Selecting a physical data channel based on an application traffic pattern

Abstract

Base station configured to perform wireless communication with a wireless device, the base station comprising: a radio device; and a processing element that is operationally coupled with the radio device; where the radio device and the processing element are configured to: Setting up a first radio carrier with the wireless device, wherein setting up the first radio carrier includes: Selecting one or more physical channels for the first radio carrier from a plurality of possible physical channels, wherein the one or more physical channels for the first radio carrier are selected based at least partially on a first application traffic pattern of a first application associated with the first radio carrier; Communicating application data associated with the first application to the wireless device via the first radio carrier; and wherein the base station is further configured to: Setting up a second radio carrier with the wireless device, wherein setting up the second radio carrier includes: selecting one or more physical channels for the second radio carrier from the plurality of possible physical channels, wherein the one or more physical channels for the second radio carrier are selected based at least partially on a second application traffic pattern of a second application associated with the second radio carrier, wherein the one or more physical channels selected for the second carrier are different physical channels from the one or more physical channels selected for the first radio carrier; and Communicating application data associated with the second application to the wireless device via the second radio carrier.

Description

Area

[0001] The present application relates to wireless devices, and in particular to a system and a method for selecting physical channels for data communications in a cellular communication system based on application traffic patterns. Description of the related prior art

[0002] The use of wireless communication systems is increasing rapidly. In addition, there are numerous different wireless communication technologies and standards. Some examples of wireless communication standards include GSM, UMTS (WCDMA, TD-SCDMA), LTE, LTE Advanced (LTE-A), HSPA, 3GPP2 CDMA2000 (e.g., 1xRTT, 1xEV-DO, HRPD, eHRPD), IEEE 802.11 (WLAN or Wi-Fi), IEEE 802.16 (WiMAX), Bluetooth, and others.

[0003] Cellular communication technologies are capable of providing a wide range of services and can be used by a variety of applications. Different applications using cellular communication may have different characteristics. Cellular communication techniques that do not account for the diverse application characteristics of the multitude of applications using cellular communication may be at risk of operating inefficiently. Accordingly, improvements in this area would be desirable.

[0004] The prior art document US 2004 / 0116139 A1 discloses a radio communication scheme applicable to UMTS that provides packet data services, such as multimedia broadcast and multicast services (MBMS), to one or more users by modifying or extending certain existing radio communication protocols and by using a new transport channel and / or establishing new shared physical downlink channels (C-PDSCH and D-PDSCH).

[0005] The prior art document US 2012 / 0281566 A1 discloses a method for controlling the connectivity of a wireless transmit / receive unit with a network, the method comprising: a wireless transmit / receive unit that determines a feature and / or priority of data to be transmitted; the wireless transmit / receive unit that transitions from a connected state or a sleep state to a sleep state when the feature or priority of the data matches a feature or priority for the sleep state; and the wireless transmit / receive unit that operates using a configuration for transmitting the data that differs from the configuration used for the connected state or the sleep state.The prior art document WO 2013 / 101190 A1 discloses a method comprising the processing of parameters defining at least a first carrier and a second carrier, wherein the first carrier and the second carrier are set up for a service on a processor; the sending of traffic generated by the service based on at least the first carrier, if at least the service or the processor is not in background mode; and the sending of background traffic generated by the service based on at least the second carrier, if at least the service or the processor is in background mode. Summary

[0006] The present invention is defined in the independent claims. Advantageous embodiments are specified in the dependent claims.

[0007] Embodiments are presented herein, including methods for selecting physical channels for data communications in a cellular communication system based on application traffic patterns and devices configured to implement the methods.

[0008] According to the techniques described herein, multiple physical channels can be provided for unicast data communication in a cellular system. These multiple physical channels can include both multiple physical uplink channels and multiple physical downlink channels. The different channels can have different characteristics, such as each being particularly well-suited for use with a specific type (or types) of application traffic patterns. For example, one physical channel might be better suited for periodic and / or low-data-rate application traffic patterns, while another physical channel might be better suited for non-periodic and / or high-data-rate application traffic patterns.

[0009] Given the availability of multiple physical channels for data communication, when establishing a data carrier between a wireless device and a base station, an application traffic pattern of an application associated with the data carrier can be considered as part of selecting which physical uplink and / or downlink channel the data carrier will use.

[0010] This can allow wireless devices and cellular networks to communicate application data using the physical channel whose characteristics are best suited to the application traffic pattern of the data being communicated. This, in turn, can improve overall system resource utilization and / or battery consumption characteristics.

[0011] It should be noted that the techniques described herein can be implemented in and / or used with a number of different types of devices, including but not limited to base stations, access points, mobile phones, portable media players, tablet computers, portable devices and various other computing devices.

[0012] This summary is intended to provide a brief overview of some of the subject matter described herein. Accordingly, it should be understood that the features described above are merely examples and are not to be interpreted in any way as limiting the scope or spirit of the subject matter described herein. Other features, aspects, and advantages of the subject matter described herein will become apparent from the following detailed description, figures, and claims. Brief description of the drawings

[0013] A better understanding of the present subject matter can be obtained by considering the following detailed description of the embodiments in conjunction with the following drawings, in which: Fig. 1. An exemplary wireless communication system is illustrated; Fig. 2 illustrates a base station (“BS”) or “eNodeB” or “eNB” in an LTE context communicating with a wireless device; Fig. 3 illustrates an exemplary wireless communication system which can be used for Voice-over-IP implementations; Fig. 4 illustrates an exemplary block diagram of a wireless device; Fig. 5 illustrates an exemplary block diagram of a UE-type wireless device; Fig. 6 illustrates an exemplary block diagram of a BS; Fig. 7 is a communication flow diagram illustrating an exemplary procedure for selecting a physical data channel in a cellular communication system; Fig. 8 to 9 exemplary PDSCH and PUSCH data block processing procedures according to LTE are illustrated; Fig. 10 is a graph illustrating an exemplary comparative performance test case of convolutional coding versus turbo coding; and Fig. Figures 11 to 16 illustrate exemplary possible protocol architectures and channel mappings which can be used to support multiple physical unicast data uplink and downlink channels.

