Dynamic bandwidth management for load-based equipment in unlicensed spectrum

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10080159-B2
Application number	US-201414471840-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Aug 28, 2014
Priority date	Jun 24, 2014
Publication date	Sep 18, 2018
Grant date	Sep 18, 2018

Abstract

Systems and methods for dynamic bandwidth management for load-based equipment in unlicensed spectrum are disclosed. In an aspect, the disclosure provides a method for dynamic bandwidth management. The method includes obtaining training data by monitoring a plurality of channels in an unlicensed spectrum during a training period. The method further includes determining that at least a first channel of the plurality of channels is available for a transmission. The method also includes determining, based on the training data, whether to wait for an additional channel of the plurality of channels to become available for the transmission. Determining whether to wait may be based on either training data including probabilities that no additional channel is to become available within a transmission opportunity or a machine learning classification of a current state of the backoff counters based on training data including samples of previous states of backoff counters.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A method for dynamic bandwidth management in a wireless communication device, the method comprising:
obtaining, by a radio receiver, training data by monitoring a plurality of channels in an unlicensed spectrum during a training period prior to initiating a transmission by performing a clear channel assessment of the plurality of channels based on presence of data for the transmission, wherein obtaining the training data comprises estimating, for a set of channel states, a corresponding set of probabilities indicating likelihoods that no additional channel is to become available within a transmission opportunity following the transmission, wherein estimating the probability that no additional channel is to become available comprises:
determining, by a processor, for a plurality of transmission times during the training period, whether the additional channel has become available during a transmission opportunity following each of the plurality of transmission times;
associating, in a memory, each of the plurality of transmission times with a respective channel state of the set of channel states at the transmission time; and
determining, by the processor, a portion of the plurality of transmission times for each channel state where no additional channel has become available;

determining, via the radio receiver, that at least a first channel of the plurality of channels is available for the transmission;
determining, by the processor, based on the training data, while at least the first channel of the plurality of channels is available, whether to wait for an additional channel of the plurality of channels to become available for the transmission before beginning the transmission using at least the first channel, wherein determining whether to wait for the additional channel comprises:
selecting a first probability from the set of probabilities based on a first channel state from the set of channel states in the memory, wherein the first channel state is a current channel state;
generating a first random or pseudo-random number; and
waiting for the additional channel when the first random or pseudo-random number exceeds a first threshold value, wherein the first threshold value is based on the probability;

determining, by the radio receiver, that the additional channel has become available; and
transmitting the data for the transmission on at least the first channel and the additional channel.

2. The method of claim 1 , wherein the set of channel states is based on a number of available channels at the respective transmission time.

3. The method of claim 1 , wherein the set of channel states is based on a combination of available channels at the respective transmission time.

4. The method of claim 1 , further comprising:
determining that a first additional channel has become available;
selecting a second probability from the set of probabilities based on a second channel state from the set of channel states;
generating a second random or pseudo-random number; and
waiting for a second additional channel when the second random or pseudo-random number exceeds a second threshold value, wherein the second threshold value is based on the second probability.

5. The method of claim 1 , wherein obtaining the training data comprises:
collecting a plurality of samples for potential transmission times having at least one available channel of the plurality of channels, each sample indicating states of a plurality of backoff counters corresponding respectively to the plurality of channels; and
evaluating each sample to determine whether the transmission time of the sample is a good transmission time.

6. The method of claim 5 , wherein determining, based on the training data, whether to wait for an additional channel of the plurality of channels to become available for the transmission comprises using a machine learning classifier to classify a current counter state vector for the plurality of channels based on the plurality of samples.

7. The method of claim 6 , further comprising separating the plurality of samples into different sets based on a number of available channels of each sample, wherein using a machine learning classifier to classify a current counter state vector comprises using the machine learning classifier to classify the current counter state vector based on the set corresponding to a number of available channels of the current counter state vector.

8. The method of claim 5 , wherein determining that the transmission time of the sample is a good transmission time comprises determining that a number of available channels did not increase during a transmission opportunity following the transmission time.

9. The method of claim 5 , wherein determining that the transmission time of the sample is a good transmission time comprises determining that an available bandwidth of the available channels did not increase during a transmission opportunity following the transmission time.

10. The method of claim 5 , wherein the state of a backoff counter from the plurality of backoff counters corresponding to an available channel indicates an amount of time that the available channel has been available.

11. The method of claim 1 , further comprising waiting for a duration of a transmission opportunity and transmitting on at least the first channel when no additional channels become available during the duration of the transmission opportunity.

12. An apparatus for dynamic bandwidth management in a wireless communication device, comprising:
a transceiver;
a memory configured to store computer executable instructions and training data; and
a processor configured to execute the computer executable instructions to:
obtain training data by monitoring, via the transceiver, a plurality of channels in an unlicensed spectrum during a training period prior to initiating a transmission by performing a clear channel assessment of the plurality of channels based on presence of data for the transmission, wherein obtaining the training data comprises estimating, for a set of channel states, a corresponding set of probabilities indicating likelihoods that no additional channel is to become available within a transmission opportunity following the transmission, wherein to obtain the training data, the processor is configured to:
determine, for a plurality of transmission times during the training period, whether the additional channel has become available during a transmission opportunity following each of the plurality of transmission times;
associate, in the memory, each of the plurality of transmission times with a respective channel state of the set of channel states at the transmission time; and
determine a portion of the plurality of transmission times for each channel state where no additional channel has become available;

determine, via the transceiver, that at least a first channel of the plurality of channels is available for the transmission;
determine, based on the training data, while at least the first channel of the plurality of channels is available, whether to wait for an additional channel of the plurality of channels to become available for the transmission before beginning the transmission via the transceiver using at least the first channel;
select a first probability from the set of probabilities based on a first channel state from the set of channel states in the memory, wherein the first channel state is a current channel state;
generate a first random or pseudo-random number;
wait for the additional channel when the first random or pseudo-random number exceeds a first threshold value, wherein the first threshold value is based on t

Assignees

• Qualcomm Inc

Inventors

• Valliappan Nachiappan
• Somasundaram Kiran
• Sadek Ahmed Kamel

Classifications

• H04W72/52 Primary

  based on load · CPC title

• H04W72/541 Primary

  using the level of interference · CPC title

• H04W72/542

  using measured or perceived quality · CPC title

• H04W72/082

  Electricity · mapped topic

• H04W28/08 Primary

  Load balancing or load distribution (transferring a connection for handling the traffic H04W36/22; wireless traffic scheduling H04W72/12) · CPC title