HK1218031B - Systems and methods for scheduling of data packets based on application detection in a base station - Google Patents

Description

System and method for scheduling data packets based on application detection in a base station

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

This application claims priority to U.S. Provisional Patent Application No. 61/767,410, filed by Dahod et al. on February 21, 2013, entitled “Long Term Evolution (LTE) Application Aware Scheduler,” and U.S. Provisional Patent Application No. 61/767,422, filed by Dahod et al. on February 21, 2013, entitled “Long Term Evolution (LTE) Application Based Idle Timeout,” the disclosures of which are incorporated herein by reference in their entireties.

Technical Field

Embodiments of the present subject matter are directed to systems and methods for scheduling data packets based on application detection in a base station.

Summary of the Invention

According to one aspect, a base station for coordinating communication of data packets between a user device and an application server is described. The base station includes a memory and a computer processor operatively coupled to the memory, a radio transmitter, and a radio receiver. The computer processor is configured to: detect the data packet; based on the detection of the data packet, allocate a radio resource block for transmission of the data packet; and transmit the data packet using the allocated radio resource block.

According to some embodiments, the base station includes a packet detection processor and a packet scheduling processor, wherein the packet detection processor is configured to detect a header of a data packet and a payload of the data packet to determine an application type of the data packet, and the packet scheduling processor is configured to allocate the radio resource block based on the determined application type.

According to some embodiments, the base station includes a packet detection processor and a packet scheduling processor, wherein the packet detection processor is configured to detect a data packet header and a data packet payload to determine an application type of the data packet, and the packet scheduling processor is configured to allocate the radio resource block based on the detected application type.

In some embodiments, the computer processor is configured to transmit the data packet to a remote radio head, and the remote radio head includes the radio transmitter and the radio receiver.

In some embodiments, the base station is an evolved NodeB (eNodeB) base station.

In some embodiments, the computer processor is configured to determine a modulation and coding scheme (MCS) and/or priority of the data packet based on the detected application.

According to another aspect, a computer-implemented method for coordinating communication of a data packet between a user device and an application server using a base station is described. The method includes detecting the data packet at the base station; allocating a radio resource block for transmitting the data packet based on the detection of the data packet; and transmitting the data packet using the allocated radio resource block.

According to some embodiments, the method comprises inspecting the data packet to determine at least one of an application type of the data packet and an application state corresponding to the data packet.

According to some embodiments, the method comprises inspecting a data packet header and a data packet payload to determine an application type of the data packet, and allocating the radio resource block based on the detected application type.

According to some embodiments, the method comprises detecting a data packet header and a data packet payload to determine an application state corresponding to the data packet, and allocating the radio resource block based on the detected application state.

According to some embodiments, the method comprises transmitting the data packet to a remote radio head comprising a radio transmitter and a radio receiver.

According to some embodiments, the method includes determining a provider of content corresponding to the data packet, and assigning a priority value to the data packet based on the determined provider.

According to some embodiments, the method comprises detecting the data packet upon arrival at the base station.

According to some embodiments, the method comprises performing shallow packet inspection on the data packet, and based on the shallow packet inspection, performing deep packet inspection on the data packet.

According to some embodiments, the method comprises determining a modulation and coding scheme (MCS) for the data packet based on the detected application.

According to another aspect, a non-transitory computer-readable medium has a computer program product stored thereon and executable by a computer processing circuit. The computer program product includes instructions for causing the processing circuit to perform the following actions: detecting a data packet at a base station of a communication network; allocating a radio resource block for transmitting the data packet based on the detection of the data packet; and transmitting the data packet using the allocated radio resource block.

According to some embodiments, deep packet inspection may include inspecting one or more of layers 1-7 of an Open Systems Interconnection (OSI) model data packet, while shallow packet inspection may include inspecting data and/or headers in layer 7 of an OSI model data packet.

According to some embodiments, data packets including state transition information may be scheduled and transmitted with a higher priority and/or a more reliable modulation and coding scheme (MCS) index than other data packets, thereby reducing the time required to transition a communication session from an established state to a data transfer state.

According to some embodiments, applications of content provided by a service provider of a communication network may be allocated resource blocks with a higher priority and/or a more reliable MCS than applications provided by a third party.

According to some embodiments, a radio resource block corresponds to a smallest element of resources allocated to a user for a predetermined amount of time. According to some embodiments, a resource block in an LTE system corresponds to one subcarrier on one OFDM symbol.

Also described are articles of manufacture comprising a tangibly materialized computer-readable medium that implements instructions that, when executed, cause one or more machines (e.g., computers, etc.) to produce the operations described herein. Similarly, also described are computer systems that may include a processor and a memory coupled to the processor. The memory may include one or more programs that cause the processor to perform one or more operations described herein. Additionally, the computer system may include additional specialized processing units that are capable of applying a single instruction to multiple data points in parallel.

The details of one or more variations of the subject matter described herein are set forth in the accompanying drawings and the description below.Other features and advantages of the subject matter described herein will be apparent from the description and drawings, and from the claims.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

Some embodiments of the present disclosure will be described with reference to the accompanying drawings. It should be understood that the drawings are provided for illustrative purposes only. Items appearing in multiple drawings are represented by the same reference numerals in all drawings in which they appear.

FIG1A shows an example of a Long Term Evolution ("LTE") communication system;

FIG1B shows an exemplary implementation of the LTE system shown in FIG1A ;

FIG1C shows an exemplary network architecture of the LTE system shown in FIG1A ;

FIG1D illustrates an exemplary structure of an evolved Node B (eNodeB) base station according to some embodiments;

FIG2 shows an exemplary structure of the functional layers of an evolved Node B (eNodeB) base station and an interface to the core network of the LTE system shown in FIG1A-1D ;

FIG3 shows another exemplary structure of the functional layers of the evolved Node B (eNodeB) base station of the LTE system shown in FIG1A-1D ;

FIG4 illustrates an example of a base station for coordinating communications between a user equipment and an application server according to some embodiments;

5 is another example of a base station for coordinating communications between a user equipment and an application server according to some embodiments.

6 is a flow diagram of a method of coordinating communications between a user device and an application server, according to some implementations.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

The present subject matter generally relates to coordinating packet data transmission in mobile telecommunication systems, and more particularly to a Long Term Evolution (LTE) application-aware scheduler. To overcome the shortcomings of currently available solutions, one or more embodiments of the present subject matter provide a Long Term Evolution (LTE) radio access network with intelligent capabilities regarding the applications corresponding to various data packets. Although the methods and systems described herein refer to LTE systems, and in some examples, to evolved Node B (eNodeB) base stations in a radio access network ("RAN") or a centralized cloud radio access network ("C-RAN"), the methods and systems described herein are applicable to other types of communication systems.

The LTE system is a wireless communication standard for high-speed data transmission for mobile phones and data terminals. It is based on GSM/EDGE (Global System for Mobile Communications/Enhanced Data for GSM Evolution) and UMTS/HSPA (Universal Mobile Telecommunications System/High Speed Packet Access) network technologies. The standard was developed by the 3rd Generation Partnership Project.

Figure 1A shows an example of a Long Term Evolution ("LTE") communication system 100. Figure 1B shows an exemplary implementation of the LTE system shown in Figure 1 .

