(19) tzz 9744b t - epo

Note: Within nine months of the publication of the mention of the grant of the European patent in the European PatentBulletin, any person may give notice to the European Patent Office of opposition to that patent, in accordance with theImplementing Regulations. Notice of opposition shall not be deemed to have been filed until the opposition fee has beenpaid. (Art. 99(1) European Patent Convention).

Printed by Jouve, 75001 PARIS (FR)

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(12) EUROPEAN PATENT SPECIFICATION

(45) Date of publication and mention of the grant of the patent: 22.05.2013 Bulletin 2013/21

(21) Application number: 08870057.0

(22) Date of filing: 07.10.2008

(51) Int Cl.:H04L 1/16 (2006.01)

(86) International application number: PCT/SE2008/051139

(87) International publication number: WO 2009/088337 (16.07.2009 Gazette 2009/29)

(54) METHOD AND ARRANGEMENT IN A WIRELESS COMMUNICATION NETWORK

VERFAHREN UND ANORDNUNG IN EINEM FUNKKOMMUNIKATIONSNETZWERK

PROCÉDÉ ET AGENCEMENT DANS UN RÉSEAU DE COMMUNICATION SANS FIL

(84) Designated Contracting States: AT BE BG CH CY CZ DE DK EE ES FI FR GB GR HR HU IE IS IT LI LT LU LV MC MT NL NO PL PT RO SE SI SK TR

(30) Priority: 08.01.2008 US 19746 P

(43) Date of publication of application: 22.09.2010 Bulletin 2010/38

(73) Proprietor: Telefonaktiebolaget L M Ericsson (publ)164 83 Stockholm (SE)

(72) Inventors: • PEISA, Janne

FI-02130 Espoo (FI)

• MEYER, Michael52080 Aachen (DE)

• TORSNER, JohanFI-02430 Masaby (FI)

(74) Representative: Seymour, James N. et alEIP Fairfax House15 Fulwood PlaceLondon WC1V 6HU (GB)

(56) References cited: US-A1- 2006 291 395 US-A1- 2008 225 824

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Description

TECHNICAL FIELD

[0001] The present invention relates to a method and an arrangement in a first node comprised in a wireless commu-nication network. In particular it relates to a mechanism for Radio Link Control (RLC) polling for continuous transmissionwithin the wireless communication network.

BACKGROUND

[0002] The transmission quality of a wireless communication and/or coherence properties of a communication channelbetween two nodes, such as e.g. a base station and a user equipment within a wireless communication system maydiffer, depending on a plurality of unwanted influence on the signal and the radio propagation conditions. Some nonlimiting examples of such unwanted influence may be e.g. thermal noise and interference and some examples of phe-nomena that adversely affect the propagation conditions are path loss, signal multi-path, and Doppler spread. Furtherthe accuracy of channel estimation will affect the transmission quality. Thus data units such as e.g. a Protocol Data Unit(PDU) sent from one node may arrive at the receiving node distorted or not at all. In practice RLC PDUs may be receivedout of order due to that different RLC PDUs are experiencing different number of Hybrid automatic repeat-request (HARQ)retransmissions which may cause reordering.[0003] It may then be necessary for the sending node to resend lost or distorted data units to the receiving node. Inorder to perform a resending, the sending node in some way has to be informed which data, if any, to resend to thereceiving node.[0004] One mechanism that may be used in order for the sending node to know if data has to be resent is to poll thereceiving node to send a status report back to the sending node.[0005] The RLC protocol applied in an evolved UTRAN (E-UTRAN), also denoted Long Term Evolution (LTE), hasbeen defined in the document 3GPP TS 36.322 "Evolved Universal Terrestrial Radio Access (E-UTRA), Radio LinkControl (RLC) protocol specification Release 8" issued by the 3rd Generation Partnership Project (3GPP). The RLCprotocol includes a polling procedure that transmits polls according to a number of criteria. When a poll is triggered theRLC transmitter will set a poll bit in the RLC header, the poll bit serving as a request for a peer entity to send an RLCstatus report. Currently agreed criteria for setting the poll bit are:[0006] Firstly, transmission of last Protocol Data Unit (PDU) in a buffer, i.e. a poll is sent when the last PDU availablefor transmission or retransmission is transmitted.[0007] Secondly, the expiry of a poll retransmission timer, i.e. a timer is started when a PDU containing the poll is sentand the PDU is retransmitted if the PDU with the poll bit is not acknowledged when the timer expires.[0008] Such criteria for setting poll bits may work well for bursty traffic, where the poll is sent for the last PDU in eachburst. For continuous transmission however, additional triggers may has to be considered. A properly designed pollingprocedure can be used to limit the number of outstanding, i.e. transmitted but not acknowledged, PDUs, or bytes, andto avoid stalling situations. Two mechanisms, counter-based and window-based, have been identified to avoid protocolstalling. Protocol stalling is an expression signifying that no more new data can be transmitted. Further, the pollingmechanism may operate either on transmitted RLC PDUs or on transmitted bytes.[0009] A counter-based mechanism counts the amount of transmitted PDUs, or bytes, and sets the poll bit when aconfigured number of PDUs, or bytes, have been transmitted.[0010] A window-based mechanism is similar but transmits the poll only when the amount of outstanding data exceedsa certain number of PDUs, or bytes. A window-based mechanism may need additional logic to transmit the poll regularlyas long as the amount of outstanding data exceeds the threshold.[0011] US 2006/291395 discloses a packet transmission control method and apparatus, wherein packets transmittedby the transmitting side are acknowledged by the receiving side, and unacknowledged packets are retransmitted to thereceiving side. The method comprises polling the receiving side to acknowledge transmitted packets on the basis of apacket counter value and a timer value.[0012] However, none of the existing mechanisms does take into account that stalling sometimes may occur due tosequence number limitations and sometimes due to memory limitations. In particular, the buffer memory of a userequipment such as e.g. a mobile phone may be limited.[0013] The user access quality and overall capacity in a wireless communication network environment is affected bydata loss and protocol stalling, but also by unnecessary polls and resending of data.

SUMMARY

[0014] It is therefore an object of the present invention to provide an improved wireless communication system.

