Methods and apparatus for enhanced UL RLC flow control for MRAB calls

Systems, devices, and methods for wireless enhanced uplink (UL) radio link control (RLC) flow control for multi-radio access bearer (MRAB) calls. In one aspect, a device configured to manage a wireless connection in a voice and data communication is provided. The device includes a receiver configured to receive radio link control (RLC) control information. The device further includes a controller configured to detect one or more radio frequency (RF) conditions. The controller is further configured to dynamically adjust, independent of the received RLC control information, RLC flow control in response to the RF conditions.

BACKGROUND

Aspects of the present invention relate to wireless communication, and in particular, to systems, method and apparatus configured to enable multiple radio access bearer communications based on wireless conditions.

Generally, a wireless multiple-access communication system can simultaneously support communication for multiple wireless terminals (e.g. cellphones, tablet computers and other electronic devices). Each wireless terminal communicates with one or more base stations via transmissions on one or more uplinks and downlinks. A downlink (or forward link) refers to the communication link from the base stations to the wireless terminal, and an uplink (or reverse link) refers to the communication link from the wireless terminal to the base station. These communication links may be established via a single-in-single-out (SISO), multiple-in-single-out (MISO), or a multiple-in-multiple-out (MIMO) system.

A MIMO system employs multiple transmit antennas and multiple receive antennas for data transmission. A MIMO channel formed by the transmit and receive antennas may be decomposed into independent channels, which are also referred to as spatial channels. Each of the independent channels corresponds to a dimension. The MIMO system can provide improved performance (e.g., higher throughput and/or greater reliability) if the additional dimensions created by the multiple transmit and receive antennas are utilized.

A MIMO system supports time division duplex (TDD) and frequency division duplex (FDD) systems. In a TDD system, the uplink and downlink transmissions are within the same frequency region so that the reciprocity principle allows the estimation of the downlink channel from the uplink channel. This enables the base station to extract transmit beamforming gain on the downlink when multiple antennas are available at the base station.

The primary purpose of the base station is to provide connectivity between a wireless terminal or terminals and the core communications network. In a UMTS radio access network (RAN), the functionalities of a base station may be split across two network elements: the Radio Network Controller (RNC) handles, among other functions, connection setup, resource assignment and mobility; the base node (NodeB) configured to handle the radio transmission and reception to and from wireless terminals as well as the resource allocation for connected users on the shared channels.

To establish a call connection between a wireless terminal and a base station, a Radio Access Bearer (RAB) is needed. The RAB carries voice or other data between the wireless terminal and the core communication network. There are different types of RABs for different types of data, such as, for example, voice data, streaming data (e.g. streaming a video clip), interactive data (e.g. interacting with a website) and others. Simultaneous voice and data connections require multiple RABs and may be referred to as Multi-RAB or MRAB connections. In the early days of combined voice and data networks, e.g. 3G UMTS, simultaneous voice and data connections were not prevalent. However, newer wireless terminal devices (e.g. touch-screen cellular telephones) increasingly use voice and data connections simultaneously. Accordingly, there is a need for improved management of MRAB resources. Particularly, MRAB calls can experience a significantly higher dropped call rate (DCR) compared to voice calls in UMTS 3G networks world-wide. Dedicated optimizations on the network and user equipment (UE) side can mitigate the poor performance of MRAB calls.

SUMMARY

Various implementations of systems, methods and apparatus within the scope of the appended claims each have several aspects, no single one of which is solely responsible for the desirable attributes described herein. Without limiting the scope of the appended claims, some prominent features are described herein. After considering this discussion, and particularly after reading the section entitled “Detailed Description” one will understand how the features of various implementations are used to manage power allocation to various channels in MRAB calls.

In one aspect, a method of managing a wireless connection in a voice and data communication is provided. The method includes receiving radio link control (RLC) control information. The method further includes detecting one or more radio frequency (RF) conditions. The method further includes dynamically adjusting, independent of the received RLC control information, RLC flow control in response to the RF conditions.

