Method and apparatus in a telecommunications network for controlling uplink control channel
View Patent ↗The present invention provides a method and a radio base station ( 4 ) which actively monitor the error rate for messages transmitted over an uplink control channel between the radio base station ( 4 ) and one or more mobile terminals ( 6 ). The distribution of messages transmitted on the uplink control channel is then adapted in dependence on the measured error rate.
1. A method of controlling resource utilization in a telecommunications network, wherein the telecommunications network comprises a plurality of mobile terminals and at least one radio base station, wherein the mobile terminals are configured to transmit messages to the radio base station over an uplink control channel, and wherein resources for said uplink control channel comprise a plurality of resource blocks, each resource block corresponding to a period of time and a frequency bandwidth, the method comprising:
measuring an error rate of messages transmitted over the uplink control channel; and
on the basis of said measured error rate and one or more comparable thresholds, adapting a distribution of messages over said plurality of resource blocks on the uplink control channel by adapting the manner in which resource blocks transmitted by different mobile terminals are multiplexed onto the uplink control channel, wherein said adapting a distribution of messages comprises:
if the measured error rate is above the one or more thresholds, adapting the distribution of messages such that fewer messages are received over the uplink control channel in a given time interval, thereby reducing the error rate.
2. The method of claim 1 , wherein said adapting a distribution of messages comprises adapting the distribution to prefer time-division multiplexing over frequency-division multiplexing such that fewer messages are received over the uplink control channel in a given time interval.
3. The method of claim 1 , wherein said adapting a distribution of messages comprises adapting the distribution to prefer time-division multiplexing over code-division multiplexing such that fewer messages are received over the uplink control channel in a given time interval.
4. The method of claim 1 , wherein the radio base station is configured to transmit data to the mobile terminals over a data channel, and wherein the messages comprise acknowledgement messages for data transmitted over the data channel.
5. The method of claim 4 , wherein resources for transmitting over said data channel comprise a plurality of time intervals, wherein a number of mobile terminals per time interval are scheduled to receive data, and wherein said adapting a distribution of messages comprising increasing or decreasing said number of mobile terminals scheduled per time interval.
6. The method of claim 5 , wherein the measured error rate relates to errors on said acknowledgement messages, and wherein the method comprises:
comparing the error rate to an acknowledgement message error threshold; and
on the basis of said comparison, adapting the number of messages per resource block over the uplink control channel.
7. The method of claim 1 , wherein the messages comprise channel quality reports, wherein said channel quality reports are received periodically, and wherein adapting said distribution of messages comprises increasing or decreasing the period with which each mobile terminal of the plurality of mobile terminals sends said channel quality reports.
8. The method of claim 7 , wherein the measured error rate relates to errors on said channel quality reports, and wherein the method comprises:
comparing the error rate to a channel quality report error threshold; and
on the basis of said comparison, adapting the distribution of messages per resource block over the uplink control channel.
9. The method of claim 1 , wherein the messages comprise scheduling requests, wherein said scheduling requests are allocated one or more of said plurality of resource blocks, and wherein said adapting a distribution of messages comprises increasing or decreasing a number of mobile terminals allocated to each period of time.
10. The method of claim 9 , wherein the measured error rate relates to errors on said scheduling requests, and wherein the method comprises:
comparing the error rate to a scheduling request error threshold; and
on the basis of said comparison, adapting the distribution of messages per resource block over the uplink control channel.
11. The method of claim 1 , wherein said adapting a distribution of messages comprises increasing or decreasing a number of said resource blocks allocated to said uplink control channel.
12. The method of claim 1 , wherein said radio base station is configured to transmit a number of data streams to a mobile terminal over a multiple-input, multiple-output (MIMO) radio link, and wherein said adapting a distribution of messages comprises increasing or decreasing said number of data streams.
13. The method of claim 1 , wherein the number of received messages is adapted such that, if said measured error rate has a first error rate value, said distribution of messages is a first distribution and, if said measured error rate has a second error rate value, said distribution of messages is a second distribution, the first error rate value being less than the second error rate value, and wherein fewer messages are received in a given time interval in the first distribution than in the second distribution.
14. The method of claim 1 wherein said adapting a distribution of messages further comprises:
if the measured error rate is below the one or more thresholds, adapting the distribution of messages such that fewer messages are received over the uplink control channel in a given time interval, thereby increasing the error rate.
15. A radio base station for use in a telecommunications network, wherein the telecommunications network comprises the radio base station and a plurality of mobile terminals, wherein the mobile terminals are configured to transmit messages to the radio base station over an uplink control channel, wherein resources for said uplink control channel comprises a plurality of resource blocks, each resource block corresponding to a period of time and a frequency bandwidth, the radio base station comprising:
a transceiver configured to receive said messages transmitted over the uplink control channel; and
processing circuitry configured to measure an error rate of said messages and, on the basis of said measured error rate and one or more comparable thresholds, to adapt a distribution of messages over said plurality of resource blocks on the uplink control channel by adapting the manner in which resource blocks transmitted by different mobile terminals are multiplexed onto the uplink control channel, wherein said adapting a distribution of messages comprises:
if the measured error rate is above the one or more thresholds, adapting the distribution of messages such that fewer messages are received over the uplink control channel in a given time interval, thereby reducing the error rate.
16. The radio base station of claim 15 , wherein said processing circuitry is configured to adapt the distribution to prefer time-division multiplexing over frequency-division multiplexing such that fewer messages are received over the uplink control channel in a given time interval.
17. The radio base station of claim 15 , wherein said processing circuitry is configured to adapt the distribution to prefer time-division multiplexing over code-division multiplexing such that fewer messages are received over the uplink control channel in a given time interval.
18. The radio base station of claim 15 , wherein the transceiver is configured to transmit data to the mobile terminals over a data channel, wherein the messages comprise acknowledgement messages for data transmitted over the data channel, wherein resources for transmitting over said data channel comprise a plurality of time intervals, wherein a number of mobile terminals per time interval are scheduled to receive data, and wherein said processing circuitry is configured to increase or decrease said number of mobile terminals scheduled per time interval.
19. The radio base station of claim 18 , wherein the measured error rate relates to errors on said acknowledgement messages, and wherein the processing circuitry is configured to:
compare the error rate to an acknowledgement message error threshold; and
on the basis of said comparison, adapt the number of messages per resource block over the uplink control channel.
20. The radio base station of claim 15 , wherein the messages comprise channel quality reports, wherein said channel quality reports are received periodically, and wherein said processing circuitry is configured to increase or decrease the period with which each mobile terminal of the plurality of mobile terminals sends said channel quality reports.
21. The radio base station of claim 15 , wherein the messages comprise scheduling requests, wherein said scheduling requests are allocated one or more of said plurality of resource blocks, and wherein said processing circuitry is configured to increase or decrease a number of mobile terminals allocated to each period of time.
22. The radio base station of claim 15 , wherein said radio base station is configured to transmit a number of data streams to a mobile terminal over a multiple-input, multiple-output (MIMO) radio link, and wherein said processing circuitry is configured to increase or decrease said number of data streams.
23. The radio base station of claim 15 , wherein the number of received messages is adapted such that, if said measured error rate is a first error rate value, said distribution of messages is a first distribution and, if said measured error rate has a second error rate value, said distribution of messages is a second distribution, the first error rate value being less than the second error rate value, and wherein fewer messages are received in a given time interval in the first distribution than in the second distribution.
24. The radio base station of claim 15 wherein said adapting a distribution of messages further comprises:
if the measured error rate is below the one or more thresholds, adapting the distribution of messages such that fewer messages are received over the uplink control channel in a given time interval, thereby increasing the error rate.