Unlicensed-Licensed Interworking Enhancement Through the Implementation of an Specific Link Control Protocol Layer with Packet Prioritization

• US 20070286132A1
• Filed: 03/12/2004
• Published: 12/13/2007
• Est. Priority Date: 03/12/2004
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Telefonaktiebolaget LM Ericsson
• Original Assignee: Telefonaktiebolaget LM Ericsson
• Inventors: Vikberg, Jari, Nylander, Tomas, Niska, Haken
• Application Number:
  US10/598,769
• Publication Number:
  US 20070286132A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 370/338
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 28/14 using intermediate storage
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 72/569 of the traffic information
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 92/02 Inter-networking arrangements

Abstract

An unlicensed-radio access network connects a mobile station to a conventional cellular core network. The unlicensed-radio access network includes an access controller (30) connected to the core network portion and a plurality of access points (20) connected to the access controller via a broadband packet-switched network. Each access point supports an unlicensed-radio interface permitting communication between mobile stations (10) and the access controller. Both the mobile station and the access controller comprises a first link control module (15, 35) for relaying or generating packet service frames and a second transport protocol module (13, 33). In accordance with the present invention a third, link control module (14, 34) is arranged between the first and second modules for receiving packet service frames from the first link control module, determining a transmission priority assigned to each packet frame and forwarding the packet service frames to the first transport protocol module in an order corresponding to the assigned transmission priority.

Claims

1. An unlicensed-radio access network for connecting a mobile station to a core network portion of a licensed-radio mobile network, said unlicensed-radio access network comprising:

an access controller connected to said core network portion,

a broadband packet-switched network connected to said access controller;

a plurality of access points, each said access point defining at least part of a mini-cell coverage area and supporting an unlicensed-radio interface permitting communication between mobile stations located within a respective mini-cell and said access controller, wherein said access controller comprises

a first link control relay module for relaying packet service frames and

a second transport protocol module

a third link control module arranged between said first and second modules for receiving packet service frames from said first link control relay module determining a transmission priority assigned to each packet frame and forwarding said packet service frames to said first transport protocol module in an order corresponding to said assigned transmission priority.

2. The access network as claimed in claim 1, wherein said third link control module comprises a plurality of buffers for storing said packet service frames, each buffer corresponding to a specific transmission priority and being adapted to receive packet service frames of the specific transmission priority only.

3. The access network as claimed in claim 2, wherein said third link control module is further adapted to determine an acknowledgement mode of a packet service frame and to store a packet service frame assigned an acknowledgement mode in a buffer for a period after transmission until acknowledgement said frame is received.

4. The access network as claimed in claim 2, wherein said third link control module comprises multiple sets of said plurality of buffers, each set corresponding to a specific mobile station and being adapted to receive packet service frames destined for the specific mobile station only.

5. The access network as claimed in claim 1, wherein at least one access point is provided with a transport protocol module, adapted to receive packet service frames from said access controller and an unlicensed radio module for exchanging packet service frames with a mobile station over an unlicensed-radio interface, said access point further including a link control relay module adapted to

queue packet service frames received from said transport protocol module,

determine a transmission priority assigned to each packet frame and

forward said packet service frames to said unlicensed radio module in an order corresponding to said assigned transmission priority.

6. The access network as claimed in claim 5, wherein said link control relay module is further adapted to determine an acknowledgement mode of a packet service frame and to assign each packet service frame to an unlicensed-radio protocol with an equivalent acknowledgement mode.

7. The access network as claimed in claim 1 wherein said transport protocol modules provide for a datagram service over the Internet Protocol.

8. The access network as claimed in claim 7, wherein said datagram service is the User Datagram Protocol (UDP).

9. A mobile station adapted to exchange packet service frames with a core network portion of a licensed-radio mobile network via an unlicensed-radio access network, said mobile station comprising:

a first link control module for generating packet service frames and

a second unlicensed-radio module for exchanging packet service frames with an access point of said unlicensed-radio access network over an unlicensed-radio interface,

a third link control module arranged between said first and second modules for

receiving packet service frames from said first link control module

determining a transmission priority assigned to each packet frame and

forwarding said packet service frames to said second unlicensed-radio module in an order corresponding to said assigned transmission priority.

10. The mobile station as claimed in claim 9, wherein said third link control module comprises a plurality of buffers for storing said packet service frames, each buffer corresponding to a specific transmission priority and being adapted to receive packet service frames of the specific transmission priority only.

11. The mobile station as claimed claim 10, wherein said third link control module is further adapted to determine an acknowledgement mode of a packet service frame and to store a packet service frame assigned an acknowledgement mode in a buffer for a period after transmission until acknowledgement said frame is received.

12. A method in an unlicensed-radio access network for connecting a mobile station to a core network portion of a licensed-radio mobile network, said unlicensed-radio access network including

an access controller connected to said core network portion,

a broadband packet-switched network connected to said access controller and

a plurality of access points, each said access point defining a mini-cell coverage area and supporting an unlicensed-radio interface permitting communication between mobile stations located within a respective mini-cell and said access controller, wherein said access controller comprises:

a link control relay module for relaying packet service frames and

a transport protocol module

said access controller, receiving packet service frames from said link control relay module, determining a transmission priority assigned to packet frames destined for a mobile station and forwarding said packet service frames to said second transport protocol module in accordance with a first algorithm based on said assigned transmission priority.

13. The method as claimed in claim 12, further comprising the steps of:

in said access controller determining an acknowledgement mode of a packet service frame received from said link control relay module and

storing a packet service frame assigned an acknowledgement mode for a period after transmission until acknowledgement said frame is received.

14. The method as claimed in claim 12, further comprising the steps of:

in said access controller determining the destination mobile station of packet service frames received from said link control relay module and

applying a second algorithm to select among packet service frames destined for different mobile stations before applying said first algorithm.

15. The method as claimed in claim 12 further comprising the steps of:

in an access point, receiving packet service frames from said access controller, determining the assigned destination priority of said packet service frames; and

forwarding said packet service frames to a mobile station in an order defined by a third algorithm based on destination priority.

16. The method as claimed in claim 12, further comprising the steps of:

in an access point, receiving packet service frames from said access controller, determining an acknowledgement mode of a packet service frame; and

assigning each packet service frame to an unlicensed-radio protocol with an equivalent acknowledgement mode.