Resource scheduling system for wireless communication networks

Abstract

The present application relates to a resource scheduling system (100) for a wireless communication network (102). The system includes a first communication device (104a) and a second communication device (104b). The first and second communication devices (104a, 104b) belong to a group of multiple communication devices (104, 104a, 104b) of the network. Each communication device (104, 104a, 104b) within the group of multiple communication devices is configured to provide bidirectional radio communication with at least one of the multiple communication devices. The first communication device is configured to transmit a transmission resource configuration to the remaining (104, 104b) of the multiple communication devices. The first communication device is further configured to separately broadcast a transmission resource allocation to the remaining of the multiple communication devices.

Description

Technology Field

[0001] This application generally relates to a resource scheduling system for a wireless communication network. Background Technology

[0002] Generally, in radio systems where access to radio resources is controlled, the transmission resource is either a contention-based resource where all radio devices provide content to the radio resource, or a scheduled (dedicated) resource where each radio resource is allocated to a specific device to receive or transmit data.

[0003] The advantage of contention-based channel access for radio resources is that it requires a very limited amount of signaling. However, as resources are increasingly utilized, the probability of collisions increases, which reduces the overall throughput obtained from the resources. Basic ALOHA or slotted ALOHA protocols are common methods for utilizing these contention-based resources, and system throughput is limited to approximately 20–40% of maximum capacity, depending on whether the non-slotted or slotted version is used. Other contention-based protocols, such as Carrier-Sense Multiple Access with Collision Avoidance (CSMA-CA), improve performance but limit the maximum achievable performance by considering maximum capacity.

[0004] The best-known radio system that operates primarily through contention-based radio access is a Wireless Local Area Network (WLAN) system, such as a Wi-Fi system.

[0005] The advantage of scheduled (dedicated) resources is that no collisions occur because the resources are used exclusively by specific devices. This allows for higher resource utilization, effectively enabling resources to be used up to 100%. Additionally, better energy efficiency is achieved when there are no collisions and retransmission requests are minimized. However, a disadvantage is that resources must be requested and allocation explicitly signaled, resulting in significantly higher signaling overhead compared to contention-based resources. This signaling increases latency for transmitting actual data and increases device power consumption, thereby significantly reducing overall effective resource consumption. The problem becomes more severe when the required resources are small (e.g., when individual traffic volumes are low or infrequent), resulting in a substantial increase in the relative overhead of resource allocation.

[0006] Well-known systems that use scheduled resources are LTE (Long-Term Evolution) and cellular systems, where individual scheduling commands are transmitted to individual user devices, and these commands define the user devices to transmit or receive and the resources on which such transmission will occur.

[0007] Another known system using scheduled resources is described in the technical specification ETSI TS 103 636-4 V0.0.8 (2020-06), DECT-2020 New Radio (NR), Part 4: MAC layer, Release #1.

[0008] The object of the present invention is to eliminate the disadvantages of known solutions and to provide the configuration (allocation) and separate allocation of radio transmission resources in a wireless radio communication network in which wireless communication devices receive and transmit only the allocated resources. This improves the power consumption of the devices and the network capacity. The separation of dedicated resource configuration signaling and resource allocation signaling provides efficient overall signaling, i.e., minimized signaling overhead, in wireless communication networks where the resource configuration rarely changes.

[0009] One object of the present invention is achieved by providing a scheduling system, a communication device, methods, a computer program, and a computer-readable medium according to independent claims.

[0010] Embodiments of the present invention are disclosed in a scheduling system, communication device, methods, computer program and computer-readable medium according to independent claims.

[0011] A resource scheduling system for a wireless communication network includes a first communication device and a second communication device. The first communication device and the second communication device belong to a group of multiple communication devices of the network. Each communication device within the group of multiple communication devices is configured to provide bidirectional radio communication with at least one of the multiple communication devices. The first communication device is configured to transmit a transmission resource configuration to the remainder of the multiple communication devices. The first communication device is further configured to separately broadcast a transmission resource allocation to the remainder of the multiple communication devices.

[0012] A resource scheduling method for a wireless communication network comprises the step of presenting at least a first device and a second communication device belonging to a group of multiple communication devices of the network. The method further comprises the step of providing bidirectional radio communication with at least one of the multiple communication devices by each communication device within the group of multiple communication devices. The method further comprises the step of transmitting a transmission resource configuration to the remainder of the multiple communication devices by the first communication device. The method further comprises the step of separately broadcasting a transmission resource allocation to the remainder of the multiple communication devices by the first communication device.

