# US 2021/0243668 A1 · Radio Link Aggregation > Agents: this data is available as JSON from the patentgrep API and MCP server — see https://patentgrep.com/llms.txt - Number: US 2021/0243668 A1 - Document ID: US20210243668A1 - Status: Published application - Kind: A1 - Application number: 17/237,531 - Filed: 2021-04-22 - Published: 2021-08-05 - Earliest claimed: 2011-07-21 - Assignees: Telefonaktiebolaget LM Ericsson (publ) - Applicants: Telefonaktiebolaget LM Ericsson (publ) - Inventors: Holger Helmke - Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US20210243668A1 ## CPC - H04W 40/00: Communication routing or communication path finding - H04L 25/14: Channel dividing arrangements {, i.e. in which a single bit stream is divided between several baseband channels and reassembled at the receiver} - H04L 45/245: {Link aggregation, e.g. trunking} - H04W 28/06: Optimizing {the usage of the radio link}, e.g. header compression, information sizing {, discarding information (system modifying transmission characteristic according to link quality by modifying frame length H04L1/0007; dynamic adaptation of the packet size for flow control or congestion control H04L47/365)} - H04W 72/12: Wireless traffic scheduling - H04W: WIRELESS COMMUNICATION NETWORKS (broadcast communication H04H; communication systems using wireless links for non-selective communication, e.g. wireless extensions H04M1/72) - H04L: TRANSMISSION OF DIGITAL INFORMATION, e.g. TELEGRAPHIC COMMUNICATION (arrangements common to telegraphic and telephonic communication H04M) ## Abstract A network device distributes a plurality of symbol blocks, received via a plurality of input streams, to a plurality of output links comprised in a defined connection according to a mapping of the symbol blocks to the output links. Responsive to an input stream of the plurality of input streams being empty such that an expected symbol block is not received, the network device distributes idle data to the output link mapped to the expected symbol block to maintain the mapping of the symbol blocks to the output links. The network device transmits the symbol blocks and idle data over the defined connection via the plurality of output links and according to the distribution. ## Claims ### Claim 1 A network entity comprising: processing circuitry configured to group traffic in a communication network onto a defined connection comprising a plurality of output links, the traffic comprising a plurality of input streams, each input stream carrying symbol blocks; wherein to group the traffic onto the defined connection, the processing circuitry comprises scheduling circuitry configured to associate each symbol block to be transmitted during a predetermined time interval with a corresponding output link according to a one-to-one correspondence; and wherein to associate each symbol block to be transmitted during the predetermined time interval, the scheduling circuitry is configured to adapt to varying characteristics of at least one among the output links and input streams. ### Claim 2 (depends on 1) The network entity of claim 1, wherein the varying characteristics are received by the network entity from another network entity or a network manager. ### Claim 3 (depends on 1) The network entity of claim 1, wherein the scheduling circuitry is further configured to determine the one-to-one correspondence based on the varying characteristics. ### Claim 4 (depends on 1) The network entity of claim 1, wherein: the network entity further comprises a memory configured to store the one-to-one correspondence; and wherein at least part of the one-to-one correspondence is transmitted to the network entity prior to being stored in the memory. ### Claim 5 (depends on 1) The network entity of claim 1, further comprising: a multiplexer configured to produce a service stream from the input streams; and a demultiplexer configured to distribute the service stream to the output links; wherein the multiplexer and demultiplexer are configured to operate according to the one-to-one correspondence. ### Claim 6 (depends on 1) The network entity of claim 1, wherein the input streams comprise at least one constant data rate input stream and at least one non-constant data rate input stream. ### Claim 7 (depends on 6) The network entity of claim 6, wherein a sum of the symbol blocks of the at least one non-constant data rate input stream is adapted according to a difference between a sum of the symbol blocks of the output links and a sum of the symbol blocks of the constant rate input streams. ### Claim 8 (depends on 1) The network entity of claim 1, wherein one or both of the input streams and the output links are arranged in frames of a time division multiplexing protocol. ### Claim 9 (depends on 1) The network entity of claim 1, wherein the network entity further comprises a point-to-point radio transmitter. ### Claim 10 (depends on 1) The network entity of claim 1, wherein the network entity further comprises a point-to-point radio receiver. ### Claim 11 A network entity comprising: processing circuitry configured to ungroup traffic in a communication network from a defined connection comprising a plurality of input links onto a plurality of output streams, each input link carrying symbol blocks; wherein to ungroup the traffic, the processing circuitry comprises scheduling circuitry configured to associate each symbol block received during a predetermined time interval with a corresponding output stream according to a one-to-one correspondence; and wherein to associate each symbol block received during the predetermined time interval, the scheduling circuitry is configured to adapt to varying characteristics of at least one among the output streams and input links. ### Claim 12 (depends on 11) The network entity of claim 11, wherein the varying characteristics are received by the network entity from another network entity or a network manager. ### Claim 13 A system configured to exchange traffic in a communication network over a defined connection comprising a plurality of links, the system comprising: a first network entity comprising first processing circuitry configured to group traffic onto the defined connection, the traffic comprising a plurality of input streams, each of the input streams carrying symbol blocks, wherein to group the traffic the first processing circuitry comprises first scheduling circuitry configured to associate each symbol block to be transmitted during a first predetermined time interval with a corresponding link according to a first one-to-one correspondence; a second network entity comprising second processing circuitry configured to ungroup traffic in the communication network from the defined connection comprising the plurality of links onto a plurality of output streams, each of the links carrying one or more of the symbol blocks, wherein to ungroup the traffic the second processing circuitry comprises second scheduling circuitry configured to associate each symbol block received during a second predetermined time interval with a corresponding output stream according to a second one-to-one correspondence; wherein to associate each symbol block received during the second predetermined time interval, the second scheduling circuitry is configured to adapt to varying characteristics of at least one among the output streams and the links. ### Claim 14 (depends on 13) The system of claim 13, wherein the first network entity and/or second network entity is further configured to receive the varying characteristics from another network entity or a network manager. ### Claim 15 A method, implemented by a network entity, the method comprising: grouping traffic in a communication network onto a defined connection comprising a plurality of output links, the traffic comprising a plurality of input streams, each input stream carrying symbol blocks, wherein grouping the traffic comprises associating each symbol block to be transmitted during a predetermined time interval with a corresponding output link according to a one-to-one correspondence; and wherein associating each of the symbol blocks to be transmitted during the predetermined time interval comprises adapting to varying characteristics of at least one among the output links and input streams. ### Claim 16 (depends on 15) The method of claim 15, further comprising receiving the varying characteristics from another network entity or a network manager. ### Claim 17 A method, implemented by a network entity, the method comprising: ungrouping traffic in a communication network from a defined connection comprising a plurality of input links onto a plurality of output streams, each input link carrying symbol blocks; wherein ungrouping the traffic comprises associating each symbol block received during a predetermined time interval with a corresponding output stream according to a one-to-one correspondence; and wherein the associating each of the symbol blocks received during the predetermined time interval comprises adapting to varying characteristics of at least one among the output streams and input links. ### Claim 18 (depends on 17) The method of claim 17, further comprising receiving the varying characteristics from another network entity or a network manager.