Utility maximization scheduler for broadband wireless communication systems

• US 8,750,232 B2
• Filed: 07/24/2012
• Issued: 06/10/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 05/22/2009
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Qualcomm, Inc.
• Original Assignee: Qualcomm, Inc.
• Inventors: Ray, Siddharth, Sampath, Ashwin, Rangan, Sundeep, Das, Arnab, Madam, Ritesh K.
• Primary Examiner(s): Mesfin, Yemane
• Assistant Examiner(s): Rose, Derrick V
• Application Number:
  US13/556,468
• Publication Number:
  US 20120294258A1
• Time in Patent Office: 686 Days
• Field of Search: 370/252, 370/336, 370/349, 370/328, 370/468, 370/338, 370/437
• US Class Current: 370/329
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 5/0037 Inter-user or inter-terminal allocation
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 5/0058 Allocation criteria
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 52/146 Uplink power control
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 52/346 distributing total power among users or channels
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 52/367 Power values between minimum and maximum limits, e.g. dynamic range
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 72/04 Wireless resource allocation
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 72/12 Wireless traffic scheduling

Abstract

Certain aspects of the present disclosure relate to a technique of designing a Media Access Control (MAC) scheduler for uplink communication in high rate wireless data systems, such as Long Term Evolution (LTE) wireless communication systems.

Claims

1. A method for wireless communications, comprising:

scheduling, by a user equipment (UE), among a plurality of logical channels (LCs) associated with the UE, packets for transmission over the LCs based at least in part on a defined utility function and a marginal utility function for each of the LCs,

wherein a value of at least one of the marginal utility functions is constant for transmitting rates below a threshold transmitting rate and not constant for transmitting rates above the threshold transmitting rate; and

the utility function for each of the LCs is based on at least one of;

an average rate of that LC and at least one Quality of Service (QoS) parameter of that LC, or

a priority of that LC relative to one or more other priorities of one or more other LCs of the plurality of LCs.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the utility function for each of the LCs is chosen based on at least one of:

one or more QoS Class Identifier (QCI) parameters of the LC, a prioritized bit rate (PBR) of the LC, or the priority of the LC.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein the PBR and the priority are configured by a radio resource controller (RRC) operating in accordance to Long Term Evolution (LTE) wireless communication standard.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein:

the utility functions are defined for flows of the packets to be transmitted with a Guaranteed Bit Rate (GBR), and

each of the utility functions has a large slope for rates less than the GBR and a smaller slope for rates greater than the GBR.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the utility function for each of the LCs is a function of one or more QoS Class Identifier (QCI) parameters defined for a bearer transmission over the LC.

20. The method of claim 1, wherein at least one of the utility functions has infinite slope when the average rate of that LC is zero.

6. A user equipment (UE) for wireless communications, comprising:

means for scheduling, among a plurality of logical channels (LCs) associated with the UE, packets for transmission over the LCs based at least in part on a defined utility function and a marginal utility function for each of the LCs, and

means for communication with a base station based on the scheduling;

wherein a value of at least one of the marginal utility functions is constant for transmitting rates below a threshold transmitting rate and not constant for transmitting rates above the threshold transmitting rate; and

the utility function for each of the LCs is based on at least one of;

an average rate of that LC and at least one Quality of Service (QoS) parameter of that LC, or

a priority of that LC relative to one or more other priorities of one or more other LCs of the plurality of LCs.

7. The UE of claim 6, wherein the utility function for each of the LCs is chosen based on at least one of:

one or more QoS Class Identifier (QCI) parameters of the LC, a prioritized bit rate (PBR) of the LC, or the priority of the LC.

8. The UE of claim 7, wherein the PBR and the priority are configured by a radio resource controller (RRC) operating in accordance to Long Term Evolution (LTE) wireless communication standard.

9. The UE of claim 6, wherein:

the utility functions are defined for flows of the packets to be transmitted with a Guaranteed Bit Rate (GBR), and

each of the utility functions has a large slope for rates less than the GBR and a smaller slope for rates greater than the GBR.

