KR101013759B1 - Method for allocating resources between communication links and relay and terminal devices adapted thereto - Google Patents

Abstract

A method of allocating resources between two or more links, and a repeater and a terminal therefor are disclosed. The resource allocation method includes detecting that a use of a repeater is requested on a first link, and when the use of at least a portion of a resource is stopped on the first link, causing the repeater to be used on the first link; And allowing some of the resources not used in the second link to be used in the second link. According to the resource allocation method of the present invention, one router can be used to support two or more communication links.

Resource allocation, auctions, repeaters

Description

METHOOD FOR ALLOCATING RESOURCES BETWEEN COMMUNICATION LINKS AND RELAY AND TERMINAL DEVICES ADAPTED THERETO}

The present invention relates to a method of allocating resources between communication links, and more particularly, to a method of allocating resources to improve the data rate of an entire system in communication using a repeater.

In a network that allows a plurality of devices (ie, terminals) to communicate with each other, there is a base station, a router, or a relay connected to two or more terminals to manage data transmission. do.

In a cellular network, a base station relays communication between terminals while communicating directly with terminals within a given coverage. In addition, when the terminal moves from one coverage to another coverage, the base station performs a hand-over (hand-over) so that the communication of the terminal can continue without interruption.

In a data network, a router or repeater may perform a function similar to a base station in that it relays communication of a plurality of devices. Specifically, the repeater receives data from / to a device (eg, a PC) and amplifies it and transmits it, or decodes and encodes it and sends it to another device. In addition to the function of a repeater, a router functions to set a path for transmitting data and transmit data. Such a router or repeater also has a certain coverage when implemented in wireless communication.

As such, the communication network has a hierarchical structure in which a base station, a router, or a repeater is located above the terminals, thereby providing communication rates and signal strengths necessary for a plurality of terminals. In particular, in a wireless network, the communication speed and the signal strength decrease rapidly as the communication distance increases, and thus, sufficient communication performance for a plurality of terminals can be provided by arranging a base station, a router, or a repeater in a position close to the terminal.

Meanwhile, the terminal may perform direct communication, that is, peer-to-peer (P2P) communication between the terminals in addition to the communication through the network. In P2P communication, functions such as a handover by a separate base station and a path setting by a router are not required, and it is sufficient if communication is performed between two terminals according to a predetermined protocol. However, when there is a transmission loss due to the distance between the terminals, it may be efficient to communicate via a repeater.

In general, since P2P communication does not have a large amount of data transmission, it may be desirable to utilize resources that are allocated to a conventional communication network but not used, rather than allocating separate resources. For example, P2P communication may be performed using a channel not used at a specific time in a cellular network. However, P2P links may exist between multiple user pairs, and in this case there is contention between links since multiple P2P communication links must use a limited channel that can be used for P2P communication.

Techniques for optimizing power allocation in such situations are disclosed in Optimal Power Allocation for Relay Assisted F / TDMA Ad Hoc Networks, Wireless Networks, Communications and Mobile Computing, 2005. This technique maximizes the system's capacity by allocating one repeater node to each link (ie, user pair) and optimizing the power allocation at each repeater node. However, according to this technique, since the repeater node and the channel of each link must be different from each other and do not overlap, there is a problem that a plurality of repeaters are required. Therefore, there is a need for a technique for efficiently communicating two or more P2P links while using a minimum of repeaters.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION The present invention has been made in view of the above problems, and an object of the present invention is to provide a method and apparatus for enabling two or more links to efficiently communicate through one relay using a limited channel.

In order to achieve the above object, according to an aspect of the present invention, detecting the use of the repeater is requested on the first link, and when the use of at least a portion of the resource is stopped on the first link, A method for allocating resources between links is provided, the method comprising: causing the repeater to be used on a first link; and allowing a portion of the resource not used on the first link to be used on a second link. The resource may be selected from a group consisting of bandwidth, channel, and queue length. In addition, the link may be a peer-to-peer communication link, and the resource may be a resource allocated to the third link but not used. In this case, the method preferably further comprises identifying resources that are allocated but not used on the third link.

