End-to-end delay control method for both suppressing end-to-end delay time to a standard value or less and optimizing power-save operations

• US 7,058,431 B2
• Filed: 09/24/2003
• Issued: 06/06/2006
• Est. Priority Date: 10/01/2002
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: NEC Corporation
• Original Assignee: NEC Corporation
• Inventors: Sasaki, Katsuhiro
• Primary Examiner(s): Trost, William
• Assistant Examiner(s): Huynh, Chuck
• Application Number:
  US10/671,405
• Publication Number:
  US 20040063454A1
• Time in Patent Office: 986 Days
• Field of Search: 455/574, 455/456.1, 455/453, 455/405, 455/414, 370/318, 370/392, 370/412, 370/320
• US Class Current: 455/574
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/12 Arrangements for remote connection or disconnection of substations or of equipment thereof
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/80 Responding to QoS
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 24/00 Supervisory, monitoring or testing arrangements
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 28/18 Negotiating wireless communication parameters
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 52/0216 using a pre-established activity schedule, e.g. traffic indication frame
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 52/0229 where the received signal is a wanted signal
• CPC Class Codes: Y02D 30/70 in wireless communication networks

Abstract

An end-to-end delay acquisition unit in a radio terminal measures end-to-end delay time, which is the delay time required for end-to-end transmission and reception, by using PING packets in an IP network or the time stamp function of RTCP during VoIP communication. An activation period modification determination module that is provided in the radio terminal modifies the activation period of the radio communication module that carries out radio communication such that the end-to-end delay time that has been measured by the end-to-end delay acquisition unit is equal to or less than a standard value that has been stipulated in advance.

Claims

1. A radio terminal comprising:

means for performing power-save operations by intermittently activating a radio communication module for performing radio communication with a radio base station;

end-to-end delay acquisition means for periodically measuring the end-to-end delay time, which is the delay time required for end-to-end transmission and reception;

activation period notification packet transceiving means for both transmitting an activation period notification packet for reporting its own activation period to the terminal of a communication partner and receiving activation period notification packets from the terminal of a communication partner; and

activation period modification determination means for directing said activation period notification packet transceiving means to transmit an activation period notification packet to the terminal of a communication partner when the end-to-end delay time that has been measured by said end-to-end delay acquisition means is equal to or greater than a standard value that has been set in advance, comparing the activation period that has been reported from the terminal of a communication partner by means of an activation period notification packet with its own activation period, and performing a modification to shorten its own activation period when its own activation period is equal to or greater than the activation period of the terminal of the communication partner.

2. A radio terminal according to claim 1, wherein said end-to-end delay acquisition means measures said end-to-end delay time based on the time for a packet to make a round trip to and from the terminal of a communication partner.

3. A radio terminal according to claim 2, wherein said packet is a PING packet.

4. A radio terminal according to claim 2, wherein said packet is an RTCP packet.

5. A radio terminal comprising:

means for performing power-save operations by intermittently activating a radio communication module for performing radio communication with a radio base station;

a network delay time database for storing, for each fixed terminal that can be connected without the interposition of radio space, the network delay time from said radio base station to said fixed terminal; and

activation period modification determination means for;

acquiring the network delay time from said radio base station to a fixed terminal of a communication partner from said network delay time database before beginning communication with said fixed terminal;

periodically calculating the end-to-end delay time, which is the time required for end-to-end transmission and reception, by adding the network delay time and the radio space delay time to said radio base station; and

modifying the activation period of said radio communication module such that the end-to-end delay time is limited to the stipulated standard value or less.

6. An end-to-end delay control method for limiting end-to-end delay time, which is the delay time required for end-to-end transmission and reception, to a stipulated standard value or less in a radio terminal that performs power-save operations by intermittently activating a radio communication module for performing radio communication with a radio base station, said method comprising steps of:

periodically measuring said end-to-end delay time;

transmitting to the terminal of a communication partner an activation period notification packet for reporting its own activation period to the terminal of the communication partner when said end-to-end delay time that has been measured is equal to or greater than a standard value that has been set in advance,

comparing its own activation period with the activation period that has been reported by an activation period notification packet from the terminal of a communication partner; and

carrying out modification to shorten its own activation period when its own activation period is equal to or greater than the activation period of the terminal of the communication partner.

7. An end-to-end delay control method according to claim 6, wherein, in said step of measuring said end-to-end delay time, said end-to-end delay time is measured based on the time for a packet to make a round trip to and from the terminal of a communication partner.

8. An end-to-end delay control method according to claim 7, wherein said packet is a PING packet.

9. An end-to-end delay control method according to claim 7, wherein said packet is an RTCP packet.

10. An end-to-end delay control method for limiting end-to-end delay time, which is the delay time required for end-to-end transmission and reception, to a stipulated standard value or less in a radio terminal that performs power-save operations by intermittently activating a radio communication module for performing radio communication with a radio base station, said method comprising steps of:

acquiring the network delay time from said radio base station to the fixed terminal of a communication partner from a network delay time database before starting communication with said fixed terminal;

periodically calculating the end-to-end delay time, which is the time required for end-to-end transmission and reception, by adding the network delay time to the radio space delay time to said radio base station; and

modifying the activation period of said radio communication module such that the end-to-end delay time is limited to a stipulated standard value or less.