[0013] A wireless communication device for a wireless communication network includes a controller and a data transmitter. The controller is configured to present a group of multiple wireless communication devices of the wireless communication network. The data transmitter is configured to provide bidirectional radio communication with at least one other wireless communication device belonging to the group of multiple communication devices. The data transmitter is configured to transmit a transmission resource configuration to the remainder of the multiple communication devices. The data transmitter is further configured to separately broadcast a transmission resource allocation to the remainder of the multiple communication devices in order to schedule the resources of the network.

[0014] A resource scheduling method for a wireless communication device comprises the step of presenting a group of multiple wireless communication devices within a wireless communication network by a controller of the communication device. The method further comprises the step of providing bidirectional radio communication with at least one other wireless communication device belonging to the group of multiple communication devices by a data transmitter of the communication device. The method further comprises the step of transmitting a transmission resource configuration to the remainder of the multiple communication devices by the data transmitter. The method further comprises the step of separately broadcasting a transmission resource allocation to the remainder of the multiple communication devices by the data transmitter in order to schedule the resources of the network.

[0015] A computer program includes instructions, and when said computer program is executed by a computer according to a previously described wireless communication device, said instructions cause said computer to perform at least the steps of a previously described resource scheduling method.

[0016] A tangible and non-volatile computer-readable storage medium includes a computer program according to the aforementioned computer program. Brief explanation of the drawing

[0017] Exemplary embodiments of the present invention are described with reference to the following drawings. Figure 1 illustrates a wireless communication environment for a resource scheduling system. Figure 2 shows an exemplary format of resource configuration information elements. Figures 2b and 2c show different formats of resource configuration information elements and definitions of their corresponding fields. Figure 2d shows an exemplary format of an association acknowledged response. FIGS. 3a through 3f show different exemplary formats for resource allocation information elements. Figure 4 illustrates the components of a wireless communication device. Specific details for implementing the invention

[0018] Figure 1 shows an environment in which a transmission resource scheduling system (100) can be applied.

[0019] The environment includes a wireless radio communication network (system) (102) comprising a plurality of wireless radio communication devices (nodes) (104, 104a, 104b). The devices (104, 104a, 104b) operate on the same spectrum in the same geographical area, for example, within an exemplary environment. The use of the same spectrum enables bidirectional radio communication between the devices (104, 104a, 104b). That is, a radio transmission transmitted by one device (104, 104a, 104b) of the network (102) can be received by another device (104, 104a, 104b) of the network (102), and vice versa.

[0020] The system (100) may be applied to a wireless radio communication network (102) that uses frequent signaling of node identifiers (identities, IDs) in packet transmission. Preferably, the system (100) may be applied to a wireless communication network (102) that complies with the Digital European Cordless Telecommunication (DECT)-2020 standard. Some non-limiting examples to which the system (100) may be applied include, but are not limited to, Bluetooth Low Energy (BLE) mesh networks, Thread networks, Zigbee networks, Public Land Mobile Networks (PLMN), WLAN networks, cellular networks, or wireless mesh networks (e.g., wireless sensor networks) and / or other wireless networks.

[0021] Generally, devices (104, 104a, 104b) of the network (102) can receive transmissions using one radio technology (e.g., BLE transmission or WLAN transmission), and these transmissions are all transmitted from the same network (102). However, at least one of the devices (104, 104a, 104b) of the network (102) may receive transmissions using at least two radio technologies, such as BLE transmissions and WLAN transmissions, and these transmissions are all transmitted from the same network (102).

[0022] DECT-2020 is a radio access technology developed by ETSI. DECT-2020 supports massive Machine-Type Communication (mmTC) and Ultra-Reliable Low Latency Communication (URLLC). At the physical (PHY) layer, the key technical components of DECT-2020 are Orthogonal Frequency Division Multiplexing (OFDM), Adaptive Modulation and Coding Systems (MCS), modern channel coding methods (Turbo, LDPC, Convolution Coding), HARQ for both scheduling and contention-based transmission, and support for multi-antenna transmission using different Multiple Input and Multiple Output (MIMO) streams. At the Media Access (MAC) layer and from a system perspective, the key technical components of DECT-2020 support a large number of Internet of Things (IoT) sensors, actuators, and other industrial applications such as: support for mesh network topologies, support for very low-latency URLLC communication (a typical application could be a wireless microphone); Operation on unlicensed frequencies; and support for multiple overlapping non-tuned networks with cognitive radio capabilities for sharing spectrum resources among multiple networks.

