Method and apparatus for implementing efficient low-latency uplink access

• US 9,648,616 B2
• Filed: 01/15/2015
• Issued: 05/09/2017
• Est. Priority Date: 01/15/2015
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: WSOU Investments, LLC (WSOU Holdings, LLC)
• Original Assignee: Nokia Solutions and Networks US LLC (Nokia Corporation)
• Inventors: Cudak, Mark, Talukdar, Anup
• Primary Examiner(s): Thier, Michael
• Assistant Examiner(s): Nowlin, Eric
• Application Number:
  US14/597,994
• Publication Number:
  US 20160212741A1
• Time in Patent Office: 845 Days
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 72/0446 Resources in time domain, e.g. slots or frames
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 72/23 in the downlink direction of a wireless link, i.e. towards a terminal
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 74/0833 Random access procedures, e.g. with 4-step access
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 74/0866 using a dedicated channel for access
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 84/18 Self-organising networks, e.g. ad-hoc networks or sensor networks

Abstract

A method and apparatus may determine a plurality of access points. The plurality of access points belong to a cluster set of a user device. The method may also include allocating a plurality of random-access-channel slots to the plurality of access points such that the plurality of random-access-channel slots are staggered in time over a random-access-channel period within a frame structure used by the user device.

Claims

1. A method, comprising:

determining, by a network element, a plurality of access points, wherein the plurality of access points belong to a cluster set of a user device; and

allocating a plurality of random-access-channel slots to the plurality of access points such that the plurality of random-access-channel slots are staggered in time over a random-access-channel period within a frame structure used by the user device, wherein a position of the plurality of random-access-channel slots within a sub-frame of the random-access-channel period is determined according to an integer corresponding to a number of access points of the plurality of access points in the cluster set multiplied by ten, and adding a value of one to a product of the multiplication.

2. The method according to claim 1, wherein the frame structure comprises a 5G mmWave frame structure.

3. The method according to claim 1, wherein the plurality of random-access-channel slots are configured for 5G synchronization of both timing and accessibility information.

4. The method according to claim 1, wherein the allocating of the plurality of random-access-channel slots to be staggered in time comprises allocating the plurality of random-access-channel slots to correspond to different times.

5. The method according to claim 1, wherein the determining comprises determining by a random-access-channel slot configurator.

6. The method according to claim 1, wherein the allocating the plurality of random-access-channel slots comprises independently allocating the random-access-channel slots in the cluster set.

7. The method according to claim 1, wherein the allocating the plurality of random-access-channel slots comprises allocating by network-wide planning.

8. The method according to claim 1, wherein the allocating the plurality of random-access-channel slots comprises allocating the plurality of random-access-channel slots to be equally spaced in time.

17. A computer program product, embodied on a non-transitory computer readable medium, the computer program product configured to control a processor to perform the method of claim 1.

9. An apparatus, comprising:

at least one processor; and

at least one memory including computer program code,

the at least one memory and the computer program code configured, with the at least one processor, to cause the apparatus at least to

determine a plurality of access points, wherein the plurality of access points belong to a cluster set of a user device; and

allocate a plurality of random-access-channel slots to the plurality of access points such that the plurality of random-access-channel slots are staggered in time over a random-access-channel period within a frame structure used by the user device, wherein a position of the plurality of random-access-channel slots within a sub-frame of the random-access-channel period is determined according to an integer corresponding to a number of access points of the plurality of access points in the cluster set multiplied by ten, and adding a value of one to a product of the multiplication.

10. The apparatus according to claim 9, wherein the frame structure comprises a 5G mmWave frame structure.

11. The apparatus according to claim 9, wherein the plurality of random-access-channel slots are configured for 5G synchronization of both timing and accessibility information.

12. The apparatus according to claim 9, wherein the allocating of the plurality of random-access-channel slots to be staggered in time comprises allocating the plurality of random-access-channel slots to correspond to different times.

13. The apparatus according to claim 9, wherein the apparatus comprises a random-access-channel slot configurator.

14. The apparatus according to claim 9, wherein the allocating of the plurality of random-access-channel slots comprises independently allocating the plurality of random-access-channel slots in the cluster set.

