CN107852732A - System and method for the distributed fair resource allocation in the heterogeneous network based on multi radio access technology - Google Patents

Abstract

System and method provide the embodiment for carrying out the quick and fair distributed resource allocation for carrying separation in HetNet.Distributed fair resource allocation can be performed in an independent way by HetNet each base station.Centralized resources distribution modification can be performed at centralized network entity, to strengthen the result of distributed fair resource allocation embodiment or other distributed resource allocation methods.

Description

System and method for distributed fair resource allocation in heterogeneous networks based on multiple radio access technologies

RELATED APPLICATIONS

This application is an international application entitled "FAST AND FAIR disabled BEARER SPLITTING IN HETNET (fast and fair DISTRIBUTED BEARER separation in HetNet)" filed 2015, 7/30, which is incorporated herein by reference in its entirety.

Technical Field

The present disclosure relates generally to wireless communications over heterogeneous wireless communication systems.

Drawings

Fig. 1 is an example heterogeneous network with different radio access technologies at various base stations within the network.

Fig. 2 is a flow diagram of a distributed fair resource allocation process according to one embodiment of the present disclosure.

FIG. 3 is a flow diagram of a centralized resource allocation modification process, according to one embodiment.

Fig. 4 illustrates example components of a user equipment device for one embodiment.

Fig. 5 is a block diagram illustrating electronic device circuitry 500, in accordance with various embodiments, the electronic device circuitry 500 may be eNB circuitry, UE circuitry, network node circuitry, or some other type of circuitry.

Detailed Description

Wireless mobile communication technologies use various standards and protocols to transfer data between base stations and wireless communication devices. Wireless Wide Area Network (WWAN) communication system standards and protocols may include, for example, the third generation partnership project (3 GPP) Long Term Evolution (LTE), and the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE) 802.16 standards, commonly referred to in the industry as Worldwide Interoperability for Microwave Access (WiMAX). A Wireless Local Area Network (WLAN) may include, for example, the IEEE 802.11 standard (commonly referred to in the industry as WiFi). Other WWAN and WLAN standards and protocols are also known.

In a 3GPP Radio Access Network (RAN) in an LTE system, a base station may include an evolved universal terrestrial radio access network (E-UTRAN) node B (also commonly denoted as evolved node B, enhanced node B, eNodeB, or eNB) and/or a Radio Network Controller (RNC) in the E-UTRAN, which communicates with wireless communication devices, referred to as User Equipment (UE). In an LTE network, an E-UTRAN may include multiple enbs and may communicate with multiple UEs. An Evolved Packet Core (EPC) may communicatively couple the E-UTRAN to an external network such as the internet. LTE networks include Radio Access Technologies (RATs) and core radio network architectures, which may provide high data rates, low latency, packet optimization, and improved system capacity and coverage.

In a homogeneous network, a node (also referred to as a macro node or macro cell) may provide basic radio coverage for wireless devices in the cell. A cell may be an area in which a wireless device is operable to communicate with a macro node. Heterogeneous networks (hetnets) can be used to handle the traffic load on macro nodes that is increased due to the use and increased functionality of wireless devices. Hetnets may include a layer of planned high power macro nodes (macro enbs or macro cells) overlaid with a layer of lower power nodes (small cells, small enbs, micro enbs, pico enbs, femto enbs, or home enbs henbs) that may be deployed within the coverage area (cell) of the macro node in a not well-planned or even completely uncoordinated manner. The lower power nodes may be generally referred to as "small cells," small nodes, or low power nodes. Hetnets may also include various types of nodes utilizing different types of RATs, e.g., LTE enbs, 3G nodebs, wiFi APs, and WiMAX base stations.

As used herein, the terms "node" and "cell" are intended to be synonymous and refer to a wireless transmission point operable to communicate with multiple wireless mobile devices (e.g., UEs) or another base station. Furthermore, the cell or node may also be a WiFi Access Point (AP), or a multi-radio cell with both WiFi/cellular or another RAT. For example, a node or cell may include various technologies that enable cells operating on different RATs to be integrated in one unified HetNet.

Considerable effort has been directed to selecting the best RAT or base station for a client or User Equipment (UE) through which all traffic for the UE is subsequently communicated. This is primarily because network architectures have not heretofore supported traffic separation.

However, traffic separation may play a crucial role in load balancing in emerging multi-Radio Access Technology (RAT) based hetnets. Recent developments, for example, 3GPP RAN working group 2&3 may support algorithms for traffic separation for the ongoing standardization of "3 GPP RAN anchored WLAN" network architecture for LTE-WLAN aggregation (LWA) of release 13. In this architecture, the 3GPP interface serves as a control and mobility anchor for the WLAN link, which serves as an additional "carrier" within the 3GPP network and for data offloading. The 3GPP has agreed the following PDCP offload solution for WLAN aggregation, where PDCP packets are sent via an Xw interface (e.g., GTP-U) to a WLAN termination point (which may be an Access Point (AP) or access controller AP). It has also been proposed to make WLAN offloading transparent to the WLAN AP (e.g., no AP impact) by sending either upper or lower PDCP IP or PDCP data over an IP/IP-sec tunnel between the eNB and the UE. Here the bearer traffic may be completely offloaded to WLAN, or the bearer may be split over both WLAN and LTE links. One of the key design issues is how to split traffic across these different RATs for each UE to maximize system performance.

Various architecture frameworks have been proposed for LWA bearer splitting anchored to the 3GPP WLAN architecture. A general architecture has been proposed that is applicable to several different protocol aggregation solutions, e.g., the bearer split "push" and "pull" models. Many key principles of these architectures can operate efficiently across both co-located and non-co-located WLAN deployments and across uplink and downlink bearer separations, and can support various protocol aggregation solutions that are currently available. To take advantage of the capabilities of these architectures, bearer splitting algorithms have also been proposed to minimize the maximum delay observed by typical users in the network. However, in currently available bearer separation algorithms, network-wide fairness is not considered.

Embodiments of fast and fair distributed resource allocation for bearer separation in hetnets are provided. Distributed fair resource allocation can be performed by each base station of the HetNet in an independent manner. Centralized resource allocation modifications may be performed at a centralized network entity to enhance the results of distributed fair resource allocation embodiments or other distributed resource allocation methods.

In some embodiments of the present disclosure, distributed fair resource allocation may be performed. Each client (e.g., UE) may share information about its physical layer (PHY) rate and the total service rate achieved (e.g., total throughput) to all base stations for which the client has a non-zero PHY rate (e.g., LTE eNB, 3G NodeB, wiFi AP, and WiMAX base station). The base station then distributively and independently computes the resources (e.g., time resource portions) that should be allocated to each client in a manner that increases overall fairness across all clients.

In some embodiments of the present disclosure, centralized resource allocation modification may be performed. The base stations may share information about clients connected to them, their service rates and/or PHY rates to a centralized controller. The centralized controller may then opportunistically enhance the results of the distributed resource allocation (e.g., the distributed fair resource allocation embodiments disclosed herein).

In general, conventional architectures and discussions and literature on these conventional architectures assume the existence of a centralized network entity. However, such a centralized architecture design may require real-time signal sharing between the base stations and the central entity, which may be a bottleneck in situations with large network size, with high network dynamics, or where there is no low latency link between the base stations and the central entity.

The distributed fair resource allocation of the presently disclosed embodiments may be performed autonomously by each base station and is a fully distributed solution. The centralized resource allocation modification of the presently disclosed embodiments may be performed independently of distributed fair resource allocation, e.g., with other distributed resource allocation methods. The hybrid approach of the presently disclosed embodiments can utilize both the distributed fair resource allocation disclosed herein as well as the centralized resource allocation modification disclosed herein. The hybrid approach may utilize opportunistic network supervision and may have scalable computational complexity. This makes the hybrid design suitable for network dynamics and varying delays between the base station and the central entity.

More specifically, some embodiments herein may provide bearer separation across multiple RATs disposed at separate and distinct nodes within the HetNet (e.g., an eNB providing WWAN service and a wifi ap providing WLAN service). The radio links may include WLAN links, LTE links (or other WWAN links), millimeter wave links, and so on. For bearer separation, it may be desirable to determine the portion of traffic sent on each link (or via each base station) (e.g., bearer separation control). The bearer split decision may take into account link quality and traffic quality of service (QoS) requirements across users. Embodiments of fast and fair distributed bearer splitting using distributed fair resource allocation are provided. The decision on how to separate bearer traffic, or how to allocate resources in the separated bearer traffic, may be performed by each base station of the HetNet in an independent manner. Centralized resource allocation modification can be performed at a centralized network entity to enhance the results of distributed fair resource allocation.

