Method of controlling resource usage in communication systems

• US 20110176433A1
• Filed: 01/15/2010
• Published: 07/21/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 01/15/2010
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: WSOU Investments, LLC (WSOU Holdings, LLC)
• Original Assignee: Alcatel-Lucent SA (Nokia Corporation)
• Inventors: Monogioudis, Pantelis
• Granted Patent: US 8,649,269 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 370/252
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/142 using statistical or mathematical methods
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 47/822 Collecting or measuring resource availability data
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 47/824 Applicable to portable or mobile terminals
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 72/04 Wireless resource allocation
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 72/20 Control channels or signalling for resource management

Abstract

In one embodiment, the method includes receiving, at the communication node, resource usage price information. The resource usage price information characterizes a cost associated with the communication node using a resource. The communication node determines an amount of the resource to use based on the received resource usage price information.

Claims

1. A method of controlling resource usage at a communication node, comprising:

receiving, at the communication node, resource usage price information, the resource usage price information characterizing a cost associated with the communication node using a resource; and

first determining, at the communication node, an amount of the resource to use based on the received resource usage price information.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the resource is one of a frequency resource, a time resource, a power resource and a code resource.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein the resource is resource blocks.

4. The method of claim 2, wherein the resource is channel codes.

5. The method of claim 2, wherein the resource is one of transmission power, transmission rate, and reception power.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein

the receiving step receives a resource usage unit price for each link associated with the communication node as the resource usage price information, each resource usage unit price characterizing a cost to the communication node to use the resource at the expense of other communication nodes associated with the link.

7. The method of claim 6, wherein each link represents a virtual link between the communication nodes associated with a shared air interface.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein the received resource usage price information characterizes the cost of using the resource as a function of resource usage.

9. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

second determining, at the communication node, an aggregate price quantity from the received resource usage price information, the aggregate price quantity characterizing the cost of using the resource at the expense of other communication nodes being able to use the resource; and

wherein

the first determining step determines the amount of the resource to use based on the determined aggregate price quantity.

10. The method of claim 9, wherein

the receiving step receives a resource usage unit price for each link associated with the communication node as the resource usage price information, each resource usage unit price characterizing a cost to the communication node to use the resource at the expense of other communication nodes associated with the link;

and

the second determining step determines the aggregate price quantity from the received resource usage unit prices.

11. The method of claim 10, further comprising:

third determining, at the communication node for each link with which the communication node is associated, a next resource usage unit price based on a current resource usage unit price; and

sending the determined resource usage unit prices to the communication nodes associated with the links.

12. The method of claim 10, wherein

the receiving step, the first determining step, and the third determining step are repeated.

13. The method of claim 9, wherein the receiving step receives the aggregate price quantity as the resource price information.

14. The method of claim 9, wherein the first determining step determines the amount of resource to use based on the determined aggregate price quantity and a utility function, the utility function characterizes utility derived by the communication node based on the amount of the resource used at the communication node.

15. The method of claim 14, wherein the utility function is concave, increasing and continuously differentiable.

16. The method of claim 14, wherein the first determining step maximizes each amount given the utility function and the aggregate price quantity.

20. The method of claim 15, wherein the determining step determines the resource usage unit price based on the utility function of the communication node and constraints on the resource such that the utility function of the communication node is maximized given the constraints.

17. A method of controlling resource usage in a communication network including a plurality of communication nodes, each communication node determining an amount of a resource to use based on resource usage price information, the resource usage price information characterizing a cost associated with the communication node using a resource, the method comprising:

sending, from a control entity, the resource usage price information to the plurality of nodes.

18. The method of claim 17, wherein the sending step sends at least one communication node at least one resource usage unit price of a link associated with the communication node, the resource usage unit price characterizing a cost to the communication node to use the resource at the expense of other communication nodes associated with the link.

19. The method of claim 18, further comprising:

determining the resource usage unit price based on a utility function associated with the communication node, each utility function characterizing utility derived by the associated communication node based on the amount of the resource used by the associated communication node.

21. The method of claim 17, wherein the sending step sends at least one communication node an aggregate price quantity, the aggregate price quantity characterizing the cost of using the resource at the expense of other communication nodes being able to use the resource.

22. The method of claim 21, further comprising:

determining the aggregate price quantity for the communication node based on a utility function associated with the communication node, the utility function characterizing utility derived by the communication node based on the amount of the resource used by the associated communication node.

23. The method of claim 22, wherein the determining step determines the aggregate price quantity based on the utility function of the communication node and constraints on the resource such that the utility function of the communication node is maximized given the constraints.

24. The method of claim 17, wherein

each communication node determines the amount of the resource to use based on the resource usage price information and a utility function associated with the communication node, the utility function characterizes utility derived by the associated communication node based on the amount of the resource used by the associated communication node;

and

the method further includes,

sending, from the control entity, at least one communication node the utility function for the communication node.

25. A method of controlling resource usage in a communication network, comprising:

determining, at a communication node, a next resource usage unit price based on a current resource usage unit price for each link with which the communication node is associated, each resource usage unit price characterizing a cost to other communication nodes associated with the link to use a resource at the expense of the communication node; and

sending the determined resource usage unit prices to the other communication nodes associated with the links.

26. The method of claim 25, wherein the determining step determines the next resource usage unit price based on the current resource usage unit price and a utility function, the utility function characterizes utility derived by the communication node based on the amount of the resource used at the communication node.