Preferably, the decrease in communication efficiency caused by discontinuing use of at least a portion of the resources on the first link is less than the increase in communication efficiency caused by use of the repeater on the first link. In addition, enabling the repeater to be used on the first link may include detecting that use of at least a portion of a resource is stopped on the first link, and detecting that use of at least a portion of a resource is stopped on the second link. And if the at least a portion of the resource suspended in the first link is greater than at least a portion of the resource suspended in the second link, causing the repeater to be used on the first link. It is preferred to include the step.

In order to achieve the above object, according to another aspect of the present invention, there is provided a repeater for allocating resources between two or more links, comprising: means for detecting the use of a repeater on a first link, the means of detecting the resource on the first link; A repeater comprising means for relaying communication on the first link if at least some of the use is interrupted and means for causing the portion of the resource not used on the first link to be used on a second link do.

The means for detecting is characterized in that the decrease in communication efficiency caused by the discontinuance of at least a portion of the resource on the first link is less than the increase in communication efficiency caused by the use of the repeater on the first link. It is desirable to detect the need for the use of the repeater. In addition, the means for relaying communication on the first link may include the first method if at least a portion of the resource that is discontinued on the first link is greater than at least a portion of the resource that is discontinued on the second link. It is desirable to relay communications on one link.

According to yet another aspect of the present invention, there is provided a communication terminal capable of communicating with another terminal, comprising: means for detecting that a use of a repeater is requested on a first link, and the use of at least a portion of the resource on the first link is suspended; A communication terminal is provided that includes means for notifying and means for communicating over the first link with another terminal using the repeater when the repeater is authorized to use. The terminal may further communicate with another terminal via a second link, and the resource is preferably a resource allocated to the second link but not used. If the terminal is not authorized to use a repeater, it is desirable to communicate over the first link using additional resources. Also preferably, the terminal is permitted to use the repeater when at least a portion of the resource that stops using is greater than at least a portion of the resource that other communication terminals stop using.

According to the present invention, two or more P2P links can efficiently communicate through optimal resource distribution while using a limited channel and one relay.

EMBODIMENT OF THE INVENTION Hereinafter, specific embodiment of this invention is described with reference to drawings. In the following description, the term " resource " means a physical or logical element that is required for communication but is limited in amount and includes bandwidth, channel, and queue length. One is not limited thereto. In addition, the term "relay" refers to an element that amplifies / processes a signal from one terminal and transmits it to another terminal. If such a function is performed, the term "relay" is referred to as a relay. For example, repeaters include, but are not limited to, base stations, routers, switches, and the like.

2A is a diagram illustrating a communication system in which a resource allocation method according to an embodiment of the present invention is performed. In the communication system, terminals D1 and D2 communicate over link 1, and terminals D3 and D4 communicate over link 2. The repeater R is arranged in the system, but is not currently involved in communication between terminals. The communication links 1 and 2 between the terminals are P2P communication links, but the present invention is not limited thereto.

Meanwhile, link 1 and link 2 communicate using limited resources, in this embodiment, five channels f1 to f5. As shown in FIG. 2 (b), link 1 has three channels f1 to f3) is used and link 2 uses two channels f4 and f5. However, in other embodiments, the resource may be a channel or queue length. Such a resource may be a surplus resource that is allocated to another communication link but is not used. For example, the channel used in link 1 and link 2 may be a channel allocated to the cellular network but not currently used. However, the communication link is not limited to the cellular link, and any link can be applied as long as the link is different from the link 1 and the link 2.

In such a communication situation, since the terminals D1 and D2 are farther away than the terminals D3 and D4 and have a high transmission loss, it is advantageous to use the relay R in communication efficiency. On the other hand, since the distance between the terminals D3 and D4 is relatively close, it is advantageous to increase the communication bandwidth by increasing the number of channels used to increase communication efficiency. The present invention seeks to redistribute resources between communication links to achieve optimal communication efficiency. This will be described with reference to FIGS. 1 to 3.

1 is a flowchart illustrating a resource allocation method according to the present invention. Hereinafter, the method of the present embodiment will be described as being performed in the repeater. However, it is also possible to carry out the method of the present embodiment in the terminal, and each step may be performed separately in the terminal and the repeater.

