COMMUNICATIONS SYSTEM, INFRASTRUCTURE EQUIPMENT, COMMUNICATION TERMINAL AND METHOD

• US 20160227560A1
• Filed: 09/08/2014
• Published: 08/04/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 09/26/2013
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: InterDigital Patent Holdings, Inc. (InterDigital, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Sony Corporation (Sony Group Corp.)
• Inventors: WEBB, Matthew William, WAKABAYASHI, Hideji
• Granted Patent: US 10,154,511 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 72/12 Wireless traffic scheduling
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 72/569 of the traffic information

Abstract

A communications system communicating data to/from a communications terminal includes infrastructure equipment forming a mobile communications network to transmit/receive data to/from the communications terminal via a wireless access interface, the communications terminal configured to transmit/receive data to/from the infrastructure equipment. The communications terminal can receive transmission data to the infrastructure equipment at a buffer, transmit a resource request message requesting resources of the wireless access interface to the infrastructure equipment in response to receiving the data for transmission to the infrastructure equipment, and receive a resource allocation message from the infrastructure equipment. The resource allocation message allocates resources of the wireless access interface to the communications terminal. A characteristic of the resource request message transmitted by the communications terminal to the infrastructure equipment provides an indication of one of a predetermined set of transmission priority levels for transmitting the buffered data to the infrastructure equipment.

Claims

1. :

A communications system for communicating data to and from a communications terminal, the communications system comprising

infrastructure equipment for forming a mobile communications network, the infrastructure equipment being arranged to transmit data to and receive data from the communications terminal via a wireless access interface,

the communications terminal being configured

to receive data for transmission to the infrastructure equipment at a buffer,

to transmit a resource request message to the infrastructure equipment, the resource request message providing a request for resources of the wireless access interface for transmitting the buffered data to the infrastructure equipment, and

to receive a resource allocation message from the infrastructure equipment, the resource allocation message allocating resources of the wireless access interface to the communications terminal for transmitting the buffered data, wherein a characteristic of the resource request message transmitted by the communications terminal to the infrastructure equipment provides an indication of one of a predetermined set of transmission priority levels for transmitting the buffered data.

2. :

A communications system as claimed in claim 1, wherein the infrastructure equipment is configured

to receive the resource request message from the communications terminal,

to allocate resources in the wireless access interface to the communications terminal in response to receiving the resource request message,

to generate a resource allocation message indicating the allocated resources, and

to transmit the resource allocation message to the communications terminal, wherein the allocation of resources in the wireless access interface is dependent upon the transmission priority level for transmitting the buffered data from the set of transmission priority levels.

3. :

A communications system as claimed in claim 1, wherein the communications terminal is configured to transmit a buffer status report message to the infrastructure equipment in the allocated resources, the buffer status report providing an indication of a size of the buffered data.

4. :

A communications system as claimed in claim 1, wherein the resource request message is a scheduling request message.

5. :

A communications system as claimed in claim 1, wherein the set of the priority levels for transmitting the buffered data are provided to the communications terminal by the infrastructure equipment.

6. :

A communications system as claimed in claim 1, wherein the wireless access interface is temporally divided into a plurality of subframes and the communications terminal is configured to transmit the resource request message in a subset of the plurality of subframes, and

the characteristic of the resource request message is a timing of transmission of the resource request message relative to the subset of subframes.

7. :

A communications system as claimed in claim 1, wherein the characteristic of the resource request message is an amplitude of the resource request message.

8. :

A communications system as claimed in claim 1, wherein the communications terminal comprises a plurality of antennas for transmitting data to the infrastructure equipment, and the characteristic is the one or more antennas from which the resource request message is transmitted.

9. :

A communications system as claimed in claim 1, wherein the wireless access interface is temporally divided into a plurality of subframes and the communications terminal is configured to transmit the resource request message in a subset of the plurality of subframes, and the characteristic is provided from the resources within a subframe in which the resource request message is transmitted.

10. :

A communications terminal comprising

a transmitter unit configured to transmit signals representing data via a wireless access interface to an infrastructure equipment and a receiver configured to receive signals from the infrastructure equipment via the wireless access interface, the infrastructure equipment for forming part of a mobile communications network, and

a controller configured in combination with the transmitter and the receiver to receive data for transmission to the infrastructure equipment at a buffer,

to transmit a resource request message to the infrastructure equipment, the resource request message providing a request for resources of the wireless access interface for transmitting the buffered data to the infrastructure equipment, and

to receive a resource allocation message from the infrastructure equipment, the resource

allocation message allocating resources of the wireless access interface to the communications terminal for transmitting the buffered data, wherein a characteristic of the resource request message transmitted by the communications terminal to the infrastructure equipment provides an indication of one of a predetermined set of transmission priority levels for transmitting the buffered data.

11. :

A communications terminal as claimed in claim 10, wherein the communications terminal is configured to transmit a buffer status report message to the infrastructure equipment in the allocated resources, the buffer status report providing an indication of the size of the buffered data.

12. :

A communications terminal as claimed in claim 10, wherein the controller and the receiver are configured to receive from the infrastructure equipment the set of the priority levels for transmitting the buffered data.

13. :

A communications terminal as claimed in claim 10, wherein the wireless access interface is temporally divided into a plurality of subframes and the communications terminal is configured to transmit the resource request message in a subset of the plurality of subframes, and the characteristic of the resource request message is a timing of transmission of the resource request message relative to the subset of subframes.

14. :

A communications terminal as claimed in claim 10, wherein the characteristic of the resource request message is an amplitude of the resource request message.

15. :

A communications terminal as claimed in claim 10, wherein the communications terminal comprises a plurality of antennas for transmitting data to the infrastructure equipment, and the characteristic is the one or more antennas from which the resource request message is transmitted.

16. :

A communications terminal as claimed in claim 10, wherein the wireless access interface is temporally divided into a plurality of subframes and the communications terminal is configured to transmit the resource request message in a subset of the plurality of subframes, and the characteristic is provided from the resources within a subframe in which the resource request message is transmitted.

17. :

An infrastructure equipment for forming a mobile communications network, the infrastructure equipment comprising

a transmitter unit for transmitting signals to a communications terminal via a wireless access interface, and

a receiver unit for receiving signals from the communications terminal, and

a controller configured in combination with the receiver unit and the transmitter unit

to receive a resource request message for requesting resources of the wireless access interface from the communications terminal for the communications terminal to transmit buffered data,

to allocate resources in the wireless access interface to the communications terminal in response to receiving the resource request message,

to generate a resource allocation message indicating the allocated resources, and

to transmit the resource allocation message to the communications terminal, wherein a characteristic of the resource request message received from the communications terminal provides an indication to the controller of one of a predetermined set of transmission priority levels for allocating resources of the wireless access interface to the communications terminal to transmit the transmitting the buffered data, and the controller is configured to allocate the resources in dependence on the indicated priority level.

18. :

An infrastructure equipment as claimed in claim 17, wherein the controller is configured in combination with the transmitter to transmit an indication of the set of transmission priority levels to the communications terminal.

19. :

An infrastructure equipment as claimed in claim 17, wherein the wireless access interface is temporally divided into a plurality of subframes and the communications terminal is configured to transmit the resource request message in a subset of the plurality of subframes, and the characteristic of the resource request message is a timing of transmission of the resource request message relative to the subset of subframes.

20. :

An infrastructure equipment as claimed in claim 17, wherein the characteristic of the resource request message is an amplitude of the resource request message.

21-25. -25. (canceled)