CN108282904B

CN108282904B - Scheduling-free resource using method and device for cellular network communication system

Info

Publication number: CN108282904B
Application number: CN201710010864.5A
Authority: CN
Inventors: 顾祥新
Original assignee: Spreadtrum Communications Shanghai Co Ltd
Current assignee: Spreadtrum Communications Shanghai Co Ltd
Priority date: 2017-01-06
Filing date: 2017-01-06
Publication date: 2020-10-30
Anticipated expiration: 2037-01-06
Also published as: CN108282904A

Abstract

A scheduling-free resource usage method and apparatus for a cellular communication system, the method comprising the steps of: responding to a request for sending a data packet, and selecting a candidate uplink scheduling-free channel from a preset candidate uplink scheduling-free channel set as an uplink scheduling-free channel, wherein the candidate uplink scheduling-free channel set comprises at least one candidate uplink scheduling-free channel; determining a sending opportunity according to the busy-idle state of the uplink scheduling-free channel; and transmitting the data packet by using the uplink scheduling-free channel at the transmitting opportunity. The technical scheme provided by the invention can better adapt to a new generation of wireless cellular network communication system, better solve the problem of conflict possibly generated when a plurality of user equipment simultaneously use the same uplink resource, and further improve the system efficiency and the system stability of the wireless cellular network communication system.

Description

Scheduling-free resource using method and device for cellular network communication system

Technical Field

The invention relates to the field of communication, in particular to a scheduling-free resource using method and a scheduling-free resource using device for a cellular network communication system.

Background

With the design and development of the fifth generation wireless cellular network communication system, a scheduling-free (grant-free) mode is newly added for a terminal (i.e., User Equipment, UE for short) to use uplink resources. In this mode, the terminal may autonomously use uplink resources in an uplink resource pool reserved by a base station (Node-B, NB for short) according to a certain rule.

The current relatively general scheduling-free resource usage pattern can be understood as slotted ALOHA in nature, that is, by dividing time into discrete time slices, a terminal needs to wait for the next time slice each time to start transmitting data to a base station. Although such a scheme can improve the channel utilization rate to a certain extent, the problem of collision due to the simultaneous use of the same uplink resource by a plurality of terminals is very likely to occur, and the overall efficiency of the communication system is also low (the highest efficiency is 36.8%).

On the other hand, when the existing non-scheduling resource usage mode is used, the situation that the system load (the resource required by the data block transmission request is divided by the non-scheduling configuration resource) is relatively high may occur at any time point due to the fact that the requests transmitted by the upper data block are distributed according to the poisson distribution rule, and when the timeslot ALOHA is actually operated, the system efficiency is rapidly reduced along with the increase of the system load. Therefore, when the scheduling-free resource usage mode based on the existing slotted ALOHA mechanism is adopted, the system efficiency of the wireless cellular network communication system is low, and when the system load is increased, the system may be unstable, which is not favorable for the further development of the wireless cellular network communication system, and also causes serious influence on the user experience.

Disclosure of Invention

The invention solves the technical problems that the whole system of the prior scheduling-free resource using scheme has low efficiency, can not effectively deal with the problem of conflict which is possibly generated when a plurality of user equipment simultaneously use the same uplink resource, and influences the system stability of a new generation of wireless cellular network communication system.

In order to solve the above technical problem, an embodiment of the present invention provides a scheduling-free resource utilization method for a cellular network communication system, including the following steps: responding to a request for sending a data packet, and selecting a candidate uplink scheduling-free channel from a preset candidate uplink scheduling-free channel set as an uplink scheduling-free channel, wherein the candidate uplink scheduling-free channel set comprises at least one candidate uplink scheduling-free channel; determining a sending opportunity according to the busy-idle state of the uplink scheduling-free channel; and transmitting the data packet by using the uplink scheduling-free channel at the transmitting opportunity.

Optionally, before selecting a candidate uplink scheduling-free channel from a preset candidate uplink scheduling-free channel set as the uplink scheduling-free channel, the method further includes the following steps: and monitoring a downlink indication channel, wherein the downlink indication channel is used for indicating the busy-idle state of each candidate uplink scheduling-free channel in the candidate uplink scheduling-free channel set.

Optionally, selecting one candidate uplink scheduling-free channel from a preset candidate uplink scheduling-free channel set as the uplink scheduling-free channel includes: and selecting a candidate uplink scheduling-free channel from the candidate uplink scheduling-free channel set as an uplink scheduling-free channel according to the monitoring result of the downlink indication channel.

Optionally, selecting, according to the monitoring result of the downlink indicator channel, one candidate uplink scheduling-free channel from the candidate uplink scheduling-free channel set as the uplink scheduling-free channel includes: and taking the candidate uplink scheduling-free channel indicated by the downlink indication channel in the idle state as the uplink scheduling-free channel.

Optionally, selecting a candidate uplink scheduling-free channel from the candidate uplink scheduling-free channel set as the uplink scheduling-free channel according to the monitoring result of the downlink indication channel, further includes: when the downlink indication channel indicates that a plurality of candidate uplink scheduling-free channels in an idle state exist in the candidate uplink scheduling-free channel set, selecting one candidate uplink scheduling-free channel from the plurality of candidate uplink scheduling-free channels in the idle state as the uplink scheduling-free channel.

Optionally, after selecting one candidate uplink scheduling-free channel from the preset candidate uplink scheduling-free channel set as the uplink scheduling-free channel, the method further includes the following steps: and monitoring a downlink indication channel, wherein the downlink indication channel is used for indicating the busy-idle state of each candidate uplink scheduling-free channel in the candidate uplink scheduling-free channel set.

Optionally, determining a sending opportunity according to the busy-idle state of the uplink non-scheduling channel includes: judging whether the uplink scheduling-free channel is in an idle state or not according to the indication of the downlink indication channel; and when the judgment result shows that the uplink scheduling-free channel is in an idle state, determining the sending opportunity as immediate sending.

Optionally, the sending the data packet by using the uplink non-scheduling channel at the sending time includes: and when the sending opportunity is immediate sending, immediately sending the data packet to the uplink scheduling-free channel.

Optionally, determining a sending opportunity according to the busy-idle state of the uplink non-scheduling channel, further includes: when the judgment result shows that the uplink scheduling-free channel is in a busy state, continuing to monitor the downlink indication channel until the downlink indication channel indicates that the uplink scheduling-free channel is changed from the busy state to an idle state; and determining the sending opportunity as a preset time period after the uplink scheduling-free channel is converted into an idle state.

Optionally, the preset time period is any random number obtained in a preset interval, and the two ends of the interval are respectively a preset value and a maximum value of a contention window of the terminal.

Optionally, the maximum contention window value of the terminal is determined according to a historical success rate of using the uplink scheduling-free channel.

Optionally, before the sending the data packet by using the uplink non-scheduling channel at the sending time, the method further includes: if the downlink indication channel indicates that the uplink scheduling-free channel is changed from an idle state to a busy state before the sending opportunity arrives, the sending opportunity is adjusted according to the elapsed time, and the elapsed time starts from the time when the downlink indication channel indicates that the uplink scheduling-free channel is changed from the busy state to the idle state, until the uplink scheduling-free channel is changed from the idle state to the busy state again and ends.

Optionally, adjusting the transmission opportunity according to the elapsed time includes: advancing the elapsed time based on the transmission opportunity to determine an adjusted transmission opportunity.

Optionally, the busy-idle state indicated by the downlink indication channel lags behind the actual busy-idle state of each candidate uplink non-scheduling channel by zero or more delay units.

The embodiment of the invention also provides a scheduling-free resource using device for a cellular network communication system, which comprises: the selection module responds to a request for sending a data packet, and selects a candidate uplink scheduling-free channel from a preset candidate uplink scheduling-free channel set as an uplink scheduling-free channel, wherein the candidate uplink scheduling-free channel set comprises at least one candidate uplink scheduling-free channel; the determining module is used for determining a sending opportunity according to the busy-idle state of the uplink scheduling-free channel; and the sending module is used for sending the data packet by using the uplink scheduling-free channel at the sending opportunity.

