U.S. patent application number 14/824178 was filed with the patent office on 2015-12-03 for method and apparatus for managing wireless communication network radio resources.
This patent application is currently assigned to INTERDIGITAL TECHNOLOGY CORPORATION. The applicant listed for this patent is InterDigital Technology Corporation. Invention is credited to Shamim Akbar Rahman, Marian Rudolf, Juan Carlos Zuniga.
Application Number | 20150351094 14/824178 |
Document ID | / |
Family ID | 36336981 |
Filed Date | 2015-12-03 |
United States Patent
Application |
20150351094 |
Kind Code |
A1 |
Zuniga; Juan Carlos ; et
al. |
December 3, 2015 |
METHOD AND APPARATUS FOR MANAGING WIRELESS COMMUNICATION NETWORK
RADIO RESOURCES
Abstract
A method and apparatus for managing radio resources in one or
more wireless communication networks. At least one radio resource
manager (RRM) is provided within a network node, or as an
independent entity. The RRM monitors performance on wireless
communication links of the network(s) and interacts with nodes
associated with those links to change the configuration on a
particular wireless communication link if its performance (i.e.,
quality) falls below an established threshold. Information
regarding current resource usage of the network is sent to the RRM
by the nodes. Each of the nodes may send a quality report to the
RRM including wireless communication link quality measurements and
performance statistics. Alternatively, the RRM may perform the
wireless communication link quality measurements. The RRM
facilitates the broadcasting of information regarding current
resource usage of one network to other networks to avoid collisions
and interference.
Inventors: |
Zuniga; Juan Carlos;
(Montreal, CA) ; Rudolf; Marian; (Montreal,
CA) ; Rahman; Shamim Akbar; (Cote St. Luc,
CA) |
|
Applicant: |
Name |
City |
State |
Country |
Type |
InterDigital Technology Corporation |
Wilmington |
DE |
US |
|
|
Assignee: |
INTERDIGITAL TECHNOLOGY
CORPORATION
Wilmington
DE
|
Family ID: |
36336981 |
Appl. No.: |
14/824178 |
Filed: |
August 12, 2015 |
Related U.S. Patent Documents
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Application
Number |
Filing Date |
Patent Number |
|
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14283596 |
May 21, 2014 |
9125203 |
|
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14824178 |
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|
11255270 |
Oct 21, 2005 |
8737920 |
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14283596 |
|
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60626979 |
Nov 10, 2004 |
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Current U.S.
Class: |
370/336 |
Current CPC
Class: |
H04W 84/18 20130101;
H04W 24/02 20130101; H04W 72/0446 20130101; H04W 72/082
20130101 |
International
Class: |
H04W 72/04 20060101
H04W072/04; H04W 72/08 20060101 H04W072/08; H04W 24/02 20060101
H04W024/02 |
Claims
1. A method for managing radio resources in an Institute of
Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE) 802.11 access point
(AP) operating in a first wireless network, the method comprising:
receiving a message including information regarding at least one
wireless communication link associated with another IEEE 802.11 AP
in a second wireless network; determining based on the reception of
the message that the first wireless network is interfering with the
at least one wireless communication link associated with the other
IEEE 802.11 AP in the second wireless network; and rescheduling a
time interval in the first wireless network on a condition that
interference is detected in the second network.
2. The method of claim 1, further comprising: assigning a time
interval as a function of interference observed in at least one
time interval.
3. The method of claim 1, further comprising: rescheduling a time
interval in the first wireless network as a function of
interference observed in the second wireless network.
4. The method of claim 1, further comprising: rescheduling a time
interval in the second wireless network as a function of
interference observed in the first wireless network.
5. The method of claim 1, wherein the IEEE 802.11 AP is provided in
the first network.
6. The method of claim 1, wherein the other IEEE 802.11 AP is
provided in the second network.
7. The method of claim 1, wherein the IEEE 802.11 AP coordinates
both the first network and the second network.