Fig. 1 is an example heterogeneous network (HetNet) 100 that may include and/or be coupled to an operator network 101 and may provide different radio access technologies at various base stations 102, including, for example, mmwave base station 102a, wiMAX base station 102b, LTE eNB 102c, LTE pico cell 102d, 3g NodeB 102e, and WiFi AP 102f (individually and collectively referred to as 102). The HetNet100 provides or otherwise enables wireless communication through one or more clients or User Equipment (UEs) 110 (e.g., smart phone 110a, laptop 110b, tablet 110c, etc.). The operator network 101 may be coupled to the internet 10 or a similar publicly accessible computer network including one or more IP application servers 50. The operator network may also include a centralized controller, e.g., a multi-chassis controller (MRC) 120, with some backbone connections to different base stations 102. MRC 120 may direct bearer traffic to various base stations 102. The HetNet100 provides bearer traffic to a plurality of UEs 110 through a base station 102. The HetNet100 potentially uses different RATs to achieve bearer traffic separation across, for example, two or more base stations 102. In other words, the UE110 may transmit and/or receive content of a single source content provider over multiple RATs, which may also be via multiple base stations 102.

In the case where the operator primarily provides LTE or LTE-advanced wireless communication services, the HetNet100 may include multiple enbs 102c (macro cells), multiple LTE pico cells 102d, and/or multiple 3G nodebs 102e. The HetNet100 may optionally include one or more additional RATs in different base stations 102, e.g., as shown in fig. 1, to supplement the primary LTE RAT.

Each base station 102 has a limited transmission range and thus the set of UEs 110 served by each base station 102 is limited to UEs 110 within range of the base station 102. The coverage areas of adjacent base stations 102 may overlap. In determining which of the base stations 102 using the same technology the UE110 should associate with (e.g., selecting the best WiFi base station if the client has a WiFi RAT), the present disclosure may assume that there is a rule to predetermine the client RAT-BS association, e.g., based on maximum received signal strength, or any load balancing algorithm.

Further, each UE110 may include multiple RATs and thus may access multiple base stations 102. The present disclosure assumes that each base station 102 uses multiple RATs to separate bearer traffic to each UE110 through multiple base stations 102. A design consideration in HetNet100 regarding the use of multiple RATs to separate bearer traffic to UE110 through multiple base stations 102 is how traffic should be separated across these different base stations 102 to maximize performance.

The present disclosure provides systems and methods for performing fast and fair distributed resource allocation for bearer splitting in a HetNet 100. Distributed fair resource allocation may be performed by each base station 102 in an independent manner. Each client UE110 may share information about its PHY rate and total service rate (e.g., total throughput) to all base stations 102 having a non-zero PHY rate for its UE 110. Base station 102 then distributively and independently computes resources (e.g., portions of time resources) that should be allocated to each UE110 in a manner that increases overall fairness across all UEs 110.

The present disclosure also provides for centralized resource allocation modification of distributed resource allocation. The HetNet100 may include a centralized resource allocation modification that may be performed at a centralized network controller, such as the MRC 120. Base station 102 may share information with centralized network controller 120 regarding which UEs 110 are connected to base station 102, the resource allocation to each UE110, and the PHY rate implemented at each UE 110. The centralized controller 120 can then opportunistically enhance the results of the distributed resource allocation performed by the base station 102.

As can be appreciated, the systems and methods disclosed herein can be deployed in any of a variety of HetNet architectures that provide wireless communication to UEs.

Fig. 2 is a flow diagram of a distributed fair resource allocation process 200 according to one embodiment of the present disclosure. Process 200 may be implemented by a system comprising a HetNet wireless network deployment comprising a set of base stations M = {1.. M } and a set of clients N = {1.. N } (e.g., UEs). Fig. 1 shows an example of such a system with M base stations 102 and N hetnets of UEs 110. The system may be a multi-rate system and use R _i,j To represent the PHY rate from base station j for UE i. Since each base station j serves more than one client i, the clients may share resources such as time and frequency slots (e.g., in 3G/4G) or transmission opportunities (e.g., in WiFi). PHY Rate R from base station j experienced by client i _i,j And therefore depends on the load of base station j, and will thus be R _i,j A part of (a). In some embodiments, each base station j may employ a Time Division Multiple Access (TDMA) throughput sharing model, and λ _i,j Portion that can represent the time allocated to client i by base station jAnd (4) dividing. Thus, the throughput from base station j achieved by client i is equal to λ _i,j R _i,j And its overall throughput will be the sum of the throughputs achieved across all base stations.

The performance metric in embodiments of the present disclosure is referred to as the service rate and may be represented by h _i It is a generic term that is a concept of quality of service (QoS) or performance implemented by a client i, and covers metrics such as "throughput," "weighted throughput," and other metrics. Some embodiments are general and encompass and apply to h _i As long as h is within the definition set forth _i Is R _i,j And λ _i,j Is increased. Two example service rates h _i The definition is as follows:

the process 200 of fig. 2 includes a generic distributed resource allocation algorithm implemented by each base station in the HetNet. Each client i reports its current service rate h to all base stations for which the client has a non-zero PHY rate _i And the PHY rate it implements or otherwise observes. In turn, each base station attempts to locally equalize the service rate across all of its multiple clients. The process 200 of fig. 2 may equalize service rates across multiple clients and improve fairness by: (i) ordering based on service rate: the plurality of clients are ordered based on their total received service rates from other base stations; and (ii) equalizing service rates: resources are transferred from a high service rate client to a lower service rate client. Process 200 enables a base station to locally enhance fairness across its multiple clients.

Receiving (202) a pair service rate h from each client i of a plurality of clients _i Is indicated. For service rate h _i May depend on how the service rate h is defined _i . In some embodiments, the indication received (202) may comprise an indication from an other than instantaneous (instant) base station implemented at the clientAggregation of link service rates for one or more other base stations than j. In some embodiments, the indication may be the total throughput h _i A form (e.g., a form defined above) is received (202). The indication may also be made as a current time resource portion λ from the current resource allocation (including from one or more other base stations not including the immediate base station j) _i,j ) Realized PHY Rate R _i,j Is received (202).

The plurality of clients of the base station are ordered (204) according to the service rate achieved by each client. The ordering 204 may be based on h 'from other base stations' _i Service rate of implementation, such that h' ₁ ≤…≤h′ _k ≤h′ _k+1 ≤…≤h′ _n 。

A new resource allocation that will enhance the balancing of service rates across multiple clients is determined (206). The new resource allocation may be referred to as a more balanced service rate across multiple clients. Equalization may be a trend toward fairness goals. The fairness goal may be determined by or otherwise dependent on the definition of service rate and the definition of fairness. Fairness is not limited to equal allocated resources, equal service rates, and/or equal PHY rates. Fairness goals can broadly encompass any goal that enhances overall effectiveness, efficiency, and/or performance of a system. For example, in a system including a first UE (with 3G and WiFi capabilities) and a second UE (with LTE, 3G and WiFi capabilities), the fairness objective may be to cause the second UE to achieve a much higher overall throughput than the first UE (simply because of the faster PHY rate that may be achieved by the additional LTE RAT).

In service h _i In some embodiments, defined as weighted aggregate throughput, the new resource allocation achieves a more balanced service rate h ″, per UE _i So that:

h″ _k+1 ,…,h″ _n′ is not less than gamma and lambda _i,j ＝0

Where γ is the client group service rate, updated resource portion λ' _i,j Is for a time resource part lambda _i , _j Is updated to implement h ″ _i And h ″) _i Is the total service rate which is the more balanced service rate achieved by UE i after the new resource allocation by the base station. A new allocated resource may be determined to achieve a more balanced service rate h' for multiple UEs by _i : determining an updated resource portion λ' _ij Client index k, and client group service rate γ such that:

h′ _k <γ≤h′ _k+1

wherein, ω is _i Is a weight for UE i of the plurality of UEs.

The client index k may be determined, for example, by examining the following inequality:

…

k＝n′

the client group service rate γ may be determined as follows:

with the determined client index k and client group service rate γ, the updated resource portion λ 'can be readily determined by solving the following equation' _i,j ：

A randomization parameter p can be introduced _j To avoid simultaneous adaptation of multiple base stations to a single client.