Optionally, the scheduling-free resource using apparatus further includes a first monitoring module, where the first monitoring module is configured to monitor a downlink indication channel before the selecting module selects a candidate uplink scheduling-free channel from a preset candidate uplink scheduling-free channel set as the uplink scheduling-free channel, and the downlink indication channel is configured to indicate a busy-idle state of each candidate uplink scheduling-free channel in the candidate uplink scheduling-free channel set.

Optionally, the selecting module includes: and the selection submodule is used for selecting a candidate uplink scheduling-free channel from the candidate uplink scheduling-free channel set as the uplink scheduling-free channel according to the monitoring result of the downlink indication channel.

Optionally, the selecting sub-module includes: a determining unit, configured to use the candidate uplink exempt scheduling channel indicated by the downlink indicator channel in an idle state as the uplink exempt scheduling channel.

Optionally, the selecting sub-module further includes: a selecting unit, configured to select a candidate uplink exempt scheduling channel from the multiple candidate uplink exempt scheduling channels in the idle state as the uplink exempt scheduling channel when the downlink indication channel indicates that multiple candidate uplink exempt scheduling channels in the idle state exist in the candidate uplink exempt scheduling channel set.

Optionally, the scheduling-free resource using apparatus further includes a second monitoring module, where the second monitoring module is configured to monitor a downlink indication channel after the selecting module selects a candidate uplink scheduling-free channel from a preset candidate uplink scheduling-free channel set as the uplink scheduling-free channel, and the downlink indication channel is used to indicate busy/idle states of each candidate uplink scheduling-free channel in the candidate uplink scheduling-free channel set.

Optionally, the determining module includes: the judging submodule is used for judging whether the uplink scheduling-free channel is in an idle state or not according to the indication of the downlink indication channel; and the first determining submodule is used for determining the sending opportunity to be immediate sending when the judgment result shows that the uplink scheduling-free channel is in an idle state.

Optionally, the sending module includes: and the first sending submodule is used for immediately sending the data packet to the uplink scheduling-free channel when the sending time is immediate sending.

Optionally, the determining module further includes: the monitoring submodule is used for continuing monitoring the downlink indicating channel when the judgment result shows that the uplink scheduling-free channel is in a busy state until the downlink indicating channel indicates that the uplink scheduling-free channel is changed from the busy state to an idle state; and the second determining submodule is used for determining the sending opportunity as a preset time period after the uplink scheduling-free channel is converted into the idle state.

Optionally, the device for using scheduling-free resources further includes an adjusting module, configured to adjust the sending opportunity according to an elapsed time before the sending opportunity sends the data packet using the uplink scheduling-free channel, where the downlink indication channel indicates that the uplink scheduling-free channel is changed from an idle state to a busy state, and the elapsed time starts from the time that the downlink indication channel indicates that the uplink scheduling-free channel is changed from the busy state to the idle state to the time that the uplink scheduling-free channel is changed from the idle state to the busy state again.

Optionally, the adjusting module includes: an advancing sub-module for advancing the elapsed time on the basis of the transmission occasion to determine an adjusted transmission occasion.

Compared with the prior art, the technical scheme of the embodiment of the invention has the following beneficial effects:

responding to a request for sending a data packet, and selecting a candidate uplink scheduling-free channel from a preset candidate uplink scheduling-free channel set as an uplink scheduling-free channel, wherein the candidate uplink scheduling-free channel set comprises at least one candidate uplink scheduling-free channel; determining a sending opportunity according to the busy-idle state of the uplink scheduling-free channel; and transmitting the data packet by using the uplink scheduling-free channel at the transmitting opportunity. Compared with the existing scheduling-free resource using mode based on the slotted ALOHA mechanism, the technical scheme of the embodiment of the invention redefines the using scheme of the uplink scheduling-free resource, and can better adapt to a new generation of wireless cellular network communication system. In the technical scheme of the embodiment of the invention, the user equipment can automatically select one candidate uplink scheduling-free channel as the uplink scheduling-free channel from at least one candidate uplink scheduling-free channel prepared in advance by the base station, and can also send a data packet at a proper sending time according to the busy-idle state of the uplink scheduling-free channel, so that the problem of collision possibly generated when a plurality of user equipment use the same uplink resource simultaneously is better solved, and the system efficiency and the system stability of the wireless cellular network communication system are further improved.

Further, the busy-idle state of each candidate uplink scheduling-free channel in the candidate uplink scheduling-free channel set is obtained by monitoring a downlink indication channel, so that a most suitable candidate uplink scheduling-free channel is selected from the candidate uplink scheduling-free channel set as the uplink scheduling-free channel.

Drawings

FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram illustrating allocation of time-frequency resources of a base station in the prior art;

FIG. 2 is a system load versus success rate curve for a prior art communication system based on a pure ALOHA mechanism and a slotted ALOHA mechanism;

figure 3 is a flow chart of a method for scheduling-free resource usage in a cellular communication system according to a first embodiment of the present invention;

figure 4 is a flow chart of a method of scheduling free resource usage in a cellular communication system in accordance with a second embodiment of the present invention;

figure 5 is a flow chart of a method of scheduling free resource usage in a cellular communication system in accordance with a third embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 6 is a schematic diagram of an exemplary application scenario in which an embodiment of the present invention may be used;

FIG. 7 is a schematic diagram illustrating another exemplary application scenario in which an embodiment of the present invention may be employed;

fig. 8 is a schematic structural diagram of a scheduling-free resource utilization apparatus of a cellular communication system according to a fourth embodiment of the present invention.

Detailed Description

As will be understood by those skilled in the art, as the background art indicates, with the design and development of the fifth generation wireless cellular network communication system, a new schedule-free mode can better meet the uplink resource usage requirement of a User Equipment (UE, also referred to as a terminal). However, the existing schedule-free resource usage patterns are still limited to be implemented based on slotted ALOHA mechanism. For example, in a schematic diagram of the allocation of resources of a prior typical base station shown in fig. 1, a matrix is used to represent all available resources of the base station, wherein the horizontal axis of the matrix represents time, and the vertical axis represents frequency; each resource unit in the matrix may be allocated as a scheduling-free resource (corresponding to the shaded resource unit in fig. 1) by the base station, and the shaded resource unit may be used by the ue for data transmission.

In a typical application scenario shown in fig. 1, the base station may allocate any resource unit in the time-frequency matrix as the scheduling-free resource, and in practical applications, the resource units allocated as the scheduling-free resource are usually not consecutive in time and frequency, for example, the

shaded resource units

11 and 12 in fig. 1. When the base station allocates the

shaded resource units

11 and 12 in fig. 1 as the scheduling-free resource, the base station may notify the allocation result to the ue through broadcast information, and the ue that needs to use the scheduling-free resource may know the allocation of the scheduling-free resource by monitoring a broadcast channel of the base station. When a user equipment receives broadcast information including the allocation result, data can be transmitted to the base station using the shadow resource unit 11 or the shadow resource unit 12. However, if two or more ues need to transmit data to the base station and the two or more ues select the shadow resource unit 11 to transmit data, the base station and the ues receive and transmit data in units of time slices under the slotted ALOHA mechanism, which inevitably causes the two or more ues to transmit data to the shadow resource unit 11 at the same time, thereby causing a collision problem. The collision may be represented by a ue transmitting a data packet but not receiving feedback from an opposite end (e.g., a base station).

