Flow Control In UMTS

A network including a data transmitting node and a data receiving node, wherein data frames are transmitted from the data transmitting node to the data receiving node, each data frame carrying information belonging to one of a plurality of data flows, the network including:

• a loss determining unit for determining for each of the data flows, at the ends of second time periods having a predetermined second length, whether any of data frames received during the second time period is faulty and,
• an allocating unit connected to the loss determining unit for allocating, for each of data flows for which the determining unit has determined that a data frame has been faulty, a reduced predetermined share of the totally available bit rate or bandwidth for transmission from the data transmitting node to the data receiving node;
• wherein the allocating unit is arranged to increase, in the case where a reduced predetermined share for a data flow has been allocated in the directly preceding second time period, the reduced predetermined share at the end of each following second time period by a predetermined step, up to a maximum predetermined share, in the case where no data frame has been faulty during the respective time period.

A data receiving node for a network including a data transmitting node, wherein the data node transmits data frames to the data receiving node, each data frame carrying information belonging to one of a plurality of data flows, said data receiving node comprising:

• an estimate or measure determining unit for determining for each of the data flows, at the ends of first time periods having a predetermined first length, an estimate of or a measure representing the total number of received data frames that have been faulty during the first time period;
• and,
• a reference calculating unit connected to the estimate or measure determining unit for calculating, based on the determined estimates or measures for all of the data flows, a bandwidth capacity reference value determining the currently allowable total maximum bandwidth for transmission in all of the data flows from the data transmitting node to the data receiving node.

A data receiving node for a network including a data transmitting node, wherein the data transmitting node transmits data frames to the data receiving node, each data frame carrying information belonging to one of a plurality of data flows, the data receiving node including:

• a loss determining unit for determining for each of the data flows, at the ends of second time periods having a predetermined second length, whether any of data frames received during the second time period is faulty and,
• an allocating unit connected to the loss determining unit for allocating for each of data flows for which the determining unit has determined that a data frame has been faulty, a reduced predetermined share of the totally available bit rate or bandwidth for transmission from the data transmitting node to the data receiving node;
• wherein the allocating unit is arranged to increase, in the case where a reduced predetermined share for a data flow has been allocated in the directly preceding second time period, the reduced predetermined share at the end of each following second time period by a predetermined step, up to a maximum predetermined share, in the case where no data frame has been faulty during the respective time period.

A method of transmitting data frames from a data transmitting node to a data receiving node, each data frame carrying information belonging to one of a plurality of data flows, comprising the steps of:

• determining for each of the data flows, at the ends of first time periods having a predetermined first length, an estimate of or a measure representing the total number of received data frames have been faulty during the first time period and,
• calculating, based on the determined estimates or measures for all of the data flows, a bandwidth capacity reference value determining the currently allowable total maximum bandwidth for transmission in all of the data flows from the data transmitting node to the data receiving node.