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[0015] According to a first aspect, the object is achieved by a method in a first node for requesting a status report froma second node. The first node and the second node are comprised within a wireless communication network. The statusreport comprises positive and/or negative acknowledgement of data sent from the first node to be received by the secondnode. When transmitting a sequence of data units or data unit segments to be received by the second node, the firstnode counts the number of transmitted data units and the number of transmitted data bytes of the transmitted data units.The first node then requests a status report from the second node, if the counted number of transmitted data unitsexceeds or equals a first predefined value or the counted number of transmitted data bytes of the transmitted data unitsexceeds or equals a second predefined value.[0016] According to a second aspect, the object is also achieved by a first node comprising an arrangement forrequesting a status report from a second node. The first node and the second node are comprised within a wirelesscommunication network. The status report comprises positive and/or negative acknowledgement of data sent from thefirst node to be received by the second node. The arrangement comprises a transmitter. The transmitter is adapted totransmit a sequence of data units or data unit segments to be received by the second node. Further, the arrangementalso comprises a counting mechanism. The counting mechanism is adapted to count the number of transmitted dataunits and the number of transmitted data bytes of the transmitted data units. Further yet, the arrangement comprises arequesting unit. The requesting unit is adapted to request a status report from the second node if the counted numberof transmitted data units exceeds or equals a first predefined value or the counted number of transmitted data bytes ofthe transmitted data units exceeds or equals a second predefined value.[0017] Thanks to the present methods and arrangements, superfluous polling due to both sequence number limitationand memory limitation is avoided by help of one single mechanism. By combining the two criteria "transmitted numberof data units" and "transmitted number of bytes" into one mechanism, it is avoided that a poll is unnecessarily sent whenthe first criterion is fulfilled in situation when such a poll has already recently been triggered due to the other, secondcriterion. Thus unnecessary signalling between the nodes comprised within the wireless communication system is re-duced, which leads to reduced overhead signalling and thereby increased system capacity. Thus an improved wirelesscommunication system is provided as a consequence of the present improved mechanism for polling within the wirelesscommunication network.[0018] It is a further advantage of the present invention that the mechanism operates on both bytes and data unitsand thus avoids stalling due to both sequence number limitations and memory limitations. This is advantageouslyachieved by a single mechanism coordinating the polling by two criteria leading to an efficient polling mechanism.[0019] An advantage of the present method and arrangement is that the generation of superfluous polls is eliminatedor at least reduced.[0020] Other objects, advantages and novel features of the invention will become apparent from the following detaileddescription of the invention.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0021] The present invention will now be described more in detail in relation to the enclosed drawings, in which:

Figure 1 is a schematic block diagram illustrating embodiments of a wireless communication network.Figure 2 is a combined signalling scheme and flow chart illustrating embodiments of a wireless communication net-

work.Figure 3 is a flow chart illustrating embodiments of method steps in a first node.Figure 4 is a block diagram illustrating embodiments of an arrangement in a first node.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0022] The invention is defined as a method and an arrangement which may be put into practice in the embodimentsdescribed below. This invention may, however, be embodied in many different forms and should not be construed aslimited to the embodiments set forth herein; rather, these embodiments are provided so that this disclosure will bethorough and complete, and will fully convey the scope of the invention to those skilled in the art. It should be understoodthat there is no intent to limit the present method or arrangement to any of the particular forms disclosed, but on thecontrary, the present method and arrangement is to cover all modifications, equivalents, and alternatives falling withinthe scope of the invention as defined by the claims.[0023] Figure 1 depicts a first node 110 communicating with at least one second node 120 in a wireless communicationnetwork 100. The communication between the first node 110 and the second node 120 may be made e.g. over acommunication carrier 140 in a cell 150 comprised in the wireless communication network 100.[0024] It will be appreciated that the number of components illustrated in Figure 1 is purely exemplary. Other config-urations with more, fewer, or a different arrangement of components may be implemented. Moreover, in some embod-

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iments, one or more components in Figure 1 may perform one or more of the tasks described as being performed byone or more other components in Figure 1.[0025] The wireless communication network 100 may also comprise a control node 130, according to some optionalembodiments, depending on the technology used. The control node 130 may be e.g. a Radio Network Controller (RNC).[0026] The control node 130 is a governing element in the wireless communication network 100, which may be re-sponsible for the control of base stations e.g. the second node 120, which are connected to the control node 130. Thecontrol node 130 may carry out radio resource management and some of the mobility management functions.[0027] In some embodiments, the first node 110 may be represented by e.g. a user equipment, a wireless communi-cation terminal, a mobile cellular telephone, a Personal Communications Systems terminal, a Personal Digital Assistant(PDA), a laptop, a computer or any other kind of device capable of managing radio resources. A Personal CommunicationSystem terminal may combine a cellular radiotelephone with data processing, facsimile and data communications ca-pabilities. A PDA may include a radiotelephone, a pager, an internet/intranet access device, a web browser, an organizer,calendars etc.[0028] The first node 110 may however in some embodiments be represented by a base station, such as e.g. anaccess point, a Node B, an evolved Node B (eNode B) and/or a base transceiver station, Access Point Base Station,base station router, etc depending e.g. of the radio access technology and terminology used.[0029] The second node 120 may in some embodiments be referred to as e.g. a base station, an access point, a NodeB, an evolved Node B (eNode B) and/or a base transceiver station, Access Point Base Station, base station router, etcdepending e.g. of the radio access technology and terminology used.[0030] Further, according to some embodiments, the second node 120 may be represented by a user equipment, awireless communication terminal, a mobile cellular telephone, a Personal Communications Systems terminal, a PersonalDigital Assistant (PDA), a laptop, a computer or any other kind of device capable of managing radio resources.[0031] However, in the non limiting example depicted in Figure 1, the first node 110 is a mobile cellular telephone andthe second node 120 is a base station.[0032] The wireless communication network 100 may be based on technologies such as e.g. E-UTRAN, LTE, Codedivision multiple access (CDMA), Wideband Code Division Multiple Access (WCDMA), CDMA 2000, High Speed Down-link Packet Data Access (HSDPA), High Speed Uplink Packet Data Access (HSUPA), High Data Rate (HDR), TD-SCDMA,Wimax, etc.[0033] As a non limiting example only, and for purely illustrative purpose this description is written with the inventionembodied in an E-UTRAN environment. However, the present method and arrangement may be used also in othertechnology environments.[0034] Figure 2 is a combined signalling and flowchart that depicts method steps and the transmission of signalsbetween a first node 110 and a second node 120 within a wireless communication network 100.[0035] A general concept of the present method and arrangement is to combine the previously discussed criteria oftransmitted number of data units such as e.g. PDUs and the number of data bytes of the transmitted data units into asingle mechanism in order to trig a poll, e.g. a request for a status report from the second node 120.

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[0036] The first node 110 may comprise a data unit counter and a bytes counter. The first node 110 may begin atransmission session by initialising a data unit counter and a bytes counter to zero in a first step 210.

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[0037] The first node 110 then transmits data units e.g. to be received by the second node 120. For each transmitteddata unit, the data unit counter is accordingly increased and for each byte sent, the bytes counter is increased.

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[0038] A comparison is then made, concerning if the data unit counter has reached or exceeded a first threshold limitvalue. Also, a further comparison is made concerning if the byte counter has reached or exceeded a second thresholdlimit value.[0039] The first and the second threshold limit values may be predetermined or set e.g. depending of the type of datathat is sent, as some types of data may be more sensitive to loss than other types of data. The first and the secondthreshold limit values may be set by the network 100, e.g. by the Radio Resource Control (RRC) protocol. In LTE thethresholds are configured by RRC. In WCDMA/HSPA the thresholds may also be configured by RRC which for HSPAis terminated in the RNC 130 and the user equipment. For LTE the RRC is terminated in the eNodeB and the userequipment.

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[0040] If any of the first or the second threshold limit values is reached or exceeded, a poll is triggered. Thus a poll isgenerated at the first node 110 and sent to the second node 120. Also, the data unit counter and the Byte counter arereset after sending the poll, according to some embodiments.