8. The method of claim 1, wherein the IEEE 802.11 AP coordinates a
plurality of networks.
9. The method of claim 1, further comprising: monitoring
performance of at least one wireless communication link associated
with the other IEEE 802-.11 AP in the second wireless network;
determining that the second wireless network is interfering with
the at least one wireless communication link associated with the
IEEE 802 AP in the first wireless network; and rescheduling a time
interval in the second wireless network on a condition that
interference is detected in the first network.
10. An Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE)
802.11 access point (AP) configured to operate in a first wireless
network, the IEEE 802.11 AP comprising: a receiver configured to
receive a message including information regarding at least one
wireless communication link associated with another IEEE 802.11 AP
in a second wireless network; and a processor configured to
determine based on the reception of the message that the first
wireless network is interfering with the at least one wireless
communication link associated with the other IEEE 802.11 AP in the
second wireless network and reschedule a time interval in the first
wireless network on a condition that interference is detected in
the second network.
11. The IEEE 802.11 AP of claim 10, wherein the processor assigns a
time interval as a function of interference observed in at least
one time interval.
12. The IEEE 802.11 AP of claim 10, wherein the processor
reschedules a time interval on the first wireless network as a
function of interference observed in the second wireless
network.
13. The IEEE 802.11 AP of claim 10, wherein the processor
reschedules a time interval in the second wireless network as a
function of interference observed in the first wireless
network.
14. The IEEE 802.11 AP of claim 10, wherein the processor is
configured to coordinate both the first network and the second
network.
15. The IEEE 802.11 AP of claim 10, wherein the processor is
configured to coordinate a plurality of networks.
16. The IEEE 802.11 AP of claim 10, wherein the processor is
configured to monitor performance of at least one wireless
communication link associated with the other IEEE 802.11 AP in the
second wireless network; wherein the processor is further
configured to determine that the second wireless network is
interfering with the at least one wireless communication link
associated with the IEEE 802.11 AP in the first wireless network
and reschedule a time interval in the second wireless network on a
condition that interference is detected in the first network.
Description
CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION
[0001] This application is a continuation of U.S. patent
application Ser. No. 14/283,596, filed May 21, 2014, which is a
continuation of U.S. patent application Ser. No. 11/255,270 filed
Oct. 21, 2005, now U.S. Pat. No. 8,737,920 granted May 27, 2014,
which claims the benefit of U.S. Provisional Patent Application No.
60/626,979 filed Nov. 10, 2004, which is incorporated by reference
as if fully set forth.
FIELD OF INVENTION
[0002] The present invention relates to wireless communication
networks. More particularly, the present invention relates to a
method and apparatus for managing radio resources in one or more
wireless communication networks.
BACKGROUND
[0003] A wireless access network comprises a plurality of nodes,
such as access points (APs), (i.e., base stations), access routers
and wireless transmit/receive unit (WTRU). The nodes are connected
to each other to establish a backhaul network. Traffic which
originates from or is destined to the network is routed through the
backhaul network.
[0004] The backhaul network may be established with wireless
communication links. Establishing a backhaul network with wireless
communication links has advantages over a wired backhaul network,
such as ease of deployment, low cost and flexibility to implement
future changes.
[0005] In a wireless backhaul network, interference from other
co-deployed networks not only affects the radio links between the
nodes and WTRUs operating in the affected region, but also the
links between the network nodes.
[0006] A mesh network is a network comprising a plurality of nodes,
each of which is connected to at least one neighboring node such
that traffic may be routed via one or more hops through the
network. In the mesh network, a degradation of the link throughput
between two nodes is carefully observed for routing purposes, since
the throughput on a critical link could affect the overall
performance of the network. The degradation can be caused by
several factors, such as an increase in interference. As the
degradation exceeds a certain level, an alternative routing path is
allocated through the mesh network. The time-varying and dynamic
nature of the mesh network topology makes it necessary to take
interference into account beyond initial deployment.