The foregoing example of an algorithm for determining fair allocation of resources in a distributed manner may be summarized as the following pseudo code for a distributed fair resource allocation algorithm according to one embodiment:

some algorithms for determining fair resource allocation may be stable or balanced so that additional equalizations may have a nominal impact. In a balanced state, the process of determining and/or transmitting a new resource allocation may be expensive relative to any benefit. Accordingly, techniques to reduce processing and/or transmission may be introduced as process 200 approaches and/or reaches an equilibrium state.

In some embodiments, whether the new resource allocation includes an updated resource portion λ' _i,j May depend on the equalized service rate h ″ _i Whether or not to exhibit a minimum service rate min h with respect to the current _i Increased by the product factor (1+d). Specifically, if h ″) _i ≥min h _i (1+d), a new resource allocation is sent to each UE; and if h ″) _i <min h _i (1+d), then a new resource allocation is not sent to each UEAnd the base station communicates with the plurality of UEs according to the current resource allocation.

The centralized intervention process may also enhance performance regardless of or beyond the equilibrium state, e.g., as will be described below with reference to fig. 3.

The new resource allocation for each of the plurality of clients is sent (208) or otherwise communicated to the plurality of clients. E.g., updated resource portion λ' _i,j Can be sent to each client i. Each client may utilize the new resource allocation, or a relevant portion thereof, to configure communications with base station j in accordance with the new resource allocation.

The base station may then communicate with each of the plurality of clients according to the new resource allocation (210).

The distributed fair resource allocation process 200 of fig. 2 can operate efficiently in a distributed manner without any centralized control to improve the performance of the HetNet in terms of fairness targets.

In other embodiments, centralized intervention may improve the efficiency of the distributed fair resource allocation process 200 of fig. 2 as well as other distributed resource allocation processes. In such hybrid embodiments, both a distributed resource allocation process and a centralized intervention process are utilized. One example of a centralized intervention process is described below with reference to fig. 3. The centralized intervention process may be implemented by or by a Network Controller (NC) having information about the client groups linked to each base station of the network and the PHY rates of those client groups.

In an actual HetNet deployment, the central entity will have different communication links (with different delays, capacities, etc.) to different base stations. This, in combination with the degree of network dynamics (e.g., client mobility), puts a limit on how often resource allocations need to be recalculated and thus how much processing can be done in the NC.

For example, in static (low mobility) networks where the base station has a high capacity link to the NC, the resource allocation problem can be solved in a completely centralized way. In contrast, in the absence of a central controller (e.g. when different base stations belong to different network operators) or in highly dynamic networks with low capacity BS-NC links, the problem can only be solved in a fully distributed manner.

The disclosed hybrid embodiments provide a mid-ground architecture that divides the processing and/or computation into two parts: distributed computation by each base station is followed by adjustable (in terms of computation time) opportunistic centralized supervision that enhances the results of the distributed solution.

Fig. 3 is a flow diagram of a centralized resource allocation modification process 300 according to one embodiment. A Network Controller (NC) is assumed, or a base station or other network element is assumed that functions as a centralized entity with backbone connections to other base stations. Process 300 may identify cyclic shifts across base stations and modify their resource portions (e.g., time resource portion λ) _i,j ) So that the result has a higher maximum-minimum fair allocation than the starting point. The process 300 may centrally modify the resource allocation by: (i) constructing a directed graph representation of the HetNet; (ii) determining an appropriate shift of resources for each edge; and (iii) a predetermined number of iterations: (a) Looking for a directed loop in the graph (e.g., by using a depth first search method) and (b) looking for an optimal value for the shifted resource portion and modifying the base station resources accordingly.

Receiving (302) PHY rates R from a plurality of base stations _i,j For use in the PHY rate matrix R _i,j ] _N×M And also receives (302) a time resource portion lambda _i,j For the resource allocation matrix lambda _i,j ] _N×M Where N is the number of UEs, M is the number of base stations, R _i,j Is the PHY rate from base station j, achieved at UE i, and λ _i,j Is the portion of time resources for UE i that passes through base station j.

Construct (304) graph G = (V, E), where V is the set of vertices and E is the set of edges between vertices. Each vertex j in V corresponds to a base station j. There is a directed edge E in E from j to j', where R _i,j <R _i,j′ And λ _i,j >0。

Determining (306) a time resource portion λ for each edge e _i,j To the appropriate offset. Determining a time resource portion λ for each directed edge E of E _i,j May include for where R _i,j <R _i,j′ And λ _i,j &Each UE i of gt, 0 defines ε _j,j′ ＝max _i λ _i,j And i ^j,j′ ＝arg max _i λ _i,j 。

An adjustment variable T is received (308) specifying a number of iterations for adjusting the computation time. The computation time of the apparatus implementing process 300 may be adjustable by adjusting iteration T.

A predetermined number of iterations T is performed for: identifying (310) a directed loop in the graph G, determining (312) a time resource portion λ _i,j And dividing the time resource by λ _i,j Is transmitted (314) to the corresponding base station j.

A directed loop in the graph G may be determined (312) using a depth first search method.

Can be determined by setting ε = min { ε _j′1,j′2 ,ε _j′2,j′3 ,…,ε _j′k,j′1 Determining (312) a time resource portion λ _i,j And e = (j', j ") for each edge in c: setting i '= ij', j "; setting lambda _i′,j′ ＝λ _i′,j′ -epsilon; setting lambda _i′,j″ ＝λ _i′,j″ + ε; if λ _i′,j′ =0, E is removed from E; and update epsilon _j′,j″ And i ^j′,j″ 。

The above example of an algorithm for centralized intervention can be summarized as the following pseudo code for a centralized resource allocation modification algorithm according to one embodiment:

additional strategies may be used to reduce the convergence time of the distributed fair resource allocation process 200 of fig. 2 and the centralized resource modification process 300 of fig. 3. First, note that since the distributed fair resource allocation process 200 operates on real numbers, the convergence time can be theoretically unbounded. The problem can be easily solved by defining a discretization factor for the service rate or time portion. In particular, we can avoid this problem by defining the following attributes or policies: during service rate equalization by the base station in performing distributed fair resource allocation process 200, the local minimum service rate must be increased by at least a multiplicative factor equal to 1+d, as described above.

Additional strategies may be used to define the order in which the base station performs the distributed fair resource allocation process 200 and to guarantee a linear bound on the convergence time: the base station serving the client with the lowest service rate across all clients has a higher priority for service rate balancing. By randomizing the base station parameter p _j And service rate to easily implement this second policy in distributed fair resource allocation process 200. Further, in a network (e.g., an enterprise network) where a wired backbone exists, each base station may broadcast its minimum service rate to other base stations so that the base stations may distributively determine the order (or adjust their p) based on the minimum service rates of the other base stations _j )。

The embodiments described herein may be implemented in a system using any suitably configured hardware and/or software. Fig. 4 illustrates example components of a UE device 400 for one embodiment. In some embodiments, the UE device 400 may include application circuitry 402, baseband circuitry 404, radio Frequency (RF) circuitry 406, front End Module (FEM) circuitry 408, and one or more antennas 410 coupled together at least as shown.

The application circuitry 402 may include one or more application processors. For example, the application circuitry 402 may include circuitry such as, but not limited to: one or more single-core or multi-core processors. The processor(s) may include any combination of general-purpose processors and special-purpose processors (e.g., graphics processors, application processors, etc.). The processor may be coupled with and/or may include memory/storage and may be configured to execute instructions stored in the memory/storage to enable various applications and/or operating systems to run on the system.

Baseband circuitry 404 may include circuitry such as, but not limited to: one or more single-core or multi-core processors. Baseband circuitry 404 may include one or more baseband processors and/or control logic to process baseband signals received from the receive signal path of RF circuitry 406 and to generate baseband signals for the transmit signal path of RF circuitry 406. Baseband processing circuits 404 may interface with application circuits 402 to generate and process baseband signals and to control the operation of RF circuits 406. For example, in some embodiments, baseband circuitry 404 may include a second generation (2G) baseband processor 404a, a third generation (3G) baseband processor 404b, a fourth generation (4G) baseband processor 404c, and/or other baseband processor(s) 404d for other existing generations, generations in development, or generations to be developed in the future (e.g., fifth generation (5G), sixth generation (6G), etc.). The baseband circuitry 404 (e.g., one or more of the baseband processors 404 a-d) may handle various radio control functions that enable communication with one or more radio networks via the RF circuitry 406. Radio control functions may include, but are not limited to: signal modulation/demodulation, encoding/decoding, radio frequency shifting, etc. In some embodiments, the modulation/demodulation circuitry of baseband circuitry 404 may include Fast Fourier Transform (FFT), precoding, and/or constellation mapping/demapping functions. In some embodiments, the encoding/decoding circuitry of baseband circuitry 404 may include convolution, tail-biting convolution, turbo, viterbi, and/or Low Density Parity Check (LDPC) encoder/decoder functionality. Embodiments of modulation/demodulation and encoder/decoder functions are not limited to these examples, and other suitable functions may be included in other embodiments.

