CONGESTION/LOAD INDICATION FOR HIGH SPEED PACKET ACCESS

• US 20080186862A1
• Filed: 01/25/2008
• Published: 08/07/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 02/05/2007
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Telefonaktiebolaget LM Ericsson
• Original Assignee: Telefonaktiebolaget LM Ericsson
• Inventors: KIM, Seungtai, KARLSSON, Patrik, CORBETT, Eddie, KWONG, Waikwok, LUNDIN, Erik GEIJER, DE BOER, Tjeerd
• Granted Patent: US 8,755,270 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 370/237
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 28/18 Negotiating wireless communication parameters
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 72/29 between an access point and the access point controlling device
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 72/52 based on load
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 92/12 between access points and access point controllers

Abstract

A radio access network (20) comprises a radio network controller (26) and a radio base station (28). The radio network controller (26) is configured to perform admission control and to allocate resources of a cell. The radio base station (28) is configured to determine load/congestion on a high speed shared channel and to generate an indication of the load/congestion for transmission to the radio network controller. In some example embodiments and modes, at least one of the radio network controller and the radio base station is configured to allocate at least some of the resources for the high speed shared channel to support a guaranteed service and also to allocate at least some resources to support a non-guaranteed service. In some example implementations of this aspect, a user(s) of the non-guaranteed service is permitted to use the resources up to a reserved resource level of resources. According to another non-limiting aspect of the technology, the radio base station is further configured to generate a recommended action for dealing with the load/congestion.

Claims

1. A radio access network comprising:

a radio network controller configured to perform admission control and to allocate resources of a cell;

a radio base station configured to determine load/congestion on a high speed shared channel and to generate an indication of the load/congestion for transmission of the indication to the radio network controller.

3. The apparatus of claim 1 or claim 2, wherein the radio base station is further configured to generate a congestion report including a congestion severity indicator.

4. The apparatus of claim 3, wherein the severity indicator is expressed in terms of an allocation/retention priority level.

5. The apparatus of claim 1 or claim 2, wherein the radio base station is further configured to generate a congestion report including a reason for congestion.

6. The apparatus of claim 5, wherein the congestion reason includes at least one of (1) power and/or noise rise for a non-shared dedicated channel, (2) a code deficiency for the high speed shared channel and (3) a hardware problem.

7. The apparatus of claim 6, wherein the hardware problem comprises a problem with scheduler specific hardware of the radio base station.

8. The apparatus of claim 1 or claim 2, wherein the radio base station is configured to determine and to report multiple occurrences of the load/congestion on the shared channel(s).

9. The apparatus of claim 1 or claim 2, wherein the radio base station is configured to determine and to report the load/congestion on both a high speed downlink shared channel and a high speed uplink shared channel.

10. The apparatus of claim 9, wherein the radio base station is configured to determine and to report the load/congestion on both the high speed downlink shared channel and the high speed uplink shared channel for a cell served by the radio base station.

11. The apparatus of claim 9, wherein the radio base station is configured to determine and to report the load/congestion on both the high speed downlink shared channel and the high speed uplink shared channel for a cell group served by the radio base station.

12. The apparatus of claim 1 or claim 2, wherein the radio base station is configured to determine and to report load/congestion on a channel.

13. The apparatus of claim 12, wherein the radio base station is configured to determine and to report load/congestion on the channel in accordance with one or more of the following:

on a priority class basis;

on a basis of guaranteed service;

on a basis of non-guaranteed service.

14. The apparatus of claim 1 or claim 2, wherein the channel is a downlink channel, and wherein the radio base station is configured to measure and to report downlink power utilized on the downlink channel by uplink control channels of a high speed shared uplink channel.

15. The apparatus of claim 14, wherein the high speed shared uplink channel is an E-DCH channel and the control channels used in downlink for the E-DCH are E-HICH, E-RGCH, and E-AGCH channels.

16. The apparatus of claim 14, wherein the radio network controller is configured to allocate at least some of the resources for the channel to support a guaranteed service and to allocate at least some resources to support a non-guaranteed service, and wherein the radio base station is configured to measure and to report the downlink power utilized on the downlink channel by the uplink control channels of the high speed shared uplink channel for a guaranteed service.