As shown in FIG1A , system 100 may include an evolved universal terrestrial radio access network (“EUTRAN”) 102, an evolved packet core (“EPC”) 108, and a packet data network (“PDN”) 101, wherein EUTRAN 102 and EPC 108 provide communication between user equipment 104 and PDN 101. EUTRAN 102 may include multiple evolved Node Bs (“eNodeBs” or “ENBs”) or base stations 106 (a, b, c) (as shown in FIG1B ) that provide communication capabilities to multiple user equipment 104 (a, b, c). User equipment 104 may be a mobile phone, a smartphone, a tablet, a personal computer, a personal digital assistant (“PDA”), a server, a data terminal, and/or any other type of user equipment and/or any combination thereof. User equipment 104 may connect to EPC 108 via any eNodeB 106 and ultimately to PDN 101. Typically, user equipment 104 can connect to the eNodeB 106 that is closest in terms of distance. In LTE system 100, EUTRAN 102 and EPC 108 work together to provide user equipment 104 with connectivity, mobility, and services.

1B , EUTRAN 102 may include multiple eNodeBs 106, also known as cell sites. The eNodeBs 106 provide radio functionality and perform key control functions, including scheduling air link resources or radio resource management, active mode mobility or handover, and service admission control.

FIG1C illustrates an exemplary network architecture for the LTE system shown in FIG1A . As shown in FIG1C , eNodeBs 106 are responsible for selecting which Mobility Management Entities (MMEs) will serve user equipment 104 and for protocol functions such as header compression and encryption. The eNodeBs 106 comprising EUTRAN 102 collaborate with one another to perform radio resource management and handover, as shown in FIG1C .

1C , communication between user equipment 104 and eNodeB 106 occurs via an air interface 122 (also referred to as an "LTE-Uu" interface). As shown in FIG1B , air interface 122 provides communication between user equipment 104b and eNodeB 106a. Air interface 122 utilizes orthogonal frequency division multiple access ("OFDMA") on the downlink and single carrier frequency division multiple access ("SC-FDMA"), a variant of OFDMA, on the uplink. OFDMA allows the use of multiple well-known antenna technologies, such as multiple-input multiple-output ("MIMO").

The air interface 122 uses various protocols, including radio resource control ("RRC") for signaling between the user equipment 104 and the eNodeB 106 and non-access stratum ("NAS") for signaling between the user equipment 104 and the MME (as shown in FIG. 1c ). In addition to signaling, user traffic is also transmitted between the user equipment 104 and the eNodeB 106. Both signaling and traffic in the system 100 are carried by physical layer ("PHY") channels.

Multiple eNodeBs 106 can interconnect with each other using X2 interfaces 130 (a, b, c). As shown in FIG1a , X2 interface 130a provides interconnection between eNodeB 106a and eNodeB 106b; X2 interfaces 130B-130b provide interconnection between eNodeB 106a and eNodeBs 106C-106c; and X2 interfaces 130C-130c provide interconnection between eNodeBs 106B-106b and eNodeBs 106C-106c. An X2 interface can be established between two eNodeBs to facilitate the exchange of signals, which may include information related to load or interference, as well as information related to handovers. The eNodeBs 106 communicate with the evolved packet core network 108 via S1 interfaces 124 (a, b, c). The S1 interface 124 may be divided into two interfaces: one for the control plane (such as the control plane interface (S1-MME interface) 128 shown in FIG. 1C ), and the other for the user plane (such as the user plane interface (S1-U interface) 125 shown in FIG. 1C ).

The EPC 108 establishes and enforces quality of service ("QoS") for user traffic services and allows user devices 1040 to maintain a consistent Internet Protocol ("IP") address as they move. It should be noted that each node in the network 100 has its own IP address. The EPC 108 is designed to interoperate with traditional legacy wireless networks. The EPC 108 is also designed to separate the control plane (i.e., signaling) and user plane (i.e., traffic) within the core network architecture, which allows for greater flexibility in implementation and independent scalability of control and user data functions.

The EPC 108 architecture is dedicated to packet data and is shown in more detail in FIG1C . The EPC 108 includes a serving gateway (S-GW) 110, a PDN gateway (P-GW) 112, a mobility management entity (“MME”) 114, a home subscriber server (“HSS”) 116 (for the subscriber database of the EPC 108), and a policy control and charging rules function (“PCRF”) 118. Some of these (such as the S-GW, P-GW, MME, and HSS) are typically combined into nodes depending on the manufacturer's implementation.

S-GW 110 functions as an IP packet data router and is the bearer path anchor for user equipment in EPC 108. Therefore, when a user equipment moves from one eNodeB 106 to another during mobility, S-GW 110 remains in place and switches the bearer path toward EUTRAN 102 to connect to the new eNodeB 106 serving the user equipment 104. If the user equipment 104 moves to the domain of another S-GW 110, MME 114 transfers all bearer paths for the user equipment to the new S-GW. S-GW 110 establishes bearer paths for the user equipment to one or more P-GWSs 112. If downlink data is received for an idle user equipment, S-GW 110 buffers the downlink packets and requests MME 114 to locate and reestablish the bearer path to and through EUTRAN 102.

P-GW 112 is the gateway between EPC 108 (as well as user equipment 104 and EUTRAN 102) and PDN 101 (shown in Figure 1a). P-GW 112 acts as a router for user traffic and performs functions on behalf of the user equipment. These functions include allocating IP addresses to user equipment, filtering downlink user traffic to ensure it is placed on the appropriate bearer path, and enforcing downlink QoS, including data rate. Depending on the services a subscriber is using, multiple user data bearer paths may exist between user equipment 104 and P-GW 112. A subscriber can use services on PDNs served by different P-GWs. In this case, the user equipment has at least one bearer path established between it and each P-GW 112. If the S-GW 110 changes during a user equipment handover from one eNodeB to another, the bearer path from the P-GW 112 is switched to the new S-GW.

The MME 114 manages user equipment within the EPC 108, including managing subscriber authentication, maintaining context for authenticated user equipment 104, establishing data bearer paths within the network for user traffic, and keeping track of the location of idle mobile stations that have not yet been released from the network. For idle user equipment 104 that need to reconnect to the access network to receive downlink data, the MME 114 initiates paging to locate the user equipment and reestablish a bearer path to and through the EUTRAN 102. The MME 114 for a particular user equipment 104 is selected by the eNodeB 106 through which the user equipment 104 initiates system access. This MME is typically part of a combined set of MMEs within the EPC 108 for load sharing and redundancy purposes. During the process of establishing a user's data bearer path, the MME 114 is responsible for selecting the P-GW 112 and S-GW 110 that will form the terminal of the data path through the EPC 108.

PCRF 118 is responsible for policy control decision making and for controlling flow-based charging functions within the Policy Control Enforcement Function ("PCEF"), which resides within P-GW 110. PCRF 118 provides QoS authorization (QoS Class Identifier ("QCI") and bit rate), which determines how a particular data flow will be handled within the PCEF and ensures that this complies with the user's subscription profile. As described above, IP services 119 are provided by PDN 101 (shown in FIG. 1A ).