In some embodiments, baseband circuitry 404 may include elements of a protocol stack, such as elements of an evolved universal terrestrial radio access network (E-UTRAN) protocol, including: such as Physical (PHY), medium Access Control (MAC), radio Link Control (RLC), packet Data Convergence Protocol (PDCP), and/or Radio Resource Control (RRC) elements. A Central Processing Unit (CPU) 404e of the baseband circuitry 404 may be configured to run elements of a protocol stack to signal the PHY, MAC, RLC, PDCP, and/or RRC layers. In some embodiments, the baseband circuitry 404 may include one or more audio Digital Signal Processors (DSPs) 404f. The audio DSP(s) 404f may include elements for compression/decompression and echo cancellation, and may include other suitable processing elements in other embodiments. The components of baseband circuitry 404 may be suitably combined in a single chip, a single chip set, or suitably arranged on the same circuit board. In some embodiments, some or all of the constituent components of the baseband circuitry 404 and the application circuitry 402 may be implemented together, for example, on a system on a chip (SOC).

In some embodiments, the baseband circuitry 404 may provide communications compatible with one or more radio technologies. For example, in some embodiments, baseband circuitry 404 may support communication with an evolved universal terrestrial radio access network (E-UTRAN) and/or other Wireless Metropolitan Area Networks (WMANs), wireless Local Area Networks (WLANs), or Wireless Personal Area Networks (WPANs). Embodiments in which the baseband circuitry 404 is configured to support radio communications of more than one wireless protocol may be referred to as multi-mode baseband circuitry.

RF circuitry 406 may enable communication with a wireless network using modulated electromagnetic radiation through a non-solid medium. In various embodiments, RF circuitry 406 may include switches, filters, amplifiers, and the like to facilitate communication with the wireless network. RF circuitry 406 may include a receive signal path, which may include circuitry to down-convert RF signals received from FEM circuitry 408 and provide baseband signals to baseband circuitry 404. RF circuitry 406 may also include a transmit signal path, which may include circuitry to up-convert baseband signals provided by baseband circuitry 404 and provide RF output signals to FEM circuitry 408 for transmission.

In some embodiments, the receive signal path of RF circuitry 406 may include mixer circuitry 406a, amplifier circuitry 406b, and filter circuitry 406c. The transmit signal path of RF circuitry 406 may include filter circuitry 406c and mixer circuitry 406a. RF circuitry 406 may also include synthesizer circuitry 406d for synthesizing the frequency spectrum for use by mixer circuitry 406a of the receive signal path and the transmit signal path. In some embodiments, the mixer circuitry 406a of the receive signal path may be configured to down-convert the RF signal received from the FEM circuitry 408 based on the synthesized frequency provided by the synthesizer circuitry 406 d. The amplifier circuit 406b may be configured to amplify the downconverted signal, and the filter circuit 406c may be a Low Pass Filter (LPF) or a Band Pass Filter (BPF) configured to remove unwanted signals from the downconverted signal to generate an output baseband signal. The output baseband signal may be provided to baseband circuitry 404 for further processing. In some embodiments, the output baseband signal may be a zero frequency baseband signal, but this is not required. In some embodiments, mixer circuitry 406a of the receive signal path may comprise a passive mixer, although the scope of the embodiments is not limited in this respect.

In some embodiments, the mixer circuitry 406a of the transmit signal path may be configured to upconvert the input baseband signal based on a synthesis frequency provided by the synthesizer circuitry 406d to generate an RF output signal for the FEM circuitry 408. The baseband signal may be provided by the baseband circuitry 404 and may be filtered by the filter circuitry 406c. Filter circuit 406c may include a Low Pass Filter (LPF), although the scope of the embodiments is not limited in this respect.

In some embodiments, mixer circuitry 406a of the receive signal path and mixer circuitry 406a of the transmit signal path may comprise two or more mixers and may be arranged for quadrature down-conversion and/or quadrature up-conversion, respectively. In some embodiments, the mixer circuitry 406a of the receive signal path and the mixer circuitry 406a of the transmit signal path may include two or more mixers and may be arranged for image rejection (e.g., hartley image rejection). In some embodiments, mixer circuitry 406a of the receive signal path and mixer circuitry 406a of the transmit signal path may be arranged for direct down-conversion and/or direct up-conversion, respectively. In some embodiments, mixer circuit 406a of the receive signal path and mixer circuit 406a of the transmit signal path may be configured for superheterodyne operation.

In some embodiments, the output baseband signal and the input baseband signal may be analog baseband signals, although the scope of the embodiments is not limited in this respect. In some alternative embodiments, the output baseband signal and the input baseband signal may be digital baseband signals. In these alternative embodiments, RF circuitry 406 may include analog-to-digital converter (ADC) and digital-to-analog converter (DAC) circuitry, and baseband circuitry 404 may include a digital baseband interface to communicate with RF circuitry 406.

In some dual-mode embodiments, separate radio IC circuits may be provided to process signals for each spectrum, although the scope of the embodiments is not limited in this respect.

In some embodiments, synthesizer circuit 406d may be a fractional-N synthesizer or a fractional-N/N +1 synthesizer, although the scope of the embodiments is not limited in this respect as other types of frequency synthesizers may be suitable. For example, synthesizer circuit 406d may be a delta-sigma (delta-sigma) synthesizer, a frequency multiplier, or a synthesizer including a phase locked loop with a frequency divider.

The synthesizer circuit 406d may be configured to synthesize an output frequency based on the frequency input and the divider control input for use by the mixer circuit 406a of the RF circuit 406. In some embodiments, synthesizer circuit 406d may be a fractional N/N +1 synthesizer.

In some embodiments, the frequency input may be provided by a Voltage Controlled Oscillator (VCO), but this is not required. The divider control input may be provided by baseband circuitry 404 or application circuitry 402, depending on the desired output frequency. In some embodiments, the divider control input (e.g., N) may be determined from a look-up table based on the channel indicated by the application circuitry 402.

Synthesizer circuit 406d of RF circuit 406 may include a frequency divider, a Delay Locked Loop (DLL), a multiplexer, and a phase accumulator. In some embodiments, the divider may be a dual-mode divider (DMD) and the phase accumulator may be a Digital Phase Accumulator (DPA). In some embodiments, the DMD may be configured to divide the input signal by N or N +1 (e.g., based on execution) to provide a fractional division ratio. In some example embodiments, a DLL may include a set of cascaded, tunable delay elements, a phase detector, a charge pump, and a D-type flip-flop. In these embodiments, the delay elements may be configured to decompose the VCO period into at most Nd equal phase groups, where Nd is the number of delay elements in the delay line. In this manner, the DLL provides negative feedback to help ensure that the total delay through the delay line is one VCO cycle.

In some embodiments, synthesizer circuit 406d may be configured to generate a carrier frequency as the output frequency, while in other embodiments, the output frequency may be a multiple of the carrier frequency (e.g., twice the carrier frequency, four times the carrier frequency) and may be used in conjunction with a quadrature generator and divider circuit to generate multiple signals at carrier frequencies having multiple different phases that are different from one another. In some embodiments, the output frequency may be the LO frequency (fLO). In an example, the RF circuit 406 may include an IQ/polarity converter.

FEM circuitry 408 may include a receive signal path, which may include circuitry configured to operate on received RF signals from one or more antennas 410, amplify the received signals, and provide amplified versions of the received signals to RF circuitry 406 for further processing. FEM circuitry 408 may also include a transmit signal path, which may include circuitry configured to amplify signals provided by RF circuitry 406 for transmission by one or more of the one or more antennas 410.

