Communications system, infrastructure equipment, communication terminal and method

• US 10,154,511 B2
• Filed: 09/08/2014
• Issued: 12/11/2018
• Est. Priority Date: 09/26/2013
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: InterDigital Patent Holdings, Inc. (InterDigital, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Sony Corporation (Sony Group Corp.)
• Inventors: Webb, Matthew William, Wakabayashi, Hideji
• Primary Examiner(s): Moore, Ian N
• Assistant Examiner(s): McCallum, Latresa A
• Application Number:
  US15/021,469
• Publication Number:
  US 20160227560A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,555 Days
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 72/12 Wireless traffic scheduling
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 72/569 of the traffic information

Abstract

A communications system communicating data to/from a communications terminal includes infrastructure equipment forming a mobile communications network to transmit/receive data to/from the communications terminal via a wireless access interface, the communications terminal configured to transmit/receive data to/from the infrastructure equipment. The communications terminal can receive transmission data to the infrastructure equipment at a buffer, transmit a resource request message requesting resources of the wireless access interface to the infrastructure equipment in response to receiving the data for transmission to the infrastructure equipment, and receive a resource allocation message from the infrastructure equipment. The resource allocation message allocates resources of the wireless access interface to the communications terminal. A characteristic of the resource request message transmitted by the communications terminal to the infrastructure equipment provides an indication of one of a predetermined set of transmission priority levels for transmitting the buffered data to the infrastructure equipment.

Claims

1. A communications system for communicating data to and from a communications terminal, the communications system comprising:

infrastructure equipment configured to form a mobile communications network, the infrastructure equipment being configured to transmit data to and receive data from the communications terminal via a wireless access interface,

the communications terminal being further configured;

to receive data for transmission to the infrastructure equipment at a buffer,

to transmit a resource request message to the infrastructure equipment, the resource request message providing a request for resources of the wireless access interface for transmitting the buffered data to the infrastructure equipment, and

to receive a resource allocation message from the infrastructure equipment, the resource allocation message allocating resources of the wireless access interface to the communications terminal for transmitting the buffered data,

wherein the communications terminal is configured to transmit the resource request message to the infrastructure equipment using amplitude modulation, wherein a resource request message indicating a higher transmission priority level for transmitting the buffered data is transmitted with a higher signal amplitude, and a resource request message indicating a lower transmission priority level for transmitting the buffered data is transmitted with a lower signal amplitude.

2. The communications system as claimed in claim 1, wherein the infrastructure equipment is configured

to receive the resource request message from the communications terminal,

to allocate resources in the wireless access interface to the communications terminal in response to receiving the resource request message,

to generate a resource allocation message indicating the allocated resources, and

to transmit the resource allocation message to the communications terminal, wherein the allocation of resources in the wireless access interface is dependent upon a transmission priority level for transmitting the buffered data.

3. The communications system as claimed in claim 1, wherein the communications terminal is configured to transmit a buffer status report message to the infrastructure equipment in the allocated resources, the buffer status report providing an indication of a size of the buffered data.

4. The communications system as claimed in claim 1, wherein the resource request message is a scheduling request message.

5. The communications system as claimed in claim 1, wherein the set of the priority levels for transmitting the buffered data are provided to the communications terminal by the infrastructure equipment.

6. The communications system as claimed in claim 1, wherein the wireless access interface is temporally divided into a plurality of subframes and the communications terminal is configured to transmit the resource request message in a subset of the plurality of subframes.

7. The communications system as claimed in claim 1, wherein a signal amplitude of the resource request message is directly proportional to a transmission priority level for transmitting the buffered data.

8. The communications system as claimed in claim 1, wherein the communications terminal comprises a plurality of antennas for transmitting data to the infrastructure equipment.

9. The communications system as claimed in claim 1, wherein the wireless access interface is temporally divided into a plurality of subframes and the communications terminal is configured to transmit the resource request message in a subset of the plurality of subframes.

10. A communications terminal comprising:

a transmitter configured to transmit signals representing data via a wireless access interface to an infrastructure equipment;

a receiver configured to receive signals from the infrastructure equipment via the wireless access interface, the infrastructure equipment for forming part of a mobile communications network; and

a controller configured in combination with the transmitter and the receiver to

receive data for transmission to the infrastructure equipment at a buffer,

transmit a resource request message to the infrastructure equipment, the resource request message providing a request for resources of the wireless access interface for transmitting the buffered data to the infrastructure equipment, and

receive a resource allocation message from the infrastructure equipment, the resource allocation message allocating resources of the wireless access interface to the communications terminal for transmitting the buffered data,

wherein the communications terminal is configured to transmit the resource request message to the infrastructure equipment using amplitude modulation, wherein a resource request message indicating a higher transmission priority level for transmitting the buffered data is transmitted with a higher signal amplitude, and a resource request message indicating a lower transmission priority level for transmitting the buffered data is transmitted with a lower signal amplitude.

11. The communications terminal as claimed in claim 10, wherein the communications terminal is configured to transmit a buffer status report message to the infrastructure equipment in the allocated resources, the buffer status report providing an indication of the size of the buffered data.

12. The communications terminal as claimed in claim 10, wherein the controller and the receiver are configured to receive from the infrastructure equipment the set of the priority levels for transmitting the buffered data.

13. The communications terminal as claimed in claim 10, wherein the wireless access interface is temporally divided into a plurality of subframes and the communications terminal is configured to transmit the resource request message in a subset of the plurality of subframes.

14. The communications terminal as claimed in claim 10, wherein a signal amplitude of the resource request message is directly proportional to a transmission priority level for transmitting the buffered data.

15. The communications terminal as claimed in claim 10, wherein the communications terminal comprises a plurality of antennas for transmitting data to the infrastructure equipment.

16. The communications terminal as claimed in claim 10, wherein the wireless access interface is temporally divided into a plurality of subframes and the communications terminal is configured to transmit the resource request message in a subset of the plurality of subframes.

17. An infrastructure equipment for forming a mobile communications network, the infrastructure equipment comprising:

a transmitter configured to transmit signals to a communications terminal via a wireless access interface;

a receiver configured to receive signals from the communications terminal; and

a controller configured in combination with the receiver and the transmitter;

to receive a resource request message for requesting resources of the wireless access interface from the communications terminal for the communications terminal to transmit buffered data,

to allocate resources in the wireless access interface to the communications terminal in response to receiving the resource request message,

to generate a resource allocation message indicating the allocated resources, and

to transmit the resource allocation message to the communications terminal,

wherein the communications terminal is configured to transmit the resource request message to the infrastructure equipment using amplitude modulation, wherein a resource request message indicating a higher transmission priority level for transmitting the buffered data is transmitted with a higher signal amplitude, and a resource request message indicating a lower transmission priority level for transmitting the buffered data is transmitted with a lower signal amplitude.

18. The infrastructure equipment as claimed in claim 17, wherein the wireless access interface is temporally divided into a plurality of subframes and the communications terminal is configured to transmit the resource request message in a subset of the plurality of subframes.

19. The infrastructure equipment as claimed in claim 17, wherein a signal amplitude of the resource request message is directly proportional to a transmission priority level for transmitting the buffered data.