[0014] While the features described herein are open to various modifications and alternative forms, specific embodiments are illustrated by way of example in the drawings and described in detail herein. It should be understood, however, that the drawings and the detailed description thereof are not intended to be limited to any particular disclosed form, but rather the intention is to cover all modifications, equivalents, and alternatives that fall within the spirit and scope of the subject matter defined by the accompanying claims. Detailed description of terms

[0015] The following is a glossary of terms used in this revelation: Memory medium – Any of the various types of non-volatile storage devices or memory devices. The term “memory medium” is intended to encompass installation media, such as CD-ROMs, floppy disks, or tape devices; computer system memory or random access memory, such as DRAM, DDR RAM, SRAM, EDO RAM, Rambus RAM, etc.; non-volatile memory, such as flash memory; magnetic media, such as hard disks or optical storage; registers or other similar types of memory elements, etc. The memory medium may include other types of non-volatile memory as well as combinations thereof. Additionally, the memory medium may be located in a first computer system, in which the programs are executed, or in a second, different computer system that communicates with the first computer system via a network, such as…The internet connects. In the latter case, the second computer system can provide program instructions to the first computer for execution. The term "storage medium" can encompass two or more storage media, which may be located in different places, e.g., in different computer systems connected via a network. The storage medium can store program instructions (e.g., designed as computer programs) that can be executed by one or more processors. Carrier medium - a storage medium as described above, as well as a physical transmission medium, such as a bus, network and / or other physical transmission medium, that transmits signals such as electrical, electromagnetic or digital signals. Programmable hardware element – ​​encompasses various hardware devices that contain multiple programmable functional blocks connected via a programmable interface. Examples include FPGAs (Field Programmable Gate Arrays), PLDs (Programmable Logic Devices), FPOAs (Field Programmable Object Arrays), and CPLDs (Complex PLDs). The programmable functional blocks can range from fine-grained blocks (combinatorial logic or lookup tables) to coarse-grained blocks (arithmetic logic units or processor cores). A programmable hardware element can also be referred to as "reconfigurable logic." Computer system – any of the various computing or processing systems, including a personal computer system (PC), mainframe system, workstation, network appliance, internet appliance, personal digital assistant (PDA), television system, grid computing system, or any other device or combination of devices. More generally, the term "computer system" can be broadly defined to include any device (or combination of devices) that has at least one processor that executes instructions from a storage medium. User equipment (UE) (or UE device) – any of the various types of computer system devices that are mobile or portable and capable of wireless communication. Examples of UE devices include mobile phones or smartphones (e.g., iPhone™, Android™-based phones), portable gaming devices (e.g., Nintendo DS™, PlayStation Portable™, Gameboy Advance™, iPhone™), laptops, PDAs, portable internet devices, music players, data storage devices, or other handheld devices, etc. In general, the term "UE" or "UE device" can be broadly defined to encompass any electronic, computing, and / or telecommunications device (or combination of devices) that is easily portable by a user and capable of wireless communication. Base station - The term "base station" has the full breadth of its ordinary meaning and includes at least one wireless communication station that is installed in a fixed location and is used to communicate as part of a wireless telephone system or radio system. Processing element refers to various elements or combinations of elements. Processing elements include, for example, circuits such as an ASIC (Application Specific Integrated Circuit), parts or circuits of individual processor cores, complete processor cores, individual processors, programmable hardware devices such as a Field Programmable Gate Array (FPGA), and / or larger parts of systems that include multiple processors. Channel – a medium used to transmit information from a transmitter to a receiver. It should be noted that, since the characteristics of the term "channel" can vary according to different wireless protocols, the term "channel," as used herein, can be considered to be used in a manner consistent with the standard of the type of device in relation to which the term is used. In some standards, channel widths may be variable (e.g., depending on the capabilities of the device, band conditions, etc.). For example, LTE may support scalable channel bandwidths from 1.4 MHz to 20 MHz. In contrast, WLAN channels may be 22 MHz wide, while Bluetooth channels may be 1 MHz wide. Other protocols and standards may include different definitions of channels. Furthermore, some standards may define and use multiple types of channels, e.g.,different channels for the uplink or downlink and / or different channels for different uses, such as data, control information, etc. Band - The term "band" encompasses the full breadth of its usual meaning and includes at least a portion of the spectrum (e.g., radio frequency spectrum) in which channels are used or intended for the same purpose. Automatic refers to an action or operation performed by a computer system (e.g., software executed by the computer system) or device (e.g., circuitry, programmable hardware components, ASICs, etc.) without user input that directly specifies or executes the action or operation. Thus, the term "automatic" contrasts with an operation that is performed manually or specified by the user, where the user provides input to directly execute the operation. An automatic procedure may be initiated by user input, but the subsequent actions performed "automatically" are not specified by the user; that is, they are not performed "manually," with the user specifying each action to be executed.For example, a user who fills out an electronic form by selecting each field and providing input that specifies information (e.g., by typing the information, selecting checkboxes, choosing radio buttons, etc.) is manually filling out the form, even if the computer system needs to update the form in response to the user's actions. The form can be automatically filled out by the computer system, where the computer system (e.g., software running on the computer system) analyzes the form's fields and fills out the form without any user input specifying the answers for the fields. As shown above, the user can request automatic form filling but is not involved in the actual filling out of the form (e.g., the user does not manually specify the answers for the fields; they are filled in automatically).The present invention provides various examples of operations that are automatically executed in response to actions performed by the user. Figures 1 to 3 - Communication system

[0016] Fig. Figure 1 illustrates an exemplary (and simplified) wireless communication system. It should be noted that the system of Fig. 1 is merely an example of a possible system, and features of the present disclosure can be implemented in any different system as desired.

[0017] As shown, the exemplary wireless communication system comprises a base station 102A, which communicates via a transmission medium with one or more wireless devices 106A, 106B, etc. up to 106N. Some or all of the wireless devices may be user devices and may be referred to herein as a “user equipment” (UE) or UE devices.