On the other hand, the existing communication system based on the slotted ALOHA mechanism has low overall efficiency, and is not beneficial to the popularization and application of a new generation of wireless cellular network communication system. For example, the system load and success rate relationship curves of the pure ALOHA (pure ALOHA) mechanism and the Slotted ALOHA (S-ALOHA) mechanism are shown in fig. 2. In a typical application scenario, the system load and success rate relationship curve of the pure ALOHA mechanism corresponds to the curve 21 in fig. 2, and a point on the curve 21 satisfies the formula S Ge^-2GWherein S is success rate, G is system load; the system load versus success rate curve for the slotted ALOHA mechanism corresponds to curve 22 in fig. 2, where points on the curve 22 satisfy the formula S ═ Ge^-GWherein S is success rate and G is system load. As shown in fig. 2, for the wireless cellular network communication system using slotted ALOHA, when the system bandwidth is 1M and the system requirement is also 1M, the data transmission success rate of the wireless cellular network communication system is the maximum (i.e. the system efficiency is the maximum, which corresponds to point a in fig. 2), but at this time, the wireless cellular network communication system can only transmit 384K of data at most. Further, as shown in fig. 2, when the system load of the wireless cellular network communication system is high (for example, the system load is greater than 1M), the success rate may decrease sharply as the system load further increases. Therefore, the existing wireless cellular communication system using slotted ALOHA mechanism has low system efficiency and may have the hidden danger of system instability when the system load is high.

The inventor has studied and found that the above problem is caused by that the scheduling-free resource allocated by the base station in the prior art is discontinuous in time and the user equipment is not informed of the busy-idle state of the allocated scheduling-free resource.

In order to solve the above technical problem, in response to a request for sending a data packet, an embodiment of the present invention selects a candidate uplink scheduling-free channel from a preset candidate uplink scheduling-free channel set as an uplink scheduling-free channel, where the candidate uplink scheduling-free channel set includes at least one candidate uplink scheduling-free channel; determining a sending opportunity according to the busy-idle state of the uplink scheduling-free channel; and transmitting the data packet by using the uplink scheduling-free channel at the transmitting opportunity. Those skilled in the art understand that the technical solution of the embodiment of the present invention redefines the usage scheme of the uplink scheduling-free resource, and can better adapt to a new generation of wireless cellular network communication system. In the technical scheme of the embodiment of the invention, the user equipment can automatically select one candidate uplink scheduling-free channel as the uplink scheduling-free channel from at least one candidate uplink scheduling-free channel prepared in advance by the base station, and can also send a data packet at a proper sending time according to the busy-idle state of the uplink scheduling-free channel, so that the problem of collision possibly generated when a plurality of user equipment use the same uplink resource simultaneously is better solved, and the system efficiency and the system stability of the wireless cellular network communication system are further improved.

In order to make the aforementioned objects, features and advantages of the present invention comprehensible, embodiments accompanied with figures are described in detail below.

Fig. 3 is a flowchart of a scheduling-free resource usage method of a cellular communication system according to a first embodiment of the present invention. Wherein the cellular communication system may comprise a wireless cellular communication system; the scheduling-free resource usage can allow the user equipment to autonomously use the uplink resource according to a set rule in the uplink resource reserved by the base station without requesting authorization from the base station. Those skilled in the art understand that the resource provider of the scheduling-free resource in the embodiment of the present invention may be a base station, or may be a network where the base station is located.

Specifically, in this embodiment, step S101 is first executed to select, in response to a request for sending a data packet, one candidate uplink scheduling-free channel from a preset candidate uplink scheduling-free channel set as an uplink scheduling-free channel, where the candidate uplink scheduling-free channel set includes at least one candidate uplink scheduling-free channel. More specifically, the request to send the data packet may be issued by an application layer of the user equipment, for example, by an application installed on the user equipment. In a preferred embodiment, the base station allocates at least one candidate uplink scheduling-free channel in advance, and notifies the user equipment of the frequency of the at least one candidate uplink scheduling-free channel, so that when the user equipment needs to send data to the base station in a scheduling-free manner, one candidate uplink scheduling-free channel in the candidate uplink scheduling-free channel set can be selected as the uplink scheduling-free channel by itself, and thus resources carried on the uplink scheduling-free channel are used for data transmission.

And then, executing step S102, and determining a sending opportunity according to the busy-idle state of the uplink scheduling-free channel. Specifically, the busy-idle state may be used to indicate whether other user equipment is using the resource carried by the uplink scheduling-free channel for data transmission. More specifically, when there is another user equipment using the resource carried by the uplink schedule-free channel for data transmission, it may be determined that the uplink schedule-free channel is in a busy state. Further, when there is no other user equipment using the resource carried by the uplink scheduling-free channel for data transmission, it may be determined that the uplink scheduling-free channel is in an idle state. In a preferred embodiment, the sending opportunity is determined as when the uplink scheduling-free channel is in an idle state, so as to avoid two or more user equipments simultaneously using resources carried on the uplink scheduling-free channel for data transmission.

And finally, executing step S103, and transmitting the data packet by using the uplink scheduling-free channel at the transmission opportunity. In particular, the data packet may be transmitted based on a physical layer data frame. In a preferred embodiment, after the user equipment selects the uplink scheduling-free channel based on the step S101 and determines the transmission opportunity based on the step S102, the user equipment transmits the physical layer data frame by using the uplink scheduling-free channel at the transmission opportunity, and the base station obtains the data packet by analyzing the received physical layer data frame.

Further, different from the conventional scheduling-free resource allocation manner shown in fig. 1, in the technical solution of the embodiment of the present invention, the uplink scheduling-free resource may include at least one candidate uplink scheduling-free channel, for example, each candidate uplink scheduling-free channel has 12 subcarriers, and the base station may increase or decrease the uplink scheduling-free resource by using the candidate uplink scheduling-free channel as a unit. In a typical application scenario, the at least one candidate uplink scheduling-free channel allocated by the base station is preferably in a continuous state in time, that is, the base station may exclusively allocate channel resources of a certain frequency to the user equipment to implement scheduling-free operation; in terms of frequency, the candidate uplink non-scheduling channels may be continuous or discontinuous, for example, the base station may support a frequency hopping allocation mode, and allocate channel resources of multiple discontinuous frequencies to the user equipment respectively to implement scheduling-free operation.

Further, in the step S101, a candidate uplink exempt scheduling channel from the candidate uplink exempt scheduling channel set may be selected as the uplink exempt scheduling channel based on a preset rule, where the preset rule is used to distribute traffic on each candidate uplink exempt scheduling channel, and may be any suitable rule known to those skilled in the art. For example, one candidate uplink exempt scheduling channel with the lowest frequency in the candidate uplink exempt scheduling channel set is used as the uplink exempt scheduling channel, and those skilled in the art may also change further embodiments according to actual needs, which is not described herein again.

Further, the physical layer data frame may include a preamble (preamble) used for base station detection, signal synchronization, and channel estimation, a header (header) used for indicating a length of the body and information such as an identity of the user equipment, an encryption parameter of the body, and the like, and a body (body) used for recording the data packet, for example, the length of the body may just fit the data packet.

Therefore, by adopting the scheme of the first embodiment, the use logic of the uplink scheduling-free resource is redefined, so that the user equipment can automatically select a candidate uplink scheduling-free channel as the uplink scheduling-free channel from at least one candidate uplink scheduling-free channel prepared in advance by the base station, and the user equipment can send a data packet at a proper sending time according to the busy-idle state of the uplink scheduling-free channel, thereby better solving the problem of collision possibly generated when a plurality of user equipment use the same uplink resource simultaneously, and further improving the system efficiency and the system stability of the wireless cellular network communication system.

Fig. 4 is a flowchart of a scheduling-free resource utilization method of a cellular communication system according to a second embodiment of the present invention. Specifically, in this embodiment, step S201 is first executed to monitor a downlink indication channel in response to a request for sending a data packet, where the downlink indication channel is used to indicate a busy-idle state of each candidate uplink non-scheduling channel in the candidate uplink non-scheduling channel set. More specifically, the downlink indication channel may also be continuous in time, similar to the candidate uplink schedule-free channel. Preferably, the granularity of the downlink indication channel is a symbol (symbol). In a preferred embodiment, the busy-idle status per unit time of each candidate uplink non-scheduled channel in the candidate uplink non-scheduled channel set is indicated by the symbol.

