Method and apparatus for bandwidth request/grant protocols in a wireless communication system

Abstract

A method and apparatus for allocating bandwidth in a broadband wireless communication system is disclosed. One embodiment uses a self-correcting bandwidth request/grant protocol. The self-correcting bandwidth request/grant protocol utilizes a combination of incremental and aggregate bandwidth requests. CPEs primarily transmit incremental bandwidth requests to their associated base stations, followed by periodic transmissions of aggregate bandwidth requests. The use of periodic aggregate bandwidth requests (that express the current state of their respective connection queues) allows the bandwidth allocation method and apparatus to be “self-correcting”. Another embodiment utilizes an abridged bandwidth request/grant protocol to allocate bandwidth. The abridged bandwidth request/grant protocol system utilizes padding packets to request a reduction in bandwidth allocation to a CPE. A base station modem alerts a base station CPU when the BS modem receives a padding packet from a CPE. After alerting the BS CPU the method can reduce the associated CPE's bandwidth allocation.

1 . A method for allocating bandwidth in a broadband wireless communication system, wherein the wireless communication system includes a plurality of customer premise equipment in communication with associated and corresponding base stations, and wherein the base stations maintain uplink and downlink sub-frame maps representative of the bandwidth allocations in the uplink and downlink communication paths, the method comprising:
 (a) determining an incremental bandwidth requirement for a selected Customer Premises Equipment;   (b) transmitting an incremental bandwidth request to a base station that is associated with the selected Customer Premises Equipment, wherein the incremental bandwidth request contains information indicative of the incremental bandwidth requirement determined in step (a);   (c) determining an aggregate bandwidth requirement for the selected Customer Premises Equipment;   (d) determining whether an aggregate bandwidth request should be transmitted to the base station associated with the selected Customer Premises Equipment such that an aggregate bandwidth request is sent periodically, wherein the aggregate bandwidth request contains information indicative of the aggregate bandwidth requirement determined in step (c); and   (e) if the aggregate bandwidth request is determined to be required in step (d), transmitting the aggregate bandwidth request to the associated base station and returning to step (a), else returning to step (a) without transmitting the aggregate bandwidth request.