In one embodiment, the adjusting can be performed by user equipment. In one embodiment, the adjusting can be performed by network equipment. In one embodiment, the adjusting can include adjusting one or more RLC parameters. In one embodiment, the adjusting can include adjusting the one or more RLC parameters beyond respective standardized values. In one embodiment, the adjusting can include extending a range of allowable RLC parameter settings. The one or more RLC parameters can include one or more of: max reset timers and counters, RLC window sizes, poll timers, reset timers, and status timers. The detecting can be triggered by at least one of: an RF measurement, a block error rate (BLER), a number of re-transmissions, and an occurrence rate of RLC resets.

another aspect, a device configured to manage a wireless connection in a voice and data communication is provided. The device includes a receiver configured to receive radio link control (RLC) control information. The device further includes a controller configured to detect one or more radio frequency (RF) conditions. The controller is further configured to dynamically adjust, independent of the received RLC control information, RLC flow control in response to the RF conditions.

In one embodiment, the device can be configured as user equipment. In one embodiment, the device can be configured as network equipment. In one embodiment, the controller can be configured to adjust the RLC flow control by adjusting one or more RLC parameters. In one embodiment, the controller can be configured to adjust the RLC flow control by adjusting the one or more RLC parameters beyond respective standardized values. In one embodiment, the controller can be configured to adjust the RLC flow control by extending a range of allowable RLC parameter settings. The one or more RLC parameters can include one or more of: max reset timers and counters, RLC window sizes, poll timers, reset timers, and status timers. The controller can be configured to detect the one or more radio frequency (RF) conditions triggered by at least one of: an RF measurement, a block error rate (BLER), a number of re-transmissions, and an occurrence rate of RLC resets.

In another aspect, an apparatus for managing a wireless connection in a voice and data communication is provided. The apparatus includes means for receiving radio link control (RLC) control information. The apparatus further includes means for detecting one or more radio frequency (RF) conditions. The apparatus further includes means for dynamically adjusting, independent of the received RLC control information, RLC flow control in response to the RF conditions.

In one embodiment, the means for adjusting can include user equipment. In one embodiment, the means for adjusting can include network equipment. In one embodiment, means for adjusting can include means for adjusting one or more RLC parameters. In one embodiment, means for adjusting can include means for adjusting the one or more RLC parameters beyond respective standardized values. In one embodiment, means for adjusting can include means for extending a range of allowable RLC parameter settings. The one or more RLC parameters can include one or more of: max reset timers and counters, RLC window sizes, poll timers, reset timers, and status timers. Means for detecting can be triggered by at least one of: an RF measurement, a block error rate (BLER), a number of re-transmissions, and an occurrence rate of RLC resets.

In another aspect, a non-transitory computer readable storage medium is provided. The medium includes instructions that, when executed by at least one processor of an apparatus, cause the apparatus to receive radio link control (RLC) control information. The medium further includes instructions that, when executed by at least one processor of the apparatus, cause the apparatus to detect one or more radio frequency (RF) conditions. The medium further includes instructions that, when executed by at least one processor of the apparatus, cause the apparatus to dynamically adjust, independent of the received RLC control information, RLC flow control in response to the RF conditions.

In one embodiment, the apparatus can include user equipment. In one embodiment, the apparatus can include network equipment. In one embodiment, the medium can further include instructions that, when executed by at least one processor of the apparatus, cause the apparatus to adjusting one or more RLC parameters. In one embodiment, the medium can further include instructions that, when executed by at least one processor of the apparatus, cause the apparatus to adjust the one or more RLC parameters beyond respective standardized values. In one embodiment, the medium can further include instructions that, when executed by at least one processor of the apparatus, cause the apparatus to extend a range of allowable RLC parameter settings. The one or more RLC parameters can include one or more of: max reset timers and counters, RLC window sizes, poll timers, reset timers, and status timers. In one embodiment, the medium can further include instructions that, when executed by at least one processor of the apparatus, cause the apparatus to trigger said detection by at least one of: an RF measurement, a block error rate (BLER), a number of re-transmissions, and an occurrence rate of RLC resets.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

In some aspects the teachings herein may be employed in a network that includes macro scale coverage (e.g., a large area cellular network such as a 3G network, typically referred to as a macro cell network) and smaller scale coverage (e.g., a residence-based or building-based network environment). As a wireless terminal (WT) or user equipment (UE) moves through such a network, the wireless terminal may be served in certain locations by base stations (BSs) or access nodes (ANs) that provide macro coverage while the wireless terminal may be served at other locations by access nodes that provide smaller scale coverage, e.g. femto nodes (FNs). In some aspects, the smaller coverage nodes may be used to provide incremental capacity growth, in-building coverage, and different services (e.g., for a more robust user experience). In the discussion herein, a node that provides coverage over a relatively large area may be referred to as a macro node. A node that provides coverage over a relatively small area (e.g., a residence) may be referred to as a femto node. A node that provides coverage over an area that is smaller than a macro area and larger than a femto area may be referred to as a pico node (e.g., providing coverage within a commercial building).

A cell associated with a macro node, a femto node, or a pico node may be referred to as a macro cell, a femto cell, or a pico cell, respectively. In some implementations, each cell may be further associated with (e.g., divided into) one or more sectors.

In various applications, other terminology may be used to reference a macro node, a femto node, or a pico node. For example, a macro node may be configured or referred to as an access node, access point, base station, Node B, eNodeB, macro cell, and so on. Also, a femto node may be configured or referred to as a Home NodeB (HNB), Home eNodeB (HeNB), access point access point, femto cell, and so on.

FIG. 1shows an exemplary functional block diagram of a wireless communication system. The wireless communication system10may include at least one wireless terminal100and at least one base station101configured to communicate with each other over a first communication link161and a second communication link163. Each of the first and second communication links161,163can be a single-packet communication link on which a single packet may be transmitted during each cycle or a multi-packet communication link on which on which multiple packets may be transmitted during each cycle. For example, the first communication link161can be a dual-packet communication link on which zero, one, or two packets can be transmitted during each cycle.

In the implementation shown inFIG. 1, the wireless terminal100includes at least one processor110coupled with a memory120, an input device130, and an output device140. The processor may be coupled with a modem150and a transceiver160. The transceiver160shown is also coupled with the modem150and an antenna170. The wireless terminal100and components thereof may be powered by a battery180and/or an external power source. In some implementations, the battery180, or a portion thereof, is rechargeable by an external power source via a power interface190. Although described separately, it is to be appreciated that functional blocks described with respect to the wireless terminal100need not be separate structural elements. For example, the processor110and memory120may be implemented in a single chip. Similarly, two or more of the processor110, modem150, and transceiver160may be implemented in a single chip.

The processor110can be a general purpose processor, a digital signal processor (DSP), an application specific integrated circuit (ASIC), a field programmable gate array (FPGA) or other programmable logic device, discrete gate or transistor logic, discrete hardware components, or any suitable combination thereof designed to perform the functions described herein. At least one processor may also be implemented as a combination of computing devices, e.g., a combination of a DSP and a microprocessor, a plurality of microprocessors, one or more microprocessors in conjunction with a DSP core, or any other such configuration.

In the implementation shown inFIG. 1, the processor110can be coupled, via one or more buses, with read information from or write information to the memory120. The processor may additionally, or in the alternative, contain memory, such as processor registers. The memory120can include processor cache, including a multi-level hierarchical cache in which different levels have different capacities and access speeds. The memory120can also include random access memory (RAM), other volatile storage devices, or non-volatile storage devices. The storage can include hard drives, optical discs, such as compact discs (CDs) or digital video discs (DVDs), flash memory, floppy discs, magnetic tape, and Zip drives.