Then, step S202 is executed, and according to the monitoring result of the downlink indication channel, a candidate uplink scheduling-free channel is selected from the candidate uplink scheduling-free channel set as the uplink scheduling-free channel. Specifically, the downlink indication channel may be transmitted by the base station in a broadcast manner. More specifically, when the ue needs to transmit data using uplink non-scheduling resources, the ue may monitor a broadcast channel of the base station to receive the downlink indication channel through broadcasting. In a preferred embodiment, the candidate uplink scheduling-free channel indicated by the downlink indication channel in the idle state is used as the uplink scheduling-free channel, so as to increase the transmission success rate of data transmission using the resource carried on the uplink scheduling-free channel.

Step S203 is executed next, and a transmission timing is determined according to the busy/idle status of the uplink scheduling-free channel. Specifically, a person skilled in the art may refer to step S102 in the embodiment shown in fig. 3, which is not described herein again. In a preferred embodiment, since the step S202 preferably uses the candidate uplink scheduling-free channel indicated by the downlink indication channel in the idle state as the uplink scheduling-free channel, this step may directly determine that the uplink scheduling-free channel is in the idle state, and determine the transmission opportunity as immediate transmission.

And finally, executing step S204, and transmitting the data packet by using the uplink scheduling-free channel at the transmission opportunity. Specifically, a person skilled in the art may refer to step S103 in the embodiment shown in fig. 3, which is not described herein again. In a preferred example, since the step S203 has determined that the transmission opportunity is immediate transmission, the ue may immediately transmit the data packet to the uplink non-scheduled channel based on this step.

In a variation of this embodiment, if the downlink indicator channel indicates that there are multiple candidate uplink exempt scheduling channels in an idle state in the candidate uplink exempt scheduling channel set, the ue may further select one candidate uplink exempt scheduling channel from the multiple candidate uplink exempt scheduling channels in the idle state as the uplink exempt scheduling channel. In a typical application scenario, for the candidate uplink scheduling-free channels in the idle state, one candidate uplink scheduling-free channel may be selected as the uplink scheduling-free channel according to a preset rule. For example, the candidate scheduling-free channel with the highest frequency in the candidate uplink scheduling-free channels in the idle state may be selected as the uplink scheduling-free channel.

In another variation of this embodiment, if the downlink indicator channel indicates that none of the candidate uplink exempt scheduling channels in the candidate uplink exempt scheduling set is in an idle state, the ue receives the downlink indicator channel in units of the symbols, and indicates that the downlink indicator channel indicates that one of the candidate uplink exempt scheduling channels in the candidate uplink exempt scheduling set is changed from a busy state to an idle state, so as to select the candidate uplink exempt scheduling channel as the uplink exempt scheduling channel.

In this way, with the scheme of the second embodiment, after receiving a request for sending a data packet by an upper layer (e.g., an application layer) of the user equipment, before selecting and determining the uplink scheduling-free channel, the user equipment may first monitor the downlink indication channel through broadcasting, so as to select a candidate uplink scheduling-free channel currently in an idle state as the uplink scheduling-free channel based on the downlink indication channel. Those skilled in the art understand that, in this embodiment, the step S201 and the step S202 may be understood as a specific implementation manner of the step S101 in the embodiment shown in fig. 3, and the busy/idle state of each candidate uplink non-scheduled channel in the candidate uplink non-scheduled channel set is obtained by monitoring a downlink indication channel, so as to select a most suitable candidate uplink non-scheduled channel from the candidate uplink non-scheduled channel set as the uplink non-scheduled channel.

Those skilled in the art understand that in the existing scheduling-free resource usage scheme based on the slotted ALOHA mechanism, since the scheduling-free resources allocated by the base station are not continuous in time and frequency, when a plurality of user equipments need to send data packets to the scheduling-free resources at the same time, it is very easy to select the same scheduling-free resource for data transmission, thereby causing a collision. In order to solve the technical problem, the base station adopting the embodiment of the present invention preferably allocates at least one candidate uplink scheduling-free channel that is continuous in time to the user equipment, and broadcasts the busy/idle state of the at least one candidate uplink scheduling-free channel to the user equipment through the downlink indication channel, so that the user equipment autonomously selects a most suitable candidate uplink scheduling-free channel as the uplink scheduling-free channel, and reduces the probability that a plurality of user equipments select the same candidate uplink scheduling-free channel as the uplink scheduling-free channel through a wider selection space, thereby more effectively avoiding collisions, improving the success rate of using the scheduling-free resources by the user equipment, and ensuring the stability and the efficiency of the wireless cellular network communication system.

Fig. 5 is a flowchart of a scheduling-free resource utilization method of a cellular communication system according to a third embodiment of the present invention. Specifically, in this embodiment, step S301 is first executed to select, in response to a request for sending a data packet, one candidate uplink scheduling-free channel from a preset candidate uplink scheduling-free channel set as an uplink scheduling-free channel, where the candidate uplink scheduling-free channel set includes at least one candidate uplink scheduling-free channel. More specifically, a person skilled in the art may refer to step S101 in the embodiment shown in fig. 3, which is not described herein again.

Then, step S302 is executed to monitor a downlink indication channel, where the downlink indication channel is used to indicate a busy-idle state of each candidate uplink non-scheduling channel in the candidate uplink non-scheduling channel set. Specifically, a person skilled in the art may refer to step S201 in the embodiment shown in fig. 4, which is not described herein again. In a preferred embodiment, the downlink indication channel is used to indicate busy/idle states of all candidate uplink exemption scheduling channels in the candidate uplink exemption scheduling channel set, and after monitoring the downlink indication channel, the user may only obtain the busy/idle states of the uplink exemption scheduling channel selected in step S301 from the downlink indication channel.

And next, executing step S303, and determining whether the uplink scheduling-free channel is in an idle state according to the indication of the downlink indication channel. In a preferred embodiment, when the downlink indication channel indicates that the uplink scheduling-free channel is in an idle state, the determination result in step S303 is positive; otherwise, the determination result of the step S303 is negative. Further, if the determination result of the step S303 is positive, the process proceeds to step S304; otherwise, if the downlink indication channel indicates that the uplink schedule-free channel is in a busy state, step S306 is performed.

Preferably, in the step S304, the transmission opportunity is determined to be immediate transmission. Those skilled in the art understand that, similar to the technical solution of step S203 in the embodiment shown in fig. 4, since the uplink scheduling free channel is in an idle state at this time, which indicates that no other user equipment is transmitting data to it, it is preferable to actually determine the transmission as an immediate transmission, so as to avoid preemption of resources by other user equipment.

Then, step S305 is executed, and when the transmission opportunity is immediate transmission, the data packet is immediately transmitted to the uplink non-scheduling channel. Those skilled in the art understand that, for a specific implementation of sending a data packet to the uplink non-scheduled channel, reference may be made to step S103 in the embodiment shown in fig. 3, which is not described herein again.

Preferably, in the step S306, the downlink indication channel is continuously monitored until the downlink indication channel indicates that the uplink schedule-free channel is changed from a busy state to an idle state (hereinafter, referred to as "busy to idle"). It is understood by those skilled in the art that, unlike the embodiment shown in fig. 4, in the embodiment, the uplink scheduling free channel is selected in step S301, and even if the downlink indication channel indicates that the selected uplink scheduling free channel is in a busy state, the ue does not reselect an uplink scheduling free channel, but preferably selects to continue waiting until the uplink indication channel is turned from busy.