[0023] The scheduling method is used to schedule radio transmission resources in the previously described system and network (100, 102). This method is primarily described using two devices (104a, 104b) that belong to the network (102) and operate in the system (100), namely, a first wireless radio communication device (104a) and a second wireless radio communication device (104b). These two devices (104a, 104b) form a group (cluster) of devices (104a, 104b). The network (102) may also include a plurality of other devices (104) that participate in the formation of the group, wherein the group includes devices (104, 104a, 104b).

[0024] Each device (104, 104a, 104b) can provide bidirectional radio communication with at least one other device (104, 104a, 104b) through its own data transmitter (426). That is, as previously described, in the network (102), at least one data packet (208) can be transmitted to other device(s) (104, 104a, 104b) and at least one data packet (208) can be received from other device(s) (104, 104a, 104b). That is, each device (104, 104a, 104b) can act as a transmitter and / or receiver.

[0025] In the method, at the start, device (104a) acts as a transmitter and device (104b) acts as a receiver, and these roles change between devices (104a, 104b) during mutual communication. Preferably, the transmitter and receiver devices (104, 104a, 104b) may be identical to each other. However, the invention is not limited thereto.

[0026] When the method is initiated, the device (104a) broadcasts a beacon (message) through its data transmitter (426) to allow association with other device(s) (104, 104b). Before or after the device (104a) broadcasts the beacon, in order to listen to radio communications of other devices (104, 104b) and receive beacons from other devices (104, 104b) in a manner similar to how other devices (104, 104b) operate, the device (104a) can detect the environment through its data transmitter (426).

[0027] When one of the other devices (104, 104b) (in this example, device (104b)) receives a beacon broadcast from device (104a) via a data transmitter (426), device (104b) determines an association request (message) via the controller (424) of device (104b), provided that it intends to associate with device (104a) and there is nothing hindering the association in that regard. Then, device (104b) transmits the determined association request to device (104a) via the data transmitter (426) (unicast transmission).

[0028] When device (104a) receives an association request from device (104b) via data transmitter (426) and nothing interferes with the association, device (104a) determines (generates) an association acknowledgment (message) via its controller (424) to complete the association between the devices (104a, 104b). Device (104a) includes a transmission resource configuration (transmission resource allocation) as part of the association acknowledgment via the controller (424). The included resource configuration includes information regarding at least the timing (valid time) of the resources, at least one frequency channel of the resources, and the amount of the resources.

[0029] FIG. 2a shows an example of a resource configuration (RC, resource allocation) information element used to notify a receiver (e.g., device (104, 104b)) of the configuration of transmission resources in the aforementioned system (100).

[0030] RC information elements may be included in the association acknowledgment as described above. If the resource configuration changes during the time the devices (104, 104a, 104b) are already associated, it may also be included in other types of messages, such as cluster beacons (messages) or other broadcast messages.

[0031] The above RC information element presents a single transmission resource consisting of two parts, and when device (104a) operates as the cluster head of a cluster and device (104b) operates as a cluster member of a cluster, the first part can be used for transmission and reception and the second part can be used for reception and transmission, for example, for data acknowledgment communication in the uplink direction and downlink direction between devices (104a, 104b). The RC information element also presents a method of repeating resources to allow for the configuration of multiple resources and at least one channel used in the resources.

[0032] The directions presented by the RC information elements, namely uplinks and downlinks, and the allocation of resources are dynamically allocated using the resource allocation described later.

[0033] The RC information element includes, for example, at least the following fields: Repeat (size 2 bits), SFN (1 bit), Channel (1 bit), Start subslot 1 (9 bits), Length type 1 (1 bit), Length 1 (6 bits), Start subslot 2 (9 bits), Length type 2 (1 bit), Length 2 (6 bits), Repetition (8 bits), Validity (8 bits), SFN offset (8 bits), Channel 1 (13 bits), and Channel 2 (13 bits). The number of bits in each field is exemplary, and other bit numbers may be used in these fields.

