Radio Resource Allocation for Multi-User MIMO

Abstract

According to certain embodiments, a method for use in a network node for scheduling wireless transmissions using multiple multi-user multiple-input multiple-output (MU-MIMO) transmission layers includes determining that a first wireless device is spatially pair-able with a second wireless device and that the scheduling priority of the first device is higher than that of the second device. The method further includes allocating frequency-domain resources of a first transmission layer to the first device according to the scheduling priority of the first device, and allocating frequency-domain resources in a second transmission layer to the second device according to the priority of the first device. The amount of frequency-domain resources allocated in the second transmission layer is not greater than the amount of frequency-domain resources allocated in the first transmission layer. The method further includes transmitting data to the first wireless device on the first transmission layer and transmitting data to the second wireless device on the second transmission layer.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] Embodiments of the present disclosure relate to wireless communications, and more particularly, to allocating radio resources for multi-user (MU) multiple-input multiple-output (MIMO) wireless transmissions. Background Art

[0002] The increase in the traffic levels of services such as voice over Internet protocol (VoIP), video, web browsing, etc., with various quality of service (QoS) requirements, has limited the capabilities of existing wireless networks. Mobile data traffic levels have grown exponentially and are expected to increase by 1000 times in the next five years. The continuous traffic growth and the need to meet the QoS requirements of emerging wireless applications have made it necessary for the industrial and research communities to provide better solutions in wireless communication systems. One solution includes the Third Generation Partnership Project (3GPP) Fifth Generation (5G) New Radio (NR) networks, which provide increased data rates, low latency, scalable bandwidth, mobility, and extended coverage.

[0003] To meet these requirements, 5G NR has opened a new era of improved network capacity and higher bandwidth availability for each user. Radio resource allocation for users has become an active research area. When designing radio transmission scheduling algorithms, parameters such as the number of users, channel conditions, traffic class types, etc., play important roles. The task of the scheduler is to distribute scheduling resources to maintain the QoS of all users and optimize the performance of the network.

[0004] Multi-user (MU) multiple-input multiple-output (MIMO) is a spatial multiplexing scheme in which multiple users in different spatial layers share the same time-frequency resources. It is greatly enhanced by massive MIMO beamforming and is widely supported in Long Term Evolution (LTE) and 5G commercial mobile networks to increase cell throughput and capacity, which improves the overall network performance and spectral efficiency.

[0005] Implementing MU-MIMO presents several challenges, such as user equipment (UE) pairing, scheduling weight calculation, resource allocation, etc. Summary of the Invention

[0006] Based on the above description, there are certain challenges in current multi-user multiple-input multiple-output (MU-MIMO), such as user equipment (UE) pairing, scheduling weight calculation, and resource allocation. Specific embodiments described herein include resource allocation for MU-MIMO.

[0007] Traditional resource scheduling is single-user scheduling based on the user priority order. Radio resources are first allocated to the UE with the highest priority order, then to the UE with the second priority order, and so on. The size of the resources allocated to a UE is based on the amount of data in the UE's buffer and its channel quality. Frequency domain resources can be allocated based on frequency-selective scheduling or distributed scheduling. For frequency-selective scheduling, the frequency resources with the best channel quality are allocated to the UE to provide an optimized data rate to the UE. For distributed scheduling, the frequency resources allocated to the UE are distributed over the frequency domain to exploit the diversity in the frequency domain.

[0008] To pair users for MU-MIMO scheduling, certain embodiments share time-frequency resources with more than one UE to take advantage of the benefits of MU-MIMO for higher spectral efficiency and improved network throughput. This is contrary to scheduling one UE at a time in traditional resource scheduling schemes.

[0009] In certain embodiments, the resource allocation algorithm facilitates MU-MIMO transmission by accounting for the UE priority order and UE pairability among the UEs to be scheduled. Time-frequency-space resources can be allocated to the UEs by selecting MU-MIMO transmission and frequency domain channel conditions to optimize spectral efficiency and overall cell throughput.

[0010] According to some embodiments, a method for use in a network node for scheduling wireless transmissions in a frequency domain including a plurality of MU-MIMO transmission layers includes: determining that a first wireless device is spatially pair-able with a second wireless device for MU-MIMO transmission, and that the scheduling priority of the first wireless device is higher than the scheduling priority of the second wireless device. A first amount of data is buffered for communication with the first wireless device, and a second amount of data is buffered for communication with the second wireless device. The method further includes: allocating frequency domain resources of a first transmission layer of the plurality of MU-MIMO transmission layers for transmitting the first amount of data buffered for communication with the first wireless device, according to the scheduling priority of the first wireless device; and allocating frequency domain resources in a second transmission layer of the plurality of MU-MIMO transmission layers for transmitting a certain amount of data buffered for communication with the second wireless device, according to the scheduling priority of the first wireless device. The amount of frequency domain resources allocated in the second transmission layer is not greater than the amount of frequency domain resources allocated in the first transmission layer. The method further includes transmitting the buffered data to the first wireless device on the first transmission layer and transmitting the buffered data to the second wireless device on the second transmission layer.

[0011] In a particular embodiment, the method further includes: determining that the second amount of data buffered for communication with a second wireless device is greater than the amount of data buffered for communication with the first wireless device, resulting in a remaining amount of data to be transmitted to the second wireless device; allocating frequency domain resources for the remaining amount of data according to the scheduling priority of the second wireless device; and transmitting the remaining amount of data to the second wireless device.

[0012] In a particular embodiment, the frequency domain resources of the first transmission layer and the frequency domain resources of the second transmission layer include a plurality of resource blocks or resource block groups, and the resource blocks or resource block groups are allocated in the order of channel quality. The frequency domain resources allocated in the second transmission layer may correspond to the frequency domain resources allocated in the first transmission layer.

[0013] In a particular embodiment, the transmission power allocated to each time-frequency resource block or resource block group is the same across the frequency domain, regardless of the number of layers allocated to each resource block or resource block group. The total transmission power allocated to each time-frequency resource block or resource block group for all wireless devices sharing the same resource block or resource block group may be the same across the frequency domain, and the power of each transmission layer is evenly distributed among all wireless devices. The total transmission power allocated to each time-frequency resource block or resource block group may vary across the frequency domain, while the power allocated to each orthogonal frequency division multiplexing (OFDM) symbol is constant.

[0014] In a particular embodiment, the second wireless device is allocated two or more frequency domain resources in the frequency domain, and the method further includes determining link adaptation for the second wireless device based on a function of the amount of power allocated to each of the two or more frequency domain resources. The function may include averaging the amount of power allocated to each of the two or more frequency domain resources.

[0015] In a particular embodiment, the second wireless device is allocated two or more frequency domain resources in the frequency domain, and the method further includes determining link adaptation for the second wireless device based on a function of the amount of power allocated to each of the two or more frequency domain resources.

[0016] According to some embodiments, a network node is operable to schedule wireless transmissions in a frequency domain including a plurality of MU-MIMO transmission layers. The network node includes processing circuitry operable to perform any of the methods performed by the network node described above.

[0017] According to some embodiments, a network node is operable to schedule wireless transmissions in a frequency domain including a plurality of MU-MIMO transmission layers. The network node includes a determination module, an allocation module, and a transmission module. The determination module is operable to determine that a first wireless device is spatially pair-able with a second wireless device using MU-MIMO transmission, and that the scheduling priority of the first wireless device is higher than the scheduling priority of the second wireless device. A first amount of data is buffered for communication with the first wireless device, and a second amount of data is buffered for communication with the second wireless device. The allocation module is operable to: allocate frequency domain resources of a first transmission layer of the plurality of MU-MIMO transmission layers for transmitting the first amount of data buffered for communication with the first wireless device, according to the scheduling priority of the first wireless device; and allocate frequency domain resources in a second transmission layer of the plurality of MU-MIMO transmission layers for transmitting a certain amount of data buffered for communication with the second wireless device, according to the scheduling priority of the first wireless device. The amount of frequency domain resources allocated in the second transmission layer is not greater than the amount of frequency domain resources allocated in the first transmission layer. The transmission module is operable to transmit the buffered data to the first wireless device on the first transmission layer and transmit the buffered data to the second wireless device on the second transmission layer.

