Method, apparatus and computer program to dynamically adjust segmentation at a protocol layer, such as at the medium access control (MAC) layer

• US 20060245452A1
• Filed: 04/26/2006
• Published: 11/02/2006
• Est. Priority Date: 04/29/2005
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Nokia Technologies Oy (Nokia Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Nokia Corporation
• Inventors: Frederiksen, Frank, Rinne, Mika P., Kahtava, Jussi, Mogensen, Preben
• Granted Patent: US 7,817,667 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 370/470
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 17/309 Measuring or estimating channel quality parameters
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 1/0007 by modifying the frame length
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 1/0026 Transmission of channel quality indication
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 1/1867 Arrangements specially adapted for the transmitter end
• 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

Abstract

In one exemplary aspect thereof the invention provides a method that operates to receive information through at least one input of a protocol layer packet segmentation unit and to dynamically vary packet segment size in accordance with the received information prior to transmission to a receiver. The information received through the at least one input may include information related to channel quality for a channel through which packet data are transmitted to the receiver. The information received through the at least one input may also be or may include information received from at least one of a higher protocol layer or a lower protocol layer.

Claims

1. A method, comprising:

receiving information through at least one input coupled to a protocol layer packet segmentation unit; and

dynamically varying packet segment size in accordance with the received information prior to transmission to a receiver.

2. The method of claim 1, where the information received through the at least one input is comprised of information related to channel quality for a channel through which packet data are transmitted to the receiver.

3. The method of claim 2, where the channel quality information is derived from at least a number of data packets scheduled for transmission to the receiver.

4. The method of claim 2, where the channel quality information is derived from at least an occurrence of re-transmissions of packet data.

5. The method of claim 2, where the channel quality information is derived from at least a frequency of re-transmissions of packet data.

6. The method of claim 1, where the information received through the at least one input is comprised of information received from a higher protocol layer.

7. The method of claim 6, where the information received from the higher protocol layer is comprised of information descriptive of a segment size used by the higher protocol layer.

8. The method of claim 6, where the information received from the higher protocol layer is comprised of information descriptive of a Maximum Segment Size defined per IP flow.

9. The method of claim 6, where the information received from the higher protocol layer is comprised of information descriptive of packet segment sizes in a transmission buffer.

10. The method of claim 1, where the information received through the at least one input is comprised of information received from a lower protocol layer.

11. The method of claim 1, where dynamically varying packet segment size varies the segment size by a predetermined amount.

12. The method of claim 1, where for a packet size below a threshold packet size, the packet is passed to a lower protocol layer without being segmented.

13. The method of claim 1, where the receiver is comprised of user equipment.

14. The method of claim 1, where the receiver is comprised of a base station.

15. The method of claim 1, further comprising signaling a currently selected packet segment size to the receiver.

16. A computer program product comprising a computer useable medium including a computer readable program, wherein the computer readable program when executed on the computer causes the computer to perform operations comprising:

receiving information through at least one input coupled to a protocol layer packet segmentation unit; and

dynamically varying packet segment size in accordance with the received information prior to transmission to a receiver.

17. The computer program product of claim 16, where the information received through the at least one input is comprised of information related to channel quality for a channel through which packet data are transmitted to the receiver.

18. The computer program product of claim 17, where the channel quality information is derived from at least a number of data packets scheduled for transmission to the receiver.

19. The computer program product of claim 17, where the channel quality information is derived from at least an occurrence of re-transmissions of packet data.

20. The computer program product of claim 17, where the channel quality information is derived from at least a frequency of re-transmissions of packet data.

21. The computer program product of claim 16, where the information received through the at least one input is comprised of information received from a higher protocol layer.

22. The computer program product of claim 21, where the information received from the higher protocol layer is comprised of information descriptive of a segment size used by the higher protocol layer.

23. The computer program product of claim 21, where the information received from the higher protocol layer is comprised of information descriptive of a Maximum Segment Size defined per IP flow.