Then, step S307 is executed to determine the sending opportunity as a preset time period after the uplink non-scheduled channel is transitioned to the idle state. In particular, the preset time period may be predetermined by the user equipment. Those skilled in the art understand that in practical applications, multiple pieces of user equipment may need to use the uplink scheduling-free resource of the base station to transmit data at the same time, and the multiple pieces of user equipment select the same candidate scheduling-free channel as the uplink scheduling-free channel, so that when the uplink scheduling-free channel changes from busy to idle, multiple pieces of user equipment may transmit data packets to the uplink scheduling-free channel at the same time, thereby causing a collision. In the embodiments of the present invention, preferably, the preset time period is used to further avoid a collision, for example, the preset time period is used to stagger the sending timings of the multiple pieces of user equipment, so that even if the multiple pieces of user equipment select the same uplink scheduling-free channel, the sending timings of the multiple pieces of user equipment are staggered, so that the multiple pieces of user equipment do not collide with the uplink scheduling-free resource. Further, since the uplink scheduling-free channel is continuous in time, the plurality of user equipments can all transmit the data packet to the uplink scheduling-free channel at respective transmission occasions.

Then, step S308 is executed, and the uplink schedule-free channel is used to transmit the data packet at the transmission opportunity. Specifically, a person skilled in the art may refer to step S103 in the embodiment shown in fig. 3, which is not described herein again. In a preferred example, the sending timing is the preset time period determined in the step S307.

Further, the preset time period may be any random number obtained within a preset interval, and two ends of the interval are respectively a preset value and a maximum value of a contention window of a terminal (which may also be referred to as a user equipment). For example, starting from the point that the downlink indication channel indicates that the uplink scheduling-free channel is changed from a busy state to an idle state, if the downlink indication channel received in X consecutive signal times indicates that the uplink scheduling-free channel is always in the idle state, the ue sends the data packet to the uplink scheduling-free channel at the xth signal time. Wherein the X signal times are the preset time periods, and the X signal times are the preset time periods [0, maximum contention window value of the ue ]. Preferably, the granularity of the preset time period is consistent with the granularity of the downlink indication channel. Preferably, the preset value may be zero, or may be other values, and those skilled in the art may change more embodiments according to actual needs, which does not affect the technical content of the present invention.

Further, the maximum value of the contention window of the terminal (also referred to as the ue) is determined according to the success rate of using the uplink scheduling-free channel historically. For example, if the ue successfully sends a data packet to the uplink non-scheduling channel last time, which indicates that the number of ues selecting the same preset time period as the sending opportunity is small and the probability of a corresponding collision is also small, the maximum value of the contention window of the ue at this time is reduced by half compared with the maximum value of the contention window last time, so that the ue may send the data packet to the uplink non-scheduling channel after slightly waiting for a period of time. For another example, if the ue fails to successfully transmit a data packet to the uplink non-scheduling channel last time, which indicates that the number of ues selecting the same preset time period as the transmission opportunity is large and the probability of a corresponding collision is also high, the maximum value of the contention window of the ue at this time is doubled compared with the maximum value of the contention window last time, so as to reduce the probability that multiple ues select the same preset time period, so that the ue can successfully transmit data to the uplink non-scheduling channel.

In a variation of this embodiment, if the downlink indicator channel indicates that the uplink schedule-free channel is changed from an idle state to a busy state before the transmission opportunity arrives, the transmission opportunity is adjusted according to an elapsed time, which starts from when the downlink indicator channel indicates that the uplink schedule-free channel is changed from a busy state to an idle state, and ends when the uplink schedule-free channel is changed from an idle state to a busy state again. Those skilled in the art understand that, in this variation, the ue with the longest waiting time can preferentially send a data packet to the uplink non-scheduled channel by adjusting the transmission timing. Preferably, the adjusted transmission occasion is determined by advancing the elapsed time on the basis of the transmission occasion.

Therefore, by adopting the scheme of the third embodiment, compared with the technical scheme of "listen before listen" in the embodiment shown in fig. 4, the technical scheme of "listen before listen" in the scheme is adopted, an uplink scheduling-free channel is selected according to a preset rule, then the sending time is determined according to the busy/idle state related to the uplink scheduling-free channel in the downlink indication channel, and the data packet is sent to the uplink scheduling-free channel at the sending time. Those skilled in the art understand that, in this embodiment, the step S301 and the step S302 may be a variation of the step S201 and the step S202 in the embodiment shown in fig. 4, which allows the ue to adjust the sequence of "listen" (i.e., monitor the downlink indication channel) and "select" (i.e., select a candidate uplink non-scheduled channel from the candidate uplink non-scheduled channel set as the uplink non-scheduled channel) according to the actual situation of the ue, so as to provide a more flexible implementation scheme for the ue, and better adapt to the diversified requirements of the ue and the base station.

Fig. 6 shows a schematic diagram of a typical application scenario in which an embodiment of the present invention is employed. The schematic diagram shown in fig. 6 and the technical solutions of the embodiments shown in fig. 3 to fig. 5 are combined to describe the change of different devices in the operation conditions caused by continuous progression of the different devices along with time and interaction between the different devices, where the different devices include an uplink non-scheduling channel 61, a downlink indication channel 62, a user equipment 63, and a user equipment 64.

Further, the uplink scheduling-free channel 61 may be a candidate uplink scheduling-free channel selected and determined from the candidate uplink scheduling-free channel set (not shown in the figure) by using the technical solutions of the embodiments shown in fig. 3 to fig. 5; the bars on the uplink non-scheduling channel 61 are used to indicate that there is a ue transmitting data packet to the uplink non-scheduling channel 61, for example, data packet D1, data packet D2, data packet D3, and data packet D4 shown in fig. 6.

Further, the uplink scheduling-free channel 61 is pre-allocated by a base station (not shown in the figure), and broadcasts the busy/idle status of the uplink scheduling-free channel 61 to the user equipment through the downlink indication channel 62. For example, in the downlink indication channel 62 shown in fig. 6, B represents that the uplink schedule-free channel 61 is in a Busy state (Busy), that is, at this time, a user equipment transmits a data packet to the uplink schedule-free channel 61; f represents that the uplink scheduling Free channel 61 is in an idle state (Free), i.e. no user equipment sends a data packet to the uplink scheduling Free channel 61. Preferably, in combination with the uplink scheduling-free channel 61 and the downlink indication channel 62 in the schematic diagram shown in fig. 6, whether there is data transmission on the uplink scheduling-free channel 61 directly affects the indication result of the downlink indication channel 62.

Specifically, in the present application scenario, in response to a request r1 (the request r1 may be a request for sending a data packet D2), the ue 63 selects to send the data packet D2 to the uplink non-scheduling channel 61, and before actual sending, the ue 63 first listens to the downlink indication channel 62 to obtain a busy/idle status of the uplink non-scheduling channel 61 (this process may correspond to a shaded bar in fig. 6). Preferably, when the ue 63 starts responding to the request r1, a ue (not shown) is sending a data packet D1 to the uplink schedule-free channel 61, so that the downlink indication channel 62 indicates that the uplink schedule-free channel 61 is in the busy state B, and the ue 63 continues to listen to the downlink indication channel 62 until time t 1.

At the time t1, if the data packet D1 is completely transmitted, the downlink indication channel 62 indicates that the uplink non-scheduling channel 61 is changed from the busy state B to the idle state F, and then, in order to avoid other user equipments waiting for the uplink non-scheduling channel 61 to be changed from the busy state to the idle state, the user equipment 63 does not immediately transmit the data packet D2 to the uplink non-scheduling channel 61 at the time t1, but determines a transmission opportunity as a preset time period after the time t1 starts (a time period from the time t1 to the time t2 ends), and continues to monitor the downlink indication channel 62 within the preset time period.

If the downlink indication channel 62 indicates that the uplink non-scheduling channel 61 is always in the idle state F within the preset time period, at the time t2, the user equipment 63 sends the data packet D2 to the uplink non-scheduling channel 61. Accordingly, upon receiving the data packet D2 from the uplink schedule-free channel 61, the downlink indication channel 62 indicates by broadcast that the uplink schedule-free channel 61 is again changed from the idle state F to the busy state B.

Further, the time t2 may be any random number within a preset interval X, where [0, the maximum contention window value of the user equipment 63 ].

