Method and system for dynamic optimization of a time-domain frame structure

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10548019-B2
Application number	US-201414568743-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Dec 12, 2014
Priority date	Dec 12, 2014
Publication date	Jan 28, 2020
Grant date	Jan 28, 2020

Abstract

A method at a network element, and a system, for resource reservation in an unlicensed spectrum band. The method includes determining quality of service requirements of traffic queued for a network operator. Further, the method includes reserving resources in the unlicensed spectrum band for the network operator in accordance with the quality of service requirements to form a coordination frame for the traffic, where the coordination frame has a flexible proportion of the resources from the unlicensed spectrum.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. A method at a network element for resource reservation in an unlicensed spectrum band, the method comprising:
determining quality of service requirements of traffic queued for a network operator; and
reserving resources in the unlicensed spectrum band for the network operator in accordance with the quality of service requirements to form a coordination frame for the traffic,
wherein the coordination frame comprises a flexible proportion of the resources from the unlicensed spectrum band,
wherein:
the unlicensed spectrum band is shared by multiple networks including a first network operated by the network operator;
determining the quality of service requirements of traffic queued for the network operator comprises determining quality of service requirements for a first transmission by the first network;
the flexible proportion of the resources from the unlicensed spectrum band includes a first resource allocation for the first network and a second resource allocation for one or more other networks; and
reserving resources in the unlicensed spectrum band is based on (i) the first resource allocation for the first network; and (ii) the quality of service requirements determined for the first transmission, and includes:
determining a co-existence frame size for each of a plurality of co-existence frames within the coordination frame, wherein the number of the plurality of co-existence frames is determined based on each determined co-existence frame size within the coordination frame; and
allocating, for each of the plurality of co-existence frames, a first network portion of the co-existence frame during which the unlicensed spectrum band can be used exclusively for the first transmission such that a second network portion of the co-existence frame is available for transmissions by one or more other networks.

2. The method of claim 1 , wherein the determining quality of service requirement includes determining a delay budget of packets in a queue of the first network for the network operator.

3. The method of claim 1 , wherein reserving resources includes compensating a wireless local area network if a share of resources previously used for the first transmission in the unlicensed spectrum band is greater than resources allocated for the first transmission.

4. The method of claim 1 comprising causing a reservation request for the first network portion to be transmitted in the unlicensed spectrum band by at least one transmit point of the first network, the reservation request being transmitted in accordance with an air interface technology of the one or more other networks.

5. The method of claim 4 wherein the reservation request is transmitted by a cluster of transmit points of the first network.

6. The method of claim 4 wherein an air interface technology used by the first network for transmissions during the first network portion in the unlicensed spectrum band is different than the air interface technology of the one or more other networks.

7. The method of claim 6 wherein the reservation request for the first network portion of a co-existence frame is transmitted during an immediately preceding co-existence frame.

8. The method of claim 6 wherein the air interface technology of the one or more other networks corresponds to a wireless local area network (WLAN) protocol, and the reservation request includes a clear-to-send signal conforming to the WLAN protocol.

9. The method of claim 6 wherein the first network is configured to transmit in a licensed spectrum channel using a macro-cell air interface technology, and the air interface technology used by the first network for packet transmissions during the first network portion in the unlicensed spectrum channel is a small cell air interface technology.

10. The method of claim 1 comprising causing the first network to detect an access category for transmissions in the unlicensed spectrum channel by the one or more further networks, wherein one or more of the co-existence frame size and the first and second network portions is further based on quality of service requirements for the detected access category.

11. The method of claim 1 wherein the co-existence frame size is determined to allow the first network to perform periodic reference and measurement signals on the unlicensed spectrum band, wherein the quality of service requirements are based on the periodic reference and measurement signals.

12. The method of claim 1 wherein the first resource allocation includes an airtime share and the first network portion is determined based on an amount of the airtime share allocated to previous co-existence frames in the coordination frame such that a sum of the first network portions over the coordination frame approximates the airtime share.

13. The method of claim 12 comprising:
receiving information sensed by the first network about transmissions in the unlicensed spectrum band by the one or more other networks for the coordination frame; and
determining the airtime share based on the received information.

14. The method of claim 13 wherein the received information is sensed at a start of the coordination frame, and the airtime share is set to 100% in the event that the received information indicates that the one or more other networks are not using the unlicensed spectrum band for the coordination frame.

15. The method of claim 1 wherein the network operator operating the first network in the coordination frame is different than a network operator operating the first network in a subsequent coordination frame.

16. A network element configured for resource reservation in an unlicensed spectrum band, the network element comprising a processor configured to:
determine quality of service requirements of traffic queued for a network operator; and
reserve resources in the unlicensed spectrum band for the network operator in accordance with the quality of service requirements to form a coordination frame for the traffic,
wherein the coordination frame comprises a flexible proportion of the resources from the unlicensed spectrum band;
wherein the unlicensed spectrum band is shared by multiple networks including a first network operated by the network operator, and the processor is configured to:
determine the quality of service requirements of traffic queued for the network operator by determining quality of service requirements for a first transmission by the first network;
the flexible proportion of the resources from the unlicensed spectrum band includes a first resource allocation for the first network and a second resource allocation for one or more other networks; and
reserve resources in the unlicensed spectrum band based on (i) the first resource allocation for the first network; and (ii) the quality of service requirements determined for the first transmission, by:
determining a co-existence frame size for each of a plurality of co-existence frames within the coordination frame, wherein the number of the plurality of co-existence frames is determined based on each determined co-existence frame size within the coordination frame; and
allocating, for each of the plurality of co-existence frames, a first network portion of the co-existence frame during which the unlicensed spectrum band can be used exclusively for the first transmission such that a second network portion of the co-existence frame is available for transmissions by one or more other networks.

17. The network element of claim 16 , wherein the processor is configured to determine the quality of service by dete

Assignees

• Salem Mohamed
• Maaref Amine
• Huawei Tech Co Ltd

Inventors

• Salem Mohamed
• Maaref Amine

Classifications

• H04W84/12

  WLAN [Wireless Local Area Networks] · CPC title

• H04L27/0006

  Assessment of spectral gaps suitable for allocating digitally modulated signals, e.g. for carrier allocation in cognitive radio (for spectrum sharing between different networks H04W16/14) · CPC title

• H04W16/14 Primary

  Spectrum sharing arrangements {between different networks} · CPC title

• H04W28/26 Primary

  Resource reservation · CPC title

• H04W72/543

  based on requested quality, e.g. QoS · CPC title