Patent Application
20130242781
Modern telecommunication systems include heterogeneous mixtures of second, third, and fourth generation (2G, 3G, and 4G) cellular-wireless access technologies, which may be cross-compatible and may operate collectively to provide data communication services. Global Systems for Mobile (GSM) is an example of 2G telecommunications technologies; Universal Mobile Telecommunications System (UMTS) is an example of 3G telecommunications technologies; and Long Term Evolution (LTE), including LTE Advanced, and Evolved High-Speed Packet Access (HSPA+) are examples of 4G telecommunications technologies.
The infrastructure that makes up the modern telecommunications networks comprises multiple different components or devices that are configured to transmit, receive, relay, and/or route data packets so that data services can be requested by, and provided to, user equipment (UE) subscribed to a plan offered by one or more service providers or network communication providers that implement the telecommunications networks.
The UE typically includes a radio communication unit that may operate in multiple radio states. Each radio state is associated with different communication or channel characteristics, such as a data packet size. Accordingly, based on an amount of data communication and/or interaction with a network, the radio communication unit of the UE may operate in different radio states and/or switch between radio states to save energy and avoid network traffic congestion.
Conventionally, the radio communication unit of the UE does not inform other components of the UE (e.g., applications, mobile browser, operating system (OS)) that configure and generate the data packets of the current radio state. Accordingly, the other components of the UE are unaware of the current radio state, and this may degrade a network's Quality of Service (QoS) and an end user's Quality of User Experience (QoE) at the UE because the radio communication unit may not be in a current radio state capable of optimizing network communication or traffic for the UE. Rather, the network and the UE may experience data communication bottlenecks, network congestion, data transfer overload, etc.
The detailed description is set forth with reference to the accompanying figures, in which the left-most digit of a reference number identifies the figure in which the reference number first appears. The use of the same reference numbers in different figures indicates similar or identical items or features.
The techniques described herein detect which one of multiple different radio states a radio communication unit of a user equipment (UE) is currently operating in. The techniques may also learn one or more state transition parameters that, once satisfied or reached, may switch the radio communication unit from one radio state to another radio state. For example, the transition parameters may be timing thresholds (e.g., an inactivity timer) for radio state transitions to lower power consumption radio states. In another example, the transition parameters may be queued (e.g., buffered) data amount for transfer thresholds for radio state transitions to higher power consumption radio states. The amount of data for transitioning to high power consumption radio states may be expressed in term of volume of data (Bytes). However, the transition parameters may also include a number of packets and/or a rate of data transmission (e.g., volume of data per unit of time).
Each radio state may be associated with different communication and channel characteristics (e.g., packet size, packet protocol, packet interval, etc.). Thus, different radio states consume varying levels of power. The amount of power consumed may be directly associated with data communication efficiency (e.g., higher power consumption means more efficient and faster data communications). Accordingly, after detecting the current radio state of the radio communication unit and/or learning the state transition parameters, components of the UE (e.g., applications, a mobile browser, an operating system (OS)) can manage data communications to optimize performance and improve a network's Quality of Service (QoS) and an end user's Quality of User Experience (QoE) at the UE. For example, components of the UE may manage data communication in accordance with the current radio state (e.g., particular communication or channel characteristics), or in anticipation, of a radio state switch based on the learned or predicted transition parameters.
As mentioned above, conventionally, the radio communication unit of the UE does not inform other components of the UE of the current radio state. That is, components of the UE “blindly” configure data for network communication without any sort of radio state awareness, and this may lead to communication bottlenecks and traffic congestion. The radio communication unit transitions between radio states based on a switch notification received from the network when the network determines it is time to switch radio states (e.g., after an inactivity timing threshold set by the network expires). Thus, the components of the UE are unaware of the current radio state and they are unable to anticipate or predict when a radio state transition may occur because they do not know the transition parameters configured by the network. In some scenarios, different networks may have different transition parameters. The UE may communicate, or establish a connection, with the different networks as it a result of its geographic mobility
Accordingly, the techniques discussed herein allow the components of the UE that generate the network traffic to be aware of the current radio state and/or learn the transition parameters so that network traffic can be generated smartly. The smart generation of network traffic allows the UE to optimize performance and data communications, while also conserve energy.