[0018] A computer program product is also disclosed, including a non-transitory computer-readable medium storing computer-readable program code, the computer-readable program code being operable to, when executed by a processing circuit, perform any of the methods performed by the network node described above.

[0019] Certain embodiments may provide one or more of the following technical advantages. For example, specific embodiments improve user equipment and overall cell throughput. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0020] To more fully understand the disclosed embodiments and their features and advantages, reference is now made to the following description taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, in which:

[0021] Figure 1 is a frequency allocation diagram illustrating resource scheduling for multi-user multiple-input multiple-output (MU-MIMO) according to some embodiments;

[0022] Figure 2 is a frequency allocation diagram illustrating power scheduling for MU-MIMO according to some embodiments;

[0023] Figure 3 is a frequency allocation diagram illustrating frequency-selective resource allocation for MU-MIMO according to some embodiments;

[0024] Figure 4 is a block diagram illustrating an example wireless network;

[0025] Figure 5 is a flowchart illustrating an example method in a network node according to certain embodiments;

[0026] Figure 6 illustrates an example network node according to certain embodiments; and

[0027] Figure 7 illustrates an example virtualized environment according to certain embodiments. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0028] One challenge for scheduling of multi-user multiple-input multiple-output (MU-MIMO) wireless transmissions is that resource scheduling is single-user scheduling based on user priority order. Certain aspects of the present disclosure and its embodiments may provide solutions to these or other challenges. To pair user equipment (UE) for MU-MIMO scheduling, certain embodiments share time-frequency resources with more than one UE to take advantage of MU-MIMO to obtain the benefits of higher spectral efficiency and improved network throughput.

[0029] For example, in some embodiments, paired UEs may be scheduled in the priority order of the UE with the highest priority (among these paired UEs), but the resources allocated to lower-priority UEs are not greater than the resources allocated to the highest-priority UE. Any remaining portion of the data buffer of the lower-priority UEs is scheduled according to the original priority order of the lower-priority UEs.

[0030] In some embodiments, the power across the frequency domain for each time-frequency resource (resource block (RB) or resource block group (RBG)) is the same, regardless of how many layers are allocated in each RB / RBG. In some embodiments, the transmission power of a UE with time-frequency-space resource allocation is adjusted such that the total power across the frequency domain for each RB / RBG of all UEs sharing the same resources is the same, and the power per layer is evenly distributed among the UEs. Some embodiments allocate different powers to different RBs or RBGs under the condition that the total power allocated to one OFDM symbol is a constant value.

[0031] In some embodiments, link adaptation for paired UEs for MU-MIMO is determined by employing the average power allocated to the UE across the frequency domain, even if different powers are allocated to different resource portions. Some embodiments include frequency-selective resource allocation.

[0032] Specific embodiments are described more fully with reference to the accompanying drawings. However, other embodiments are included within the scope of the subject matter disclosed herein. The disclosed subject matter should not be construed as limited to the embodiments set forth herein; rather, these embodiments are provided by way of example to convey the scope of the subject matter to those skilled in the art.

[0033] Specific algorithms for calculating the scheduling weights of MU-MIMO UEs may include calculating channel quality weights based on the information bits and user pairing of the MU-MIMO UEs. Some algorithms include adjusting the priority weights of pair-able UEs during the scheduling phase, where one or both of the downlink scheduling list and the uplink scheduling list are re-sorted based on the newly calculated weights. The downlink scheduling list and the uplink scheduling list are passed to the physical downlink shared channel (PDSCH) and physical uplink shared channel (PUSCH) resource allocators. Specific embodiments described herein include resource scheduling in the downlink and / or uplink resource allocators that take into account MU-MIMO paired UEs.

[0034] Figure 1 is a frequency allocation diagram illustrating resource scheduling for multi-user multiple-input multiple-output (MU-MIMO) according to some embodiments. The block diagram illustrates data buffers for six UEs (UE1 - UE6) and how the data buffers are assigned to time-frequency resources across multiple layers.

[0035] In the example shown, based on scheduling weight calculations and adjustments, UE1 - UE6 have the highest priority order and are passed to the resource allocator for scheduling. Each UE may have a different buffer size. UE1 and UE4 are pair-able UEs, UE2 has no pair-able UE, and UE3 and UE5 are pair-able UEs.

[0036] Specific embodiments include resource allocation for pair-able UEs. The UE with the highest priority order is scheduled first, where the amount of resources matches its buffer size. In Figure 1 the example shown, UE1 has the highest priority order and is scheduled first, where the time-frequency resource allocation matches its buffer size (step 1).

[0037] The time-frequency resources allocated to the first UE cannot be allocated to any other UE other than the other UE that can be MU-MIMO paired with the first UE in different spatial layers. In Figure 1 the example, UE4 can be paired with UE1. Although UE4 has a lower priority order than UE2 and UE3, UE4 can be allocated resources earlier (UE4 - 1), which uses the same size of resources as those allocated to UE1 but in different spatial layers.

[0038] The size of the resources (UE4-1) allocated to UE4 (in the lower priority order) is limited by the size of the resources allocated to UE1 (in the higher priority order), and it may only take a part of the data from the UE4 buffer. In this case, the remaining data (UE4-2) in the UE4 buffer is scheduled according to its original priority order. Thus, the resource allocator schedules UE2 and UE3 (step 2) before scheduling the remaining UE4-2 part (step 3).

[0039] As described above, in some embodiments, paired UEs are scheduled according to the priority order of the UE with the highest priority (among these paired UEs), but the resources to be allocated to lower priority UEs are not greater than the resources allocated to the highest priority UE. The remaining part (if any) of the data buffer of the lower priority order UE is scheduled according to the original priority order of the lower priority UE.

[0040] Some embodiments include transmit power allocation for MU-MIMO resource scheduling. In a particular embodiment, the power of each time-frequency resource (resource block (RB) or resource block group (RBG)) is the same across the frequency domain, regardless of the number of layers allocated in each RB / RBG.

[0041] For MU-MIMO transmission, resources in the frequency domain are allocated to multiple users. A single-user (SU) MIMO transmission UE occupies the RB / PRB alone, and the number of allocated layers is based on the channel rank of the UE. In Figure 1 's example, the channel rank of UE2 is 2 and it occupies the time-frequency resources of two layers. UE4 has a rank of 1 and occupies the time-frequency resources of one layer with two different parts. The UE4-1 part occupies one layer, which shares the same time-frequency resources with UE1 on another layer. UE4-2 occupies one layer and occupies the time-frequency resources by itself. The total power of each RB / RBG of the time-frequency resources occupied by UE1 and UE4-1 is the same as the total power of each RB or RBG of the time-frequency resources occupied by UE4-2. The effective power allocation of UE4-2 is twice that of this power of UE4-1.

[0042] In some embodiments, the transmit power of the UE with time-frequency-space resource allocation is adjusted such that the total power of each RB / RBG of all UEs sharing the same resources is the same across the frequency domain, and the power per layer is evenly distributed among the UEs.

[0043] Other embodiments allocate different powers to different RBs or RBGs. An example is illustrated in Figure 2 .

[0044] Figure 2FIG. is a frequency allocation diagram for power scheduling for MU-MIMO according to some embodiments. In the example shown, the resource allocator can increase the power allocated to UE1 and UE4-1 at the expense of reducing the power allocated to UE4-2 (step 1), because the resources allocated to UE1 and UE4-1 carry MIMO transmissions of two UEs, but the resources allocated to UE4-2 carry data transmissions of only one UE.

