Method and apparatus for a self-correcting bandwidth request/grant protocol in a wireless communication system

A method of operating a system in which multiple remote units share access to a common base station, the method being to allocate bandwidth in the system, the method comprising:

• periodically, or in response to receiving a packet from a first remote unit, the received packet including a poll-me indication, sending a bandwidth indication of an increase in a general uplink bandwidth allotment to the first remote unit which can be used by the first remote unit for either data transfer or bandwidth request purposes as determined by the remote unit;
• and
• receiving a responsive bandwidth request message from the first remote unit, the responsive bandwidth request message indicating an incremental need for additional uplink bandwidth resources
• wherein the bandwidth indication need not include any express acknowledgement of receipt of the packet, and
• wherein the responsive bandwidth request message specifies an individual connection of a set of connections serviced by the first remote unit, the method further comprising incrementing a queue length storage indictor corresponding to the individual connection in response to receiving the responsive bandwidth request message.

A method of operating a system in which multiple remote units share access to a common base station, the method being to allocate bandwidth in the system, the method comprising:

• periodically, or in response to receiving a packet from a first remote unit, the packet including a poll-me indication, sending an indication of an increase in a general uplink bandwidth allotment to the first remote unit which can be used by the first remote unit for either data transfer or bandwidth request purposes as determined by the remote unit;
• and
• receiving a bandwidth request message from the first remote unit, the bandwidth request message indicating an incremental need for additional uplink bandwidth resources for an individual connection of a set of connections serviced by the first remote unit,
• the method further comprising at least one of:
• updating a queue length storage indictor corresponding to the individual connection in response to receiving the bandwidth request message, and/or
• sending a second indication of a general bandwidth grant to the first remote unit which can be used by the first remote unit to communicate data from any one of the set of connections as determined by the first remote unit.

An apparatus configured to allocate bandwidth in a system in which multiple remote units share access to a common base station, the apparatus comprising:

• means, responsive to a periodic indicator or to receiving a packet from a first remote unit, the received packet including a poll-me indication, for sending a bandwidth indication of an increase in uplink bandwidth allotment to the first remote unit which can be used by the first remote unit for either data transfer or bandwidth request purposes as determined by the remote unit;
• means for receiving bandwidth request messages;
• and
• receiving data-bearing traffic,
• wherein as a result of the means for sending the bandwidth indication to the first remote unit, either
• the means for receiving bandwidth request messages receives a bandwidth request message from the first remote unit as a result of the first remote unit deciding to use the bandwidth indication for to make bandwidth request, or
• the means for receiving data-bearing traffic receives data-bearing traffic from the first remote unit as a result of the first remote unit deciding to use the bandwidth indication for data transfer to the base station,
• wherein the bandwidth request message includes an incremental bandwidth request unless the first remote station has determined that an aggregate bandwidth request should be transmitted, in which case the bandwidth request message includes an aggregate bandwidth request based on a determined aggregate bandwidth requirement,
• such that it can be determined from a received aggregate bandwidth request if at least one incremental bandwidth request that was sent by the first remote unit was not received.

An apparatus configured to allocate bandwidth in a system in which multiple remote units share access to a common base station, the method being to allocate bandwidth in the system, the apparatus comprising:

• means, responsive to a periodic indicator or to receiving a packet from a first remote unit, the received packet including a poll-me indication, for sending a bandwidth indication of an increase in uplink bandwidth allotment to the first remote unit which can be used by the first remote unit for either data transfer or bandwidth request purposes as determined by the remote unit;
• and
• means for receiving a responsive bandwidth request message from the first remote unit, the responsive bandwidth request message indicating an incremental need for additional uplink bandwidth resources,
• wherein the bandwidth indication need not include any express acknowledgement of receipt of the packet, and
• wherein the responsive bandwidth request message specifies an individual connection of a set of connections serviced by the first remote unit,
• the apparatus further comprising means, responsive to receiving the responsive bandwidth request message, for incrementing a queue length storage indictor corresponding to the individual connection.

An apparatus configured to allocate bandwidth in a system in which multiple remote units share access to a common base station, the method being to allocate bandwidth in the system, the apparatus comprising:

• means, responsive to a periodic indicator or to receiving a packet from a first remote unit, the packet including a poll-me indication, for sending an indication of an increase in uplink bandwidth allotment to the first remote unit which can be used by the first remote unit for either data transfer or bandwidth request purposes as determined by the remote unit;
• means for receiving a bandwidth request message from the first remote unit, the bandwidth request message indicating an incremental need for additional uplink bandwidth resources for an individual connection of a set of connections serviced by the first remote unit;
• and
• at least one of:
• means for updating a queue length storage indictor corresponding to the individual connection in response to receiving the bandwidth request message, and/or
• means for sending a second indication of a general bandwidth grant to the first remote unit which can be used by the first remote unit to communicate data from any one of the set of connections as determined by the first remote unit.

A method of uplink resource allocation performed by a base station in a system in which multiple remote units compete for limited uplink resources, comprising:

• periodically or as a result of determining whether a “poll-me” bit has been sent by a first remote unit and if the “poll-me” bit has been sent and the “poll-me” bit is set,
• creating an uplink map which allocates additional uplink bandwidth to the first remote unit,
• polling the first remote unit by sending an indication of the additional uplink bandwidth allocation to the first remote unit, wherein the additional bandwidth can be used by the first remote unit to send data or to send a bandwidth request as determined by the first remote unit, and
• determining whether a predetermined time has elapsed since a second remote unit has been polled;
• and
• if the predetermined time has expired, amending the uplink map to allocate additional uplink bandwidth to the second remote unit, wherein the additional bandwidth can be used by the second remote unit to send data or to send a bandwidth request as determined by the second remote unit.

