U.S. patent number RE44,316 [Application Number 12/774,916] was granted by the patent office on 2013-06-25 for informing network about amount of data to be transferred.
This patent grant is currently assigned to Intellectual Ventures I LLC. The grantee listed for this patent is Janne Parantainen, Guillaume Sebire. Invention is credited to Janne Parantainen, Guillaume Sebire.
United States Patent |
RE44,316 |
Parantainen , et
al. |
June 25, 2013 |
Informing network about amount of data to be transferred
Abstract
When uplink signalling radio bearers steal capacity from a user
bearer, at least the amount of data waiting for transmission on a
TBF established for the user bearer should be informed to the
network. This can be done by using separate countdown values for
each radio bearer, using a first countdown value for the bearer the
TBF was established for and a second countdown value which
indicates the total amount of data on stealing bearers, or by
calculating a common countdown value indicating the total amount of
data on all bearers using the TBF.
Inventors: |
Parantainen; Janne (Helsinki,
FI), Sebire; Guillaume (Helsinki, FI) |
Applicant: |
Name |
City |
State |
Country |
Type |
Parantainen; Janne
Sebire; Guillaume |
Helsinki
Helsinki |
N/A
N/A |
FI
FI |
|
|
Assignee: |
Intellectual Ventures I LLC
(Wilmington, DE)
|
Family
ID: |
8555923 |
Appl.
No.: |
12/774,916 |
Filed: |
October 17, 2001 |
PCT
Filed: |
October 17, 2001 |
PCT No.: |
PCT/FI01/00900 |
371(c)(1),(2),(4) Date: |
August 25, 2003 |
PCT
Pub. No.: |
WO03/034757 |
PCT
Pub. Date: |
April 24, 2003 |
Related U.S. Patent Documents
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Application
Number |
Filing Date |
Patent Number |
Issue Date |
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Reissue of: |
10450141 |
Aug 25, 2003 |
7369508 |
May 6, 2008 |
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Current U.S.
Class: |
370/230.1;
370/252; 370/329; 370/231; 370/428; 370/338 |
Current CPC
Class: |
H04W
76/15 (20180201); H04W 72/0413 (20130101); H04W
72/0453 (20130101) |
Current International
Class: |
G01R
31/08 (20060101) |
Field of
Search: |
;370/230,230.1,231,252,328,329 |
References Cited
[Referenced By]
U.S. Patent Documents
Foreign Patent Documents
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WO 00/02401 |
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Jan 2000 |
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WO |
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WO-00/02401 |
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Jan 2000 |
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WO |
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WO-01/41472 |
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Jun 2001 |
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WO |
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Other References
"GPRS Radio Interface-Radio Link control Details in GPRS," Advanced
Topics in Telecommunications Report, Apr. 7, 2000. cited by
applicant .
3GPP TSG Geran Adhoc. "RLC and MAC Multiplexing for Geran," Oct.
9-13, 2000. cited by applicant .
Examination Report for EP Application 01978488.3, dated Oct. 10,
2006. cited by applicant .
International Search Report for PCT/FI/01/00900, mailed Jun. 6,
2002. cited by applicant .
3GPP TSG Geran Adhoc, "RLC and MAC Multiplexing for GERAN", Oct.
9-13, 2000. cited by applicant.
|
Primary Examiner: Park; Jung
Claims
The invention claimed is:
1. A method for informing a network side about an amount of data to
be transferred by means of data blocks in a wireless communication
system, the method comprising: allocating.Iadd., at a mobile
station, .Iaddend.a first wireless uplink bearer for a connection
between a mobile station and a network, the first wireless uplink
bearer being allocated for user data transfer; establishing.Iadd.,
at the mobile station, .Iaddend.a first temporary block flow (TBF)
for the first wireless uplink bearer for data block transfer;
allocating.Iadd., at the mobile station, .Iaddend.a second wireless
uplink bearer for a connection between the mobile station and the
network, the second wireless uplink bearer being a bearer using the
first TBF for data block transfer; adding to a data block.Iadd., at
the mobile station, .Iaddend.a countdown value indicating the
amount of data waiting for transmission using the first TBF for
both the first wireless uplink bearer and the second wireless
uplink bearer.
