COMMUNICATION SYSTEM AND METHOD

• US 20110199934A1
• Filed: 10/23/2008
• Published: 08/18/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 10/23/2008
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Telefonaktiebolaget LM Ericsson
• Original Assignee: Telefonaktiebolaget LM Ericsson
• Inventors: Sintorn, Mathias, Persson, Fredrik, Olofsson, Håkan, Voigt, Lotta
• Application Number:
  US13/125,232
• Publication Number:
  US 20110199934A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 370/252
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 52/0216 using a pre-established activity schedule, e.g. traffic indication frame
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 76/27 Transitions between radio resource control [RRC] states
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 76/28 Discontinuous transmission [DTX]; Discontinuous reception [DRX]
• CPC Class Codes: Y02D 30/70 in wireless communication networks

Abstract

The invention involves monitoring the flow of traffic for a particular user to detect a pattern in the flow of traffic. Upon detecting a particular pattern, one or more operating parameters or settings of the radio access network are adapted accordingly. The pattern can correspond to a particular application, or a combination of two or more applications being used concurrently by the user. The parameters or setting include timer settings or threshold values relating to state transitions.

Claims

1. A method of configuring a radio access network for a particular user, the method comprising:

monitoring a flow of traffic for the user;

detecting a pattern in the flow of traffic; and

adapting an operating parameter of the radio access network based on the detected pattern.

2. A method according to claim 1, wherein monitoring a flow of traffic comprises the step of measuring the flow of traffic in the radio access network.

3. A method according to claim 2, wherein monitoring a flow of traffic comprises measuring an aggregate of all traffic for the user.

4. A method according to claim 3, wherein the traffic is measured according to an intensity of a packet flow, a peak rate of a packet flow, and/or an amount of data in a buffer.

5. A method according to claim 4, wherein measuring the flow of traffic comprises actively measuring the flow of traffic during a communication session.

6. A method according to claim 1, wherein detecting a pattern in the flow of traffic comprises detecting a periodic pattern, or a behavior pattern specific to a particular application or a combination of two or more applications.

7. A method according to claim 1, wherein adapting an operating parameter of the radio access network comprises changing a timer setting.

8. A method according to claim 7, wherein the timer setting relates to an on-duration setting, inactivity-timer setting or active-time setting of a discontinuous reception mode of operation in a LTE communications network, or inactivity-timer setting of a WCDMA communications network.

9. A method according to claim 1, wherein adapting an operating parameter of the radio access network comprises changing a threshold value of a parameter of the radio access network, or a switching threshold between first and second radio resource control states.

10. A method according to claim 1, wherein the adapting step is performed dynamically.

11. A network element for configuring a radio access network for a particular user, the network element comprising:

a monitoring circuit configured to monitor a flow of traffic for the user;

a detecting circuit configured to detect a pattern in the flow of traffic; and

an adapting circuit configured to adapt an operating parameter of the radio access network based on the detected pattern.

12. A network element according to claim 11, wherein the monitoring circuit is configured to measure the flow of traffic in the radio access network, or an aggregate of all traffic for the user.

13. A network element according to claim 12, wherein the monitoring circuit is configured to measure the flow of traffic according to an intensity of a packet flow, a peak rate of a packet flow, and/or an amount of data in a buffer.

14. A network element according to claim 13, wherein the monitoring circuit is configured to actively measure the flow of traffic during a communication session.

15. A network element according to claim 14, wherein the detecting circuit is configured to detect a periodic pattern in the flow of traffic.

16. A network element according to claim 15, wherein the adapting circuit is configured to adapt a timer setting of the radio access network.

17. A network element according to claim 16, wherein the timer setting relates to an on-duration setting, inactivity-timer setting or active-time setting of a discontinuous reception mode of operation in a LTE communications network, or inactivity-timer setting of a WCDMA communications network.

18. A network element according to claim 17, wherein the adapting circuit is configured to adapt a threshold value of a parameter in the radio access network, or a switching threshold between first and second radio resource control states.

19. A network element according to claim 18, wherein the network element is a radio network controller (RNC) of a WCDMA communications network or an evolved NodeB (eNB) in a LTE communications network.

20. A communications system comprising one or more network elements according to claim 11.