The processor110is also coupled with an input device130and an output device140configured for, respectively, receiving input from and providing output to, a user of the wireless terminal100. Suitable input devices may include, but are not limited to, a keyboard, buttons, keys, switches, a pointing device, a mouse, a joystick, a remote control, an infrared detector, a video camera (possibly coupled with video processing software to, e.g., detect hand gestures or facial gestures), a motion detector, or a microphone (possibly coupled with audio processing software to, e.g., detect voice commands). Suitable output devices may include, but are not limited to, visual output devices, including displays and printers, audio output devices, including speakers, headphones, earphones, and alarms, and haptic output devices, including force-feedback game controllers and vibrating devices.

The processor110may be coupled with a modem150and a transceiver160. The modem150and transceiver160may be configured to prepare data generated by the processor110for wireless transmission over the communication links161,163via the antenna170. The modem150and transceiver160also demodulate data received over the communication links161,163via the antenna170. In some implementations, the modem150and the transceiver160may be configured to operate according to one or more air interface standards. The transceiver can include a transmitter162, a receiver164, or both. In other implementations, the transmitter162and receiver164are two separate components. The modem150and transceiver160, can be implemented as a general purpose processor, a digital signal processor (DSP), an application specific integrated circuit (ASIC), a field programmable gate array (FPGA) or other programmable logic device, discrete gate or transistor logic, discrete hardware components, or any suitable combination thereof designed to perform the functions described herein. The antenna170can include multiple antennas for multiple-input/multiple-output (MIMO) communication.

The wireless terminal100and components thereof may be powered by a battery180and/or an external power source. The battery180can be any device which stores energy, and particularly any device which stores chemical energy and provides it as electrical energy. The battery180can include one or more secondary cells including a lithium polymer battery, a lithium ion battery, a nickel-metal hydride battery, or a nickel cadmium battery, or one or more primary cells including an alkaline battery, a lithium battery, a silver oxide battery, or a zinc carbon battery. The external power source can include a wall socket, a vehicular cigar lighter receptacle, a wireless energy transfer platform, or the sun.

In some implementations, the battery180, or a portion thereof, is rechargeable by an external power source via a power interface190. The power interface190can include a jack for connecting a battery charger, an inductor for near field wireless energy transfer, or a photovoltaic panel for converting solar energy into electrical energy.

In some implementations, the wireless terminal100is a mobile telephone, a personal data assistant (PDAs), a hand-held computer, a laptop computer, a wireless data access card, a GPS receiver/navigator, a camera, an MP3 player, a camcorder, a game console, a wrist watch, a clock, or a television.

As shown inFIG. 1, the base station101also includes at least at least one processor111coupled with a memory112and a transceiver165. The transceiver165includes a transmitter167and a receiver166coupled with an antenna171. The processor111, memory112, transceiver165, and antenna171can be implemented as described above with respect to the wireless terminal100.

In the wireless communication system10ofFIG. 1, the base station101can transmit data packets to the wireless terminal100via a first communication link161and/or a second communication link163.

FIG. 2shows an exemplary functional block diagram of components that may be employed to facilitate communication between communication nodes, such a wireless terminal and a base station. Specifically,FIG. 2is a simplified block diagram of a first wireless device210(e.g., a base station) and a second wireless device250(e.g., a wireless terminal) of a communication system200. At the first device210, traffic data for a number of data streams is provided from a data source212to a transmit (TX) data processor214.

In some implementations, each data stream is transmitted over a respective transmit antenna. The TX data processor214may be configured to format, code, and interleave the traffic data for each data stream based on a particular coding scheme selected for that data stream.

In the implementation shown inFIG. 2, the modulation symbols for some data streams may be provided to a TX MIMO processor220, which may further process the modulation symbols (e.g., for OFDM). The TX MIMO processor220then provides modulation symbol streams to transceivers (XCVR)222A through222T. In some aspects, the TX MIMO processor220applies beam-forming weights to the symbols of the data streams and to the antenna from which the symbol is being transmitted.

Each transceiver222receives and processes a respective symbol stream to provide one or more analog signals, and further conditions (e.g., amplifies, filters, and upconverts) the analog signals to provide a modulated signal suitable for transmission over the channel. Modulated signals from transceivers222A through222T are then transmitted from antennas224A through224T, respectively.

