Channel-type switching from a common channel to a dedicated channel based on common channel load

• US 6,519,461 B1
• Filed: 10/29/1999
• Issued: 02/11/2003
• Est. Priority Date: 10/29/1999
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Telefonaktiebolaget LM Ericsson
• Original Assignee: Telefonaktiebolaget LM Ericsson
• Inventors: Andersson, Christoffer, Söderberg, Johan
• Primary Examiner(s): MAUNG, NAY AUNG
• Application Number:
  US09/430,165
• Time in Patent Office: 1,201 Days
• Field of Search: 455/422, 455/432, 455/436, 455/450, 455/453, 455/512, 455/513, 455/511, 370/235, 370/238, 370/328, 370/329, 370/338, 370/352-355, 370/437
• US Class Current: 455/453
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 28/18 Negotiating wireless communication parameters

Abstract

Two different types of communications channels including first and second types are provided to support user connections in a communications system. A first type of channel supports a user connection. Thereafter, a current load or throughput on the first type of channel is detected. Based on the detected load or throughput, a corresponding data amount threshold is provided. A current amount of data to be transmitted over the user connection is detected. A determination is made whether to switch the user connection from the first type of channel to the second type of channel based on the current amount of data to be transmitted over the user connection and on the data amount threshold. In the example embodiment, the user connection is switched to the second type of channel when the current amount of data to be transmitted is greater than the data amount threshold. Otherwise, the user connection is maintained on the first type of channel.

Claims

1. In a mobile radio communications system having two different types of communications channels including a first type of channel and a second type of channel, a method comprising:

providing the first type of channel to support a user connection;

detecting a current load or throughput on the first type of channel;

providing a data amount threshold based on the detected load or throughput;

detecting an amount of data to be transmitted over the user connection; and

determining whether to switch the user connection from the first type of channel to the second type of channel based on the detected amount of data to be transmitted over the user connection and on the provided data amount threshold.

2. The method in claim 1, further comprising:

switching the user connection to the second type of channel when the detected amount of data to be transmitted is greater than the data amount threshold.

3. The method in claim 2, further comprising:

maintaining the user connection on the first type of channel if the detected amount of data to be transmitted is not greater than the amount data threshold.

4. The method in claim 3, wherein the first type of channel is a common radio channel allocated to support plural user connections and the second type of channel is a dedicated radio channel temporarily reserved for one user connection.

5. The method in claim 3, wherein the first type of channel is a higher capacity or quality channel than the second type of channel.

6. The method in claim 1, further comprising:

establishing a relationship between the current load or throughput on the first channel and the amount threshold where as the current load increases or as the current throughput decreases, the amount threshold decreases.

7. The method in claim 6, wherein the relationship is a linear relationship.

8. The method in claim 6, wherein the relationship establishes a mapping between plural channel load values and plural data amount threshold values.

9. The method in claim 1, further comprising:

establishing a relationship between the current load or throughput on the second channel and the amount threshold,

wherein the relationship establishes a size of the data amount threshold based on an estimated time to empty the buffer on the second type of channel at the current load or throughput.

10. The method in claim 1, wherein the data amount threshold is determined in accordance with the following:

11. The method in claim 10, wherein a maximum allowed time delay is defined for a user connection.

12. In a mobile radio communications system having two different types of communications channels including a dedicated type of channel temporarily reserved for one mobile radio user and a common type of channel shared by plural mobile radio users, where data packets corresponding to a mobile user connection are stored in a transmit buffer before being transmit over a channel assigned to the mobile user connection, a method comprising:

relating plural common channel throughput or load values to corresponding plural transmit buffer thresholds, and

using the related common channel throughput or load values and transmit buffer thresholds in channel type selection decisions to support the mobile user connection.

13. The method in claim 12, further comprising:

detecting a current common channel throughput or load;

comparing the transmit buffer threshold corresponding to the detected current common channel throughput or load to a current amount of data stored in the transmit buffer; and

selecting the common channel for the mobile user connection if the current amount of data stored in the transmit buffer does not exceed the compared transmit buffer threshold.

14. In a mobile radio communications system having two different types of communications channels including a dedicated type of channel temporarily reserved for one mobile radio user and a common type of channel shared by plural mobile radio users, where data packets corresponding to a mobile user connection are stored in a transmit buffer before being transmit over a selected channel, a method comprising:

relating plural common channel throughput or load values to corresponding plural values of a quality of service parameter, and

using the related common channel throughput or load values and corresponding plural values of the quality of service parameter in channel type selection decisions to support the mobile user connection.

15. The method in claim 14, further comprising:

detecting a current common channel throughput or load;

comparing a value of the quality of service parameter associated with the mobile radio user connection with the quality of service parameter value corresponding to the detected current common channel throughput or load; and

selecting the common channel to support the mobile radio user connection from the dedicated channel to the common channel if the value of the quality of service parameter associated with the mobile radio user connection is satisfied by the quality of service parameter value corresponding to the detected current common channel throughput or load.

16. The method in claim 14, further comprising:

switching a mobile radio user connection from the common channel to the dedicated channel if the value of the quality of service parameter associated with the mobile radio connection is not satisfied by the quality of service parameter value corresponding to the detected current common channel throughput or load.

17. The method in claim 14, the method further comprising:

determining the throughput or load on the common channel based on a number of user connections currently being supported on the common channel and a data rate of the common channel.

18. The method in claim 15, wherein the selecting step includes taking into account one or more other parameters.

19. In a mobile communications system including plural base stations coupled to a controller and communicating over a radio interface with mobile stations, a radio network control node comprising:

plural buffers, each buffer assignable to support a mobile user connection and having a first threshold;

channel-type switching circuitry, coupled to the buffers, controllably switching a user connection from a first type of radio channel to a second type of radio channel;

a measurement controller obtaining measurements of a current amount of data stored in each buffer and of a current load or throughput on the first type of radio channel; and

a channel-type switching controller controlling the channel-type switching circuitry to direct the data corresponding to one of the mobile user connections stored in one of the buffers from the first type of radio channel currently supporting the one mobile user connection to the second type of radio channel based on the measurements from the measurement controller relating to the current amount of data stored in the one buffer and on the current load or throughput.

20. The control node in claim 19, wherein the control node corresponds to a radio network controller coupled to plural base stations.

21. The control node in claim 19, wherein the first type of radio channel is one of a dedicated radio channel temporarily reserved for one mobile user and a common radio channel shared by plural mobile users and the second type of radio channel is the other of the dedicated radio channel and the common radio channel.

22. The control node in claim 19, further comprising:

a radio resource controller coupled to the channel-type switching controller,

wherein the channel-type switching controller controls the channel-type switching taking into account an availability of radio resources provided by the radio resource controller.

23. The control node in claim 19, further comprising:

a quality of service controller providing quality of service parameter information to the channel-type switching controller,

wherein the channel-type switching controller controls the channel-type switching taking into account a quality of service parameter associated with the mobile user connection provided by the quality of service controller.

24. In a mobile radio communications system having two types of communications channels including a first type of channel and a second type of channel, wherein a user connection is supported by the first type of channel, an apparatus comprising:

means for providing plural data amount thresholds and associated current load or throughput thresholds;

means for detecting a current amount of data to be transmitted for the user connection and a current load or throughput on a first type of channel; and

means for switching the user connection from the first type of channel to the second type of channel if the detected amount of data is greater than the data amount threshold associated with the current load or throughput.

25. The apparatus in claim 24, wherein the data amount threshold is determined in accordance with the following: