US 11,800,395 B2
Method, system and device for providing flow control in a split bearer environment
Torsten Dudda, Aachen (DE); and John Camilo Solano Arenas, Dusseldorf (DE)
Assigned to Telefonaktiebolaget LM Ericsson (publ), Stockholm (SE)
Filed by Telefonaktiebolaget LM Ericsson (publ), Stockholm (SE)
Filed on Jun. 4, 2021, as Appl. No. 17/338,828.
Application 17/338,828 is a continuation of application No. 15/773,331, granted, now 11,057,792, previously published as PCT/EP2016/076286, filed on Nov. 1, 2016.
Claims priority of provisional application 62/250,602, filed on Nov. 4, 2015.
Prior Publication US 2021/0297889 A1, Sep. 23, 2021
This patent is subject to a terminal disclaimer.
Int. Cl. H04W 28/02 (2009.01); H04W 76/15 (2018.01); H04W 28/086 (2023.01); H04W 28/12 (2009.01); H04W 28/14 (2009.01); H04W 16/14 (2009.01); H04W 72/0453 (2023.01)
CPC H04W 28/0236 (2013.01) [H04W 28/0864 (2023.05); H04W 76/15 (2018.02); H04W 16/14 (2013.01); H04W 28/12 (2013.01); H04W 28/14 (2013.01); H04W 72/0453 (2013.01)] 15 Claims
OG exemplary drawing
 
1. A method performed by a first network node operating in a split bearer environment, the first network node being communicatively connected with a second network node via an internode interface, the method comprising the steps of:
obtaining an expected queuing time of Packet Data Convergence Protocol (PDCP) Packet Data Units (PDUs) at the second network node, the expected queuing time of PDCP PDUs at the second network node representing an expected time to be spent by a PDCP PDU, after forwarding by the first network node to the second node for transmission by the second network node to a user equipment (UE), waiting in a queue at the second network node for wireless transmission to the UE;
determining, for each of one or more PDCP PDUs of a flow of PDCP PDUs destined for the UE, whether to forward the PDCP PDU to the second network node, based on the expected queuing time of PDCP PDUs at the second network node; and
obtaining a delay of the internode interface, and wherein the delay is used for adjusting buffer queuing time of the flow of PDCP PDUs destined for the UE at the second network node;
wherein the flow of PDCP PDUs destined for the UE is forwarded on the internode interface to the second network node at any given time t only if the expected queueing time at the first network node at time t is larger than a sum of TDL and the expected queueing time at the second network node at time t+TDL, where TDL is delay of the internode interface for packet transmission from the first network node to the second network node.