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[0041] The second node 120, when receiving the poll, generates a status report concerning the received data.

260

[0042] The generated status report is sent from the second node 120 to the first node 110.[0043] The threshold limit values concerning transmitted data units and transmitted bytes may be referred to asPDU_Threshold and ByteThreshold, respectively.[0044] The threshold limit values PDU_Threshold or Byte Threshold may be set to any arbitrary value. In some particularexamples, any of the first or the second threshold limit values may be set to a value representing infinite threshold valueor mechanism disabled. The present mechanism thus, according to some examples, may operate as a pure byte basedsolution, in case the PDU_Threshold is set to an infinite threshold value. Alternatively, the present mechanism mayoperate as a pure counter based solution, in case the ByteThreshold is set to an infinite threshold value.[0045] The described method may be denoted, in a compressed way of writing:

Initialise PDU_Counter and ByteCounter to their starting values; [transmit data]; IF (PDU_Counter≥PDU_Threshold) OR (ByteCounter≥ByteThreshold) THEN - Trigger a poll; - Reset PDU_Counter AND ByteCounter; END IF.

[0046] The benefit with the above described procedure is that stalling due to both sequence number limitation andmemory limitation can be avoided by help of one single mechanism. By combining the two criteria into one mechanismit may be avoided that a poll is unnecessarily sent when a first criterion is fulfilled in situations when such a poll hasalready recently been triggered due to the other, second criterion.[0047] In order to clarify and further illustrate the present method, yet an example is discussed below. However, it isto be noted that this is a non limiting example only, not intended to limit the scope of the present method in any way,which scope is limited by the independent claims only.[0048] According to some embodiments, the configured parameter byte threshold limit value, ByteThreshold, may bescaled in accordance with the number of configured or active bearers. Thus, according to some embodiments the network100 may configure the byte threshold limit value ByteThreshold and polling may be triggered when the byte thresholdlimit value per number of radio bearers have been transmitted.[0049] Thus, expressed in a compressed way of writing:

Initialise PDU_Counter and ByteCounter to their starting values; [transmit data]; determine the number of radio bearers; IF (PDU_Counter ≥ PDU_Threshold) OR (ByteCounter ≥ (ByteThreshold/ number_of_bearers)) THEN - Trigger a poll; - Reset PDU_Counter AND ByteCounter,END IF.

[0050] This scaling which also takes the number of radio bearers into account, compensates for the fact that memorymay be occupied by outstanding data units e.g. PDUs on each radio bearer.[0051] Although the present invention has been described for implementation in an evolved UTRAN (E-UTRAN)environment, similar principles may also be applicable for UTRAN when flexible data unit sizes are introduced e.g.flexible RLC PDU sizes.[0052] An advantage of the present methods and arrangements is that they operate on both bytes and data units andavoids stalling due to both sequence number limitation and memory limitation. This is achieved by a single mechanismwhich coordinates the polling by two criteria leading to an efficient polling.

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[0053] Figure 3 is a flow chart illustrating embodiments of method steps 301-312 performed in a first node 110. Themethod aims at requesting a status report from a second node 120.[0054] The action: "To request a status report" may also be referred to as "to send a poll", or "setting a poll bit". In thefollowing text, the expression: "To request a status report" will consistently be used for clarity reasons, but it is to beunderstood that several other expressions bearing the same meaning might be used instead, e.g. "to send a poll", or"setting a poll bit". The first node 110 and the second node 120 are comprised within a wireless communication network100. The status report comprising positive and/or negative acknowledgement of data sent from the first node 110 to bereceived by the second node 120.[0055] As previously discussed, the first node 110 may be a base station and the second node 120 may be a mobilestation.[0056] However, any, some or even all of the method steps 301-312 performed in the first node 110, when the firstnode is represented by a base station, may be distributed between the base station and the control node 130. Thecontrol node 130 may be e.g. a Radio Network Controller, RNC. Thus any, some or all of the method steps 301-312according to embodiments of the present method may be performed entirely or at least to some extent in the controlnode 130.[0057] However, according to some embodiments, the first node 110 may be a mobile station such as e.g. a mobilephone and the second node 120 may be a base station.[0058] To appropriately request a status report from the second node 120, the method may comprise a number ofmethod steps 301-312. It is however to be noted that some of the described method steps are optional and only comprisedwithin some examples. Further, it is to be noted that the method steps 301-312 may be performed in any arbitrarychronological order and that some of them, e.g. step 304 and step 305, or even all steps may be performed simultaneouslyor in an altered, arbitrarily rearranged, decomposed or even completely reversed chronological order. The method maycomprise the following steps:

Step 301

[0059] This step is optional and may only be comprised within some embodiments of the present method. The firstcounter 421 may be initialised.[0060] According to some embodiments, the first counter 421 is initialised to zero and adapted to count the numberof transmitted data units. Thus the first counter 421 is incremented according to the transmitted number of data units,until a first predetermined value is reached or exceeded.[0061] However, the first counter 421 may according to some other examples be initialised to the first predeterminedvalue. The first counter 421 may then be decreased according to the transmitted number of data units, until zero isreached or fallen below.

Step 302

[0062] The second counter 422 is initialised.[0063] According to some embodiments, the second counter 422 is initialised to zero and adapted to count the numberof transmitted data bytes. According to those embodiments, the second counter 422 is incremented according to thetransmitted number of data bytes, until a second predetermined value is reached or exceeded.[0064] may According to other examples the second counter 422 may be initialised to the second predetermined value.The second counter 422 may then be decreased according to the transmitted number of data bytes, until zero is reachedor fallen below.

Step 303

[0065] This step is optional. In this step, the number of configured or active radio bearers may be obtained.[0066] The configured radio bearers are given by the Radio Resource Control, RRC. The active radio bearers, i.e. theradio bearers where there is traffic could be determined by the sending node itself based on the transmitted data.

Step 304

[0067] This step is optional and may only be comprised within some embodiments of the present method. A firstpredefined value related to the number of transmitted data units may be obtained. The first predefined value may be athreshold limit value defining the maximum numbers of data units that may be transmitted before a request for a statusreport is sent to the second node. The data units may be e.g. Protocol Data Units, PDUs, according to some embodiments.The first predefined value may be configured by, and obtained from, a higher layer, e.g. the Radio Resource Control, RRC.

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Step 305

[0068] This step is optional and may only be comprised within some embodiments of the present method. A secondpredefined value related to the number of transmitted data bytes, may be obtained. The second predefined value maybe a threshold limit value defining the maximum amount of data bytes that may be transmitted before a request for astatus report is sent to the second node. The second predefined value may be configured by, and obtained from, ahigher layer, e.g. the Radio Resource Control, RRC.[0069] According to some optional embodiments, the step of obtaining the second predefined value comprises obtaininga parameter value representing a bytes threshold limit value and dividing that parameter value with the obtained numberof configured or active radio bearers.

Step 306

[0070] The first node 110 transmits data units, to be received by the second node 120.