The MTN 104 may be configured to implement one or more of the second, third, and fourth generation (2G, 3G, and 4G) cellular-wireless access technologies discussed above. Thus, the MTN 104 may implement GSM, UMTS, and/or LTE/LTE Advanced telecommunications technologies. Different types of MTN nodes used in the GSM, UMTS, LTE, LTE Advanced, and/or HSPA+ telecommunications technologies may include, but are not limited to, a combination of: base transceiver stations BTSs (e.g., NodeBs, Enhanced-NodeBs), Radio Network Controllers (RNCs), serving GPRS support nodes (SGSNs), gateway GPRS support nodes (GGSNs), proxies, a mobile switching center (MSC), a mobility management entity (MME), a serving gateway (SGW), a packet data network (PDN) gateway (PGW), an evolved packet data gateway (e-PDG), or any other data traffic control entity configured to communicate and/or route data packets between the client device 102 and the data servers 106. While
In various embodiments, some of the MTN nodes may be part of a core network (e.g., backhaul portion, carrier Ethernet) that is configured to access an IP-based network that provides data communications services such that the client device can access data servers 106 and download content from data servers 106. The data servers 106 may be owned and/or operated by web-based content/service providers, including, but not limited to: Bing®, Facebook®, Twitter®, Netflix®, Hulu®, YouTube®, Pandora®, iTunes®, Google Play®, Amazon Store®, CNN®, ESPN®, and the like. In various embodiments, the MTN 104 may be configured to exchange data packets between the client device 102 and the data servers 106 using wired and/or wireless links. Moreover, the MTN 104 may be configured to determine a communications path or “pipe” so that the data packets can be routed and exchanged accordingly.
Each of the one or more processor(s) 108, can include one or more central processing units (CPUs) having multiple arithmetic logic units (ALUs) that perform arithmetic and logical operations, as well as one or more control units (CUs) that extract instructions and stored content from processor cache-level memory, and then executes instructions by calling on the ALUs during program execution. In an implementation, the processor(s) 108 may be configured to execute each of the applications 114 stored in the memory 110.
The memory 110 may be implemented using computer readable media, such as computer storage media. Computer-readable media includes, at least, two types of computer-readable media, namely computer storage media and communications media. Computer storage media includes volatile and non-volatile, removable and non-removable media implemented in any method or technology for storage of information such as computer readable instructions, data structures, program modules, or other data. Computer storage media includes, but is not limited to, RAM, ROM, EEPROM, flash memory or other memory technology, CD-ROM, digital versatile disks (DVD) or other optical storage, magnetic cassettes, magnetic tape, magnetic disk storage or other magnetic storage devices, or any other non-transmission medium that can be used to store information for access by a computing device. In contrast, communication media may embody computer readable instructions, data structures, program modules, or other data in a modulated data signal, such as a carrier wave, or other transmission mechanism.
In various embodiments, the applications 114 stored at the client device 102 may include, but are not limited, a video streaming application, an online gaming application, a social networking application, a video conferencing application, an email application, a banking application, or any other application that is configured to generate and exchange data with data servers 106 over the MTN 104. During execution on the client device 102, each of the applications 114 may be configured to cause the client device 102 to initiate data communications with the data servers 106 over the MTN 104. The mobile browser 116 is configured to access and display Web content. The device OS 118 may be configured to manage hardware and services within and coupled to the client device 102 for the benefit of other modules or components. The client device 102 may be configured to run any compatible device OS 118, including but not limited to, Microsoft Windows Mobile®, Google Android®, Apple iOS®, Linux Mobile®, as well as any other common mobile device OS. Thus, each of the applications 114, the mobile browser 116, and the device OS 118 may request and/or receive data packets from the data servers 106, or other network nodes in the MTN 104.
In various embodiments, the communication functions between the client device 102 and the data servers 106 may be characterized in accordance with the Open Systems Interconnection (OSI) model that includes abstraction layers. The multiple layers may also correspond to the Internet Protocol (IP) suite. Thus, in various embodiments, the different layers may serve each other to generate and transmit a data packet (e.g., a request packet) to communicate to the data servers 106 over the MTN 104. Similarly, the different layers may work with each other to process a data packet (e.g., a response packet) received from the data servers 106 over the MTN 104.
