Method and apparatus for a self-correcting bandwidth request/grant protocol in a wireless communication system

• US 7,830,795 B2
• Filed: 05/13/2009
• Issued: 11/09/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 05/21/1999
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Cisco Technology, Inc. (Cisco Systems, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Cisco Technology, Inc. (Cisco Systems, Inc.)
• Inventors: Serok, Amir, Zimmerman, Ofer, Bourlas, Yair, Stanwood, Kenneth L., Spinar, Brian
• Primary Examiner(s): Sefcheck; Gregory B
• Application Number:
  US12/465,406
• Publication Number:
  US 20090225776A1
• Time in Patent Office: 545 Days
• Field of Search: None
• US Class Current: 370/230
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 2012/5607 Radio
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 2012/561 Star, e.g. cross-connect, concentrator, subscriber group equipment, remote electronics
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 5/0064 Rate requirement of the data, e.g. scalable bandwidth, data priority
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 5/0092 Indication of how the channel is divided
• CPC Class Codes: H04Q 11/0478 Provisions for broadband connections
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 28/0268 using specific QoS parameters for wireless networks, e.g. QoS class identifier [QCI] or guaranteed bit rate [GBR] negotiating SLA or negotiating QoS H04W28/24
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 28/06 Optimizing the usage of the radio link, e.g. header compression, information sizing , discarding information system modifying transmission characteristic according to link quality by modifying frame length H04L1/0007; dynamic adaptation of the packet size for flow control or congestion control H04L47/365
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 28/14 using intermediate storage
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/06 Selective distribution of broadcast services, e.g. multimedia broadcast multicast service [MBMS]; Services to user groups; One-way selective calling services
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 56/0005 synchronizing of arrival of multiple uplinks
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 60/00 Affiliation to network, e.g. registration; Terminating affiliation with the network, e.g. de-registration
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 72/044 based on the type of the allocated resource
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 72/0453 Resources in frequency domain, e.g. a carrier in FDMA
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 72/20 Control channels or signalling for resource management
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 72/21 in the uplink direction of a wireless link, i.e. towards the network
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 72/23 in the downlink direction of a wireless link, i.e. towards a terminal
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 72/30 Resource management for broadcast services
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 72/51 based on terminal or device properties
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 72/56 based on priority criteria
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 74/06 using polling
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 76/11 : Allocation or use of connection identifiers
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 8/24 : Transfer of terminal data

Abstract

A self-correcting bandwidth request/grant protocol in a broadband wireless communication system. The protocol uses a combination of incremental and aggregate bandwidth requests. Stations primarily transmit incremental bandwidth requests to their associated base stations, followed by periodic transmissions of aggregate bandwidth requests. Risks are reduced that a base station erroneously issues duplicate bandwidth allocations to the same station for the same connection. Race conditions that may have occurred using only aggregate bandwidth requests are eliminated. Use of periodic aggregate bandwidth requests that express the current state of respective connection queues provides a “self-correcting” property.

Claims

1. An apparatus comprising:

at least one low level media access control (MAC) element (LL-MAC) in a base station of a communication system in which one or more remote units compete for limited uplink resources, each LL-MAC configured to control communication over a respective physical channel between a remote unit and the base station, the at least one LL-MAC including a first LL-MAC configured to control communication over a first physical channel between a first remote unit and the base station; and

a high level MAC element (HL-MAC) in the base station, the HL-MAC logically coupled to the at least one LL-MAC and configured to control communication over a plurality of physical channels including the first physical channel,

wherein the LL-MAC is configured to send a general bandwidth grant of uplink resources over the first physical channel that can be used by the first remote unit to transmit data-bearing traffic to the LL-MAC, and wherein the LL-MAC is configured to receive in response thereto an explicit bandwidth request message.

2. An apparatus as recited in claim 1,

wherein the first LL-MAC is configured to maintain an uplink data queue corresponding to the first remote unit, the uplink data queue having a logical state associated therewith, and

wherein the first LL-MAC is configured to use the logical state to send an indication of physical channel congestion to the HL-MAC.

3. An apparatus as recited in claim 1,

wherein the first LL-MAC is configured to maintain an uplink data queue corresponding to the first remote unit, the uplink data queue having a logical state associated therewith, and

wherein the first LL-MAC is configured to update the logical state based upon incremental and aggregate bandwidth requests received from the first remote unit.

4. An apparatus as recited in claim 3,

wherein the first LL-MAC is configured to update, in response to an incremental bandwidth request, the logical state based on a current value of the logical state and,

wherein the first LL-MAC is configured to replace, in response to an aggregate bandwidth request, the current value of the logical state with a value indicated by the aggregate bandwidth request.

5. An apparatus as recited in claim 1,

wherein the first LL-MAC is configured to maintain an uplink data queue corresponding to the first remote unit, the uplink data queue having a logical state associated therewith, the logical state comprising queue length information storage for a plurality of different quality of service (QoS) levels of a set of connections serviced by the first remote unit.

6. An apparatus as recited in claim 5,

wherein the first LL-MAC comprises a fairness module configured to allocate uplink resources on the first physical channel corresponding to the plurality of different QoS levels of the set of connections serviced by the first remote unit.

7. An apparatus as recited in claim 5,

wherein when the first LL-MAC is configured to receive a bandwidth request message from the first remote unit, and

wherein the first LL-MAC is configured to update a current value of the queue length of information storage corresponding to a QoS demanded by a individual connection specified by the first remote unit in the bandwidth request message.