Method and apparatus for communicating scheduling information from a UE to a radio access network

• US 20060143444A1
• Filed: 11/28/2005
• Published: 06/29/2006
• Est. Priority Date: 12/23/2004
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Nokia Technologies Oy (Nokia Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Nokia Corporation
• Inventors: Malkamaki, Esa, Sebire, Benoist
• Granted Patent: US 8,189,615 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 713/160
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 1/0083 Formatting with frames or packets; Protocol or part of protocol for error control
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 28/06 Optimizing the usage of the radio link, e.g. header compression, information sizing , discarding information system modifying transmission characteristic according to link quality by modifying frame length H04L1/0007; dynamic adaptation of the packet size for flow control or congestion control H04L47/365
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 74/04 Scheduled access hybrid access H04W74/02

Abstract

A method by which a UE device and a Node B communicate information such as scheduling information to each other, including a step of sending the information as part of a communication signal instead of padding in the communication signal if the information can be fit by removing all or part of the padding.

Claims

1. A method, comprising:

a step in which a wireless communication device creates or obtains information for inclusion in a communication signal to be transmitted to another wireless communication device according to a protocol requiring the communication signal to have a fixed size selected from a set of possible fixed sizes and padded as necessary to have the selected fixed size; and

a step in which the wireless communication device sends the information whenever there is room for the information in the communication signal before padding the communication signal.

2. A method as in claim 1, wherein the wireless communication device determines whether there is room for the information by comparing the size of the information with the difference between the size of the communication signal before any padding and the selected fixed size of the communication signal.

3. A method as in claim 1, wherein the information is fixed in size.

4. A method as in claim 1, wherein the information is always sent if the information is smaller than or equal to the otherwise required padding.

5. A method as in claim 1, wherein the information is not added if it is already included in the communication signal.

6. A method as in claim 1, wherein the information is scheduling information.

7. A method as in claim 1, wherein the information is control and status information.

8. A method as in claim 1, wherein the information is configuration information.

9. A method as in claim 1, wherein the information is implementation information.

10. A method as in claim 1, wherein the information can be any size in a predetermined set of sizes and no information is sent if the padding is smaller in size than the smallest size in the set of sizes.

11. A method as in claim 10, wherein the largest sized information smaller than or equal to the otherwise required padding is sent.

12. A method as in claim 10, wherein there is a fixed relationship between the information and the amount of padding, and the fixed relationship is known to both the wireless communication device and the other wireless communication device.

13. A method as in claim 10, wherein one or more flags are included in the communication signal so as to signal the presence of one or more items of information as present in the communication signal.

14. A method as in claim 1, wherein the wireless communication device calculates the size of the padding needed for the communication signal before creating scheduling information having a size not exceeding the size of the padding.

15. A method as in claim 1, wherein the wireless communication device is a UE device and the other wireless communication device is a Node B of a radio access network, and the communication signal conveys a MAC-e protocol data unit.

16. A method as in claim 1, wherein the wireless communication device is a Node B of a radio access network and the other wireless communication device is a UE device, and the communication signal conveys a MAC-hs protocol data unit.

17. A computer program product comprising a computer readable storage structure embodying computer program code thereon for execution by a computer processor, wherein said computer program code comprises instructions for performing a method according to claim 1.

21. A application specific integrated circuit comprising electronic components selected and interconnected so as to provide functionality for performing a method according to claim 1.

18. A wireless communication device, comprising:

means for creating or obtaining information for inclusion in a communication signal to be transmitted to another wireless communication device according to a protocol requiring the communication signal to have a fixed size selected from a set of possible fixed sizes and padded as necessary to have the selected fixed size; and

means for sending the information whenever there is room for the information in the communication signal before padding the communication signal.

19. A system, comprising:

a UE device including a wireless communication device as in claim 18;

and

a radio access network including a radio network controller and a plurality of Node Bs or base stations configured for communicatively coupling to the UE device.

20. A system, comprising:

a UE device; and

a radio access network including a radio network controller and a plurality of Node Bs or base stations each including a wireless communication device as in claim 18 and configured for communicatively coupling to the UE device.