Step 307

[0071] The number of transmitted data units and the number of transmitted data bytes are counted, as data is sent tobe received by the second node 120.[0072] The first node 110 comprises a first counter 421 configured to count the number of transmitted data units. Thefirst node 110 comprises second counter 422. The second counter 422 is configured to count the number of transmitteddata bytes.[0073] The step of counting adjusts the first counter 421 according to the amount of data units transmitted to thesecond node 120. Further, the second counter 422 is adjusted according to the amount of data bytes transmitted to thesecond node 120.[0074] The step of counting increments the first counter 421 according to the amount of data units transmitted to thesecond node 120. Further, the second counter 422 is incremented according to the amount of data bytes transmitted tothe second node 120.[0075] The step of counting may according to some optional examples, comprise to decrease the first counter 421according to the amount of data units transmitted to the second node 120. Further, the second counter 422 may bedecreased according to the amount of data bytes transmitted to the second node 120.

Step 308

[0076] The value of the first counter 421 is compared with the first predefined value if the first counter 421 has beenincremented according to the transmitted amount of data units. The first predefined value may be a threshold limit valuedefining the maximum numbers of data units that may be transmitted before a request for a status report is sent to thesecond node.[0077] According to some examples, first counter 421 may be compared with zero, if the first counter 421 has beendecreased according to the transmitted amount of data units. Thus some according to some optional examples, whereinthe first counter 421 has been initialised and/or reset to the first predetermined value and wherein the first counter 421has been decreased according to the amount of data units transmitted to the second node 120, the value of the firstcounter 421 may be compared with zero. The count down from the first predefined value to zero may then correspondto the maximum numbers of data units that may be transmitted before a request for a status report is sent to the secondnode.[0078] According to some examples, the absolute value of the first counter 421, i.e. the magnitude of the first counter421 may be compared with the absolute value i.e. the magnitude of the first predefined value.

Step 309

[0079] The value of the second counter 422 is compared with the second predefined value if the second counter 422has been incremented according to the transmitted amount of data bytes. The second predefined value may be athreshold limit value defining the maximum amount of data bytes that may be transmitted before a request for a statusreport is sent to the second node.[0080] According to some examples, second counter 422 may be compared with zero, if the second counter 422 hasbeen decreased according to the transmitted amount of data bytes. Thus, according to some optional examples, whereinthe second counter 422 has been initialised and/or reset to the first predetermined value and wherein the second counter422 has been decreased according to the amount of data bytes transmitted to the second node 120, the value of the

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second counter 422 may be compared with zero. The count down from the second predefined value to zero may thencorrespond to the maximum numbers of data bytes that may be transmitted before a request for a status report is sentto the second node.[0081] According to some examples, the absolute value of the second counter 422, i.e. the magnitude of the secondcounter 422 may be compared with the absolute value i.e. the magnitude of the second predefined value.

Step 310

[0082] A A status report is requested from the second node 120 if the maximum numbers of data units that may betransmitted is reached or exceeded by the first counter 421 or if the maximum numbers of data bytes that may betransmitted is reached or exceeded by the second counter 422.[0083] A status report is requested from the second node 120 if the first predefined value is reached or exceeded bythe first counter 421 or if the second predefined value is reached or exceeded by the second counter 422.[0084] According to yet some further optional some examples, wherein the first counter 421 and/or the second counter422 has been initialised and/or reset to the first predefined value and/or the second predefined value respectively, astatus report may be requested from the second node 120 if zero is reached or fallen below by the first counter 421 orif zero is reached or fallen below by the second counter 422.

Step 311

[0085] This step is optional and may only be comprised within some embodiments of the present method. The firstcounter 421 may be reset to zero. According to yet some optional embodiments, the first counter 421 may be reset tothe first predetermined value.[0086] Optionally, the first counter 421 may be reset when the first predefined value is reached or exceeded by thefirst counter 421 or if the second predefined value is reached or exceeded by the second counter 422.[0087] According to some further optional examples, the first counter 421 may be reset when zero is reached or fallenbelow by the first counter 421 or if zero is reached or fallen below by the second counter 422.[0088] According to some embodiments, the first counter 421 may be reset when a request for a status report is sentto the second node 120, or when a poll bit is set to 1.

Step 312

[0089] This step is optional and may only be comprised within some embodiments of the present method. The secondcounter 422 may be reset to zero. According to yet some optional embodiments, the second counter 422 may be resetto the second predetermined value.[0090] Optionally, the second counter 422 may be reset when the first predefined value is reached or exceeded bythe first counter 421 or when the second predefined value is reached or exceeded by the second counter 422.[0091] According to some further optional embodiments, the second counter 422 may be reset when zero is reachedor fallen below by the first counter 421 or if zero is reached or fallen below by the second counter 422.[0092] According to some embodiments, the second counter 422 may be reset when a request for a status report issent to the second node 120, or when a poll bit is set to 1.[0093] Figure 4 is a block diagram illustrating embodiments of an arrangement 400 situated in the first node 110. Thearrangement 400 is configured to perform the method steps 301-312 for requesting a status report from the secondnode 120. The first node 110 and the second node 120 are both comprised within a wireless communication network100. The status report comprises positive and/or negative acknowledgement of data sent from the first node 110 to bereceived by the second node 120. The first node 110, wherein the present arrangement 400 is comprised may berepresented by a user equipment such as e.g. a mobile phone, according to some embodiments. However, accordingto some embodiments, the first node 110 may be represented by a base station such as e.g. an evolved NodeB (eNodeB).According to other embodiments, the first node 110 may be represented by a control node 130 such as e.g. a RadioNetwork Controller (RNC).[0094] For the sake of clarity, any internal electronics of the arrangement 400, not completely necessary for performingthe present method has been omitted from Figure 4.[0095] The arrangement 400 comprises a transmitter 406. The transmitter 406 is adapted to transmit a sequence ofdata units or data unit segments, data units, to be received by the second node 120. The arrangement 400 also comprisesa counting mechanism 407, adapted to count the number of transmitted data units and the number of transmitted databytes. The counting mechanism 407 comprises, a first counter 421. The first counter 421 is adapted to count the numberof transmitted data units. The counting mechanism 407 comprises a second counter 422. The second counter 422 isadapted to count the number of transmitted data bytes. Further, the arrangement 400 comprises a requesting unit 410.