First, the method of the present embodiment begins at step S110 of detecting that a use of a repeater is requested at link 1. Whether the use of the repeater is requested in link 1 may be determined based on the transmission loss in the terminals D1 and D2. Each terminal (D1, D2) measures the transmission loss of the signal it receives, and may determine that the use of a repeater is advantageous when the transmission loss is more than a predetermined value. Alternatively, the terminals D1 and D2 may determine the necessity of using a repeater based on various parameters indicating signal quality such as signal-to-inteference and noise ratio (SINR) and fading of the signal. After determining the necessity of using the repeater, the terminals D1 and D2 may notify the repeater R that the use of the repeater is requested. In addition, the repeater R may receive a request from the terminal and detect that the use of the repeater is requested in link 1. However, when resource allocation is executed by the terminal, the detection step S110 can be ended by the terminal not having to notify the repeater of the necessity of using the repeater and the terminal determining the necessity of using the repeater.

The terminal then stops using at least some of the resources it uses for use of the repeater. In the embodiment of Fig. 2, the terminals D1 and D2 stop using the channel f3. The terminal may notify the relay after stopping the use of the resource (channel f3). Alternatively, the terminal may decide to stop using the resource (channel f3) and then notify the relay of the decision. In the latter case, since the terminal can continue to use the resource until receiving a response from the repeater, communication efficiency can be increased. Such suspension of use of the resource (or the scheduled use of the resource) may be substantially included in step S110. In other words, it is possible to detect that the use of the repeater is requested on the link only by notifying the use of the resource (or the planned use of the resource).

In step S120, if the use of at least some of the resources at link 1 is stopped, the relay R is used at link 1. Specifically, the repeater grants the right to use the repeater to link 1 with which the terminal communicates when it is notified by the terminal D1 or D2 that it is determined to stop using at least some of the resources. That is, the use of the relay R may be made before the terminal stops using the resource (channel f3). Alternatively, as described above, the repeater confirms that at least some of the resources on the link 1 have been suspended, and then grants the link 1 the right to use the repeater. In this case, the use of the relay R is allowed after the terminal stops using the resource (channel f3). Thus, in this specification and claims, the expression “suspended use of a resource”, for the sake of brevity, not only does the use of the resource actually stop, but also when certain conditions are satisfied (eg, a repeater license is granted). It should be noted that it is used to include all intended use of the resource.

The granting of a license can be done in practice by the relay being selectively involved internally in the communication on the link. That is, the repeater receives the packets communicated on the link 1 and the link 2, and identifies the link to which the packet belongs by using the identifier included in the packet. If the link to which the packet belongs (link 1) is a link that has a right to use a repeater, the packet is retransmitted to participate in communication on the link. On the other hand, if the link to which the packet belongs (link 2) does not have the right to use a repeater, the repeater discards the packet without retransmitting and does not participate in communication on the link.

Alternatively, the terminal may transmit the packet by indicating the right to use the relay. That is, in a link (link 1) having a repeater use right, the terminals D1 and D2 display the repeater use right in the packet and transmit the same, and the repeater R retransmits only the packet in which the repeater use right is indicated, to communicate with the link. While involved, it does not participate in communication on the other link (link 2).

In this step S120, it may be necessary to use the repeater on a link other than link 1, and to stop (or try to stop) the use of at least some of the resources. In this case, if the amount of resources you want to suspend (or try to stop) on Link 1 is greater than the amount of resources you want to suspend (or try to stop) on another link, you can license the relay to link 1 have. For example, if link 1 wants to stop using two channels for the use of relay rights, while link 2 tries to stop using one channel for use of the relay rights, the relay decides to support link 1. do.

Next, in step S130, resources that have been discontinued on link 1 are made to be used on link 2. That is, the channel f3, which has been discontinued on the link 1, is used on the link 2. The permission to use this resource (channel f3) can be notified from the repeater to the terminal D3 or D4. Alternatively, the terminal D1 or D2 of the link 1 may notify the terminal D3 or D4 of the link 2 of the permission to use the resource. At this time, it is preferable that the terminal D1 or D2 notifies the terminal D3 or D4 of the resource (channel) use permission after receiving the use of the repeater R.