According to some embodiments, an LTE network includes a separation of base station functionality into a baseband unit (BBU), which performs, among other things, scheduling and baseband processing functions, and multiple remote radio heads (RRHs), which are responsible for radio frequency (RF) transmission and/or reception of signals. The baseband processing unit is typically located in the center of a cell and connected to the remote radio heads (RHs) via optical fiber. This approach allows the baseband processing unit to manage different radio sites in a centralized manner. Additionally, enabling geographically separated RHs to be controlled from the same location enables a centralized baseband processing unit to jointly manage the operation of several radio sites, or to exchange very low-latency coordination messages between the various baseband processing units.

The Open Base Station Architecture Initiative (OBSAI) and Common Public Radio Interface (CPRI) standards introduced standardized interfaces for separating the base station server and the RRH portion of a base station via optical fiber.

FIG1D illustrates an exemplary structure of an evolved NodeB (eNodeB) base station 106, according to some embodiments. The eNodeB 106 may include at least one remote radio head ("RRH") 132 (e.g., there may be three RRHs 132) and a baseband unit ("BBU") 134. The RRH 132 may be connected to an antenna 136. The RRH 132 and the BBU 134 may be connected using an optical interface compliant with the Common Public Radio Interface ("CPRI") 142 standard. The operation of the eNodeB 106 may be characterized using standard parameters and specifications for radio frequency band, bandwidth, access scheme (e.g., downlink: OFDMA; uplink: SC-OFDMA for LTE), antenna technology, multiple sectors, maximum transmission rate, S1/X2 interface, and/or mobile environment. For example, these values may be set based on standards and specifications defined for LTE and/or next-generation architectures. BBU 134 may be responsible for digital baseband signal processing, S1 line termination, X2 line termination, call processing, and supervisory control processing. IP packets received from EPC 108 (not shown in FIG1d) may be modulated into digital baseband signals and transmitted to RRH 132. Conversely, digital baseband signals received from RRH 132 may be demodulated into IP packets for transmission to EPC 108.

RRH 132 can transmit and receive wireless signals using antenna 136. RRH 132 can convert (using converter ("CONV") 140) digital baseband signals from BBU 134 into radio frequency ("RF") signals and power amplify them (using amplifier ("AMP") 138) for transmission to user equipment 104 (not shown in FIG. 1d ). Conversely, RF signals received from user equipment 104 are amplified (using AMP 138) and converted (using CONV 140) into digital baseband signals for transmission to BBU 134.

FIG2 illustrates an exemplary structure of the functional layers of an evolved Node B (eNodeB) base station and the interface to the core network of the LTE system shown in FIG1A-1D . The eNodeB 106 includes multiple layers: LTE Layer 1 202, LTE Layer 2 204, and LTE Layer 3 206. LTE Layer 1 includes the physical layer (“PHY”). LTE Layer 2 includes Medium Access Control (“MAC”), Radio Link Control (“RLC”), and Packet Data Convergence Protocol (“PDCP”). LTE Layer 3 includes various functions and protocols, including Radio Resource Control (“RRC”), dynamic resource allocation, eNodeB measurement configuration and provisioning, Radio Admission Control, Connection Mobility Control, and Radio Resource Management (“RRM”). Each of these layers will be discussed in detail below.

FIG3 shows another exemplary structure of the functional layers of the evolved Node B (eNodeB) base station of the LTE system shown in FIG1A-1D . System 300 can be implemented as a centralized cloud radio access network (“C-RAN”). System 300 may include at least one intelligent remote radio head (“iRRH”) unit 302 and an intelligent baseband unit (“iBBU”) 304. Ethernet fronthaul (“FH”) communication 306 may be used to connect the iRRH 302 and the iBBU 304, and backhaul (“BH”) communication 308 may be used to connect the iBBU 304 to the EPC 108. User equipment 104 (not shown in FIG3 ) may communicate with the iRRH 302.

In some embodiments, the iRRH 302 may include a power amplifier ("PA") module 312, a radio frequency ("RF") module 314, an LTE layer L1 (or PHY layer) 316, and a portion 318 of the LTE layer L2. The portion 318 of the LTE layer L2 may include a MAC layer and may further include some functions/protocols related to RLC and PDCP, as discussed below. The iBBU 304 may be a centralized unit that can communicate with multiple iRRHs and may include an LTE layer L3 322 (e.g., RRC, RRM, etc.) and may also include a portion 320 of the LTE layer L2. Similar to the portion 318, the portion 320 may include various functions/protocols related to RLC and PDCP. Thus, the system 300 may be configured to split the functions/protocols related to RLC and PDCP between the iRRH 302 and the iBBU 304.

One function of the eNodeB 106 involved in Layer 3 of Figure 1C is Radio Resource Management ("RRM"), which includes scheduling of uplink and downlink air interface resources for user equipment 104, control of bearer resources, and admission control. The RRM function is to ensure efficient utilization of available network resources. In particular, RRM in E-UTRAN provides a means to manage (e.g., ME and allocation, reallocation, and release) radio resources in single-cell and multi-cell environments. Resource Management (RM) can be considered a central application at the eNB that is responsible for interworking between different protocols (RC, S1AP, and X2AP) so that messages can be correctly delivered to different nodes over the Uu, S1, and X2 interfaces. RM can interface operational and management functions to control, monitor, audit, or reset states attributed to errors in the protocol stack. Radio Admission Control (RAC): This RAC functional module accepts or rejects requests to establish new radio bearers.

RRM includes a module for Radio Bearer Control (RBC). The RBC functional module manages the establishment, maintenance, and release of radio bearers. RRM also includes a module for Connection Mobility Control (CMC). The CMC module manages radio resources in idle and connected modes. In idle mode, this module defines the criteria and algorithms for cell selection, reselection, and location registration that assist UEs in selecting or camping on the best cell. In addition, the eNB broadcasts parameters that configure UE measurement and reporting procedures. In connected mode, this module manages the mobility of the radio connection without interrupting service.

RRM may also include modules for dynamic resource allocation (DRA) and/or packet scheduling (PS). The DRA or PS is responsible for allocating and reallocating resources (including physical resource blocks) for users and control plane packets. The scheduling function typically takes into account the QoS requirements associated with the radio bearer, channel quality feedback from the UE, buffer status, inter-cell/intra-cell interference conditions, etc. The DRA function may take into account restrictions or preferences for certain available resource blocks or resource block groups due to inter-cell interference coordination (ICIC) considerations.

RRM may also include modules for Inter-Cell Interference Coordination (ICIC), load balancing, Inter-RAT Radio Resource Management, and Subscriber Profile ID (SPID).

The eNodeB 106 acts as a proxy for the EPC 108 and is responsible for transmitting paging messages used to locate mobile stations when they are idle. The eNodeB 106 also transmits common control channel information over the air, performs header compression, encryption, and decryption on user data sent over the air, and establishes handover reporting and triggering criteria. As mentioned above, the eNodeB 106 can collaborate with other eNodeBs 106 via the X2 interface for handover and interference management purposes. The eNodeB 106 communicates with the EPC's MME via the S1-MME interface and with the S-GW using the S1-U interface. Furthermore, the eNodeB 106 exchanges user data with the S-GW via the S1-U interface. The eNodeB 106 has a many-to-many relationship with the EPC 108 to support load sharing and redundancy between the MMEs and the S-GW. The eNodeB 106 selects an MME from a group of MMEs, allowing load sharing across multiple MMEs to avoid congestion.