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The requesting unit 410 is adapted to request a status report from the second node 120. The status report is requestedif the counted number of transmitted data units or the counted number of transmitted data bytes exceeds predefinedvalues. The data units may be e.g. PDUs.[0096] The requesting unit 410 is adapted to send a request for a status report from the second node 120 if the firstpredefined value is reached or exceeded by the first counter 421 or if the second predefined value is reached or exceededby the second counter 422.[0097] The counting mechanism 407, comprised within the arrangement 400 further comprises a first counter 421.The first counter 421 is configured to count the number of transmitted data units. The counting mechanism 407 furthercomprises a second counter 422. The second counter 422 is configured to count the number of transmitted data bytes.[0098] The arrangement 400 may according to some embodiments comprise a first obtaining unit 404. The optionalfirst obtaining unit 404 may be adapted to obtain a first predefined value related to the number of transmitted data units.[0099] The arrangement 400 may according to some embodiments comprise a second obtaining unit 405. The optionalsecond obtaining unit 405 may be adapted to obtain a second predefined value related to the number of transmitteddata bytes. According to yet some embodiments, the second obtaining unit 405 may be further adapted to obtain aparameter value representing a bytes threshold limit value and dividing that parameter value with the obtained numberof configured or active radio bearers.[0100] According to some embodiments, the arrangement 400 may comprise a first comparison unit 408. The firstcomparison unit 408 may be adapted to compare the value of the first counter 421 with the first predefined value. Thefirst predefined value is related to the number of transmitted data units and may represent a maximum threshold limit value.[0101] According to some embodiments, the arrangement 400 may comprise a second comparison unit 409. Thesecond comparison unit 409 may be adapted to compare the value of the second counter 422 with the second predefinedvalue. The second predefined value is related to the number of transmitted data bytes and may represent a maximumthreshold limit value.[0102] As previously discussed, the first predefined value and the second predefined value are configured by andobtained from a higher layer, e.g. the Radio Resource Control, RRC.[0103] The arrangement 400 may optionally, according to some embodiments, comprise a first initialising unit 401.The first initialising unit 401 may be adapted to initialise the first counter 421 to zero. According to some examples, thefirst initialising unit 401 may be adapted to initialise the first counter 421 to the first predetermined value.[0104] According to some embodiments, the arrangement 400 may comprise a second initialising unit 402. The secondinitialising unit 402 may be adapted to initialise the second counter 422 to zero. According to some examples, the secondinitialising unit 402 may be adapted to initialise the second counter 422 to the second predetermined value.[0105] Further, according to some embodiments of the present arrangement 400, a first resetting unit 411 may becomprised. The first resetting unit 411 may be adapted to reset the first counter 421 to zero. According to some examples,the first resetting unit 411 may be adapted to reset the first counter 421 to the first predetermined value.[0106] Some embodiments of the present arrangement 400 may comprise a second resetting unit 412. The secondresetting unit 412 may be adapted to reset the second counter 422 to zero. According to some examples, the secondresetting unit 412 may be adapted to reset the second counter 422 to the second predetermined value.[0107] The arrangement 400 may according to some embodiments comprise a third obtaining unit 403. The thirdobtaining unit 403 may be adapted to obtain the number of configured or active radio bearers.[0108] The arrangement 400 may according to some embodiments comprise a processing unit 420. The processingunit 420 may be represented by e.g. a Central Processing Unit (CPU), a processor, a microprocessor, or processinglogic that may interpret and execute instructions. The processing unit 420 may perform all data processing functions forinputting, outputting, and processing of data including data buffering and device control functions, such as call processingcontrol, user interface control, or the like.[0109] It is to be noted that the described units 401-422 comprised within the arrangement 400 are to be regarded asseparate logical entities but not with necessity separate physical entities. Any, some or all of the units 401-422 may becomprised or co-arranged within the same physical unit. However, in order to facilitate the understanding of the func-tionality of the arrangement 400, the comprised units 401-422 are illustrated as separate physical units in Figure 4.

Some particular embodiments

[0110] The method in the first node 110 for requesting a status report from the second node 120, according to thepresent method may be implemented through one or more processors 420 in the first node 110, together with computerprogram code for performing the functions of the method. The program code mentioned above may also be providedas a computer program product, for instance in the form of a data carrier carrying computer program code for performingthe method according to the present invention when being loaded into the processing unit 420. The data carrier may bea CD ROM disc, a memory stick, or any other appropriate medium such as a disk or tape that can hold machine readabledata. The computer program code can furthermore be provided as pure program code on a server and downloaded to

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the first node 110 remotely.[0111] Thus a computer program comprising instruction sets for performing the method according to at least some ofthe method steps 300-312 may be used for implementing the previously described method.[0112] As will be appreciated by one of skill in the art, the present invention may be embodied as an arrangement 400within a first node 110, a method or a computer program product. Accordingly, the present invention may take the formof an entirely hardware embodiment, a software embodiment or an embodiment combining software and hardwareaspects all generally referred to herein as a "circuit" or "module." Furthermore, the present invention may take the formof a computer program product on a computer-usable storage medium having computer-usable program code embodiedin the medium. Any suitable computer readable medium may be utilized including hard disks, CD-ROMs, optical storagedevices, a transmission media such as those supporting the Internet or an intranet, or magnetic storage devices.[0113] Computer program code for carrying out operations of the present invention may be written in any arbitraryobject oriented programming language such as Java®, Smalltalk or C++. However, the computer program code forcarrying out the steps of the present method may also be written in any conventional procedural programming languages,such as the "C" programming language and/or a lower level assembler language. The program code may execute entirelyon the arrangement 400, partly on the arrangement 400, as a stand-alone software package, partly on the arrangement400 and partly on a remote computing device or entirely on the remote computing device. In the latter scenario, theremote computing device may be connected to the arrangement 400 through a local area network (LAN) or a wide areanetwork (WAN), or the connection may be made to an external computer, for example, through the Internet using e.g.an Internet Service Provider.[0114] Furthermore, the present method is described in part above with reference to flowchart illustrations in Figure2 and Figure 3 and/or block diagrams of arrangements, methods, and computer program products according to embod-iments of the invention. It will be understood that each block of the flowchart illustrations and/or block diagrams, andcombinations of blocks in the flowchart illustrations and/or block diagrams, may be implemented by computer programinstructions. These computer program instructions may be provided to a processor of a general purpose computer,special purpose computer, or other programmable data processing apparatus to produce a machine, such that theinstructions, which execute via the processor of the computer or other programmable data processing apparatus, createmeans for implementing the functions/acts specified in the flowchart and/or block diagram block or blocks.[0115] These computer program instructions may also be stored in a computer-readable memory that can direct acomputer or other programmable data processing apparatus to function in a particular manner, such that the instructionsstored in the computer-readable memory produce an article of manufacture including instruction means which implementthe function/act specified in the flowchart and/or block diagram block or blocks in Figure 2 or Figure 3.[0116] The computer program instructions may also be loaded onto a computer or other programmable data processingapparatus to cause a series of operational steps to be performed on the computer or other programmable apparatus toproduce a computer implemented process such that the instructions which execute on the computer or other program-mable apparatus provide steps for implementing the functions/acts specified in the flowchart and/or block diagram blockor blocks.[0117] The terminology used in the detailed description of the particular exemplary embodiments illustrated in theaccompanying drawings is not intended to be limiting of the invention.[0118] As used herein, the singular forms "a", "an" and "the" are intended to include the plural forms as well, unlessexpressly stated otherwise. It will be further understood that the terms "includes," "comprises," "including" and/or "com-prising," when used in this specification, specify the presence of stated features, integers, steps, operations, elements,and/or components, but do not preclude the presence or addition of one or more other features, integers, steps, operations,elements, components, and/or groups thereof. It will be understood that when an element is referred to as being "con-nected" or "coupled" to another element, it can be directly connected or coupled to the other element or interveningelements may be present. Furthermore, "connected" or "coupled" as used herein may include wirelessly connected orcoupled. As used herein, the term "and/or" includes any and all combinations of one or more of the associated listed items.

