Channel allocation methods in a communication network and corresponding system

• US 6,370,117 B1
• Filed: 09/24/1998
• Issued: 04/09/2002
• Est. Priority Date: 09/30/1997
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Uniloc 2017 LLC (SoftBank Group Corp.)
• Original Assignee: US Philips Corporation (Koninklijke Philips N.V.)
• Inventors: Tohme, Samir, Koraitim, Heba
• Primary Examiner(s): Marcelo, Melvin
• Assistant Examiner(s): Boakye, Alexander O.
• Application Number:
  US09/160,003
• Time in Patent Office: 1,293 Days
• Field of Search: 370/232, 370/233, 370/234, 370/253, 370/412, 370/415, 370/429, 370/458
• US Class Current: 370/232
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 7/18584 Arrangements for data networking, i.e. for data packet routing, for congestion control data switching networks H04L12/00
• CPC Class Codes: H04J 3/1682 Allocation of channels according to the instantaneous demands of the users, e.g. concentrated multiplexers, statistical multiplexers

Abstract

The invention relates to a resource allocation method and system making use of a dynamically controlled boundary policy to satisfy the quality of service parameters guaranteed by the system for two traffic classes (a constant bit rate traffic, and a bursty data one also called VBR traffic) having to share a communication channel divided into frames. The boundary position (BP) between the traffic sub-frames and hence the allocation decision itself are defined by a resource allocator (23) for each frame, after monitoring the filling level of traffic request queues (21, 22).

Claims

1. A method of allocating channel slots to waiting calls coming from a plurality of user stations, for an integration of constant and variable bit rate (CBR and VBR) traffic into a communication channel divided into frames each of which includes N(F) time slots, wherein, under normal loading conditions for both traffic types, each frame is subdivided into a CBR traffic sub-frame composed of N(C) slots, and a VBR traffic sub-frame composed of N(Vmin) slots and, between them, a sub-frame called common resource pool (CRP) and composed of the (N(F)−

N(C)−

N(Vmin)) remaining slots of the frame, said allocation method then comprising the following steps;

(a) as the VBR traffic loading increases over that of CBR traffic, a boundary between them moves inside the CRP and the CBR sub-frame in order to include unallocated CBR channels;

(b) as the CBR traffic goes up, at small VBR loads said boundary moves in the CRP towards the VBR sub-frame, wherein any displacement is limited by the minimum number of resources N(Vmin) permanently reserved for VBR traffic;

(c) under high loading conditions for both traffic types, CBR traffic resources are limited to N(C), and remaining resources N(V)=N(F)−

N(C) in the frame are available to VBR traffic.

2. A system for allocating channel slots to waiting calls coming from a plurality of user station, for an integration of constant and variable bit rate (CBR and VBR) traffic into a communication channel divided into frames each of which includes N(F) time slots, characterized in that it comprises a first finite length CBR queue, provided for storing arriving CBR call connections, a second infinite queue, provided for storing arriving VBR messages, and a frame allocation controller, provided for monitoring a filling level of each of the two queues at a beginning of control periods respectively associated to said frames, each frame being, under normal loading conditions for both traffic types, subdivided into a CBR traffic sub-frame composed of N(C) slots, and a VBR traffic sub-frame composed of N(Vmin) slots and, between them, a sub-frame called common resource pool (CRP) and composed of the (N(F)−

N(C)−

N(Vmin)) remaining slots of the frame, and an allocation method being then carried out according to the following steps

(a) as the VBR traffic loading increases over that of CBR traffic, a boundary between them moves inside the CRP and the CBR sub-frame in order to include unallocated CBR channels;

(b) as the CBR traffic goes up, at small VBR loads said boundary moves in the CRP towards the VBR sub-frame, wherein any displacement is limited by the minimum number of resources N(Vmin) permanently reserved for VBR traffic;

(c) under high loading conditions for both traffic types, CBR traffic resources are limited to N(C), and remaining resources N(V)=N(F)−

N(C) in the frame are available to VBR traffic.

3. A system according to claim 2, wherein the step (b) comprises the following sub-steps:

(b1) before channels are allocated for the waiting calls from the CRP, the length of the second queue is monitored;

(i) if said length is less than a given threshold, CBR calls are granted access in the CRP sub-frame;

(ii) if said length exceeds said thresold, CBR requests are denied access to the CRP sub-frame, and are made to wait for a release of resources either in the CBR sub-frame or in the CRP sub-frame only if said queue length goes below said threshold;

(b2 ) if the first queue is completely filled when a new CBR call request arrives, said request is blocked and erased from the system.

4. A system according to claim 3, wherein the value of said threshold varies as a function of CRP resources allocated to CBR traffic.