2. The method of claim 1, wherein the first wireless uplink bearer
is a user radio bearer and the second wireless uplink bearer is a
signalling radio bearer, the method further comprising scheduling a
resource allocation of the first TBF at least on the basis of
countdown value defined for the different kinds of bearers.
3. The method of claim 1, wherein the countdown value comprises a
first countdown value indicating a first amount of data waiting for
transmission on the first bearer and a second countdown value
indicating a second amount of data waiting for transmission on the
second bearer.
4. The method of claim 3, wherein the second countdown value
includes data waiting for transmission on a plurality of second
bearers.
5. The method of claim 1, wherein the countdown value comprises a
sum of a first countdown value and a second countdown value, the
first countdown value indicating a first amount of data waiting for
transmission on the first bearer, and the second countdown value
indicating a second amount of data waiting for transmission on the
second bearer.
6. The method of claim 5, wherein the second countdown value
includes data waiting for transmission on a plurality of second
bearers.
7. A mobile station in a wireless communication system where data
is transmitted by means of data blocks on radio bearers, the mobile
station comprising: a communication interface, the communication
interface configured to send a data block; a .Iadd.non-transitory
.Iaddend.computer-readable medium having computer-readable
instructions stored therein .[.which are programmed.]. to allocate
a first radio bearer for a connection between a mobile station and
a network; establish a first temporary block flow (TBF) for the
first radio bearer; allocate a second bearer for the connection,
the second bearer being a bearer using the first TBF for data block
transfer; calculate a countdown value, the countdown value
indicating an amount of data waiting for transmission on the first
radio bearer and the second bearer using the first TBF; add the
calculated countdown value to the data block; and a processor, the
processor coupled to the communication interface and to the
computer-readable medium and configured to execute the
instructions.
8. The mobile station of claim 7, wherein the countdown value
comprises a first countdown value indicating a first amount of data
waiting for transmission on the first bearer and a second countdown
value indicating a second amount of data waiting for transmission
on the second bearer.
9. The mobile station of claim 8, wherein the second countdown
value includes data waiting for transmission on a plurality of
second bearers.
10. The mobile station of claim 7, wherein the countdown value
comprises a sum of a first countdown value and a second countdown
value, the first countdown value indicating a first amount of data
waiting for transmission on the first bearer, and the second
countdown value indicating a second amount of data waiting for
transmission on the second bearer.
11. The mobile station of claim 10, wherein the second countdown
value includes data waiting for transmission on a plurality of
second bearers.
12. A network node in a wireless communication system where data is
transmitted by means of data blocks on radio bearers, the network
node comprising: a communication interface, the communication
interface configured to receive a data block; a
.Iadd.non-transitory .Iaddend.computer-readable medium having
computer-readable instructions stored therein .[.which are
programmed.]. to receive the data block on a first temporary block
flow (TBF) established for a first radio bearer and allocated to a
second bearer, the data block comprising a countdown value
indicating an amount of data waiting for transmission on the first
bearer and the second bearer; identify the radio bearer the data
block belongs to and maintain information on the countdown
value.
13. The network node of claim 12, further comprising instructions
programmed to modify a resource allocation of the first TBF at
least on the basis of the countdown value of the first TBF.
14. The network node of claim 12, wherein the countdown value
comprises a first countdown value indicating a first amount of data
waiting for transmission on the first bearer and a second countdown
value indicating a second amount of data waiting for transmission
on the second bearer.
15. The network node of claim 14, wherein the second countdown
value includes data waiting for transmission on a plurality of
second bearers.
16. The network node of claim 12, wherein the countdown value
comprises a sum of a first countdown value and a second countdown
value, the first countdown value indicating a first amount of data
waiting for transmission on the first bearer, and the second
countdown value indicating a second amount of data waiting for
transmission on the second bearer.
17. The network node of claim 16, wherein the second countdown
value includes data waiting for transmission on a plurality of
second bearers.
