Packet communication system and a method related to such a system

• US 6,724,746 B1
• Filed: 03/10/2000
• Issued: 04/20/2004
• Est. Priority Date: 03/12/1999
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Unwired Planet LLC (JP Morgan Chase & Co)
• Original Assignee: Telefonaktiebolaget LM Ericsson
• Inventors: Lindén, Lars
• Primary Examiner(s): Vanderpuye, Kenneth
• Assistant Examiner(s): Phunkulh, Bob A.
• Application Number:
  US09/523,202
• Time in Patent Office: 1,502 Days
• Field of Search: 370/328, 370/329, 370/338, 370/343, 370/344, 370/345, 370/347, 370/349, 370/352, 370/353, 370/356, 370/458, 370/480, 370/493, 370/494, 370/495, 370/496, 370/468, 455/550, 455/556, 455/557
• US Class Current: 370/349
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/6418 Hybrid transport
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 2012/6421 Medium of transmission, e.g. fibre, cable, radio, satellite
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 2012/6481 Speech, voice

Abstract

The present invention relates to a packet data communication system and is primarily intended for packet data radio communication systems, such as a GSM-system (PLMN) supporting a GPRS-service. A data frame received from a connected second packet data network (Internet) is divided into a sequence of data segments (DS). Speech packets (SPP) with an origin from a connected telecommunication network and the segments (DS) and are transmitted over a packet data link (PL1) to a radio base station (BTS) with priority given to the speech packets (SPP). The data segments (DS) shall be transmitted on a corresponding radio link (RL2) to a designated mobile station (MS). The problem is that during high traffic loads the segments are subjected to long delays and as a result no segments can be transmitted on the corresponding radio link. Giving priority to a first few data segments of the sequence when transmitted over the packet data link (PL1) solves the problem.

Claims

1. A method relating to a packet data communication system to improve the transmission efficiency when transmitting information packets, which are sensitive to delay and data segments, which are sensitive to loss of data, the method comprising the steps of:

receiving information packets from a first communications network;

receiving a data frame from a second communications network;

dividing said data frame into a sequence of data segments;

transmitting said sequence of data segments over a first packet data link with a second priority to a first node for further transmission over a second packet data link, wherein information packets are also transmitted over the first packet data link with a first priority and wherein said sequence of data segments and said information packets share transmission resources on said first packet data link on a time multiplexed basis while performing said step of transmitting; and

wherein while transmitting said sequence of data segments, transmitting some of the first data segments of said sequence of data segments with said first priority over said first packet data link.

2. A method according to claim 1, wherein the data segments of said sequence of data segments are to be transmitted over said second packet data link at defined times.

3. A method according to claim 2, wherein said first node is a radio base station and said second packet data link is a packet data radio link.

4. A method according to claim 1, wherein in general the capacity for transmitting said sequence of data segments is higher on said first packet data link than on said second packet data link.

5. A method according to claim 1, wherein said information packets are packets of sampled, digitized speech.

6. A method according to claim 1, wherein the number of said sequence data segments in said sequence of data segments is in the order of three to eight.

7. A method according to claim 3, wherein the packet data communication system is a radio communication system.

8. A method according to claim 7, wherein the packet data communication system is a GSM-system.

9. A method according to claim 1, wherein said first priority is a priority with respect to delay, and wherein the data segments are given a second priority with respect to low packet loss.

10. A method according to claim 1, wherein received data segments are buffered in said first node until transmission on said second packet data link is effected, and wherein in the event of the buffered number of data segments decreasing to below a threshold value, said first node sends a signal to a packet control unit and the packet control unit therewith gives priority to some data segments at transmission.

11. A packet communication system comprising:

a first interface for receiving a stream of information from a first communications network and transforming said stream of information into a corresponding stream of information packets,

a packet control unit that has a second interface for receiving a data frame from a second communications network and for segmenting said data frame into a sequence of data segments,

a first node,

a first packet data link connecting said first interface and said packet control unit to said first node,

means for transmitting said stream of information packets and said sequence of data segments on said first packet data link with a first priority given to a first few of the data segments of said sequence of data segments and to all of the information packets of said stream of information packets wherein a second priority is given to a rest of the data segments of said sequence of data segments; and

wherein said means for transmitting shares transmission resources on said first packet data link by transmitting said stream of information packets and said sequence of data segments on a time multiplexed basis.

12. A packet communication system according to claim 11, wherein the received stream of information corresponds to speech and said first interface comprises a speech transcoder.

13. A packet communication system according to claim 11, wherein said first node comprises a buffer for buffering received data segments until predefined times for further transmission are reached.

14. A packet communication system according to claim 11, wherein said first priority is a short delay priority.

15. A packet communication system according to claim 13, further comprising:

a control link from said first node to said packet control unit,

means in said first node for sending a signal to said packet control unit in the event of the number of data segments in said buffer falling below a given threshold value, and

means in said packet control unit for giving some few data segments transmission priority in response to said signal.

16. A packet communication system according to claim 11, further comprising:

a router that connects said first interface and said packet control unit to said first packet data link.

17. A packet communication system according to claim 11, wherein said first node is a radio base station having a second and a third packet data radio link for transmitting data segments and information packets respectively.

18. A packet communication system according to claim 11, wherein said first interface is towards a telecommunication system and said packet control unit is towards a second packet data network.

19. A method relating to a packet data communication system to improve the transmission efficiency when transmitting information packets, which are sensitive to delay and data segments, which are sensitive to loss of data, the method comprising the steps of:

receiving a data frame;

dividing said data frame into a sequence of data segments;

transmitting said sequence of data segments over a first packet data link to a first node for further transmission over a second packet data link, wherein information packets are also transmitted over the first packet data link with a first priority;

buffering the received data segments in said first node until transmission over a second packet data link at defined times for each data segment; and

signaling from said first node in the event of the number of data segments decreases a threshold number whereupon a few of the data segments of said sequence of data segments are transmitted with said first priority over said first packet data link.

20. A method according to claim 19, wherein said first node is a radio base station and said second packet data link is a packet data radio link.

21. A method according to claim 19, wherein in general the capacity for transmitting the data segments is higher on said first packet data link than on said second packet data link.

22. A method according to claim 19, wherein said information packets are packets of sampled, digitized speech.

23. A method according to claim 19, wherein the number of said few data segments In said sequence of data segments is in the order of three to eight.

24. A method according to claim 19, wherein said first priority is a priority with respect to delay, and wherein the data segments are given a second priority with respect to low packet loss.