Wireless communication networks are widely deployed to provide various communication services such as voice, video, packet data, messaging, and broadcast. These wireless networks may be multiple-access networks capable of supporting multiple users by sharing available network resources. Examples of such multiple-access networks include code division multiple access (CDMA) networks, time division multiple access (TDMA) networks, frequency division multiple access (FDMA) networks, orthogonal FDMA (OFDMA) networks, and single-carrier FDMA (SC-FDMA) networks.

As discussed above with reference to FIG. 1B , a wireless communication network may include multiple network entities (e.g., base stations) that may support communication for multiple mobile entities/devices (e.g., user equipment (UE) or access terminals (AT)). Mobile entities may communicate with a base station via a downlink and an uplink. The downlink (or forward link) refers to the communication link from the base station to the UE, while the uplink (or reverse link) refers to the communication link from the UE to the base station.

The 3rd Generation Partnership Project (3GPP) Long Term Evolution (LTE), as an evolution of the Global System for Mobile Communications (GSM) and the Universal Mobile Telecommunications System (UMTS), represents a major advancement in cellular technology. The LTE physical layer (PHY) provides a way to transmit data and control information between base stations (e.g., evolved Node Bs (eNBs)) and mobile entities (e.g., UEs) with increased spectral efficiency and throughput.

In the context of LTE, information can be transferred between network and mobile entities as medium access control (MAC) protocol data units (PDUs) and radio link control (RLC) PDUs, where a given RLC PDU can include at least one RLC service data unit (SDU) or RLC SDU segment. In unicast, the maximum RLC SDU size is specified in the Packet Data Convergence Protocol (PDCP).

Typically, a radio access network (RAN) implements radio access technology. Conceptually, it resides between devices (e.g., mobile phones, computers, or any remotely controlled machine) and provides connectivity to their core network (CN). Depending on the standard, mobile phones and other wirelessly connected devices are variously referred to as user equipment (UE), terminal equipment, mobile stations (MS), etc. RAN functionality is typically provided by silicon chips residing in nodes (e.g., eNodeBs residing between the CN and the UE). RAN is used by GSM/UMTS/LTE systems (e.g., GERAN (GSM RAN), UTRAN (Terrestrial RAN of UMTS), and E-UTRAN (Enhanced UTRAN) is the GSM, UMTS, and LTE radio access network.

The radio access network, including the base stations located therein, is responsible for handling all radio-related functions, including scheduling of radio resources. The core network may be responsible for routing calls and data connections to external networks.

The scheduler in a base station (e.g., an eNodeB) is generally responsible for allocating radio resources to all UEs and radio bearers in both the uplink and downlink. The scheduler in the eNB allocates radio resource blocks (the smallest element of resource allocation) to each user for a predetermined amount of time. Typically, a resource block in an LTE system corresponds to one subcarrier on an OFDM symbol. According to some embodiments, a base station (e.g., an eNodeB) includes an application-aware scheduler module within the base station.

Data packets in a communication network may correspond to different applications, which in some cases may have different, non-standard formats for potential data payloads. Coordination of data packet communication is provided in a generic manner without knowing the payload of the data packet and its corresponding application. At a base station (e.g., an eNodeB), allocation of radio resource blocks occurs at approximately 1 ms intervals. For example, detection of packet data and corresponding applications outside the base station using a device in the core network or at a user device may not accurately account for changes in channel conditions occurring at 1 ms intervals, and the base station allocates radio resource blocks at 1 ms intervals. For example, the base station (e.g., an eNodeB) may decide the type of modulation and coding scheme to use for data packet transmission, using, for example, quadrature amplitude modulation (QAM) (including 16-QAM, 64-QAM, etc.) and/or quadrature phase shift keying (QPSK), every 1 ms. This decision is based on the channel conditions present during the time segment in which the base station is allocating the radio resource blocks.

Implementation of an application-aware scheduler in a base station involves a software-intensive system. In one example of application-aware capabilities, described in greater detail below with reference to Figures 4-6 , a base station (e.g., an eNodeB) performs deep packet inspection (DPI) functionality to inspect data packets at any layer (e.g., from Layer 3 (L3) to Layer 7 (application layer)). The base station uses data packet inspection to make inferences and/or determinations, for example, based on a rule set configured in the base station. Based on these inferences derived from the DPI functionality, the processing to be applied to the data packet is determined. As an example, if a data packet contains an HTTP URL and the rule set dictates detection of a specific URL, such as http://some-domain.com , the DPI functionality must first detect that the data packet includes an HTTP payload by inspecting the Layer 4 destination port number and then detect whether a matching URL for http://some-domain.com exists at Layer 7. If a match exists, the DPI functionality applies specific processing as dictated by the rule set, such as marking the packet for priority processing for scheduling by the base station. This type of DPI functionality implementation requires specialized hardware design and CPU power to sustain the computational requirements on a per-data-packet basis. Therefore, according to some embodiments, to implement an application-aware scheduler in a base station (e.g., an eNodeB), the base station design is determined by the implementation and requirements for DPI capabilities. As one embodiment, returning to reference Figure 3, a base station of a macro network (e.g., a 3G or 4G LTE network) is split between an intelligent baseband unit (iBBU) 304 and an intelligent RRH (iRRH) 302, such that packet detection is performed by the actively cooled iBBU 304, separate from the passively cooled iRRH 302. Other embodiments can also be provided by utilizing a processor capable of performing software-intensive packet detection processes while conforming to the thermal constraints of the processor and the node.

According to another embodiment, the DPI capability may be implemented outside of the base station (e.g., at a packet data network gateway (PDN-GW) and/or a dedicated node designed to perform DPI in the core network or access network that is responsible for performing packet detection and inference). In this embodiment, the inference based on the packet detection may then be communicated to the base station (e.g., eNodeB) to process the data packet accordingly. In this embodiment, the time interval between the detection of the data packet, the detection/determination of the inference (e.g., application type), and the processing by the base station is greater than the time interval of an embodiment in which packet detection is performed at the base station. In addition, the core network node does not have the functionality of the base station (e.g., eNodeB) control plane (RRC) and radio resource management (RRM) to make the correct inference and/or determination for a given packet. For example, knowing the level of radio resource availability in RRM and the number of active users residing on the eNodeB in the RRC module is critical for packet detection and a marking processor for appropriately marking the data packets.

As described in accordance with certain embodiments, a base station implementing packet detection overcomes these challenges by co-locating the detection determination and DIP functions performed by the same hardware hosting the base station's control plane (RRC) and radio resource management (RRM) functions.

According to some embodiments, to accurately allocate radio resource blocks at a base station based on real-time channel conditions, the base station includes a module and/or processor for detecting data packets and a module and/or processor for scheduling and allocating radio resource blocks based on the detection, wherein the detection includes detecting an application type of the data packet. This application-aware scheduling differs from conventional scheduling mechanisms at least in that conventional scheduling techniques (e.g., scheduling techniques for default bearers) do not consider application type and do not perform packet detection at the base station.