.Iadd.18. A method for a network node, comprising: receiving, at a
network node, a data block on a first temporary block flow (TBF)
established for a first radio bearer and allocated to a second
bearer, the data block comprising a countdown value indicating an
amount of data waiting for transmission on the first bearer and the
second bearer; and identifying, at the network node, the radio
bearer to which the data block belongs and maintaining information
on the countdown value..Iaddend.
.Iadd.19. The method of claim 18, further comprising modifying a
resource allocation of the first TBF at least on the basis of the
countdown value of the first TBF..Iaddend.
.Iadd.20. The method of claim 18, wherein the countdown value
comprises a first countdown value indicating a first amount of data
waiting for transmission on the first bearer and a second countdown
value indicating a second amount of data waiting for transmission
on the second bearer..Iaddend.
.Iadd.21. The method of claim 20, wherein the second countdown
value includes data waiting for transmission on a plurality of
second bearers..Iaddend.
.Iadd.22. The method of claim 18, wherein the countdown value
comprises a sum of a first countdown value and a second countdown
value, the first countdown value indicating a first amount of data
waiting for transmission on the first bearer, and the second
countdown value indicating a second amount of data waiting for
transmission on the second bearer..Iaddend.
.Iadd.23. The method of claim 22, wherein the second countdown
value includes data waiting for transmission on a plurality of
second bearers..Iaddend.
.Iadd.24. A non-transitory computer-readable medium having
computer-readable instructions stored thereon, which, upon
execution by a processor, cause the implementation of a set of
operations for a mobile station, the operations comprising:
allocating a first radio bearer for a connection between the mobile
station and a network; establishing a first temporary block flow
(TBF) for the first radio bearer, to transfer data blocks;
allocating a second bearer for the connection, the second bearer
using the first TBF for data block transfer; calculating a
countdown value indicating an amount of data waiting for
transmission on the first radio bearer and the second bearer using
the TBF; and adding the countdown value to a data block to be
transmitted..Iaddend.
.Iadd.25. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 24,
wherein the countdown value comprises a first countdown value
indicating a first amount of data waiting for transmission on the
first bearer and a second countdown value indicating a second
amount of data waiting for transmission on the second
bearer..Iaddend.
.Iadd.26. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 25,
wherein the second countdown value includes data waiting for
transmission on a plurality of second bearers..Iaddend.
.Iadd.27. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 24,
wherein the countdown value comprises a sum of a first countdown
value and a second countdown value, the first countdown value
indicating a first amount of data waiting for transmission on the
first bearer, and the second countdown value indicating a second
amount of data waiting for transmission on the second
bearer..Iaddend.
.Iadd.28. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 27,
wherein the second countdown value includes data waiting for
transmission on a plurality of second bearers..Iaddend.
.Iadd.29. A non-transitory computer-readable medium having
computer-readable instructions stored thereon, which, upon
execution by a processor, cause the implementation of operations
for a network node of a communication system, the operations
comprising: receiving a data block on a first temporary block flow
(TBF) established for a first radio bearer and allocated to a
second bearer, the data block comprising a countdown value
indicating an amount of data waiting for transmission on the first
bearer and the second bearer; and identifying the radio bearer to
which the data block belongs and maintaining information on the
countdown value..Iaddend.
.Iadd.30. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 29,
wherein the operations further comprise modifying a resource
allocation of the first TBF at least on the basis of the countdown
value of the first TBF..Iaddend.
.Iadd.31. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 29,
wherein the countdown value comprises a first countdown value
indicating a first amount of data waiting for transmission on the
first bearer and a second countdown value indicating a second
amount of data waiting for transmission on the second
bearer..Iaddend.
.Iadd.32. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 31,
wherein the second countdown value includes data waiting for
transmission on a plurality of second bearers..Iaddend.
.Iadd.33. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 29,
wherein the countdown value comprises a sum of a first countdown
value and a second countdown value, the first countdown value
indicating a first amount of data waiting for transmission on the
first bearer, and the second countdown value indicating a second
amount of data waiting for transmission on the second
bearer..Iaddend.
