Method and apparatus for detecting and managing user plane congestion

• US 9,585,054 B2
• Filed: 07/17/2013
• Issued: 02/28/2017
• Est. Priority Date: 07/19/2012
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: InterDigital Patent Holdings, Inc. (InterDigital, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: InterDigital Patent Holdings, Inc. (InterDigital, Inc.)
• Inventors: Ahmad, Saad, Watfa, Mahmoud, Wang, Guanzhou
• Primary Examiner(s): Lee, Jae Y
• Assistant Examiner(s): Voltaire, Jean F
• Application Number:
  US13/944,077
• Publication Number:
  US 20140022904A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,322 Days
• Field of Search: 370/235
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 47/10 Flow control; Congestion control
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 47/12 Avoiding congestion; Recovering from congestion
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 47/2475 for supporting traffic characterised by the type of applications
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 47/263 Rate modification at the source after receiving feedback
• 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 28/0289 Congestion control load shedding arrangements in network planning H04W16/08; performing reselection for handling the traffic H04W36/22; wireless traffic scheduling H04W72/12
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 28/22 Negotiating communication rate
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/50 Service provisioning or reconfiguring
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 72/51 based on terminal or device properties
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 8/04 Registration at HLR or HSS [Home Subscriber Server]

Abstract

A method and apparatus for managing user plane congestion in a network are disclosed. A method performed by a wireless transmit/receive unit (WTRU) for user plane congestion in a network includes receiving an indication from the network that user plane congestion exists in the network, transmitting a request for the network to provide a lower Quality of Service (QoS) level for a particular service based on the indication, and observing a decrease in user plane QoS based on the transmitted request.

Claims

1. A method, performed by a wireless transmit/receive unit (WTRU), for managing user plane congestion in a network, the method comprising:

provisioning the WTRU with a plurality of application-specific congestion control categories, including a highest ranked application-specific congestion control category and a lowest ranked application-specific congestion control category, wherein the highest ranked application-specific congestion control category includes one or more operator identified applications subject to a least amount of restrictions, and wherein the lowest ranked application-specific congestion control category includes one or more operator identified applications subject to a most amount of restrictions;

receiving congestion control information for each of the plurality of application-specific congestion control categories from the network, wherein the congestion control information includes a time period during which access to the network is restricted;

determining not to attempt to access the network for any of the operator identified applications of the lowest ranked application-specific congestion control category based on the congestion control information for the lowest ranked application-specific congestion control category; and

transmitting a request for access to the network for at least one of the operator identified applications of the highest ranked application-specific congestion control category during the time period in which access to the network is restricted for the lowest ranked application-specific congestion control category.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising transmitting a request for the network to provide a lower Quality of Service (QoS) level for a particular service.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein the particular service from the network has a low priority.

4. The method of claim 2, wherein the particular service from the network has a high priority.

5. The method of claim 2, wherein services received from the network are prioritized by a user.

6. The method of claim 5, wherein lower priority services are offloaded over Wi-Fi.

13. The method of claim 1, further comprising receiving signaling including information for provisioning the WTRU with the plurality of application-specific congestion control categories.

14. The method of claim 13, wherein the signaling comprises any of non-access stratum (NAS) signaling, radio resource control (RRC) signaling and open mobile alliance (OMA) signaling.

15. The method of claim 1, wherein the congestion control information further includes a data rate limit.

29. The method of claim 15, further comprising:

transmitting traffic from one or more of the operator identified applications of the highest ranked application-specific congestion control category during the time period in which access to the network is restricted for the lowest ranked application-specific congestion control category and in accordance with the data rate limit.

31. The method of claim 15, wherein the congestion control information further includes a data rate limit, and wherein the traffic is received at a rate not exceeding the data rate limit.

7. A wireless transmit/receive unit (WTRU) for managing user plane congestion in a network, the WTRU comprising:

a processor, a memory, a receiver and a transmitter, wherein;

the processor is configured to provision the memory with a plurality of application-specific congestion control categories, including a highest ranked application-specific congestion control category and a lowest ranked application-specific congestion control category, wherein the highest ranked application-specific congestion control category includes one or more operator identified applications subject to a least amount of restrictions, and wherein the lowest ranked application-specific congestion control category includes one or more operator identified applications subject to a most amount of restrictions;

the receiver is configured to receive congestion control information for each of the plurality of application-specific congestion control categories from the network, wherein the congestion control information includes a time period during which access to the network is restricted;

the processor is configured to determine not to attempt to access the network for any of the operator identified applications of the lowest ranked application-specific congestion control category based on the congestion control information for the lowest ranked application-specific congestion control category; and

the transmitter is configured to transmit a request for access to the network for at least one of the operator identified applications of the highest ranked application-specific congestion control during the time period in which access to the network is restricted for the lowest ranked application-specific congestion control category.

