Scheduling packet transmissions

• US 20050058137A1
• Filed: 09/15/2004
• Published: 03/17/2005
• Est. Priority Date: 09/16/2003
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Qualcomm, Inc.
• Original Assignee: Qualcomm, Inc.
• Inventors: Carlson, Neil Charles, Pankaj, Rajesh K.
• Granted Patent: US 8,644,321 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 370/395.400
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 47/24 Traffic characterised by specific attributes, e.g. priority or QoS
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 47/2433 Allocation of priorities to traffic types
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 28/02 Traffic management, e.g. flow control or congestion control
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 72/569 of the traffic information
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 8/04 Registration at HLR or HSS [Home Subscriber Server]

Abstract

This disclosure provides a synchronous packet manager containing a data structure for scheduling future synchronous packet transmissions and arbitrating between synchronous and asynchronous packet transmissions. Slots required for transmitting a synchronous packet are reserved by marking the corresponding entries in a synchronous packet reservation table. Rather than writing packets to many different queues, the application software fills in a single reservation table per BTS sector.

Claims

1. An apparatus for scheduling synchronous packet transmissions, comprising:

a synchronous packet manager for scheduling synchronous packet transmissions; and

a synchronous packet reservation table for storing slot reservations for the synchronous packet transmissions.

2. The apparatus in claim 1, wherein the synchronous packet manager further comprises a packet scheduler for scheduling asynchronous packet transmissions in response to the synchronous packet reservation table.

3. The apparatus in claim 1, wherein the synchronous packet reservation table is further for storing status information, wherein the status information comprises:

a priority of a synchronous packet reservation; and

a number of slots over which the packet is transmitted.

4. The apparatus in claim 1, wherein the synchronous packet manager determines a reservation to be written in the synchronous packet reservation table.

5. The apparatus in claim 1, wherein the synchronous packet manager maintains a record of a period, burst length, and num_slots for each of said reservation.

6. The apparatus in claim 2, wherein the synchronous packet manager is further adapted to:

validate a start time;

find conflicting packets; and

write a synchronous packet reservation in the synchronous packet reservation table.

7. The apparatus in claim 2, wherein the asynchronous packet transmissions are traffic data.

8. The apparatus in claim 4, wherein the reservation comprises:

a priority for a placeholder entry;

a Start_Time that identifies a first slot to be reserved;

an Interlace_Period that indicates a period of the reservation;

an Interlace_Burst_Length that indicates a duty cycle of the reservation; and

an Interlace_Num_Slots index that indicates a period at which the reservation is written.

9. The apparatus in claim 4, wherein the reservation is sent to multiple synchronous packet reservation tables.

10. A method for scheduling synchronous packet transmissions, comprising:

scheduling synchronous packet transmissions; and

storing slot reservations for the synchronous packet transmissions.

11. The method in claim 10, wherein scheduling synchronous packet transmissions further comprises scheduling asynchronous packet transmissions in response to a synchronous packet reservation table.

12. The method in claim 10, wherein scheduling synchronous packet transmissions further comprises writing a reservation in the synchronous packet reservation table.

13. The method in claim 10, wherein scheduling synchronous packet transmissions further comprises maintaining a record of a period, burst length, and num_slots for each of said reservation.

14. The method in claim 11, wherein the asynchronous packet transmissions are traffic data.

15. The method in claim 12, wherein writing the reservation further comprises:

validating a start time;

finding conflicting packets; and

writing a synchronous packet reservation in the synchronous packet reservation table.

16. The method in claim 12, wherein writing the reservation is performed on multiple synchronous packet reservation tables.

17. An apparatus for scheduling synchronous packet transmissions, comprising:

means for scheduling synchronous packet transmissions; and

means for storing slot reservations for the synchronous packet transmissions.

18. The apparatus in claim 17, wherein the means for scheduling synchronous packet transmissions further comprises a packet scheduler for scheduling asynchronous packet transmissions in response to a synchronous packet reservation table.

19. The apparatus in claim 17, wherein the status information comprises:

a priority of a synchronous packet reservation; and

a number of slots corresponding to a period of slots for the synchronous packet reservation over which the packet is transmitted.

20. The apparatus in claim 17, wherein the means for scheduling maintains a record of a period, burst length, and num_slots for each of said reservation.

21. The apparatus in claim 17, wherein the means for scheduling further determines a reservation to be written in the synchronous packet reservation table.

22. The apparatus in claim 17, wherein the means for scheduling synchronous packet transmissions is further adapted to:

validate a start time;

find conflicting packets; and

write a synchronous packet reservation in the synchronous packet reservation table.

23. The apparatus in claim 20, wherein the reservation comprises:

a priority for a placeholder entry;

a Start_Time that identifies a first slot to be reserved;

an Interlace_Period that indicates a period of the reservation;

an Interlace_Burst_Length that indicates a duty cycle of the reservation; and

an Interlace_Num_Slots index that indicates a period at which the reservation is written.

24. The apparatus in claim 20, wherein the reservation is sent to multiple synchronous packet reservation tables.

25. An apparatus for scheduling synchronous packet transmissions, comprising:

a memory storage unit; and

a processor coupled to the memory storage unit and adapted for;

scheduling synchronous packet transmissions; and

storing slot reservations for the synchronous packet transmissions.