.Iadd.34. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 33,
wherein the second countdown value includes data waiting for
transmission on a plurality of second bearers..Iaddend.
Description
.Iadd.CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS.Iaddend.
.Iadd.The present application is a reissue of U.S. patent
application Ser. No. 10/450,141 (now U.S. Pat. No. 7,369,508),
filed Aug. 25, 2003, which is a national stage entry of
International Pat. App. No. PCT/FI01/00900, filed Oct. 17,
2001..Iaddend.
FIELD OF THE INVENTION
The present invention relates to informing a network about the
amount of data to be transferred on an uplink layer 2 link used for
transferring signalling data and user data, and more particularly
to informing a network on the amount of data to be transferred on
an uplink layer 2 link established for a user plane radio bearer,
the layer 2 link being also used for sending data blocks of
signalling radio bearers in a mobile communication system.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
The mobile communication system generally refers to any
telecommunication system, which enables wireless communication when
a user is located within the service area of the system. Examples
of such systems are cellular mobile communication systems, such as
the GSM (Global System for Mobile communications), or corresponding
systems, such as the PCS (Personal Communication System) or the DCS
1800 (Digital Cellular System for 1800 MHz), third-generation
mobile systems, such as the UMTS (Universal Mobile Communication
System) and systems based on the above-mentioned systems, such as
GSM 2+ systems and the future 4.sup.th generation systems. One
typical example of a mobile communication system is the public land
mobile network PLMN.
While the standardization of the UMTS is maturing, the GSM 2+
systems are also evolving towards the UMTS. This means that
features of the UMTS, which were not originally planned to be
embedded in the GSM 2+, are added to GSM 2+ systems or services,
such as GPRS (General Packet Radio Service) or GERAN (GSM/EDGE
(Enhanced Data rates for Global Evolution) Radio Access Network).
One example of such an added feature is having several signalling
radio bearers for one mobile station between the mobile station and
the radio access network. In the GERAN, release 5 lu, it has been
agreed that the mobile station will have 5 uplink signalling radio
bearers, one of which is transmitted over a CCCH (Common Control
Channel) or a PCCCH (Packet Common Control Channel). The data of
the other four signalling radio bearers may be multiplexed into a
layer 2 link established for a user data bearer. The layer 2 link
is called a Temporary Block Flow TBF in the GPRS and the GERAN. The
layer 2 link, hereinafter called a TBF, is a carrier (i.e.
allocated radio resource) that supports the unidirectional transfer
of packet data units. The TBF is temporary and it is maintained
usually only for the duration of the data transfer.
Besides layer 2, also called a data link layer L2, the protocol
architecture of the air interface of a GERAN lu, called a
Um-interface, comprises a physical layer L1 and a network layer L3.
The lu means that mobile stations are connected to a radio access
network GERAN with lu interfaces towards the core network providing
the data transfer. The data link layer L2 of the GERAN lu comprises
a radio link control RLC sublayer and a medium access control MAC
sublayer, which are common for a user plane (i.e. for user data)
and for a signalling plane (i.e. for signalling data). The layers
above the RLC are a PDCP (Packet Data Convergence Protocol) for the
user plane and an RRC (Radio Resource Control) for the signalling
plane. Each radio bearer has an RLC instance transmitting the radio
bearer data for peer-to-peer information change. The RLC instance
transmits information by means of data blocks called packet data
units over the air interface on the TBF using e.g. ARQ procedures.
Each data block originates from a certain RLC instance. At a
transmitting site, the RLC instance forms RLC packet data units by
segmenting the upper layer data into data blocks, to which layer 2
control information is added. At a receiving site the RLC instance
reassembles the RLC data blocks into upper layer data.
In the GPRS, there is a procedure called a countdown procedure,
with which the mobile station informs the network side about how
many data blocks are to be sent on the TBF. The mobile station
sends a countdown value in each uplink data block to indicate the
current number of remaining data blocks for the uplink TBF. The
network schedules resources for this TBF on the basis of the QoS
(quality of service) parameters of the user data bearer and the
amount of data to be sent on the user data bearer, for example. The
QoS parameters indicate the properties that the user data bearer
needs, such as delay requirements.