At the second device250, the transmitted modulated signals are received by antennas252A through252R and the received signal from each antenna252is provided to a respective transceiver (XCVR)254A through254R. Each transceiver254may be configured to condition (e.g., filters, amplifies, and downconverts) a respective received signal, digitizes the conditioned signal to provide samples, and further processes the samples to provide a corresponding “received” symbol stream.

A receive (RX) data processor165then receives and processes the received symbol streams from transceivers254based on a particular receiver processing technique to provide “detected” symbol streams. The RX data processor165then demodulates, deinterleaves, and decodes each detected symbol stream to recover the traffic data for the data stream. The processing by the RX data processor165is complementary to that performed by the TX MIMO processor220and the TX data processor214at the device210.

The processor270formulates an uplink message, which may comprise various types of information regarding the communication link and/or the received data stream. The reverse link message is then processed by a TX data processor238, which also receives traffic data for a number of data streams from a data source236, modulated by a modulator280, conditioned by the transceivers254A through254R, and transmitted back to the device210.

At the device210, the modulated signals from the second device250are received by the antennas224, conditioned by the transceivers222, demodulated by a demodulator (DEMOD)240, and processed by an RX data processor242to extract the uplink message transmitted by the second device250. The processor230then processes the extracted message.

FIG. 2also illustrates that the communication components may include one or more components that perform access control. For example, an access control component290may cooperate with the processor230and/or other components of the device210to send/receive signals to/from another device (e.g., device250). Similarly, an access control component292may cooperate with the processor270and/or other components of the device250to send/receive signals to/from another device (e.g., device210). It should be appreciated that for each device210and250the functionality of two or more of the described components may be provided by a single component. For example, a single processing component may provide the functionality of the access control component290and the processor230and a single processing component may provide the functionality of the access control component292and the processor270.

The interface between base stations and wireless terminals may be described by a protocol stack that consists of a number of protocol layers, each giving a specific service to the next layer above and/or below. For example, a top layer of the protocol stack, sometimes referred to as the radio resource control (RRC) layer, may control signaling to control the wireless connection to the wireless terminal. This layer may additionally provide control of aspects of the wireless terminal from the base station and may include functions to control radio bearers, physical channels, mapping of different channel types, measurement and other functions.

In some instances, failure of a data connection in MRAB calls, such as a Packet Switched (PS) RAB in poor radio frequency (RF) environments, can cause a higher DCR. Even in poor RF conditions when the wireless terminal100transmit power reaches the maximum level, the wireless terminal100can continue sending small amounts of data in the uplink (UL). In an embodiment, a minimum set of Transport Format Combinations (TFCs) is a set of TFCs that the wireless terminal100is allowed to transmit in the UL regardless of an assigned transmit power budget and/or headroom restriction. In some implementations, a TFC including only one Transmit Block from the PS RAB is in the Minimum Set of TFCs. Accordingly, data can be transmitted in the UL even when the wireless terminal100is running out of power, provided that there is no voice or signaling to be transmitted.

However, the transmitted UL data may not be acknowledged by the access point (AP) due to the poor RF conditions. After relevant timers expire, the wireless terminal100can trigger a radio link control (RLC) reset procedure. In various circumstances, the reset procedure can also fail due to the poor RF conditions. Unsuccessful reset can lead to a drop of the Radio Resource Control (RRC) connection, resulting in a dropped call compliant with the applicable standard. Under some policies, it may be acceptable for data-only calls to drop, because they can be easily re-established. On the other hand, it may not be acceptable for MRAB calls to drop under circumstances where a reset on the data call will bring down the voice call as well.

Accordingly, there is a need to isolate the PS RABs from the other RABs to prevent the PS RABs from bringing down an entire connection in poor RF conditions. In an embodiment, the wireless terminal100can adjust RLC flow control in response to detected RF conditions. More specifically, the wireless terminal100can avoid or delay sending an RLC reset in poor RF conditions such as where a failed reset would cause the circuit switched (CS) call to fail after a failed data connection. The methods and systems described herein are particularly applicable to Voice+Release 99 (R99) UL+HSDPA downlink (DL) MRAB configurations.

