Method and system for dynamic allocation of resources in a cellular network

• US 9,313,004 B2
• Filed: 02/21/2014
• Issued: 04/12/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 02/26/2013
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Cisco Technology, Inc. (Cisco Systems, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Cisco Technology, Inc. (Cisco Systems, Inc.)
• Inventors: Yanover, Vladimir, Nuss, Ziv
• Primary Examiner(s): Mizrahi, Diane
• Application Number:
  US14/187,024
• Publication Number:
  US 20140243005A1
• Time in Patent Office: 781 Days
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 5/0035 Resource allocation in a cooperative multipoint environment
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 5/0053 Allocation of signaling, i.e. of overhead other than pilot signals
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 5/0073 Allocation arrangements that take into account other cell interferences for intercell interference mitigation or co-ordination in orthogonal multiplex systems H04J11/005
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 5/0094 Indication of how sub-channels of the path are allocated
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 28/16 Central resource management; Negotiation of resources or communication parameters, e.g. negotiating bandwidth or QoS [Quality of Service]
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 72/04 Wireless resource allocation
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 72/0453 Resources in frequency domain, e.g. a carrier in FDMA
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 72/541 using the level of interference
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 88/02 Terminal devices
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 88/08 Access point devices

Abstract

One example method is provided for dynamic allocation of air interface resources in a cellular network. The method can include at least three wireless cells located within a geographical proximity of each other. The method can include determining, by a central managing entity, one or more classification rules for classifying each of said plurality of mobile devices according to the one or more classification rules. The method can also include providing, by the central management entity, to a group of base stations associated with the at least three cells, information that can include, at least in part, information that relates to the determined one or more classification rules and information that relates to semi-static allocation of blocks of air interface resources for use by one or more specific members of the group of base stations.

Claims

1. A method for dynamic allocation of air interface resources in a cellular network comprising at least three wireless cells within a geographical proximity of each other, the method comprising:

a) determining, by a central managing entity, one or more classification rules for classifying a plurality of mobile devices according to the one or more classification rules;

b) providing, by the central management entity, to a group of base stations associated with the at least three cells, information that comprises;

b.1) information that relates to the determined one or more classification rules;

b.2) information that relates to semi-static allocation of blocks of air interface resources for use by one or more specific members of the group of base stations, wherein said blocks of air interface resources enable communications between base stations and mobile devices communicating therewith that match one or more classification rules, and wherein no coordination is carried out between any member of the group of base station and any other member of said group regarding the use of the blocks of air interface resources; and

b.3) information that relates to allocation of blocks of air interface resources for use by at least two members of the group of base stations, said blocks of air interface resources enable communications between base stations and mobile devices communicating therewith that match one or more classification rules, and wherein coordination is carried out between at least two members of the group of base stations regarding the use of the blocks of air interface resources; and

c) exchanging generated messages between at least two members of the group of base stations and coordinating which part of the blocks of air interface resources allocated by the central management entity as being resources for coordinated use, will be used by each of these at least two members.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein an air interface resource block is characterized by at least one member of the group that consists of:

interval time for transmission, transmission frequency, and a set of subcarriers.

3. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

d) repeating step c) to reestablish which part of air interface resource blocks allocated by the central management entity for coordinated use, will be used by each of the base stations.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein step c) is repeated every pre-defined period of time, which extends up to few hundreds of milliseconds (msec).

5. The method of claim 1, wherein step b) is repeated at a frequency which is less than that at which step c) is repeated.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein information related to coordinated use of a particular air interface resource block, includes settings of transmission power for control and user planes at the base station or at a mobile device for which said air interface resource block is allocated.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein information that relates to allocation of blocks of air interface resources according to step b) is communicated to respective base stations in a form of time based periodic pattern having a length of a number of radio frames.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein the cellular network is a heterogeneous cellular network (“

HetNet”

) comprising at least one macro cell and at least two small cells, all located within a geographical proximity of each other, wherein the group of base stations comprises at least one base station associated with a macro cell and at least two base stations each associated with a different small cell, and wherein the at least two members of the group of base stations that exchange messages with each other in order to coordinate which part of the blocks of air interface resources allocated by the central management entity for coordinated use, will be used by each of these at least two members, are the at least two base stations associated with small cells.