8. The WTRU of claim 7, wherein the transmitter is configured to transmit a request for the network to provide a lower Quality of Service (QoS) level for a particular service.

9. The WTRU of claim 8, wherein the particular service from the network has a low priority.

10. The WTRU of claim 8, wherein the particular service from the network has a high priority.

11. The WTRU of claim 8, wherein services received from the network are prioritized by a user.

12. The WTRU of claim 11, wherein lower priority services are offloaded over Wi-Fi.

16. The WTRU of claim 7, wherein the receiver is configured to receive signaling including information for provisioning the WTRU with the plurality of application-specific congestion control categories.

17. The WTRU of claim 16, wherein the signaling comprises any of non-access stratum (NAS) signaling, radio resource control (RRC) signaling and open mobile alliance (OMA) signaling.

18. The WTRU of claim 7, wherein the congestion control information further includes a data rate limit.

30. The WTRU of claim 18, further comprising:

the transmitter is configured to transmit traffic from one or more of the operator identified applications of the highest ranked application-specific congestion control category during the time period in which access to the network is restricted for the lowest ranked application-specific congestion control category and in accordance with the data rate limit.

19. A method implemented in a network node of a network, the method comprising:

transmitting congestion control information for each of a plurality of application-specific congestion control categories to a wireless transmit/receive unit (WTRU), wherein the congestion control information includes a time period during which access to the network is restricted, wherein the plurality of application-specific congestion control categories included a highest ranked application-specific congestion control category and a lowest ranked application-specific congestion control category, wherein the highest ranked application-specific congestion control category includes one or more operator identified applications subject to a least amount of restrictions, and wherein the lowest ranked application-specific congestion control category includes one or more operator identified applications subject to a most amount of restrictions;

receiving, from the WTRU after expiration of the time period in which access to the network is restricted for the lowest ranked application-specific congestion control category, traffic from one or more the operator identified applications of the lowest ranked application-specific congestion control category based on the congestion control information for the lowest ranked application-specific congestion control category; and

receiving, from the WTRU, traffic from one or more of the operator identified applications of the highest ranked application-specific congestion control category during the time period in which access to the network is restricted for the lowest ranked application-specific congestion control category.

20. The method of claim 19, further comprising receiving, from the WTRU, a request for the network to provide a lower Quality of Service (QoS) level for a particular service.

21. The method of claim 20, wherein the particular service from the network has a low priority.

22. The method of claim 20, wherein the particular service from the network has a high priority.

23. The method of claim 19, wherein lower priority services are offloaded over Wi-Fi.

24. A network node of a network, the network node comprising circuitry, including a processor and a memory storing instructions executable by the processor, configured to:

transmit congestion control information for each of a plurality of application-specific congestion control categories to a wireless transmit/receive unit (WTRU), wherein the congestion control information includes a time period during which access to the network is restricted, wherein the plurality of application-specific congestion control categories include a highest ranked application-specific congestion control category and a lowest ranked application-specific congestion control category, wherein the highest ranked application-specific congestion control category includes one or more operator identified applications subject to a least amount of restrictions, and wherein the lowest ranked application-specific congestion control category includes one or more operator identified applications subject to a most amount of restrictions;

receive, from the WTRU after expiration of the time period in which access to the network is restricted for the lowest ranked application-specific congestion control category, traffic from one or more the operator identified applications of the lowest ranked application-specific congestion control category based on the congestion control information for the lowest ranked application-specific congestion control category; and

receive, from the WTRU, traffic from one or more of the operator identified applications of the highest ranked application-specific congestion control category during the time period in which access to the network is restricted for the lowest ranked application-specific congestion control category.

25. The network node of claim 24, wherein the circuitry is further configured to receive a request for the network to provide a lower Quality of Service (QoS) level for a particular service.

26. The network node of claim 25, wherein the particular service from the network has a low priority.

27. The network node of claim 25, wherein the particular service from the network has a high priority.

28. The network node of claim 25, wherein lower priority services are offloaded over Wi-Fi.

32. The network node of claim 24, wherein the congestion control information further includes a data rate limit, and wherein the receiver is configured to receive the traffic at a rate not exceeding the data rate limit.