In an embodiment, the wireless terminal100can dynamically adjust one or more RLC parameters unilaterally to avoid RLC resets. The RLC parameters can include (but are not limited to) one or more of: max reset timers and counters, RLC window sizes, poll timers, reset timers, and status timers. In some embodiments, the wireless terminal100may only adjust data-specific RLC parameters. The wireless terminal100can adjust the RLC parameters based on one or more of the following conditions: RF quality measurements (such as RSCP, Ec/No, CQI, etc.), Block Error Rate (BLER) at various layers (such as physical layer, MAC layer, RLC layer, etc.), number of re-transmissions, occurrence of RLC reset, and other triggering points that reflect poor RF conditions.

The wireless terminal100can adjust RLC flow control parameters in intervals and amounts using on one or more of: periodic changes, event triggered changes, and incremental changes with increasing/decreasing amounts. For example, in a deteriorating RF environment, the adjustments can be more frequent, and vice versa. Moreover, in deteriorating RF environments, the adjustment step-size can be greater, and vice versa.

FIG. 3shows an exemplary flowchart illustrating an implementation of a method300of wireless communication in the wireless terminal100ofFIG. 1. Although the method300is described herein with reference to the wireless terminal100discussed above with respect toFIG. 1, a person having ordinary skill in the art will appreciate that the method300may be implemented by any other suitable device such as, for example, one or both of the devices210and250(FIG. 2). In an embodiment, method300may be performed by the CPU110in conjunction with the transmitter162, the receiver164, and the memory120. Although the method300is described herein with reference to a particular order, in various embodiments, blocks herein may be performed in a different order, or omitted, and additional blocks may be added.

First, the method300begins at block310where the wireless terminal100evaluates RF quality along one or more metrics. In various embodiments, the wireless terminal100can receive or create one or more quality indications such as, for example, RF quality measurements (e.g., received signal code power, received signal strength, pilot channel quality, channel quality indicator), a block error rate (e.g., physical layer, medium access control layer, radio link control layer), the number of packets re-transmitted by the wireless terminal, the number of packets acknowledged by the base station, the number of packets unacknowledged by the base station, the occurrence of a radio link control (RLC) layer reset and/or other RLC flow control and status indicators, the transmit power of the device exceeding a threshold, and/or other indicia of poor wireless communication conditions. In some implementations, a controller may obtain the various quality indicators directly or indirectly from one or more detectors. A detector may provide the quality indicators by storing the detected quality indicators in a memory. The quality may be discrete or be an aggregated assessment (e.g., average values for a factor, composite calculation including multiple factors).

Next, at block320, the wireless terminal100evaluates whether the RLC flow control has surpassed a threshold trigger point. The threshold can be received from another device (such as the base station101) or determined locally (either dynamically or in advance). In some implementations, a controller may obtain one or more RLC flow control thresholds (which can each apply to a different flow control metric), from a memory, a baseband processor, or the like. If the threshold is not met, the wireless terminal100can continue to evaluate RF quality at block310. If, on the other hand, the threshold is met, the wireless terminal100can proceed to block340.

Then, at block340, the wireless terminal100determines whether there is transmit data available in an RLC buffer. If there is no transmit data available in the RLC buffer, the wireless terminal100can continue to evaluate RF quality at block310. If, on the other hand, there is transmit data available in the RLC buffer, the wireless terminal100can proceed to block350.

Subsequently, at block350, the wireless terminal100determines one or more RLC parameters to adjust. As discussed above, the wireless terminal100can potentially adjust one or more off: max reset timers and counters, RLC window sizes, poll timers, reset timers, and status timers.