[0018] The base station 102A can be a base transceiver station (BTS) or a radio cell and can include hardware that enables wireless communication with the wireless devices 106A to 106N. The base station 102A can also be configured to communicate with a network 100 (e.g., a core network of a cellular service provider, a telecommunications network such as a public switched telephone network (PSTN), and / or the internet, among many other possibilities). This allows the base station 102A to support communication between user devices and / or between user devices and the network 100.

[0019] The communication area (or coverage area) of the base station can be referred to as a "cell". The base station 102A and the UEs 106 can be configured to communicate over the transmission medium using any of the various radio access technologies (RATs) or wireless communication technologies, e.g., GSM, UMTS (WCDMA, TDS-SCDMA), LTE, LTE-Advanced (LTE-A), HSPA, 3GPP2 CDMA2000 (e.g., 1xRTT, 1xEV-DO, HRPD, eHRPD), Wi-Fi, WiMAX, etc.

[0020] Base station 102A and other similar base stations (e.g., base stations 102B...102N) operating according to the same or a different cellular communication technology can thus be provided as a network of cells capable of providing a continuous or near-continuous overlapping service to wireless devices 106A-N and similar devices over a wide geographical area using one or more cellular communication techniques.

[0021] While the base station 102A can provide an “operating cell” for the wireless devices 106A-N, as shown in Fig. As illustrated in Figure 1, each wireless device 106 can thus be capable of receiving signals from (and possibly within the communication range of) one or more other cells (which may be provided by the base stations 102B-N and / or by any other stations), which may be referred to as "neighboring cells." Such cells may also be capable of supporting communication between user devices and / or between user devices and the network 100. Such cells may include "macro" cells, "micro" cells, "pico" cells, and / or cells providing any different granularities of a service area size. For example, the cells shown in Figure 1 could be... Fig. The illustrated base stations 102A-B could be macro-cells, while the base station 102N could be a micro-cell. Other configurations are also possible.

[0022] It should be noted that, at least in some cases, a Wireless Device 106 may be capable of communicating using multiple wireless communication standards. For example, a Wireless Device 106 might be configured to communicate using two or more of the following: GSM, UMTS, CDMA2000, WiMAX, LTE, LTE-A, WLAN, Bluetooth, one or more Global Navigation Satellite Systems (GNSS, e.g., GPS or GLONASS), one and / or more Mobile Television Broadcasting Standards (e.g., ATSC-M / H or DVB-H), etc. Other combinations of wireless communication technologies (comprising more than two wireless communication technologies) are also possible. Likewise, in some cases, a Wireless Device 106 (e.g.,a specialized wireless device) configured to communicate using only a single wireless communication technology.

[0023] Fig. Figure 2 illustrates a wireless device 106 (e.g., one of the devices 106A to 106N) communicating with a base station 102 (e.g., one of the base stations 102A to 102N). The wireless device 106 can be a device capable of cellular communication, such as a mobile phone, a handheld device, a computer, a tablet, or virtually any type of wireless device.

[0024] The wireless device 106 may include a processor configured to execute program instructions stored in memory. The wireless device 106 may execute any of the method execution modes described herein by executing such stored instructions. Alternatively or additionally, the wireless device 106 may include a programmable hardware element, such as an FPGA (field-programmable gate array), configured to execute any of the method execution modes described herein, or any part of any of the method execution modes described herein.

[0025] In some embodiments, the wireless device 106 can be configured to communicate using any one of several radio access technologies / wireless communication protocols. For example, the wireless device 106 can be configured to communicate using two or more of GSM, UMTS, CDMA2000, LTE, LTE-A, WLAN / Wi-Fi, or GNSS. Other combinations of wireless communication technologies are also possible.

[0026] The wireless device 106 may include one or more antennas for communicating using one or more wireless communication protocols or technologies. In one embodiment, the wireless device 106 may be configured to communicate using either CDMA2000 (1xRTT / 1xEV-DO / HRPD / eHRPD) or LTE using a single shared radio and / or GSM or LTE using the shared radio. The shared radio may be coupled to a single antenna or may be coupled to multiple antennas (e.g., for MIMO) to perform wireless communications. In general, a radio may include any combination of a baseband processor, an analog RF signal processing circuit (e.g., comprising filters, mixers, oscillators, amplifiers, etc.), or a digital processing circuit (e.g., for digital modulation as well as other digital processing).Similarly, the radio can implement one or more receive and transmit chains using the aforementioned hardware. For example, the wireless device 106 can share one or more parts of a receive and transmit chain between several wireless communication technologies, as explained above.

[0027] In some embodiments, the wireless device 106 may include separate transmission and / or reception chains (e.g., comprising separate RF and / or digital radio components) for each wireless communication technology with which it is configured to communicate. Alternatively, the wireless device 106 may include one or more radio units shared between multiple wireless communication technologies and one or more radio units used exclusively by a single wireless communication technology. For example, the wireless device 106 may include a shared radio unit for selective communication using LTE or 1xRTT (or LTE or GSM) and separate radio units for communication using both Wi-Fi and Bluetooth. Other configurations are also possible.

[0028] Fig. Figure 3 illustrates an exemplary, simplified part of a wireless communication system, which can be particularly useful for implementing Voice-over-IP communication, such as Voice-over-LTE (VoLTE) in an LTE network. It should be noted that the term "VoLTE," as used herein, may encompass voice services relating to current and / or future versions of LTE, e.g., including LTE-A.

[0029] As shown, the wireless device 106 can, for example, include an IP multimedia subsystem (IMS) client 306, which can be implemented in various ways using hardware and / or software. For example, in one embodiment, software and / or hardware can implement an IMS stack that provides, for example, desired IMS functionalities, including registration, authentication with IPSec support, session setup, and resource reservation, etc.

[0030] The wireless device 106 can communicate with a base station, shown in this exemplary embodiment as an eNodeB 102. The eNodeB, in turn, can be coupled to a core network, shown in this exemplary embodiment as an Evolved Packet Core (EPC) 100. As shown, EPC 100 can comprise a Mobility Management Entity (MME) 322, a Home Subscriber Server (HSS) 324, and a Serving Gateway (SGW) 326. EPC 100 can also comprise various other devices and / or units known to those skilled in the art.

