Chromatic scheduler for network traffic with disparate service requirements

• US 8,483,702 B2
• Filed: 02/01/2012
• Issued: 07/09/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 12/23/2009
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: AT&T Mobility II LLC (AT&T, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: AT&T Mobility II LLC (AT&T, Inc.)
• Inventors: Noriega, Dimas, Brisebois, Arthur, De Rosa, Giuseppe
• Primary Examiner(s): ZEWDU, MELESS NMN
• Application Number:
  US13/363,764
• Publication Number:
  US 20120134267A1
• Time in Patent Office: 524 Days
• Field of Search: 455423-425, 455/448, 455450-451, 4554521-4522, 455/453, 455/500, 455/509, 455512-513, 455/517, 455/522, 455524-526, 455/550.1, 455/556.2, 455560-561, 455418-420, 370328-330, 370332-333, 370/338, 370/341, 370/343, 370/348, 370229-230, 370/230.1
• US Class Current: 455/453
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 72/52 based on load
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 72/543 based on requested quality, e.g. QoS
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 84/045 using private Base Stations, e.g. femto Base Stations, home Node B

Abstract

System(s) and method(s) are provided for managing network capacity in a wireless network that serves various traffic flows with disparate quality of service requirements. Management can be based on multi-stage scheduling in frequency-time domain. A first scheduling stage can generate an allocation of radio resources that minimizes inter-cell interference amongst a plurality of base stations. Based on the first-stage allocation of radio resources, a second scheduling stage can compute flow capacity for a set of radio resources specific to a base station, and acquire guaranteed-bit-rate (GBR) and non-guaranteed GBR traffic flows. GBR traffic flows can be matched to computed flow capacity to generate an allocation of frequency-time resources. In second scheduling stage, GBR traffic flows can be scheduled based at least in part on allocated resources and priority queuing. Based on allocation(s) in first and second scheduling stages, a third scheduling stage can schedule non-GBR traffic flows based at least in part on fair scheduling.

Claims

1. A method, comprising:

first scheduling, by a system comprising a processor and based on a load condition associated with a set of base station devices, a first set of guaranteed-bit-rate data flows for the set of base station devices according to a first portion of a predetermined scheduling period; and

second scheduling, by the system subsequent to the first scheduling and according to a second portion of the predetermined scheduling period that is less than the first portion of the predetermined scheduling period, a second set of non-guaranteed-bit-rate data flows for the set of base station devices based on an available electromagnetic radiation spectrum.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the first scheduling comprises scheduling the first set of guaranteed-bit-rate data flows based on a change in communication traffic associated with the set of base station devices.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the first scheduling comprises scheduling the first set of guaranteed-bit-rate data flows based on a change in inter-cell interference associated with a sector of a wireless coverage area associated with the set of base station devices.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the first scheduling comprises:

allocating a set of physical resource blocks for the set of base station devices based on the load condition; and

scheduling the first set of guaranteed-bit-rate data flows based on the set of physical resource blocks.

5. The method of claim 4, wherein the allocating the set of physical resource blocks comprises allocating frequency resources spanning a set of frequency sub-carriers associated with respective bandwidths during a transmission time interval.

6. The method of claim 4, wherein the allocating the set of physical resource blocks comprises:

for a set of electromagnetic radiation resources, analyzing an allocation of frequency and power for the set of base station devices to achieve a defined capacity; and

in response to the analyzing the allocation, assigning the set of physical resource blocks to base station devices of the set of base station devices.

7. The method of claim 6, further comprising:

configuring, by the system, a resource exclusion list spanning the set of physical resource blocks; and

sending, by the system, the resource exclusion list directed to a base station device of the set of base station devices.

8. The method of claim 4, wherein the allocating the set of physical resource blocks comprises:

receiving the load condition from a base station device of the set of base station devices;

for a set of electromagnetic radiation resources, analyzing an inter-base station device allocation of frequency and power to a achieve a defined capacity;

in response to the analyzing, assigning the set of physical resource blocks to the set of base station devices;

configuring, for the set of base station devices, a resource exclusion list spanning the set of physical resource blocks; and

sending the resource exclusion list directed to the base station device.

9. The method of claim 1, wherein the second scheduling comprises scheduling the second set of non-guaranteed-bit-rate data flows for the set of base station devices based on a physical resource block associated with a sub-carrier bandwidth.

10. The method of claim 1, wherein the second scheduling comprises scheduling the second set of non-guaranteed-bit-rate data flows for the set of base station devices based on weighted queuing.

11. The method of claim 1, wherein the second scheduling comprises:

acquiring information associated with a channel quality indicator and a coding scheme indicator for a frequency-time resource allocated to the second set of non-guaranteed-bit-rate data flows; and

augmenting the frequency-time resource with an unused electromagnetic radiation spectrum based on the information.

12. The method of claim 1, wherein the first scheduling comprises:

acquiring information associated with a channel quality indicator and a modulation and coding scheme indicator for a set of physical resource blocks;

computing, using a service function, flow capacity based on the information; and

scheduling the first set of guaranteed-bit-rate data flows based on the flow capacity.

13. The method of claim 12, further comprising:

generating, by the system, a resource reservation list based on the flow capacity and bit requirements of data flows of the first set of guaranteed-bit-rate data flows,

wherein the scheduling comprises scheduling the first set of guaranteed-bit-rate data flows based on the resource reservation list.

14. The method of claim 1, wherein the second scheduling comprises scheduling non-guaranteed-bit-rate traffic based on queuing.

15. A non-transitory computer-readable storage medium comprising computer executable instructions that, in response to execution, cause a computing system comprising a processor to perform operations, comprising:

first scheduling a first set of guaranteed-bit-rate data flows for a first portion of a predetermined scheduling period for a set of base station devices based on a load condition associated with the set of base station devices; and

second scheduling a second set of non-guaranteed-bit-rate data flows for a second portion of the predetermined scheduling period for the set of base station devices based on available electromagnetic radiation resources, subsequent to the first scheduling the first set of guaranteed-bit-rate data flows, wherein the first portion is greater than the second portion.

16. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 15, wherein the first scheduling comprises allocating a set of electromagnetic radiation resources for the set of base station devices based on the load condition and scheduling the set of guaranteed-bit-rate data flows based on the set of electromagnetic radiation resources.

17. A system, comprising:

a memory to store instructions; and

a processor, coupled to the memory, that facilitates execution of the instructions to perform operations, comprising;

first scheduling a guaranteed-bit-rate traffic flow for a first portion of a scheduling period for a set of base station devices based on a load condition associated with the set of base station devices; and

in response to the first scheduling the guaranteed-bit-rate traffic flow, second scheduling a non-guaranteed-bit-rate traffic flow for a second portion of the scheduling period for the set of base station devices based on an available electromagnetic resource, wherein the second portion is smaller than the first portion.

18. The system of claim 17, wherein the operations further comprise:

allocating physical resource blocks for the set of base station devices; and

scheduling the guaranteed-bit-rate traffic flow based on the physical resource blocks.

19. The system of claim 18, wherein the allocating comprises:

allocating the physical resource blocks for the set of base station devices based on inter-cell interference associated with the set of base station devices.

20. The system of claim 17, wherein the operations further comprise:

receiving information associated with channel quality indicators and modulation and coding scheme indicators for frequency-time resources allocated to traffic flows of the non-guaranteed-bit-rate traffic flow; and

scheduling the non-guaranteed-bit-rate traffic flow based on the information.