FIG4 illustrates an example of a base station 406 for coordinating communications between a user device 404 and an application server 408, according to some embodiments. The base station 406 may correspond to an eNodeB, such as the eNodeBs described and illustrated above with reference to FIG1B-1D, 2, and 3. In the case of a C-RAN architecture as illustrated in FIG3, the base station 406 is split between an intelligent baseband unit (iBBU) 304 and an intelligent RRH (iRRH) 302 unit, as shown in FIG3. The base station 406 includes a packet detection processor 460, a packet scheduling processor 462, and a memory 464. Although shown as separate components in FIG4, the packet detection processor 460, the packet scheduling processor 462, and the memory 464 may be integrated into one or more processing components. In some embodiments, the packet detection processor 460 and the packet scheduling processor 462 may be implemented as software modules within a processor specifically programmed to implement the functionality described herein with reference to these processors.

In some embodiments, the packet inspection processor 460 may include one or more server-class CPUs (e.g., Intel) or embedded CPUs (e.g., Cavium or Broadcom). In some embodiments, the packet scheduling processor 462 may include one or more digital signal processors (DSPs), such as TI Keystone or Cavium Octeon processors. The packet inspection processor 460 and the packet scheduling processor 462 may include software and/or firmware that programs these devices along with any hardware components (e.g., logic gates, accelerators, memory, etc.) that these processors may include.

In some embodiments, the packet inspection processor 460 is configured to perform packet inspection on each data packet transmitted between the user device 404 and the application server 408 to determine, for example, the application type of the data packet. The application type can correspond to, for example, audio, video, email, etc. The application type can also be specific to a particular provider of data, for example, video as distinct from video. The packet inspection processor 460 can determine the priority value of the data packet, the delay sensitivity of the data packet, and/or the network loss sensitivity of the data packet. For example, different modulation and coding scheme (MCS) indices can be used, for example, to include additional redundancy and lower-order modulation for data packets that are deemed more important and/or more sensitive than other data packets based on the configuration of the base station. For example, an MCS index with higher reliability can be used for synchronization and/or other state transition/communication establishment data packets compared to data transmission packets in a communication session.

For example, if a data packet is carrying delay-sensitive information for a user's application (e.g., a response to a Domain Name System (DNS) query), the packet detection processor 460 can set the priority value of the data packet in a manner that instructs the packet scheduling processor 462 to transmit the data packet before other data packets in the buffer that are not delay-sensitive (e.g., packets corresponding to email messages). As another example, streaming VoIP application packets (e.g., Internet radio) generally have lower network loss and delay sensitivity than conversational VoIP packets (e.g., ). In this example, the packet detection processor 460 can determine and indicate that the data packet requires transmission at a default priority level and a higher modulation and coding scheme (MCS) index. Various combinations of priority values, MCS, or other scheduling parameters can be provided based on pre-set or dynamic settings stored in the base station memory 464 that associate scheduling settings with packet detection results.

In some embodiments, packet inspection can be one of shallow packet inspection (SPI) and/or deep packet inspection (DPI). Shallow packet inspection can be performed by detecting one or more headers of a data packet to determine certain information related to the data packet. For example, shallow packet inspection can detect the IP header of a data packet to determine the source IP address of the data packet. In some embodiments, based on shallow packet inspection, the packet inspection processor 460 can perform deep packet inspection, for example, by examining other layers of the data packet. For example, deep packet inspection can include detecting one or more layers of layers 1-7 of an open systems interconnection (OSI) model data packet. In some embodiments, the packet inspection processor 460 can detect the payload of the data packet to determine how the radio resource block should be allocated to the data packet by the packet scheduling processor 462. In some embodiments, the packet inspection processor 460 can be configured to perform shallow packet inspection on all incoming and outgoing data packets, and perform deep packet inspection on a subset of the packets based on settings stored in the base station or settings provided to the base station.

In some embodiments, the packet detection processor 460 may determine the state of the application corresponding to the data being transmitted. For example, by inspecting the data packet header (e.g., at layer 7), the packet detection processor 460 may determine whether the application is in a setup/established state or a connected/streaming state of communication. As an example, for a TCP communication session, TCP synchronization packets are exchanged during the TCP connection establishment state before TCP data is transmitted. The data detection processor 460 may determine that the data packet corresponds to a TCP synchronization packet transmitted during the TCP establishment state, and in response thereto, mark the data packet as being scheduled with a higher priority and/or MCS encoding with a higher reliability relative to the data transmission packet. As a result, the data packet including the state transition information may be scheduled and transmitted accordingly, thereby reducing the time required to transition the communication session from the establishment state to the data transmission state (the congestion avoidance state of TCP).

The packet detection processor 460 transmits the detected application type and/or other information (e.g., application state) derived from the data packet to the packet scheduling processor 462. The packet detection processor 462 can allocate radio resource blocks based on predetermined settings corresponding to the information detected by detecting the data packet and stored in the memory 464 and based on the channel conditions of the communication link with the user equipment and/or the core network. The packet detection processor 460 can take into account the application type, the size of the file associated with the data packet, the provider of the content, the type of user device, or profile information associated with the user to make inferences about the processing by the application scheduling processor 462. The application scheduling processor 462 considers the quality of service (QoS) requirements of the data packet, the channel quality indicator (CQI) determined by the base station 406, the buffer status report (BSR) of the UE buffer, the power headroom report (PHR) from the UE, the channel state information (CSI), and/or the indication provided by the packet detection processor 460 to perform application-aware scheduling.

2 and 3 , the packet inspection processor 460 may correspond to functionality that is part of the layer 3 functionality in the base station 106 or 306. In some implementations, the packet inspection processor 460 may be provided at a separate functional layer from the functional layer described with reference to FIG. 2 and 3 . The packet inspection processor 460 may be configured to communicate and cooperate with other functionality performed by the base station 406. For example, the packet inspection processor 460 may cooperate with the radio resource management (RRM) functionality described above with reference to FIG. 2 .

In some embodiments, the packet detection processor 460 can interact with the radio resource management (RRM) of the base station to evaluate the traffic load on the base station. The packet detection processor 460 can modify the determination of packet scheduling (e.g., priority, MCS, etc.) based on the traffic load. For example, during a heavy load condition, the packet detection processor 460 can indicate that if the data corresponds to a given application set, the packet should not be prioritized.

In some embodiments, the packet inspection processor 460 can interact with self-organizing network (SON) and RRM functions to enhance handover performance for a given application. For example, the packet inspection processor 460 can utilize statistics and data collection modules in the base station to collect application-specific key performance indicators (KPIs), including, for example, indicators for accessibility, maintainability, integrity, availability, and/or mobility.

In some embodiments, the packet scheduling processor 462 can be located in Layer 2 of the base station as shown in Figures 2 and 3. In those embodiments where Layer 2 functionality is subdivided between the iBBU 306 and the RRH 302, the packet scheduling processor 462 can be implemented as part of the Layer 2 functionality of the iBBU 306. The packet scheduling processor 462 can also be located at a functional layer separate from the functional layers described with reference to Figures 2 and 3. The packet scheduling processor 462 can be configured to communicate and cooperate with other functions performed by the base station 406. In some embodiments, the packet scheduling processor 462 can cooperate with the MAC layer, and in particular, with the hybrid automatic repeat request (HARQ) manager of the MAC layer and with the physical layer of the base station. For example, the packet scheduling processor 462 can interact with the physical (PHY) layer to derive channel estimates before selecting a modulation and coding scheme (MCS) for a given resource block, where the given resource block will carry a portion of the data associated with a given application. In some embodiments, the packet scheduling processor 462 selects an MCS for a particular data packet or set of data packets based on information received from all other layers in the base station functional architecture, including the PHY layer.