[0031] The EPC 100 can communicate with the IMS 350. The IMS 350 can include a Call Session Control Function (CSCF) 352, which in turn can include a Proxy CSCF (P-CSCF), an Interrogating CSCF (I-CSCF), and a Serving CSCF (S-CSCF), as desired. The IMS 350 can also include a Media Gateway Controller Function (MGCF) 354 and an IMS Management Gateway (IMS-MGW) 356. The IMS 350 can include various other devices that are also known to those skilled in the art.

[0032] Thus, the system illustrates the Fig. 3 an exemplary part of a data path which can be used for Voice-over-IP communication, e.g. VoLTE. Figure 4 - Example block diagram of a wireless device

[0033] Fig. Figure 4 illustrates an exemplary block diagram of a wireless device 106, which can be configured for use in connection with various aspects of the present disclosure. The device 106 can be any of a variety of device types and can be configured to perform any of a variety of functionalities. For example, the device 106 can be an essentially portable device (a mobile device), such as a mobile phone, a personal productivity device, a computer or tablet, a handheld game console, a portable media player, etc. Alternatively, the device 106 can be an essentially stationary device, such as a weather station, a process control element, a measuring device, a television, a subwoofer, a loudspeaker or other audio-reproducing device, a set-top box, etc., if desired.

[0034] As shown, the device 106 can include a processing element 404. The processing element 404 can include or be coupled to one or more local and / or system memory elements, such as memory 402. Memory 402 can include any of a variety of memory types and can provide any of a variety of functions. For example, memory 402 could be RAM serving as system memory for the processing element 404. Other types and functions are also possible.

[0035] The device 106 may also include a wireless communication circuit 406. The wireless communication circuit 406 may include analog and / or digital circuit elements and may include one or more radio devices. In general, a radio device may include any combination of a baseband processor, an analog RF signal processing circuit (e.g., including filters, mixers, oscillators, amplifiers, etc.), or a digital processing circuit (e.g., for digital modulation as well as other digital processing). A radio device may implement one or more receive and transmit chains using the hardware mentioned above. In some cases, the wireless device 300 may share one or more parts of a receive and / or transmit chain between several wireless communication technologies, such as those discussed above.The wireless communication circuit can be coupled to one or more 408 antennas.

[0036] It should be noted that, if desired, the wireless communication circuit 406 may include an on-board processing element in addition to the processing element 404; for example, the processing element 404 may be a “processing processor,” while the wireless communication circuit 406 may include its own “baseband processor”; alternatively (or additionally), the processing element 404 may provide processing capabilities for the wireless communication circuit 406. The device 106 may be able to communicate using any of a variety of wireless communication technologies via the wireless communication circuit 406 and antenna(s) 408.

[0037] The device 106 may additionally include any of a variety of other components (not shown) for implementing device functionality, depending on the intended functionality for the device 106, which may include further processing and / or storage elements, one or more power supply elements (relying on battery power and / or an external power source), user interface elements (e.g., display, speaker, microphone, camera, keyboard, mouse, touchscreen, etc.), additional communication elements (e.g., antennas for wireless communication, I / O ports for wired communication, communication circuits (controllers, etc.)), and / or any of a variety of other components.The components of the device 106, such as the processing element 404, the memory 402, the wireless communication circuit 406, and the antenna 408, can be operationally coupled via one or more intra-chip and / or inter-chip interfaces, which can comprise any of a variety of interface types, possibly including a combination of several interface types. As an example, a USB high-speed inter-chip (HSIC) interface can be provided for inter-chip communication between the processing element 404 and the wireless communication circuit 406.Alternatively (or additionally), a Universal Asynchronous Receiver-Transmitter (UART) interface, a Serial Peripheral Interface (SBI), an Inter-Integrated Circuit (ICC), a System Management Bus (SMBus), and / or any of a variety of other communication interfaces can be used for communication between the Processing Element 404, the Memory 402, the Wireless Communication Circuit 406, and / or any of the various other device components. Other types of interfaces (e.g., peripheral interfaces for communication with peripheral components inside or outside the Device 106, etc.) can also be provided as part of the Device 106.

[0038] As described herein, the device can comprise 106 hardware and software components for implementing features for selecting physical data channels for cellular communication based on application traffic patterns, such as those described herein with respect to, among other things, the Fig. 7 are described. Figure - Example block diagram of a teaching unit

[0039] Fig. Figure 5 shows an exemplary block diagram of a UE type of wireless device 106. As shown, the UE 106 can include a system-on-chip (SOC) 500, which can comprise parts for various purposes. As shown, the SOC 500 can, for example, include a processor or processors 502, which can execute program instructions for the UE 106, and a display circuit 504, which can perform graphics processing and provide display signals to the display 560. The 502 processor(s) can also be coupled to the 540 Memory Management Unit (MMU), which can be configured to receive addresses from the 502 processor(s) and transfer these addresses to locations in memory (e.g., 506 memory, 550 Read Only Memory (ROM), 510 NAND Flash Memory) and / or to other circuits or devices, such as...The display circuit 504, the wireless communication circuit 530, the I / F connector 520, and / or the display 560. The MMU 540 can be configured to perform memory protection and page table translation or construction. In some embodiments, the MMU 540 can be included as part of the processor or processors 502.

[0040] As shown, the SOC 500 can be coupled to various other circuits of the UE 106. For example, the UE 106 can include different memory types (e.g., including NAND flash 510), a connector interface 520 (e.g., for coupling to a computer system, a dock, a charging station, etc.), the display 560, and a wireless communication circuit 530 (e.g., for LTE, CDMA2000, Bluetooth, WiFi, etc.).

[0041] As shown above, the UE 106 can be configured for wireless communication using multiple wireless communication technologies. As further shown above, in such cases, the wireless communication circuit 530 can include radio components shared between different wireless communication technologies and / or radio components configured exclusively for use with a single wireless communication technology. As shown, the UE device 106 can include at least one antenna (and possibly multiple antennas, e.g., for MIMO and / or to implement different wireless communication technologies, among various possibilities) for performing wireless communication with cellular base stations and / or other devices. For example, the UE device 106 can use antenna 535 to perform wireless communication.

