Enhanced scheduling in wireless networks with relay function

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-2023345456-A1
Application number	US-202117920818-A
Country	US
Kind code	A1
Filing date	Apr 21, 2021
Priority date	Apr 22, 2020
Publication date	Oct 26, 2023
Grant date	—

Abstract

Enhanced scheduling in wireless networks with relay function In cellular or other wireless networks, relay terminal devices can be introduced to support an indirect network connection for remote terminal devices in out-of-coverage (OoC) areas to thereby improve network coverage. Such relay terminal devices buffer upstream and downstream data from/to other terminal devices that are indirectly connected. However, a relay terminal device may have a limited memory allocation for buffering. This limitation has a high impact on the optimal resource scheduling performed by network access devices. It is therefore proposed to have relay terminal devices report information about their available or maximum buffer capacity to their respective network access devices to enable optimal resource scheduling by the access devices.

First claim

1 . An apparatus for scheduling communication resources of at least one communication device in a wireless network, wherein the apparatus comprises:
a capacity detector configured to detect a buffer capacity information signaled from the wireless network and indicating available or maximum buffer capacity of at least one relay communication device; and a scheduler configured to schedule communication resources for at least one of a transmission of upstream or downstream data for a target communication device over a device-to-device communication channel between the target communication device and the at least one relay communication device, and a transmission of upstream or downstream data for the at least one relay communication device over a device-to-device communication channel between the at least one relay communication device and another relay communication device or over a direct radio access link between the at least one relay communication device and an access device, based on the received buffer capacity information.

2 . The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the scheduler is configured to decide based on the received buffer capacity information to add and/or remove at least one parent relay communication device for one of a relay or remote communication device in the wireless network.

3 . The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the scheduler is configured to perform buffer capacity control by at least one of commanding a relay communication device to increase or decrease a buffer capacity for a specific logical channel or logical channel group, or a specific downstream relay or remote communication device, switching the relay communication device between an autonomous mode of buffer allocation and a directed mode of buffer allocation, setting a buffer allocation policy at the relay communication device, setting a reporting granularity of the relay communication device, and commanding the relay communication device to merge multiple separate buffers into one buffer allocation.

4 . An apparatus for controlling scheduling of communication resources of at least one communication device in a wireless network, wherein the apparatus comprises:
a capacity detector configured to determine an available or maximum buffer capacity of a data buffer at a relay communication device; and a capacity reporter for reporting a buffer capacity information including the determined available or maximum buffer capacity to the wireless network in response to a trigger event.

5 . The apparatus of claim 4 , wherein the capacity reporter is configured to send the buffer capacity information to a network function which forwards the buffer capacity information to a scheduling access device of the wireless network.

6 . The apparatus of claim 4 , wherein the capacity reporter is configured to report the buffer capacity information in an absolute format or in a relative format.

7 . The apparatus of claim 4 , wherein the capacity reporter is configured to report the buffer capacity information for at least one of different logical channels present for at least one upstream link and/or at least one downstream link of a relay communication device, different priority classes of buffered data present in the relay communication device, and different downstream communication devices present for the relay communication device, or to combine buffer capacity reports of one or more downstream communication devices with an own buffer capacity report.

8 . The apparatus of claim 7 , wherein the capacity reporter is configured to report a binary payload in which a plurality of elements are concatenated, each element corresponding to a buffer capacity report of one logical channel of the relay communication device, or to include the own buffer capacity report and/or a buffer capacity report of a side-link connected communication device into a combined buffer capacity report, or to summarize buffer capacity information into a more condensed buffer capacity report, or to report pairs of logical channels or logical channel groups and related buffer capacity reports, or to report pairs of data priority classes and related buffer capacity reports, or to select more relevant or urgent buffer capacity reports for prioritized reporting, or to combine at least one buffer capacity report and at least one buffer size report into one report.

9 . The apparatus of claim 4 , wherein the capacity reporter is configured to include in a buffer capacity report information related to, or encode a buffer capacity report by using at least one of a buffer capacity index for a look-up table, a buffer load percentage, a mapping of reported buffer capacity to capacity categories, a flag indicating whether a buffer capacity threshold has been reached or exceeded, a compound value indicating a resource usage of the relay communication device where said value is at least partly determined by its current or a past buffer capacity, a compound value indicating a preference or ability of the relay communication device for accepting an additional remote communication device where said value is at least partly determined by its current or a past buffer capacity, including meta information about a buffer, and including specific requests triggered by buffer-related conditions.

10 . The apparatus of claim 4 , wherein the capacity reporter is configured to include in a buffer capacity report information related to, or encode a buffer capacity report, at least one of an index for a buffer load look-up table, a current buffer load percentage, a past buffer load, a mapping of reported buffer load to load categories, a flag indicating whether a buffer load threshold has been reached or exceeded, a compound value indicating a resource usage of the relay communication device where said value is at least partly determined by its current or a past buffer load, or a compound value indicating a preference or ability of the relay communication device for accepting an additional remote communication device where said value is at least partly determined by its current or a past buffer load.

11 . The apparatus of claim 4 , wherein the capacity reporter is configured to report the buffer capacity information by using at least one of or a combination of a transport protocol on top of the Internet Protocol, a message of a radio resource control protocol, a packet data unit of a packet data convergence protocol, a control element of a media access control protocol, a service data unit of a media access control protocol, and a data format of an uplink control information or a sidelink control information.

12 . The apparatus of claim 4 , wherein the trigger event corresponds to at least one of a change of a maximum buffer capacity on a relay communication device to a lower capacity, a change of an available buffer capacity of a data buffer, a timer-based trigger, an increase of a load of a data buffer by a predetermined percentage, fraction or data size with respect to a previous reported buffer capacity information, a receipt of a buffer capacity query from a scheduling access device or an upstream relay communication device, a change of a buffer capacity on a remote communication device, a receipt of a buffer size or capacity report from a downstream remote or relay communication device, a receipt of a buffer status message or scheduling request message from a downstream remote or relay communication device, a receipt of a communication resource request message from a downstream or relay communication device, a receipt of a discovery or status request message from a downstream device or out-of-coverage communication device, a receipt of a request from an access device, and a receipt of a reco

Assignees

• Koninklijke Philips Nv

Inventors

• Dees Walter
• Dijk Esko Olavi

Classifications

• H04W72/1263 Primary

  Mapping of traffic onto schedule, e.g. scheduled allocation or multiplexing of flows · CPC title

• H04W28/0278

  using buffer status reports (dynamic wireless traffic scheduling definition H04W72/12) · CPC title

• H04W72/25

  between terminals via a wireless link, e.g. sidelink · CPC title

• H04W88/04

  adapted for relaying to or from another terminal or user · CPC title

• H04W72/12 Primary

  Wireless traffic scheduling · CPC title