Base Station Delay Estimation for Wireless Buffer Scheduling
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Solution Overview
Problem
Current uplink delay scheduling in wireless communication systems is inefficient due to costly explicit signalling of delay information, leading to reduced capacity and coverage, as well as suboptimal scheduling decisions.
Innovation Solution
A method and arrangement in a base station to estimate the delay of data in a terminal's buffer by determining the service requested, estimating the arrival time of frames, and calculating the number of frames, allowing for reduced signalling and improved scheduling decisions based on delay information.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Measurement precision
If explicit signalling of delay information is used, then scheduling decisions can be improved, but resource usage increases and capacity decreases
Solution Approach 1:
The terminal autonomously determines the number of frames in its buffer and signals this information to the base station, eliminating the need for the base station to explicitly request or calculate delay information. This self-service approach reduces signalling overhead while maintaining accurate delay awareness for scheduling decisions.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent introduces an intermediary mechanism where the terminal acts as a mediator that converts internal buffer state information into a compact frame count indicator. This intermediary representation allows the base station to derive delay information indirectly through efficient signalling, avoiding direct explicit delay signalling while preserving scheduling accuracy.
2Productivity
If explicit signalling of delay information is used, then scheduling performance is improved, but coverage is reduced
Solution Approach 1:
The terminal self-determines its buffer frame count and signals this compact representation to the base station. This reduces the signalling resource consumption that would otherwise limit the number of simultaneously served terminals, thereby expanding system coverage while maintaining improved scheduling performance through accurate delay information.
3Measurement precision
If the terminal signals buffer information explicitly, then the base station can make better scheduling decisions, but the total amount of signalling increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent extracts only the essential buffer state information (number of frames) from the terminal's buffer and signals this condensed representation to the base station. This extraction approach maintains sufficient accuracy for scheduling decisions while dramatically reducing signalling overhead compared to explicit signalling of complete buffer state information.
Solution Approach 2:
Instead of signalling the complete buffer state, the terminal creates a simplified copy or representation (frame count indicator) that captures the essential delay information. This copying mechanism reduces signalling burden while preserving the key scheduling-relevant characteristics of the buffer state.
Data Source
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AI summary
Method and arrangement in a base station (110) for computing a delay time parameter of data comprised in a buffer of a terminal (120). The base station (110) and the terminal (120) are comprised within a wireless communication system (100). The terminal buffer is arranged to comprise frames, which frames in turn are arranged to comprise data. The method comprises determining (301) a service requested by the terminal, estimating (303) the arrival time of the last frame comprising transmit data to be received from the terminal (120), estimating (304) the number of frames comprised in the buffer of the terminal (120), establishing (305) a frame interval according to the determined service and estimating (306) the arrival time of the oldest frame in the terminal buffer by subtracting, from the estimated arrival time of the last received frame comprising transmit data, one established frame interval for each frame the terminal buffer is estimated to comprise, additional to the oldest frame.