Reverse link rate and stability control

• US 20060159045A1
• Filed: 01/18/2005
• Published: 07/20/2006
• Est. Priority Date: 01/18/2005
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Ericsson Evdo, Inc. (CommScope Holding Company, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Airvana Incorporated (CommScope Holding Company, Inc.)
• Inventors: Chung, Sae-Young, Mehrabanzad, Sepehr, Ananthaiyer, Satish
• Granted Patent: US 7,729,243 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 370/329
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 28/22 Negotiating communication rate

Abstract

In a radio access network, the reverse link rate of an access terminal is controlled and stabilized by determining a number of connections in one or more sectors in which the access terminal has a connection and setting a rate limit based on at least one of the determined number of connections. The number of connections can be determined for each sector in which the access terminal has a connection or for some subset of these sectors. If the number of connections is determined for more than one sector, the radio access network may limit the reverse link rate based on the sector having the greatest number of connections.

Claims

1. A method for controlling the rate of transmission of an access terminal in a radio access network, the method comprising:

for one or more sectors in which the access terminal has a connection, determining a number of connections for the sector; and

setting a rate limit for the access terminal based on one or more of the determined number of connections.

2. The method of claim 1 wherein a number of connections is determined for each sector in which the access terminal has a connection.

3. The method of claim 1 wherein a number of connections is determined for each sector in which the access terminal has a connection serviced by a common radio node.

4. The method of claim 1 wherein determining a number of connections for a sector comprises:

for each connection in a sector, applying a weight to one or more characteristics of the connection to determine a weighted connection; and

summing the weighed connections.

5. The method of claim 1 wherein setting a rate limit for the access terminal based on one or more of the determined number of connections comprises:

assigning a first rate limit if the number of connections determined for the access terminal is within a first range of values; and

assigning a second rate limit if the number of connections determined for the access terminal is within a second range of values.

6. The method of claim 1 wherein setting a rate limit for the access terminal based on one or more of the determined number of connections comprises:

setting a rate limit for the access terminal based on an determined number of connections for a sector having a value equal to or greater than any other effective number of connections determined for other sectors.

7. The method of claim 1 further comprising:

performing a rise over thermal measurement for a sector in which the access terminal has a connection; and

transmitting a signal to the access terminal indicating that the sector is becoming overloaded if the rise over thermal measurement exceeds a predetermined amount.

8. The method of claim 7 further comprising:

performing a post automatic gain control ROT estimation for a sector in which the access terminal has a connection; and

transmitting a signal to the access terminal indicating that the sector is becoming overloaded if the post automatic gain control ROT estimation exceeds a predetermined amount.

9. The method of claim 8 wherein setting a rate limit for the access terminal based on one or more of the determined number of connections comprises:

using a first rate limit scheme if a rise over thermal measurement is performed for a sector; and

using a second rate limit scheme is a post automatic gain control ROT estimate is performed for a sector.

10. The method of claim 1 wherein the radio access network comprises a first evolution data-only compliant network.

11. The method of claim 1 further comprising:

transmitting the rate limit to the access terminal.

12. The method of claim 11 wherein transmitting the rate limit comprises:

broadcasting a rate limit message to the access terminal in one or more of the sectors in which the access terminal has a connection.

13. The method of claim 11 wherein transmitting the rate limit comprises:

unicasting a rate limit message to the access terminal in a sector in which the access terminal has a traffic channel established.

14. The method of claim 1 further comprising:

transmitting to the access terminal a rate limit message immediately upon the access terminal establishing a connection in a sector.

15. A radio node configured to transmit radio signals to and receive radio signals from an access terminal having one or more connections in a group of one or more sectors of a radio access network, the radio node comprising:

a processor; and

a medium bearing instructions to cause the processor to;

determine a number of connections for one or more sectors in which the access terminal has a connection; and

set a rate limit for the access terminal based on at least one of the determined number of connections.

16. The radio node of claim 15 wherein the instructions cause the processor to determine a number of connections for each of sector in the group of sectors in which the access terminal has a connection.

17. The radio node of claim 16 wherein the instructions cause the processor to set a rate limit for the access terminal based on an determined effective number of connections for a sector having a value equal to or greater than any other effective number of connections determined for other sectors in the group.

18. The radio node of claim 15 wherein the radio node is further configured to receive an effective number of connections for other sectors in the radio access network in which the access terminal has a connection but is not in the group of sectors serviced by the radio node.

19. The radio node of claim 18 wherein the number of connections for other sectors in the radio access network in which the access terminal has a connection but is not in the group of sectors serviced by the radio node is received from another radio node.

20. The radio node of claim 18 wherein the number of connections for other sectors in the radio access network in which the access terminal has a connection but is not in the group of sectors serviced by the radio node is received from a radio network controller.

21. The radio node of claim 18 wherein the instructions cause the processor to set a rate limit for the access terminal based on an determined effective number of connections for a sector having a value equal to or greater than any other effective number of connections determined for other sectors in which the access terminal has a connection.

22. The radio node of claim 15 wherein the medium also includes instructions that cause the processor to:

for each connection in a sector in which the access terminal has a connection, apply a weight to one or more characteristics of the connection to determine a weighted connection; and

sum the weighed connections to determine an effective number of connections.

23. The radio node of claim 15 wherein the medium also includes instructions that cause the processor to:

set a first rate limit if a number of effective connections determined for the access terminal is within a first range of values; and

set a second rate limit if a number of effective connections determined for the access terminal is within a second range of values.

24. The radio node of claim 15 wherein the medium also includes instructions that cause the processor to:

transmit the rate limit to the access terminal.

25. The radio node of claim 24 wherein the instructions cause the processor to transmit the rate limit to the access terminal via a unicast message.

26. The radio node of claim 24 wherein the instructions cause the processor to transmit the rate limit to the access terminal via a broadcast message.

27. A system for controlling the rate of transmission of an access terminal in a radio access network, the system comprising:

a processor; and

a medium bearing instructions to cause the processor to;

determine an effective number of connections for one or more sectors in which the access terminal has a connection; and

set a rate limit for the access terminal based on at least one determined effective number of connections.

28. The system of claim 27 wherein the processor is part of a radio node configured to transmit radio signals to and receive radio signals from access terminals having connections in a group of one or more sectors of a radio access network.

29. The system of claim 27 wherein the processor is part of a radio network controller configured to control a plurality of radio nodes collectively servicing a group of sectors in a radio access network.

30. The system of claim 28 wherein the instructions cause the processor to determine a number of connections for each of sector in the group of sectors in which the access terminal has a connection.

31. The system of claim 30 wherein the instructions cause the processor to cause the processor to set a rate limit for the access terminal based on an determined effective number of connections for a sector having a value equal to or greater than any other effective number of connections determined for other sectors in the group.

32. The system of claim 29 wherein the instructions cause the processor to determine a number of connections for each sector in the group of sectors in which the access terminal has a connection.

33. The system of claim 32 wherein the instructions cause the processor to cause the processor to set a rate limit for the access terminal based on an determined effective number of connections for a sector having a value equal to or greater than any other effective number of connections determined for other sectors in the group.

34. The system of claim 30 further comprising:

a radio network controller in communication with said radio node, wherein the radio network controller comprises;

a second processor; and

a second medium bearing instructions that cause the second processor to determine a number of connections for the access terminal in sectors in which the access has a connection but which are not part of the group of sectors serviced by the radio node.

35. The system of claim 34 wherein the second medium also includes instructions that cause the second processor to set a rate limit based on at least one of the number of connections determined for the sectors in which the access terminal has a connection but which is not part of the group of sectors serviced by the radio node.