In a typical application scenario, during the period that the ue 63 transmits the data packet D2 to the uplink schedule-free channel 61, in response to a request r2 (the request r2 may be a request for transmitting a data packet D3), the ue 64 also selects to transmit the data packet D3 to the uplink schedule-free channel 61, similar to the operation procedure of the ue 63, and the ue 64 also listens to the downlink indication channel 62 before actually transmitting the data packet D3 to know the busy/idle status of the uplink schedule-free channel 61. Since the uplink schedule-free channel 61 is receiving the data packet D2 transmitted by the ue 63 at this time, the downlink indication channel 62 indicates that the uplink schedule-free channel 61 is in the busy state B. The user equipment 64 continues to listen to the downlink indicator channel 62 until time t 3.

At the time t3, the data packet D2 is transmitted completely, and the downlink indication channel 62 indicates that the uplink schedule-free channel 61 is changed from busy state B to idle state F. The ue 64 determines the sending opportunity as a preset time period (a time period from the time t3 to the end of the time t 4) after the time t3 starts, and continues to listen to the downlink indicator channel 62 within the preset time period.

If the downlink indication channel 62 indicates that the uplink non-scheduling channel 61 is always in the idle state F within the preset time period, at the time t4, the user equipment 64 sends the data packet D3 to the uplink non-scheduling channel 61. Accordingly, upon receiving the data packet D3 from the uplink schedule-free channel 61, the downlink indication channel 62 indicates by broadcast that the uplink schedule-free channel 61 is again changed from the idle state F to the busy state B.

Further, the time t4 may be any random number within a preset interval X, where [0, the maximum contention window value of the user equipment 64 ].

And during the period that the user equipment 64 transmits the data packet D3 to the uplink schedule-free channel 61, in response to the request r3 (the request r3 may be a request for transmitting the data packet D4), the user equipment 63 needs to transmit the data packet D4 to the uplink schedule-free channel 61 again, since the uplink schedule-free channel 61 is receiving the data packet D3 transmitted by the user equipment 64 at this time, the downlink indication channel 62 indicates that the uplink schedule-free channel 61 is in the busy state B. The ue 63 continues to listen to the downlink indicator channel 62 until time t 5.

At the time t5, the data packet D3 is transmitted completely, and the downlink indication channel 62 indicates that the uplink schedule-free channel 61 is changed from busy state B to idle state F. The ue 63 determines the transmission opportunity as a preset time period (a time period from the time t6 to the end of the time t 6) after the time t6 starts, and continues to listen to the downlink indicator channel 62 in the preset time period.

If the downlink indication channel 62 indicates that the uplink non-scheduling channel 61 is always in the idle state F within the preset time period, at the time t6, the user equipment 63 sends the data packet D4 to the uplink non-scheduling channel 61. Accordingly, upon receiving the data packet D4 from the uplink schedule-free channel 61, the downlink indication channel 62 indicates by broadcast that the uplink schedule-free channel 61 is again changed from the idle state F to the busy state B.

Further, the time t6 may be any random number within a preset interval X, where [0, the maximum contention window value of the user equipment 63 ]. Those skilled in the art will understand that, in the present application scenario, since the ue 63 successfully contends last time, that is, the ue 63 successfully transmits the data packet D2 to the uplink schedule-free channel 61 at the transmission opportunity, when the ue 63 needs to transmit the data packet D4 to the uplink schedule-free channel 61, the contention window maximum of the ue 63 may be preferably reduced appropriately to reduce the waiting time of the ue 63.

Further, due to the delay of signal transmission, the time when the user equipment 63 and the user equipment 64 receive the broadcast information of the downlink indication channel 62 may lag behind the time when the broadcast information of the downlink indication channel 62 is broadcast. Further, the user equipment 63 or the user equipment 64 may keep synchronization of data interaction between itself and the base station based on Time Advance (TA), which does not affect implementation of the technical solution of the present invention, and those skilled in the art may change more embodiments according to actual needs, which is not described herein.

Fig. 7 shows a schematic diagram of another exemplary application scenario in which an embodiment of the present invention is employed. Similar to the schematic diagram of fig. 6, the horizontal axis of the schematic diagram of fig. 7 is time, and the vertical axis thereof is the operating condition of different devices, and the following describes, in combination with the schematic diagram of fig. 7 and the technical solutions of the embodiments shown in fig. 3 to fig. 5, changes in the operating condition of different devices caused by continuous progression of different devices with time and interaction between different devices, where the different devices include an uplink schedule-free channel 71, a downlink indication channel 72, a user equipment 73, and a user equipment 74.

Specifically, regarding the operation principle of the uplink scheduling free channel 71, the downlink indication channel 72, the user equipment 73 and the user equipment 74, those skilled in the art may refer to the related description in the application scenario shown in fig. 6, and details thereof are not repeated herein.

Those skilled in the art understand that the difference between this application scenario and the application scenario shown in fig. 6 is that the busy-idle state indicated by the downlink indication channel 72 in this application scenario may lag behind the actual busy-idle state of each candidate uplink non-scheduling channel by zero or more delay units, so as to allow a certain number of collisions, so that a preset number of user equipments can send data packets to the same uplink non-scheduling channel at the same time, thereby improving the capacity of the wireless cellular network communication system. Wherein the unit of time delay may be a symbol. For example, the busy-idle status of the uplink non-scheduling channel 71 indicated by the downlink indication channel 72 in fig. 7 may lag behind the actual busy-idle status of the uplink non-scheduling channel 71 by one symbol.

Further, the preset number of user equipments all use a non-orthogonal multiple access technology to encode the data packets that need to be transmitted. Those skilled in the art understand that in the application scenario shown in fig. 6, the ue 63 and the ue 64 may use an orthogonal technique to encode the data packets (e.g., the data packet D2, the data packet D3, and the data packet D4) to be transmitted, and at this time, if the capacity that the uplink schedule-free channel 61 can carry is 1M, only one ue can transmit the data packets to the uplink schedule-free channel 61 at a rate of 1M at the same time. In this application scenario, due to the non-orthogonal spread spectrum processing performed on the data packet, the uplink scheduling-free channel 71 can accommodate a plurality of (e.g., 3) user equipments each transmitting a data packet at a rate of 500K at the same time, so that the capacity (also referred to as channel capacity) that can be carried on the uplink scheduling-free channel 71 can be extended to 1.5M.

Specifically, in this application scenario, regarding a specific operation procedure of the ue 73 sending the data packet D6 to the uplink exempt scheduling channel 71 in response to the request r4, a person skilled in the art may refer to the operation procedure of the ue 63 sending the data packet D2 to the uplink exempt scheduling channel 61 in response to the request r1 in the embodiment shown in fig. 6, which is not described herein again. The time t1 in the application scenario shown in fig. 6 corresponds to the time t7 in the application scenario, and the time t2 in the application scenario shown in fig. 6 corresponds to the time t8 in the application scenario.

In a typical application scenario, during the period that the ue 73 transmits the data packet D6 to the uplink schedule-free channel 71, in response to a request r5 (the request r5 may be a request for transmitting a data packet D7), the ue 74 also selects to transmit the data packet D7 to the uplink schedule-free channel 71, similar to the operation procedure of the ue 73, and the ue 74 also listens to the downlink indication channel 72 until a time t9 (at which the uplink schedule-free channel 71 just turns idle from busy) before actually transmitting the data packet D7.

At the time t9, the data packet D6 is transmitted completely, and the downlink indication channel 72 indicates that the uplink schedule-free channel 71 transits from busy state B to idle state F. The ue 74 determines the transmission opportunity as a preset time period (a time period from the time t9 to the end of the time t 10) after the time t9 starts, and continues to listen to the downlink indication channel 72 within the preset time period.

Similar to the operation flow of the ue 64 sending the data packet D3 in the application scenario shown in fig. 6, at the time t10, the ue 74 sends the data packet D7 to the uplink non-scheduled channel 71.