[0034] The bits of the Repeat field may be provided as follows: a value of bit 00 indicates that the resource configuration is a one-time (one-time) allocation and there are no Repetition and Validity fields; a value of 01 indicates that the resource configuration is indicated in the Repetition field, which is repeated in frames with periodicity until the validity indicated in the Validity field expires; a value of 10 indicates that the resource configuration is indicated in the Repetition field, which is repeated in the next subslots with periodicity until the validity indicated in the Validity field expires; and a value of 11 indicates that it is reserved, and accordingly, the value will be ignored by the receiver device (104, 104b).

[0035] A single bit of the SFN field may be provided with a value of 0 to indicate that the resource configuration is immediately valid from this frame onward and that the SFN offset field does not exist in the RC information element, and a value of 1 to indicate that the resource configuration is valid from the frame indicated after the SFN offset field.

[0036] A single bit of the Channel field may be provided such that a value of 0 indicates that the resource configuration is valid for the channel to which the RC information element is received and that Channel field 1 and Channel field 2 do not exist in the RC information element, and a value of 1 indicates that the channel with a valid resource configuration is indicated in Channel field 1 and Channel field 2 of the RC information element.

[0037] The bit of the Start subslot 1 field indicates the first subslot, where the first part of the resource configuration is valid in the frame. A single bit of the Length type 1 field indicates whether the length of the first part of the resource configuration is indicated in the subslots or in the slots. For example, if the Length type 1 field is set to a value of 0, the length is given in the subslots. The bit of the Length 1 field indicates the length of the first part of the resource configuration in the subslots or slots. The transmitter device (104a) can divide the resource into multiple physical layer packet transmissions.

[0038] The bit of the Start subslot 2 field indicates the first subslot, where the second part of the resource configuration is valid in the frame. A single bit of the Length type 2 field indicates whether the length of the second part of the resource configuration is indicated in the subslots or in the slots. For example, if the Length type 1 field is set to a value of 0, the length is given in the subslots. The bit of the Length 1 field indicates the length of the second part of the resource configuration in the subslots or slots. The transmitter device (104a) can divide the resource into multiple physical layer packet transmissions.

[0039] The bits in the Repetition field indicate the repetition of resource configurations (first and second parts) in frames or subslots.

[0040] The bits in the Validity field indicate the duration for which the resource configuration is valid in frames. A value of 0xFF indicates that the resource configuration is permanent and valid until it is explicitly removed.

[0041] The bits in the SFN offset field indicate that resource allocation (configuration) is valid from the frame indicated in the SFN offset field.

[0042] The bits in the Channel 1 and Channel 2 fields represent the absolute carrier center frequencies of the first and second parts, respectively, in resource allocation.

[0043] FIG. 2b presents another example of an RC information element used to inform a receiver (e.g., device (104, 104b)) about the configuration of the transmission resources of the aforementioned system (100), and FIG. 2c presents definitions of the fields of this RC information element similar to those described in the context of the previous figure.

[0044] FIG. 2d illustrates an exemplary format of a determined association acknowledgment response, which represents the resource tag and group identifier described below, namely the Resource tag and Group ID fields, when resource allocation is performed using resource tag(s). This enables the formation of multiple groups by group identifiers (Group ID), and each group may include multiple devices (104, 104b).

[0045] The Group ID field is determined to be 7 bits long and is represented as a single bit in the Reserved field of the same octet, so this single bit can be used in the resource allocation of FIGS. 3c to 3f.

[0046] When resource allocation is performed according to Finnish patent application No. 20205231 using short radio device identifiers (short RD IDs, short IDs, S-IDs, short addresses), these fields, namely Group ID and Resource TAG, are not required.

[0047] Then, device (104a) transmits (unicasts) an association acknowledgment containing resource configuration to device (104b) via its data transmitter (426) as a response to the association request, thereby completing the association between devices (104a, 104b). Additionally, device (104b) now recognizes available transmission resources after device (104b) receives the association acknowledgment via the data transmitter (426).

[0048] Likewise, if the devices (104) request an association through the data transmitter (426) and there is nothing interfering with such association, the device (104a) transmits an association acknowledgment, including resource configuration, to other devices (104) of the network (102) through the data transmitter (426).