Claims

1. Method in a first node (110) for requesting a status report from a second node (120), the first node (110) and thesecond node (120) both being comprised within a wireless communication network (100), the status report comprisingpositive and/or negative acknowledgement of data sent from the first node (110) to be received by the second node(120), wherein the method comprises the steps of:

transmitting (306) a sequence of data units or data unit segments to be received by the second node (120), themethod further comprises the steps of:

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counting (307) the number of transmitted data units and the number of transmitted data bytes of the trans-mitted data units, andrequesting (310) a status report from the second node (120) if the counted number of transmitted data unitsexceeds or equals a first predefined value, or the counted number of transmitted data bytes of the transmitteddata units exceeds or equals a second predefined value.

2. Method according to claim 1, wherein:

the first node (110) comprises a first counter (421) configured to count the number of transmitted data units,and a second counter (422) configured to count the number of transmitted data bytes of the transmitted data units,the step of counting (307) comprises adjusting the first counter (421) according to the transmitted amount ofdata units and adjusting the second counter (422) according to the transmitted amount of data bytes of thetransmitted data units, and wherein the method comprises the further steps of:

obtaining (304) a first predefined value related to the number of transmitted data units,obtaining (305) a second predefined value related to the number of transmitted data bytes of the transmitteddata units,comparing (308) the value of the first counter (421) either with the first predefined value, if the first counter(421) has been incremented according to the transmitted amount of data units, or with zero, if the firstcounter (421) has been decreased according to the transmitted amount of data units, andcomparing (309) the value of the second counter (422) either with the second predefined value if the secondcounter (422) has been incremented according to the transmitted amount of data bytes of the transmitteddata units, or with zero, if the second counter (422) has been decreased according to the transmitted amountof data bytes of the transmitted data units.

3. Method according to any of claim 1 or claim 2, wherein the first predefined value and the second predefined valueare configured by, and obtained (304, 305) from, a higher layer, e.g. the Radio Resource Control, "RRC".

4. Method according to any of the previous claims 1-3, wherein the step of counting (307) comprises incrementing thefirst counter (421) according to the transmitted amount of data units and incrementing the second counter (422)according to the transmitted amount of data bytes of the transmitted data units, and wherein the step of requesting(310) a status report from the second node (120) is performed if the first predefined value is reached or exceededby the first counter (421) or if the second predefined value is reached or exceeded by the second counter (422).

5. Method according to any of the previous claims 1-4, further comprising the steps of:

initialising (301) the first counter (421) to zero, andinitialising (302) the second counter (422) to zero.


resetting (311) the first counter (421) to zero, andresetting (312) the second counter (422) to zero.


initialising (301) the first counter (421) to the first predefined value,initialising (302) the second counter (422) to the second predefined value,resetting (311) the first counter (421) to the first predefined value,resetting (312) the second counter (422) to the second predefined value, and wherein the step of counting (307)comprises decreasing the first counter (421) according to the transmitted amount of data units and decreasingthe second counter (422) according to the transmitted amount of data bytes of the transmitted data units, andwherein the step of requesting (310) a status report from the second node (120) is performed if zero is reachedor fallen below by the first counter (421) or if zero is reached or fallen below by the second counter (422).

8. Method according to any of the previous claims 1-7, further comprising the step of:

obtaining (303) the number of configured or active radio bearers, and wherein the step of obtaining (305) the

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second predefined value comprises obtaining a parameter value representing a bytes threshold limit value anddividing that parameter value with the obtained number of configured or active radio bearers.

9. Method according to any of the previous claims 6-8, wherein the steps of resetting (311, 312) the first counter (421)and the second counter (422) is performed when the first predefined value is reached or exceeded by the firstcounter (421) or when the second predefined value is reached or exceeded by the second counter (422).

10. Method according to any of the claims 1-9 wherein the first node (110) is a user equipment.

11. Method according to any of the claims 1-9 wherein the first node (110) is a base station, or a Radio Network Controller,"RNC", or an evolved NodeB, "eNodeB".

12. A first node (110) comprising an arrangement (400) for requesting a status report from a second node (120), thefirst node (110) and the second node (120) both used for a wireless communication network (100), the status reportcomprising positive and/or negative acknowledgement of data sent from the first node (110) to be received by thesecond node (120), wherein the arrangement (400) comprises:

a transmitter (406), adapted to transmit a sequence of data units or data unit segments to be received by thesecond node (120),the arrangement (400) further comprises:

a counting mechanism (407), adapted to count the number of transmitted data units and the number oftransmitted data bytes of the transmitted data units, anda requesting unit (410), adapted to request a status report from the second node (120) if the counted numberof transmitted data units exceeds or equals a first predefined value, or the counted number of transmitteddata bytes of the transmitted data units exceeds or equals a second predefined value.

13. The first node (110) according to claim 12, wherein the first node (110) is a user equipment.

14. The first node (110) according to claim 12, wherein the first node (110) is a base station or an evolved NodeB,"eNodeB".

15. The first node (110) according to claim 12, wherein the first node (110) is a control node or a Radio Network Controller,"RNC".

Patentansprüche

1. Verfahren in einem ersten Knoten (110) zum Anfordern eines Statusberichts von einem zweiten Knoten (120), wobeider erste Knoten (110) und der zweite Knoten (120) beide innerhalb eines drahtlosen Kommunikationsnetzes (100)enthalten sind, der Statusbericht positive und/oder negative Bestätigung von Daten umfasst, die vom ersten Knoten(100) gesendet werden und die durch den zweiten Knoten (120) empfangen werden sollen, und wobei das Verfahrendie folgenden Schritte umfasst:

Senden (306) einer Folge von Dateneinheiten oder Dateneinheitssegmenten, die durch den zweiten Knoten(120) empfangen werden sollen, wobei das Verfahren ferner die folgenden Schritte umfasst:

Zählen (307) der Anzahl von gesendeten Dateneinheiten und der Anzahl von gesendeten Datenbytes dergesendeten Dateneinheiten, undAnfordern (310) eines Statusberichts vom zweiten Knoten (120), wenn die gezählte Anzahl von gesendetenDateneinheiten einen ersten vordefinierten Wert überschreitet oder diesem entspricht, oder die gezählteAnzahl von gesendeten Datenbytes der gesendeten Dateneinheiten einen zweiten vordefinierten Wertüberschreitet oder diesem entspricht.