24. The computer program product of claim 21, where the information received from the higher protocol layer is comprised of information descriptive of packet segment sizes in a transmission buffer.

25. The computer program product of claim 16, where the information received through the at least one input is comprised of information received from a lower protocol layer.

26. The computer program product of claim 16, where the operation of dynamically varying packet segment size varies the segment size by a predetermined amount.

27. The computer program product of claim 16, where for a packet size below a threshold packet size, the packet is passed to a lower protocol layer without being segmented.

28. The computer program product of claim 16, where the receiver is comprised of user equipment.

29. The computer program product of claim 16, where the receiver is comprised of a base station.

30. The computer program product of claim 16, further comprising an operation of signaling a currently selected packet segment size to the receiver.

31. A device, comprising:

a first protocol layer outputting packet data;

a second protocol layer coupled to the first protocol layer and comprising a packet data scheduling unit and a packet data segmentation unit having at least one input for receiving information; and

a third protocol layer coupled to the second protocol layer for sending segmented packet data towards a receiver;

where said packet segmentation unit operates to dynamically vary packet segment size, in accordance with the received information, prior to transmission to the receiver.

32. The device of claim 31, where the information received through the at least one input is comprised of information related to channel quality for a channel through which packet data are transmitted to the receiver.

33. The device of claim 32, where the channel quality information is derived from at least a number of data packets scheduled for transmission to the receiver by the packet scheduling unit.

34. The device of claim 32, where the channel quality information is derived from at least an occurrence of re-transmissions of packet data.

35. The device of claim 32, where the channel quality information is derived from at least a frequency of re-transmissions of packet data.

36. The device of claim 31, where the information received through the at least one input is comprised of information received from the first protocol layer.

37. The device of claim 36, where the information received from the first protocol layer is comprised of information descriptive of a segment size used by the first protocol layer.

38. The device of claim 36, where the information received from the first protocol layer is comprised of information descriptive of a Maximum Segment Size defined per IP flow.

39. The device of claim 36, where the information received from the first protocol layer is comprised of information descriptive of packet segment sizes in a transmission buffer.

40. The device of claim 31, where the information received through the at least one input is comprised of information received from the third protocol layer.

41. The device of claim 31, where said segmentation unit dynamically varies packet segment size by a predetermined amount.

42. The device of claim 31, where for a packet size below a threshold packet size, the segmentation unit passes the packet to the third protocol layer without being segmented.

43. The device of claim 31, where the receiver is comprised of user equipment.

44. The device of claim 31, where the receiver is comprised of a base station.

45. The device of claim 31, further comprising signaling a currently selected packet segment size to the receiver.

46. The device of claim 31, where said second protocol layer is comprised of a Medium Access Control protocol layer.

47. A wireless communication system node, comprising:

a transmitter for transmitting packet data to a receiver; and

at least one data processor coupled to the transmitter and operating under control of a stored program for implementing a Radio Link Layer outputting packet data, a Medium Access Control layer coupled to the Radio Link Layer and comprising means for segmenting packet data, and a Physical layer coupled to the Medium Access Control layer for sending segmented packet data to the receiver via said transmitter, said Medium Access Control layer comprising means for dynamically varying a size of packet data segments output to said Physical layer in accordance with at least one of information received from said Radio Link Layer, information received from said Physical layer, and information available within said Medium Access Control layer.

48. The wireless communication system node of claim 47, where said information is indicative of at least a quality of a channel through which the packet data is transmitted to the receiver.

49. The wireless communication system node of claim 47, embodied in a base station.

50. The wireless communication system node of claim 47, embodied in user equipment.

51. The wireless communication system node of claim 47, where the information available in said Medium Access Control layer is obtained at least in part from means for scheduling packet data for outputting to said Physical layer.

52. The wireless communication system node of claim 47, where the Physical layer sends the segmented packet data to the receiver as OFDM symbols.