One of the problems associated with the above arrangement is that
when one or more radio bearer(s) (and hence RLC instances) can be
stealing capacity from a user radio bearer A, i.e. are multiplexed
to a TBF established for the user radio bearer A, there is no
mechanism to take into account the amount of data of other bearers
transmitting data blocks on the TBF of the user radio bearer A.
Therefore the network does not know how much resources and how
frequently it should allocate for the TBF.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION
An object of the present invention is thus to provide a method and
an apparatus for implementing the method so as to overcome the
above problem. The object of the invention is achieved by a method,
a network node and a mobile station, which are characterized by
what is stated in the independent claims. The preferred embodiments
of the invention are disclosed in the dependent claims.
The invention is based on realizing the problem and solving it by
modifying the way to define a countdown value for a TBF such that
all the data blocks multiplexed to the TBF are also taken into
account. In an embodiment of the invention, one TBF will have as
many countdown values as there are radio bearers (and hence RLC
instances) using the TBF. In another embodiment of the invention,
there are two countdown values, i.e. one for the radio bearer the
TBF was established for and the other for all other radio bearers
using the TBF. Yet in another embodiment of the invention, one
countdown value is calculated from data blocks of all radio bearers
using the TBF.
An advantage of the invention is that the network will be provided
with enough information for resource allocation. Another advantage
of the invention is that when there is still something waiting for
to be sent on a TBF, the release of the TBF can be avoided.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
In the following the invention will be described in greater detail
by means of preferred embodiments with reference to the attached
drawings, in which
FIG. 1 illustrates basic parts of a communication system;
FIG. 2 illustrates data blocks of different radio bearers sharing
the same TBF;
FIG. 3 illustrates the functionality of an RLC/MAC entity in the
network side in a first preferred embodiment of the invention;
and
FIG. 4 illustrates the functionality of an RLC/MAC entity in the
network side in a second preferred embodiment of the invention.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION
The present invention can be applied to any communication system
providing data transfer over the air interface. Such systems
include the above-mentioned systems, for example. In the following
the invention will be described by using a GERAN lu system as an
example, without restricting the invention thereto.
FIG. 1 shows a very simplified network architecture illustrating
only basic parts of the communication system 1. It is obvious to a
person skilled in the art that the system 1 comprises network
nodes, functions and structures, which need not be described in
greater detail herein.
A mobile station MS comprises an actual terminal and a detachably
connected identification card SIM, also called a subscriber
identity module. The mobile station of the invention, and more
precisely the RLC/MAC entity in the mobile station, calculates
countdown value(s) at least according to one of the preferred
embodiments of the invention described later. In this context, the
mobile station generally means the entity formed by the subscriber
identity module and the actual terminal. The SIM is a smart card,
which comprises subscriber identity, performs authentication
algorithms and stores authentication and cipher keys and
subscription information necessary for the user equipment. The
actual terminal of the invention can be any equipment capable of
communicating in a mobile communication system and supporting
multicarrier access. The terminal can thus be a simple terminal
intended only for speech, or it can be a terminal for various
services, operating as a service platform and supporting the
loading and carrying out of different service-related functions.
The terminal can also be a combination of various devices, for
example a multimedia computer with a Nokia card phone connected to
it to provide a mobile connection.
In the example of FIG. 1, the system 1 comprises a core network CN
and a radio access network GERAN. The GERAN is formed of a group of
radio network subsystems (not shown in FIG. 1), such as base
station sub-systems of GSM, which are connected to the core network
CN via a so-called lu-interface 2. The GERAN may be a GSM/EDGE
Radio Access Network and the CN may be a GSM/UMTS core network.
RLC/MAC entities in the network side locate typically in network
nodes of the GERAN, but they can also locate in a serving network
node of the CN, such as SGSN (Serving GPRS Support Node). The
RLC/MAC entities in the network may be modified to interpret the
countdown value field of data blocks as disclosed later.
In addition to prior art means, the system implementing the
functions of the present invention, the mobile stations and the
network nodes of this system comprise means for performing at least
one of the modified countdown value definitions disclosed below.