Thereafter, at block360, the wireless terminal100can further determine an interval and/or amount to change each of the RLC parameters to be adjusted. The interval and/or amount can be based on the RF quality indicators discussed above. In various embodiments, the one or more RLC parameters can be changed at a one or more selected rates in terms of amplitude and/or frequency. For example, the wireless terminal100can apply periodic changes, event triggered changes, and incremental changes with increasing/decreasing amounts. With respect to frequency, the adjustments can be more or less frequent. With respect to amplitude, the adjustment step-size can be greater or smaller.

Next, at block370, the wireless terminal100can adjust the selected RLC parameters in accordance with the interval and/or amounts determined. In an exemplary embodiment discussed below, the wireless terminal100can extend an RLC maximum reset timer and counter.

In some embodiments, a maximum reset timer may have, for example, an integer range (in milliseconds) which can be used to trigger the retransmission of a RESET PDU. Exemplary values include 50, 100, 150, 200, 250, 300, 350, 400, 450, 500, 550, 600, 700, 800, 900, and 1000 milliseconds. In an embodiment, the range of the maximum reset timer can be extended beyond 1000 milliseconds. The range extension can be a linear or exponential increase in the integer value when the wireless terminal100(or RLC transmit entity) receives no RESET ACK from the network (or RLC receive entity).

Similarly, a maximum reset counter may have an integer range which defines how many times the RESET PDU will be transmitted before determining that an unrecoverable error has occurred. Exemplary values include 1, 4, 6, 8, 12, 16, 24, and 32. In an embodiment, the range of the maximum reset counter can be extended beyond 32, and can include an “infinite” value wherein the wireless terminal100will not determine that an unrecoverable error has occurred.

For both the range extended maximum reset time and the range extended maximum reset counter, the range extension can be limited to times when the wireless terminal100is in a multi-RAB call with both packet switched (PS) and circuit switched (CS) portions active. When the CS portion is released, the wireless terminal100may stop range-extending the RLC settings.

FIG. 4is a flowchart illustrating another implementation of a method of transmission power control in a wireless terminal. Although the method400is described herein with reference to the wireless terminal100discussed above with respect toFIG. 1, a person having ordinary skill in the art will appreciate that the method400may be implemented by any other suitable device such as, for example, one or both of the devices210and250(FIG. 2). In an embodiment, the method400may be performed by the CPU110in conjunction with the transmitter162, the receiver164, and the memory120. Although the method400is described herein with reference to a particular order, in various embodiments, blocks herein may be performed in a different order, or omitted, and additional blocks may be added.

First, the method400begins at block410where the wireless terminal100receives RLC control information. The wireless terminal100can receive the RLC control information, for example, from the base station101via the antenna170. In various embodiments, the RLC control information may request and/or command the wireless terminal100adjust one or more RLC parameters.

Next, at block420, the wireless terminal100detects one or more RF conditions. As discussed above, RF conditions can include one or more of: RF quality measurements (such as RSCP, Ec/No, CQI, etc.), Block Error Rate (BLER) at various layers (such as physical layer, MAC layer, RLC layer, etc.), number of re-transmissions, occurrence of RLC reset, and other triggering points that reflect poor RF conditions. In some embodiments, the wireless terminal100can compare one or more RF metrics with a threshold. When the wireless terminal100detects the one or more RF conditions, the method400proceeds to block430.

Then, at block430, the wireless terminal100dynamically adjusts one or at least one RLC flow control, independent of the received RLC control information. For example, the wireless terminal100may extend one or more timers and/or counters beyond a value indicated in the received RLC control information. In some embodiments, the wireless terminal100may refrain from adjusting an RLC flow control to a value indicated in the received RLC control information.

Accordingly, the wireless terminal100may independently, or unilaterally, determine when and how to adjust the RLC flow control parameters. In various circumstances, the wireless terminal100may be better able to determine how data should flow over the data channel in order to increase the likelihood of maintaining a simultaneous voice channel.

FIG. 5shows an exemplary functional block diagram of another wireless terminal. Those skilled in the art will appreciate that a wireless terminal may have more components than the simplified wireless terminal500illustrated inFIG. 5. The wireless terminal500illustrates only those components useful for describing some prominent features of implementations within the scope of the claims.