[0007] For example, if a wireless backhaul network is deployed next
to an existing wireless network, additional interference generated
by the subsequent network can bring down some of the links in the
existing network. This is a potential problem, especially in public
bands such as the 2.4 GHz industrial, scientific and medical (ISM)
band with scarce frequency channels.
[0008] When two mesh networks are operating simultaneously in the
same proximity, one or more of the nodes of a first mesh network
may roam close to a second mesh network. This may cause
interruption or severe interference to the second mesh network.
This is especially problematic with radio equipment having relaxed
adjacent channel protection and receiver sensitivity requirements.
Therefore, there is a need for dynamic radio resource management
and access coordination for the radio access network.
SUMMARY
[0009] The present invention relates to a method and apparatus for
managing radio resources in one or more wireless communication
networks. At least one radio resource manager (RRM) is provided
within a network node, or as an independent entity. The RRM may
monitor performance on wireless communication links of the
network(s) and interact with nodes associated with those links to
change the configuration on a particular wireless communication
link if its performance (i.e., quality) falls below an established
threshold. Information regarding current resource usage of the
network is sent to the RRM by the nodes. Each of the nodes may send
a quality report to the RRM including wireless communication link
quality measurements and performance statistics. Alternatively, the
RRM may perform the wireless communication link quality
measurements. The RRM facilitates the broadcasting of information
regarding current resource usage of one network to other networks
to avoid collisions and interference.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
[0010] A more detailed understanding of the invention may be had
from the following description of a preferred embodiment, given by
way of example and to be understood in conjunction with the
accompanying drawing wherein:
[0011] FIG. 1 shows an exemplary point-to-multipoint (PtMP)
backhaul network including an RRM in accordance with one embodiment
of the present invention; and
[0012] FIG. 2 shows a wireless communication system including a
plurality of networks including a mesh network and an RRM operating
in accordance with another embodiment of the present invention.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS
[0013] Hereafter, the terminology "WTRU" includes but is not
limited to a user equipment (UE), a mobile station, a fixed or
mobile subscriber unit, a pager, or any other type of device
capable of operating in a wireless environment. When referred to
hereafter, the terminology "node" includes but is not limited to a
Node-B, a base station, an AP, a mesh point (MP), a site controller
or any other type of interfacing device in a wireless
environment.
[0014] The present invention is applicable to any type of wireless
communication systems including, but not limited to, IEEE 802.11,
IEEE 802.15 and IEEE 802.16 networks.
[0015] In accordance with the present invention, a backhaul network
is established with wireless communication links. The backhaul
network may be deployed with point-to-point (PtP), PtMP or mesh
topologies. Mixed-mode access networks, (e.g., IEEE 802.16 backhaul
network to serve IEEE 802.11 APs), and redundant and
re-configurable network functionalities are also supported.
[0016] FIG. 1 shows an exemplary PtMP backhaul network 100
operating in accordance with one embodiment of the present
invention. The backhaul network 100 includes a plurality of APs
102.sub.1-102.sub.n, an RRM 106 and at least one WTRU 108. The RRM
106 may reside in any node in the network 100, or be configured as
a separate, independent entity. In FIG. 1, the RRM 106 is shown as
being located in an access router (AR) 104 which provides access to
an access network 110, such as the Internet. The RRM 106 monitors
the quality of wireless backhaul links 112.sub.1-112.sub.n between
respective ones of the APs 102.sub.1-102.sub.n and the AR 104. The
APs 102.sub.1-102.sub.n may generate channel quality reports
associated with wireless backhaul links 112.sub.1-112.sub.n which
are received by the RRM 106, and/or the RRM 106 may perform quality
measurements on the wireless backhaul links 112.sub.1-112.sub.n.
The quality reports include measurements and performance
statistics. The performance may be evaluated with any metrics
including, but not limited to, throughput, signal power, a block
error rate, a bit error rate, a signal-to-interference ratio (SIR)
or the like. The RRM 106 monitors performance on the wireless
communication links 112.sub.1-112.sub.n in the backhaul network
100.