[0045] The criterion for allocating different powers to different RBs and RBGs can be that the total power allocated to an orthogonal frequency division multiplexing (OFDM) symbol is a constant value. The benefit is that it prevents generating additional interference to its neighboring cells. This strategy gives the scheduler more freedom to improve the overall cell throughput.

[0046] Some embodiments include frequency-selective resource allocation. Frequency-selective resource allocation allocates resources in the order of channel quality to empty the data buffer of the UE, or to achieve the highest throughput using the minimum number of allocated RBs or RBGs. The allocated resources can be non-contiguous. In one embodiment, resource allocation can be performed in units of RBGs. An example is illustrated in Figure 3 FIG.

[0047] Figure 3 FIG. is a frequency allocation diagram for frequency-selective resource allocation for MU-MIMO according to some embodiments. When the resource allocator allocates resources to a pair of UEs (e.g., UE1 and UE4), the RBG resources can be allocated one by one in the order of their channel quality. The first RBG to be allocated is selected such that it gives the highest combined throughput (Ue1InforBits(RbgId) + Ue4InforBits(RbgId)) for UE1 and UE4 among all available RBGs. Ue1InforBits(RbgId) and Ue4InforBits(RbgId) are the number of information bits that an RBG (RbgId) can carry for UE1 and UE4, respectively.

[0048] If the data buffer of UE1 cannot be emptied, the second RBG with the highest combined throughput among all available RBGs can be allocated. The total throughputs of UE1 and UE4 are (Ue1InforBits(RbgId1)+Ue1InforBits(RbgId2)) and (Ue4InforBits(RbgId1)+Ue4InforBits(RbgId2)), respectively. This process can be repeated until the data buffer of UE1 (whose total throughput is greater than or equal to the total number of data bits in the data buffer) is emptied or all available RBGs are allocated.

[0049] Figure 4Illustrated is an example wireless network according to certain embodiments. The wireless network may include any type of communication, telecommunication, data, cellular, and / or radio network or other similar type of system, and / or interface therewith. In some embodiments, the wireless network may be configured to operate according to a specific standard or other type of predefined rules or procedures. Thus, specific embodiments of the wireless network may implement communication standards such as Global System for Mobile Communications (GSM), Universal Mobile Telecommunications System (UMTS), Long Term Evolution (LTE), and / or other suitable 2G, 3G, 4G, or 5G standards; Wireless Local Area Network (WLAN) standards such as IEEE 802.11 standards; and / or any other appropriate wireless communication standards such as Worldwide Interoperability for Microwave Access (WiMax), Bluetooth, and / or ZigBee standards.

[0050] Network 106 may include one or more backhaul networks, core networks, IP networks, Public Switched Telephone Network (PSTN), packet data networks, optical networks, Wide Area Networks (WAN), Local Area Networks (LAN), Wireless Local Area Networks (WLAN), wired networks, wireless networks, Metropolitan Area Networks, and other networks capable of enabling communication between devices.

[0051] Network node 160 and WD 110 include various components described in more detail below. These components work together to provide network node and / or wireless device functionality, such as providing a wireless connection in a wireless network. In different embodiments, the wireless network may include any number of wired or wireless networks, network nodes, base stations, controllers, wireless devices, relay stations, and / or any other components or systems that can facilitate or participate in data and / or signal communication via wired or wireless connections.

[0052] As used herein, a network node refers to a device that is capable of, configured to, arranged to, and / or operable to communicate directly or indirectly with a wireless device and / or with other network nodes or devices in a wireless network to be able to implement and / or provide wireless access to the wireless device and / or perform other functions (e.g., management) in the wireless network. Examples of network nodes include, but are not limited to, access points (APs) (e.g., radio access points), base stations (BSs) (e.g., radio base stations, Node B, evolved Node B (eNB), and NR Node B (gNB)).

[0053] Base stations may be classified based on the amount of coverage they provide (or, in other words, their transmission power levels), and may thus also be referred to as femto base stations, pico base stations, micro base stations, or macro base stations.

[0054] A base station can be a relay node or a relay donor node that controls the relay. The network node may also include one or more (or all) parts of a distributed radio base station, such as a centralized digital unit and / or a remote radio unit (RRU), sometimes referred to as a remote radio head (RRH). Such a remote radio unit may or may not be integrated with an antenna into a radio device with an integrated antenna. The parts of the distributed radio base station may also be referred to as nodes in a distributed antenna system (DAS).

[0055] Still other examples of network nodes include multi-standard radio (MSR) devices (such as MSR BS), network controllers (such as radio network controllers (RNC) or base station controllers (BSC)), base transceiver stations (BTS), transmission points, transmission nodes, multi-cell / multicast coordination entities (MCE), core network nodes (e.g., MSC, MME), O&M nodes, OSS nodes, SON nodes, positioning nodes (e.g., E-SMLC), and / or MDT. As another example, a network node can be a virtual network node, as described in more detail below. However, more generally, a network node can represent any suitable device (or group of devices) capable of, configured to, arranged to, and / or operable to enable and / or provide a wireless device with access to a wireless network or to provide some service to a wireless device already accessing the wireless network.

[0056] In Figure 4 it, network node 160 includes a processing circuit 170, a device-readable medium 180, an interface 190, an auxiliary device 184, a power supply 186, a power circuit 187, and an antenna 162. Although the network node 160 illustrated in the example wireless network of Figure 4 may represent a device including the combination of hardware components illustrated, other embodiments may include network nodes with different combinations of components. It is to be understood that a network node includes any suitable combination of hardware and / or software required to perform the tasks, features, functions, and methods disclosed herein. Also, although the components of network node 160 are depicted as nested within multiple boxes or individual boxes located within a larger box, in practice, a network node may include multiple different physical components that make up a single illustrated component (e.g., device-readable medium 180 may include multiple separate hard drives and multiple RAM modules).

[0057] Similarly, network node 160 may be composed of multiple physically separated components (e.g., NodeB component and RNC component or BTS component and BSC component, etc.), and these components may each have their own corresponding components. In some scenarios where network node 160 includes multiple separate components (e.g., BTS and BSC components), one or more of the separate components may be shared among several network nodes. For example, a single RNC may control multiple NodeBs. In such a scenario, each unique NodeB and RNC pair may be considered as a single separate network node in some instances. In some embodiments, network node 160 may be configured to support multiple radio access technologies (RATs). In such embodiments, some components may be replicated (e.g., separate device-readable storage media 180 for different RATs), and some components may be reused (e.g., the same antenna 162 may be shared by RATs). Network node 160 may also include multiple sets of respective components for different wireless technologies (such as, for example, GSM, WCDMA, LTE, NR, WiFi, or Bluetooth wireless technologies) integrated into network node 160. These wireless technologies may be integrated into the same or different chips or sets of chips and other components within network node 160.

[0058] Processing circuitry 170 is configured to perform any determination, calculation, or similar operation (e.g., certain obtaining operations) described herein as being provided by a network node, such as the scheduling operations described herein and with respect to Figures 2 - 4 the operations performed by processing circuitry 170 may include processing information obtained by processing circuitry 170, such as by converting the obtained information into other information, comparing the obtained information or the converted information with information stored in the network node, and / or performing one or more operations based on the obtained information or the converted information, and making a determination as a result of such processing.

[0059] Processing circuitry 170 may include one or more of the following combinations: a microprocessor, a controller, a microcontroller, a central processing unit, a digital signal processor, an application specific integrated circuit, a field programmable gate array, or any other suitable computing device, resource, or combination of hardware, software, and / or coded logic that can operate to provide the functionality of network node 160 alone or in combination with other network node 160 components (such as device-readable medium 180). For example, processing circuitry 170 may execute instructions stored in device-readable medium 180 or in a memory within processing circuitry 170. Such functionality may include providing any one of the various wireless features, functions, or benefits discussed herein. In some embodiments, processing circuitry 170 may include a system on a chip (SOC).

