Congestion measurement and reporting for real-time delay-sensitive applications

• US 9,516,541 B2
• Filed: 06/25/2014
• Issued: 12/06/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 09/17/2013
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Intel Corporation
• Original Assignee: Intel IP Corporation (Intel Corporation)
• Inventors: Gai, Yi, Zhu, Jing, Vannithamby, Rath
• Primary Examiner(s): Khajuria, Shripal
• Application Number:
  US14/314,850
• Publication Number:
  US 20150078171A1
• Time in Patent Office: 895 Days
• Field of Search: 370/237
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 5/0236 Assistance data, e.g. base station almanac
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 7/2643 using time-division multiple access [TDMA] H04B7/2615, H04B7/2618 take precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H04J 13/0048 Walsh
• CPC Class Codes: H04J 3/02 Details electronic switching or gating H03K17/00
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 1/1893 Physical mapping arrangements physical resource mapping in general H04L5/00
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 27/2601 Multicarrier modulation systems
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 5/003 Arrangements for allocating sub-channels of the transmission path
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 5/0048 Allocation of pilot signals, i.e. of signals known to the receiver
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 5/0051 of dedicated pilots, i.e. pilots destined for a single user or terminal
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 5/14 Two-way operation using the same type of signal, i.e. duplex
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 24/10 Scheduling measurement reports ; Arrangements for measurement reports
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 28/0236 radio quality, e.g. interference, losses or delay
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 28/0242 Determining whether packet losses are due to overload or to deterioration of radio communication conditions
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 28/0247 based on conditions of the access network or the infrastructure network central resource management H04W28/16
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 28/0268 using specific QoS parameters for wireless networks, e.g. QoS class identifier [QCI] or guaranteed bit rate [GBR] negotiating SLA or negotiating QoS H04W28/24
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 28/12 using signalling between network elements
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 36/04 Reselecting a cell layer in multi-layered cells
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/14 Short messaging services, e.g. short message services [SMS] or unstructured supplementary service data [USSD]
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/70 Services for machine-to-machine communication [M2M] or machine type communication [MTC]
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 64/00 Locating users or terminals or network equipment for network management purposes, e.g. mobility management
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 72/0446 : Resources in time domain, e.g. slots or frames
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 72/0466 : the resource being a scrambling code
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 72/23 : in the downlink direction of a wireless link, i.e. towards a terminal
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 76/28 : Discontinuous transmission [DTX]; Discontinuous reception [DRX]

Abstract

Embodiments describe mechanisms for an eNB, possibly assisted by a UE, to detect and possibly alleviate user plane congestion. In some embodiments, the eNB implements UE assisted packet dropping, where the UE requests the eNB drop packets in a sub-QCI that meet designated criteria, such as exceeding a sub-QCI delay threshold. Other embodiments, detect periods of congestion and send congestion indication to the core network when the congestion period exceeds a threshold or when the user experience is degraded. Some embodiments implement both sets of functionality.

Claims

1. An enhanced node B (eNB) comprising hardware processing circuitry comprising:

congestion detection processing circuitry configured to;

identify a Quality of Service Class Identifier (QCI) delay for each of a plurality of downlink packets;

determine whether the QCI delay for each of the plurality of downlink packets exceeds a delay threshold;

determine a start of a congestion period responsive to a start criteria;

determine an end of the congestion period responsive to a number of consecutive downlink packets that do not exceed the delay threshold reaching a second count threshold;

determine a length of the congestion period; and

send a congestion indication message to a core network when the length of the congestion period exceeds a first length threshold; and

sub-quality of service class identifier (sub-QCI) packet dropping processing circuitry configured to;

receive, from a user equipment (UE), a first message to initiate sub-QCI packet dropping, the first message comprising a sub-QCI for a QCI;

identify a sub-QCI packet dropping delay threshold for the sub-QCI;

test whether a packet belonging to the sub-QCI exceeds the sub-QCI delay threshold; and

responsive to the packet belonging to the sub-QCI exceeding the delay threshold, make a decision whether to drop the packet belonging to the sub-QCI.

2. The eNB of claim 1, wherein the start criteria occurs upon a first packet exceeding the delay threshold after at least one packet not exceeding the delay threshold.

3. The eNB of claim 1, wherein each packet of the plurality of packets is assigned a time stamp when de-queued from a Radio Link Control layer of the eNB and wherein the length of the congestion period is calculated by subtracting the time stamp on a last packet of the congestion period from the time stamp a first packet of the congestion period.

4. The eNB of claim 1, wherein the congestion detection processing circuitry is further configured to:

establish a window defining a length of time within which downlink packets will be examined;

retrieve a second length threshold; and

send the congestion indication message to the core network responsive to the length of the congestion period exceeding the second length threshold within the window.

5. The eNB of claim 4, wherein the congestion detection processing circuitry is further configured to:

calculate a packet discard rate within the window;

send the congestion indication message to the core network responsive to the packet discard rate exceeding a discard rate threshold.

6. The eNB of claim 1, wherein the congestion period is measured on a per-bearer basis.

7. The eNB of claim 1, wherein the sub-QCI packet dropping processing circuitry is further configured to receive a second message from the UE updating sub-QCI information.

8. The eNB of claim 1, wherein the first message comprises at least one of:

Internet Protocol (IP) flow classification information;

the sub-QCI packet dropping delay threshold; and

an intra-flow classification parameter.

9. The eNB of claim 1, wherein the first message comprises a plurality of sub-QCI for the QCI and for each of the plurality of sub-QCI, the first message comprises at least one of:

Internet Protocol (IP) flow classification information;

the sub-QCI packet dropping delay threshold for the sub-QCI; and

an intra-flow classification parameter.

10. The eNB of claim 9, wherein the plurality of sub-QCI are prioritized and wherein the delay threshold for a higher priority sub-QCI is longer than the delay threshold for a lower priority sub-QCI.

11. An enhanced node B (eNB) comprising:

a processor coupled to a memory

having instructions stored thereon, which when executed cause the processor to;

identify a Quality of Service Class Identifier (QCI) delay for each of a plurality of downlink packets;

establish a window defining a length of time within which downlink packets will be examined;

determine whether the QCI delay for each of the plurality of downlink packets exceeds a delay threshold;

determine a start of a congestion period responsive to a number of consecutive downlink packets that do not exceed the delay threshold reaching a first count threshold followed by a downlink packet that does exceed the delay threshold;

determine an end of the congestion period responsive to a number of consecutive downlink packets that do not exceed the delay threshold reaching a second count threshold;

determine a length of the congestion period;

retrieve a second length threshold;

send a congestion indication message to a core network responsive to the length of the congestion period exceeds a first length threshold; and

send the congestion indication message to the core network responsive to the length of the congestion period exceeding the second length threshold within the window.

12. The eNB of claim 11, wherein the first count threshold is the same as the second count threshold.

13. The eNB of claim 11, wherein each packet is assigned a time stamp when de-queued from a Radio Link Control layer of the eNB and wherein the length of the congestion period is calculated by subtracting the time stamp on a last packet of the congestion period from the time stamp a first packet of the congestion period.

14. The eNB of claim 11, wherein the instructions further cause the processor to:

calculate a packet discard rate within the window;

send the congestion indication message to the core network responsive to the packet discard rate exceeding a discard rate threshold.