Self-Contained Data Transfer Channel

• US 20140369245A1
• Filed: 06/14/2013
• Published: 12/18/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 06/14/2013
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Malikie Innovations Limited (Key Patent Innovations Limited)
• Original Assignee: Blackberry Limited
• Inventors: Pecen, Mark E., Mukherjee, Biswaroop, Periyalwar, Shalini Suresh, Bontu, Chandra Sekhar
• Granted Patent: US 9,215,656 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 370/311
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 52/0212 managed by the network, e.g. network or access point is master and terminal is slave
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 52/0216 using a pre-established activity schedule, e.g. traffic indication frame
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 72/20 Control channels or signalling for resource management
• CPC Class Codes: Y02D 30/70 in wireless communication networks

Abstract

A data transfer system may coordinate the transfer of user data and control data using a self-contained data channel without using a separate control channel in a time period between set-up and tear-down of the self-contained data channel. For example, a plurality of data transfer resources may be established in a self-contained data channel between user equipment and a network controller. User data is transferred between the user equipment and the network controller in at least one of the plurality of data transfer resources of the self-contained data channel. Additionally, control data is transferred between the user equipment and the network controller in at least one of the plurality of data transfer resources of the self-contained data channel.

Claims

1. A data transfer method, comprising:

establishing a plurality of data transfer resources in a self-contained data channel between user equipment and a network controller;

transferring user data between the user equipment and the network controller in at least one of the plurality of data transfer resources of the self-contained data channel; and

transferring control data between the user equipment and the network controller in at least one of the plurality of data transfer resources of the self-contained data channel without using a separate control channel in a time period between set-up and tear-down of the self-contained data channel.

2. The method of claim 1, where the network controller comprises an Evolved Node B (eNB) device in a Long-Term Evolution (LTE) network.

3. The method of claim 1, where the network controller comprises a node in a 3GPP GERAN, 3GPP UTRAN, 3GPP2 CDMA2000, IEEE 802.11x, or Wimax network.

4. The method of claim 1, where the user equipment is a first user equipment device, and where the network controller is a second user equipment device.

5. The method of claim 1, where the self-contained data channel is a self-contained uplink data channel from the user equipment to the network controller, the method further comprising requesting a change to a parameter of at least one of the plurality of data transfer resources by transmitting a data transfer modification request from the user equipment to the network controller as an in-band control signal in at least one of the plurality of data transfer resources of the self-contained uplink data channel.

6. The method of claim 5, where the parameter is a size of at least one of the plurality of data transfer resources or a periodicity of the plurality of data transfer resources.

7. The method of claim 5, further comprising receiving an identification of a new data transfer resource or a modified data transfer resource at the user equipment from the network controller as an in-band control signal in a self-contained downlink data channel.

8. The method of claim 1, where the self-contained data channel is a self-contained downlink data channel from the network controller to the user equipment, the method further comprising receiving an identification of a new data transfer resource or a modified data transfer resource at the user equipment from the network controller as an in-band control signal in a self-contained downlink radio resource.

9. The method of claim 1, where the step of establishing the plurality of data transfer resources in the self-contained data channel comprises:

analyzing quality of service data associated with an application that generates the user data for transfer between the user equipment and the network controller.

10. The method of claim 1, where the step of establishing the plurality of data transfer resources in the self-contained data channel comprises:

selecting the self-contained data channel from multiple available channel formats for the user equipment based on quality of service data.

11. The method of claim 10, where the multiple available channel formats comprises a channel format with a scheme for embedding control information in a physical layer and control information conveyed in a medium access layer.

12. The method of claim 1, where the step of transferring control data comprises transmitting hybrid automatic repeat request acknowledgements or negative-acknowledgements as in-band control signaling between the user equipment and the network controller in at least one of the plurality of data transfer resources of the self-contained data channel.

13. The method of claim 12, where an uplink data transfer resource of the self-contained data channel contains the hybrid automatic repeat request acknowledgements or negative-acknowledgements for a previous downlink data transfer resource.

