UL/DL SCHEDULING FOR FULL BANDWIDTH UTILIZATION

• US 20120057553A1
• Filed: 11/10/2011
• Published: 03/08/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 04/30/2008
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Telefonaktiebolaget LM Ericsson
• Original Assignee: Telefonaktiebolaget LM Ericsson
• Inventors: Axelsson, Håkan, Ahl, Johnny, Schliwa-Bertling, Paul
• Granted Patent: US 8,290,501 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 370/329
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 5/0037 Inter-user or inter-terminal allocation
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 72/1268 of uplink data flows
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 72/569 of the traffic information

Abstract

A method may include receiving, by a user equipment incapable of transmitting and receiving simultaneously, a schedule to transmit data on an uplink, detecting, by the user equipment, whether there is data to be transmitted on the uplink, and receiving, by the user equipment, during a time corresponding to the schedule, data associated with a downlink, when it is determined that there is no data to be transmitted.

Claims

1. A method by a user equipment, the method comprising:

receiving an uplink schedule for transmitting on an uplink to a network node;

determining whether there is data to be transmitted on the uplink to the network node;

selecting a time within a time window of the uplink schedule to transmit on the uplink when it is determined that there is data to be transmitted, or receive on a downlink from the network node within the time window of the uplink schedule when it is determined that there is no data to be transmitted, wherein the selecting occurs while the device is incapable of simultaneously receiving on the downlink and transmitting on the uplink; and

transmitting the data on the uplink based on the selected time, wherein the data to be transmitted is of an amount that is smaller than an available bandwidth associated with the uplink schedule.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

prioritizing the transmission of the data on the uplink over the receiving of data on the downlink when it is determined that there is data to be transmitted on the uplink.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein selection of the time within the time window of the uplink schedule to transmit on the uplink comprises:

identifying timeslots associated with an uplink timeslot assignment using the uplink schedule; and

selecting one of the timeslots to begin transmitting of the data on the uplink so that a remaining time within the uplink schedule is available for receiving data on the downlink.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein selection of the time within the time window of the uplink schedule to transmit on the uplink comprises:

selecting the time within the time window of the uplink schedule to begin transmitting the data on the uplink so that a remaining time within the uplink schedule available for receiving data on the downlink is maximized.

5. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

operating a mobile telephone to perform the receiving, the determining, the selecting, and the transmitting.

6. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

operating the user equipment to perform the receiving and the transmitting compatible with a Global Systems for Mobile communications/EDGE Radio Access Network (GERAN) specification.

7. A user equipment comprising:

a transceiver configured to transmit on an uplink to a network node and receive on a downlink from the network node; and

a processor configured to;

receive, via the transceiver, an uplink schedule for transmitting on the uplink;

determine whether there is data to be transmitted on the uplink;

select a time within a time window of the uplink schedule to transmit on the uplink when it is determined that there is data to be transmitted, or receive on the downlink within the time window of the uplink schedule when it is determined that there is no data to be transmitted, wherein the selecting occurs while the user equipment is incapable of simultaneously receiving on the downlink and transmitting on the uplink; and

transmit, via the transceiver, the data on the uplink based on the selected time, wherein the data to be transmitted is of an amount that is smaller than an available bandwidth associated with the uplink schedule.

8. The user equipment of claim 7, wherein the processor is further configured to:

prioritize the transmission of the data on the uplink over the receiving of data on the downlink when it is determined that there is data to be transmitted on the uplink.

9. The user equipment of claim 7, wherein the processor is further configured to:

identify timeslots associated with an uplink timeslot assignment using the uplink schedule; and

select one of the timeslots to begin transmitting the data on the uplink so that a remaining time within the uplink schedule is available for receiving on the downlink.

10. The user equipment of claim 7, wherein the processor is further configured to:

select the time within the time window of the uplink schedule to begin transmitting the data on the uplink so that a remaining time within the uplink schedule available for receiving data on the downlink is maximized.

11. The user equipment of claim 7, wherein:

the transceiver and the processor reside in a mobile telephone.

12. The user equipment of claim 7, wherein:

the transceiver and the processor are configured to communicate with the network node operating compatible with a Global Systems for Mobile communications/EDGE Radio Access Network (GERAN) specification.

13. A method by a network node, the method comprising:

transmitting an uplink schedule for a user equipment to transmit on an uplink to the network node;

receiving data on the uplink from the user equipment, wherein the data transmitted by the user equipment on the uplink is of an amount that is smaller than an available bandwidth associated with the uplink schedule; and

transmitting data on a downlink to the user equipment during a time window of the uplink schedule designated for use by the user equipment to transmit on the uplink, in response to determining that there is no remaining data to be transmitted by the user equipment on the uplink, wherein the transmitting occurs while the user equipment is incapable of receiving on the downlink and transmitting on the uplink at the same time.

14. The method by the network node of claim 13, further comprising:

prioritizing the reception of the data on the uplink over the transmitting of data on the downlink when it is determined that there is remaining data to be transmitted by the user equipment on the uplink.

15. The method by the network node of claim 13, further comprising:

identifying timeslots associated with an uplink timeslot assignment using the uplink schedule; and

selecting one of the timeslots to begin receiving of the data on the uplink so that a remaining time within the uplink schedule is available for transmitting data on the downlink.

16. The method by the network node of claim 13, further comprising:

selecting a time within the time window of the uplink schedule to begin receiving the data on the uplink so that a remaining time within the uplink schedule available for transmitting data on the downlink is maximized.

17. A network node comprising:

a transceiver configured to receive on an uplink from a user equipment and to transmit on a downlink to the user equipment; and

a processor configured to;

transmit, via the transceiver, an uplink schedule to the user equipment for use by the user equipment to transmit on the uplink to the network node;

receive, via the transceiver, data on the uplink from the user equipment, wherein the data transmitted by the user equipment on the uplink is of an amount that is smaller than an available bandwidth associated with the uplink schedule; and

transmit, via the transceiver, data on a downlink to the user equipment during a time window of the uplink schedule designated for use by the user equipment to transmit on the uplink, in response to determining that there is no remaining data to be transmitted by the user equipment on the uplink, wherein the transmitting occurs while the user equipment is incapable of receiving on the downlink and transmitting on the uplink at the same time.

18. The network node of claim 17, wherein the processor is further configured to:

prioritize the reception of the data on the uplink over the transmitting of data on the downlink when it is determined that there is remaining data to be transmitted by the user equipment on the uplink.

19. The network node of claim 17, wherein the processor is further configured to:

identify timeslots associated with an uplink timeslot assignment using the uplink schedule; and

select one of the timeslots to begin receiving of the data on the uplink so that a remaining time within the uplink schedule is available for transmitting data on the downlink.

20. The network node of claim 17, wherein the processor is further configured to:

select a time within the time window of the uplink schedule to begin receiving the data on the uplink so that a remaining time within the uplink schedule available for transmitting data on the downlink is maximized.