Maintaining codec consistency across a communication session

摘要

A method and system is disclosed for maintaining codec consistency across a communication session. When a communication session is set up for an access terminal (AT) operating in a wireless communication system, a network device, such a base station, can determine a coding rate to assign the AT for its air interface in a manner that accounts for network capacity variations spatially and/or temporally across the session. If the requested communication session is determined to be with a landline device, then a higher coding rate may be used than might otherwise be selected. If the requested session is with another AT, then a coding rate that best accommodates the air interfaces of both ATs may be used. If the AT is predicted to handoff to multiple sectors during the session, then a coding rate that best accommodates the air interfaces of all the predicted handoff sectors may be used.

主权项

1. In a radio access network (RAN) device of a wireless communication system that includes a base station, a method comprising:
receiving a request to set up a communication session between an access terminal and a client communication device over a communicative connection including (i) a particular air interface having a particular forward link from the base station to the access terminal and a particular reverse link from the access terminal to the base station, and (ii) an end link between the client communication device and a network device communicatively connected with the RAN device; determining an end-link transmission rate supported by the end link for communications between the network device and the client communication device; selecting a coding rate for communications on the particular air interface based on a comparison of the determined end-link transmission rate and an air-interface transmission rate supported by the particular air interface; and transmitting an instruction to the access terminal to use the selected coding rate for communications with the base station on the particular air interface for a duration of the communication session, wherein selecting the coding rate for communications on the particular air interface based on the comparison of the determined end-link transmission rate and the air-interface transmission rate supported by the particular air interface comprises: determining the air-interface transmission rate supported by the particular air interface; equating a rate value to a maximum of the determined air-interface transmission rate and the determined end-link transmission rate if the determined air-interface transmission rate and the determined end-link transmission rate are within a given threshold difference of being equal; equating the rate value to a minimum of the determined air-interface transmission rate and the determined end-link transmission rate if the determined air-interface transmission rate and the determined end-link transmission rate are not within the given threshold difference of being equal; and selecting the coding rate to correspond to the equated rate value.