The communication state after such a method of the present embodiment is performed is shown in FIG. As shown in FIG. 3 (a), in link 1, the terminals D1 and D2 communicate through the repeater R, thereby minimizing transmission loss, thereby improving communication efficiency. On the other hand, terminals D3 and D4 communicate via link 2, but because the distance between them is close, efficient communication can be achieved without the involvement of the repeater (R). On the other hand, as shown in Fig. 3 (b), link 1 gives up the use of the resource (channel f3) instead of communicating using the relay R. Resources not used on link 1 (channel f3) are used on link 2 to improve communication efficiency on link 2.

The resource distribution method of the present embodiment as described above can be referred to as resource distribution by auction. In other words, each link must pay at least a portion of the resources it uses to obtain the right to use the repeater. In addition, if two or more links wish to obtain the right to use the repeater, the link that paid the higher cost (i.e., has stopped using more resources) will receive the right to use the repeater.

On the other hand, if all of the paid links are used for the repeater, the repeater is duplicated on two or more links, or the resources used to obtain the license of the repeater are continuously reduced, thereby degrading the communication efficiency of all the links. May occur. Thus, a link requesting the use of a repeater may thus terminate the use of the resource and obtain the right to use the repeater if the loss of communication efficiency obtained by the use of the resource is small compared to the increase in the communication efficiency obtained by the use of the repeater. It is desirable to. This may be used as a reference when substantially detecting whether to use a repeater in step S110. That is, even if the use of the repeater gives up the use of resources, it is detected that the use of the repeater is requested only when it is advantageous for communication efficiency.

Although the method of this embodiment has been described as starting in step S110, if the resources (channels f1 to f5) are resources allocated to another communication link, for example a cellular communication link but are not used, detecting such surplus resources. May be performed before step S110. The resources thus detected can be allocated to communication by link 1 and link 2 (eg, P2P communication).

According to the method of this embodiment, two or more links can be shared by an auction method in one repeater. That is, it is possible to improve the communication efficiency of the entire system by granting the use authority of the repeater to the most necessary link according to each communication situation and by allocating additional resources for the link that cannot use the repeater. Thus, multiple links can be supported without increasing the number of repeaters.

Next, a repeater according to another embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to FIG. 4. The repeater of this embodiment is configured to perform the above-described resource allocation method. The repeater includes a receiver 210, a transmitter 230, a signal detector 220 and a CPU (or controller) 240.

The receiver 210 receives a signal from the terminal. The received signal may be a signal for controlling a communication link with the terminal, or may be a signal of data that the terminal wants to communicate with another terminal. When a signal is received from the terminal, the receiver 210 transmits the received signal to the signal detector 220.

The signal detector 220 analyzes the signal to detect various control signals included in the signal. For example, the signal detector 220 may detect that the terminal requests the use of a repeater. In addition, the signal detector 220 may detect that the terminal has stopped (or intends to) to use at least some of the resources for use of the repeater. The above signal detection is detected for a signal for communication link control. For the data signal, the signal detector 220 may detect whether the data is on the link with the use authority of the repeater.

As a result of the detection of the signal detector 220, when (or attempting to) stop the use of at least some of the resources on the link requesting the use of the repeater, the CPU 240 grants the link permission to use the repeater. When the signal detector 220 determines that the received data is received from a link having the use authority of the repeater, the CPU 240 controls the transmitter 230 to amplify the received data signal for the link. Resend. On the other hand, amplification and retransmission by the transmitter 230 are not performed for the link to which the use authority of the repeater is not granted. At this time, it is preferable that the repeater use authority be granted when the decrease in communication efficiency caused by the suspension of use of at least some of the resources in the communication link is less than the increase in communication efficiency caused by the use of the repeater. The determination thereof may be made by the CPU 240. Alternatively, each terminal may request the use of the repeater after determining whether the use of the repeater is advantageous over the resource stoppage. As such, each link can increase communication efficiency through trade-off of resources and repeater usage rights.