[0060] In some embodiments, processing circuitry 170 may include one or more of radio frequency (RF) transceiver circuitry 172 and baseband processing circuitry 174. In some embodiments, the radio frequency (RF) transceiver circuitry 172 and the baseband processing circuitry 174 may be on separate chips (or sets of chips), boards, or units (such as a radio unit and a digital unit). In alternative embodiments, some or all of the RF transceiver circuitry 172 and the baseband processing circuitry 174 may be on the same chip or set of chips, board, or unit.

[0061] In certain embodiments, some or all of the functionality described herein as being provided by a network node, base station, eNB, or other such network device may be performed by processing circuitry 170 executing instructions stored on a memory or device-readable medium 180 within the processing circuitry 170. In alternative embodiments, some or all of the functionality may be provided by the processing circuitry 170 without, for example, executing instructions stored on a separate or discrete device-readable medium in a hardwired manner. In any of those embodiments, whether or not instructions stored on a device-readable storage medium are executed, the processing circuitry 170 can be configured to perform the described functionality. The benefits provided by such functionality are not limited to the processing circuitry 170 alone or to other components of the network node 160, but are enjoyed by the network node 160 as a whole and / or generally by the end user and the wireless network.

[0062] The device-readable medium 180 may include any form of volatile or non-volatile computer-readable memory, including but not limited to permanent storage devices, solid-state memory, remotely mounted memory, magnetic media, optical media, random access memory (RAM), read-only memory (ROM), mass storage media (such as a hard disk), removable storage media (such as a flash drive, compact disc (CD), or digital video disc (DVD)), and / or any other volatile or non-volatile, non-transitory device-readable and / or computer-executable memory device storing information, data, and / or instructions that can be used by the processing circuitry 170. The device-readable medium 180 may store any suitable instructions, data, or information, including computer programs, software, applications (including one or more of logic, rules, code, tables, etc.), and / or other instructions that can be executed by the processing circuitry 170 and utilized by the network node 160. The device-readable medium 180 may be used to store any calculations performed by the processing circuitry 170 and / or any data received via the interface 190. In some embodiments, the processing circuitry 170 and the device-readable medium 180 may be considered integrated.

[0063] Interface 190 is used in wired or wireless communication of signaling and / or data between network node 160, network 106, and / or WD 110. As shown, interface 190 includes port(s) / terminal(s) 194 to send data to and receive data from network 106, for example, via a wired connection. Interface 190 also includes radio front-end circuit 192, which may be coupled to antenna 162 or, in some embodiments, is part of the antenna. Radio front-end circuit 192 includes filter 198 and amplifier 196. Radio front-end circuit 192 may be connected to antenna 162 and processing circuit 170. The radio front-end circuit may be configured to condition signals transmitted between antenna 162 and processing circuit 170. Radio front-end circuit 192 may receive digital data to be transmitted out via a wireless connection to other network nodes or WDs. Radio front-end circuit 192 may use a combination of filter 198 and / or amplifier 196 to convert the digital data into a radio signal with appropriate channel and bandwidth parameters. The radio signal may then be transmitted via antenna 162. Similarly, when data is received, antenna 162 may collect radio signals, which are then converted into digital data by radio front-end circuit 192. The digital data may be passed to processing circuit 170. In other embodiments, the interface may include different components and / or different combinations of components.

[0064] In some alternative embodiments, network node 160 may not include a separate radio front-end circuit 192. Instead, processing circuit 170 may include a radio front-end circuit and may be connected to antenna 162 without a separate radio front-end circuit 192. Similarly, in some embodiments, all or some of RF transceiver circuit 172 may be considered part of interface 190. In still other embodiments, interface 190 may include one or more ports or terminals 194, radio front-end circuit 192, and RF transceiver circuit 172 as part of a radio unit (not shown), and interface 190 may communicate with baseband processing circuit 174, which is part of a digital unit (not shown).

[0065] Antenna 162 may include one or more antennas or antenna arrays configured to transmit and / or receive wireless signals. Antenna 162 may be coupled to radio front-end circuitry 190 and may be any type of antenna capable of wirelessly transmitting and receiving data and / or signals. In some embodiments, Antenna 162 may include one or more omnidirectional, sector, or planar antennas that may be operable to transmit / receive radio signals, for example, between 2 GHz and 66 GHz. Omnidirectional antennas may be used to transmit / receive radio signals in any direction, sector antennas may be used to transmit / receive radio signals from devices within a specific area, and planar antennas may be line-of-sight antennas used to transmit / receive radio signals in a relatively straight line. In some instances, the use of more than one antenna may be referred to as MIMO. In certain embodiments, Antenna 162 may be separate from network node 160 and may be connectable to network node 160 via an interface or port.

[0066] Antenna 162, interface 190, and / or processing circuitry 170 may be configured to perform any of the receiving operations and / or certain obtaining operations described herein as being performed by a network node. Any information, data, and / or signals may be received from a wireless device, another network node, and / or any other network equipment. Similarly, Antenna 162, interface 190, and / or processing circuitry 170 may be configured to perform any of the transmitting operations described herein as being performed by a network node. Any information, data, and / or signals may be transmitted to a wireless device, another network node, and / or any other network equipment.

[0067] Power circuitry 187 may include or be coupled to a power management circuit and is configured to supply power for the components of network node 160 to perform the functionality described herein. Power circuitry 187 may receive power from power source 186. Power source 186 and / or power circuitry 187 may be configured to supply power to the various components of network node 160 in a form suitable for the respective components (e.g., at the voltage and current levels required for each respective component). Power source 186 may be included within power circuitry 187 and / or network node 160 or external thereto. For example, network node 160 may be connectable to an external power source (e.g., an electrical outlet) via an input circuit or interface (such as a cable), and the external power source may supply power to power circuitry 187. As another example, power source 186 may include a power source in the form of a battery or battery pack that is connected to or integrated within power circuitry 187. The battery may provide backup power if the external power source fails. Other types of power sources, such as photovoltaic devices, may also be used.

[0068] Alternative embodiments of network node 160 may include in addition to Figure 4Additional components other than those shown in [Figure], which may be responsible for providing certain aspects of the functionality of the network node, including any functionality described herein and / or any functionality necessary to support the subject matter described herein. For example, the network node 160 may include a user interface device to allow information to be input into the network node 160 and to allow information to be output from the network node 160. This may allow a user to perform diagnostic, maintenance, repair, and other administrative functions on the network node 160.

[0069] As used herein, a wireless device (WD) refers to a device that is capable of, configured to, arranged to, and / or operable to communicate wirelessly with a network node and / or other wireless devices. Unless otherwise indicated, the term "WD" may be used interchangeably with "user equipment (UE)" herein. Wireless communication may involve the use of electromagnetic waves, radio waves, infrared waves, and / or other types of signals suitable for conveying information through the air to transmit and / or receive wireless signals.

[0070] In some embodiments, the WD may be configured to transmit and / or receive information without direct human interaction. For example, the WD may be designed to transmit information to the network at a predetermined schedule when triggered by an internal or external event or in response to a request from the network.

[0071] Examples of WDs include, but are not limited to, smart phones, mobile phones, cellular phones, voice over IP (VoIP) phones, wireless local loop phones, desktop computers, personal digital assistants (PDAs), wireless cameras, gaming consoles or devices, music storage devices, playback appliances, wearable terminal devices, wireless endpoints, mobile stations, tablets, laptop computers, laptop embedded devices (LEEs), laptop mounted devices (LMEs), smart devices, wireless customer premise equipment (CPEs), in-vehicle wireless terminal devices, etc. The WD may support device-to-device (D2D) communication, for example by implementing the (3GPP) standards for sidelink communication, vehicle-to-vehicle (V2V), vehicle-to-infrastructure (V2I), vehicle-to-everything (V2X), and in such cases may be referred to as a D2D communication device.