However, when the data packet D7 is received by the schedule-free uplink channel 71, the downlink indication channel 72 does not immediately indicate by broadcast that the schedule-free uplink channel 71 transits from the idle state F to the busy state B again, but preferably indicates by broadcast that the schedule-free uplink channel 71 transits from the idle state F to the busy state B again after one symbol (i.e. at time t 12).

During the time t10 to the time t12 (for example, at the time t11), the user equipment 73 needs to transmit the data packet D8 to the uplink scheduling-free channel 71 again in response to the request r6 (the request r6 may be a request for transmitting the data packet D8), since the downlink indication channel 72 indicates that the uplink scheduling-free channel 71 is still in the idle state F at this time, and since the last contention of the user equipment 73 is successful (i.e., the data packet D6 is successfully transmitted to the uplink scheduling-free channel 71), the transmission timing determined by the user equipment 73 at this time is earlier than or equal to the time t12, so that at the time t12, although the user equipment 74 is transmitting the data packet D7 to the uplink scheduling-free channel 71, the user equipment 73 can still transmit the data packet D8 to the uplink scheduling-free channel 71.

Those skilled in the art understand that, since the time t12, although the ue 73 and the ue 74 generate the collision c, since the ue 73 and the ue 74 perform non-orthogonal spreading on the data packet D7 and the data packet D8 respectively transmitted, the uplink non-scheduled channel 71 can accommodate the data packet D7 and the data packet D8 at the same time, thereby effectively increasing the system capacity of the wireless cellular network communication system.

Further, for the purpose of allowing collision, when the uplink scheduling-free channel 71 is turned from busy to idle, the downlink indication channel 72 may lag behind the actual busy-idle state of the uplink scheduling-free channel 71 by zero symbols; when the uplink non-scheduling channel 71 is idle to busy, the downlink indication channel 72 may lag behind the actual busy-idle status of the uplink non-scheduling channel 71 by one symbol.

Further, an Acknowledgement Character (ACK) may be added to the downlink indication channel to inform the ue whether the data packet sent by the ue is correctly received. Preferably, the specific value of the acknowledgement character may be determined based on time-frequency resource information of an uplink data frame (included in a data packet sent by the ue), or may also be determined based on an identity of the ue.

Fig. 8 is a schematic structural diagram of a scheduling-free resource utilization apparatus of a cellular communication system according to a fourth embodiment of the present invention. Those skilled in the art understand that the non-scheduling resource utilization apparatus 4 of the present embodiment is used to implement the method technical solutions in the embodiments shown in fig. 3 to fig. 7. Specifically, in this embodiment, the scheduling-free resource utilization apparatus 4 includes a selecting module 42, configured to, in response to a request for sending a data packet, select a candidate uplink scheduling-free channel from a preset candidate uplink scheduling-free channel set as the uplink scheduling-free channel, where the candidate uplink scheduling-free channel set includes at least one candidate uplink scheduling-free channel; a determining module 44, configured to determine a sending opportunity according to a busy-idle state of the uplink scheduling-free channel; and a sending module 46, configured to send the data packet using the uplink scheduling-free channel at the sending time.

Further, the apparatus 4 for using scheduling-free resources further includes a first monitoring module 41, where the first monitoring module 41 is configured to monitor a downlink indication channel before the selecting module 42 selects a candidate uplink scheduling-free channel from a preset candidate uplink scheduling-free channel set as the uplink scheduling-free channel, and the downlink indication channel is used to indicate busy/idle states of each candidate uplink scheduling-free channel in the candidate uplink scheduling-free channel set.

Further, the selecting module 42 includes a selecting submodule 421, configured to select a candidate uplink scheduling-free channel from the candidate uplink scheduling-free channel set as the uplink scheduling-free channel according to the monitoring result of the downlink indication channel.

Preferably, the selecting submodule 421 includes a determining unit 4211, configured to use the candidate uplink exempt scheduling channel indicated by the downlink indication channel in an idle state as the uplink exempt scheduling channel.

Preferably, the selecting submodule 421 further includes a selecting unit 4212, configured to select one candidate uplink exempt scheduling channel from the plurality of candidate uplink exempt scheduling channels in the idle state as the uplink exempt scheduling channel when the downlink indication channel indicates that the plurality of candidate uplink exempt scheduling channels in the idle state exist in the candidate uplink exempt scheduling channel set.

In a variation of this embodiment, the scheduling-free resource utilization apparatus 4 further includes a second monitoring module 43, where the second monitoring module 43 is configured to monitor a downlink indication channel after the selecting module 42 selects a candidate uplink scheduling-free channel from a preset candidate uplink scheduling-free channel set as the uplink scheduling-free channel, where the downlink indication channel is used to indicate busy/idle states of each candidate uplink scheduling-free channel in the candidate uplink scheduling-free channel set.

Those skilled in the art understand that the first listening module 41 and the second listening module 43 may be the same module, and in practical applications, may be used in combination with the selecting module 42 in an alternative form, for example, if it is required to achieve the technical effect of "listen before select", the form of combining the first listening module 41 and the selecting module 42 may be adopted; if the technical effect of "listen after select" is required, the selection module 42 and the second listening module 43 may be combined.

Further, the determining module 44 includes a determining submodule 441, configured to determine, according to the indication of the downlink indication channel, whether the uplink scheduling-free channel is in an idle state; the first determining submodule 442 is configured to determine that the sending opportunity is immediate sending when the determination result indicates that the uplink scheduling-free channel is in an idle state.

Further, the sending module 46 includes a first sending sub-module 461, configured to send the data packet to the uplink non-scheduling channel immediately when the sending opportunity is immediate sending.

In a variation of this embodiment, the determining module 44 further includes a monitoring sub-module 443, configured to continue monitoring the downlink indication channel when the determination result indicates that the uplink schedule-free channel is in a busy state, until the downlink indication channel indicates that the uplink schedule-free channel is changed from the busy state to an idle state; and a second determining submodule 444, configured to determine the sending opportunity as a preset time period after the uplink non-scheduling channel is changed into the idle state.

Preferably, the preset time period is any random number obtained in a preset interval, and the two ends of the interval are respectively a preset value and a maximum value of a contention window of the terminal.

Preferably, the maximum value of the contention window of the terminal is determined according to a success rate of using the uplink scheduling-free channel historically.

Further, the scheduling-free resource using apparatus 4 further includes an adjusting module 45, configured to, before the sending opportunity sends the data packet using the uplink scheduling-free channel, if the downlink indication channel indicates that the uplink scheduling-free channel is changed from the idle state to the busy state, adjust the sending opportunity according to an elapsed time, where the elapsed time starts from the time that the downlink indication channel indicates that the uplink scheduling-free channel is changed from the busy state to the idle state to the time that the uplink scheduling-free channel is changed from the idle state to the busy state again.

Preferably, the adjusting module 45 comprises an advancing sub-module 451 for advancing the elapsed time on the basis of the transmission occasion for determining an adjusted transmission occasion.

Further, the busy-idle state indicated by the downlink indication channel lags behind the actual busy-idle state of each candidate uplink non-scheduling channel by zero or more delay units.

For more details of the operation principle and the operation mode of the scheduling-free resource utilization apparatus 4, reference may be made to the relevant descriptions in fig. 3 to fig. 7, which are not described herein again.

Those skilled in the art will appreciate that all or part of the steps in the methods of the above embodiments may be implemented by hardware related to instructions of a program, which may be stored in a computer-readable storage medium, and the storage medium may include: ROM, RAM, magnetic or optical disks, and the like.

Although the present invention is disclosed above, the present invention is not limited thereto. Various changes and modifications may be effected therein by one skilled in the art without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention as defined in the appended claims.