[0017] If the RRM 106 observes performance of a particular wireless
backhaul link 112.sub.1-112.sub.n drops below a threshold, the RRM
106 dynamically interacts with other nodes in the backhaul network
100 to recover the performance. For example, the RRM 106 may change
the operating frequency of the wireless communication link
112.sub.1. If the backhaul network 100 operates in time division
multiple access (TDMA), the RRM 106 may assign and reassign
timeslots as a function of interference observed in particular
timeslots. If the performance degradation is caused by another
network using frequency hopping which is concurrently deployed in
the vicinity of the network 100, the RRM 106 may change its
frequency hopping pattern to minimize mutual interference.
[0018] When the RRM 106 recognizes that a WTRU 108 is interfering
with a wireless backhaul link 112 between an AP 102 and the AR 104,
the RRM 106 interacts with the AP 102 to mitigate the impact of the
interference caused by the WTRU 108. For example, the RRM 106 may
change operating frequency or other parameters on the wireless
backhaul link 112 between the AR 104 and the AP 102.
[0019] FIG. 2 shows a wireless communication system 150 including a
plurality of networks 200, 300, 400 including at least one mesh
network 200 and an RRM 500 operating in accordance with another
embodiment of the present invention. The mesh network 200 includes
a plurality of mesh points (MPs) 202.sub.1-202.sub.n. Each MP
202.sub.1-202.sub.n is wirelessly connected to at least one
neighboring MP such that traffic may be routed via one or more hops
through the network 200. The RRM 500 monitors performance on the
wireless communication links 212.sub.1-212.sub.n in the mesh
network 200 and dynamically changes operating frequency or other
parameters on the wireless communication links 212.sub.1-212.sub.n
between the MPs 202.sub.1-202.sub.n. For example, if the RRM 500
recognizes performance degradation in a particular link
212.sub.1-212.sub.n, the RRM entity may make measurements to find
an alternative frequency with lower interference and forwards this
information to relevant ones of the MPs 202.sub.1-202.sub.n to
change the operating frequency for the link
212.sub.1-212.sub.n.
[0020] If the RRM 500 observes sudden traffic load increase between
two MPs 212.sub.1-212.sub.n, the RRM 500 may change a routing
algorithm to use two different frequency channels or links, instead
of just using one between these two MPs 212.sub.1-212.sub.n to
accommodate the increased traffic or may change the backhaul route
through an alternative path in the mesh network.
[0021] In accordance the present invention, the RRM 500 coordinates
multiple networks 200, 300, 400 such that when two or more networks
200, 300, 400 are deployed concurrently in the same proximity,
similar rules can be applied. For example, the RRM 500 receives
broadcast information about current resource usage of nodes in the
network 400, for instance on a broadcast channel (BCH) in the
wireless backhaul. Thus, another network accesses the information
when it starts up in the same proximity and configures its
parameters appropriately to avoid collision with the network
400.
[0022] As shown in FIG. 2, the RRM 500 is in control of networks
200 and 300, but has no control over network 400. However, all
broadcast information received from the network 400, (e.g.,
beacons), may be heard by a node in networks 200 and 300 and then
forwarded to the RRM 500, (and the broadcast information can be
heard by the RRM 500 itself, if it is a WTRU). Then, the RRM 500
would determine whether to take an action over at least one of
networks 200 and 300. Thus, a high quantity of information is
broadcast on the clear, (i.e., "active channel set" in beacon
messages), and although a node is not part of the network that
broadcasts the information, such information may be monitored to
make better RRM decisions. Also, if the RRM 500 is in charge of
more than one network, it can apply the same scheme to the other
networks.