[0072] As yet another specific example, in an Internet of Things (IoT) scenario, a WD may represent a machine or other device that performs monitoring and / or measurement and conveys the results of such monitoring and / or measurement to another WD and / or a network node. In such a case, the WD may be a machine-to-machine (M2M) device, which may be referred to as an MTC device in the 3GPP context. As an example, the WD may be a UE implementing the 3GPP NarrowBand Internet of Things (NB-IoT) standard. Examples of such machines or devices are sensors, metering devices (such as power meters), industrial machinery, or home or personal appliances (e.g., refrigerators, televisions, etc.), personal wearable devices (e.g., watches, fitness trackers, etc.). In other scenarios, the WD may represent a vehicle or other equipment capable of monitoring and / or reporting its operating state or other functions associated with its operation.

[0073] The WD as described above may represent an endpoint of a wireless connection, in which case the device may be referred to as a wireless terminal. Further, the WD as described above may be mobile, in which case it may also be referred to as a mobile device or a mobile terminal.

[0074] As shown, the wireless device 110 includes an antenna 111, an interface 114, a processing circuit 120, a device-readable medium 130, a user interface device 132, an auxiliary device 134, a power supply 136, and a power circuit 137. The WD 110 may include multiple sets of one or more of the illustrated components for different wireless technologies supported by the WD 110, such as, for example, GSM, WCDMA, LTE, NR, WiFi, WiMax, or Bluetooth wireless technologies, to mention only a few here. These wireless technologies may be integrated into the same or different chips or sets of chips as other components within the WD 110.

[0075] The antenna 111 may include one or more antennas or antenna arrays configured to transmit and / or receive wireless signals and is connected to the interface 114. In some alternative embodiments, the antenna 111 may be separate from the WD 110 and may be connected to the WD 110 through an interface or a port. The antenna 111, the interface 114, and / or the processing circuit 120 may be configured to perform any of the receiving or transmitting operations described herein as being performed by the WD. Any information, data, and / or signals may be received from a network node and / or another WD. In some embodiments, the radio front-end circuit and / or the antenna 111 may be considered an interface.

[0076] As shown in the figure, interface 114 includes radio front-end circuit 112 and antenna 111. Radio front-end circuit 112 includes one or more filters 118 and amplifier 116. Radio front-end circuit 114 is connected to antenna 111 and processing circuit 120 and is configured to condition signals transmitted between antenna 111 and processing circuit 120. Radio front-end circuit 112 may be coupled to antenna 111 or be part of it. In some embodiments, WD 110 may not include a separate radio front-end circuit 112; instead, processing circuit 120 may include a radio front-end circuit and may be connected to antenna 111. Similarly, in some embodiments, some or all of RF transceiver circuit 122 may be considered part of interface 114. Radio front-end circuit 112 may receive digital data to be transmitted out via a wireless connection to other network nodes or WDs. Radio front-end circuit 112 may use a combination of filters 118 and / or amplifier 116 to convert the digital data into a radio signal with appropriate channel and bandwidth parameters. The radio signal may then be transmitted via antenna 111. Similarly, when data is received, antenna 111 may collect radio signals, which are then converted into digital data by radio front-end circuit 112. The digital data may be passed to processing circuit 120. In other embodiments, the interface may include different components and / or different combinations of components.

[0077] Processing circuit 120 may include a combination of one or more of the following: a microprocessor, a controller, a microcontroller, a central processing unit, a digital signal processor, an application specific integrated circuit, a field programmable gate array, or any other suitable computing device, resource, or combination of hardware, software, and / or coded logic that can operate to provide WD 110 functionality alone or in combination with other WD 110 components such as device-readable medium 130. Such functionality may include providing any of the various wireless features or benefits discussed herein. For example, processing circuit 120 may execute instructions stored in device-readable medium 130 or in a memory within processing circuit 120 to provide the functionality disclosed herein.

[0078] As shown in the figure, the processing circuit 120 includes one or more of an RF transceiver circuit 122, a baseband processing circuit 124, and an application processing circuit 126. In other embodiments, the processing circuit may include different components and / or different combinations of components. In certain embodiments, the processing circuit 120 of the WD 110 may include a SOC. In some embodiments, the RF transceiver circuit 122, the baseband processing circuit 124, and the application processing circuit 126 may be on separate chips or a set of chips. In an alternative embodiment, some or all of the baseband processing circuit 124 and the application processing circuit 126 may be combined into one chip or a set of chips, and the RF transceiver circuit 122 may be on a separate chip or a set of chips. In still another alternative embodiment, some or all of the RF transceiver circuit 122 and the baseband processing circuit 124 may be on the same chip or a set of chips, and the application processing circuit 126 may be on a separate chip or a set of chips. In still other alternative embodiments, some or all of the RF transceiver circuit 122, the baseband processing circuit 124, and the application processing circuit 126 may be combined in the same chip or a set of chips. In some embodiments, the RF transceiver circuit 122 may be part of the interface 114. The RF transceiver circuit 122 may adjust the RF signals for the processing circuit 120.

[0079] In certain embodiments, some or all of the functionality described herein as being performed by the WD may be provided by the processing circuit 120 that executes instructions stored on a device-readable medium 130. In certain embodiments, the device-readable medium 230 may be a computer-readable storage medium. In an alternative embodiment, some or all of the functionality may be provided by the processing circuit 120 without, for example, executing instructions stored on a separate or discrete device-readable storage medium in a hardwired manner. In any of those embodiments, whether or not instructions stored on a device-readable storage medium are executed, the processing circuit 120 can be configured to perform the described functionality. The benefits provided by such functionality are not limited to the processing circuit 120 alone or other components of the WD 110, but are enjoyed by the WD 110, and / or generally by the end user and the wireless network.

[0080] The processing circuit 120 may be configured to perform any determination, calculation, or similar operation (e.g., certain acquisition operations) described herein as being performed by the WD. These operations performed by the processing circuit 120 may include processing information obtained by the processing circuit 120, such as by converting the obtained information into other information, comparing the obtained information or the converted information with information stored in the WD 110, and / or performing one or more operations based on the obtained information or the converted information, and making a determination as a result of such processing.

[0081] The device-readable medium 130 can be operable to store a computer program, software, an application (including one or more of logic, rules, code, tables, etc.), and / or other instructions executable by the processing circuitry 120. The device-readable medium 130 can include computer memory (e.g., RAM or ROM), a mass storage medium (e.g., a hard disk), a removable storage medium (e.g., a CD or DVD), and / or any other volatile or non-volatile, non-transitory device-readable and / or computer-executable memory device that stores information, data, and / or instructions usable by the processing circuitry 120. In some embodiments, the processing circuitry 120 and the device-readable medium 130 can be integrated.

[0082] The user interface device 132 can provide components that allow a human user to interact with the WD 110. Such interaction can be in various forms, such as visual, auditory, tactile, etc. The user interface device 132 can be operable to generate output to the user and allow the user to provide input to the WD 110. The type of interaction can vary according to the type of user interface device 132 installed in the WD 110. For example, if the WD 110 is a smart phone, the interaction can be via a touch screen; if the WD 110 is a smart meter, the interaction can be through a screen that provides usage (e.g., the number of gallons used) or a speaker that provides an auditory alert (e.g., if smoke is detected). The user interface device 132 can include input interfaces, devices, and circuitry, as well as output interfaces, devices, and circuitry. The user interface device 132 is configured to allow information to be input into the WD 110 and is connected to the processing circuitry 120 to allow the processing circuitry 120 to process the input information. The user interface device 132 can include, for example, a microphone, a proximity sensor or other sensors, keys / buttons, a touch display, one or more cameras, a USB port, or other input circuitry. The user interface device 132 is further configured to allow information to be output from the WD 110 and allow the processing circuitry 120 to output information from the WD 110. The user interface device 132 can include, for example, a speaker, a display, a vibration circuit, a USB port, a headphone jack, or other output circuitry. Using one or more input and output interfaces, devices, and circuitry of the user interface device 132, the WD 110 can communicate with an end user and / or a wireless network and allow them to benefit from the functionality described herein.

