant, and “

a”

being a predetermined constant.

15. A method of packet-priority control for controlling a priority for each of one or more packets input, comprising the steps of:

setting into a hierarchical level the priority for said packet input based on one or more predetermined elements,

adjusting, taking into account one or more elements, other than said predetermined elements, according to which the priority for the packet varies over time, said set priority; and

determining a packet for which a wireless resource is to be allocated in accordance with said adjusted priority.