In some embodiments, a base station (e.g., an eNodeB) may allocate radio resource blocks within a default bearer based on application type or other data determined by inspecting data packets. In LTE or other telecommunication systems, there are two types of Evolved Packet System (EPS) bearers: default EPS bearers and dedicated EPS bearers. A default EPS bearer is established during an attach procedure and allocates an IP address for a UE that does not have a specific QoS (only a nominal QoS). A dedicated EPS bearer is typically established during call setup and after transitioning from idle mode to connected mode for a specific purpose (e.g., carrying an application or transaction with a set QoS). It does not allocate any additional IP address to the UE and is linked to a specified default EPS bearer, but has a specific QoS level. A QoS Class Identifier (QCI) is a scalar that can be used as a reference to access node-specific parameters that control bearer-level data packet forwarding (e.g., scheduling weights, admission thresholds, queue management thresholds, and link layer protocol configuration) and is pre-configured by the operator who owns the access node (eNB).

According to some embodiments (e.g., LTE-based embodiments), the default bearer used by the packet scheduling processor 462 is a generic bearer (non-guaranteed bit rate (GBR)). There are many applications and application domains that compete for resources on the default bearer, and generally there is no defined distinction. These include, for example, email, web browsing, news feeds, audio and/or video streaming from the Internet, and applications available through Apple and other app stores (e.g., Google, Samsung, etc.). However, not all applications require GBR.

FIG5 illustrates another example of a base station 506 for coordinating communications between a user device and an application server, according to some embodiments. As shown in FIG5 , a scheduler, which may correspond to the packet scheduling processor 462 described above with reference to FIG4 , allocates radio resource blocks based on the application processing indication determined for a given application by the packet detection processor 460. As an example, the scheduler may prioritize the transmission of HTTP packets for a web browsing session over SMTP packets carrying email traffic, with both SMTP and HTTP packets being transmitted over the default bearer.

In some embodiments, applications using the default bearer may correspond to applications for which a service provider provides content for the application and applications for which a third party provides content for the application. Applications whose content is provided by a third party (e.g., those other providers other than the service provider) may be referred to as over-the-top (OTT) content. Other content (e.g., applications whose content is provided by a service provider of a communication network (e.g., Verizon, ATT, etc.)) may be categorized as general applications (Apps) or bundled services (business-to-business (B2B) or business-to-consumer (B2C)). According to some embodiments, the base station 500 may use, for example, the packet inspection processor 460 described with reference to FIG4 to perform one or more shallow packet inspections (SPI) and deep packet inspections (DPI) to determine the application type and service provider of the data packet in real time (e.g., upon detection of the data packet upon arrival at the base station). Based on packet inspection, the base station 500 may include a scheduler, for example, the packet scheduling processor 462 discussed above with reference to FIG4, to allocate radio resource blocks to the data packets. In the embodiment shown in FIG5, priority 1 is assigned to the service provider content, while priority 2 is assigned to the OTT content. The scheduler may allocate radio resource blocks based on these priorities, which are carried with the data packets, for example, as part of Packet Data Convergence Protocol (PDCP) buffer allocation information provided after detection of the data packets (e.g., performed by the packet detection processor 460). As shown in FIG5 , the packet scheduling processor may utilize, for example, CQI, BSR, PHR, and/or uplink scheduling (ULS) along with the information provided by the packet detection processor in order to schedule the data packets.

Figure 6 is a flowchart of a method for coordinating communications between a user device and an application server using a base station according to some embodiments. For example, the method 600 shown in Figure 6 can be performed by the base station 406 or 506 described and shown with reference to Figures 4 and 5. As shown in Figure 6, the method 600 includes: as shown in block 602, receiving a data packet at a base station. The base station can correspond to an eNodeB base station in an LTE network as described above. In block 604, the data packet is detected. For example, shallow packet inspection and/or deep packet inspection can be performed on the data packet. In block 606, the application type of the detected data packet is determined. In block 608, based on the determined application type, the data packet is scheduled for transmission. For example, a specific radio resource block can be allocated to the data packet based on the determined application type.

The various aspects of the embodiments within the scope of the appended claims are described below. It should be understood that the aspects described herein can be implemented in various forms, and any specific structure and/or function described herein is merely exemplary. Based on this disclosure, it will be understood by those skilled in the art that the aspects described herein can be implemented independently of any other aspects, and two or more of these aspects can be combined in various ways. For example, any number of aspects proposed herein can be used to implement the method and/or implement the device. In addition, other structures and/or functions in addition to or different from the one or more aspects proposed herein can be used to implement such a device and/or implement such a method.

The techniques described herein can be used in various wireless communication networks, such as code division multiple access (CDMA) networks, time division multiple access (TDMA) networks, frequency division multiple access (FDMA) networks, orthogonal FDMA (OFDMA) networks, single-carrier FDMA (SC-FDMA) networks, and the like. The terms "network" and "system" are often used interchangeably. A CDMA network can implement a radio technology such as Universal Terrestrial Radio Access (UTRA), cdma2000, and the like.

A TDMA network may implement a radio technology such as Global System for Mobile Communications (GSM). An OFDMA network may implement a radio technology such as Long Term Evolution (LTE), Evolved UTRA (E-UTRA), IEEE 802.11, IEEE 802.16, IEEE 802.20, IEEE 802.22, Flash-OFDMA, etc. UTRA, E-UTRA, and GSM are part of the Universal Mobile Telecommunications System (UMTS).

Single-carrier frequency division multiple access (SC-FDMA) is a technology that uses single-carrier modulation and frequency domain equalization. SC-FDMA has similar performance to OFDMA systems and essentially the same overall complexity. SC-FDMA signals have a lower peak-to-average power ratio (PAPR) due to their inherent single-carrier structure. SC-FDMA has attracted significant attention, particularly in uplink communications, where lower PAPR significantly benefits mobile terminals in terms of transmit power efficiency.

In some aspects, the teachings of this document may be employed in networks that include large-scale coverage (e.g., large-area cellular networks such as 3G or 4G networks, generally referred to as macrocell networks) and smaller-scale coverage (e.g., residential or building-based network environments). As an access terminal (AT) or user equipment (UE) moves through such a network, it may be served in certain locations by access nodes (ANs) that provide large-scale coverage, while it may be served in other locations by access nodes that provide smaller-scale coverage. In some aspects, smaller coverage nodes may be used to provide incremental capacity growth, in-building coverage, and different services (e.g., providing a more robust user experience). In the discussion herein, a node that provides coverage over a relatively large area may be referred to as a macro node. A node that provides coverage over a relatively small area (e.g., a residence) may be referred to as a femto node. A node that provides coverage over an area smaller than a macro area but larger than a femto area may be referred to as a pico node (e.g., providing coverage within a commercial building).