[0083] The auxiliary device 134 is operable to provide more specific functionality that is not typically performed by the WD. This can include specialized sensors for making measurements for various purposes, interfaces for additional types of communication such as wired communication. The inclusion and type of components of the auxiliary device 134 can vary according to the embodiment and / or scenario.

[0084] In some embodiments, power source 136 may take the form of a battery or battery pack. Other types of power sources may also be used, such as an external power source (e.g., an electrical outlet), a photovoltaic device, or a power cell. WD 110 may further include a power circuit 137 for delivering power from power source 136 to various parts of WD 110 that require power from power source 136 to perform any functionality described or indicated herein. In certain embodiments, power circuit 137 may include a power management circuit. Power circuit 137 may additionally or alternatively be operable to receive power from an external power source; in such a case, WD 110 may be connectable to an external power source (such as an electrical outlet) via an input circuit or interface (such as a power cable). In certain embodiments, power circuit 137 may also be operable to deliver power from an external power source to power source 136. For example, this may be used for charging power source 136. Power circuit 137 may perform any formatting, conversion, or other modification of the power from power source 136 to make the power suitable for the corresponding components of WD 110 to which the power is supplied.

[0085] Although the subject matter described herein may be implemented using any suitable components in any appropriate type of system, the embodiments disclosed herein are described with respect to a wireless network (such as Figure 4 the example wireless network illustrated therein). For simplicity, Figure 4 the wireless network only depicts network 106, network nodes 160 and 160b, and WDs 110, 110b, and 110c. In practice, a wireless network may further include any additional elements suitable for supporting communication between wireless devices or between a wireless device and another communication device, such as a landline telephone, a service provider, or any other network node or end device. Among the illustrated components, network node 160 and wireless device (WD) 110 are depicted with additional detail. A wireless network may provide communication and other types of services to one or more wireless devices to facilitate access to and / or use of the services provided by or via the wireless network.

[0086] Communication system 106 itself may be connected to a host computer (not shown), which may be implemented in the hardware and / or software of a stand-alone server, a cloud-implemented server, a distributed server, or as processing resources in a server farm. The host computer may be under the ownership or control of a service provider, or may be operated by or on behalf of a service provider.

[0087] Figure 5The communication system as a whole enables connectivity between one of the connected WD 110s and the host computer. Such connectivity can be described as over-the-top (OTT) connectivity. The host computer and the connected WD 110 are configured to use the access network, the core network, any intermediate network, and possibly additional infrastructure (not shown) as intermediaries to transmit data and / or signaling via the OTT connection. The OTT connection can be transparent in the sense that at least some of the participating communication devices through which the OTT connection passes are unaware of the routing of the uplink and downlink communications.

[0088] The host computer can provide a host application that can be operable to provide services to remote users (such as a WD 110 connected via the OTT connection terminated at the WD 110 and the host computer). When providing services to remote users, the host application can provide user data transmitted using the OTT connection. "User data" can be the data and information described herein for implementing the functionality. In one embodiment, the host computer can be configured to provide control and functionality to a service provider and can be operated by or on behalf of the service provider. The host computer can be enabled to observe, monitor, control the network node 160 and / or the wireless device 110, transmit to it and / or receive from it.

[0089] One or more of the various embodiments in the present disclosure improve the performance of the OTT services provided to the WD 110 using the OTT connection. More precisely, the teachings of some of these embodiments can improve the data rate, latency, and / or power consumption, and thereby provide benefits such as reduced user waiting time, relaxed file size limitations, better responsiveness, extended battery life, etc.

[0090] Figure 5 is a flowchart illustrating an example method 500 in a network node according to certain embodiments. In a particular embodiment, Figure 5 one or more steps of Figure 4 can be performed by the network node 160 described with respect to

[0091] The method begins at step 512, where the network node (e.g., network node 160) determines that a first wireless device is spatially pair-able with a second wireless device using MU-MIMO transmission, and the scheduling priority of the first wireless device is higher than the scheduling priority of the second wireless device. For example, the network node can determine the first wireless device and the second wireless device (e.g., Figure 1The shown UE1 and UE4 are MU-MIMO spatially pair-able, and UE1 has a higher scheduling priority than UE4. A first amount of data is buffered for communication with UE1, and a second amount of data is buffered for communication with UE4.

[0092] In step 514, the network node allocates frequency-domain resources of the first transmission layer of the plurality of MU-MIMO transmission layers according to the scheduling priority of the first wireless device, for transmitting the first amount of data buffered for communication with the first wireless device. For example, as described in step 1 of reference Figure 1 The network node may allocate frequency-domain resources for UE1.

[0093] In step 516, the network node allocates frequency-domain resources in the second transmission layer of the plurality of MU-MIMO transmission layers according to the scheduling priority of the first wireless device, for transmitting a certain amount of data buffered for communication with the second wireless device. The amount of frequency-domain resources allocated in the second transmission layer is not greater than the amount of frequency-domain resources allocated in the first transmission layer.

[0094] For example, the network node may allocate frequency-domain resources for UE4 in the second transmission layer. Even though UE4 has a lower priority than UE2 and UE3, UE4 can be scheduled with the same priority as UE1 because UE1 and UE4 are spatially pair-able. However, the amount of resources allocated to UE4 does not exceed the amount of resources allocated to UE1. Thus, if UE4 has more data to transmit than UE1, the remaining data is scheduled later according to the priority of UE4 (as described with respect to steps 522 and 524).

[0095] In some embodiments, the frequency-domain resources allocated in the second transmission layer correspond to the frequency-domain resources allocated in the first transmission layer.

[0096] In some embodiments, the frequency-domain resources of the first transmission layer and the frequency-domain resources of the second transmission layer include a plurality of resource blocks or resource block groups, and the resource blocks or resource block groups are allocated in the order of channel quality, as described above with respect to frequency-selective resource allocation.

[0097] In some embodiments, the transmission power allocated to each time-frequency resource block or resource block group is the same across the frequency domain, regardless of the number of layers allocated to each resource block or resource block group. In a particular embodiment, the total transmission power allocated to each time-frequency resource block or resource block group for all wireless devices sharing the same resource block or resource block group is the same across the frequency domain, and the power for each transmission layer is evenly distributed among all wireless devices. In other embodiments, the total transmission power allocated to each time-frequency resource block or resource block group varies across the frequency domain, while the power allocated to each orthogonal frequency division multiplexing (OFDM) symbol is constant, such as Figure 2 the example shown in

[0098] In step 518, the second wireless device may be allocated two or more frequency domain resources in the frequency domain, and the network node may determine link adaptation for the second wireless device based on a function of the amount of power allocated to each of the two or more frequency domain resources. The function may include averaging the amount of power allocated to each of the two or more frequency domain resources. As an example, the network node may determine link adaptation according to any of the examples and embodiments described above regarding link adaptation.

[0099] In step 520, the network node transmits the buffered data to the first wireless device on the first transmission layer and transmits the buffered data to the second wireless device on the second transmission layer.

[0100] In some embodiments, in step 522, the network node may determine that the second amount of data buffered for communication with the second wireless device is greater than the amount of data buffered for communication with the first wireless device, resulting in a remaining amount of data to be transmitted to the second wireless device. If so, in step 524, the network node may allocate frequency domain resources for the remaining amount of data according to the scheduling priority of the second wireless device.