[0049] The associated devices (104, 104a, 104b) form a group, a cluster, comprising a device (104a) operating as a cluster head, a device (104b) operating as a cluster member, and at least one other device (104) operating as a cluster member when associated with device (104a).

[0050] After transmission of association and resource configuration, the device (104a) can observe the use of resources, that is, the amount of messages transmitted and received by each associated device (104, 104b) in the cluster via the data transmitter (426) by its data transmitter (426), and determine the resource needs of each device (104, 104b) by the controller (424), or determine through the controller (424) whether some associated device(s) (104, 104b) are not using all resources, and in the latter case, it means that the associated device(s) (104, 104b) have at least one unused resource. The observation performed by the device (104a) also includes receiving and additional resource requests (messages) via the data transmitter (426) from at least one device (104, 104b) belonging to the cluster, and as a result, the device (104a) studies the contents of the received additional resource requests by its controller (424) and uses the controller (424) to determine the additional resource requests of the associated device(s) (104, 104b).

[0051] If observations indicate that at least one of the device(s) (104, 104b) in the cluster requires more resources than currently, or that there are unused resource(s) in the cluster, or if another device (104) notifies device (104) of additional resources, device (104a) changes the resource configuration by the controller (424). Then, if the change occurs during the existing association(s) of device(s) (104, 104b), device (104a) broadcasts the changed (new) resource configuration to device(s) (104, 104b) via the data transmitter (426) as previously described.

[0052] Next, in the above method, after the resource configuration is transmitted to the device (104b), the device (104a) determines (generates) a beacon (message) (e.g., a cluster beacon or other broadcast message) through its controller (424), which is listened to by all devices (104, 104b) of the cluster. The device (104a), through its controller (424), includes a transmission resource allocation as part of the beacon, which indicates available resources and when these resources should be used by the devices (104, 104b). The included resource allocation includes at least allocation information indicating which part of the resources is allocated to which device (104, 104b) within the cluster, and direction information indicating whether the allocated resource part is in the uplink direction or the downlink direction.

[0053] Device (104a) may allocate resources to devices (104, 104b) equally or unequally in resource allocation by its controller (424). At least one of the devices (104, 104b) in the cluster may be temporarily left without resources if it is determined to be relevant, and additional resources may be allocated to each of the at least one device (104, 104b) in the cluster.

[0054] FIG. 3a shows an example of a resource allocation (RA) information element used to inform receiver(s) (e.g., device(s) (104, 104b)) about resource allocation in the system (100) if the aforementioned system (100) uses short RD IDs.

[0055] As mentioned above, RA information elements, namely resource allocation, can be included in beacons or other broadcast messages.

[0056] The RA information element includes, for example, at least the following fields: Direct fields and RD ID fields.

[0057] A single bit of each direction field may be provided to indicate whether the dedicated resource is an uplink resource—that is, an uplink resource for transmitting data and receiving acknowledgments from the perspective of a cluster member—or a downlink resource—that is, a downlink resource for receiving data and transmitting acknowledgments from the perspective of a cluster member. There is one direction bit for each allocated resource. The direction bits may be mapped to a resource configuration such that the first bit indicates the direction of the first resource in the resource configuration and the second bit indicates the direction of the second resource in the resource configuration.

[0058] The bits of the short RD ID fields (list) represent the RD IDs of the cluster members to whom dedicated resources are allocated. There is one short RD ID per allocated resource. Devices (104, 104b) acting as cluster members transmit their short RD IDs to the device (104a) acting as the cluster head during association. It is assumed that the short RD IDs are unique for devices (104, 104a, 104b) in radio neighbors. The RD IDs can be mapped to the resource configuration such that the first RD ID of the list is assigned to the first resource of the resource configuration and the second RD ID of the list is assigned to the second resource of the resource configuration.

[0059] Additionally, for downlink broadcasts from the cluster head device (104a) to all related devices (104, 104b) that are cluster members, for example, a specific short RD ID value such as 0xFFFF may be reserved to indicate that a dedicated resource has been allocated as a broadcast resource.

[0060] FIG. 3b presents another example of an RA information element used to inform receiver(s) (e.g., device(s) (104, 104b)) about resource allocation in the system (100) described above when the system (100) uses a resource tag, which reduces the size of the RA information element compared to the RA information element of the previous figure.

[0061] As mentioned above, RA information elements, namely resource allocation, can be included in beacons or other broadcast messages.