There may be more than one link requesting the use of a repeater. For example, if both the first link and the second link request the use of a repeater, the CPU 240 may determine that at least some of the resources that cease use on the first link cease to be used on the second link. If greater than some, determine to relay the communication on the first link.

On the other hand, the CPU 240 allows a portion of the resource suspended in the link to which the permission to use the repeater is used in another link. To this end, the transmitter 230 may transmit a signal to allow the use of the resource to the terminal belonging to the link that will newly use the resource.

In addition, CPU 240 detects surplus resources that are not being used in other communication links. For example, CPU 240 detects a channel that is not used in a cellular communication link. In addition, the resource may be a bandwidth, channel or queue length. Such detection may be accomplished by communicating with a cellular base station to determine resource usage information. After detecting the unused channel, the CPU 240 may notify the terminal via the transmitter 230 to use this resource for P2P communication. In addition, the above-described resource allocation method is applied to two or more P2P communication links to improve communication efficiency.

Next, a communication terminal according to another embodiment of the present invention will be described. 5 is a block diagram of a communication terminal according to the present embodiment, in which the resource allocation method is applied to the communication terminal. The communication terminal of the present embodiment mainly includes a receiver 310, a signal analyzer 320, a transmitter 330, and a CPU 340.

Receiver 310 receives signals from other terminals and signals from repeaters. The signal from the repeater may be a signal for controlling the link, or a signal from another terminal may be amplified and retransmitted. The signal analyzer 320 analyzes the signal received by the receiver 310 to determine whether the use of a repeater is necessary. The signal analyzer 320, for example, detects transmission loss, SNIR, fading, etc. in the link, and determines whether communication efficiency can be improved by using a repeater. When it is determined that the communication efficiency can be improved by the use of the repeater, that is, when the decrease in the communication efficiency caused by the interruption of the use of at least some of the resources is smaller than the increase in the communication efficiency caused by the use of the repeater, The signal analyzer 320 detects that the use of the repeater is requested.

Upon detection of the signal analyzer 320, the CPU 340 controls the transmitter 330 to transmit a use request to the repeater. In addition, the CPU 340 notifies the repeater that the transmitter 330 will stop using (or stopped) at least part of the resource currently being used. In this embodiment, it is important to notify that resource usage is stopped on the link, so that the CPU 340 may notify only the information about resource usage termination without sending a use request to the relay. With such information alone, the repeater can perform resource allocation.

Next, the terminal receives the permission signal of the repeater through the receiver 310. Thereafter, the CPU 340 includes data capable of indicating permission to use the repeater in the data transmitted by the transmitter 330. For example, the CPU 340 may include a link identifier in the data, and the repeater may determine whether to relay by determining whether the link is a link having a repeater use right by the identifier. Alternatively, the CPU 340 may include data about usage rights in the data, and the repeater may relay only data having usage rights.

If two or more links are competing for the use of the repeater, then the link that has decided to stop using the greater amount of resources will be granted the use of the repeater. In this way, the terminal that has not obtained the permission to use the repeater can improve communication efficiency by communicating using additional resources. In one embodiment, the terminal may communicate using additional resources as resources in exchange for use of the repeater on other links.

On the other hand, the terminal applies the resource allocation to the P2P communication link, but can communicate with other terminals using other links without applying the resource allocation. In this case, the CPU 340 may identify a resource allocated on a link to which resource allocation is not applied but is not currently used, and use it on a link to which resource allocation is applied. For example, the CPU 340 may detect a channel that is allocated to the cellular link but is not currently used through communication with the base station, and use the same for the P2P link.

The present invention has been described above with reference to specific embodiments of the present invention, but this is only illustrative and does not limit the scope of the present invention. Those skilled in the art can change or modify the described embodiments without departing from the scope of the present invention. Each of the functional blocks or means described herein may be implemented by various well-known elements such as an electronic circuit, an integrated circuit, an application specific integrated circuit (ASIC), and the like. Can be. Components such as means described as separate in the specification and claims may be simply functionally distinct and may be physically implemented as one means, and components such as means described as a single element may be It can be made in combination. In addition, each method step described herein may be changed in order without departing from the scope of the present invention, and other steps may be added. In addition, the various embodiments described herein may be implemented independently as well as each other as appropriate. Therefore, the scope of the invention should be defined by the appended claims and their equivalents, rather than by the described embodiments.

