CONGESTION IN A WIRELESS NETWORK

• US 20150131450A1
• Filed: 11/12/2013
• Published: 05/14/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 11/12/2013
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Vasona Networks, Inc. (ZephyrTel, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Vasona Networks, Inc. (ZephyrTel, Inc.)
• Inventors: WEILL, Ofer, BEN-NUN, Michael, BAR YANAI, Roni
• Granted Patent: US 10,039,028 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 370/237
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 43/0864 Round trip delays
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 43/16 Threshold monitoring
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 47/283 in response to processing delays, e.g. caused by jitter or round trip time [RTT]
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 28/0284 detecting congestion or overload during communication monitoring arrangements H04L43/00

Abstract

Examples of methods, systems, and computer program products relating to supervising data in a wireless network are disclosed. At least part of a system may be located between a packet data network and a base station, and/or may be at least logically separate from the base station. The system may be capable of evaluating the service provided by the base station, and may be capable of determining whether or not any action should consequently be performed. Examples of an action may include an action which may not necessarily affect en-route data packets such as outputting a report, and/or an action which may affect en-route data packets such as delaying packets, not delaying packets, and/or stopping the delaying of packets. An action which affects data packets may or may not affect data packets uniformly. An action may or may not result in an improvement in quality of user experience.

Claims

1. A method of observing congestion in a wireless network, comprising:

for a plurality of user equipments associated during a time span with a set comprising one or more groups served by one or more wireless transmitters, estimating parameters indicative of service to respective user equipments;

comparing the estimated parameters or a function of the estimated parameters to one or more thresholds;

determining whether or not said set is congested at least partly based on a result of said comparing; and

if determined that said set is congested, outputting a report of said congestion.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein said estimating and comparing are performed a plurality of times during a time duration and wherein said determining is based on at least one result from at least one of said plurality of times that said comparing is performed.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein an estimated one of said parameters for a user equipment in said plurality, is a round trip time.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein an estimated one of said parameters for a user equipment in said plurality, is an adjusted round trip time which is a difference between a round trip time and a round trip time adjustment.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein said function is an average of at least two estimated parameters respectively associated with at least two user equipments in said plurality.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein said determining includes:

determining that said set is congested if a result of said comparing is indicative of there being a predetermined percentage of the plurality of user equipments whose round trip times or adjusted round trip times are above one or more thresholds.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein said determining includes:

determining that said set is congested if a result of said comparing is indicative of an average of round trip times or adjusted round trip times being above a threshold.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein said determining includes:

if determined that said set is congested, determining a level of congestion.

9. The method of claim 1, wherein said report includes an indication of congestion.

10. The method of claim 1, wherein said report includes an indication of level of congestion.

11. The method of claim 1, wherein said report is outputted to an operator.

12. The method of claim 1, wherein said report is outputted to an external element.

13. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

outputting a report regarding status of one or more queues in a base station servicing said set.

14. A system for observing congestion in a wireless network, comprising:

a congestion evaluator configured, for a plurality of user equipments associated during a time span with a set comprising one or more groups served by one or more wireless transmitters, to estimate parameters indicative of service to respective user equipments;

said congestion evaluator further configured to compare the estimated parameters or a function of the estimated parameters to one or more thresholds and to determine whether or not said set is congested at least partly based on a result of said comparing; and

a reporter configured, if determined that said set is congested, to output a report of said congestion.

15. The system of claim 14, further comprising:

a noter configured to note times associated with data packets, wherein estimation of a parameter is at least partly based on one or more of said noted times.

16. The system of claim 15, wherein said noter is further configured to note sequence numbers associated with data packets, wherein estimation of a parameter is at least partly based on one or more of said noted sequence numbers.

17. The system of claim 14, further comprising:

a recognizer configured to recognize at least one selected from a group comprising;

user equipments for which respective data packets are destined, one or more groups served by one or more wireless transmitters associated with user equipments for which respective data packets are destined, or a base station associated with user equipments for which respective data packets are destined.

18. The system of claim 14, wherein at least part of said system is located in the wireless network between a packet data network and one or more base stations.

19. A computer program product comprising a computer useable medium having computer readable code embodied therein for observing congestion in a wireless network, the computer program product comprising:

computer readable program code for causing a computer to, for a plurality of user equipments associated during a time span with a set comprising one or more groups served by one or more wireless transmitters, estimate parameters indicative of service to respective user equipments;

computer readable program code for causing a computer to compare the estimated parameters or a function of the estimated parameters to one or more thresholds;

computer readable program code for causing a computer determine whether or not said set is congested at least partly based on a result of said comparing; and

computer readable program code for causing a computer, if it is determined that said set is congested, to output a report of said congestion.

20. The computer program product of claim 19, further comprising:

computer readable code for causing the computer to note times associated with data packets, wherein estimation of a parameter is at least partly based on one or more of said noted times.