In some embodiments, the FEM circuitry 408 may include TX/RX switches to switch between transmit mode and receive mode operation. The receive signal path of FEM circuitry 408 may include a Low Noise Amplifier (LNA) to amplify the received RF signal and provide the amplified received RF signal as an output (e.g., to RF circuitry 406). The transmit signal path of FEM circuitry 408 may include a Power Amplifier (PA) to amplify an input RF signal (e.g., provided by RF circuitry 406) and may include one or more filters to generate an RF signal for subsequent transmission (e.g., by one or more of one or more antennas 410).

In some embodiments, the UE device 400 may include additional elements, such as memory/storage, a display, a camera, sensors, and/or input/output (I/O) interfaces.

Fig. 5 is a block diagram illustrating electronic device circuitry 500, which electronic device circuitry 500 may be eNB (or other base station) circuitry, UE circuitry, network controller circuitry, network node circuitry, or some other type of circuitry, in accordance with various embodiments. In embodiments, the electronic device circuitry 500 may be, may be incorporated into, or may otherwise be part of: an eNB, a UE, a network node, or some other type of electronic device. In an embodiment, the electronic device circuitry 500 may include radio transmit circuitry 510 and receive circuitry 512 coupled to control circuitry 514. In embodiments, transmit circuitry 510 and/or receive circuitry 512 may be elements or modules of transceiver circuitry, as shown. The electronic device circuitry 500 may be coupled with one or more antenna elements 516 of the one or more antennas. The electronic device circuitry 500 may include or may otherwise have access to one or more memories 518 or computer-readable storage media. The electronic device circuitry 500 and/or components of the electronic device circuitry 500 may be configured to perform operations similar to those described elsewhere in this disclosure.

In embodiments where the electronic device circuitry 500 is, or is incorporated into, or is otherwise part of, a UE (or other client), the receive circuitry 512 may receive a resource allocation, e.g., a portion of time resources at a PHY rate at which bearer traffic may be expected to be received, from an evolved NodeB (eNB) (or other base station) of a Long Term Evolution (LTE) network. Control circuitry 514 may determine the service rates provided by receive circuitry 512 and transmit circuitry 510. The transmit circuitry 510 may transmit an indication of the achieved service rate and bearer traffic to an eNB (or other base station) in accordance with the resource allocation.

In embodiments where the electronic device circuitry 500 is, or is incorporated into, or is otherwise part of an eNB and/or network node, the receive circuitry 512 may receive from the UE (or other client) an indication of the service rate achieved at the UE from all base stations. The control circuitry 514 may distributively and independently compute resources (e.g., portions of time resources) that should be allocated to the UE and other UEs in a manner that increases overall fairness across all UEs. The transmit circuitry 510 may transmit the new resource allocation to a User Equipment (UE) of a Long Term Evolution (LTE) network.

In some embodiments, the electronic device circuitry 500 shown in fig. 5 may be operable to perform one or more methods or processes, such as the processes shown in fig. 2 and 3. In particular, when included in a base station, the control circuitry 514 is operable to perform the process of fig. 2. When included in a network controller (multi-chassis controller), a centralized base station, or other centralized network node, the control circuitry 514 is operable to perform the process of fig. 3.

As used herein, the term "circuitry" may refer to, may be part of, or may include the following: an Application Specific Integrated Circuit (ASIC), an electronic circuit, a processor (shared, dedicated, or group) and/or memory (shared, dedicated, or group) that executes one or more software or firmware programs, a combinational logic circuit, and/or other suitable hardware components that provide the described functionality. In some embodiments, the circuitry may be implemented in, or functions associated with, one or more software or firmware modules. In some embodiments, a circuit may comprise logic that may operate, at least in part, in hardware.

Examples of the invention

The following examples relate to further embodiments.

Example 1 is a base station operating in a Radio Access Network (RAN) based heterogeneous network. The base station includes a wireless interface and one or more processors. The wireless interface includes transmit circuitry and receive circuitry and communicates with various User Equipment (UE) according to resource allocations. The receive circuitry receives, from each UE, an indication of a rate of service implemented at the UE from one or more other base stations. The processor ranks the UEs according to service rates achieved at each UE from one or more other base stations. The processor determines a new resource allocation that will enhance the balancing of the service rates of the UEs, sends the new resource allocation to each UE via the wireless interface, the new resource allocation organizing the UEs for communication with the base station in accordance with the new resource allocation, and for communication with the UEs via the wireless interface in accordance with the new resource allocation.

Example 2 includes the base station of example 1, wherein the wireless interface is to communicate with the UE using a Radio Access Technology (RAT), and wherein the one or more other base stations are to communicate with the UE using another RAT.

Example 3 includes the base station of any of examples 1-2, wherein the wireless interface is to communicate with the UE using a Radio Access Technology (RAT), and wherein the one or more other base stations are to communicate with the UE using the same RAT.

Example 4 includes the base station of any of examples 1-3, wherein the indication of the service rate achieved at the UE comprises a total throughput h _i The total throughput h _i Is an aggregation of the service rates achieved from all base stations, including the base station and one or more other base stations, such that:

where M is the number of base stations in a set of base stations including the base station, R _i,j Is the PHY rate from base station j for UE i, and λ _i,j Is the portion of time resources for UE i that is obtained by base station j.

Example 5 includes the base station of any of examples 1-4, wherein the indication of the service rate achieved at the UE comprises an aggregation of service rates achieved only from one or more other base stations and not the base station.

Example 6 includes the base station of example 1, wherein the indication of the rate of service comprises h' _i H 'of' _i Is the total service rate h achieved from other base stations _i A part of (a).

Example 7 includes the base station of example 6, wherein,

λ _i,j is a resource part, and

R _i,j is the PHY rate from base station j for UE i,

wherein the one or more processors of base station j are by h' _i The UEs are ordered in the following order:

h′ ₁ ≤…≤h′ _k ≤h′ _k+1 ≤…≤h′ _n′ ，

wherein the new resource allocation achieves a more balanced service rate h ″, for each UE _i So that:

h″ _k+1 ,…,h″ _n′ is not less than gamma and lambda _i,j ＝0

Where γ is the client group service rate and the updated resource portion λ' _i,j Is to lambda _i,j Is updated to achieve h ″) _i 。

Example 8 includes the base station of example 7, wherein the more balanced service rate h ″ _i Is the total service rate which is the more balanced service rate achieved by UE i after the new resource allocation by the base station.

Example 9 includes the base station of example 7, wherein the one or more processors are to determine the new allocated resources to achieve a more balanced service rate h ″' for the plurality of UEs by _i : determining an updated resource portion λ' _i,j Client, clientA client index k, and a client group service rate γ such that:

h′ _k <γ≤h′ _k+1

and wherein ω is _i Is the weight of UE i for the UE.

Example 10 includes the base station of example 9, wherein the one or more processors determine the client index k by examining an inequality:

if it is notOtherwise

If it is notOtherwise

…

If it is notOtherwise

Example 11 includes the base station of example 10, wherein the client group service rate γ may be determined as follows:

example 12 includes the base station of any of examples 1-11, wherein the one or more processors are further to determine an equalized service rate h ″ _i Whether or not min h will be presented relative to the current minimum service rate _i Increased by a multiplication factor (1+d) such that:

if it is

h″ _i ≥min h _i (1+d)，

A new resource allocation is sent to each UE and

if it is

h″ _i ＜min h _i (1+d)，

The new resource allocation is not sent to each UE and the base station communicates with the UE based on the current resource allocation.

Example 13 includes the base station of any of examples 1-12, wherein if the base station serves a UE with a lowest service rate of all UEs, the base station has a higher priority of service rate balancing than one or more other base stations.

Example 14 includes the base station of example 13, wherein the parameter p is randomized _j Is set in proportion to the service rate of each UE to assist in determining the priority order.

Example 15 includes the base station of any one of examples 1-14, wherein the one or more processors receive a lowest service rate for each of the other base stations, determine a priority order for service rate equalization, and initiate service rate equalization by ordering the plurality of UEs according to the priority order.

Example 16 includes the base station of any of examples 1-15, wherein the new resource allocation is determined by the one or more processors to increase a service rate of all UEs.

Example 17 includes the base station of any of examples 1-16, wherein the new resource grant is determined by the one or more processors to increase a service rate of all UEs.

Example 18 includes the base station of any one of examples 1-17, wherein the base station is a base station having a non-zero PHY rate for its UEs.