14. The method of claim 1, where the step of transferring control data comprises transmitting one or more of a scheduling request, a channel quality indication report, or a buffer status report as in-band control signaling from the user equipment to the network controller in at least one of the plurality of data transfer resources of the self-contained data channel.

15. The method of claim 1, where the plurality of data transfer resources are pre-assigned to the user equipment before transferring the user data and the control data.

16. The method of claim 1, where the plurality of data transfer resources are repeating resources.

17. The method of claim 1, where the plurality of data transfer resources are loosely synchronized in time.

18. The method of claim 17, where at least one of the plurality of data transfer resources is provided with a guard time.

19. The method of claim 1, where the plurality of data transfer resources are loosely synchronized in frequency.

20. The method of claim 19, where at least one of the plurality of data transfer resources is provided with a guard band.

21. A data transfer system, comprising:

a computer processor;

a computer memory device coupled with the computer processor; and

a channel management application stored in the computer memory and executable by the computer processor to cause the computer processor to;

establish a data transfer resource in a self-contained data channel between user equipment and a network controller;

transfer user data between the user equipment and the network controller in the data transfer resource of the self-contained data channel; and

transfer control data between the user equipment and the network controller in the data transfer resource of the self-contained data channel without using a separate control channel between set-up and tear-down of the self-contained data channel.

22. The system of claim 21, where the network controller comprises an Evolved Node B (eNB) device in a Long-Term Evolution (LTE) network.

23. The system of claim 21, where the network controller comprises a node in a 3GPP GERAN, 3GPP UTRAN, 3GPP2 CDMA2000, IEEE 802.11x, or Wimax network.

24. The system of claim 21, where the self-contained data channel is a self-contained uplink data channel, where the channel management application is executable by the computer processor to cause the computer processor to:

transmit a data transfer modification request as in-band control signaling in the data transfer resource of the self-contained uplink data channel; and

receive an identification of a new data transfer resource or a modified data transfer resource from the network controller to the user equipment using in-band control signaling in a self-contained downlink data channel.

25. The system of claim 21, where the channel management application is executable by the computer processor to cause the computer processor to:

analyze quality of service data associated with the user equipment; and

select the self-contained data channel from multiple available channel formats for the user equipment based on the quality of service data.

26. The system of claim 21, where the channel management application is executable by the computer processor to cause the computer processor to transmit hybrid automatic repeat request acknowledgements or negative-acknowledgements as in-band control signaling between the user equipment and the network controller in the data transfer resource of the self-contained data channel.

27. The system of claim 21, where the channel management application is executable by the computer processor to cause the computer processor to transmit one or more of a scheduling request, a channel quality indication report, or a buffer status report as in-band control signaling from the user equipment to the network controller in the data transfer resource of the self-contained data channel.

28. A data transfer method, comprising:

receiving a data transfer request at a network controller from user equipment;

allocating a data transfer resource in a self-contained data channel for the user equipment in response to the data transfer request;

transmitting an identification of the data transfer resource from the network controller to the user equipment; and

instructing the user equipment to use in-band control signaling in the self-contained data channel.

29. The method of claim 28, where the step of instructing the user equipment comprises instructing the user equipment to use in-band control signaling in the self-contained data channel for all control signals between set-up and tear-down of the self-contained data channel, the method further comprising transmitting in-band control signals from the network controller to the user equipment in a self-contained downlink data channel without using a separate control channel between set-up and tear-down of the self-contained downlink data channel.

30. The method of claim 28, where the self-contained data channel is a self-contained uplink data channel, the method further comprising:

receiving a data transfer modification request as in-band control signaling in the data transfer resource of the self-contained uplink data channel;

allocating a new data transfer resource or modifying a parameter of the allocated data transfer resource in response to the data transfer modification request; and

transmitting an identification of the new data transfer resource or the modified data transfer resource from the network controller to the user equipment using in-band control signaling in a self-contained downlink data channel.

31. The method of claim 28, where the step of allocating the data transfer resource comprises selecting a fixed resource periodicity and fixed resource size for a periodic use of the data transfer resource by the user equipment.