More precisely, the mobile station comprises a calculator for
implementing at least one of the ways described below to calculate
countdown values, and the network nodes may comprise means for
interpreting different countdown values and means for maintaining
information on countdown values for each TBF. The current network
nodes and mobile stations comprise processors and memory, which can
be utilized in the functions according to the invention. All
changes necessary for implementing the invention can be made by
added or updated software routines, and/or by routines included in
application-specific integrated circuits (ASIC) and/or programmable
circuits, such as EPLD, FPGA.
FIG. 2 shows an example of different radio bearers having data
blocks waiting for scheduling and transmittance on one TBF. FIG. 2
is used below to elucidate the three different ways to calculate
countdown values according to the invention.
In the following, it is assumed that the payload type of the
RLC/MAC data block indicates whether the data block belongs to the
radio bearer the TBF was established for or to one of the radio
bearers multiplexed to the TBF. In other words, to inform the
network side the mobile station uses in the first, the second and
the third preferred embodiment of the invention the payload type to
distinguish the multiplexed data from the original data. It is
obvious to one skilled in the art that also some other indicator
than the payload type may be used for the same purpose. In other
words, data from different RLC instances are distinguished
preferably on the basis of some field (or fields) in the RLC/MAC
header. If there are several stealing radio bearers, they are
distinguished from one another by their radio bearer identity
included in the RLC/MAC block itself. In the following, it is also
assumed that the MS schedules different data blocks and the network
only allocates capacity for the TBF. Usually the signalling data
has a higher priority than the user data.
In the following, a `multiplexed radio bearer` means a radio bearer
for which no own TBF is established, i.e. it means the same as a
stealing radio bearer.
Abbreviations and Assumptions Used in the Formulas:
TBC=total number of RLC data blocks that will be transmitted in the
active period of the RLC instance
BSN'=absolute BSN (Block Sequence Number) of the RLC data block,
with a range from 0 to (TBC-1),
NTS=number of timeslots assigned to the uplink TBF in the
assignment message, with a range from 1 to 8,
BS.sub.13 CV_MAX is a parameter broadcast in the system information
and represents the round-trip delay between peer RLC entities,
function round( ) rounds upwards to the nearest integer,
division operation is a non-integer and results in zero only when
the dividend is zero,
there are altogether n RLC instances.
First Way to Define a Countdown Value
In the first preferred embodiment of the invention, a separate CV
is preferably calculated for each RLC instance (RLC instance i, i=1
. . . n) using a TBF as if there were only one RLC instance using
the TBF, i.e. using the following prior art formula:
.times.' ##EQU00001## .ltoreq. .times..times. ##EQU00001.2##
With separate CVs the mobile station calculates the countdown value
and adds it to the data block, as if the RLC instance the data
block belongs to were the only one using the TBF. All the data
blocks will have the same TBF identifier called TFI so that the
network can recognize over which TBF the data block was sent.
As stated earlier, the payload type is used in this example to
distuinguish data from different RLC instances. In the example of
FIG. 2, the countdown value CV for the User Radio Bearer URB would
be 3 and the pay-load type "00" indicating that this radio bearer
is the one the TBF was established for; the countdown value CV for
the Signalling Radio Bearer SRB1 would be 2 and the payload type
"11" to indicate that this radio bearer is multiplexed to another
radio bearer; and the countdown value CV for the Signalling Radio
Bearer SRB2 would be in this example also 2 and the payload type
"11".
When separate CVs are used, the network side preferably maintains
information on how many RLC instances (that is radio bearers) are
using the TBF, and the TBF may be released preferably only in
response to the last RLC instance informing that it has nothing to
send (i.e. countdown value CV=0). The functionality of an RLC/MAC
entity in the network side in the first preferred embodiment of the
invention is illustrated in more detail in FIG. 3. In the first
preferred embodiment of the invention, it is assumed that the
RLC/MAC entity maintains information on each separate countdown
value and associates them with their radio bearers RBs. In FIG. 3,
it is assumed for the sake of clarity that the data blocks sent on
TBF `a` are either user data blocks or multiplexed blocks, i.e. the
payload type PT is either `00` or `11`. It is obvious for one
skilled in the art how the RLC/MAC entity handles RLC/MAC blocks
with other payload types.
