Radio network controller

• US 8,274,984 B2
• Filed: 12/23/2004
• Issued: 09/25/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 09/06/2002
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Fujitsu Limited
• Original Assignee: Fujitsu Limited
• Inventors: Kobayashi, Kazunari, Kumagai, Tomonori, Tomita, Tetsuo, Ikeda, Eiji
• Primary Examiner(s): Sheikh, Ayaz R.
• Assistant Examiner(s): HALIYUR, VENKATESH N
• Application Number:
  US11/022,522
• Publication Number:
  US 20050105482A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,833 Days
• Field of Search: 370228-463, 370/474, 455331-522
• US Class Current: 370/395.5
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 1/0002 by adapting the transmission rate
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 1/0006 by adapting the transmission format
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 1/16 in which the return channel carries supervisory signals, e.g. repetition request signals
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 1/188 Time-out mechanisms
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/56 Packet switching systems
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 69/14 Multichannel or multilink protocols
• 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 69/168 specially adapted for link layer protocols, e.g. asynchronous transfer mode [ATM], synchronous optical network [SONET] or point-to-point protocol [PPP]
• 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 80/04 Network layer protocols, e.g. mobile IP [Internet Protocol]
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 88/12 Access point controller devices

Abstract

A communications system having an ATM transmission line and an IP transmission line is disclosed that includes a base station capable of communicating with a mobile terminal through a radio link; and a radio network controller capable of communicating with the base station through the ATM or IP transmission line. The radio network controller includes a division part dividing transmission data into signals of a predetermined data size; a transmission part transmitting the divided signals to the base station at predetermined time intervals; a retransmission part retransmitting the signals transmitted to the base station when a response signal from the mobile terminal is not received within a predetermined period; a measuring part measuring a signal response period in a communications channel between the radio network controller and the mobile terminal through the base station; and a determination part determining the predetermined data size based on the measured response period.

Claims

1. A communications system, comprising:

a base station configured to communicate with a mobile terminal through a radio link; and

a radio network controller providing, at predetermined time intervals, the base station with original data to be transmitted to the mobile terminal by the base station,

wherein the radio network controller includes;

a division part configured to divide the original data into a plurality of data portions of a predetermined data size;

a provision part configured to provide the base station with a predetermined number of the divided data portions at a time at the predetermined time intervals;

a measuring part configured to determine a transmission time of a first signal transmitted by the radio network controller for measuring a signal response period in a communication channel between the radio network controller and the mobile terminal through the base station and a reception time of a second signal transmitted by the mobile terminal in response to the first signal and received by the radio network controller, and to measure the signal response period based on a difference between the determined transmission time and the determined reception time;

a determination part configured to determine whether the measured signal response period is greater than a threshold and to determine whether the measured signal response period is greater than a predetermined period in response to determining that the measured signal response period is greater than the threshold; and

a changing part configured to increase a number of the divided data portions provided by the provision part to the base station at a time within each of the predetermined time intervals from the predetermined number and change an amount of communication resources allocated to the communication with the mobile terminal based on the increased number of the divided data portions to be provided to the base station at a time within each of the predetermined time intervals, in response to the determination part determining that the signal response period measured by the measuring part being greater than the predetermined period.

2. A radio network controller, comprising:

a division part configured to divide original data to be transmitted to a mobile terminal by a base station through a radio link into a plurality of data portions of a predetermined data size;

a provision part configured to provide the base station with a predetermined number of the divided data portions at a time at predetermined time intervals;

a measuring part configured to determine a transmission time of a first signal transmitted by the radio network controller for measuring a signal response period in a communication channel between the radio network controller and the mobile terminal through the base station and a reception time of a second signal transmitted by the mobile terminal in response to the first signal and received by the radio network controller, and to measure the signal response period based on a difference between the determined transmission time and the determined reception time;

a determination part configured to determine whether the measured signal response period is greater than a threshold and to determine whether the measured signal response period is greater than a predetermined period in response to determining that the measured signal response period is greater than the threshold; and

a changing part configured to increase a number of the divided data portions provided by the provision part to the base station at a time within each of the predetermined time intervals from the predetermined number and change an amount of communication resources allocated to the communication with the mobile terminal based on the increased number of the divided data portions to be provided to the base station at a time within each of the predetermined time intervals, in response to the determination part determining that the signal response period measured by the measuring part being greater than the predetermined period.

4. The radio network controller as claimed in claim 2, wherein the measuring part is configured to measure the signal response period in response to not receiving a response signal, transmitted from the mobile terminal in response to predetermined data contained in one of the divided data portions, within a predetermined period.

5. The radio network controller as claimed in claim 2, wherein the measuring part is configured to measure the signal response period regularly.

6. The radio network controller as claimed in claim 2, wherein the measuring part is configured to measure the signal response period at a prespecified time.

7. The radio network controller as claimed in claim 2, wherein the base station communicates with the mobile terminal and one or more other mobile terminals, and,

the measuring part is configured to measure the signal response period with respect to each of the mobile terminal and the one or more other mobile terminals when a number of the mobile terminal and the one or more other mobile terminals communicating with the base station is less than a predetermined number.

8. The radio network controller as claimed in claim 2, wherein the measuring part is configured to measure the signal response period when a time adjustment signal is received from the base station.

9. The radio network controller as claimed in claim 2, wherein the measuring part is configured to be implemented in response to a request of the mobile terminal to establish the communication channel.

3. A radio network controller, comprising:

a division part configured to divide original data to be transmitted to a mobile terminal by a base station through a radio link into a plurality of data portions of a predetermined data size;

a provision part configured to provide the base station with a predetermined number of the divided data portions at a time at predetermined time intervals;

a measuring part configured to measure a signal response period in a communication channel between the radio network controller and the mobile terminal through the base station, based on a time stamp response signal transmitted by the mobile terminal in response to a time stamp request signal transmitted from the radio network controller;

a determination part configured to determine whether the measured signal response period is greater than a threshold and to determine whether the measured signal response period is greater than a predetermined period in response to determining that the measured signal response period is greater than the threshold; and

a changing part configured to increase a number of the divided data portions provided by the provision part to the base station at a time within each of the predetermined time intervals from the predetermined number and change an amount of communication resources allocated to the communication with the mobile terminal based on the increased number of the divided data portions to be provided to the base station at a time within each of the predetermined time intervals, in response to the determination part determining that the signal response period measured by the measuring part being greater than the predetermined period.

10. A radio network control method, comprising:

dividing original data to be transmitted to a mobile terminal by a base station through a radio link into a plurality of data portions of a predetermined data size;

providing the base station with a predetermined number of the divided data portions at a time at predetermined time intervals;

determining a transmission time of a first signal transmitted by the radio network controller for measuring a signal response period in a communication channel between the radio network controller and the mobile terminal through the base station and a reception time of a second signal transmitted by the mobile terminal in response to the first signal and received by the radio network controller, and measuring the signal response period based on a difference between the determined transmission time and the determined reception time;

determining whether the measured signal response period is greater than a threshold and determining whether the measured signal response period is greater than a predetermined period in response to determining that the measured signal response period is greater than the threshold; and

increasing a number of the divided data portions provided by said providing to the base station at a time within each of the predetermined time intervals from the predetermined number and changing an amount of communication resources allocated to the communication with the mobile terminal based on the increased number of the divided data portions to be provided to the base station at a time within each of the predetermined time intervals, in response to determining that the signal response period measured by said measuring being greater than the predetermined period.