15. The apparatus according to claim 9, wherein the allocating of the plurality of random-access-channel slots comprises allocating by network-wide planning.

16. The apparatus according to claim 9, wherein the allocating of the plurality of random-access-channel slots comprises allocating the plurality of random-access-channel slots to be equally spaced in time.

18. A method, comprising:

receiving, by a user device, first information relating to a cluster set of access points;

receiving, by the user device, system information relating to the access points of the cluster set, wherein the system information indicates time instants of a plurality of random-access-channel slots for each of the access points of the cluster set; and

transmitting, by the user device, an uplink request via one of the access points of the cluster set whose random-access-channel slot occurs after arrival of data in an uplink queue of the user device, wherein a position of the plurality of random-access-channel slots within a sub-frame of the random-access-channel period is determined according to an integer corresponding to a number of access points of the plurality of access points in the cluster set multiplied by ten, and adding a value of one to a product of the multiplication.

19. The method of claim 18, wherein the receiving the system information comprises receiving system information that indicates time instants of the plurality of random-access-channel slots within a 5G mmWave frame structure used by the user device.

20. The method of claim 18, wherein the receiving the system information relating to the cluster set comprises receiving from a cluster-set manager.

21. The method of claim 18, further comprising configuring the transmitting the uplink request to use a best beam for the access point whose random-access-channel slot is being used.

26. A computer program product, embodied on a non-transitory computer readable medium, the computer program product configured to control a processor to perform the method of claim 18.

22. An apparatus, comprising:

at least one processor; and

at least one memory including computer program code,

the at least one memory and the computer program code configured, with the at least one processor, to cause the apparatus at least to

receive first information relating to a cluster set of a plurality of access points;

receive system information relating to the plurality of access points of the cluster set, wherein the system information indicates time instants of a plurality of random-access-channel slots for each of the plurality of access points of the cluster set; and

transmit an uplink request via one of the plurality of access points of the cluster set whose random-access-channel slot occurs after arrival of data in an uplink queue, wherein a position of the plurality of random-access-channel slots within a sub-frame of the random-access-channel period is determined according to an integer corresponding to a number of access points of the plurality of access points in the cluster set multiplied by ten, and adding a value of one to a product of the multiplication.

23. The apparatus of claim 22, wherein the receiving the system information comprises receiving system information that indicates time instants of the plurality of random-access-channel slots within a 5G mmWave frame structure used by the user device.

24. The apparatus of claim 22, wherein the receiving the system information relating to the cluster set comprises receiving from a cluster-set manager.

25. The apparatus of claim 22, wherein the apparatus is further caused to configure the transmitting the uplink request to use a best beam for the access point whose random-access-channel slot is being used.

27. A method, comprising:

acquiring system information relating to a plurality of access points that are accessible to a user device, wherein the system information indicates time instants of a plurality of random-access-channel slots for each of the plurality of access points; and

transmitting, by the user device, an uplink request via one of the plurality of access points of the cluster set whose random-access-channel slot occurs;

after arrival of data in an uplink queue of the user device, wherein a position of the plurality of random-access-channel slots within a sub-frame of the random-access-channel period is determined according to an integer corresponding to a number of access points of the plurality of access points in the cluster set multiplied by ten, and adding a value of one to a product of the multiplication.

28. An apparatus, comprising:

at least one processor; and

at least one memory including computer program code,

the at least one memory and the computer program code configured, with the at least one processor, to cause the apparatus at least to

acquire system information relating to a plurality of access points that are accessible to the apparatus, wherein the system information indicates time instants of a plurality of random-access-channel slots for each of the plurality of access points; and

transmit an uplink request via one of the plurality of access points of the cluster set whose random-access-channel slot occurs after arrival of data in an uplink queue of a user device, wherein a position of the plurality of random-access-channel slots within a sub-frame of the random-access-channel period is determined according to an integer corresponding to a number of access points of the plurality of access points in the cluster set multiplied by ten, and adding a value of one to a product of the multiplication.