Flow control in umts using information in ubs field

Abstract

Each of a plurality of data frames transmitted from a first node to a second node carry information belonging to one of a plurality of data flows. A determining unit determines at periodically repeated times, for each of the data flows, whether there are more data frames in the first node waiting to be transmitted. A capacity allocating unit allocates for each of those data flows for which no data frames have been waiting to be transmitted for a predetermined time period only a small amount of the totally available bandwidth for transmission from the first node to the second node. It also allocates for each of the remaining data flows a share of the rest of the totally available bandwidth such that the sum of the shares for all said remaining data flows is equal to the rest.

1 . A network including a first node and a second node, wherein data frames are transmitted from the first node to the second node, each data frame carrying information belonging to one of a plurality of data flows, said network comprising:
 a determining unit for determining, for a data flow, whether there are more data frames in the first node waiting to be transmitted; and,   a capacity allocating unit for allocating:   for a data flow for which no data frames have been waiting to be transmitted for a time period, an amount of a totally available bitrate or bandwidth for transmission from the first node to the second node; and,   for a remaining data flow, a share of the rest of the totally available bitrate or bandwidth, for transmission from the first node to the second node.   
     
     
         2 . The network according to  claim 1 , further comprising a storing/setting unit connected to the determining unit for storing, at periodically repeated times, a value for each of the data flows indicating the result of the determining in a state indicator cell or setting an indicator to a value indicating the result of the determining. 
     
     
         3 . The network according to  claim 1 , further comprising a starting/setting unit connected to the determining unit for starting, at periodically repeated times, a timer for each of those data flows for which at the current time there is no data frame waiting to transmitted but for which, at the directly previous time, there was at least one data frame waiting to be transmitted, or setting a counter to an initial value. 
     
     
         4 . The network according to  claim 3 , further comprising an incrementing/changing unit for incrementing, at the periodically repeated times, each of the timers already started or changing each of the counters by one step. 
     
     
         5 . The network according to  claim 3 , further comprising a comparator for comparing, at the periodically repeated times, each of the timers already started or counters to a predetermined value, and a changing unit for changing, for each of those data flows for which the result of the comparing indicates that the timer or counter has reached or passed a predetermined value, said value indicating the result of the determining or said indicator, and the allocating unit arranged to allocate to each of said data flows a predetermined minimum amount of the totally available bitrate or bandwidth. 
     
     
         6 . The network according to  claim 1 , wherein the first node is a radio network controller and the second node is a radio base station in a universal mobile telecommunications system (UMTS), wherein the determining unit is arranged to use information in the field “User Buffer Size” (UBS) in data frames received by the second node. 
     
     
         7 . A data receiving node for a network including a data transmitting node, the data transmitting node transmitting data frames to the data receiving node, each data frame carrying information belonging to one of a plurality of data flows, said data receiving node comprising:
 a determining unit for determining, for a data flow, whether there are more data frames in the data transmitting node waiting to be transmitted; and   a capacity allocating unit for allocating:   for a data flow for which no data frames have been waiting to be transmitted for a time period, an amount of a totally available bitrate or bandwidth for transmission from the first node to the second node; and,   for a remaining data flow, a share of the rest of the totally available bitrate or bandwidth, for transmission from the first node to the second node.   
     
     
         8 . The data receiving node according to  claim 7 , further comprising a storing/setting unit connected to the determining unit for storing, at periodically repeated times, a value for each of the data flows indicating the result of the determining in a state indicator cell or setting an indicator to a value indicating the result of the determining. 
     
     
         9 . The data receiving node according to  claim 7 , further comprising a starting/setting unit connected to the determining unit for starting, at periodically repeated times, a timer for each of those data flows for which at the current time there is no data frame waiting to transmitted but for which, at the directly previous time, there was at least one data frame waiting to be transmitted, or setting a counter to an initial value. 
     
     
         10 . The data receiving node according to  claim 9 , further comprising an incrementing/changing unit for incrementing, at the periodically repeated times, each of the timers already started or changing each of the counters by one step. 
     
     
         11 . The data receiving node according to  claim 10 , further comprising a comparator for comparing, at the periodically repeated times, each of the timers already started or counters to a predetermined value, and a changing unit for changing, for each of those data flows for which the result of the comparing indicates that the timer or counter has reached or passed the predetermined value, said value indicating the result of the determining or said indicator, and the allocating unit arranged to allocate to each of said data flows a predetermined minimum amount of the totally available bit rate or bandwidth. 
     
     
         12 . The data receiving node according to  claim 7 , characterized in that it is a radio base station in a universal mobile telecommunications system (UMTS) receiving data frames transmitted from a data transmitting node being a radio network controller, and that the determining unit is arranged to use information in the field “User Buffer Size” (UBS) in data frames received by the second node. 
     
     
         13 . A method of transmitting data frames from a first node to a second node, each data frame carrying information belonging to one of a plurality of data flows, comprising the steps of:
 determining for each of the data flows, whether there are more data frames in the first node waiting to be transmitted;   allocating, for a data flow for which no data frames have been waiting to be transmitted for a time period, an amount of the totally available bit rate or bandwidth; and   allocating, for a remaining data flow, a share of the rest of the totally available bit rate or bandwidth.   
     
     
         14 . The method according to  claim 13 , further comprising the step of storing, after the step of determining whether there are more data frames in the first node waiting to be transmitted, a value for each of the data flows indicating the result of the determining or setting an indicator to a state indicating the result of the determining. 
     
     
         15 . The method according to  claim 13 , further comprising the step of starting, after the step of determining whether there are more data frames in the first node waiting to be transmitted, a timer for each of those data flows for which at the current time there is no data frame waiting to transmitted but for which, at the directly previous time, there was at least one data frame waiting to be transmitted, or setting a counter to an initial value. 
     
     
         16 . The method according to  claim 15 , further comprising the step of incrementing, after the step of determining whether there are more data frames in the first node waiting to be transmitted, each of the timers already started or changing each of the counters by one step. 
     
     
         17 . The method according to  claim 16 , further comprising the step of comparing, after the step of determining whether there are more data frames in the first node waiting to be transmitted, each of the timers already started or counters to a predetermined value, and changing, for each of those data flows for which the result of the comparing indicates that the timer or counter has reached or passed the predetermined value, said value indicating the result of the determining or said indicator, and thus, allocating to each of said data flows a predetermined minimum amount of the totally available bit rate or bandwidth. 
     
     
         18 . The method according to  claim 13 , wherein the first node is a radio network controller and the second node is a radio base station in a universal mobile telecommunications system (UMTS), wherein in the step of determining whether there are more data frames in the first node waiting to be transmitted, information in the field “User Buffer Size” (UBS) in data frames received by the second is used.