Example 19 includes the base station of any of examples 1-18, further comprising a network interface to communicate with a carrier network. The network interface receives packets of data from the operator network to be transmitted to the UE and also transmits packets of data to be received from the UE to the operator network.

Example 20 includes the base station of example 19, wherein the network interface is to communicate a new resource allocation, such that a network controller (e.g., MRC) may separate bearer traffic to the base station according to the new resource allocation.

Example 21 includes the base station of any one of examples 1-20, comprising an eNodeB operating based on a Long Term Evolution (LTE) standard.

Example 22 includes the base station of any one of examples 1-21, comprising a WiFi access point operating in a wireless local area network.

Example 23 includes the base station of any one of examples 1-22, comprising a Worldwide Interoperability for Microwave Access (WiMAX) base station.

Example 24 is an apparatus for wireless communications over a Radio Access Network (RAN) -based heterogeneous network. The apparatus includes a wireless interface having transmit circuitry and receive circuitry, one or more processors, and a computer-readable storage medium. The radio interface communicates with various User Equipments (UEs) according to resource allocations. The computer-readable storage medium includes instructions that, when executed by one or more processors, cause an apparatus to perform operations to receive, from each UE via receive circuitry of a wireless interface, an indication of a rate of service implemented at the UE from one or more other base stations. The instructions also rank the UEs according to service rates achieved at each UE from one or more other base stations, determine, for a given base station, a new resource allocation that will enhance equalization of the service rates of the UEs, transmit, via transmit circuitry of the wireless interface, the new resource allocation to each UE to arrange for the UE to communicate with the given base station according to the new resource allocation, and communicate with the UE via the wireless interface according to the new resource allocation.

Example 25 is a computer-readable storage medium. The computer-readable storage medium includes instructions that, when executed by one or more processors, cause an apparatus to perform operations. The operation includes: receive, via receive circuitry of the wireless interface, from each UE, an indication of a service rate achieved at the UE from one or more other base stations, order the UEs according to the service rates achieved at each UE, determine a new resource allocation that will enhance equalization of the service rates of the UEs, transmit, via transmit circuitry of the wireless interface, the new resource allocation to each UE to organize the UEs to communicate with the base stations according to the new resource allocation, and finally, communicate with the UEs via the wireless interface according to the new resource allocation.

Example 26 is an apparatus of a Radio Access Network (RAN) -based heterogeneous network for wireless communication with various User Equipments (UEs). The apparatus includes one or more processors and a computer-readable storage medium. The computer-readable storage medium includes instructions that, when executed by one or more processors, cause an apparatus to perform operations. These operations include: the method includes receiving, from each UE, an indication of service rates achieved at the UE from one or more base stations, ordering the UEs according to the service rates achieved at each UE, determining, for a given base station of the one or more base stations, a new resource allocation that will enhance equalization of the service rates of the UEs, sending the new resource allocation to each UE to arrange for the UE to communicate with the given base station according to the new resource allocation so that the given base station can communicate with the UE according to the new resource allocation.

Example 27 is an apparatus of a Radio Access Network (RAN) based heterogeneous network for wireless communication. The apparatus includes one or more network interfaces and one or more processors, where the one or more network interfaces provide electronic communication with a base station of a heterogeneous network, the base station providing wireless communication with a User Equipment (UE). The network interface provides electronic communication with a base station of a heterogeneous network, the base station providing wireless communication with a User Equipment (UE). The processor receives a physical layer (PHY) rate R from a base station _i,j For PHY Rate matrix R _i,j ] _N×M And receiving a time resource part lambda _i,j For the resource allocation matrix lambda _i,j ] _N×M Where N is the number of UEs, M is the number of base stations, R _i,j Is the PHY rate from base station j, achieved at UEi, and λ _i,j Is the portion of time resources for UE i acquired by base station j. The processor constructs a graph G = (V, E), where V is a set of vertices and E is a set of edges between the vertices, where each of VVertex j corresponds to base station j, and there is a directed edge E from j to j' in E, where R _i,j <R _i,j′ And λ _i,j &gt, 0, determining a time resource portion λ for each edge e _i,j Is performed for a predetermined number of iterations T for: identifying directed loops in graph G, determining a time resource portion λ _i,j And dividing the time resource by λ _i,j Is transmitted to the corresponding base station j.

Example 28 includes the apparatus of example 27, wherein the directed loop in graph G is determined using a depth first search method.

Example 29 includes the apparatus of any one of examples 27-28, wherein the temporal resource portion λ is determined for each directional edge E of E _i,j Includes: for R in _i,j <R _i,j′ And λ _i,j &gt, 0 defines ε for each UE i _j,j′ ＝max _i λ _i,j And i ^j,j′ ＝arg max _i λ _i,j 。

Example 30 includes the apparatus of example 29, wherein c = j' ₁ →j′ ₂ →…→j′ _k →j′ ₁ Representing a directed loop in G, and if c = { }, the iteration T terminates, and wherein the time resource component λ is determined _i,j Includes setting epsilon = min { epsilon [ # [) _j′1,j′2 ,ε _j′2,j′3 ,…,ε _j′k,j′1 For each edge e = (j', j ") in c: setting i' = i ^j′,j″ Setting lambda _i′,j′ ＝λ _i′,j′ ε, set λ _i′,j″ ＝λ _i′,j″ + ε, if λ _i′,j′ If =0, E is removed from E and ε is updated _j′,j″ And i ^j′,j″ 。

Example 31 includes the apparatus of any one of examples 27-30, wherein the computation time of the apparatus is adjustable by adjusting the number of iterations T.

Example 32 includes the apparatus of any one of examples 27-31, wherein the apparatus comprises a network controller.

Example 33 includes the apparatus of any one of examples 27-32, wherein the apparatus comprises a base station of a heterogeneous network.

Example 34 includes the apparatus of example 33, wherein the processor is further to equalize service rates of a group of UEs, each UE in the group of UEs having a service rate from the apparatus greater than zero, using a distributed algorithm that determines a new resource allocation to achieve the equalized service rate, and within a resource allocation matrix λ _i,j ] _N×M Including the updated portion of time resources from the new resource allocation.

Example 35 includes the apparatus of example 34, wherein the processor is to equalize the service rates by: ranking the UEs according to service rates achieved at each UE, determining a new time resource portion λ that will enhance the equalization of the service rates for the group of UEs _i,j The respective new portion of time resources is transmitted to each UE to arrange the set of UEs to communicate with the apparatus according to the new resource allocation, thereby enabling the given base station to communicate with the UEs according to the new resource allocation.

Example 36 is a computer-readable storage medium. The computer-readable storage medium includes instructions that, when executed by one or more processors, cause an apparatus to perform operations. These operations include: receiving a physical layer (PHY) service rate R from a base station _i,j For PHY service rate matrix R _i,j ] _N×M And receiving a time resource part lambda _i,j For the resource allocation matrix lambda _i,j ] _N×M Where N is the number of UEs, M is the number of base stations, R _i,j Is the PHY service rate from base station j achieved at UE i, and λ _i,j Is the portion of time resources of UE i obtained by base station j; constructing a graph G = (V, E), where V is a set of vertices and E is a set of edges between vertices, where each vertex j in V corresponds to a base station j, and there is a directed edge E from j to j' in E, where R is _i,j <R _i,j′ And λ _i,j &gt, 0; determining a temporal resource portion λ for each edge e _i,j Is appropriately shifted fromPerforming a predetermined number of iterations T: identifying directed loops in graph G; determining a time resource portion λ _i,j The optimal offset value of (a); and dividing the time resource by λ _i,j Is transmitted to the corresponding base station j.

Example 37 is a User Equipment (UE). The UE includes a first wireless interface to communicate with a first base station, a second wireless interface to communicate with a second base station, and one or more processors. The processor determining a rate of service provided via the first wireless interface and the second wireless interface; generating a message reporting a service rate to the first base station and the second base station; transmitting the message via the first wireless interface and the second wireless interface; receiving a new resource grant from one or more of the first base station and the second base station in response to the message; and configuring the UE to communicate with the first base station and the second base station according to the new resource grant.

Example 38 includes the UE of example 37, wherein the first wireless interface is to communicate with the first base station using a first Radio Access Technology (RAT), and the second wireless interface is to communicate with the second BS using a second RAT different from the first RAT.

Example 39 includes the UE of any one of examples 37-38, wherein the first wireless interface is to communicate with the first base station using a given RAT and the second wireless interface is to communicate with the second base station using the same given RAT.

