Method and apparatus for managing wireless communication based on network traffic level

• US 8,964,549 B2
• Filed: 06/21/2011
• Issued: 02/24/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 06/22/2010
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Semtech Corporation
• Original Assignee: Sierra Wireless Incorporated
• Inventors: Vos, Gustav Gerald, Walton, Kevin, Dost, Recep Serkan
• Primary Examiner(s): Moore, Ian N
• Assistant Examiner(s): La, Phong
• Application Number:
  US13/165,555
• Publication Number:
  US 20120099430A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,344 Days
• Field of Search: 370/352, 370/386, 370/395.1, 370/235, 370/232, 370/338, 455/522
• US Class Current: 370/235
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 47/10 Flow control; Congestion control
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 47/32 by discarding or delaying data units, e.g. packets or frames
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 24/08 Testing, supervising or monitoring using real traffic
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 28/02 Traffic management, e.g. flow control or congestion control
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 28/0215 based on user or device properties, e.g. MTC-capable devices services for machine-to-machine communication [M2M] or machine type communication [MTC] H04W4/70; wireless resource selection or allocation plan definition based on terminal or device properties H04W72/51
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 28/0231 based on communication conditions dynamic wireless traffic scheduling definition based on channel quality criteria H04W72/54
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 28/0236 radio quality, e.g. interference, losses or delay
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 28/0284 detecting congestion or overload during communication monitoring arrangements H04L43/00

Abstract

The present invention provides a method for managing communications of a wireless device in a wireless communication system based on network traffic level, and a wireless device comprising a control system configured to evaluate a network traffic level. The wireless device may be configured to transmit data, such as delay-tolerant data, based upon the network traffic level, for example transmitting data only under low traffic conditions. Deferring delay-tolerant communications may result in lower peak traffic conditions in the network. Evaluating the network traffic level may comprise measuring chip energy over total energy (Ec/Io), monitoring data on shared control channels such as HS-SCCH of a HSDPA system, inferring power allocated to channels by a dynamic power allocation scheme, or other methods.

Claims

1. A method for managing communication of a wireless device with a wireless communication system, the method comprising:

a. evaluating a network traffic level based partially or fully upon signals associated with communications in the wireless communication system, said signals associated with communications involving devices other than the wireless device, wherein said signals are monitored and evaluated using the wireless device, wherein the network traffic level represents a total amount of signaling traffic caused by wireless communication devices within the wireless communication system relative to an amount of traffic sustainable by the wireless communication system; and

b. selectively transmitting delay-tolerant data from the wireless device based upon the network traffic level by transmitting said delay-tolerant data when the network traffic level is below a predetermined threshold and refraining from transmitting said delay-tolerant data when the network traffic level is above the predetermined threshold;

wherein evaluating the network traffic level is based partially or fully on an indirect measurement of radio power made independently by the wireless device, the indirect measurement comprising performing a first measurement of radio power associated with a first set of one or more channels of the wireless communication system and inferring radio power associated with a second set of one or more channels of the wireless communication system based on the first measurement of radio power.

2. The method according to claim 1, wherein the wireless device is a machine-to-machine or machine-type-communication device, and said delay-tolerant data is representative of delay-tolerant communication.

3. The method according to claim 1, wherein selectively transmitting said delay-tolerant data from the wireless device is further based upon a current priority level of said delay-tolerant data.

4. The method according to claim 1, further comprising obtaining at least one measurement of said signals using the wireless device, the at least one measurement indicative of one or more of:

radio energy, radio power, signal-to-noise ratio, signal-to-interference-plus-noise ratio, traffic on a shared control channel, pilot signal strength, message arrival rate, and message contents on a shared control channel, the at least one measurement associated with one or more channels of the wireless communication system.

5. The method according to claim 4, wherein evaluating the network traffic level further comprises data processing of one or more of said at least one measurement.

6. The method according to claim 1, wherein evaluating the network traffic level is based partially or fully on a measurement of chip energy (Ec) of a pilot signal transmitted on a predetermined channel of the wireless communication system relative to radio energy (Io) on at least said predetermined channel.

7. The method according to claim 1, wherein evaluating the network traffic level is based partially or fully on a measurement of radio power received by the wireless device on one or more predetermined channels of the wireless communication system.

8. The method according to claim 1, wherein evaluating the network traffic level comprises determining an amount of traffic on one or more shared control channels of the wireless communication system.

9. The method according to claim 1, wherein evaluating the network traffic level is based partially or fully on message response timings, be network traffic level being determined as a function of time delays in generating message responses of a predetermined type.

23. The method according to claim 1, wherein inferring said radio power associated with the second set of one or more channels comprises subtracting the first measurement of radio power from a predetermined power budget.

