1. A method of reducing or eliminating transmissions over a scarce communication link resource in a communications system, the method characterized in that a network element responsible for transmissions over the scarce communication link resource
establishes an image of the scarce communication link resource receiving end status on the network element side of the scarce communication link resource, and
upon reception of a request for a report on status of the receiving end of the scarce communication link resource destined for the receiving end of the scarce communication link resource, the network element identifies the request.
2. The method according to claim 1 characterized in that the request for a report on status of the receiving end of the scarce communication link resource is destined for a radio link control protocol layer.
3. The method according to claim 1 or 2 characterized in that upon reception of a request for a report on status of the receiving end of the scarce communication link resource, destined for the receiving end, the network element responds to the request by transmitting a status report based on the image of the receiving end status of the scarce communication link resource receiving end status.
4. A method of reducing or eliminating transmissions over a scarce communication link resource in a communications system, the method characterized in that a network element responsible for reception of transmissions over the scarce communication link resource
establishes an image of the scarce communication link resource receiving end status on the network element side of the scarce communication link resource, and
upon activation of a status report trigger of the network element, transmits a report on status of the receiving end of the scarce communication link resource to a network control element.
5. The method according to claim 4 characterized in that the status report trigger is at least one of
Polling request for a status report,
Missing PU or PUs detected,
Timer Initiated Status Report,
Estimated PDU counter, and
Number of PDUs transmitted to UE.
6. The method according to claim 4 or 5 characterized in that a corresponding status report triggering in the receiving end of the scarce communication resource is inhibited or postponed.
7. The method according to claim 6 characterized in that a timer or a PDU counter is set in the receiving end of the scarce communication resource to a greater time interval or greater number of PDUs, respectively, than a corresponding timer or counter in the network element.
8. The method according to any of claims 4-7 characterized in that the network control element is an entity of a radio link control protocol layer.
9. The method according to any of claims 4-6 characterized in that the network control element is a radio network controller.
10. The method according to any of claims 1-9 characterized in that the status image is established, the received request for reports on status of the receiving end of the scarce communication link resource is processed, the status report is established, or the status report triggering is inhibited in an entity responsible for hybrid ARQ over the scarce communication link resource.
11. The method according to any of claims 1-10 characterized in that the status image is established, the received request for reports on status of the receiving end of the scarce communication link resource is processed, the status report is established, or the status report triggering is inhibited in an entity of a medium access control protocol layer or an extension thereof.
12. The method according to any of claims 1-11 characterized in that the status image is established, the received request for reports on status of the receiving end of the scarce communication link resource is processed, the status report is established, or the status report triggering is inhibited in an entity of a protocol layer in juxtaposition to the medium access control layer and being a higher protocol layer than the physical layer and a lower protocol layer than the medium access control layer in a protocol stack.
13. The method according to any of claims 1-12 characterized in that the status image is established, the received request for reports on status of the receiving end of the scarce communication link resource is processed, the status report is established, or the status report triggering is inhibited in an entity of a MAC-HSDPA protocol layer.
14. A method of reducing or eliminating transmissions over a scarce communication link resource in a communications system, the method characterized in that a network element responsible for receiving signals transmitted over the scarce communication link resource
receives messages or status reports transmitted over the scarce communication link resource, and
determines whether the received message or status report, or parts thereof, should be processed in the network element, or if it should be forwarded.
15. The method according to claim 14 characterized in that information is provided from a protocol layer responsible for hybrid ARQ over the scarce communication link resource for determining whether the received message or status report, or parts thereof, should be processed in the network element, or if it should be forwarded.
16. The method according to claim 14 or 15 characterized in that information is provided from a protocol layer being a medium access control protocol layer or an extension of a medium access control protocol layer for determining whether the received message or status report, or parts thereof, should be processed in the network element, or if it should be forwarded.
17. The method according to claim 14 or 15 characterized in that information is provided from a protocol layer in juxtaposition to the medium access control protocol layer and being a higher protocol layer than the physical layer and a lower protocol layer than the medium access control layer in a protocol stack for determining whether the received message or status report, or parts thereof, should be processed in the network element, or if it should be forwarded.
18. The method according to any of claims 14-17 characterized in that information is provided from a MAC-HSDPA protocol layer for determining whether the received message or status report, or parts thereof, should be processed in the network element, or if it should be forwarded.
19. A network element being responsible for transmitting signals over a scarce communication link resource in a communications system, the network element including means for reducing or eliminating transmissions of messages or status reports over a scarce communication link resource in a communications system, the network element being further characterized by means for establishing an image of the scarce communication link resource receiving end status and means for identifying a request for a report on status of the receiving end of the scarce communication link resource destined for the receiving end of the scarce communication link resource.
20. The network element according to claim 19 characterized by means for receiving a request for a report on status of the receiving end of the scarce communication link resource, destined for the receiving end of the scarce communication link resource and means for transmitting a status report based on an image of the scarce communication link resource receiving end status, upon reception of a request for a report on status of the receiving end of the scarce communication link resource.
21. A network element being responsible for transmitting signals over a scarce communication link resource in a communications system, the network element including means for reducing or eliminating transmissions of messages or status reports over a scarce communication link resource in a communications system, the network element being further characterized b y means for establishing an image of the scarce communication link resource receiving end status and means for transmitting a report on status of the receiving end of the scarce communication link resource.
