Method and system for rate-controlled mode wireless communications

• US 20050237932A1
• Filed: 04/23/2004
• Published: 10/27/2005
• Est. Priority Date: 04/23/2004
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Lucent Technologies, Inc. (Nokia Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Lucent Technologies, Inc. (Nokia Corporation)
• Inventors: Liu, Jung-Tao
• Application Number:
  US10/831,568
• Publication Number:
  US 20050237932A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 370/230
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 1/0002 by adapting the transmission rate
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 1/0025 Transmission of mode-switching indication
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 1/1812 Hybrid protocols; Hybrid automatic repeat request [HARQ]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 47/10 Flow control; Congestion control
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 47/263 Rate modification at the source after receiving feedback
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 28/0205 at the air interface dynamic wireless traffic scheduling H04W72/12
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 28/0268 using specific QoS parameters for wireless networks, e.g. QoS class identifier [QCI] or guaranteed bit rate [GBR] negotiating SLA or negotiating QoS H04W28/24
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 28/10 Flow control between communication endpoints
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 8/04 Registration at HLR or HSS [Home Subscriber Server]

Abstract

A method and system is described that flexibly and efficiently adjusts uplink data transmission rates in a wireless communication system. In particular, a transport format limit indicator (TFLI) indicating the allowed changes to available transport formats, including, for example, the maximum allowed uplink data transmission rate, is sent by a network node to a user equipment, without a prior request from the user equipment for such information. The user equipment may then adjust its uplink rate based on the TFLI when desired without having to make a request for rate information from the network node.

Claims

1. A method for regulating an uplink transmission rate, the method comprising the steps of:

setting a transport format limit indicator signal based on available resources; and

transmitting, in response to a first received data packet, the transport format limit indicator signal indicating changes to available uplink transmission rates and at least one of an acknowledge and a non-acknowledge signal.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the step of setting comprises setting the transport format limit indicator signal to reduce a maximum allowed uplink transmission rate in response to at least one of an excessive error rate, an increase in demand on resources, and a reduction in the available resources.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the transport format limit indicator signal and the acknowledge or non-acknowledge signal are transmitted over a shared channel.

4. The method of claim 3, wherein the shared channel comprises at least one of an enhanced uplink-rate control signaling channel and an enhanced uplink-shared control channel.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the transport format limit indicator signal comprises one bit.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein the transport format limit indicator indicates at least one of increasing, decreasing and leaving unchanged a current maximum allowed uplink transmission rate.

7. The method of claim 1 comprising:

determining that the first packet is missing or corrupted; and

wherein the step of transmitting comprises sending the first transport format limit indicator signal and the non-acknowledge signal.

8. The method of claim 7, wherein the first transport format limit indicator signal indicates a lowering of a limit on available uplink transmission rates for a subsequent retransmission of the first packet.

9. The method of claim 7 further comprising the steps of:

receiving a second packet;

determining that the second packet is acceptable; and

sending, in response, a second transport format limit indicator signal and the acknowledge signal, wherein the second transport format limit indicator signal indicates that a limit on the available uplink transmission rates for a subsequent transmission can be raised.

10. The method of claim 6 further comprising the steps of:

transmitting the first packet;

receiving, in response, the non-acknowledge signal, and the first transport format limit indicator signal; and

re-transmitting, the first packet in response to receiving the non-acknowledge signal.

12. The user equipment of claim 1, wherein the means for determining an actual uplink transmission rate take into account on one or more of a status of a MAC-EU-rc buffer, an acceptable error rate, and available power.

11. An user equipment comprising:

an air interface for receiving a transport format limit indicator signal indicating permissible uplink transmission rates, and at least one of an acknowledge signal and a non-acknowledge signal;

means for determining a maximum permissible uplink transmission rate based on the transport format limit indicator signal, and one of the acknowledge signal and the non-acknowledge signal; and

means for determining an actual uplink transmission rate from available uplink transmission rates.

13. The user equipment of claim 11, wherein the means for receiving receives the transport format limit indicator signal and the acknowledge or non-acknowledge signals over a shared channel.

14. The user equipment of claim 11, wherein the means for determining the maximum permissible uplink transmission rate lowers the maximum permissible uplink transmission rate in response to receiving the non-acknowledge signal and the transport format limit indicator signal.

15. The user equipment of claim 11, wherein the means for determining the maximum permissible uplink transmission rate raises the maximum rate in response to receiving the acknowledge signal and the transport format limit indicator signal.

16. A system comprising:

a shared control channel,

means for automatically generating a transport format limit indicator signal indicating permissible uplink transmission rates and at least one of a non-acknowledge signal and an acknowledge signal; and

means for transmitting the transport format limit indicator signal and the at least one of the non-acknowledge signal and the acknowledge signal over the shared control channel

17. The system of claim 16 comprising:

means for detecting a corrupted packet in a plurality of received packets;

means for buffering packets that are received subsequent to the corrupted packet;

means for recovering the data in the corrupted packet by improving upon a signal to noise ratio based on buffered previously received one or more corrupted packets; and

means for automatically generating the acknowledge signal and the transport format limit indicator signal in response to successful recovery of the data in the corrupted packet.