10. A wireless device for communication with a wireless communication system, the wireless device comprising:

a. a network interface for establishing an operative connection with the wireless communication system; and

b. a control system operatively coupled to the network interface, the control system configured to evaluate a network traffic level based partially or fully upon signals received via the network interface and associated with communications in the wireless communication system, said signals associated with communications involving devices other than the wireless device, wherein the network traffic level represents a total amount of signaling traffic caused by wireless communication devices within the wireless communication system relative to an amount of traffic sustainable by the wireless communication system, the control system further configured to selectively control transmission of delay-tolerant data from the network interface based upon the network traffic level by transmitting said delay-tolerant data when the network traffic level is below a predetermined threshold and refraining from transmitting said delay-tolerant data when the network traffic level is above the predetermined threshold, wherein the control system is configured to evaluate the network traffic level based partially or fully on an indirect measurement of radio power made independently by the wireless device, the indirect measurement comprising performing a first measurement of radio power associated with a first set of one or more channels of the wireless communication system and inferring radio power associated with a second set of one or more channels of the wireless communication system based on the first measurement of radio power.

11. The wireless device according to claim 10, wherein the wireless device is a machine-to-machine or machine-type-communication device, and wherein said delay-tolerant data is representative of delay-tolerant communication.

12. The wireless device according to claim 10, wherein the control system is further configured to transmit said delay-tolerant data from the wireless device, based partially upon a current priority level of the data.

13. The wireless device according to claim 10, further configured to obtain at least one measurement of said signals, the at least one measurement indicative of one or more of:

radio energy, radio power, a signal-to-noise ratio, signal-to-interference-plus-noise ratio, traffic on a shared control channel, pilot signal strength, message arrival rate, and message contents on a shared control channel, the at least one measurement associated with one or more channels of the wireless communication system.

14. The wireless device according to claim 13, wherein one or more of the at least one measurement is a data processed measurement, the data processed measurement performed by one or more data processing operations of the control system.

15. The wireless device according to claim 10, wherein the control system is configured to evaluate the network traffic level based partially or fully on a measurement of chip energy (Ec) of a pilot signal transmitted on a predetermined channel of the wireless communication system relative to radio energy (Io) on at least said predetermined channel.

16. The wireless device according to claim 10, wherein the control system is configured to evaluate the network traffic level based partially or fully on a measurement of radio power received by the wireless device on one or more predetermined channels of the wireless communication system.

17. The wireless device according to claim 10, wherein the control system is configured to evaluate the network traffic level based partially or fully on evaluation of an amount of traffic on one or shared control channels of the wireless communication system.

18. The wireless device according to claim 10, wherein the control system is configured to evaluate the network traffic level based partially or fully on message response timings, the network traffic level being determined as a function of time delays in generating message responses of a predetermined type.

24. The wireless device according to claim 10, wherein inferring said radio power associated with the second set of one or more channels comprises subtracting the first measurement of radio power from a predetermined power budget.

19. A computer program product comprising a non transitory computer-readable medium comprising computer readable code embodied therein, for execution by a CPU, for performing a method for managing communication of a wireless device with a wireless communication system, the method comprising:

a. evaluating a network traffic level based partially or fully upon signals associated with communications in the wireless communication system, said signals associated with communications involving devices other than the wireless device, wherein the network traffic level represents a total amount of signaling traffic caused by wireless communication devices within the wireless communication system relative to an amount of traffic sustainable by the wireless communication system; and

d. selectively transmitting delay-tolerant data from the wireless device based upon the network traffic level by transmitting said delay-tolerant data when the network traffic level is below a predetermined threshold and refraining from transmitting said delay-tolerant data when the network traffic level is above the predetermined threshold;

wherein evaluating the network traffic level is based partially or fully on an indirect measurement of radio power made independently by the wireless device, the indirect measurement comprising performing a first measurement of radio power associated with a first set of one or more channels of the wireless communication system and inferring radio power associated with a second set of one or more channels of the wireless communication system based on the first measurement of radio power.

20. A method for managing communication of a wireless device with a wireless communication system, the method comprising:

a. monitoring signals associated with communications in the wireless communication system, said signals representative of communications involving wireless devices other than and excluding the wireless device, wherein said signals are monitored using the wireless device;

b. using said signals for evaluation of a network traffic level, wherein said evaluation is performed by the wireless device; and

c. selectively transmitting application data from the wireless device based upon the evaluated network traffic level by transmitting said delay-tolerant data when the network traffic level is below a predetermined threshold and refraining from transmitting said delay-tolerant data when the network traffic level is above the predetermined threshold;

wherein evaluation of the network traffic level is based partially or fully on an indirect measurement of radio power made independently by the wireless device, the indirect measurement comprising performing a first measurement of radio power associated with a first set of one or more channels of the wireless communication system and inferring radio power associated with a second set of one or more channels of the wireless communication system based on the first measurement of radio power.

21. The method according to claim 20, wherein said communication of the wireless device with the wireless communication system corresponds to communication of the wireless device with a base station of the wireless system.

22. The method according to claim 20, wherein said communication of the wireless device with the wireless communication system corresponds to communication of the wireless device with a base station of the wireless system, and wherein said communications involving wireless devices other than and excluding the wireless device correspond to communications between the base station and wireless devices other than and excluding the wireless device.