Adaptive access channel overload control

A device for use in a Long Term Evolution (LTE) communication network, the LTE communication network having an access channel, the device comprising:

• a memory, the memory storing access class (“AC”) barring parameters, the AC barring parameters establishing rules allowing access to the access channel of the LTE communication network at a reduced access rate for at least one service, the AC barring parameters including a parameter to establish service based limitations that limit a rate at which lower priority services are accessed while still allowing access to services with a priority greater than the lower priority services;
• a processor, the processor:
• determining whether the access channel is in an overload condition, the overload condition being based at least in part on access channel characteristics indicating whether a user device has been able to establish a communication connection;
• and
• a transmitter, the transmitter transmitting a value of at least one AC barring parameter in response to determining whether the access channel is in the overload condition.

A device for use in a communication network, the communication network having an access channel, the device comprising:

• a memory, the memory storing access class (“AC”) barring parameters, the AC barring parameters establishing rules to determine whether to transmit an access message on the access channel;
• a processor, the processor:
• determining whether the access channel is in an overload condition, the overload condition being based at least in part on access channel characteristics indicating whether a user device has been able to establish a communication connection;
• and
• a transmitter, the transmitter transmitting a value of at least one AC barring parameter in response to determining whether the access channel is in the overload condition;
• the access channel characteristics including at least one of a ratio of received messages to access channel capacity, a number of messages failing a cyclic redundancy check (“CRC”) and a number of random access response (“RAR”) message failures;
• and
• the memory further stores an overload criteria, the overload criteria defining minimum AC barring parameter values, the overload criteria being met when the ratio of total received messages to access channel capacity exceeds a first minimum AC barring parameter value and the number of messages failing the cyclic redundancy check (“CRC”) exceeds a second minimum AC barring parameter value.

A device for use in a communication network, the communication network having an access channel, the device comprising:

• a memory, the memory storing:
• access class (“AC”) barring parameters, the AC barring parameters providing rules to determine whether to transmit an access message on the access channel;
• and
• an overload criteria, the overload criteria defining minimum AC barring parameter values, the overload criteria being met when the ratio of total received messages to access channel capacity exceeds a first minimum AC barring parameter value and the number of messages failing the cyclic redundancy check (“CRC”) exceeds a second minimum AC barring parameter value;
• and
• a processor, the processor:
• determining whether the access channel is in an overload condition, the overload condition being based at least in part on access channel characteristics indicating whether a user device has been able to establish a communication connection;
• and
• a transmitter, the transmitter transmitting a value of at least one AC barring parameter in response to determining whether the access channel is in the overload condition;
• the access channel characteristics include at least one of a ratio of received messages to access channel capacity, a number of messages failing a cyclic redundancy check (“CRC”) and a number of random access response (“RAR”) message failures;
• the overload criteria is met when the number of random access response (“RAR”) message failures exceed a third minimum AC barring parameter value;
• and
• the number of RAR message failures includes at least the sum of the number of RAR messages having a back-off indication and a number of RAR messages that could not be scheduled.

A method of adaptively controlling access channel overload in a Long Term Evolution (LTE) communication network, the method comprising:

• determining whether an access channel of the LTE communication network is in an overload condition;
• determining a first value of at least one access class (“AC”) barring parameter in response to determining whether the access channel is in the overload condition, the at least one AC barring parameter establishing rules allowing access to the access channel of the LTE communication network at a reduced access rate for at least one service, the at least one AC barring parameter including a parameter to establish service based limitations that limit a rate at which lower priority services are accessed while still allowing access to services with a priority greater than the lower priority services;
• transmitting an update message, the update message including the determined first value of at least one AC barring parameter, the at least one AC barring parameter providing at least one rule to determine whether to transmit an access message on the access channel;
• and
• monitoring whether the access channel continues to be in the overload condition after transmitting the update message.