22. The network element according to claim 21 characterized in that the status report trigger is at least one of
Polling request for a status report,
Missing PU or PUs detected,
Timer Initiated Status Report,
Estimated PDU counter, and
Number of PDUs transmitted to UE.
23. The network element according to any of claims 20-22 characterized in that transmitting a report on status of the receiving end of the scarce communication link resource includes transmitting to an entity of a radio link control protocol layer.
24. The network element according to any of claims 19-23 characterized in that the network element is a protocol entity.
25. The network element according to any of claims 19-23 characterized in that the network element is a Node B entity.
26. A network element being responsible for receiving signals transmitted over a scarce communication link resource, the network element including means for reducing or eliminating transmissions over a scarce communication link resource in a communications system, the network element being further characterized b y means for receiving one or more messages or status reports transmitted over the scarce communication link resource, and means for determining whether the received message or status report, or parts thereof, should be processed in the network element or if it should be forwarded.
27. The network element according to any of claims 19-26 characterized in that the means for reducing or eliminating transmissions over a scarce communication link resource in a communications system includes means for hybrid ARQ over the scarce communication link resource.
28. The network element according to any of claims 19-27 characterized in that the means for reducing or eliminating transmissions over a scarce communication link resource in a communications system includes a medium access control protocol layer or an extension thereof.
29. A user equipment being responsible for transmitting signals over a scarce communication link resource in a communications system to one or more network elements, the user equipment being characterized by means for providing at least one of the network elements with information enabling the at least one of the network elements to establish an image of the user equipment receive status, the provision for information being initiated in an entity including a protocol layer being responsible for hybrid ARQ over the scarce communication link resource.
30. The user equipment according to claim 29 characterized in that the means for providing at least one of the network elements with information enabling the at least one of the network elements to establish an image of the user equipment receive status includes a medium access control protocol layer or an extension thereof.
31. The user equipment according to claim 29 or 30 characterized in that the means for providing at least one of the network elements with information enabling the at least one of the network elements to establish an image of the user equipment receive status includes a MAC-HSDPA protocol layer.
32. Radio communications system characterized by means for carrying out the method in any of claims 1-18.
33. A radio communications system characterized by a plurality of network elements according to any of claims 19-28.
The claims below are in addition to those above.
All refrences to claim(s) which appear below refer to the numbering after this setence.
1. A lane marker recognition method, comprising the steps of:
inputting an image including a lane marker;
extracting edge points, which are luminance change points in said image;
calculating an angle representing an orientation of each of said edge points; and
estimating a position of the lane marker by extracting, from among the edge points extracted in the edge extracting step, those edge points for which the calculated angles have a predetermined value or fall within a predetermined range of values;
wherein said calculated angles representing an orientation of the respective edge points are determined relative to a predetermined vanishing point.
2. The lane marker recognition method according to claim 1, wherein said predetermined value or range varies according to the position of each edge point.
3. The lane marker recognition method according to claim 1, wherein the predetermined value which the angles of the edge points extracted in the lane marker position estimating step take is the angle of a straight line connecting the edge point and a vanishing point of a road or the predetermined range of values which the angles of the edge points extracted in the lane marker position estimating step fall within is the range deviated 180 degrees from the angle of the straight line.
4. The lane marker recognition method according to claim 3, wherein the lane marker position estimating step eliminates edge points that fall within a predetermined range from the vanishing point.
5. The lane marker recognition method according to claim 3, wherein the lane marker position estimating step includes:
creating a histogram of edge points having an angle oriented toward the vanishing point; and
estimating a lane marker based on the edge points having angles with at least a predetermined frequency of occurrence.
6. A lane marker recognition method, comprising the steps of:
inputting an image including a lane marker;
extracting edge points, which are luminance change points in said image;
calculating an angle representing an orientation of each of said edge points; and
estimating a position of the lane marker by extracting, from among the edge points extracted in the edge extracting step, those edge points for which the calculated angles have a predetermined value or fall within a predetermined range of values; wherein,
the predetermined value which the angles of the edge points extracted in the lane marker position estimating step take is the angle of a straight line connecting the edge point and a vanishing point of a road or the predetermined range of values which the angles of the edge points extracted in the lane marker position estimating step fall within is the range deviated 180 degrees from the angle of the straight line;
the lane marker position estimating step eliminates edge points that fall within a predetermined range from the vanishing point; and
the lane marker position estimating step includes;
creating a histogram of edge points having an angle oriented toward the vanishing point, of all the edge points falling outside a predetermined range from the vanishing point; and
estimating a lane marker based on the edge points having angles with at least a predetermined frequency of occurrence.
7. The lane marker recognition method according to claim 5, wherein the lane marker position estimating step limits all the angles with high frequencies as obtained from the histogram to the angles of left and right lane markers based on a lane width.
8. The lane marker recognition method according to claim 7, wherein the lane marker position estimating process makes linear approximation of the lane marker position from a distribution of edge points having the angles of the lane markers.
9. A lane marker recognition method, comprising the steps of:
inputting an image including a lane marker;
changing in advance a ratio of width to height of said image, to create a changed image;
extracting edge points, which are luminance change points in said changed image;
calculating an angle representing an orientation of each of the edge points; and
estimating a position of the lane marker by extracting, from among the edge points extracted in the edge extracting step, those edge points for which the calculated angles have a predetermined value or fall within a predetermined range of values;
wherein said calculated angles representing an orientation of the respective edge points are determined relative to a predetermined vanishing point.