[0023] The broadcast information includes, but is not limited to, a
timestamp reference, a service indicator, a load indicator, point
coordination function (PCF) polling frequency, frequency channels
in use, frequency hopping patterns or frequency assignment patterns
and power settings. The broadcast of resource usage allows a
concurrent network co-existing in the same proximity to schedule
around it. The network may simply choose a different frequency
channel to operate on.
[0024] The RRM 500 may configure one or many of the MPs
202.sub.1-202.sub.n in the mesh network 200 to broadcast the
information in regular time intervals, or only when polled, or may
send a unicast signaling message when requested or in an
unsolicited manner to other nodes.
[0025] The coordination performed by the RRM may be performed in
time domain, such as point coordination function (PCF)-based or
hybrid coordination function (HCF)-based IEEE 802.11e extensions.
For example, when first and second networks located in the same
proximity have a contention free period starting at substantially
the same point in time, the first network may allow the second
network to initiate a polling procedure while the first network
remains silent. When the second network finishes with all of its
traffic, the first network may start to poll while the second
network remains silent.
[0026] For example, the first network may poll its WTRUs every even
100 msec intervals, (e.g., 0 msec, 200 msec, 400 msec, 600 msec, .
. . ), while the second network may use odd 100 msec intervals,
(i.e., 100 msec, 300 msec, 500 msec, . . . ), to poll its WTRUs. In
this way, the two networks can avoid collisions and keep mutual
interference low while still operating on the same frequency. This
coordination may be performed via broadcast messages or a direct
signaling between the two networks, (e.g., via the RRM 500).
[0027] Polling is a coordinated process for controlling
transmissions over a wireless medium, as compared to contending for
the medium upon need. The HCF polls specific stations to see if
they have something to transmit and then it allocates Tx time if
they so request. In accordance with the present invention,
coordinated polling is implemented between two HCFs. For mesh
networks, most of the control is not centralized but rather
distributed. Thus, two coordinated polling sequences, (i.e., from
two different coordinators, or from one coordinator to two
different networks), may be used to avoid interference between two
networks. In this way, the two networks can avoid collisions and
keep mutual interference low while still operating on the same
frequency. This coordination may be performed via broadcast
messages or a direct signaling between the two networks, (e.g., via
the RRM 500).
[0028] As shown in FIG. 2, the present invention may be applied to
multiple networks 200, 300 deployed concurrently in the same
proximity, even if there is no direct communication between the
networks. The networks 200, 300 may be any type of networks
including networks deployed under different radio access
technologies, (e.g., IEEE 802.11, IEEE 802.15, IEEE 802.16,
cellular networks, or the like).
[0029] Where two or more networks 200, 300, are deployed
concurrently in close proximity, the RRM 500 may run on all of the
networks 200, 300. In such case, a hierarchy may be established for
coordinating configuration changes of the networks 200, 300, (such
as changing frequencies), where for instance backhaul links (or
highly loaded links) would take precedence over lightly loaded
links.
[0030] A common RRM 500 may be provided across the networks 200,
300, or a separate independent RRM 500 may be provided in each
network 200, 300. For example, a common RRM 500 may be provided for
IEEE 802.11 networks and IEEE 802.16 networks and for managing
radio resources for the networks. The RRM 500 is not constrained to
a single radio access technology, but rather it can coordinate
multiple wireless networks, even if they use different radio access
technologies.
[0031] Coordination may be performed across networks deployed under
different radio access technologies, such as a cellular network and
a wireless local area network under IEEE 802.xx standards. For
example, actions may be performed by the RRM 500 to coordinate the
load between two networks 200, 300, using one radio access
technology and to take the redundancies of the network 400 that
uses a different radio access technology into account. These
actions could include for example the forcing of a change of
channel, change of radio access technology, or the like, on
specific WTRUs depending on the load conditions on all
networks.
[0032] Although the features and elements of the present invention
are described in the preferred embodiments in particular
combinations, each feature or element can be used alone without the
other features and elements of the preferred embodiments or in
various combinations with or without other features and elements of
the present invention.
* * * * *