Methods and apparatus for packet dropping in a fronthaul network

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-11956155-B2
Application number	US-201917424307-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Jan 21, 2019
Priority date	Jan 21, 2019
Publication date	Apr 9, 2024
Grant date	Apr 9, 2024

Abstract

Embodiments described herein relate to methods and apparatus for managing packet dropping in the fronthaul network. A method in a packet processing system includes receiving a plurality of data packets for transmission over the fronthaul network, wherein the plurality of data packets include radio data; obtaining first information for the plurality of data packets, wherein the first information is related to transmission of the radio data over a radio access interface in the radio network; and responsive to a requirement to decrease a load in the fronthaul network, selecting at least one of the plurality of packets to drop by applying at least one prioritization rule to the plurality of data packets based on the obtained first information.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. A method in a packet processing system in a fronthaul network in a radio network, for managing packet dropping in the fronthaul network, the method comprising:
receiving a plurality of data packets for transmission over the fronthaul network, wherein the plurality of data packets comprises radio data;
obtaining first information for the plurality of data packets, wherein the first information is related to transmission of the radio data over a radio access interface in the radio network, wherein the first information comprises an indication of a priority value assigned to a packet of the plurality of data packets, and wherein the priority value is derived from an indication that is related to an effect that dropping each of the plurality of data packets have an efficiency of the radio network; and
responsive to a requirement to decrease a load in the fronthaul network, selecting at least one of the plurality of data packets to drop by applying at least one prioritization rule to the plurality of data packets based on the obtained first information.

2. The method as claimed in claim 1 , wherein the first information for the packet of the plurality of data packets is derived from an originating or destination radio network node for the packet.

3. The method as claimed in claim 1 , wherein the at least one prioritization rule comprises:
selecting to drop a packet from a first radio network node that had a higher share of fronthaul resources during a previous time interval instead of a packet from a second radio network node that had a lower share of fronthaul resources during the previous time interval.

4. The method as claimed in claim 1 , wherein the first information is derived from an indication of whether the packet is corresponding to a single-user or multi-user transmission.

5. The method as claimed in claim 1 , wherein the first information is derived from an identification of an originating or destination user for the packet.

6. The method as claimed in claim 1 , wherein the first information is derived from a number of layers being transmitted to user in the packet.

7. The method as claimed in claim 1 , wherein the first information is derived from a modulation and coding scheme (MCS) for the packet.

8. The method as claimed in claim 1 , wherein the first information is derived from an indication of a radio channel being transmitted in the packet.

9. The method as claimed in claim 1 , wherein the at least one prioritization rule comprises:
selecting to drop a packet comprising user data instead of a packet comprising control channel data.

10. The method as claimed in claim 1 , wherein the step of obtaining comprises:
receiving the first information as part of a header in the packet of the plurality of data packets.

11. A method in a packet mapping node in a fronthaul network in a radio network for managing packet dropping in the fronthaul network, the method comprising:
receiving radio data comprising data units for transmission over the fronthaul network;
obtaining second information for the data units, wherein the second information relates to transmission of the radio data over a radio access interface in the radio network;
forming the data units into at least one data packet comprising a plurality of the data units by applying at least one rule to the second information; and
obtaining first information for the at least one data packet, wherein the first information comprises an indication of a priority value assigned to a packet of the plurality of data packets, and wherein the priority value is derived from an indication that is related to an effect that dropping each of the plurality of data packets have an efficiency of the radio network.

12. The method as claimed in claim 11 , wherein the second information for a data unit of the data units comprises one of more of:
an identification of a destination or originating user for the data unit;
an identification of a logical channel radio bearer for the data unit;
a layer on which the data unit is to be transmitted;
a radio bearer for the data unit; and
a fronthaul flow category for the data unit.

13. A packet processing system in a fronthaul network in a radio network, for managing packet dropping in the fronthaul network, the packet processing system comprising processing circuitry configured to:
receive a plurality of data packets for transmission over the fronthaul network, wherein the plurality of data packets comprises radio data;
obtain first information for the plurality of data packets, wherein the first information is related to transmission of the radio data over a radio access interface in the radio network, wherein the first information comprises an indication of a priority value assigned to a packet of the plurality of data packets, and wherein the priority value is derived from an indication that is related to an effect that dropping each of the plurality of data packets have an efficiency of the radio network; and
responsive to a requirement to decrease a load in the fronthaul network, select at least one of the plurality of packets to drop by applying at least one prioritization rule to the plurality of data packets based on the obtained first information.

14. The packet processing system as claimed in claim 13 , wherein the first information is derived from an indication of whether the packet is corresponding to a single-user or multi-user transmission.

15. The packet processing system as claimed in claim 13 , wherein the first information is derived from an identification of an originating or destination user for the packet.

16. The packet processing system as claimed in claim 13 , wherein the first information is derived from a number of layers being transmitted to a user in the packet.

17. The packet processing system as claimed in claim 13 , wherein the first information is derived from a modulation and coding scheme (MCS) for the packet.

18. The packet processing system as claimed in claim 13 , wherein the first information is derived from an indication of a radio channel being transmitted in the packet.

19. The packet processing system as claimed in claim 13 , wherein the processing circuitry is configured to receive the first information as part of a header in a packet in the plurality of packets.

Assignees

• Ericsson Telefon Ab L M

Inventors

• Lins De Medeiros Eduardo
• Almeida Igor
• Cavalcante André Mendes
• Trojer Elmar

Classifications

• H04W28/0289

  Congestion control (load shedding arrangements in network planning H04W16/08; performing reselection for handling the traffic H04W36/22; wireless traffic scheduling H04W72/12) · CPC title

• H04L47/2433 Primary

  Allocation of priorities to traffic types · CPC title

• H04L47/32 Primary

  by discarding or delaying data units, e.g. packets or frames · CPC title