17. The apparatus of claim 1 or claim 2, wherein at least one of the radio network controller and the radio base station is configured to set a reserved resource level for a specified service.

18. The apparatus of claim 17, wherein the specified service is the non-guaranteed service

19. The apparatus of claim 18, wherein a user(s) of the non-guaranteed service is permitted to use the resources up to the reserved resource level of resources, but wherein when there is a differential amount of reserved resources between the reserved resource level and an actual level of reserved resources utilized by the user(s) of the non-guaranteed service, the radio base station is configured to allow another user of the cell to use at least some of the differential amount of reserved resources.

20. The apparatus of claim 19, wherein the another user is a user of the guaranteed service or a user of a non-high speed service.

21. The apparatus of claim 19, wherein the radio base station is configured to report, to the radio network controller, downlink power used by the non-guaranteed service and/or bit rate used by the non-guaranteed service.

2. A radio base station configured to determine load/congestion on a high speed shared channel and to generate an indication of the load/congestion for transmission of the indication to a node which performs admission control for the high speed channel.

22. A method of operating a radio access network comprising:

performing admission control at a radio network controller to allocate resources of a cell;

at a radio base station, determining load/congestion on a high speed shared channel and generating an indication of the load/congestion for transmission of the indication to the radio network controller.

23. The method of claim 22, further comprising including a congestion severity indicator in the indication of the load/congestion.

24. The method of claim 23, further comprising expressing the congestion reason in terms of an allocation/retention priority level.

25. The method of claim 22, further comprising generating a congestion report including a reason for congestion.

26. The method of claim 25, wherein the congestion reason includes at least one of (1) power and/or noise rise for a non-shared dedicated channel, (2) a code deficiency for the high speed shared channel and (3) a hardware problem.

27. The method of claim 26, wherein the hardware problem comprises a problem with scheduler specific hardware of the radio base station.

28. The method of claim 22, further comprising determining and reporting multiple occurrences of the load/congestion on the shared channel(s).

29. The method of claim 22, further comprising determining and reporting the load/congestion on both a high speed downlink shared channel and a high speed uplink shared channel.

30. The method of claim 29, further comprising determining and reporting the load/congestion on both the high speed downlink shared channel and the high speed uplink shared channel for a cell served by the radio base station.

31. The method of claim 29, further comprising determining and reporting the load/congestion on both the high speed downlink shared channel and the high speed uplink shared channel for a cell group served by the radio base station.

32. The method of claim 22, further comprising determining and reporting load/congestion on a channel.

33. The method of claim 32, further comprising determining and reporting load/congestion on the channel in accordance with one or more of the following:

on a priority class basis;

on a basis of guaranteed service;

on a basis of non-guaranteed service.

34. The method of claim 22, wherein the channel is a downlink channel, and further comprising measuring and reporting downlink power utilized on the downlink channel by uplink control channels of a high speed shared uplink channel.

35. The method of claim 34, wherein the high speed shared uplink channel is an E-DCH channel and the control channels used in downlink for the E-DCH are E-HICH, E-RGCH, and E-AGCH channels.

36. The method of claim 34, further comprising allocating at least some of the resources for the channel to support a guaranteed service and allocating at least some resources to support a non-guaranteed service, and further comprising measuring and reporting the downlink power utilized on the downlink channel by the uplink control channels of the high speed shared uplink channel for a guaranteed service.

37. The method of claim 22, further comprising setting a reserved resource level for a specified service.

38. The method of claim 37, wherein the specified service is the non-guaranteed service

39. The method of claim 38, further comprising permitting a user(s) of the non-guaranteed service to use the resources up to the reserved resource level of resources, but wherein when there is a differential amount of reserved resources between the reserved resource level and an actual level of reserved resources utilized by the user(s) of the non-guaranteed service, allowing another user of the cell to use at least some of the differential amount of reserved resources.

40. The method of claim 39, wherein the another user is a user of the guaranteed service or a user of a non-high speed service.

41. The method of claim 40, further comprising reporting downlink power used by the non-guaranteed service and/or bit rate used by the non-guaranteed service.