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

In various applications, other terms may be used to refer to a macro node, a femto node, or a pico node. For example, a macro node may be configured or referred to as an access node, a base station, an access point, an eNodeB, a macro cell, etc. Additionally, a femto node may be configured or referred to as a Home NodeB (HNB), a Home eNodeB (HeNB), an access point base station, a femto cell, etc.

The teachings herein may be incorporated into (eg, implemented in or performed by) a variety of apparatuses (eg, nodes). In some aspects, a node (eg, a wireless node) implemented in accordance with the teachings herein may comprise an access point or an access terminal.

In some embodiments, the access terminal may include, be implemented as, or be referred to as user equipment, a subscriber station, a subscriber unit, a mobile station, a mobile device, a mobile node, a remote station, a remote terminal, a user terminal, a user agent, a user device, or some other terms. In some embodiments, the access terminal may include a cellular phone, a cordless phone, a session initiation protocol (SIP) phone, a wireless local loop (WLL) station, a personal digital assistant (PDA), a handheld device with wireless connection capability, or some other suitable processing devices connected to a wireless modem. Accordingly, one or more aspects of this paper's teachings may be incorporated into phone (for example, a cellular phone or smart phone), computer (for example, laptop computer), portable communication device, portable computing device (for example, personal data assistant), entertainment device (for example, music device, video device, or satellite radio), global positioning system device, or any other suitable equipment configured to communicate via a wireless medium.

An access point may include, be implemented as, or be referred to as, a NodeB, an evolved NodeB (eNodeB), a radio network controller (RNC), a base station (BS), a radio base station (RBS), a base station controller (BSC), a base transceiver station (BTS), a transceiver function (TF), a radio transceiver, a radio router, a basic service set (BSS), an extended service set (ESS), or some other similar terminology.

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

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

A wireless node may communicate via one or more wireless communication links based on or supporting any suitable wireless communication technology. For example, in some aspects, a wireless node may be associated with a network. In some aspects, a network may include a local area network or a wide area network. A wireless device may support or use one or more of various wireless communication technologies, protocols, or standards, such as those discussed herein (e.g., CDMA, TDMA, OFDM, OFDMA, WiMAX, and Wi-Fi, etc.). Similarly, a wireless node may support or use one or more of various corresponding modulation or multiplexing schemes. Therefore, a wireless node may include suitable components (e.g., air interfaces) for establishing a connection and communicating via one or more wireless communication links using the above or other communication technologies. For example, a wireless node may include a wireless transceiver having associated transmitter and receiver components, which may include various components (e.g., signal generators and signal processors) that facilitate communication over a wireless medium.

The use of labels such as "first," "second," and the like to refer to any element generally does not limit the number or order of those elements. Rather, these labels can be used herein as a convenient method of distinguishing between two or more elements or instances of elements. Thus, reference to a first and a second element does not mean that only two elements can be used or that the first element must precede the second element in some manner.

Information and signals may be represented using any of a variety of different technologies and methods. For example, data, instructions, commands, information, signals, bits, symbols, and chips mentioned throughout the above description may be represented by voltages, currents, electromagnetic waves, magnetic fields or particles, optical fields or particles, or any combination thereof.

Any of the various exemplary logical blocks, modules, processors, devices, circuits, and algorithm steps described in conjunction with the aspects disclosed herein may be implemented as electronic hardware (e.g., a digital implementation, an analog implementation, or a combination of both, which may be designed using source code or some other technique), various forms of program or design code containing instructions (referred to herein for convenience as "software" or "software modules"), or a combination of both. To clearly illustrate this interchangeability of hardware and software, the various exemplary components, blocks, modules, circuits have generally been described above in terms of their functionality. If implemented in software, the functionality may be stored on or transmitted as one or more instructions or code on a computer-readable medium. Computer-readable media includes computer storage media and communication media, including any media that facilitates transfer of a computer program from one location to another. Storage media may be any available media that can be accessed by a computer. By way of example and not limitation, such computer-readable media may include RAM, ROM, , EEPROM, CD-ROM or other optical disk storage, magnetic disk storage or other magnetic storage device, or any other medium that can be used to carry or store the required program code in the form of instructions or data structures and can be accessed by a computer. In addition, any connection is appropriately referred to as a computer-readable medium. For example, if the software is transmitted from a website, server or other remote resource using a coaxial cable, fiber optic cable, twisted pair, digital subscriber line (DSL), or wireless technology (e.g., infrared, wireless and microwave), the coaxial cable, fiber optic cable, twisted pair, DSL, or wireless technology (e.g., infrared, wireless and microwave) is included in the definition of medium. Disks and optical disks as used herein include compact discs (CDs), laser discs, optical discs, digital versatile discs (DVDs), floppy disks and Blu-ray discs, wherein disks usually reproduce data magnetically, while optical discs reproduce data optically using lasers. The above combinations should also be included within the scope of computer-readable media. In summary, it should be understood that computer-readable media can be implemented in any suitable computer program product.

The various exemplary logic blocks, modules, and circuits described in conjunction with aspects disclosed herein and in conjunction with Figures 1A-D and 2-6 can be implemented in or performed by an integrated circuit (IC). The IC can include a general-purpose processor, a digital signal processor (DSP), an application-specific integrated circuit (ASIC), a field-programmable gate array (FPGA) or other programmable logic device, discrete gate or transistor logic, discrete hardware components, electrical components, optical components, mechanical components, or any combination thereof designed to perform the functions described herein, and the IC can execute code or instructions located within the IC, external to the IC, or both. The logic blocks, modules, and circuits can include antennas and/or transceivers for communicating with various components within a network or device. The general-purpose processor can be a microprocessor, but in alternative embodiments, the processor can be any conventional processor, controller, microcontroller, or state machine. The processor can also be implemented as a combination of computing devices, such as a DSP and a microprocessor, multiple microprocessors, one or more microprocessors combined with a DSP core, or any other such configuration. The functionality of the modules can be implemented in some other manner as taught herein. It will be understood that any specific order or hierarchy of steps in any disclosed process is an example of an exemplary approach. Based upon design preferences, it is understood that the specific order or hierarchy of steps in the process may be rearranged while remaining within the scope of the present disclosure. The accompanying method claims present elements of the various steps in a sample order, and are not meant to be limited to the specific order or hierarchy presented.

The systems and methods disclosed herein may be embodied in various forms, including, for example, data processors, such as computers that also include databases, digital electronic circuits, firmware, software, or combinations thereof. In addition, the features and other aspects mentioned above and the principles of the embodiments disclosed herein may be implemented in a variety of environments. The environment and associated applications may be specifically constructed to perform the various processes and operations according to the disclosed embodiments, or they may include a general-purpose computer or computing platform that is selectively activated or reconfigured by code to provide the necessary functionality. The processes disclosed herein are not inherently related to any particular computer, network, structure, environment, or other device, but may be implemented by a suitable combination of hardware, software, and/or firmware.

As used herein, the term "user" may refer to any entity including a person or a computer.

While sequential numbers such as first, second, etc. may refer to order in some contexts, as used herein, sequential numbers do not necessarily imply order. For example, sequential numbers may be used simply to distinguish one item from another, such as to distinguish a first event from a second event, but do not imply any temporal order or fixed reference system (such that the first event in one paragraph of the text may be different from the first event in another paragraph of the text).