2. Verfahren nach Anspruch 1, wobei:

der erste Knoten (110) einen ersten Zähler (421), der so konfiguriert ist, dass er die Anzahl von gesendetenDateneinheiten zählt, und einen zweiten Zähler (422) umfasst, der so konfiguriert ist, dass er die Anzahl von

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gesendeten Datenbytes der gesendeten Dateneinheiten zählt,der Schritt des Zählens (307) ein Anpassen des ersten Zählers (421) gemäß der gesendeten Menge vonDateneinheiten und Anpassen des zweiten Zählers (422) gemäß der gesendeten Menge von Datenbytes dergesendeten Dateneinheiten umfasst, und wobei das Verfahren die folgenden weiteren Schritte umfasst:

Erhalten (304) eines ersten vordefinierten Wertes bezüglich der Anzahl von gesendeten Dateneinheiten,Erhalten (305) eines zweiten vordefinierten Wertes bezüglich der Anzahl von gesendeten Datenbytes dergesendeten Dateneinheiten,Vergleichen (308) des Wertes des ersten Zählers (421) entweder mit dem ersten vordefinierten Wert, wennder erste Zähler (421) gemäß der gesendeten Menge von Dateneinheiten inkrementiert wurde, oder mitnull, wenn der erste Zähler (421) gemäß der gesendeten Menge von Dateneinheiten herabgesetzt wurde,undVergleichen (309) des Wertes des zweiten Zählers (422) entweder mit dem zweiten vordefinierten Wert,wenn der erste Zähler (422) gemäß der gesendeten Menge von Datenbytes der gesendeten Dateneinheiteninkrementiert wurde, oder mit null, wenn der zweite Zähler (422) gemäß der gesendeten Menge von Da-tenbytes der gesendeten Dateneinheiten herabgesetzt wurde.

3. Verfahren nach einem der Ansprüche 1 oder 2, wobei der erste vordefinierte Wert und der zweite vordefinierte Wertdurch eine höhere Schicht, z. B. der Funkbetriebsmittelsteuerung, "RRC", konfiguriert und von ihr erhalten wurden(304, 305).

4. Verfahren nach einem der vorhergehenden Ansprüche 1 bis 3, wobei der Schritt des Zählens (307) ein Inkrementierendes ersten Zählers (421) gemäß der gesendeten Menge von Dateneinheiten und Inkrementieren des zweiten Zählers(422) gemäß der gesendeten Menge von Datenbytes der gesendeten Dateneinheiten umfasst, und wobei der Schrittdes Anforderns (310) eines Statusberichts vom zweiten Knoten (120) ausgeführt wird, wenn der erste vordefinierteWert durch den ersten Zähler (421) erreicht oder überschritten wird oder wenn der zweite vordefinierte Wert durchden zweiten Zähler (422) erreicht oder überschritten wird.

5. Verfahren nach einem der Ansprüche 1 bis 4, ferner umfassend die folgenden Schritte:

Voreinstellen (301) des ersten Zählers (421) auf null, undVoreinstellen (302) des zweiten Zählers (422) auf null.


Rücksetzen (311) des ersten Zählers (421) auf null, undRücksetzen (312) des zweiten Zählers (422) auf null.


Voreinstellen (301) des ersten Zählers (421) auf den ersten vordefinierten Wert,Voreinstellen (302) des zweiten Zählers (422) auf den zweiten vordefinierten Wert,Rücksetzen (311) des ersten Zählers (421) auf den ersten vordefinierten Wert,Rücksetzen (312) des zweiten Zählers (442) auf den zweiten vordefinierten Wert, und wobei der Schritt desZählens (307) ein Herabsetzen des ersten Zählers (421) gemäß der gesendeten Menge von Dateneinheitenund Herabsetzen des zweiten Zählers (422) gemäß der gesendeten Menge von Datenbytes der gesendetenDateneinheiten umfasst, und wobei der Schritt des Anforderns (310) eines Statusberichts vom zweiten Knoten(120) ausgeführt wird, wenn der erste Zähler (421) null erreicht oder darunter fällt oder wenn der zweite Zähler(422) null erreicht oder darunter fällt.


Erhalten (303) der Anzahl von konfigurierten oder aktiven Funkträgern, und wobei der Schritt des Erhaltens(305) des zweiten vordefinierten Wertes ein Erhalten eines Parameterwerts, der einen Byte-Schwellengrenzwertdarstellt, und Teilen dieses Parameterwerts durch die erhaltene Anzahl von konfigurierten oder aktiven Funk-trägern umfasst.

9. Verfahren nach einem der vorhergehenden Ansprüche 6 bis 8, wobei der Schritt des Rücksetzens (311, 312) des

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ersten Zählers (421) und des zweiten Zählers (422) ausgeführt wird, wenn der erste vordefinierte Wert durch denersten Zähler (421) erreicht oder überschritten wird oder wenn der zweite vordefinierte Wert durch den zweitenZähler (422) erreicht oder überschritten wird.

10. Verfahren nach einem der Ansprüche 1 bis 9, wobei es sich bei dem ersten Knoten (110) um eine Benutzereinrichtunghandelt.

11. Verfahren nach einem der Ansprüche 1 bis 9, wobei es sich bei dem erstem Knoten (110) um eine Basisstationoder einen Funknetzsteuerung, "RNC", oder einen evolvierten Knoten B, "eNodeB", handelt.

12. Erster Knoten (110), umfassend eine Anordnung (400) zum Anfordern eines Statusberichts von einem zweitenKnoten (120), wobei der erste Knoten (110) und der zweite Knoten (120) beide für ein drahtloses Kommunikationsnetz(100) verwendet werden, der Statusbericht positive und/oder negative Bestätigung von Daten umfasst, die vomersten Knoten (100) gesendet werden und die durch den zweiten Knoten (120) empfangen werden sollen, undwobei die Anordnung (400) umfasst:

einen Sender (406), der so ausgelegt ist, dass er eine Folge von Dateneinheiten oder Dateneinheitssegmentensendet, die durch den zweiten Knoten (120) empfangen werden sollen,wobei die Anordnung (400) ferner umfasst:

einen Zählmechanismus (407), der so ausgelegt ist, dass er die Anzahl von gesendeten Dateneinheitenund die Anzahl von gesendeten Datenbytes der gesendeten Dateneinheiten zählt, undeine Anforderungseinheit (410), die so ausgelegt ist, dass sie einen Statusberichts vom zweiten Knoten(120) anfordert, wenn die gezählte Anzahl von gesendeten Dateneinheiten einen ersten vordefinierten Wertüberschreitet oder diesem entspricht, oder die gezählte Anzahl von gesendeten Datenbytes der gesendetenDateneinheiten einen zweiten vordefinierten Wert überschreitet oder diesem entspricht.

13. Erster Knoten (110) nach Anspruch 12, wobei es sich bei dem ersten Knoten (110) um eine Benutzereinrichtunghandelt.

14. Erster Knoten (110) nach Anspruch 12, wobei es sich bei dem ersten Knoten (110) um eine Basisstation oder einenevolvierten Knoten B, "eNodeB", handelt.

15. Erster Knoten (110) nach Anspruch 12, wobei es sich bei dem ersten Knoten (110) um einen Steuerknoten odereine Funknetzsteuerung, "RNC", handelt.

