Buffer occupancy used in uplink scheduling for a communication device

• US 6,993,342 B2
• Filed: 05/07/2003
• Issued: 01/31/2006
• Est. Priority Date: 05/07/2003
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Google Technology Holdings LLC (Alphabet Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Motorola, Inc. (Motorola Solutions, Inc.)
• Inventors: Love, Robert T., Kuchibhotla, Ravi
• Primary Examiner(s): Gary, Erika A.
• Assistant Examiner(s): Nguyen, Huy D.
• Application Number:
  US10/431,249
• Publication Number:
  US 20040224677A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,000 Days
• Field of Search: 455/450, 455/436, 455/442, 455/458, 455/500, 455/509, 455/517, 455/69, 455/522, 370/329, 370/341, 370/331, 370/441
• US Class Current: 455/450
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 7/022 Site diversity; Macro-diversity using two or more spaced independent antennas H04B7/04
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 72/21 in the uplink direction of a wireless link, i.e. towards the network
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 72/52 based on load
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 72/535 based on resource usage policies

Abstract

A method for using buffer occupancy in uplink scheduling for a communication device includes a first step of sending buffer occupancy information and a time stamp indicating a last transmission opportunity provided to the communication device to an active set base stations. A next step includes utilizing the buffer occupancy information and time stamp to adjust a scheduling fairness setting for the communication device. A next step includes receiving scheduling information from a scheduler in accordance with the scheduling fairness setting. A next step includes transmitting on an uplink channel in accordance with the scheduling information.

Claims

1. A method for using buffer occupancy in uplink scheduling for a communication device, the method comprising:

sending buffer occupancy information from the communication device to a base station of an active set;

sending a time stamp indicating a last transmission opportunity provided to the communication device from the communication device to the base station; and

utilizing the buffer occupancy information and time stamp received from the communication device to schedule the communication device.

2. The method of claim 1, sending the time stamp includes sending a number of radio frames since the communication device was last scheduled.

3. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

adding a base station to the active set;

sending buffer occupancy information and a time stamp to the added base station indicating a last transmission opportunity provided to the communication device; and

scheduling the communication device in the added base station based on the buffer occupancy information and time stamp received by the added base station.

4. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

measuring a channel quality for base stations of the active set;

determining whether the channel quality at any base station of the active set exceeds a threshold.

5. The method of claim 4, measuring the channel quality based on a measured downlink pilot channel signal strength as an indicator of channel quality.

6. The method of claim 4, measuring the channel quality based on uplink power control command information available at the communication device as an indicator of channel quality.

7. The method of claim 4, measuring the channel quality based on an uplink signal strength at a particular base station as an indicator of channel quality.

8. The method of claim 4, increasing a frequency at which buffer occupancy information and a time stamp is sent to a base station of the active set having a channel quality above the threshold during a period when the channel quality of stays above the threshold.

9. The method of claim 4, wherein the threshold is determined by at least one of a group of persistence of fading information, speed information, and distance from a particular base station.

10. The method of claim 1, wherein sending the time stamp is halted if the base station schedules the communication device.

11. The method of claim 1, sending buffer occupancy information includes sending a rate of buffer occupancy increase.

12. The method of claim 1, further comprising sending at least one of a group of persistence of fading information, speed information, and distance from a particular base station.

13. A method for using buffer occupancy in uplink scheduling for a communication device, the method comprising:

sending buffer occupancy information from the communication device to a base station of an active set;

sending a time stamp indicating a last transmission opportunity provided to the communication device to the base station of the active set;

utilizing the buffer occupancy information and time stamp to schedule the communication device;

receiving scheduling information from the base station; and

transmitting on an uplink channel in accordance with the scheduling information.

14. The method of claim 13, further comprising:

measuring a channel quality for the base stations;

determining whether a channel quality at any base station exceeds the threshold.

15. The method of claim 14, measuring channel quality includes measuring at least one of a group of downlink pilot channel signal strength, uplink power control command information available at the communication device, and uplink signal strength at a particular base station.

16. The method of claim 14, increasing a frequency of sending during a period when the channel quality of a base station of the active set stays above the threshold of the defining step.

17. The method of claim 16, halting sending of the time stamp if the base station schedules the communication device.

18. The method of claim 13, sending buffer occupancy information includes sending a rate of buffer occupancy increase.

19. A method for using buffer occupancy in uplink scheduling for a communication device, the method comprising:

measuring a channel quality for base stations of an active set;

determining whether the channel quality at any base station exceeds a signal strength threshold;

sending a rate of change in buffer occupancy from the communication device to a base station of the active set of base stations;

sending a time stamp indicating a last transmission opportunity provided to the communication device;

utilizing the rate of change in buffer occupancy and time stamp to schedule the communication device;

receiving scheduling information from the base station; and

transmitting on an uplink channel in accordance with the scheduling information.

20. The method of claim 19, increasing a frequency with which the rate of change in buffer occupancy and time stamp are sent during a period when the channel quality of a base station stays above the threshold.