A method of uplink resource allocation performed by a base station in a system in which multiple remote units compete for limited uplink resources, comprising:

• determining if additional uplink bandwidth is available for use by individual remote units to request uplink resources;
• scheduling an uplink resource for a first remote unit and transmitting an uplink map allocating sufficient bandwidth to the first remote unit to respond with a bandwidth request message;
• and
• awaiting a responsive message from the first remote unit wherein the responsive message is determined by the first remote unit and includes one of connection data, a bandwidth request for a specified connection or stuff bytes if no additional resources are needed,
• wherein, in the case the responsive message includes a bandwidth request, the bandwidth request is an incremental bandwidth request or an aggregate bandwidth request, and wherein the bandwidth requests from the first remote unit include incremental bandwidth requests and from time to time an aggregate bandwidth request,
• such that no explicit acknowledgement of receipt of any transmitted uplink map is needed.

A method in a first base station of a wireless communication system, the method for allocating bandwidth, the wireless communication system including at least one subscriber station, including a selected subscriber station with which the first base station is associated and for which the first base station is the associated and corresponding base station, each subscriber station in communication with an associated and corresponding base station, each base station maintaining uplink and downlink data structures representative of the bandwidth allocations in the uplink and downlink communication paths, the method comprising:

• (a) receiving an incremental bandwidth request from a selected subscriber station for which the first base station is the associated and corresponding base station, the incremental bandwidth request containing information indicative of an incremental bandwidth requirement determined at the selected subscriber station;
• (b) thereafter, in the case that the selected subscriber station has determined an aggregate bandwidth requirement for the selected subscriber station, and has ascertained that an aggregate bandwidth request should be made containing information indicative of the determined first aggregate bandwidth requirement, receiving an aggregate bandwidths request from the selected subscriber unit containing the information indicative of the determined first aggregate bandwidth requirement;
• and
• (c) returning to step (a),
• such that the first base station receives aggregate bandwidth requests from time to time from the selected subscriber station.

A method in a first subscriber station of an associated and corresponding first base station in a wireless communication system, the method for allocating bandwidth, the wireless communication system including at least one subscriber station including the first subscriber station, each subscriber station in communication with an associated and corresponding base station, each base station maintaining uplink and downlink data structures representative of the bandwidth allocations in the uplink and downlink communication paths, the method comprising the steps of:

• (a) determining an incremental bandwidth requirement;
• (b) transmitting an incremental bandwidth request to the first base station, the incremental bandwidth request containing information indicative of the determined incremental bandwidth requirement;
• (c) determining an aggregate bandwidth requirement;
• (d) ascertaining whether an aggregate bandwidth request should be transmitted to the first base station, the aggregate bandwidth request contains information indicative of the aggregate bandwidth requirement determined in step (c);
• and
• (e) if the aggregate bandwidth request is ascertained to be required in step(d), transmitting the aggregate bandwidth request to the first base station and returning to step (a), else returning to step(a) without transmitting the aggregate bandwidth request,
• such that the first subscriber station transmits aggregate bandwidth requests from time to time to the first base station.

An apparatus in a first base station of a wireless communication system, the wireless communication system including at least one subscriber station, including the selected subscriber station with which the first base station is associated and for which the first base station is the associated and corresponding base station, each subscriber station in communication with an associated and corresponding base station, each base station maintaining uplink and downlink data structures representative of bandwidth allocations in the uplink and downlink communication paths, the apparatus comprising:

• means for receiving arranged in operation to receive an incremental bandwidth request from a selected subscriber station for which the first base station is the associated and corresponding base station, the incremental bandwidth request containing information indicative of an incremental bandwidth requirement determined at the selected subscriber station, the means for receiving further arranged in operation to receive an aggregate bandwidth request from the selected subscriber unit containing the information indicative of the determined first aggregate bandwidth requirement in the case that means for determining an aggregate bandwidth requirement in a selected subscriber station has determined an aggregate bandwidth requirement for the selected subscriber station, and has ascertained that an aggregate bandwidth request should be made containing information indicative of the determined first aggregate bandwidth requirement;
• means for allocating bandwidth, operatively coupled to the means for receiving, the means for allocating arranged in operation to allocate bandwidth according to one or more requests received from the first subscriber station.

A method in a first subscriber station of an associated and corresponding first base station in a wireless communication system, the method for allocating bandwidth, the wireless communication system including at least one subscriber station including the first subscriber station, each subscriber station in communication with an associated and corresponding base station, each base station maintaining uplink and downlink data structures representative of the bandwidth allocations in the uplink and downlink communication paths, the method comprising the steps of:

• (a) means for determining an incremental bandwidth requirement;
• (b) means for transmitting, arranged in operation to transmit an incremental bandwidth request to the first base station , the incremental bandwidth request containing information indicative of the determined incremental bandwidth requirement;
• (c) means for determining an aggregate bandwidth requirement;
• (d) means for ascertaining whether an aggregate bandwidth request should be transmitted to the first base station, the aggregate bandwidth request contains information indicative of the aggregate bandwidth requirement determined in step (c);
• and
• wherein the means of transmitting is arranged, in operation, if the aggregate bandwidth request is ascertained to be required by the means (d), to transmit the aggregate bandwidth request to the first base station after which said means (a) for determining continues determining an incremental bandwidth requirement, else said means (a) for determining continues determining an incremental bandwidth requirement without the means for transmitting the aggregate bandwidth request.