[0101] For example, if after step 514, the network node determines that UE4 has remaining data to transmit, the network node may continue to schedule resources for UE2 and UE3, and then schedule resources for UE4 for the remaining data (i.e., according to the original scheduling priority of UE4). Then in step 520, the data of UE4 is transmitted partially in the resource allocation performed in step 514 and partially in the resource allocation performed in step 524.

[0102] The method 500 of Figure 5 may be modified, added to, or omitted. Additionally, Figure 5 one or more steps in the method of

[0103] Figure 6Illustrates an example network node according to certain embodiments. The network node 1600 may be included in the Figure 4 illustrated network node 160.

[0104] The network node 1600 is operable to implement the example methods referred to in Figure 5 and may also have any other processes or methods disclosed herein. It should also be understood that Figure 5 the methods are not necessarily performed only by the device 1600. At least some operations of the method may be performed by one or more other entities including virtual devices.

[0105] The network node 1600 may include processing circuitry such as Figure 4 170 of. In some implementations, the processing circuitry may be used to cause the determination module 1602, the allocation module 1604, the transmission module 1606, and any other suitable units of the network node 1600 to perform corresponding functions according to one or more embodiments of the present disclosure.

[0106] As Figure 6 shown, the network node 1600 includes a determination module 1602, an allocation module 1604, and a transmission module 1606. In certain embodiments, according to any of the embodiments and examples described herein, the determination module 1602 may determine UEs that can be paired in the MU-MIMO space and compare scheduling weights. The allocation module 1604 may allocate time / frequency transmission resources according to any of the embodiments and examples described herein. The transmission module 1606 may use the allocated resources to transmit data to a wireless device according to any of the embodiments and examples described herein.

[0107] Figure 7 is a schematic block diagram illustrating a virtualization environment 300 in which functions implemented by some embodiments may be virtualized. In this context, virtualization means creating a virtual version of a device or apparatus, which may include virtualizing hardware platforms, storage devices, and networking resources. As used herein, virtualization can be applied to nodes (e.g., virtualized base stations or virtualized radio access nodes) or apparatuses (e.g., UEs, wireless devices, or any other type of communication device) or their components, and involves the implementation in which at least part of the functionality is implemented as one or more virtual components (e.g., via one or more applications, components, functions, virtual machines, or containers executed on one or more physical processing nodes in one or more networks).

[0108] In some embodiments, some or all of the functions described herein (such as Figure 5The method) can be implemented as a virtual component executed by one or more virtual machines, and the one or more virtual machines are implemented in one or more virtual environments 300 hosted by one or more hardware nodes 330. Additionally, in embodiments where the virtual node is not a radio access node or does not require radio connectivity (e.g., a core network node), the network node can be fully virtualized.

[0109] These functions can be implemented by one or more applications 320 (alternatively, they can be referred to as software instances, virtual appliances, network functions, virtual nodes, virtual network functions, etc.) that operate to implement some of the features, functions, and / or benefits in the embodiments disclosed herein. The application 320 runs in the virtualization environment 300, which provides the hardware 330 including the processing circuit 360 and the memory 390. The memory 390 includes instructions 395 executable by the processing circuit 360, whereby the application 320 can operate to provide one or more of the features, benefits, and / or functions disclosed herein.

[0110] The virtualization environment 300 includes general-purpose or specialized network hardware devices 330, which include a set of one or more processors or processing circuits 360. The processors or processing circuits can be commercial off-the-shelf (COTS) processors, specialized application-specific integrated circuits (ASICs), or any other type of processing circuit, including digital or analog hardware components or specialized processors. Each hardware device can include a memory 390-1, which can be a non-permanent memory for temporarily storing software or instructions 395 executed by the processing circuit 360. Each hardware device can include one or more network interface controllers (NICs) 370, also known as network interface cards, which include a physical network interface 380. Each hardware device can also include a non-transitory permanent machine-readable storage medium 390-2 in which instructions and / or software 395 executable by the processing circuit 360 are stored. The software 395 can include any type of software, including software for instantiating one or more virtualization layers 350 (also known as hypervisors), software for executing virtual machines 340, and software that allows it to execute functions, features, and / or benefits described in connection with some of the embodiments herein.

[0111] The virtual machine 340 includes virtual processing, virtual memory, virtual networking or interfaces, and virtual storage devices, and can be run by the corresponding virtualization layer 350 or hypervisor. Different embodiments of instances of the virtual appliance 320 can be implemented on one or more of the virtual machines 340, and the implementation can be done in different ways.

[0112] During operation, processing circuitry 360 executes software 395 to instantiate a hypervisor or virtualization layer 350, which may sometimes be referred to as a virtual machine monitor (VMM). The virtualization layer 350 may present a virtual operating platform to virtual machines 340 that appears like networked hardware.

[0113] As Figure 7 shown, the hardware 330 may be a stand-alone network node with general or specific components. The hardware 330 may include antennas 3225 and may implement some functions via virtualization. Alternatively, the hardware 330 may be part of a larger hardware cluster (e.g., such as in a data center or customer premise equipment (CPE)), where many hardware nodes work together and are managed via a management and orchestration (MANO) 3100, which among other things oversees the lifecycle management of applications 320.

[0114] The virtualization of hardware is referred to as network function virtualization (NFV) in some contexts. NFV can be used to consolidate many network device types onto industry-standard high-volume server hardware, physical switches, and physical storage devices, which can be located in data centers and customer premise equipment.

[0115] In the context of NFV, a virtual machine 340 can be a software implementation of a physical machine running programs as if they were executing on a physical, non-virtualized machine. Each virtual machine 340, along with that part of the hardware 330 that executes the virtual machine (which is the hardware dedicated to the virtual machine and / or the hardware shared by the virtual machine with other virtual machines among the virtual machines 340), forms a separate virtual network element (VNE).

[0116] Still in the context of NFV, a virtual network function (VNF) is responsible for handling specific network functions running in one or more virtual machines 340 over the hardware networking infrastructure 330 and corresponds to Figure 7 the applications 320 in

[0117] In some embodiments, one or more radio units 3200, each including one or more transmitters 3220 and one or more receivers 3210, may be coupled to one or more antennas 3225. The radio units 3200 may communicate directly with the hardware node 330 via one or more appropriate network interfaces and may be used in combination with virtual components to provide virtual nodes with radio capabilities, such as radio access nodes or base stations.

[0118] In some embodiments, some signaling may be implemented by using a control system 3230, which may alternatively be used for communication between the hardware node 330 and the radio units 3200.

[0119] In general, all terms used herein are to be interpreted according to their ordinary meaning in the relevant technical field, unless clearly given and / or implied a different meaning from the context in which it is used. All references to an / the element, apparatus, component, part, step, etc. are to be interpreted openly as referring to at least one instance of the element, apparatus, component, part, step, etc., unless otherwise explicitly stated. The steps of any method disclosed herein need not be performed in the exact order disclosed, unless a step is explicitly described as after or before another step, and / or it is implied that a step must be after or before another step. In any appropriate case, any feature of any embodiment disclosed herein can be applied to any other embodiment. Similarly, any advantage of any embodiment can be applied to any other embodiment, and vice versa.

[0120] The foregoing description sets forth numerous specific details. However, it is to be understood that the embodiments may be practiced without these specific details. In other instances, well-known circuits, structures, and techniques have not been shown in detail so as not to obscure the understanding of this description. Those of ordinary skill in the art will be able to implement appropriate functionality by the description contained herein, without undue experimentation.

[0121] References in the specification to "one embodiment", "an embodiment", "an example embodiment", etc. indicate that the described embodiment may include a particular feature, structure, or characteristic, but every embodiment may not necessarily include that particular feature, structure, or characteristic. Moreover, such phrases do not necessarily refer to the same embodiment. Additionally, when a particular feature, structure, or characteristic is described in connection with an embodiment, it is considered within the knowledge of those skilled in the art to implement such feature, structure, or characteristic in connection with other embodiments, whether or not explicitly described.

