Flow control in a radio access network
OwnerToomas Wigell, Johan Torsner +2inventors
InventorsToomas Wigell, Johan Torsner, Raul Soderstrom, Janne Peisa
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Abstract
A method of controlling the flow of data, in respect of a given mobile terminal, between a Radio Network Controller (RNC) and a NodeB of a UMTS Terrestrial Radio Access Network (UTRAN) where an Automatic-Repeat-Request (ARQ) mechanism is implemented between the NodeB and said mobile terminal to provide for the retransmission of unsuccessfully transmitted data. The method comprises generating control messages at the NodeB and sending these control messages to the RNC, each control message enabling the RNC to identify which data should next be sent to the NodeB.
Claims10
A method of controlling the flow of data, in respect of a given mobile terminal, between a Radio Network Controller (RNC) and a NodeB of a UMTS Terrestrial Radio Access Network (UTRAN) where an Automatic-Repeat-Request (ARQ) mechanism is implemented between the NodeB and said mobile terminal to provide for the retransmission of unsuccessfully transmitted data, the method comprising generating control messages at the NodeB and sending these control messages to the RNC, each control message enabling the RNC to identify which data should next be sent to the NodeB.
A method according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein each control message specifies an amount of data which the RNC can send to the NodeB before a further control message is received.
A method according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein successfully transmitted PDUs are identified in the control messages using sequence numbers associated with respective PDUs.
A UMTS Terrestrial Radio Access Network (UTRAN) comprising at least one Radio Network Controller (RNC) and a plurality of NodeBs, each NodeB being arranged to implement an Automatic-Repeat-Request (ARQ) mechanism between itself and communicating mobile terminals to provide for the retransmission of unsuccessfully transmitted data, each NodeB being further arranged to generate control messages and to send these control messages to the RNC, each control message enabling the RNC to identify which data should next be sent to the NodeB.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.