Monitoring connection quality

• US 20060250955A1
• Filed: 08/30/2005
• Published: 11/09/2006
• Est. Priority Date: 05/09/2005
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Nokia Technologies Oy (Nokia Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Nokia Corporation
• Inventors: Kallio, Juha
• Granted Patent: US 8,472,323 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 370/229
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 47/10 Flow control; Congestion control
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 47/11 Identifying congestion
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 47/2416 Real-time traffic
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 47/26 using explicit feedback to the source, e.g. choke packets
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 47/283 in response to processing delays, e.g. caused by jitter or round trip time [RTT]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/1026 at the edge
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/103 in the network
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/1036 at the edge
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/104 in the network
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/1095 Inter-network session transfer or sharing
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/80 Responding to QoS
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 28/0242 Determining whether packet losses are due to overload or to deterioration of radio communication conditions
• 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 28/0284 detecting congestion or overload during communication monitoring arrangements H04L43/00
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 36/1443 between licensed networks
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 36/304 due to measured or perceived resources with higher communication quality
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 8/04 Registration at HLR or HSS [Home Subscriber Server]

Abstract

Quality of a connection between a terminal and a gateway is monitored in the gateway. The gateway informs a core network element handling signaling relating to the connection about the quality of the connection. The core network element triggers an access network control element to inform the terminal about the quality of the connection. The gateway or the core network element may determine when to trigger the access network control element. Upon receiving triggering information from the core network element, the access network control element informs the terminal about the quality of the connection for indicating changes in the quality of connection between the terminal and the gateway.

Claims

1. A method for indicating changes in quality of service between a terminal and a gateway to a server, the method comprising:

monitoring a quality of a connection between a terminal and a gateway in the gateway; and

informing a core network element handling signaling relating to the connection about the quality of the connection by the gateway.

2. The method as defined in claim 1, comprising:

generating a quality notification indicating the quality of the connection based on the monitoring step; and

sending the quality notification indicating the quality of the connection from the gateway to the core network element handling signaling relating to the connection.

3. The method as defined in claim 2, wherein the step of generating comprises generating a notify message in accordance with the H.248 standard.

4. The method as defined in claim 1, wherein the step of monitoring the quality of the connection comprises monitoring at least one of a jitter, a wander, a packet loss, and a delay.

5. The method as defined in claim 1, wherein the step of informing comprises informing the core network element periodically about the quality of the connection.

6. The method as defined in claim 1, wherein the step of informing comprises informing the core network element when a predefined triggering criterion relating to a poor connection quality is fulfilled.

7. The method as defined in claim 6, wherein the predefined triggering criterion takes into account at least one of a jitter, a wander, a packet loss, and a delay.

8. The method as defined in claim 6, comprising informing the core network element when a further predefined triggering criterion relating to acceptable connection quality is fulfilled.

9. The method as defined in claim 1, comprising triggering an access network control element to inform the terminal about the quality of the connection.

10. The method as defined in claim 9, comprising informing the terminal about the quality of the connection by the access network control element.

11. A method for indicating a quality of a connection between a terminal and a gateway to an access network control element, the method comprising:

handling signaling relating to a connection between a terminal and a gateway in a core network element;

receiving information indicating a quality of the connection between the terminal and the gateway from the gateway in the core network element; and

triggering an access network control element to inform the terminal about the quality of the connection.

12. The method as defined in claim 11, comprising:

generating a triggering message indicating the quality of the connection; and

sending the triggering message indicating the quality of the connection from the core network element to the access network control element.

13. The method as defined in claim 12, wherein the step of generating comprises generating a message in accordance with the Base Station System Application Part protocol.

14. The method as defined in claim 11, wherein the triggering is performed in response to receiving the information indicating quality of the connection.

15. The method as defined in claim 14, comprising triggering the access network control element to inform the terminal about an improved quality of the connection in response to receiving further information about the quality of the connection from the gateway.

16. The method as defined in claim 11, comprising determining whether a predetermined triggering criterion relating to a poor quality connection is fulfilled, wherein the triggering is performed in response to the predetermined triggering criterion being fulfilled.

17. The method as defined in claim 16, comprising:

determining whether a further predetermined triggering criterion relating to an acceptable quality connection is fulfilled; and

triggering the access network control element to inform the terminal about an improved quality of the connection in response to the further predetermined triggering criterion being fulfilled.

18. The method as defined in claim 11, wherein the step of receiving comprises receiving a quality notification indicating the quality of the connection between the terminal and the gateway from the gateway in the core network element.