Example 40 includes the UE of any one of examples 37-39, wherein the new resource grant is determined by the base station to increase a service rate of the UE.

Example 41 includes the UE of any one of examples 37-40, wherein the new resource grant is determined by the base station to increase a service rate of another UE.

Example 42 includes the UE of any one of examples 37-41, wherein the new resource grant is determined by the base station to increase a service rate of a group of UEs including the UE.

Example 43 includes the UE of any one of examples 37-42, wherein the service rate is a total service rate collectively provided via the first and second wireless interfaces.

Example 44 includes the UE of example 37, wherein the service rates comprise a first service rate of the first wireless interface and a second service rate of the second wireless interface.

Example 45 includes the UE of any one of examples 37-44, wherein the service rates include one or more of an uplink service rate and a downlink service rate.

Example 46 includes the UE of any one of examples 37-45, wherein the service rate comprises an overall throughput achieved by the UE.

Example 47 includes the UE of any one of examples 37-46, wherein the service rate comprises an overall throughput h achieved by the UE i _i Wherein, in the step (A),

where M is the number of base stations in a set of base stations including a first base station and a second base station, R _i,j Is the physical layer (PHY) rate of UE i for base station j, and λ _i,j Is the portion of time resources for UE i that is obtained by base station j.

Example 48 includes the UE of any one of examples 37-47, wherein the service rate comprises an overall throughput h achieved by the UE i _i Wherein, in the step (A),

where M is the number of base stations in a set of base stations including a first base station and a second base station, R _i,j Is the physical rate of UE i to base station j, λ _i,j Is the portion of time resources of UE i obtained by base station j, and ω _i Is the weight for UE i.

Example 49 includes the UE of any one of examples 37-48, wherein the first and second wireless interfaces comprise one or more of Radio Frequency (RF) circuitry, front End Module (FEM) circuitry, and antennas.

Example 50 is a User Equipment (UE). The UE includes various wireless interfaces each to communicate with a base station of various base stations using a Radio Access Technology (RAT), and one or more processors. The processor determines service rates provided via various wireless interfaces; generating a message reporting a service rate to each base station; receiving a new resource grant from one or more base stations in response to the message; and configuring the UE to communicate with the radio interface in accordance with the resource grant.

Example 51 includes the user equipment of example 50, wherein each wireless interface communicates with a respective base station using a unique Radio Access Technology (RAT) that is different from any RAT used by any other wireless interface.

Example 52 includes the user equipment of any one of examples 50-51, wherein the reallocation of resources is to improve service rates.

Example 53 includes the user equipment of any one of examples 50-52, wherein the reallocation of resources is determined by one or more of the base stations based on a service rate and one or more service rates received for other UEs in communication with the base stations.

Example 54 is a base station operating in a Radio Access Network (RAN) -based heterogeneous network. The base station includes a wireless interface and one or more processors. The radio interface includes transmit circuitry and receive circuitry to communicate with the UE in accordance with the resource allocation. The receive circuitry receives, from each UE, an indication of a rate of service implemented at the UE from one or more other base stations. The processor ranks the UEs according to the service rate achieved at each UE from the base station, determines a balanced new resource allocation that will enhance the service rate of the UE, and if the balanced service rate h "of UE i _i Will exhibit a minimum service rate min h with respect to the current _i The multiplication factor (1+d) is increased so that h ″' _i ≥min h _i (1+d), the processor is to transmit the new resource allocation to each UE via the wireless interface, such that the UE communicates with the base station according to the new resource allocation, and communicates with the UE via the wireless interface according to the new resource allocation.

Example 55 includes the base station of example 54, wherein the processor is further to receive a lowest service rate for each base station, determine a priority order for service rate equalization, and initiate service rate equalization by ordering the plurality of UEs according to the priority order.

Example 56 includes a base station operating in a Radio Access Network (RAN) -based heterogeneous network. The base station includes a wireless interface and one or more processors. The radio interface includes transmit circuitry and receive circuitry and communicates with the UE according to the resource allocation. The receive circuitry receives, from each UE, an indication of a rate of service implemented at the UE from one or more other base stations. The processor receives a lowest service rate for each of the other base stations, determines a priority order for service rate equalization, and according to the priority order, performs service rate equalization by ordering the UEs according to service rates achieved from the base stations at each EU, determines a new resource allocation that will enhance equalization of service rates for the plurality of UEs, sends the new resource allocation to each UE via the radio interface such that the UE communicates with the base stations according to the new resource allocation, and communicates with the UEs via the radio interface according to the new resource allocation.

Example 57. An apparatus for a User Equipment (UE), comprising: logic, at least a portion of which includes circuitry, the logic to: determining a service rate provided via the first wireless interface and the second wireless interface; generating a message reporting a service rate to the first base station and the second base station; transmitting the message via the first wireless interface and the second wireless interface; receiving a new resource grant from one or more of the first base station and the second base station in response to the message; and configuring the UE to communicate with the first base station and the second base station according to the new resource grant.

Example 58. An apparatus of a base station operating in a Radio Access Network (RAN) -based heterogeneous network, comprising: logic, at least a portion of which includes circuitry, the logic to: communicate with a plurality of User Equipments (UEs) in accordance with a resource allocation, receive, from each UE of the plurality of UEs, via a wireless interface, an indication of a rate of service implemented at the UE from one or more other base stations; ranking the plurality of UEs according to service rates achieved at each UE from one or more other base stations; determining a new resource allocation that will enhance the balancing of the service rates of the plurality of UEs; transmitting, via the wireless interface, the new resource allocation to each of the plurality of UEs to configure the plurality of UEs to communicate with the base station in accordance with the new resource allocation; and communicating with the plurality of UEs via the radio interface in accordance with the new resource allocation.

The various techniques, or some aspects or portions thereof, may take the form of program code (i.e., instructions) embodied in tangible media, such as floppy diskettes, CD-ROMs, hard drives, non-transitory computer-readable storage medium, or any other machine-readable storage medium, wherein, when the program code is loaded into and executed by a machine, such as a computer, the machine becomes an apparatus for practicing the various techniques. In the case of program code execution on programmable computers, the computing device may include a processor, a storage medium readable by the processor (including volatile and non-volatile memory and/or storage elements), at least one input device, and at least one output device. The volatile and nonvolatile memory and/or storage elements can be RAM, EPROM, flash drives, optical drives, magnetic hard drives, or other media for storing electronic data. The eNB (or other base station) and UE (or other mobile station) may also include a transceiver module, a counter module, a processing module, and/or a clock module or timer module. One or more programs that may implement or utilize the techniques described herein may use an Application Programming Interface (API), reusable controls, and the like. Such programs may be implemented in a high level procedural or object oriented programming language to communicate with a computer system. However, the program(s) can be implemented in assembly or machine language, if desired. In any case, the language may be a compiled or interpreted language, and combined with hardware implementations.

It should be appreciated that many of the functional units described in this specification can be implemented as one or more components, which are terms used to more particularly emphasize their implementation independence. For example, a component may be implemented as a hardware circuit comprising custom large-scale integration (VLSI) circuits or gate arrays, off-the-shelf semiconductors such as logic chips, transistors, or other discrete components. A component may also be implemented in programmable hardware devices such as field programmable gate arrays, programmable array logic, programmable logic devices or the like.

Components may also be implemented in software for execution by various types of processors. An identified component of executable code may, for instance, comprise one or more physical or logical blocks of computer instructions which may, for instance, be organized as an object, procedure, or function. Nevertheless, the executables of an identified component need not be physically located together, but may comprise disparate instructions stored in different locations which, when joined logically together, comprise the component and achieve the stated purpose for the component.

Indeed, a component of executable code may be a single instruction, or many instructions, and may even be distributed over several different code segments, among different programs, and across several memory devices. Similarly, operational data may be identified and illustrated herein within components, and may be embodied in any suitable form and organized within any suitable type of data structure. The operational data may be collected as a single data set, or may be distributed over different locations including over different storage devices, and may exist, at least partially, merely as electronic signals on a system or network. Modules may be passive or active, including agents operable to perform desired functions.

Reference throughout this specification to "an example" means that a particular feature, structure, or characteristic described in connection with the example is included in at least one embodiment of the present disclosure. Thus, the appearances of the phrase "in an example" in various places throughout this specification are not necessarily all referring to the same embodiment.