[0042] The UE 106 can also include and / or be configured for use with one or more user interface elements. These user interface elements can include any element, such as a 560 display (which may be a touchscreen display), a keyboard (which may be a discrete keyboard or implemented as part of a touchscreen display), a mouse, a microphone and / or speakers, one or more cameras, one or more buttons, and / or any of various other elements capable of providing information to a user and / or receiving / interpreting user input.

[0043] As described herein, the UE 106 can include hardware and software components to implement features for selecting physical data channels for cellular communication based on application traffic patterns, such as those described here, among others, in relation to Fig. The processor 502 of the UE device 106 can be configured to implement some or all of the features described herein, for example, by executing program instructions stored on a storage medium (e.g., a non-volatile, computer-readable storage medium). Alternatively (or additionally), the processor 502 can be configured as a programmable hardware element, such as an FPGA (Field Programmable Gate Array) or an ASIC (Application Specific Integrated Circuit). Alternatively (or additionally), the processor 502 of the UE device 106, in conjunction with one or more of the other components 500, 504, 506, 510, 520, 530, 535, 540, 550, 560, can be configured to implement some or all of the features described herein. Figure 6 - Base station

[0044] Fig. Figure 6 illustrates an example block diagram of a base station 102. It should be noted that the base station of the Fig. Figure 6 is merely an example of a possible base station. As shown, the base station 102 can include a processor or processors 604 that can execute program instructions for the base station 102. The processor or processors 604 can also be coupled to a memory management unit (MMU) 640, which can be configured to receive addresses from the processor or processors 604 and transfer these addresses to locations in memory (e.g., memory 660 and read-only memory (ROM) 650) or to other circuits or devices.

[0045] The base station 102 can include at least one network interface (“Network Port”) 670. The network interface 670 can be configured to connect to a telephone network and provide access to the telephone network to a variety of devices, such as the wireless devices 106, as described above.

[0046] The network interface 670 (or an additional network interface) can also be configured to connect to a cellular network, such as a cellular service provider's core network. The core network can provide mobility-related services and / or other services to a variety of devices, such as the 106 wireless devices. In some cases, the network interface 670 can connect to a telephone network via the core network, and / or the core network can provide a telephone network (e.g., between other wireless devices served by the cellular service provider).

[0047] The base station 102 can include at least one antenna 634. The at least one antenna 634 can be configured to function as a wireless transceiver and can further be configured to communicate with the wireless devices 106 via a radio device 630. The antenna 634 communicates with the radio device 630 via a communication chain 632. The communication chain 632 can be a receive chain, a transmit chain, or both. The radio device 630 can be configured to communicate using various wireless communication technologies, including but not limited to LTE, GSM, WCDMA, CDMA2000, etc.

[0048] The processor(s) 604 of the base station 102 can be configured to implement some or all of the procedures described herein, for example, by executing program instructions stored on a storage medium (e.g., a non-volatile, computer-readable storage medium). Alternatively, the processor 604 can be configured as a programmable hardware element, for example, as an FPGA (Field Programmable Gate Array), an ASIC (Application Specific Integrated Circuit), or a combination thereof. Figure 7 - Communication flow diagram

[0049] In many cellular communication systems, a physical uplink channel and a physical downlink channel are defined and used for unicast data communication. For example, in LTE, downlink unicast data communication is currently performed using the physical downlink shared channel (PDSCH), while uplink data communication is performed using the physical uplink shared channel (PUSCH).

[0050] Cellular communication systems are increasingly used to support multiple applications with diverse traffic patterns. With a single physical channel, the characteristics of that channel may not be optimal for all possible traffic patterns. However, by providing multiple physical channels with different characteristics, suitable for different application traffic patterns, communication system resource utilization and the power consumption profiles of devices within the communication system can be improved.

[0051] Accordingly, Fig. 7 a communication flow diagram illustrating a method for selecting an uplink and / or downlink physical channel for data communication between a base station and a wireless device from several possible physical channels, at least partially based on application traffic patterns.

[0052] The procedure of Fig. 7 can be used in conjunction with any of the computer systems or devices shown in the figures above, in addition to other devices. As one possibility, the method can be carried out between a wireless device 106 and a base station 102. It should be noted that the in Fig. The scheme shown can be used in conjunction with LTE systems as one option, or in conjunction with any of the various other cellular systems, as desired.

[0053] It should be noted that in different embodiments, some elements of the shown method can be performed simultaneously, in a different order than shown, or omitted. Additional elements can also be performed as desired. As shown, the method can operate as follows.

[0054] In 702, the wireless device can connect to a cell provided by the base station. Connecting to the cell can involve receiving system information (e.g., which the base station can transmit in a system information block) and registering with the base station. The wireless device can initially operate in an "idle mode" after connecting to the cell. In idle mode, the wireless device can periodically monitor the cell for paging information directed to the wireless device at scheduled intervals and enter a low-power state (e.g., by shutting down some or all radio components) or "sleep" between such scheduled intervals.The wireless device can connect to the cell according to any of several different RATs (and generally communicate with the base station providing the cell), and the way the wireless device connects to the cell can depend on which RAT the wireless device and the base station communicate with. As a specific possibility, the wireless device and the base station can communicate according to LTE.

[0055] In section 704, the wireless device and the base station can establish an initial data carrier. If the wireless device has application data to transmit or receive, it can first switch from idle mode to a "connected mode." This may involve establishing a data carrier (e.g., a packet-switched one) on which the application data can be communicated. The switch from idle to connected mode can be initiated by the wireless device (e.g., using a random access procedure or RACH) or by the base station (e.g., by pagers on the wireless device).

[0056] Setting up an initial data link can involve selecting a physical uplink channel and a physical downlink channel, and then choosing which of the initial data links to use. In some scenarios, there may be multiple possible physical uplink channels and / or multiple possible physical downlink channels to choose from. Each of the physical uplink channels or physical downlink channels can have different characteristics.

[0057] For example, a first physical downlink channel can be configured with properties selected as preferred for application data that has a first application traffic pattern, such as a low data rate (e.g., a data rate below a data rate threshold) and / or periodic application traffic, while a second physical downlink channel can be configured with properties selected as preferred for application data that has a second application traffic pattern, such as a high data rate (e.g., a data rate above the data rate threshold) and / or aperiodic application traffic.