In the illustrated embodiment, the wireless terminal500includes a receiving circuit530, a detecting circuit540, an adjusting circuit550, and an antenna560. In one implementation the receiving circuit530is configured to receive RLC control information. For example, the receiving circuit may be configured to perform block410as described with respect toFIG. 4above. In one implementation, means for receiving includes the receiving circuit530.

The detecting circuit540is configured to detect the one or more RF conditions. For example, the detecting circuit540may be configured to perform block420as described with respect toFIG. 4above. In some implementations, the means for detecting includes the detecting circuit540.

The adjusting circuit550is configured to adjust at least one RLC flow control parameter, independent of the received RLC control information. For example, the adjusting circuit550may be configured to perform block430as described with respect toFIG. 4above. In one implementation, means for adjusting includes the adjusting circuit550.

A wireless terminal may comprise, be implemented as, or known as user equipment, a subscriber station, a subscriber unit, a mobile station, a mobile phone, a mobile node, a remote station, a remote terminal, a user terminal, a user agent, a user device, or some other terminology. In some implementations a wireless terminal may comprise a cellular telephone, a cordless telephone, a session initiation protocol (SIP) phone, a wireless local loop (WLL) station, a personal digital assistant (PDA), a handheld device having wireless connection capability, or some other suitable processing device connected to a wireless modem. Accordingly, one or more aspects taught herein may be incorporated into a phone (e.g., a cellular phone or smart phone), a computer (e.g., a laptop), a portable communication device, a portable computing device (e.g., a personal data assistant), an entertainment device (e.g., a music device, a video device, or a satellite radio), a global positioning system device, or any other suitable device that is configured to communicate via a wireless medium.

A base station may comprise, be implemented as, or known as a NodeB, an eNodeB, a radio network controller (RNC), a base station (BS), a radio base station (RBS), a base station controller (BSC), a base transceiver station (BTS), a transceiver function (TF), a radio transceiver, a radio router, a basic service set (BSS), an extended service set (ESS), or some other similar terminology.

In some aspects a base station may comprise an access node for a communication system. Such an access node may provide, for example, connectivity for or to a network (e.g., a wide area network such as the Internet or a cellular network) via a wired or wireless communication link to the network. Accordingly, a base station may enable another node (e.g., a wireless terminal) to access a network or some other functionality. In addition, it should be appreciated that one or both of the nodes may be portable or, in some cases, relatively non-portable.

Also, it should be appreciated that a wireless node may be capable of transmitting and/or receiving information in a non-wireless manner (e.g., via a wired connection). Thus, a receiver and a transmitter as discussed herein may include appropriate communication interface components (e.g., electrical or optical interface components) to communicate via a non-wireless medium.

A wireless terminal or node may communicate via one or more wireless communication links that are based on or otherwise support any suitable wireless communication technology. For example, in some aspects a wireless terminal may associate with a network. In some aspects the network may comprise a local area network or a wide area network. A wireless terminal may support or otherwise use one or more of a variety of wireless communication technologies, protocols, or standards such as those discussed herein (e.g., CDMA, TDMA, OFDM, OFDMA, WiMAX, Wi-Fi, and so on). Similarly, a wireless terminal may support or otherwise use one or more of a variety of corresponding modulation or multiplexing schemes. A wireless terminal may thus include appropriate components (e.g., air interfaces) to establish and communicate via one or more wireless communication links using the above or other wireless communication technologies. For example, a wireless terminal may comprise a wireless transceiver with associated transmitter and receiver components that may include various components (e.g., signal generators and signal processors) that facilitate communication over a wireless medium.

The above description is provided to enable any person skilled in the art to make or use implementations within the scope of the appended claims. Various modifications to these aspects will be readily apparent to those skilled in the art, and the generic principles defined herein may be applied to other aspects without departing from the scope of the disclosure. Thus, the present disclosure is not intended to be limited to the aspects shown herein but is to be accorded the widest scope consistent with the principles and novel features disclosed herein.