10. The UE of claim 6, wherein the utility function for each of the LCs is a function of one or more QoS Class Identifier (QCI) parameters defined for a bearer transmission over the LC.

21. The UE of claim 6, wherein at least one of the utility functions has infinite slope when the average rate of that LC is zero.

11. A user equipment (UE) for wireless communications, comprising:

a scheduler configured to schedule, among a plurality of logical channels (LCs) associated with the UE, packets for transmission over the LCs based at least in part on a defined utility function and a marginal utility function for each of the LCs,

wherein a value of at least one of the marginal utility functions is constant for transmitting rates below a threshold transmitting rate and not constant for transmitting rates above the threshold transmitting rate; and

the utility function for each of the LCs is based on at least one of;

an average rate of that LC and at least one Quality of Service (QoS) parameter of that LC, or

a priority of that LC relative to one or more other priorities of one or more other LCs of the plurality of LCs.

12. The UE of claim 11, wherein the utility function for each of the LCs is chosen based on at least one of:

one or more QoS Class Identifier (QCI) parameters of the LC, a prioritized bit rate (PBR) of the LC, or the priority of the LC.

13. The UE of claim 11, wherein:

the utility functions are defined for flows of the packets to be transmitted with a Guaranteed Bit Rate (GBR), and

each of the utility functions has a large slope for rates less than the GBR and a smaller slope for rates greater than the GBR.

22. The UE of claim 11, wherein at least one of the utility functions has infinite slope when the average rate of that LC is zero.

14. A computer-program product for wireless communications, stored on a non-transitory computer readable medium and comprising instructions executable by one or more processors to:

schedule, by a user equipment (UE), among a plurality of logical channels (LCs) associated with the UE, packets for transmission over the LCs based at least in part on a defined utility function and a marginal utility function for each of the LCs,

wherein a value of at least one of the marginal utility functions is constant for transmitting rates below a threshold transmitting rate and not constant for transmitting rates above the threshold transmitting rate; and

the utility function for each of the LCs is based on at least one of;

an average rate of that LC and at least one Quality of Service (QoS) parameter of that LC, or

a priority of that LC relative to one or more other priorities of one or more other LCs of the plurality of LCs.

15. The computer-program product of claim 14, wherein the utility function for each of the LCs is chosen based on at least one of:

one or more QoS Class Identifier (QCI) parameters of the LC, a prioritized bit rate (PBR) of the LC, or the priority of the LC.

16. The computer-program product of claim 14, wherein:

the utility functions are defined for flows of the packets to be transmitted with a Guaranteed Bit Rate (GBR), and

each of the utility functions has a large slope for rates less than the GBR and a smaller slope for rates greater than the GBR.

23. The computer-program product of claim 14, wherein at least one of the utility functions has infinite slope when the average rate of that LC is zero.

17. A user equipment (UE) for wireless communications, comprising:

at least one processor configured to;

schedule, among a plurality of logical channels (LCs) associated with the UE, packets for transmission over the LCs based at least in part on a defined utility function and a marginal utility function for each of the LCs,

wherein a value of at least one of the marginal utility functions is constant for transmitting rates below a threshold transmitting rate and not constant for transmitting rates above the threshold transmitting rate; and

the utility function for each of the LCs is based on at least one of;

an average rate of that LC and at least one Quality of Service (QoS) parameter of that LC, or

a priority of that LC relative to one or more other priorities of one or more other LCs of the plurality of LCs; and

a memory coupled to the at least one processor.

18. The UE of claim 17, wherein the utility function for each of the LCs is chosen based on at least one of:

one or more QoS Class Identifier (QCI) parameters of the LC, a prioritized bit rate (PBR) of the LC, or the priority of the LC.

19. The UE of claim 17, wherein:

the utility functions are defined for flows of the packets to be transmitted with a Guaranteed Bit Rate (GBR), and

each of the utility functions has a large slope for rates less than the GBR and a smaller slope for rates greater than the GBR.

24. The UE of claim 17, wherein at least one of the utility functions has infinite slope when the average rate of that LC is zero.