Claims

1. A method for scheduling-free resource usage in a cellular communication system, comprising the steps of:

responding to a request for sending a data packet, and selecting a candidate uplink scheduling-free channel from a preset candidate uplink scheduling-free channel set as an uplink scheduling-free channel, wherein the candidate uplink scheduling-free channel set comprises at least one candidate uplink scheduling-free channel;

determining a sending opportunity according to the busy-idle state of the uplink scheduling-free channel;

transmitting the data packet by using the uplink scheduling-free channel at the transmission opportunity;

after selecting a candidate uplink scheduling-free channel from a preset candidate uplink scheduling-free channel set as an uplink scheduling-free channel, the method further includes:

monitoring a downlink indication channel, wherein the downlink indication channel is used for indicating the busy-idle state of each candidate uplink non-scheduling channel in the candidate uplink non-scheduling channel set;

the determining the sending opportunity according to the busy-idle state of the uplink scheduling-free channel comprises:

judging whether the uplink scheduling-free channel is in an idle state or not according to the indication of the downlink indication channel;

when the judgment result shows that the uplink scheduling-free channel is in an idle state, determining the sending opportunity as immediate sending;

the determining the sending opportunity according to the busy-idle state of the uplink scheduling-free channel further comprises:

when the judgment result shows that the uplink scheduling-free channel is in a busy state, continuing to monitor the downlink indication channel until the downlink indication channel indicates that the uplink scheduling-free channel is changed from the busy state to an idle state;

and determining the sending opportunity as a preset time period after the uplink scheduling-free channel is converted into an idle state.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein before selecting a candidate uplink exempt scheduling channel from a preset candidate uplink exempt scheduling channel set as the uplink exempt scheduling channel, the method further comprises the following steps:

and monitoring the downlink indication channel.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein selecting a candidate uplink exempt scheduling channel from a preset set of candidate uplink exempt scheduling channels as the uplink exempt scheduling channel comprises:

and selecting a candidate uplink scheduling-free channel from the candidate uplink scheduling-free channel set as an uplink scheduling-free channel according to the monitoring result of the downlink indication channel.

4. The method of claim 3, wherein selecting a candidate uplink exempt scheduling channel from the candidate uplink exempt scheduling channel set as an uplink exempt scheduling channel according to the monitored result of the downlink indication channel comprises:

and taking the candidate uplink scheduling-free channel indicated by the downlink indication channel in the idle state as the uplink scheduling-free channel.

5. The method of claim 4, wherein according to the monitoring result of the downlink indication channel, selecting a candidate uplink scheduling-free channel from the candidate uplink scheduling-free channel set as the uplink scheduling-free channel, further comprises:

when the downlink indication channel indicates that a plurality of candidate uplink scheduling-free channels in an idle state exist in the candidate uplink scheduling-free channel set, selecting one candidate uplink scheduling-free channel from the plurality of candidate uplink scheduling-free channels in the idle state as the uplink scheduling-free channel.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein the transmitting the data packet using the uplink scheduling-free channel at the transmission opportunity comprises:

and when the sending opportunity is immediate sending, immediately sending the data packet to the uplink scheduling-free channel.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein the predetermined time period is any random number obtained within a predetermined interval, and the two ends of the interval are a predetermined value and a maximum value of a contention window of the terminal, respectively.

8. The method of claim 7, wherein the maximum contention window of the terminal is determined according to a historical success rate of using the uplink non-scheduled channel.

9. The method of claim 1, wherein before the transmitting the data packet by using the uplink scheduling-free channel in the transmission opportunity, the method further comprises:

if the downlink indication channel indicates that the uplink scheduling-free channel is changed from an idle state to a busy state before the sending opportunity arrives, the sending opportunity is adjusted according to the elapsed time, and the elapsed time starts from the time when the downlink indication channel indicates that the uplink scheduling-free channel is changed from the busy state to the idle state, until the uplink scheduling-free channel is changed from the idle state to the busy state again and ends.

10. The method of claim 9, wherein adjusting the transmission opportunity according to elapsed time comprises:

advancing the elapsed time based on the transmission opportunity to determine an adjusted transmission opportunity.

11. The method of any of claims 1 to 10, wherein the busy-idle status indicated by the downlink indicator channel lags behind the actual busy-idle status of each candidate uplink non-scheduled channel by zero or more delay units.

12. A schedule-free resource utilization apparatus for a cellular communication system, comprising:

the selection module responds to a request for sending a data packet, and selects a candidate uplink scheduling-free channel from a preset candidate uplink scheduling-free channel set as an uplink scheduling-free channel, wherein the candidate uplink scheduling-free channel set comprises at least one candidate uplink scheduling-free channel;

the determining module is used for determining a sending opportunity according to the busy-idle state of the uplink scheduling-free channel;

a sending module, configured to send the data packet using the uplink scheduling-free channel at the sending time;

a second monitoring module, configured to monitor a downlink indicator channel after the selection module selects a candidate uplink non-scheduling channel from a preset candidate uplink non-scheduling channel set as an uplink non-scheduling channel, where the downlink indicator channel is used to indicate a busy-idle state of each candidate uplink non-scheduling channel in the candidate uplink non-scheduling channel set;

the determining module comprises: the judging submodule is used for judging whether the uplink scheduling-free channel is in an idle state or not according to the indication of the downlink indication channel; the first determining submodule is used for determining the sending opportunity to be immediate sending when the judgment result shows that the uplink scheduling-free channel is in an idle state;

the determining module further comprises: the monitoring submodule is used for continuing monitoring the downlink indicating channel when the judgment result shows that the uplink scheduling-free channel is in a busy state until the downlink indicating channel indicates that the uplink scheduling-free channel is changed from the busy state to an idle state; and the second determining submodule is used for determining the sending opportunity as a preset time period after the uplink scheduling-free channel is converted into the idle state.

13. The apparatus as claimed in claim 12, further comprising a first monitoring module, said first monitoring module is configured to monitor the downlink indication channel before the selecting module selects a candidate uplink exempt scheduling channel from a preset candidate uplink exempt scheduling channel set as the uplink exempt scheduling channel.

14. The non-scheduled resource usage device of claim 13, wherein the selection module comprises:

and the selection submodule is used for selecting a candidate uplink scheduling-free channel from the candidate uplink scheduling-free channel set as the uplink scheduling-free channel according to the monitoring result of the downlink indication channel.

15. The non-scheduled resource usage device of claim 14, wherein the selection submodule comprises:

a determining unit, configured to use the candidate uplink exempt scheduling channel indicated by the downlink indicator channel in an idle state as the uplink exempt scheduling channel.

16. The non-scheduled resource usage device of claim 15, wherein the selection sub-module further comprises:

a selecting unit, configured to select a candidate uplink exempt scheduling channel from the multiple candidate uplink exempt scheduling channels in the idle state as the uplink exempt scheduling channel when the downlink indication channel indicates that multiple candidate uplink exempt scheduling channels in the idle state exist in the candidate uplink exempt scheduling channel set.

17. The non-scheduled resource usage device of claim 12, wherein the sending module comprises:

and the first sending submodule is used for immediately sending the data packet to the uplink scheduling-free channel when the sending time is immediate sending.

18. The apparatus of claim 12, wherein the predetermined time period is any random number obtained within a predetermined interval, and the two ends of the interval are a predetermined value and a maximum value of a contention window of the terminal.

19. The apparatus of claim 18, wherein the maximum contention window value of the terminal is determined according to a historical success rate of using the uplink non-scheduled channel.

20. The apparatus of claim 12, further comprising an adjusting module configured to adjust the transmission opportunity according to an elapsed time from when the downlink indication channel indicates that the uplink scheduler-free channel is changed from the busy state to the idle state to when the uplink scheduler-free channel is changed from the idle state to the busy state again before the transmission opportunity transmits the data packet using the uplink scheduler-free channel.

21. The non-scheduled resource usage device of claim 20, wherein the adjustment module comprises:

an advancing sub-module for advancing the elapsed time on the basis of the transmission occasion to determine an adjusted transmission occasion.

22. The apparatus as claimed in any of claims 12 to 21, wherein the busy-idle status indicated by the downlink indication channel lags behind the actual busy-idle status of each candidate uplink non-scheduled channel by zero or more delay units.