The subject matter described herein can be implemented in a computing system that includes back-end components, such as, for example, one or more data servers; or middleware components, such as, for example, one or more application servers; or front-end components, such as, for example, one or more client computers having a graphical user interface or a web browser through which a user can interact with an implementation of the subject matter described herein; or any combination of such back-end, middleware, and front-end components. The components of the system can be interconnected by any form of digital data communication or digital data communication medium, such as, for example, a communication network. Examples of communication networks include, but are not limited to, a local area network ("LAN"), a wide area network ("WAN"), and the Internet.

A computing system may include clients and servers. A client and server are general-purpose rather than specialized computers that are remote from each other and typically interact through a communication network. The client and server relationship arises by virtue of computer programs running on the respective computers and have a client-server relationship to each other.

The embodiments set forth in the foregoing description do not represent all embodiments consistent with the subject matter described herein. Rather, they are merely examples consistent with aspects related to the described subject matter. Although some variations have been described in detail above, other modifications or additions are possible. In particular, other features and/or variations may be provided in addition to those set forth herein. For example, the embodiments described above may be directed to various combinations and subcombinations of the disclosed features and/or combinations and subcombinations of several other features disclosed above. In addition, the logic flows described in the accompanying drawings and/or herein do not necessarily require the specific order shown to achieve the desired results. Other implementations may be within the scope of the following claims.

Claims (23)

1. A base station for coordinating communication of data packets between a user device and an application server, the base station comprising: Memory; and A computer processor, operatively coupled to a memory, a radio transmitter, and a radio receiver, said computer processor being configured to: Detect data packets to determine their application type, priority, latency sensitivity, and network loss sensitivity; Based on the detection, the application state corresponding to the data packet is determined, wherein the application state includes one of TCP data establishment state and TCP data transmission state; Once the application state is determined to be a TCP data establishment state, the data packets are marked for higher priority scheduling and higher reliability modulation and coding scheme (MCS) encoding. Once the application state is determined to be a TCP data transmission state, data packets are marked for lower priority scheduling and lower reliability MCS encoding. Based on the detection and marking of data packets, radio resource blocks are allocated for the transmission of data packets; and Data packets are transmitted using allocated radio resource blocks. 2. The base station according to claim 1, wherein the base station includes an evolved NodeB (eNodeB) base station. 3. The base station according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein the computer processor includes a packet detection processor and a packet scheduling processor, the packet detection processor being configured to detect packet headers and data packet payloads to determine the application type of the data packets, and the packet scheduling processor being configured to allocate radio resource blocks based on the determined application type. 4. The base station according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein the computer processor includes a packet detection processor and a packet scheduling processor, the packet detection processor being configured to detect packet headers and data packet payloads to determine an application state corresponding to the data packet, and the packet scheduling processor being configured to allocate radio resource blocks based on the determined application state. 5. The base station according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein the computer processor is configured to transmit the data packets to a radio frequency remote head, and wherein the radio frequency remote head includes the radio transmitter and the radio receiver. 6. The base station according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein the computer processor is configured to determine a provider corresponding to the content of the data packet, and to assign a priority value to the data packet based on the determined provider. 7. The base station according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein the computer processor is configured to detect data packets after data packets arrive at the base station. 8. The base station according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein the computer processor is configured to perform shallow packet detection of data packets and, based on the shallow packet detection, to perform deep packet detection of data packets. 9. The base station according to claim 8, wherein shallow packet detection includes detecting the IP header of the data packet, and wherein deep packet detection includes detecting the payload of the data packet. 10. A computer-implemented method for coordinating communication of data packets between a user device and an application server using a base station, the method comprising: Base station detection of data packets determines the application type, priority, latency sensitivity, and network loss sensitivity of the data packets. Based on the detection, the application state corresponding to the data packet is determined, wherein the application state includes one of TCP data establishment state and TCP data transmission state; Once the application state is determined to be a TCP data establishment state, the data packets are marked for higher priority scheduling and higher reliability modulation and coding scheme (MCS) encoding. Once the application state is determined to be a TCP data transmission state, data packets are marked for lower priority scheduling and lower reliability MCS encoding. Based on the detection and marking of data packets, radio resource blocks are allocated for the transmission of data packets; and Data packets are transmitted using allocated radio resource blocks. 11. The method of claim 10, further comprising: detecting packet headers and data packet payloads to determine the application type of the data packets, and allocating radio resource blocks based on the determined application type. 12. The method according to any one of claims 10 and 11, comprising: detecting packet headers and data packet payloads to determine an application state corresponding to the data packet, and allocating radio resource blocks based on the determined application state. 13. The method according to any one of claims 10, 11-12, comprising: transmitting data packets to a radio frequency remote head including a radio transmitter and a radio receiver. 14. The method according to any one of claims 10, 11-13, comprising: determining a provider of content corresponding to a data packet, and assigning a priority value to the data packet based on the determined provider. 15. The method according to any one of claims 10, 11-14, comprising: detecting data packets after data packets arrive at the base station. 16. The method according to any one of claims 10, 11-15, comprising: performing shallow group detection of data packets, and performing deep group detection of data packets based on the shallow group detection. 17. The method of claim 16, wherein shallow packet detection includes detecting the IP header of the data packet, and wherein deep packet detection includes detecting the payload of the data packet. 18. A non-transitory computer-readable medium having a computer program product stored thereon that is executable by computer processing circuitry, the computer program product comprising instructions for causing the processing circuitry to perform the following steps: In a communication network, base stations detect data packets to determine the application type, priority, latency sensitivity, and network loss sensitivity of the data packets. Based on the detection, the application state corresponding to the data packet is determined, wherein the application state includes one of TCP data establishment state and TCP data transmission state; Once the application state is determined to be a TCP data establishment state, the data packets are marked for higher priority scheduling and higher reliability modulation and coding scheme (MCS) encoding. Once the application state is determined to be a TCP data transmission state, data packets are marked for lower priority scheduling and lower reliability MCS encoding. Based on the detection and marking of data packets, radio resource blocks are allocated for the transmission of data packets; and Data packets are transmitted using allocated radio resource blocks. 19. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 18, wherein the computer program product includes instructions to cause the processing circuitry to perform the steps of: detecting packet headers and data packet payloads to determine the application type of the data packets, and allocating radio resource blocks based on the determined application type. 20. The non-transitory computer-readable medium according to any one of claims 18 and 19, wherein the computer program product includes instructions to cause the processing circuitry to perform the steps of: detecting packet headers and data packet payloads to determine an application state corresponding to the data packets, and allocating radio resource blocks based on the determined application state. 21. The non-transitory computer-readable medium according to any one of claims 18, 19-20, wherein the computer program product includes instructions to cause the processing circuitry to perform the step of transmitting data packets to a radio frequency remote head including a radio transmitter and a radio receiver. 22. The non-transitory computer-readable medium according to any one of claims 18, 19-21, wherein the computer program product includes instructions to cause the processing circuitry to perform the steps of: determining a provider corresponding to the content of a data packet, and assigning a priority value to the data packet based on the determined provider. 23. The non-transitory computer-readable medium according to any one of claims 18, 19-22, wherein the computer program product includes instructions to cause the processing circuitry to perform the steps of: performing shallow packet detection of data packets, and performing deep packet detection of data packets based on the shallow packet detection.