[0058] Similarly, a first physical uplink channel can be configured with properties selected as preferred for application data exhibiting the first application traffic pattern, while a second physical uplink channel can be configured with properties selected as preferred for application data exhibiting the second application traffic pattern. Alternatively, uplink physical channel properties can differ from downlink physical channel properties, if desired, so that the application traffic patterns used to select an uplink physical channel can differ from those used to select a downlink physical channel. As another possibility, multiple potential physical channels may be provided only for downlink data communication (e.g., if only a single uplink physical channel is provided for data communication), or only for uplink data communication (e.g., if only a single uplink physical channel is provided for data communication).(if only a single downlink physical channel is provided for data communication).

[0059] As an example of a possible property that could differ between physical channels, a first physical (downlink or uplink) channel could use convolutional coding, while a second physical (downlink or uplink) channel could use turbo coding. In such a case, the convolutional-coding channel might be better suited for low-data-rate application traffic, where simplified implementation and / or reduced power consumption may be a higher priority than maximizing bandwidth efficiency, while the turbo-coding channel might be better suited for high-data-rate application traffic, where maximizing bandwidth efficiency may be a higher priority than reducing power consumption, and where the interleaver structure might offer greater advantages for longer packets.

[0060] As another example of a possible characteristic that could differ between physical channels, a first physical (downlink or uplink) channel might not use Hybrid Automatic Requests (HARQ), while a second physical (downlink or uplink) channel might use HARQ. In such a case, the channel without HARQ might be better suited for periodic / predictable application traffic and / or application traffic with a relatively low packet loss tolerance, such as voice applications and / or applications where the BLER must be as low as possible (e.g., 1% BLER), for which HARQ may not be necessary, and / or for which alternative characteristics (e.g.,Implementing a fixed repetition pattern or using TTI bundling (which does not necessarily require ACK / NACK feedback) can be used to ensure acceptable service quality, which may be specific to periodic application traffic patterns. In contrast, the channel with HARQ may be better suited for aperiodic / unpredictable application traffic and / or application traffic with a relatively high packet loss tolerance and which supports RLC retransmissions.

[0061] Accordingly, at least in some cases, the selection of a physical uplink channel and / or a physical downlink channel for the first data carrier may be based, at least in part, on an application traffic pattern of an application (“First Application”) that is associated with the First Data Carrier. The First Application may be associated with the First Data Carrier, for example, if the data carrier is used or will be used to communicate application data of the First Application.

[0062] The first application can be an application from a wide variety of different application types, including but not limited to a voice application, a video application, an email application, a game application, a web browser application, an intelligent personal assistant application, a map application, a measurement / data collection application, a process control application and / or any of a wide variety of other types of applications.

[0063] The application traffic pattern of the first application (or any other application) can be defined based on any one of a variety of properties of the first application's traffic. Periodicity / predictability of the application traffic can be one such property. Average data rate and / or variability of the data rate can be additional or alternative such properties. Any other number of additional or alternative properties are also possible.

[0064] For example, one possibility is to define the first application traffic pattern as application traffic that is consistently periodic and below a data rate threshold. A second application traffic pattern could be defined as application traffic that is consistently periodic and above the data rate threshold. A third application traffic pattern could be defined as application traffic that is not consistently periodic. Alternatively, the exemplary "second" and "third" application traffic patterns could be considered together as a single category of application traffic that is either not consistently periodic, above the data rate threshold, or both. Any number of other application traffic patterns can be defined as desired.

[0065] Thus, in some cases, specific application traffic patterns can be associated with specific physical channels, allowing a particular physical channel associated with the application traffic pattern of a given application to be selected when establishing a data carrier associated with that application. For example, a first physical downlink and / or uplink channel can be selected for carriers associated with applications exhibiting a first application traffic pattern, while a second physical downlink and / or uplink channel can be selected for carriers associated with applications exhibiting a second application traffic pattern.

[0066] As a specific example, consider an LTE communication system. In such a system, radio carriers can be assigned a Quality of Service (QoS) Class Identifier (QCI), which can provide an indication of a packet loss rate and a latency budget that may be tolerable for an application using that radio carrier. For example, radio carriers with QCI 1 can be reserved for voice applications such as VoLTE. Therefore, as one possibility, each QCI 1 radio carrier can be mapped to a physical uplink and / or downlink data channel (e.g., newly defined in LTE) with characteristics suitable for voice traffic.

[0067] Once the first radio carrier has been established using the selected physical uplink and downlink channels, the wireless device and the base station can communicate application data associated with the first application over the first radio carrier (e.g., each can transmit and / or receive). It should be noted that the application data may be unicast (e.g., as opposed to multicast or broadcast) data, at least in some cases.

[0068] Because the first radio carrier can use physical channels whose characteristics may be well-suited to the application traffic pattern of the first application, network resource utilization, device power consumption, and / or other system characteristics can be improved relative to using one type of physical channel for all data communication. Furthermore, distinguishing between traffic patterns and providing channels with characteristics optimized for specific traffic patterns can enable the development and use of specialized devices that use only applications (or a single application) with a specific type of traffic pattern.

[0069] For example, at least in some cases, a specific Machine Type Communication (MTC) can generally involve periodic communication at a low data rate. For devices that only need to perform such communication (e.g., process control devices, automation devices, measurement / monitoring devices such as thermometers, barometers, hydrometers, electricity meters, seismometers, etc.), device implementation can be simplified and power consumption reduced if the devices do not need to support higher-power techniques designed for high throughput and / or optimized for aperiodic / unscheduled communication.

[0070] As another example, as mobile phones increasingly implement support for both voice and data services, it may also be possible to implement devices that support packet-switched voice communication, such as VoLTE (and potentially applications with similar application traffic patterns), by differentiating between several possible traffic patterns and providing physical channels with properties optimized for specific traffic patterns. This would be achieved without supporting higher-power techniques designed for high-throughput traffic and / or optimized for aperiodic / unscheduled communication. For example, VoLTE packets can typically have a relatively small, fixed payload (e.g., a transport block size of 328 bits may be sufficient in some cases) and can be exchanged at regular periodic intervals (e.g., 20 ms in some cases).Devices that use only physical data channels with properties optimized for such types of application traffic may be relatively easy (and therefore potentially inexpensive) to implement, and / or could have a reduced power consumption profile and could therefore be attractive to users for whom costs and / or battery life are particularly important considerations.

