Method for content synchronization when broadcasting data in a wireless network

• US 8,873,447 B2
• Filed: 10/31/2007
• Issued: 10/28/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 11/01/2006
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Telefonaktiebolaget LM Ericsson
• Original Assignee: Telefonaktiebolaget LM Ericsson
• Inventors: Rcz, Andrs, Mildh, Gunnar
• Primary Examiner(s): Kao, Jutai
• Application Number:
  US12/513,305
• Publication Number:
  US 20100110958A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,554 Days
• Field of Search: None
• US Class Current: 370/312
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/1881 with schedule organisation, e.g. priority, sequence management
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/189 in combination with wireless systems selective distribution or broadcast in wireless communication networks H04W4/06
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 5/0005 Time-frequency
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 5/003 Arrangements for allocating sub-channels of the transmission path
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/2385 Channel allocation H04N21/266 takes precedence; Bandwidth allocation H04N21/24 takes precedence ; allocation of channels according to the instantaneous demands of the users in time-division multiplex systems H04J3/1682; admission control, resource allocation in open networks H04L12/5692; arrangements for maintenance or administration in data switching networks involving bandwidth and capacity management H04L41/0896; negotiating bandwidth in wireless networks H04W28/16
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/26208 the scheduling operation being performed under constraints
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 56/00 Synchronisation arrangements
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 72/1273 of downlink data flows
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 72/30 Resource management for broadcast services
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 76/40 for selective distribution or broadcast
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 88/08 Access point devices
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 92/045 between access point and backbone network device

Abstract

The present invention relates to an arrangement and method for content synchronization when broadcasting data from an infrastructure node in a communication network. The arrangement comprises a receiver receiving data sequences and a transmitter for transmitting data sequences. Each data sequence has a data size and comprises a sequence number (SN). The arrangement further comprises a processing arrangement configured to add byte numbered sequence numbers to said data sequences passed between layers in a protocol stack for transmission to a transceiver station.

Claims

1. An arrangement for content synchronization when broadcasting data from an infrastructure node in a communications network, said arrangement comprising:

a receiver receiving data sequences;

a transmitter for transmitting data sequences, wherein each data sequence has a data size and comprises a sequence number (SN); and

a processing arrangement, in a multimedia broadcast multicast service (MBMS) gateway (GW) node, configured to add byte numbered sequence numbers to said data sequence, passing between layers in a protocol stack, for transmission to a transceiver station, wherein said byte numbered sequence numbers enable content synchronization, such that the same data is sent from two or more base stations in the same radio resource block.

2. The arrangement of claim 1, wherein said sequence numbers are added into layer of transport network protocol.

3. The arrangement of claim 2, wherein said sequence numbers are added to the header of a tunneling protocol.

4. The arrangement of claim 3, wherein said tunneling protocol is GPRS Tunneling Protocol—

User.

5. The arrangement of claim 1, wherein the sequence number of a subsequent packet is obtained by incrementing a sequence number of a previous packet by size of the previous packet.

6. The arrangement of claim 5, wherein said size is expressed in number of bytes of said sequence.

7. The arrangement of claim 1, characterized by supporting variable Multiple Access Control (MAC) header size.

8. The arrangement of claim 7, wherein said arrangement is configured to add a packet level sequence number to said data sequences together with a byte level sequence number.

9. The arrangement of claim 8, wherein said arrangement is configured to add a size of a MAC overhead corresponding to said data sequences to a byte sequence number assigned to said data sequence.

10. The arrangement of claim 8, configured to transmit data sequences comprising a packet header and no user data part.

11. The arrangement of claim 10, said transmission is at a fixed output rate performing a buffering in said arrangement and sending said data sequences when said buffer is becoming empty.

12. The arrangement of claim 10, said transmission is by measuring an output rate of the arrangement and based on that, predicting a buffer occupancy at a receiver node and sending said data sequences when said receiver buffers are predicted to become empty.

13. A method of content synchronization when broadcasting data in a communications network, the method comprising:

in a multimedia broadcast multicast service (MBMS) gateway (GW) node, adding byte numbered sequence numbers to data sequences (PDUs) passed between layers in a protocol stack for transmission to a transceiver station;

wherein said byte numbered sequence numbers enable content synchronization, such that the same data is sent from two or more base stations in the same radio resource block.

14. The method of claim 13, wherein said data sequences are multimedia data sequences.

15. The method of claim 13, comprising determining if a data sequence is lost and which data sequence or which part of said data sequence should be resumed upon transmission and further comprising using a sequence number of a subsequent received data sequence and a sequence number of a last received data sequence to determine the lost number of bytes of data and determine transmission continuation with subsequent data sequence.