9. A communication system to dynamically allocate air interface resources in a cellular network comprising at least three wireless cells located within a geographical proximity of each other, the communication system comprising:

(I) a central management entity that comprises;

(a) one or more processors that operate to execute instructions, wherein when executing said instructions, said one or more processors operate to;

(a.1) determine one or more classification rules for classifying a plurality of mobile devices;

(a.2) provide to a group of base stations associated with the at least three cells, information that comprises;

(a.2.1) information that relates to the determined one or more classification rules;

(a.2.2) information that relates to semi-static allocation of blocks of air interface resources for use by one or more specific members of the group of base stations, wherein these blocks of air interface resources would enable communications between base stations and mobile devices communicating therewith that match one or more classification rules, and wherein no coordination would be carried out between any member of the group of base station and any other member of that group regarding the use of the blocks of air interface resources; and

(a.2.3) information that relates to allocation of blocks of air interface resources for use by at least two members of the group of base stations, wherein these blocks of air interface resources would enable communications between base stations and mobile devices communicating therewith that match one or more classification rules, and wherein coordination would be carried out between at least two members of the group of base stations regarding the use of the blocks of air interface resources;

(b) one or more transmitters that operate to convey the information generated by said one or more processors, towards the group of base stations; and

(II) a group of base stations configured for use within the at least three cells, and wherein each of the base stations comprises at least one transceiver that operates to exchange information with the central management entity and with at least one member of the group of base stations, and at least one transceiver operates to exchange generated messages with a plurality of mobile devices associated therewith, and wherein at least two members of the group of base stations exchange generated messages in order to coordinate which part of the blocks of air interface resources allocated by the central management entity for coordinated use, will be used by each of these at least two base stations.

10. The system of claim 9, wherein an air interface resource block is characterized by at least one member of the group of base stations that consists of:

interval time for transmission, transmission frequency, a set of subcarriers.

11. The system of claim 9, wherein information related to coordinated use of a particular air interface resource block, includes settings of transmission power for control and user planes at a base station or at a mobile device for which said air interface resource block is allocated.

12. The system of claim 9, wherein the at least two members of the group of base stations further operate to repeat the exchange of the messages to enable reestablishing which part of air interface resource blocks allocated by the central management entity for coordinated use, will be used by each of these at least two base stations.

13. The system of claim 9, wherein the one or more processors of the central management entity further operate to re-define at least one of the one or more classification rules for re-classifying at least one of the plurality of mobile devices and the information provisioning to a group of base stations associated with the at least three cells, at a frequency which is less than that at which the at least two members of the group of base stations exchange messages.

14. The system of claim 9, wherein the cellular network is a heterogeneous cellular network (“

HetNet”

) comprising at least one macro cell and at least two small cells, all located within a geographical proximity of each other, wherein the group of base stations comprises at least one base station associated with a macro cell and at least two base stations each associated with a different small cell, and wherein the at least two members of the group of base stations that exchange messages with each other in order to coordinate which part of the blocks of air interface resources allocated by the central management entity for coordinated use, will be used by each of these at least two members, are the at least two base stations associated with small cells.

15. A non-transitory computer-readable storage media storing one or more sequences of instructions which when executed cause one or more processors of a central managing entity located in a cellular network to perform operations, comprising:

determining one or more classification rules for classifying a plurality of mobile devices according to the one or more classification rules;

providing to a group of base stations associated with at least three cells information that comprises;

information that relates to the determined one or more classification rules;

information that relates to semi-static allocation of blocks of air interface resources for use by one or more specific members of the group of base stations, wherein said blocks of air interface resources enable communications between base stations and mobile devices communicating therewith that match one or more classification rules; and

information that relates to allocation of blocks of air interface resources for use by at least two members of the group of base stations, said blocks of air interface resources enable communications between base stations and mobile devices communicating therewith that match one or more classification rules, and wherein coordination is carried out between at least two members of the group of base stations regarding the use of the blocks of air interface resources; and

exchanging messages generated between at least two members of the group of base stations and coordinating which part of the blocks of air interface resources allocated by the central management entity as being resources for coordinated use, will be used by each of these at least two members.

16. The media of claim 15, wherein an air interface resource block is characterized by at least one member of the group that consists of:

interval time for transmission, transmission frequency, and a set of subcarriers.

17. The media of claim 15, the operations further comprising:

reestablishing which part of air interface resource blocks allocated by the central management entity for coordinated use, will be used by each of the base stations.

18. The media of claim 15, wherein information related to coordinated use of a particular air interface resource block, includes settings of transmission power for control and user planes at the base station or at a mobile device for which said air interface resource block is allocated.

19. The media of claim 15, wherein information that relates to allocation of blocks of air interface resources is communicated to respective base stations in a form of time based periodic pattern having a length of a number of radio frames.

20. The media of claim 15, wherein the cellular network is a heterogeneous cellular network (“

HetNet”

) comprising at least one macro cell and at least two small cells.