[0071] Therefore, it should be noted that in some cases, although the radio access technology used to communicate between the wireless device and the base station may support multiple physical channels for uplink or downlink communication, or for both, the wireless device itself may only support one physical uplink and / or downlink channel.

[0072] However, if the wireless device supports multiple physical uplink and / or downlink channels, there may be a point where the wireless device has application traffic for which a different physical channel than the one used by the first radio carrier might be more suitable. In such a case, according to Section 708, the wireless device and the base station can establish a second data radio carrier.

[0073] Similar to setting up the first data carrier, setting up the second carrier may involve selecting one or more physical channels (e.g., uplink and downlink) for the second carrier from several possible physical channels. The physical channels for the second carrier may be selected, at least in part, based on an application traffic pattern of an application ("second application") associated with the second carrier. The physical channels selected for the second carrier may be different from those selected for the first carrier; for example, the application traffic pattern of the second application may differ from that of the first application, allowing for the selection of different physical channels for the second carrier than those selected for the first.

[0074] Once the second radio carrier has been established using the selected physical uplink and downlink channels, the wireless device and the base station (e.g., each can transmit and / or receive) can communicate application data associated with the second application via the second radio carrier. It should be noted that, as with the application data for the first application, the application data for the second application may also be unicast data, at least in some cases.

[0075] In at least some cases, it should be noted that if the application traffic patterns of the first and second applications are similar or identical, there might be no reason to establish a second radio carrier using a second set of physical channels for the second application if the first radio carrier has already been established. For example, in such a case, it might be possible to communicate application data associated with the second application over the first radio carrier, in addition to communicating application data associated with the first application over the first radio carrier. Alternatively, if desired, a separate radio carrier can be established for each application that actively exchanges application data over the radio between the wireless device and the base station. Figures 8 to 16 - Exemplary LTE downlink and uplink channel coding procedure and modifications to support additional physical channels

[0076] While the Fig. Sections 8 through 16 and the information provided in connection therewith are presented as examples of various possible features of this revelation; they are not intended to be limiting to the revelation as a whole. Numerous alternatives to and variations of the following details are also possible and should be considered as encompassed by the scope of the present revelation.

[0077] The Fig. Figures 8 to 9 illustrate exemplary PDSCH and PUSCH data block processing procedures according to LTE.

[0078] As in Fig. As shown in Figure 8, transport channel processing for the DL-SCH (which may be mapped to the PDSCH physical channel) can include transport block CRC appendage, code block segmentation and code block CRC appendage, channel coding, rate matching and code block concatenation.

[0079] As in Fig. Figure 9 shows that transport channel processing for the UL-SCH (which can be mapped to the PUSCH physical channel) can include transport block CRC appendage, code block segmentation and code block CRC appendage, channel coding, rate matching, code block concatenation, data and control multiplexing, and channel interleaving.

[0080] As currently defined by the 3GPP specification, both the PDSCH and the PUSCH can use any turbo coding. One possibility would be to specify alternating physical channels (which could be designated E-PDSCH and E-PUSCH), each using convolutional coding. It should be noted that, since LTE physical control channels (e.g., the PDCCH and PUCCH) already use convolutional coding, providing physical data channels that also use convolutional coding may add little or no additional implementation complexity to devices configured to use current LTE implementations.

[0081] Fig. Figure 10 is a graph illustrating an exemplary comparative performance test case for convolutional coding versus turbo coding for a selection of relatively small transport block sizes (TBS), such as those that might be used by low-data-rate applications. As can be seen, the performance difference between concatenated turbo coding (CDC) and tail-biting convolution coding (TBCC) is relatively minimal for each of the transport block sizes in the depicted scenario. Thus, for relatively low-data-rate applications, which are generally assigned such smaller TBS, it may be possible to achieve the reduced power consumption and relatively simple implementation of convolutional coding with a small or no performance trade-off compared to turbo coding by using a physical data channel that employs convolutional coding instead of turbo coding.

[0082] The Fig. Figures 11 to 16 illustrate possible protocol architectures and channel diagrams that can be used to support multiple physical unicast data uplink and downlink channels. The downlink and uplink architectures (each shown in the Fig. 11 to 12) can include Packet Data Convergence Protocol (PDCP), Radio Link Control (RLC), and Media Access Control (MAC) layers. Radio carriers established at the PDCP layer can be mapped to logical channels, then to transport channels, and finally to physical channels using various functions performed at each intermediate layer.

[0083] In particular, as shown in Fig. 11. Both a DL-SCH and a DL-E-SCH transport channel can be provided for at least one UE in the downlink, and as shown in the Fig. 12. Both an UL-SCH and a UL E-SCH can be provided in the uplink. As also shown, where Hybrid Automatic Repeat Request (HARQ) can be provided at the MAC layer for the CL-SCH and the UL-SCH, HARQ does not need to be provided for the DL E-SCH or the UL E-SCH. Although not shown, if desired, it is also possible to omit ARQ (e.g., at the RLC layer) for radio carriers mapped to the DL E-SCH and the UL E-SCH. Other differences between the channels (e.g., using convolutional coding in DL-SCH and UL-SCH versus using turbo coding in DL-SCH and UL-SCH, etc.) are also possible.

[0084] Fig. Figure 13 illustrates possible downlink channel mappings from transport to physical channels, as they occur in conjunction with the architecture of the Fig. 11 can be used. As shown, in addition to the BCH, which is mapped to the PBCH, the MCH, which is mapped to the PMCH, and the PCH and DL-SCH, which are mapped to the PDSCH, the DL E-SCH can be mapped to the E-PDSCH. The PDCCH cannot be mapped by a transport channel.

