Methods and apparatus for communicating transmission backlog information

• US 9,338,795 B2
• Filed: 05/12/2010
• Issued: 05/10/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 12/22/2005
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Qualcomm, Inc.
• Original Assignee: Qualcomm, Inc.
• Inventors: Das, Arnab, Rangan, Sundeep, Anigstein, Pablo Alejandro, Srinivasan, Murari
• Primary Examiner(s): PHU, SANH D
• Application Number:
  US12/778,270
• Publication Number:
  US 20100220626A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,190 Days
• Field of Search: 455/68, 455/67.11, 455/450, 455/509, 455/515, 370/230, 370/328, 370/498
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 17/24 with feedback of measurements to the transmitter
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 24/10 Scheduling measurement reports ; Arrangements for measurement reports
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 72/21 in the uplink direction of a wireless link, i.e. towards the network
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 72/542 using measured or perceived quality
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 8/24 Transfer of terminal data

Abstract

Methods and apparatus for communicating transmission backlog information are described. Reporting control factors are utilized to expand reporting possibilities for a fixed bit size request report. At least one report control factor is determined as a function of channel quality information, power information, device capability information, and/or quality of service information. A transmission backlog report value is interpreted as a function of a reporting control factor. A wide range of quantization schemes for reporting transmission backlog information are facilitated corresponding to a small bit size report. A communications device can adaptively select a quantization request level closely matched to its current needs such as to provide an accurate representation of its current traffic channel resource needs. A communications device may request a number of frames in a request report and the same report may be indirectly requesting a number of communications segments needed to clear its transmission backlog.

Claims

1. A method of operating a base station for uplink traffic scheduling, the method comprising:

receiving a transmission backlog report from a wireless terminal, said transmission backlog report communicating a report value; and

determining a reporting control factor corresponding to said received report, said reporting control factor being a function of at least one of channel quality information, wireless terminal available transmission power information, wireless terminal device capability information or quality of service information.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein said report value is a multi-bit report value.

3. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

interpreting said received report value as a function of said determined reporting control factor.

4. The method of claim 3, wherein interpreting said received report value as a function of said determined reporting control factor includes determining backlog information relating to frames to be transmitted by said wireless terminal.

5. The method of claim 4, wherein said reporting control factor is a function of channel quality information;

and

wherein said channel quality information includes at least one of uplink interference information, downlink interference information, uplink signal to noise information, downlink signal to noise information, uplink signal to interference information, and downlink signal to interference information.

6. The method of claim 5, wherein said channel quality information includes uplink interference information, and wherein said uplink interference information includes beacon ratio report information, the method further comprising:

prior to said step of determining the reporting control factor, receiving a beacon ratio report from said wireless terminal.

7. The method of claim 4, wherein said reporting control factor is a function of wireless terminal transmission power information, the method further comprising:

prior to said step of determining the reporting control factor, receiving a transmission power information report from said wireless terminal.

8. The method of claim 4, wherein said step of determining a reporting control factor includes estimating the maximum number of frames of information that the wireless terminal will be able to communicate in a segment if said segment is allocated to the wireless terminal.

9. The method of claim 5, wherein said reporting control factor is a function of another factor, the method further comprising:

prior to receiving said transmission backlog report broadcast a value representing said another factor.

10. The method of claim 4, further comprising:

receiving a second transmission backlog report from said wireless terminal, said second transmission backlog report communicating a second report value said second transmission backlog report being of the same type as the transmission backlog report;

determining a reporting control factor corresponding to said second received report, said reporting control factor corresponding to said second received report being a function of at least one of channel quality information, wireless terminal available transmission power information, wireless terminal device capability information or quality of service information; and

interpreting said received second report value as a function of said determined second reporting control factor.

11. The method of claim 10, wherein said report value and said second report value are the same, wherein said corresponding control factor values are different, and wherein interpreting said received second report value determines different backlog information relating to frames to be transmitted by said wireless terminal than interpreting said received report value.

12. The method of claim 4, wherein determining a reporting control factor includes determining a reporting control factor type from among a plurality of reporting control factor types as a function of a bit pattern of at least a portion of the received report value.

13. The method of claim 4, further comprising:

receiving an additional transmission backlog report from a wireless terminal, said additional transmission backlog report communicating another report value; and

determining to interpret said received another report value without using a reporting control factor, said decision to interpret without using a reporting control factor being performed as a function of a bit pattern of at least a portion of said received another report value.

14. A base station for uplink traffic scheduling comprising:

a receiver module for receiving reports from wireless terminals said reports including transmission backlog reports wherein a transmission backlog report communicates a report value; and

a reporting control factor determination module for determining a value of a reporting control factor, said reporting control factor being a function of at least one of channel quality information, wireless terminal available transmission power information, wireless terminal device capability information or quality of service information.

15. The base station of claim 14, wherein said report value is a multi-bit report value.

16. The base station of claim 14, further comprising:

an report interpretation module for interpreting said received report value as a function of a determined reporting control factor.

17. The base station of claim 16, wherein said report interpretation module determines backlog information relating to frames to be communicated by a wireless terminal which transmitted the received backlog report.

18. The base station of claim 17, wherein said reporting control factor determination module determines said reporting control factor as a function of channel quality information;

and wherein said channel quality information includes at least one of uplink interference information, downlink interference information, uplink signal to noise information, downlink signal to noise information, uplink signal to interference information, and downlink signal to interference information.