In various embodiments, the traffic optimization module 120 may be configured to detect which one of multiple different radio states the radio communication unit 112 is currently operating in. Moreover, the traffic optimization module 120 may also learn one or more state transition parameters that, once satisfied or reached, may switch the radio communication unit 112 from one radio state to another radio state, as further discussed herein.
Accordingly, by making the applications 114, mobile browser 116, and/or device OS 118 aware of the current radio state and/or transition parameters, the traffic optimization module 120 is able to improve a network's QoS and an end user's QoE. The QoS and QoE may be measured in accordance with key performance indicators (KPIs) including, but not limited to, Web page loading time, Domain Name System (DNS) lookup time, Transmission Control Protocol (TCP) connect time, TCP round trip time (RTT), Hypertext Transfer Protocol (HTTP) response time, application start times, searching delay, video start delay, fast forward and rewind delay, a number of buffering events, duration per buffering event, rebuffering ratio, a video frame rate, average/minimum/maximum bit rate, traffic burstiness, amount of data bytes transferred, TCP retransmissions and TCP resets, physical retransmissions, physical RTT, etc. The KPIs provided above are presented as examples, and thus, the list is not exhaustive. Rather, service providers and/or network providers may contemplate a large number of different KPIs which aid in gauging the QoS and QoE associated with the data services provided.
Accordingly,
In at least one implementation, the different radio states (S1, . . . , Sn) for the radio communication unit 112 may correspond to the Radio Resource Control (RRC) protocol that belongs to UMTS. The radio states in the RRC protocol, in order of decreasing power consumption, are CELL_DCH (Dedicated Channel), CELL_FACH (Forward access channel), CELL_PCH (Cell Paging channel) or URA_PCH (URA Paging channel), and an RRC idle mode has the lowest energy consumption because there may be no connection. With respect to
Accordingly, the radio communication unit 112 may operate in radio state S1 when the client device 102 has a large amount of data to transfer and/or request (e.g., for applications 114 or mobile browser 116) and therefore needs a high power and high efficiency radio state. The radio communication unit 112 may operate in radio state S2 when the client device 102 has a smaller amount of data to transfer, but does not need the high power and high efficiency radio state S1. The radio communication unit 112 may operate in radio state S3 when the client device 102 communicates with the MTN 104 so that the MTN 104 knows the client device is present. The radio communication unit 112 may operate in radio state Sn when the client device 102 is in a deep sleep and the MTN 104 may not even recognize the client device 102.
For perspective, the power consumption of the radio communication unit 112 in the second radio state S2 (e.g., CELL_FACH) may be approximately fifty percent of the power consumption in the first radio state S1 (e.g., CELL_DCH). Moreover, the power consumption of the radio communication unit 112 in the third radio state S3 (e.g., CELL_PCH or URA_PCH) may be approximately one to two percent of the power consumption in the first radio state S1 (e.g., CELL_DCH).
Therefore, as illustrated in
In various embodiments, the radio communication unit 112 transitions between radio states to increase energy consumption based on transition parameters (e.g., tp4, tps, tp6). In various embodiments, the transitions between radio states to increase energy assumption may occur during the content fetching phases 206 when an increase in power and data communication efficiency may be warranted (e.g., the radio communication unit 112 may transition up from Sn to S1). In some embodiments, the transition parameters tp4, tp5, tp6 may be configured by an MTN 104 as a queued data amount transfer threshold (e.g., a total amount of data that is buffered and waiting to be transmitted in one or multiple packets). Thus, the MTN 104 may monitor network communications of the client device 102 (e.g., receive indications or notifications from the client device 102) and then instruct the radio communication unit 112 of the client device 102 to switch states based on an amount of data waiting to be transferred (e.g., once the transition parameter is satisfied). In some embodiments, tp4, tp5 and/or tp6 may be a queued data transfer threshold that is set to 512 bytes, 1024 bytes, and so forth.