[0122] Although the present disclosure has been described in accordance with certain embodiments, variations and permutations of the embodiments will be apparent to those skilled in the art. Thus, the foregoing description of the embodiments does not limit the present disclosure. Other changes, substitutions, and variations are possible without departing from the scope of the present disclosure as defined by the following claims.

Claims

1. A method (500) for use in a network node for scheduling wireless transmissions in a frequency domain including a plurality of multi-user multiple-input multiple-output (MU-MIMO) transmission layers, the method comprises: determining (512) that a first wireless device can be spatially paired with a second wireless device using MU-MIMO transmission, and that the scheduling priority of the first wireless device is higher than the scheduling priority of the second wireless device, wherein a first amount of data is buffered for communication with the first wireless device, and a second amount of data is buffered for communication with the second wireless device; allocating (514) frequency domain resources of a first transmission layer of the plurality of MU-MIMO transmission layers according to the scheduling priority of the first wireless device for transmitting the first amount of data buffered for communication with the first wireless device; allocating (516) frequency domain resources in a second transmission layer of the plurality of MU-MIMO transmission layers according to the scheduling priority of the first wireless device for transmitting a certain amount of data buffered for communication with the second wireless device, wherein the amount of frequency domain resources allocated in the second transmission layer is not greater than the amount of frequency domain resources allocated in the first transmission layer, wherein the frequency domain resources of the first transmission layer and the frequency domain resources of the second transmission layer include a plurality of resource blocks or resource block groups, and the resource blocks or resource block groups are allocated in the order of channel quality; and transmitting (520) the buffered data to the first wireless device on the first transmission layer and transmitting the buffered data to the second wireless device on the second transmission layer.

2. The method according to claim 1, further comprises: determining (522) that the second amount of data buffered for communication with the second wireless device is greater than the amount of data buffered for communication with the first wireless device, thereby determining the remaining amount of data to be transmitted to the second wireless device; allocating (524) frequency domain resources for the remaining amount of data according to the scheduling priority of the second wireless device; and transmitting (520) the remaining amount of data to the second wireless device.

3. The method according to claim 1 or 2, wherein, the frequency domain resources allocated in the second transmission layer correspond to the frequency domain resources allocated in the first transmission layer.

4. The method according to claim 1 or 2, wherein, the transmission power allocated to each time-frequency resource block or resource block group is the same across the frequency domain, regardless of the number of layers allocated to each resource block or resource block group.

5. The method according to claim 1 or 2, wherein, the total transmission power allocated to each time-frequency resource block or resource block group shared by all wireless devices is the same across the frequency domain, and the power of each transmission layer is evenly distributed among all wireless devices.

6. The method according to claim 1 or 2, wherein, the total transmission power allocated to each time-frequency resource block or resource block group varies across the frequency domain, while the power allocated to each orthogonal frequency division multiplexing (OFDM) symbol is constant.

7. The method according to claim 1 or 2, wherein, the second wireless device is allocated two or more frequency domain resources in the frequency domain, and the method further includes determining (518) link adaptation for the second wireless device based on a function of the amount of power assigned to each of the two or more frequency domain resources.

8. The method according to claim 7, wherein, the function includes averaging the amount of power assigned to each of the two or more frequency domain resources.

9. A network node (160) operable to schedule wireless transmissions in a frequency domain including a plurality of multi-user multiple-input multiple-output (MU-MIMO) transmission layers, the network node including processing circuitry (170) operable to: determine that a first wireless device (110) can be spatially paired with a second wireless device (110) using MU-MIMO transmission, and that the scheduling priority of the first wireless device is higher than the scheduling priority of the second wireless device, wherein a first amount of data is buffered for communication with the first wireless device and a second amount of data is buffered for communication with the second wireless device; allocate frequency domain resources of a first transmission layer of the plurality of MU-MIMO transmission layers for transmitting the first amount of data buffered for communication with the first wireless device according to the scheduling priority of the first wireless device; allocate frequency domain resources in a second transmission layer of the plurality of MU-MIMO transmission layers for transmitting a certain amount of data buffered for communication with the second wireless device according to the scheduling priority of the first wireless device, wherein the amount of frequency domain resources allocated in the second transmission layer is not greater than the amount of frequency domain resources allocated in the first transmission layer, wherein the frequency domain resources of the first transmission layer and the frequency domain resources of the second transmission layer include a plurality of resource blocks or resource block groups, and the resource blocks or resource block groups are allocated in the order of channel quality; and transmit the buffered data to the first wireless device on the first transmission layer and transmit the buffered data to the second wireless device on the second transmission layer.

10. The network node according to claim 9, the processing circuitry is further operable to: determine that the second amount of data buffered for communication with the second wireless device is greater than the amount of data buffered for communication with the first wireless device, thereby determining a remaining amount of data to be transmitted to the second wireless device; allocate frequency domain resources for the remaining amount of data according to the scheduling priority of the second wireless device; and transmit the remaining amount of data to the second wireless device.

11. The network node according to claim 9 or 10, wherein, the frequency domain resources allocated in the second transmission layer correspond to the frequency domain resources allocated in the first transmission layer.

12. The network node according to claim 9 or 10, wherein, The transmission power allocated to each time-frequency resource block or resource block group is the same across the frequency domain, regardless of the number of layers allocated to each resource block or resource block group.

13. The network node according to claim 9 or 10, wherein, the total transmission power allocated to each time-frequency resource block or resource block group of all wireless devices sharing the same resource block or resource block group is the same across the frequency domain, and the power of each transmission layer is evenly distributed among all wireless devices.

14. The network node according to claim 9 or 10, wherein, the total transmission power allocated to each time-frequency resource block or resource block group varies across the frequency domain, while the power allocated to each orthogonal frequency division multiplexing (OFDM) symbol is constant.

15. The network node according to claim 9 or 10, wherein, the second wireless device is allocated two or more frequency domain resources in the frequency domain, and the processing circuit is further operable to determine link adaptation for the second wireless device based on a function of the amount of power allocated to each of the two or more frequency domain resources.

16. The network node according to claim 15, wherein, the function includes averaging the amount of power allocated to each of the two or more frequency domain resources.

17. A network node (160) operable to schedule wireless transmissions in a frequency domain including a plurality of multi-user multiple input multiple output (MU-MIMO) transmission layers, the network node including a determination module (1602), an allocation module (1604), and a transmission module (1606); the determination module is operable to determine that a first wireless device (110) can be spatially paired with a second wireless device (110) using MU-MIMO transmission, and the scheduling priority of the first wireless device is higher than the scheduling priority of the second wireless device, wherein a first amount of data is buffered for communication with the first wireless device, and a second amount of data is buffered for communication with the second wireless device; the allocation module is operable to: allocate frequency domain resources of a first transmission layer of the plurality of MU-MIMO transmission layers according to the scheduling priority of the first wireless device for transmitting the first amount of data buffered for communication with the first wireless device; allocate frequency domain resources in a second transmission layer of the plurality of MU-MIMO transmission layers according to the scheduling priority of the first wireless device for transmitting a certain amount of data buffered for communication with the second wireless device, wherein, the amount of frequency domain resources allocated in the second transmission layer is not greater than the amount of frequency domain resources allocated in the first transmission layer, wherein the frequency domain resources of the first transmission layer and the frequency domain resources of the second transmission layer include a plurality of resource blocks or resource block groups, and the resource blocks or resource block groups are allocated in the order of channel quality; and the transmission module is operable to transmit the buffered data to the first wireless device on the first transmission layer and transmit the buffered data to the second wireless device on the second transmission layer.

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