19. The base station of claim 18, wherein said channel quality information includes uplink interference information, wherein said uplink interference information includes beacon ratio report information, and wherein said receiver also receives beacon ratio reports, the base station further comprising:

a beacon ratio report module for recovering a beacon ratio report value communicated from a wireless terminal.

20. The base station of claim 17, wherein said reporting control factor is a function of wireless terminal transmission power information and wherein said receiver also receives wireless terminal transmission power reports, the base station further comprising:

a wireless terminal transmission power report recovery module for determining wireless terminal transmission power availability information.

21. The base station of claim 17, wherein at least some reporting control factors are determined as a function of a current maximum wireless terminal rate option, the base station further comprising:

a wireless terminal maximum rate determination module for determining the maximum rate option that said wireless terminal is to use for an uplink traffic channel segment.

22. The base station of claim 17, wherein at least some reporting control factors are determined as a function of an adjustment parameter which is broadcast over a broadcast communications channel, the base station further comprising:

a transmitter for transmitting said adjustment parameter.

23. A base station for uplink traffic scheduling comprising:

means for receiving reports from wireless terminals said reports including transmission backlog reports wherein a transmission backlog report communicates a report value; and

determination means for determining a value of a reporting control factor, said reporting control factor being a function of at least one of channel quality information, wireless terminal available transmission power information, wireless terminal device capability information or quality of service information.

24. The base station of claim 23, wherein said report value is a multi-bit report value.

25. The base station of claim 23, further comprising:

means for interpreting said received report value as a function of a determined reporting control factor.

26. The base station of claim 25, wherein said means for interpreting said received report value determines backlog information relating to frames to be communicated by a wireless terminal which transmitted the received backlog report.

27. The base station of claim 26, wherein said determination means determines said reporting control factor as a function of channel quality information;

and wherein said channel quality information includes at least one of uplink interference information, downlink interference information, uplink signal to noise information, downlink signal to noise information, uplink signal to interference information, and downlink signal to interference information.

28. The base station of claim 27, wherein said channel quality information includes uplink interference information, wherein said uplink interference information includes beacon ratio report information, and wherein said receiver also receives beacon ratio reports, the base station further comprising:

a beacon ratio report means for recovering a beacon ratio report value communicated from a wireless terminal.

29. The base station of claim 26, wherein said reporting control factor is a function of wireless terminal transmission power information and wherein said receiver also receives wireless terminal transmission power reports, the base station further comprising:

transmission power information recovery means for determining wireless terminal transmission power availability information from a received wireless terminal transmission power report.

30. The base station of claim 26, wherein at least some reporting control factors are determined as a function of a current maximum wireless terminal rate option, the wireless terminal further comprising:

wireless terminal transmission rate determination means for determining the maximum rate option that said wireless terminal is to use for an uplink traffic channel segment.

31. The base station of claim 26, wherein at least some reporting control factors are determined as a function of an adjustment parameter which is broadcast over a broadcast communications channel, the base station further comprising:

means for transmitting for transmitting said adjustment parameter.

32. A non-transitory computer readable medium embodying machine executable instructions for controlling a base station to implement a method for uplink traffic scheduling, the method comprising:

receiving a transmission backlog report from a wireless terminal, said transmission backlog report communicating a report value; and

determining a reporting control factor corresponding to said received report, said reporting control factor being a function of at least one of channel quality information, wireless terminal available transmission power information, wireless terminal device capability information or quality of service information.

33. The non-transitory computer readable medium of claim 32, wherein said report value is a multi-bit report value.

34. The non-transitory computer readable medium of claim 32, further embodying machine executable instructions for:

interpreting said received report value as a function of said determined reporting control factor.

35. The non-transitory computer readable medium of claim 34 further embodying machine executable instructions for:

determining backlog information relating to frames to be transmitted by said wireless terminal as part of said step of interpreting said received report value as a function of said determined reporting control factor includes.

36. The non-transitory computer readable medium of claim 35, wherein said reporting control factor is a function of channel quality information;

and

wherein said channel quality information includes at least one of uplink interference information, downlink interference information, uplink signal to noise information, downlink signal to noise information, uplink signal to interference information, and downlink signal to interference information.

37. The non-transitory computer readable medium of claim 36, wherein said channel quality information includes uplink interference information, and wherein said uplink interference information includes beacon ratio report information, the method further comprising:

prior to said step of determining the reporting control factor, receiving a beacon ratio report from said wireless terminal.

38. The non-transitory computer readable medium of claim 35, wherein said reporting control factor is a function of wireless terminal transmission power information, the computer readable medium further embodying machine executable instructions for:

receiving a transmission power information report from said wireless prior to said step of determining the reporting control factor.

39. An apparatus operable in a communication system for uplink traffic scheduling, the apparatus comprising:

a processor configured to;

receive a transmission backlog report from a wireless terminal, said transmission backlog report communicating a report value; and

determine a reporting control factor corresponding to said received report, said reporting control factor being a function of at least one of channel quality information, wireless terminal available transmission power information, wireless terminal device capability information or quality of service information.

40. The apparatus of claim 39, wherein said report value is a multi-bit report value.

41. The apparatus of claim 39, wherein the processor is configured to:

interpret said received report value as a function of said determined reporting control factor.