As discussed above, each radio state is associated with different communication or channel characteristics (e.g., packet size, packet protocol, packet intervals, transmission rate, etc.) that may affect performance. One performance metric that may be monitored is latency. Moreover, different operators of various MTNs 104 or portions of MTNs 104 may have different configurations or settings for the transition parameters (e.g., different inactivity timers or different queued data amount transfer thresholds). Thus, the client device 102 can improve data communications and energy management by detecting a current radio state and learning the transition parameters configured and set by a particular MTN 104.
In various embodiments, the radio state detector 302 is configured to detect the current radio state the radio communication unit 112 is operating in (e.g., the different radio states discussed above with respect to
In various embodiments, the transition parameter learner 304 learns, or predicts, the transition parameters discussed above with respect to
For example, the transition parameter learner 304 may determine that the radio state does not switch between two sequential packets separated by a certain amount of time. Thus, the transition parameter learner 304 may learn that a network's inactivity timer (e.g., tp1, tp2, tp3) is at least the certain amount of time since the radio state did not change. In contrast, if the radio state switches, the transition parameter learner 304 may learn that the network's inactivity timer (e.g., tp1, tp2, tp3) is less than the certain amount of time. The transition parameter learner 304 may repeat this process and vary the amount of time that separates the two sequential packets to make the learning, or prediction, more accurate.
In another example, the transition parameter learner 304 may track different test packets that vary in size so that an amount of data to be transferred can be tracked and the thresholds for transition parameters tp4, tp5, tp6 can be determined. Based on the tracked packet size, the transition parameter learner 304 is able to learn the queued data amount for transfer thresholds.
In various embodiments, the transition parameter learner 304 may learn the transition parameters in accordance with a pre-defined schedule (e.g., periodic), to account for time drafting and/or to learn transition parameters configured differently for varying MTNs.
In various embodiments, the radio state manager 306 may manage the radio communication unit 112. For example, after the traffic optimization module 120 communicates the current radio state and/or the learned transition parameters to the application 114, the mobile browser 116, or the device OS 118, the radio state manager 306 may receive an instruction to switch the current radio state of the radio communication unit 112. That is, the radio state manager 306 can configure additional test packets, of a particular size, that are known to satisfy the transition parameters, and move the radio communication unit 112 from one state to another (e.g., a lower power and lower efficiency state to a higher power and higher efficiency state).
Accordingly, the radio state detector 302, transition parameter learner 304, and the radio state manager 306 may be a function of other client device 102 components, and therefore, they may be called upon to determine radio state awareness information of the client device 102 and an MTN 104 (e.g., a current radio state of the radio communication unit 112 and the transition parameters set by the MTN 104).
At block 402, the traffic optimization module 120 receives a call or instruction to determine radio state awareness information. In some embodiments, the call or instruction is issued by one or more applications 114, a browser 116, a device OS 118, or a combination thereof. Moreover, the call or instruction may be issued prior to establishing a data communication session (e.g., a video streaming session) or during a data communication session. To this end, the call or instruction may be issued so that the applications 114, the mobile browser 116, or the device OS 118 can manage data communications based on the radio state awareness, which may improve QoS and QoE.
At block 404, the radio state detector 302 of the traffic optimization module 120 detects the current radio state that the radio communication unit 112 is operating in. As previously discussed, typically the radio communication unit 112 does not communicate a current radio state to applications or a device OS, and therefore, “smart” data traffic cannot be configured.
At block 406, the transition parameter learner 304 of the traffic optimization module 120 learns the transition parameters that switch the radio communication unit 112 from one state to another. As discussed above, the transition parameters may be inactivity timer thresholds set by an MTN 104 so that the radio states transition to lower power consumption and lower transfer efficiency states when network activity begins to decrease (e.g., after a user ends a video streaming session and therefore is no longer requesting/receiving large amount of data from data servers 106). Or, the transition parameters may be queued data transfer amount thresholds set by the network so that the radio states transition to higher power consumption and higher transfer efficiency states when network activity starts increasing (e.g., when a user begins streaming video and therefore will be requesting/receiving large amount of data from data servers 106).
