Wireless network with capacity measurement

• US 7,023,823 B2
• Filed: 05/15/2001
• Issued: 04/04/2006
• Est. Priority Date: 05/19/2000
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Koninklijke Philips N.V.
• Original Assignee: Koninklijke Philips Electronics N.V. (Koninklijke Philips N.V.)
• Inventors: Herrmann, Christoph, Wasel, Josef
• Primary Examiner(s): Nguyen, Chau
• Assistant Examiner(s): Hyun, Soon D.
• Application Number:
  US09/855,577
• Publication Number:
  US 20010055275A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,785 Days
• Field of Search: 370/329, 370/412, 370/417, 370/418, 370/429, 370/461, 370/526, 375/342, 375/343, 375/356, 375/143, 375/152, 455/450, 455/452.1
• US Class Current: 370/335
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 47/10 Flow control; Congestion control
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 47/30 in combination with information about buffer occupancy at either end or at transit nodes
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 24/00 Supervisory, monitoring or testing arrangements
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 28/0231 based on communication conditions dynamic wireless traffic scheduling definition based on channel quality criteria H04W72/54
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 28/12 using signalling between network elements
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 28/14 using intermediate storage
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 8/04 Registration at HLR or HSS [Home Subscriber Server]

Abstract

The invention relates to a wireless network comprising a radio network controller (1) and a plurality of assigned terminals (2 to 9) for exchanging useful data and control data, which terminals respectively have a buffer for buffering data packets to be transmitted to the radio network controller (1) via a contention channel, and a measuring device for measuring the occupancy level of at least one buffer. A terminal (2 to 9) is provided for transmitting a signaling sequence at a start time respectively predefined by the radio network controller (1) when an occupancy threshold of a buffer or various buffers is exceeded. The radio network controller (1) includes a device for correlating a signaling sequence sent by a terminal (2 to 9) and for detecting the pulse developed from a received and correlated signaling sequence. After a signaling sequence assigned to a terminal (2 to 9) has been detected, the radio network controller (1) sends an indication to the terminal (2 to 9) that the data packets are further transmitted over a channel assigned only to the terminal (2 to 9).

Claims

1. A wireless network comprising a radio network controller (1) and a plurality of assigned terminals (2 to 9) for exchanging useful data and control data, which terminals respectively have a buffer for buffering data packets to be transmitted to the radio network controller (1) via a contention channel and a measuring device for measuring the occupancy level of at least one buffer, characterized

in that a terminal (2 to 9), when an occupancy level of a buffer or various buffers is exceeded, is provided for sending a signaling sequence at a start time predefined by the radio network controller (1),

in that the radio network controller (1) includes a device for correlating a signaling sequence sent by a terminal (2 to 9) and for detecting the pulse developed from a received and correlated signaling sequence, and

in that the radio network controller (1), after detecting a signaling sequence assigned to a terminal (2 to 9), is arranged for sending an indication to the terminal (2 to 9) to further transmit the data packets over a channel assigned only to the terminal.

2. A wireless network as claimed in claim 1, characterized in that the channel assigned to a terminal (2 to 9) is a dedicated channel.

3. A wireless network as claimed in claim 1, characterized in that a terminal (2 to 9) is provided for measuring the occupancy level of the buffer or of various buffers in the layer for the radio link control (RLC layer).

4. A wireless network as claimed in claim 1, characterized in that the radio network controller (1) includes a matched filter generating at least one pulse after a signaling sequence has been received and includes a peak detector and in that the peak detector, in a certain detection window whose start time and duration are determined by the channel properties and the start time of a signaling sequence to be detected, is provided for detecting the peak on the output of the matched filter.

5. A wireless network as claimed in claim 1, characterized in that a terminal (2 to 9) is provided for sending a Gold, Kasami or Golay sequence as a signaling sequence at a certain start time.

6. A wireless network as claimed in claim 1, characterized in that a terminal (2 to 9) is provided for sending a signaling sequence at a start time predefined by the radio network controller (1) when a sum of the occupancy levels of all the buffers exceeds a predefined threshold.

7. A wireless network as claimed in claim 1, characterized in that a terminal (2 to 9) is provided for transmitting further information about the traffic load of the terminal (2 to 9) over this user channel after receipt of the indication and a changeover to the assigned channel.

8. A radio network controller (1) in a wireless network for exchanging useful data and control data comprising a plurality of assigned terminals (2 to 9), characterized

in that the radio network controller (1) includes a device for correlating a signaling sequence transmitted by a terminal (2 to 9) and for detecting the peak evolved from a received and correlated signaling sequence,

in that a signaling sequence transmitted at a certain time by a terminal (2 to 9) indicates that the occupancy level of the buffer or of various buffers in the respective terminal (2 to 9) has been exceeded and

in that the radio network controller (1), after detecting a signaling sequence assigned to a terminal (2 to 9), is provided for sending an indication to the terminal (2 to 9) for the further transmission of the data packets over a channel exclusively assigned to the terminal (2 to 9).

9. A terminal (2 to 9) in a wireless network for exchanging useful data and control data with at least one radio network controller (1) and further terminals, which terminal includes at least one buffer for buffering data packets to be transmitted to the radio network controller (1) over a contention channel and a measuring device for measuring the occupancy level of at least one buffer, characterized

in that the terminal (2 to 9), when an occupancy level of a buffer or various buffers is exceeded, is provided for sending a signaling sequence at a start time predefined by the radio network controller (1) and

in that the terminal (2 to 9) is provided for receiving an indication from the radio network controller (1) which detects the signaling sequence that a channel exclusively assigned to the terminal (2 to 9) can be used for the further transmission of the data packets.

10. A method of exchanging useful data and control data in a wireless network with a radio network controller (1) and a plurality of assigned terminals (2 to 9) which respectively have at least one buffer for buffering data packets to be transmitted to the radio network controller (1) over a contention channel and a measuring device for measuring the occupancy level of at least one buffer, characterized

in that a signaling sequence is transmitted by a terminal (2 to 9) at a start time respectively predefined by the radio network controller (1) after an occupancy level of one or more buffers is exceeded,

in that a signaling sequence transmitted and received by a terminal (2 to 9) is correlated in the radio network controller (1) and the ensuing peak is detected and

in that an indication for the terminal (2 to 9) to use a channel exclusively assigned to the terminal (2 to 9) for the further transmission of the data packets is transmitted by the radio network controller (1) after the detection of a signaling sequence assigned to a terminal (2 to 9).