As used herein, a plurality of items, structural elements, compositional elements, and/or materials may be presented in a common list for convenience. However, these lists should be construed as though each member of the list is individually identified as a separate and unique member. Thus, no individual member of such list should be construed as a de facto equivalent of any other member of the same list solely based on their presentation in a common group without indications to the contrary. Furthermore, various embodiments and examples of the present disclosure may be referred to herein along with alternatives for the various components thereof. It is understood that such embodiments, examples, and alternatives are not to be construed as actual equivalents of each other, but are to be considered as separate and autonomous representations of the disclosure.

Although the foregoing has been described in some detail for purposes of clarity of understanding, it will be apparent that certain changes and modifications may be made without departing from the principles thereof. It should be noted that there are many alternative ways of implementing both the processes and apparatuses described herein. Accordingly, the present embodiments are to be considered as illustrative and not restrictive, and the invention is not to be limited to the details given herein, but may be modified within the scope and equivalents of the appended claims.

It will be appreciated by those skilled in the art that many changes could be made to the details of the above-described embodiments without departing from the underlying principles of the invention. The scope of the invention should, therefore, be determined only by the following claims.

Claims (25)

1. A base station operating in a Radio Access Network (RAN) -based heterogeneous network, the base station comprising:

a wireless interface comprising transmit circuitry and receive circuitry, the wireless interface to communicate with a plurality of User Equipments (UEs) according to a resource allocation, the receive circuitry of the wireless interface to receive from each UE of the plurality of UEs an indication of a rate of service from one or more other base stations implemented at the UE; and

one or more processors that:

ranking the plurality of UEs according to service rates achieved at each UE from the one or more other base stations;

determining a new resource allocation that will enhance balancing of service rates to the plurality of UEs;

providing the new resource allocation to each UE of the plurality of UEs via transmission over the wireless interface to configure the plurality of UEs to communicate with the base station in accordance with the new resource allocation;

communicating with the plurality of UEs via the wireless interface in accordance with the new resource allocation.

2. The base station of claim 1, wherein the wireless interface communicates with the plurality of UEs using a Radio Access Technology (RAT), and

wherein the one or more other base stations communicate with the plurality of UEs using another RAT.

3. The base station of claim 1, wherein the wireless interface communicates with the plurality of UEs using a Radio Access Technology (RAT), and

wherein the one or more other base stations communicate with the plurality of UEs using the same RAT.

4. The base station of any of claims 1-3, wherein the indication of the service rate achieved at the UE comprises a total throughput h _i Total throughput h _i Is an aggregation of service rates achieved from all base stations, including the base station and the one or more other base stations, such that:

where M is the number of base stations in a set of base stations including the base station, R _i,j Is the PHY rate from base station j for UE i, and λ _i,j Is the portion of time resources for UE i that is obtained by base station j.

5. The base station of any of claims 1-3, wherein the indication of the service rate achieved at the UE comprises an aggregation of service rates achieved only from the one or more other base stations and not the base station.

6. The base station of claim 1, wherein the indication of the rate of service comprises h' _i H 'to' _i Is the total service rate h achieved from other base stations _i A part of (a).

7. The base station of claim 6, wherein,

λ _i,j is a resource part, and

R _i,j is the PHY rate from base station j for UE i,

wherein the one or more processors of base station j are by h' _i The plurality of UEs are ordered in the following order:

h′ ₁ ≤…≤h′ _k ≤h′ _k+1 ≤…≤h′ _n′ ，

wherein the new resource allocation achieves a more balanced service rate h ″' for each UE _i So that:

h″ _k+1 ,…,h″ _n′ gamma or more and lambda _i,j ＝0，

Where γ is the client group service rate and the updated resource portion λ' _i,j Is to lambda _i,j Is updated to implement h ″ _i 。

8. The base station of claim 7, wherein the more balanced service rateh″ _i Is the total service rate which is the more balanced service rate achieved by UE i after the new resource allocation by the base station.

9. The base station of claim 7, wherein the one or more processors determine the new allocated resources to achieve a more balanced service rate h "for the plurality of UEs by _i : determining an updated resource portion λ' _i,j Client index k, and client group service rate γ such that:

h′ _k <γ≤h′ _k+1

wherein, ω is _i Is a weight for UE i of the plurality of UEs.

10. The base station of claim 9, wherein the one or more processors determine client index k by examining the following inequality:

if it is usedOtherwise

If it is notOtherwise

…

If it is notOtherwise

k＝n′。

11. The base station of claim 10, wherein the client group service rate γ may be determined as follows:

12. the base station of any of claims 1-3, wherein the one or more processors are further to determine a minimum equalized service rate h ″ _i Whether it will exhibit a minh relative to the current service rate _i Increased by a multiplication factor (1+d) such that:

if it is

h″ _i ≥minh _i (1+d)，

The new resource allocation is sent to each UE and

if it is

h″ _i <min h _i (1+d)，

The new resource allocation is not sent to each UE and the base station communicates with the plurality of UEs according to the current resource allocation.

13. The base station of claim 1, wherein the base station has a higher priority for service rate equalization than the one or more other base stations if the base station serves a UE with a lowest service rate among all UEs of the plurality of UEs.

14. The base station of claim 13, wherein the randomization parameter p _j Is arranged to be proportional to a service rate of each of the plurality of UEs to assist in determining the priority order.

15. The base station of claim 1, wherein the one or more processors are further to:

receiving a lowest service rate for each of the one or more other base stations;

determining a priority for service rate balancing; and

initiating service rate balancing by ordering the plurality of UEs according to the priority order.

16. The base station of claim 1, wherein the new resource allocation is determined by the one or more processors to increase a service rate of one or more of the plurality of UEs.

17. A computer-readable storage medium having instructions stored thereon, which, when executed by one or more processors, cause an apparatus to perform operations to:

receiving, via receive circuitry of a wireless interface, from each of a plurality of UEs, an indication of a rate of service implemented at the UE from one or more other base stations;

ranking the plurality of UEs according to a service rate achieved at each UE;

determining a new resource allocation that will enhance balancing of service rates to the plurality of UEs;

transmitting, via transmit circuitry of the wireless interface, the new resource allocation to each UE of the plurality of UEs to configure the plurality of UEs to communicate with the base station in accordance with the new resource allocation; and

communicating with the plurality of UEs via the wireless interface in accordance with the new resource allocation.

18. The computer-readable storage medium of claim 17, wherein the wireless interface communicates with the plurality of UEs using a Radio Access Technology (RAT), and

wherein the one or more other base stations communicate with the plurality of UEs using another RAT.

19. The computer-readable storage medium of any of claims 17-18, wherein the service rate achieved at the UE is matchedThe indication of the rate comprises the total throughput h _i Total throughput h _i Is an aggregation of service rates achieved from all base stations, including the base station and the one or more other base stations, such that:

where M is the number of base stations in a set of base stations including the base station, R _i,j Is the PHY rate from base station j for UE i, and λ _i,j Is the portion of time resources for UE i that is obtained by base station j.

20. A User Equipment (UE), comprising:

a first wireless interface in communication with a first base station;

a second wireless interface in communication with a second base station; and

one or more processors that:

determining a service rate provided via the first wireless interface and the second wireless interface;

generating a message reporting the service rate to the first base station and the second base station;

providing the message for transmission via the first wireless interface and the second wireless interface;

receiving a new resource grant from one or more of the first base station and the second base station in response to the message; and

configuring the UE to communicate with the first base station and the second base station in accordance with the new resource grant.

21. The UE of claim 20, wherein the first wireless interface communicates with the first base station using a first Radio Access Technology (RAT) and the second wireless interface communicates with the second BS using a second RAT different from the first RAT.

22. The UE of claim 20, wherein the first wireless interface communicates with the first base station using a given RAT and the second wireless interface communicates with the second base station using the same given RAT.

23. The UE of claim 20, wherein the new resource grant is determined by the base station to increase a service rate of the UE.

24. The UE of claim 20, wherein the new resource grant is determined by the base station to increase a service rate of a group of UEs including the UE.

25. The UE of any of claims 20-24, wherein the service rate comprises an overall throughput, h, achieved by UE i _i Wherein, in the step (A),

wherein M is the number of base stations in a set of base stations including the first base station and the second base station, R _i , _j Is the physical rate of UE i to base station j, λ _i,j Is the portion of time resource of UE i obtained by base station j, and ω _i Is the weight for UE i.