[0085] The Fig. Figure 14 illustrates possible uplink channel mappings from transport to physical channels, as they occur in conjunction with the architecture of the Fig. 12 can be used. As shown, in addition to the UL-SCH, mapped to the PUSCH, and the RACH, mapped to the PRACH, the UL E-SCH can be mapped to the E-PUSCH. The PUCCH cannot be formed by a transport channel.

[0086] The Fig. Figure 15 illustrates possible downlink channel mappings from logical to transport channels, as they occur in conjunction with the architecture of the Fig. 11 can be used. As shown, in addition to the PCCH, which is mapped to the PCH, the BCCH, which is mapped to the BCH, and the DL-DSCH, the CCCH, DCCH and DTCH, which are mapped to the DL-SCH, and the MCCH and MTCH, which are mapped to the MCH, the DTCH can also be mapped to the DL E-SCH.

[0087] Fig. Figure 16 illustrates possible uplink channel mappings from logical to transport channels, as they occur in conjunction with the architecture of the Fig. 12 can be used. As shown, in addition to the CCCH, DCCH, and DTCH, which are mapped to the UL-SCH, the DTCH can also be mapped to the UL E-SCH. The RACH cannot be mapped from a logic channel.

[0088] Embodiments of the present disclosure can be realized in any of many different forms. For example, some embodiments can be realized as a computer-implemented method, a computer-readable storage medium, or a computer system. Other embodiments can be realized using one or more user-specific hardware devices, such as ASICs. Still other embodiments can be realized using one or more programmable hardware elements, such as FPGAs.

[0089] In some embodiments, a non-volatile, computer-readable storage medium can be configured to store program instructions and / or data, with the program

Claims

[1] Base station configured to perform wireless communication with a wireless device, the base station comprising: a radio device; and a processing element that is operationally coupled with the radio device; wherein the radio device and the processing element are configured to: Setting up a first radio carrier with the wireless device, wherein setting up the first radio carrier includes: Selecting one or more physical channels for the first radio carrier from a plurality of possible physical channels, wherein the one or more physical channels for the first radio carrier are selected based at least partially on a first application traffic pattern of a first application associated with the first radio carrier; Communicating application data associated with the first application to the wireless device via the first radio carrier; and wherein the base station is further configured to: Setting up a second radio carrier with the wireless device, wherein setting up the second radio carrier includes: selecting one or more physical channels for the second radio carrier from the plurality of possible physical channels, wherein the one or more physical channels for the second radio carrier are selected based at least partially on a second application traffic pattern of a second application associated with the second radio carrier, wherein the one or more physical channels selected for the second carrier are different physical channels from the one or more physical channels selected for the first radio carrier; and Communicating application data associated with the second application to the wireless device via the second radio carrier. [2] Base station according to claim 1, wherein the plurality of possible physical channels comprises at least a first physical downlink channel and a second physical downlink channel, wherein the base station is further configured to: Selecting the first physical downlink channel for radio carriers associated with applications exhibiting the first application traffic pattern; and Selecting the second physical downlink channel for radio carriers associated with applications that exhibit the second application traffic pattern. [3] Base station according to claim 2, where the first application traffic pattern comprises periodic traffic exhibiting a data rate below a data rate threshold, where the second application traffic pattern includes aperiodic traffic and / or traffic that has a data rate above a data rate threshold. [4] Base station according to one of the preceding claims, wherein the plurality of possible physical channels comprises at least a first physical uplink channel and a second physical uplink channel, wherein the base station is further configured to: Selecting a first physical uplink channel for radio carriers associated with applications exhibiting the first application traffic pattern; and Selecting the second physical uplink channel for radio carriers associated with applications that exhibit the second application traffic pattern. [5] Method for a wireless device for performing wireless communication, the method comprising: through the wireless device: Connecting to a first cell according to a first radio access technology (RAT); Setting up a first radio carrier with the first cell according to the first RAT, where setting up the first radio carrier includes: selecting a physical downlink channel for the first radio carrier from at least two possible physical downlink channels, wherein the physical downlink channel for the first radio carrier is selected based at least in part on an application traffic pattern of the first application associated with the first radio carrier; Communicating application data associated with the first application, about the first radio carrier; and the procedure further comprising: Setting up a second radio carrier with the first cell according to the first RAT, wherein setting up the second radio carrier comprises: selecting a physical downlink channel for the second radio carrier from at least two possible physical downlink channels, wherein the physical downlink channel for the second radio carrier is selected based at least partially on an application traffic pattern of a second application associated with the second radio carrier, wherein the physical downlink channel selected for the second radio carrier is a different physical downlink channel than the physical downlink channel selected for the first radio carrier; and Communicating application data associated with the second application over the second radio carrier. [6] Method according to claim 5, wherein the setup of the first radio carrier further comprises: Selecting a physical uplink channel for the first radio carrier from at least two possible physical uplink channels, wherein the physical uplink channel for the first radio carrier is selected based at least partially on the application traffic pattern of the first application associated with the first radio carrier. [7] Method according to any one of claims 5 to 6, wherein the first radio carrier is a packet-switched radio carrier. [8] Method according to any one of claims 5 to 7, wherein the at least two possible physical downlink channels comprise a first physical downlink channel and a second physical downlink channel, wherein the first physical downlink channel uses convolutional coding and the second physical channel uses turbo coding, where the first physical downlink channel does not use Hybrid Automatic Retry Requests and where the second physical downlink channel does use Hybrid Automatic Retry Requests. [9] Method according to claim 8, where the application traffic pattern of the first application is a low data rate periodic traffic pattern, wherein the first physical downlink channel is selected for the first radio carrier based at least partially on the application traffic pattern of the first application, which is a low data rate periodic traffic pattern. [10] Method according to claim 8, where the application traffic pattern of the first application is a high-data-rate and / or an aperiodic traffic pattern, wherein the second physical downlink channel is selected for the first radio carrier based at least partially on the application traffic pattern of the first application, which is a high data rate and / or aperiodic traffic pattern. [11] Method according to any one of claims 5 to 10, wherein the first RAT is LTE. [12] Method according to any one of claims 5 to 11, wherein the at least two possible physical downlink channels are unicast physical downlink channels. [13] Device configured to perform each of the methods according to any one of claims 5 to 12.

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