[0062] The RA information element includes, for example, at least the following fields: Group ID, direction (Direct, 1 bit), and Resource TAGs (7 bits).

[0063] The bits in the Group ID field represent the identifier (ID) of the group to which the resources are assigned. The group ID is assigned to the device (104, 104a, 104b) during association, for example, which allows the number of members to be larger than that allowed by the size of the resource tag described below.

[0064] Bits in the list of Direction and Resource TAG fields (octets). A single bit in each Direction field indicates whether the dedicated resource is an uplink resource—that is, a resource for transmitting data and receiving acknowledgments from the perspective of a cluster member—or a downlink resource—that is, a downlink resource for receiving data and transmitting acknowledgments from the perspective of a cluster member.

[0065] The direction bits relate to the resource tag that follows the direction bits. The bits of the Resource TAG field represent the ID assigned to the cluster member device (104, 104b) during association by the cluster head device (104a). The cluster head device (104a) and the associated cluster member device (104, 104b) maintain a mapping of the resource tag to the short RD ID in memory (432) as long as the device (104, 104b) is associated with the cluster, that is, as long as it operates as a cluster member. For example, if the device (104, 104b) is detached from or removed from the cluster due to a timeout, the cluster head device (104a) may reassign the resource tag value to the new device (104, 104b) during the new association.

[0066] The list of Directions and Resource TAG fields can be mapped to a resource configuration in such a way that the first octet indicates the direction through the direction bit and indicates the allocation of the first resource device (104, 104b) (member) of the resource configuration through the resource tag, and the second octet indicates the direction through the direction bit and indicates the allocation of the second resource device (104, 104b) (member) of the resource configuration through the resource tag.

[0067] Additionally, for downlink broadcasts from a cluster head device (104a) to all related devices (104, 104b) that are cluster members, a specific resource tag value, such as 0x7F, may be reserved to indicate that a dedicated resource has been allocated as a broadcast resource.

[0068] FIGS. 3c and FIGS. 3e present another example of an RA information element used to notify receiver(s) of resource allocation in the system (100) described above, where the system (100) uses short RD IDs and the RA information element includes a single bit presented in the context of FIG. 2d.

[0069] FIGS. 3d and 3f present another example of an RA information element used to inform receiver(s) about resource allocation in the system (100) described above, where the system (100) uses resource tags and a single bit presented in the context of FIG. 2d.

[0070] A single bit (indicator) indicates that in the RA information elements of FIGS. 3c to 3f, when its value is set to 1, all repetitions are given to a single device (104, 104b) that signaled the Group ID and Resource TAG. When the single bit value is set to 0, there are multiple Resource TAGs, and the index number of the repeating resource is displayed at the location of the Resource TAG.

[0071] The display type field of the elements in FIGS. 3e and 3f indicates whether paging, random access response, or resource allocation is used. If the elements are displayed as resource allocations, the ID Type field may indicate whether Direct bits are used separately or resource tags are used in the case of short RD IDs.

[0072] The use of runtime allocation tags optimizes resource allocation signaling in the system (100) and the method.

[0073] Then, in the above method, the device (104a) broadcasts a beacon containing resource allocations by its data transmitter (426), separately from the resource configuration for the device(s) (104, 104b) of the cluster, and thus, after receiving the beacon broadcast by the data transmitter (426) and studying its contents by the controller (424), each device (104, 104b) in the cluster recognizes the allocated transmission resources and begins to transmit and receive data (messages) by its data transmitter (426) according to the known separately received resource configuration and resource allocations, or vice versa.

[0074] The above device (104a) may have more associated devices (104, 104b) as cluster members than the resources in the resource configuration, and accordingly, resources can be multiplexed to the devices (104, 104b) through resource allocation. Accordingly, the device (104a) notifies all devices (104, 104b) in the cluster of resource allocation using multiple beacons. The device (104a) divides the devices (104, 104b) of the cluster into at least two device groups through the controller (424). Each device group includes at least one device (104, 104b).

[0075] Then, the device (104a) determines a beacon or other broadcast message for each group of devices through its controller (424) and includes the allocation of transmission resources to all beacons as previously described through its controller (424). Finally, the device (104a) sequentially broadcasts the determined beacons having resource allocations for the devices (104, 104b) in the cluster through its data transmitter (426), so that each device (104, 104a) becomes aware of the received resource configuration and allocation.

