Patent ID: 7817666
Filing Date: 2010-10-19
Classification: H04W

Abstract:
1. A method for dynamically allocating bandwidth in a wireless communication system where a base station exchanges uplink (UL) and downlink (DL) traffic with one or more remote units each remote unit serving one or more connections, the method comprising: maintaining at the base station an UL map with current UL bandwidth allocations and periodically transmitting the UL map to said remote units in DL sub-frames; identifying, within the UL traffic received from a remote unit, a bandwidth request specifying a requested amount of UL bandwidth pertaining to a connection served by the remote unit; in response to the bandwidth request, allocating to the remote unit an UL bandwidth grant, if there is sufficient bandwidth available for accommodating said bandwidth grant, wherein the size of the bandwidth grant is determined based on one or more UL traffic parameters which vary over time; and updating said UL map to reflect allocation of said bandwidth grant, wherein said base station allocates said UL bandwidth grant to said remote unit on a per-remote unit basis while said requested amount of UL bandwidth is requested by said remote unit on a per-connection basis.