INFRASTRUCTURE EQUIPMENT, WIRELESS COMMUNICATIONS NETWORK AND METHOD

摘要

An infrastructure equipment forming part of a mobile communications network receives data packets from a communications terminal, and including a scheduler configured to control a transmitter and a receiver to transmit and receive signals according to the wireless access interface. The scheduler is configured to receive from the receiver an indication of a number of delay tolerant data packets and non-delay tolerant data packets in an input buffer of the communications terminal, and an indication of a current state for radio communications for transmitting the data packets from the communications terminal to the infrastructure equipment via the wireless access interface. Data packets which can be classified into at least delay tolerant and non-delay tolerant data packets are transmitted by a communications terminal to conserve the power of the communications terminal and more efficiently utilize the communications resources of a wireless access interface provided by a mobile communications network.

主权项

1. An infrastructure equipment for forming part of a mobile communications network for receiving data packets from a communications terminal, the infrastructure equipment comprising
a receiver configured to receive signals from the communications terminal via a wireless access interface, the wireless access interface, and a transmitter configured to transmit signals to the communications terminal via the wireless access interface, and a scheduler configured to control the transmitter and the receiver to transmit and receive the signals according to the wireless access interface, wherein the scheduler is configured to receive from the receiver an indication of a number of delay tolerant data packets and non-delay tolerant data packets in an input buffer of the communications terminal, the input buffer receiving data packets for buffering the data packets for transmission by the communications terminal via the wireless access interface, and an indication of a current state for radio communications for transmitting the data packets from the communications terminal to the infrastructure equipment via the wireless access interface, and the scheduler is configured to determine in accordance with predetermined conditions which include the current state for radio communications and the amount of the delay tolerant data packets in the input buffer of the communications terminal and the amount of the non-delay tolerant packets in the input buffer either to allocate communications resources of the wireless access interface for the communications terminal for transmitting the non-delay tolerant data packets or transmitting the non-delay tolerant data packets and the delay tolerant data packets to the infrastructure equipment, or not to allocate the communications resources of the wireless access interface until the predetermined conditions are satisfied, and, if the communications resources are allocated to the communications terminal, to receive the delay tolerant data packets and the non-delay tolerant data packets or the non-delay tolerant data packets.