Revendications

1. Procédé dans un premier noeud (110) de demande d’un rapport de statut provenant d’un second noeud (120), lepremier noeud (110) et le second noeud (120) étant tous deux compris à l’intérieur d’un réseau de communicationsans fil (100), le rapport de statut comprenant un accusé de réception positif et/ou négatif des données envoyéesdepuis le premier noeud (110) afin d’être reçues par le second noeud (120), dans lequel le procédé comprend lesétapes consistant à :

émettre (306) une séquence d’unités de données ou de segments d’unités de données à recevoir par le secondnoeud (120), le procédé comprenant en outre les étapes consistant à :

compter (307) le nombre d’unités de données transmises et le nombre d’octets de données transmis desunités de données transmises, etdemander (310) un rapport de statut au second noeud (1202) si le nombre compté d’unités de donnéestransmises excède ou équivaut à une première valeur prédéfinie, ou le nombre compté d’octets de donnéestransmis des unités de données transmises excède ou équivaut à une seconde valeur prédéfinie.

2. Procédé selon la revendication 1, dans lequel :

le premier noeud (110) comprend un premier compteur (421) configuré afin de compter le nombre d’unités dedonnées transmises, et un second compteur (422) configuré afin de compter le nombre d’octets de données

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transmise des unités de données transmises,l’étape de comptage (307) comprend d’ajuster le premier compteur (421) selon la quantité transmise d’unitésde données et d’ajuster le second compteur (422) selon la quantité transmise d’octets de données des unitésde données transmises, et dans lequel le procédé comprend les étapes supplémentaires consistant à :

obtenir (304) une première valeur prédéfinie relative au nombre d’unités de données transmis,obtenir (305) une seconde valeur prédéfinie relative au nombre d’octets de données transmis des unitésde données transmises,comparer (308) la valeur du premier compteur (421) soit avec la première valeur prédéfinie, si le premiercompteur (421) a été incrémenté selon la quantité transmise d’unités de données, soit avec zéro, si lepremier compteur (421) a été diminué selon la quantité transmise d’unités de données, etcomparer (309) la valeur du second compteur (422) soit avec la seconde valeur prédéfinie si le secondcompteur (422) a été incrémenté selon la quantité transmise d’octets de données des unités de donnéestransmises, soit avec zéro, si le second compteur (422) a été diminué selon la quantité transmise d’octetsde données des unités de données transmises.

3. Procédé selon une quelconque des revendications 1 ou 2, dans lequel la première valeur prédéfinie et a secondevaleur prédéfinie sont configurées par, et obtenues (304,305) d’une couche supérieure, par ex. la commande desressources radio « RRC ».

4. Procédé selon une quelconque des revendications précédentes 1-3, dans lequel l’étape de comptage (307) com-prend d’incrémenter le premier compteur (421) selon la quantité transmise d’unités de données et d’incrémenter lesecond compteur (422) selon la quantité transmise d’octets de données des unités de données transmises, et danslequel l’étape de demande (310) d’un rapport de statut au second noeud (120) est effectuée si la première valeurprédéfinie est atteinte ou dépassée par le premier compteur (421) ou si la seconde valeur prédéfinie est atteinte oudépassée par le second compteur (422).

5. Procédé selon une quelconque des revendications précédentes 1-4, comprenant en outre les étapes consistant à :

initialiser (301) le premier compteur (421) à zéro, etinitialiser (302) le second compteur (422) à zéro.


réinitialiser (311) le premier compteur (421) à zéro, etréinitialiser (312) le second compteur (422) à zéro.


initialiser (301) le premier compteur (421) à la première valeur prédéfinie,initialiser (302) le second compteur (422) à la seconde valeur prédéfinie,réinitialiser (311) le premier compteur (421) à la première valeur prédéfinie,réinitialiser (312) le second compteur (422) à la seconde valeur prédéfinie, et dans lequel l’étape de comptage(307) comprend de diminuer le premier compteur (421) selon la quantité transmise d’unités de données et dediminuer le second compteur (422) selon la quantité transmise d’octets de données des unités de donnéestransmises, et dans lequel l’étape de demande (310) d’un rapport de statut au second noeud (120) est effectuéesi zéro est atteint ou non excédé par le premier compteur (421) ou si zéro est atteint ou non excédé par lesecond compteur (422).

8. Procédé selon une quelconque des revendications précédentes 1-7, comprenant en outre l’étape consistant à :

obtenir (303) le nombre de supports radio actifs ou configurés, et dans lequel l’étape d’obtention (305) de laseconde valeur prédéfinie comprend d’obtenir une valeur de paramètre représentant une valeur de limite deseuil d’octets et de diviser cette valeur de paramètre par le nombre obtenu de supports radio actifs ou configurés.

9. Procédé selon une quelconque des revendications précédentes 6-8, dans lequel les étapes de réinitialisation(311,312) du premier compteur (421) et du second compteur (422) sont effectuées quand la première valeur pré-définie est atteinte ou dépassée par le premier compteur (421) ou quand la seconde valeur prédéfinie est atteinte

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ou excédée par le second compteur (422).

10. Procédé selon une quelconque des revendications 1-9, dans lequel le premier noeud (110) est un équipementd’utilisateur.

11. Procédé selon une quelconque des revendications 1-9, dans lequel le premier noeud (110) est une station de base,ou un contrôleur de radioréseau, RNC, ou un noeud B évolué, eNodeB.

12. Premier noeud (110) comprenant un dispositif (400) pour demander un rapport de statut à un second noeud (120),le premier noeud (110) et le second noeud (120) étant tous deux utilisés pour un réseau de communication sansfil, le rapport de statut comprenant un accusé de réception positif et/ou négatif des données envoyées depuis lepremier noeud (110) à recevoir par le second noeud (120), dans lequel le dispositif (400) comprend :

un émetteur (406), adapté afin d’émettre une séquence d’unités de données ou de segments d’unités de donnéesà recevoir par le second noeud (120),le dispositif (400) comprend en outre :

un mécanisme de comptage (407), adapté afin de compter le nombre d’unités de données transmises etle nombre d’octets de données transmis des unités de données transmises, etune unité de demande (410), adaptée afin de demander un rapport de statut au second noeud (120) si lenombre compté d’unités de données transmises excède ou équivaut à une première valeur prédéfinie, oule nombre compté d’octets de données transmis des unités de données transmises excède ou équivaut àune seconde valeur prédéfinie.

13. Premier noeud (110) selon la revendication 12, dans lequel le premier noeud (110) est un équipement d’utilisateur.

14. Premier noeud (110) selon la revendication 12, dans lequel le premier noeud (110) est une station de base ou unnoeud B évolué, eNodeB.

15. Premier noeud (110) selon la revendication 12, dans lequel le premier noeud (110) est un noeud de commande ouun contrôleur de radioréseau, RNC.

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REFERENCES CITED IN THE DESCRIPTION

This list of references cited by the applicant is for the reader’s convenience only. It does not form part of the Europeanpatent document. Even though great care has been taken in compiling the references, errors or omissions cannot beexcluded and the EPO disclaims all liability in this regard.

Patent documents cited in the description

• US 2006291395 A [0011]

Non-patent literature cited in the description

• Evolved Universal Terrestrial Radio Access(E-UTRA), Radio Link Control (RLC) protocol speci-fication Release 8. 3GPP TS 36.322 [0005]

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