FIG. 3 starts when a data block with TFI=a is received on TBF `a`
in step 301. It is checked in step 302 whether the payload type is
`00`, i.e. whether this data block belongs to the user radio bearer
the TBF was established for. If it does not, the payload type is
`11` and it is checked in step 303, whether this data block belongs
to a known radio bearer RB, i.e. a radio bearer for which blocks
have been sent and received on the TBF. In other words, it is
checked whether the RLC/MAC entity already has a countdown value
for this RB. The header of the data block contains in one field the
radio bearer identity. If there already exists information on that
RB, the countdown value CV and possible some other information is
updated in step 304 and the data block is forwarded in step
305.
If the payload type was `00` (step 302), the countdown value CV and
possible some other information of the user radio bearer the TBF
was established for is updated in step 304 and the data block is
forwarded in step 305.
If the RB was not known (step 303), the information on radio
bearers using this TBF, i.e. RBinfo, is updated in step 304. In
other words, a new radio bearer is added to the RBinfo and at least
its countdown value is associated with it. In the first preferred
embodiment of the invention the RBinfo comprises information on all
the radio bearers using the TBF. In another embodiment of the
invention, the RBinfo comprises information only on multiplexed
radio bearers.
The network uses the RBinfo to modify the uplink resource
allocation of the TBF.
Although not shown in FIG. 3, in the first preferred embodiment of
the invention the RBinfo is updated in response to countdown value
zero by removing the radio bearer the countdown value belongs to
from the RBinfo regardless of the payload type of the radio bearer.
Thus, when the need to release the TBF exists, it is easy to find
the TBFs, whose RBinfo is empty, i.e. those TBFs that may be
released. In another embodiment of the invention, in which an RB is
not removed from the RBinfo in response to countdown value zero,
the RLC/MAC entity has to check countdown values in order to find
those TBFs that may be released.
Separate CVs provide the network with good knowledge of the
resources required by each separate radio bearer using the TBF, and
thus the network may schedule the uplink resources (i.e. modify the
uplink resource allocation) by taking into account not only the
amount of data to be transmitted but also the different RLC
instances and their Quality of Service (QoS) class. For example,
the network may allocate more resources for the TBF, if needed.
Second Way to Define a Countdown Value
In the second preferred embodiment of the invention, two different
kinds of countdown values are used: a first countdown value CV is
calculated for the user data of the user radio bearer the TBF was
established for, and a second countdown value CV is calculated for
other radio bearers using the TBF.
The second countdown value, i.e. SRB_CV, can be calculated by using
the following formula based on the prior art formula:
.times..times.' ##EQU00002## .ltoreq. .times..times.
##EQU00002.2##
The first countdown value, URB_CV, which is the CV of the user
radio bearer (URB), for which the TBF is established for, is
calculated by using the following prior art formula:
.times.' ##EQU00003## .times. .ltoreq. .times..times.
##EQU00003.2##
In the second preferred embodiment of the invention, the mobile
station calculates the second countdown value and adds it to the
data block belonging either to any signalling radio bearer using
this TBF or to some user radio bearer using the TBF not established
for it. In other words, if the data block belongs to a multiplexed
(stealing) radio bearer, the second countdown value is added to it.
If the data block to be sent belongs to the user radio bearer the
TBF was established for, the mobile station calculates the URB_CV
and adds it to the data block. In other words, the mobile station
checks, before calculating the countdown value, to which radio
bearer the data block belongs to, and on the basis of the radio
bearer selects the used formula. All the data blocks will still
have the same TBF identifier called TFI, so that the network can
recognize over which TBF the data block was sent.