At block 408, the traffic optimization module 120 may notify the requesting application 114, the mobile browser 116, and/or the device OS 118 of radio state awareness information detected and learned (e.g., the current radio state and the transition parameters). For example, the traffic optimization module 120 may expose the requesting component to the information via an application programming interface. Accordingly, the application 114, the mobile browser 116, and/or the device OS 118 can use the radio state awareness information to manage data communications, and optimize QoS and QoE. For example, the application 114, the mobile browser 116, and/or the device OS 118 may generate data packets in accordance with communication and channel characteristics (e.g., packet size, packet protocol, packet intervals, etc.) of the current radio state. In another example, the application 114, the mobile browser 116, and/or the device OS 118 may generate data packets knowing that the data packets will satisfy particular transition parameters, and therefore, trigger a radio state switch to a radio state whose channel characteristics can better handle the data communications. In yet another example, the application 114, the mobile browser 116, and/or the device OS 118 may request that the radio state manager 306 trigger the state change to a radio state whose channel characteristics can better handle the data communications.
In various embodiments, the traffic optimization module 120 may store information relating to the current radio state and/or the transition parameters so that one or both of blocks 404 or 406 may not have to be implemented for subsequent calls if the stored information is likely accurate (e.g., a predetermined amount of time has not elapsed and the client device 102 is still communicating with the same MTN 104). For example, advanced heuristics may be used to minimize the use of test packets and communication monitoring. Accordingly, the traffic optimization module 120 may learn and store information for specific radio characteristics detected from the network (e.g., network identity, cell identity, etc.) for future consideration. Thus, the radio state awareness information may be known when the client device 102 returns to the same coverage area and the information may not have to be determined again. The radio state awareness information may be stored locally at the client device 102 or as assistance data on an external device. In this embodiment, the traffic optimization module 120 may convey the radio state awareness information to a requesting component in response to receiving a request for the information, or a request to determine the information.
In other embodiments, the initial call to determine radio state awareness may also include a preferred radio state for the application 114, the mobile browser 116, or the device OS 118 making the call. In these embodiments, the radio state manager 306 may automatically trigger a radio state change, if necessary, after the current radio state is determined and/or the transition parameters learned.
At block 502, the radio state detector 302 generates one or more test packets to be communicated by the radio communication unit 112 to data servers 106 or an MTN node. As discussed above, the radio state detector 302 may generate the test packets based on channel characteristics associated with a particular radio state.
At block 504, the radio state detector 302 monitors the performance metrics of the one or more test packets to determine the current radio state. In various embodiments, the performance metric is RTT and/or latency of the test packet and a corresponding response. Moreover the performance metrics may be one or more of throughput, packet loss rate, or packet retransmission rate. If the performance metrics are in line with what was expected for the test packet, than the radio communication unit 112 is in the particular radio state that corresponds to the channel characteristics used to generate the test packet. If the performance metrics of the test packet are not what was expected, the radio state detector 302 may determine the current radio state based on the performance (e.g., sub-par performance, or better than expected performance).
At block 506, the transition parameter learner 304 tracks the channel characteristics of the test packets, as well as the performance metrics for the packets, to determine when the radio communication unit 112 switches radio states. Using the tracked information, the transition parameter learner 304 learns, or predicts, the transition parameters set by the network. In various embodiments, the transition parameter learner 304 may consider timing factors for the tracked packets, as well as packet size factors.
Accordingly, the traffic optimization module 120 may “smartly” and intentionally vary the characteristics of the test packets in a controlled testing environment so that the current radio state and/or the transition parameters can be learned based on monitoring the performance metrics of the test packets. In various embodiments, the current radio state and/or the transition parameters may be learned based on monitoring the performance metrics of the real packets.
Although the subject matter has been described in language specific to structural features and/or methodological acts, it is to be understood that the subject matter defined in the appended claims is not necessarily limited to the specific features or acts described. Rather, the specific features and acts are disclosed as exemplary forms of implementing the claims.
This patent application claims priority filing benefit from U.S. Provisional Patent Application No. 61/610,979, filed Mar. 14, 2012, which is hereby incorporated by reference, in its entirety.
| Number | Date | Country | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 61610979 | Mar 2012 | US |