[0076] The above device (104a) can broadcast the resource allocation, for example, to a first device group among all other beacon-receiving device groups or to a second device group among all other beacon-receiving device groups.

[0077] Multiplexing of dedicated resources through the grouping described above enables scheduling resources to a larger number of devices (104, 104b) than is possible with resource tags.

[0078] FIG. 4 presents a device (104, 104a, 104b) capable of communicating in a network (102) and performing the features (steps) of the previously described scheduling method.

[0079] The above device (104, 104a, 104b) includes a controller (control part) (424) that controls the operation of parts (426, 432, 448, 450, 452) so that the above device (104, 104a, 104b) operates as described in the contents of the previous drawings.

[0080] The controller (424) includes a processor (processor part) (448) that processes data to perform operator-start commands and / or computer program-start commands and to execute an application. The processor (448) may include at least one processor, for example, one, two, three, or more processors.

[0081] The controller (424) also includes memory (memory portion) (432) for storing and maintaining data. The data may be instructions, computer programs, and data files. The memory (432) includes at least one memory, for example, one, two, three, or more memories.

[0082] The above devices (104, 104a, 104b) also include an antenna (antenna portion) (450) and a data transmitter (data transmission portion) (426) used by a controller (424) to transmit commands, requests, and data to at least one entity within the system (100) (e.g., devices (104, 104, 104b)) via the antenna (450). The data transmitter (426) also receives commands, requests, and data from at least one entity within the system (100) (e.g., devices (104, 104, 104b)) via the antenna. Communication between the data transmitter (426) of the device (104, 104, 104b) and other entities of the system (100) is provided wirelessly via the antenna (450).

[0083] The device (104, 104a, 104b) also includes a power supply (power supply part) (452). The power supply (452) includes components (e.g., a battery and a regulator) for supplying power to the device (104, 104a, 104b).

[0084] The memory (432) stores at least a data transmission application (454) for operating (controlling) a data transmitter (426), an antenna application (456) for operating an antenna (450), and a power supply application (458) for operating a power supply (452).

[0085] The memory (432) also stores a computer program (computer software, computer application) (460), which, when executed on a computer (e.g., device (104, 104a, 104b)), uses at least one of the parts (426, 448, 450, 452) to perform the operations of the device (104, 104a, 104b) described above in the detailed description and drawings of this invention through a controller (424).

[0086] The computer program (460) can be stored on a non-volatile computer-readable storage medium of the type such as a CD (Compact Disc) or USB (Universal Serial Bus) type storage device.

[0087] The present invention and some of its advantages have now been described with reference to the aforementioned embodiments. It is evident that the present invention is not limited to these embodiments but includes all possible embodiments within the scope of the following claims.