19. The method as defined in claim 18, wherein the quality notification is a notify message in accordance with the H.248 standard.

20. The method as defined in claim 11, wherein the received information indicating the quality of the connection indicates at least one of a jitter, a wander, a packet loss, and a delay.

21. A method for notifying a terminal of a quality of a connection between the terminal and a gateway, the method comprising:

receiving triggering information indicating a quality of a connection between a terminal and a gateway in an access network control element from a core network element; and

informing the terminal about the quality of the connection by the access network control element in response to receiving the triggering information.

22. The method as defined in claim 21, comprising:

receiving a triggering message indicating the quality of the connection;

generating a quality indication message indicating the quality of the connection between the terminal and the gateway based on the triggering message; and

sending the quality indication message to the terminal from the access network control element.

23. The method as defined in claim 22, wherein the step of generating comprises generating a URR Uplink Quality Indication.

24. A gateway configured to:

handle connections between at least one terminal and the gateway;

monitor quality of the connections; and

inform at least one core network element handing signaling relating to the connection about the quality of the connections.

25. A core network element configured to:

handle signaling relating to connections between at least one terminal and a gateway;

receive information indicating a quality of a connection between the at least one terminal and the gateway; and

trigger an access network control element to inform the terminal about the quality of the connection.

26. An access network control element configured to:

handle signaling relating to connections between at least one terminal and a gateway;

receive triggering information indicating a quality of the connections between the at least one terminal and the gateway from a core network element handling signaling relating to the connections; and

inform respective terminals about the quality of the connections based on the triggering information.

27. A computer program product embodied on a computer readable medium, the computer program product comprising computer readable instructions for causing a computer to carry out the following steps:

handling connections between at least one terminal and a gateway;

monitoring a quality of the connections; and

informing core network elements handing signaling relating to the connections about the quality of the connections.

28. A computer program product embodied on a computer readable medium, the computer program product comprising computer readable instructions for causing a computer to carry out the following steps:

handling signaling relating to connections between at least one terminal and a gateway;

receiving information indicating a quality of the connections between the at least one terminal and the gateway; and

triggering an access network control element to inform the terminal about the quality of the connections.

29. A computer program product embodied on a computer readable medium, comprising computer readable instructions for causing a computer to carry out the following steps:

handling signaling relating to connections between at least one terminal and a gateway;

receiving triggering information indicating a quality of the connections between the at least one terminal and the gateway from a core network element handling signaling relating to the connections; and

informing respective terminals about the quality of the connections based on the triggering information.

30. A communication system comprising:

a gateway configured to handle connections between at least one terminal and the gateway, monitor quality of the connections, and inform at least one core network element handing signaling relating to the connection about the quality of the connections; and

a core network element configured to handle signaling relating to connections between at least one terminal and a gateway, receive information indicating a quality of a connection between the at least one terminal and the gateway, and trigger an access network control element to inform the terminal about the quality of the connection.

31. A communication system as defined claim 30, further comprising an access network control element configured to handle signaling relating to connections between at least one terminal and a gateway, receive triggering information indicating a quality of the connections between the at least one terminal and the gateway from a core network element handling signaling relating to the connections, and inform respective terminals about the quality of the connections based on the triggering information.

32. A gateway comprising:

means for handling connections between at least one terminal and the gateway;

means for monitoring quality of the connections; and

means for informing at least one core network element handing signaling relating to the connection about the quality of the connections.

33. A core network element comprising:

means for handling signaling relating to connections between at least one terminal and a gateway;

means for receiving information indicating a quality of a connection between the at least one terminal and the gateway; and

means for triggering an access network control element to inform the terminal about the quality of the connection.

34. An access network control element comprising:

means for handling signaling relating to connections between at least one terminal and a gateway;

means for receiving triggering information indicating a quality of the connections between the at least one terminal and the gateway from a core network element handling signaling relating to the connections; and

means for informing respective terminals about the quality of the connections based on the triggering information.

35. A communication system comprising:

a gateway comprising means for handling connections between at least one terminal and the gateway, means for monitoring quality of the connections, and means for informing at least one core network element handing signaling relating to the connection about the quality of the connections; and

a core network element comprising means for handling signaling relating to connections between at least one terminal and a gateway, means for receiving information indicating a quality of a connection between the at least one terminal and the gateway, and means for triggering an access network control element to inform the terminal about the quality of the connection.