According to the second preferred embodiment of the invention, the
countdown value URB_CV for the User Radio Bearer URB in the example
of FIG. 2 would be 3 and the payload type "00" indicating that this
radio bearer is the one the TBF was established for; the second
countdown value SRB_CV for the Signalling Radio Bearers SRB1 and
SRB2 would be 4 and the payload type "11" to indicate that this
countdown value indicates the amount of data to be transmitted on
radio bearers multiplexed to the TBF. Thus the second countdown
value reflects the total radio resource needs for these multiplexed
radio bearers.
When two CVs are used, the network side preferably maintains
information on both countdown values and only after both have
informed that there is nothing to be sent (i.e. countdown value
CV=0), the TBF may be released. The functionality of an RLC/MAC
entity in the network side in the second preferred embodiment of
the invention is illustrated in more detail in FIG. 4. In FIG. 4,
it is assumed for the sake of clarity that the data blocks sent on
TBF `a` are either user data blocks or multiplexed blocks, i.e. the
payload type PT is either `00` or `11`. It is obvious for one
skilled in the art how the RLC/MAC entity handles data blocks with
other payload types.
FIG. 4 starts when a data block with TFI=a is received on TBF `a`
in step 401. It is checked in step 402 whether the payload type is
`00`, i.e. whether this data block belongs to the user radio bearer
the TBF was established for. If it does not, the payload type is
`11` and the second countdown value SRB_CV is updated in step 403
and the data block is forwarded in step 404. In step 403, some
other information may also be updated or stored.
If the payload type is `00` (step 402), the first countdown value
URB_CV is updated in step 405 and the data block is forwarded in
step 404. In step 405, some other information relating to the user
data bearer the TBF was established for may also be updated
In one embodiment of the invention where only signalling radio
bearers can be multiplexed, the second countdown value indicates
the amount of signalling data. In the embodiment, the network may
schedule the uplink resources taking into account not only the
amount of data to be transmitted but also both the user data RLC
instance with its QoS class and signalling data instances with so
similar QoSs that for allocation purposes a common QoS can be used
for signalling radio bearers.
In another embodiment of the invention, the second countdown value
is calculated from data blocks of signalling radio bearers, and a
third countdown value corresponding to the second countdown value
is calculated from data blocks of user data bearers using the TBF
not established for them.
Yet in another embodiment of the invention the second countdown
value is calculated from data blocks of signalling radio bearers,
and a separate countdown value disclosed in the first preferred
embodiment of the invention is calculated for user data
bearers.
Third Way to Define a Countdown Value
In the third preferred embodiment of the invention, only one
countdown value, called a common countdown value CV, is calculated
for all radio bearers using the TBF and included in each RLC data
block. The formula to be used is:
.times..times.' ##EQU00004## .ltoreq. .times..times.
##EQU00004.2##
In the third preferred embodiment of the invention, the mobile
station calculates the common countdown value and adds it to the
data block regardless of whether it belongs either to the user
radio bearer the TBF was established for or to some other radio
bearer multiplexed to the TBF.
According to the third preferred embodiment of the invention, the
common countdown value for all radio bearers, i.e. the User Radio
Bearer URB and Signalling Radio Bearers SRB1 and SRB2, would be 7
in the example of FIG. 2 assuming that the BS_CV_MAX exceeds 7.
When using one common countdown value, the network does not have to
be informed about whether the countdown value belongs to the radio
bearer the TBF was established for or to a radio bearer multiplexed
to the TBF. However, the payload type "00" may be used to indicate
that this data block belongs to the radio bearer the TBF was
established for, and the payload type "11" to indicate that this
data block belongs to a radio bearer multiplexed to the TBF.
In the third preferred embodiment of the invention, the network
side can be the prior art network side.
Although the invention has been described above by assuming that
the countdown value indicates the number of data blocks to be sent,
it is obvious for one skilled in the art that the countdown value
may indicate something else, which can be used when the amount of
data to be transferred is estimated. For example, the actual amount
of data can be used.
It is also obvious for one skilled in the art that the formulas
disclosed above are only exemplary and disclose only one way of
calculating countdown values according to the invention.
It will be obvious for one skilled in the art that as the
technology advances the inventive concept can be implemented in
various ways. The invention and its embodiments are not limited to
the examples described above but may vary within the scope of the
claims.
* * * * *