Claims

Claim 1 As a resource scheduling system (100) for a wireless communication network (102), a first communication device (104a); A system comprising a first communication device (104a) and a second communication device (104b), wherein the first communication device (104a) and the second communication device (104b) belong to a group of multiple communication devices (104, 104a, 104b) of the wireless communication network, and each communication device (104, 104a, 104b) within the group of multiple communication devices is configured to provide bidirectional radio communication with at least one other communication device among the multiple communication devices, and wherein the first communication device transmits a transmission resource configuration as part of a response to an association request of the second communication device belonging to the multiple communication devices, and wherein the transmission resource configuration includes allocation information notifying the allocation of resources, and the transmission resource allocation includes allocation information notifying which part of the resources is allocated to which communication device within the group of multiple communication devices, and wherein the transmission resource allocation is configured to broadcast the transmission resource allocation to the remaining communication devices of the multiple communication devices separately from the transmission resource configuration. Claim 2 A system according to claim 1, wherein the transmission resource configuration is part of an association acknowledged response that completes the association between a first communication device and a second communication device. Claim 3 A system according to claim 1, wherein the first communication device broadcasts the transmission resource configuration to the plurality of communication devices when the transmission resource configuration is changed during the existing association of the plurality of communication devices. Claim 4 A system according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein the transmission resource configuration comprises at least timings of the resources and at least one channel of the resources, or the transmission resource configuration comprises at least timings of the resources, at least one channel of the resources, and an amount of the resources. Claim 5 A system according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein the first communication device broadcasts the transmission resource allocation as part of a beacon. Claim 6 A system according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein the transmission resource allocation further comprises direction information indicating whether the allocated resource portion is for communication in the uplink direction or the downlink direction. Claim 7 A system according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein if the first communication device cannot notify all of the plurality of communication devices of the transmission resource allocation in a single message, the first communication device divides the group of the plurality of communication devices into at least two device groups and sequentially broadcasts the transmission resource allocation of each device group to the plurality of communication devices. Claim 8 A system according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein, in order to determine the resource requirements of each communication device or at least one unused resource, the first communication device may observe the amount of messages transmitted by each communication device (104, 104a, 104b) in a group of multiple communication devices, or the first communication device may receive an additional resource request from one communication device (104, 104b) belonging to the group of multiple communication devices, and if the observed or received additional resource request indicates such a request, the first communication device changes the resource configuration. Claim 9 A system according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein the wireless communication network is a DECT (Digital European Cordless Telecommunication) 2020-based network, a wireless mesh network, a wireless Bluetooth Low Energy-based radio network, a wireless short-range network, a Thread network, a Zigbee network, a PLMN (Public Land Mobile Network), or a cellular network. Claim 10 A system according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein when the wireless communication network is a wireless mesh network, the group of the plurality of communication devices forms a cluster, the first communication device operates as a cluster head (104a) of the cluster that schedules and allocates transmission resources for cluster members (104, 104b) of the cluster, and the second communication device is one of the cluster members. Claim 11 A resource scheduling method for a wireless communication network (102), wherein the resource scheduling method comprises: a step of presenting at least a first communication device (104a) and a second communication device (104b) belonging to a group of a plurality of communication devices (104, 104a, 104b) of the wireless communication network; and a step of providing bidirectional radio communication with another communication device with at least one of the plurality of communication devices by each communication device (104, 104a, 104b) within the group of the plurality of communication devices, wherein the first communication device (104a) transmits a transmission resource configuration as part of a response to an associated request of a second communication device belonging to the plurality of communication devices, and when the transmission resource configuration includes allocation information notifying the allocation of resources and the transmission resource allocation includes allocation information notifying which part of the resources is allocated to which communication device within the group of the plurality of communication devices, the transmission resource allocation is broadcast to the remaining communication devices of the plurality of communication devices separately from the transmission resource configuration. Claim 12 A wireless communication device (104a) comprising a controller (424) and a data transmitter (426), wherein the controller is configured to present a group of multiple wireless communication devices (104, 104a, 104b) of a wireless communication network (102), and the data transmitter is configured to provide bidirectional radio communication with at least one other wireless communication device (104, 104b) belonging to the group of multiple communication devices, and wherein the data transmitter transmits a transmission resource configuration as part of a response to an associated request from another communication device belonging to the group of multiple communication devices, and wherein the transmission resource configuration includes allocation information notifying the allocation of resources, and the transmission resource allocation includes allocation information notifying which part of the resources is allocated to which communication device within the group of multiple communication devices, and wherein the data transmitter is configured to broadcast the transmission resource allocation to the remaining communication devices among the multiple communication devices separately from the transmission resource configuration in order to schedule resources within the wireless communication network. Claim 13 A method for resource scheduling for a wireless communication device (104a), wherein the resource scheduling method comprises: a step of presenting a group of multiple wireless communication devices (104, 104a, 104b) within a wireless communication network (102) by a controller (424) of the communication device; and a step of providing bidirectional radio communication with at least one other wireless communication device (104, 104b) belonging to the group of multiple communication devices by a data transmitter (426) of the communication device, wherein the data transmitter transmits a transmission resource configuration as part of a response to an associated request from another communication device belonging to the multiple communication devices, wherein the transmission resource configuration includes allocation information notifying the allocation of resources, and the transmission resource allocation includes allocation information notifying which part of the resources is allocated to which communication device within the group of multiple communication devices, and the transmission resource allocation is broadcast to the remaining communication devices of the multiple communication devices separately from the transmission resource configuration to schedule resources within the wireless communication network. Claim 14 A computer-readable non-transient storage medium comprising a computer program (460) comprising instructions, wherein the instructions cause the wireless communication device to perform the steps of the method according to claim 13 when the computer program is executed by a controller. Claim 15 delete Claim 16 delete

Images