1 is a flowchart illustrating a resource allocation method according to an embodiment of the present invention.

2 illustrates a communication state of a communication system according to an embodiment of the present invention.

3 is a diagram illustrating a communication state after a resource allocation method is applied to the communication system of FIG.

4 is a block diagram showing a repeater according to an embodiment of the present invention.

5 is a block diagram illustrating a terminal according to an embodiment of the present invention.

Claims (22)

In a method of allocating resources between two or more links, Detecting that the use of the repeater on the first link is requested; Causing the repeater to be used on the first link when the use of at least a portion of the resource is suspended on the first link; Making the portion of the resource not used on the first link to be used on a second link; How resources are distributed between links. The method of claim 1, The resource is selected from the group consisting of bandwidth, channel, queue length How resources are distributed between links. The method of claim 1, The link is a peer-to-peer communication link. How resources are distributed between links. The method of claim 1, The resource is a resource allocated to the third link but not used. How resources are distributed between links. The method of claim 4, wherein Identifying resources allocated to the third link but not used; How resources are distributed between links. The method of claim 1, The decrease in communication efficiency caused by discontinuing use of at least a portion of the resources on the first link is less than the increase in communication efficiency caused by use of the repeater on the first link. How resources are distributed between links. The method of claim 1, The step of allowing the repeater to be used in the first link, Detecting that the use of at least a portion of the resource at the first link is stopped; Detecting that the use of at least a portion of the resource at the second link is stopped; Causing the repeater to be used on the first link if at least a portion of the resource that is discontinued on the first link is greater than at least a portion of the resource that is discontinued on the second link; How resources are distributed between links. In a relay that distributes resources between two or more links, Means for detecting the use of a repeater in the first link is requested; Means for relaying communication on the first link when the use of at least a portion of the resource on the first link ceases; Means for causing the portion of the resource not used on the first link to be used on a second link; Repeater. The method of claim 8, The resource is selected from the group consisting of bandwidth, channel, queue length Repeater. The method of claim 8, The link is a peer-to-peer communication link. Repeater. The method of claim 8, The resource is a resource allocated to the third link but not used. Repeater. The method of claim 11, Means for identifying a resource allocated to the third link but not used. Repeater. The method of claim 8, The means for detecting is characterized in that the decrease in communication efficiency caused by the discontinuance of at least a portion of the resource on the first link is less than the increase in communication efficiency caused by the use of the repeater on the first link. Detecting that the use of the repeater is requested Repeater. The method of claim 8, The means for relaying communications on the first link is based on the first link if at least a portion of the resource that is discontinued on the first link is greater than at least a portion of the resource that is discontinued on the second link. Relaying communication in Repeater. In a communication terminal capable of communicating with other terminals, Means for detecting the use of a repeater in the first link is requested; Means for notifying the use of at least a portion of the resource at the first link is suspended; Means for communicating via the first link with another terminal using the repeater when the use of the repeater is authorized; Communication terminal. The method of claim 15, The resource is selected from the group consisting of bandwidth, channel, queue length Communication terminal. The method of claim 15, The first link is a peer-to-peer communication link. Communication terminal. The method of claim 15, The terminal may further communicate with another terminal via a second link, The resource is a resource allocated to the second link but not used. Communication terminal. The method of claim 15, The decrease in communication efficiency caused by discontinuing use of at least a portion of the resources on the first link is less than the increase in communication efficiency caused by use of the repeater on the first link. Communication terminal. The method of claim 15, When not authorized to use the repeater, communicating over the first link using additional resources Communication terminal. The method of claim 15, The terminal is allowed to use the repeater if at least a portion of the resource that is being suspended is greater than at least a portion of the resource where another communication terminal is suspended. Communication terminal. The method of claim 18, The terminal further includes means for identifying a resource allocated to the second link but not used. Communication terminal.

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