Methods for dynamic radio resource management and link control

• US 7,672,279 B2
• Filed: 03/06/2003
• Issued: 03/02/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 03/06/2002
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Telefonaktiebolaget LM Ericsson
• Original Assignee: Telefonaktiebolaget LM Ericsson
• Inventors: Sagfors, Mats
• Primary Examiner(s): Eng; George
• Assistant Examiner(s): Brandt; Christopher M
• Application Number:
  US10/506,482
• Publication Number:
  US 20050170841A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,553 Days
• Field of Search: 370/310, 370/338, 370/231, 370/232, 370/233, 370/234, 455/453, 709/235, 709/224
• US Class Current: 370/338
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 47/10 Flow control; Congestion control
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 47/193 at the transport layer, e.g. TCP related
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 47/36 by determining packet size, e.g. maximum transfer unit [MTU]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/1001 for accessing one among a plurality of replicated servers
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/1008 based on parameters of servers, e.g. available memory or workload monitoring of computer activity G06F11/30
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/101 based on network conditions
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 69/16 Implementation or adaptation of Internet protocol [IP], of transmission control protocol [TCP] or of user datagram protocol [UDP]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 69/163 In-band adaptation of TCP data exchange; In-band control procedures
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 69/165 Combined use of TCP and UDP protocols; selection criteria therefor
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 9/40 Network security protocols
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 28/0273 adapting protocols for flow control or congestion control to wireless environment, e.g. adapting transmission control protocol [TCP] wireless network protocols or protocol adaptations to wireless operation, e.g. wireless application protocol H04W80/00
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 72/00 Local resource management
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 8/04 Registration at HLR or HSS [Home Subscriber Server]
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 80/00 Wireless network protocols or protocol adaptations to wireless operation

Abstract

The present invention relates to transmission and retransmission of packet data in a communications system, where the communications system uses rate switching or channel switching. It provides an interface for information exchange between radio resource management and one or more transport protocol entities in a cellular mobile radio system, particularly a Universal Mobile Telecommunications System, UMTS, or WCDMA system.

Claims

1. A method of load control between a transport protocol sender and transport protocol receiver in a radio communications system, the method comprising the step of:

transferring to said transport protocol receiver one or more signals carrying radio resource data from a radio resource management entity located in a radio network control node intermediate to said transport protocol sender and said transport protocol receiver, said transport protocol receiver using said radio resource data received from the radio resource management entity to dynamically adapt transport protocol load to link state information between the transport protocol sender and the transport protocol receiver.

2. The method according to claim 1, wherein the radio resource management entity is a radio network controller.

3. The method according to claim 2, wherein the radio network controller controls radio resources of user equipment including said transport protocol receiver.

4. A method of load control between a transport protocol sender and transport protocol receiver in a radio communications system, the method comprising the step of:

transferring to said transport protocol receiver one or more signals carrying radio resource data from a radio resource management entity located in a radio network control node intermediate to said transport protocol sender and said protocol receiver; and

transferring one or more signals carrying said radio resource data from a radio link control protocol layer to a transport protocol layer of said transport protocol receiver, said transport protocol layer using said radio resource data received from the radio resource management entity to dynamically adapt transport protocol load to link state information between the transport protocol sender and the transport protocol receiver.

5. The method according to claim 4, further comprising the step of determining a transport protocol parameter on the basis of said radio resource data.

6. The method according to claim 5, wherein the transport protocol parameter comprises a receiver advertised window or a receiver maximum segment size.

7. The method according to claim 6, further comprising the step of including the transport protocol parameter in a transport protocol acknowledgement to a transport protocol sender.

8. The method according to claim 7, wherein the transport protocol parameter is a parameter of congestion control in the transport protocol sender.

9. The method according to claim 8, wherein the transport protocol receiver comprises a User Equipment.

10. A method of load control between a transport protocol sender and transport protocol receiver in a radio communications system, the method comprising the step of:

transferring to said transport protocol sender one or more signals carrying radio resource data from a radio resource management entity located in a radio network control node intermediate to said transport protocol sender and said transport protocol receiver, said transport protocol sender using said radio resource data received from the radio resource management entity to dynamically adapt transport protocol load to link state information between the transport protocol sender and the transport protocol receiver.

11. The method according to claim 10 wherein the radio resource management entity comprises a radio network controller.

12. A method of load control between a transport protocol sender and transport protocol receiver in a radio communications system, the method comprising the step of:

transferring to said transport protocol sender one or more signals carrying radio resource data from a radio resource management entity located in a radio network control node intermediate to said transport protocol sender and said transport protocol receiver; and

transferring one or more signals carrying said radio resource data from a radio link control protocol layer to a transport protocol layer of said transport protocol sender, said transport protocol layer using said radio resource data received from the radio resource management entity to dynamically adapt transport protocol load to link state information between the transport protocol sender and the transport protocol receiver.

13. The method according to claim 12, further comprising the step of determining a transport protocol parameter on the basis of the transferred radio resource data.

14. The method according to claim 13, wherein the transport protocol parameter comprises a sender maximum send window or a sender maximum segment size.

15. The method according to claim 14, wherein the sender maximum send window is the upper limit for a transport protocol congestion control send window.

16. The method according to claim 15, wherein the radio resource data comprises link state information selected from the group consisting of:

radio link data rate;

round-trip time;

block error rate;

delay; and

packet loss rate.

17. The method according to claim 16, wherein said method provides dynamic load control.

18. A method of radio resource management between a transport protocol sender and transport receiver in a radio communications system, the method comprising the step of:

transferring one or more signals carrying radio resource from a transport protocol sender to a radio resource management entity located in a radio network control node intermediate to said transport protocol sender and said transport protocol receiver, said radio resource management entity using said radio resource data received from the radio resource management entity to dynamically assign radio resources to link state information between the transport protocol sender and the transport protocol receiver.

19. The method according to claim 18, wherein the radio resource management entity comprises a radio network controller.

20. The method according to claim 19, wherein radio link data rate is determined on the basis of the transferred radio resource data.

21. The method according to claim 20, wherein the radio resource data is selected from the group consisting of:

requested radio link data rate; and

data related to data amount of one or more requested data objects.

22. The method according to claim 21, wherein the transport protocol sender comprises User Equipment.

23. The method according to claim 22, wherein the radio network controller controls radio resources of user equipment including the transport protocol sender.

24. The method according to claim 23, wherein the transport control protocol is the Transport Control Protocol, TCP, used on the Internet.