Method, equipment and device for communication management and computer readable storage medium

Abstract

The embodiment of the invention relates to a method, equipment and device for communication management and a computer readable storage medium. The method comprises the following steps: a management device determines initial connection relationship information between a plurality of network nodes and a plurality of terminal devices, wherein the initial connection relationship information indicates that the plurality of network nodes respectively serve at least one terminal device in the plurality of terminal devices; iteratively updating the initial connectivity information by adjusting terminal devices served by a single network node of the plurality of network nodes such that a target performance level associated with the plurality of terminal devices and / or the plurality of network nodes reaches a threshold level based at least on the updated connectivity information; and sending the updated connection relationship information to the plurality of network nodes.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The exemplary embodiments of this disclosure relate to the field of communication technology, and more particularly to methods, apparatuses, devices, and computer-readable storage media for communication management. Background Technology

[0002] Distributed Multiple-Input Multiple-Output (dMIMO) is one of the key technologies for next-generation mobile communication systems. In dMIMO scenarios, multiple antennas at the front end of the wireless network are distributed at wireless nodes at relatively far distances to serve multiple users in different geographical locations, thereby achieving higher spatial diversity gain.

[0003] By deploying a large number of geographically distributed access points (APs), multiple users (UEs) can be served, ensuring high macro-diversity gains and quality of service. Summary of the Invention

[0004] In a first aspect of this disclosure, a method for communication management is provided. The method includes a management device determining initial connection relationship information between a plurality of network nodes and a plurality of terminal devices, the initial connection relationship information indicating that each of the plurality of network nodes serves at least one of the plurality of terminal devices; iteratively updating the initial connection relationship information by adjusting the terminal devices served by individual network nodes among the plurality of network nodes, such that a target performance level associated with the plurality of terminal devices and / or the plurality of network nodes reaches a threshold level at least based on the updated connection relationship information; and sending the updated connection relationship information to the plurality of network nodes.

[0005] In a second aspect of this disclosure, an apparatus for communication management is provided. The apparatus includes at least one processor; and at least one memory coupled to the at least one processor, the at least one memory including instructions stored therein, the at least one memory and the instructions being further configured, together with the at least one processor, to cause the apparatus to: determine initial connection relationship information between a plurality of network nodes and a plurality of terminal devices, the initial connection relationship information instructing the plurality of network nodes to each serve at least one of the plurality of terminal devices; iteratively update the initial connection relationship information by adjusting the terminal devices served by individual network nodes among the plurality of network nodes, such that a target performance level associated with the plurality of terminal devices and / or the plurality of network nodes reaches a threshold level at least based on the updated connection relationship information; and send the updated connection relationship information to the plurality of network nodes.

[0006] In a third aspect of this disclosure, an apparatus for communication management is provided. The apparatus includes a management device for determining initial connection relationship information between a plurality of network nodes and a plurality of terminal devices, the initial connection relationship information indicating that each of the plurality of network nodes serves at least one of the plurality of terminal devices; iteratively updating the initial connection relationship information by adjusting the terminal devices served by individual network nodes among the plurality of network nodes, such that a target performance level associated with the plurality of terminal devices and / or the plurality of network nodes reaches a threshold level at least based on the updated connection relationship information; and a component for transmitting the updated connection relationship information to the plurality of network nodes.

[0007] In a fourth aspect of this disclosure, a computer-readable storage medium is provided having a computer program stored thereon, the computer program including instructions that, when executed by a processor on a device, cause the device to perform the method described in the first aspect.

[0008] It should be understood that the description in the Summary of the Invention is not intended to limit the key or essential features of the embodiments of this disclosure, nor is it intended to restrict the scope of this disclosure. Other features of this disclosure will become readily apparent from the following description. Attached Figure Description

[0009] Exemplary embodiments of this disclosure are presented by way of example, and their advantages are explained in more detail below with reference to the accompanying drawings, wherein

[0010] Figure 1 A schematic diagram of an example communication network in which example embodiments of the present disclosure may be implemented is shown;

[0011] Figure 2 A signaling interaction diagram of an example communication process according to some example embodiments of the present disclosure is shown;

[0012] Figures 3A to 3C Schematic diagrams of several communication management processes according to some example embodiments of the present disclosure are shown;

[0013] Figure 4A A schematic diagram of simulation curves according to some example embodiments of the present disclosure is shown;

[0014] Figure 4B A schematic diagram of a fronthaul overhead table according to some example embodiments of the present disclosure is shown;

[0015] Figure 5 A flowchart of a method for communication management according to some example embodiments of the present disclosure is shown;

[0016] Figure 6 A simplified block diagram of a device suitable for implementing example embodiments of the present disclosure is shown; and

[0017] Figure 7 A schematic diagram of a computer-readable medium according to some example embodiments of the present disclosure is shown.

[0018] In all the accompanying drawings, the same or similar reference numerals denote the same or similar elements. Detailed Implementation

[0019] The principles and spirit of this disclosure will now be described with reference to several exemplary embodiments illustrated in the accompanying drawings. It should be understood that these specific exemplary embodiments are described only to enable those skilled in the art to better understand and implement this disclosure, and are not intended to limit the scope of this disclosure in any way.

[0020] As used herein, the term "comprising" and similar expressions should be understood as open-ended inclusion, i.e., "including but not limited to". The term "based on" should be understood as "at least partially based on". The term "an embodiment" or "the embodiment" should be understood as "at least one embodiment". The terms "first", "second", etc., may refer to different or the same objects. Other explicit and implicit definitions may also be included below.

[0021] As used herein, the term "determine" encompasses a wide variety of actions. For example, "determine" can include calculation, computation, processing, derivation, investigation, searching (e.g., looking in a table, database, or other data structure), ascertainment, etc. Furthermore, "determine" can include receiving (e.g., receiving information), accessing (e.g., accessing data in memory), etc. Additionally, "determine" can include parsing, selecting, choosing, building, etc.

[0022] In this document, unless explicitly stated otherwise, performing a step in response to A does not mean that the step is performed immediately after A, but may include one or more intermediate steps.

[0023] As used herein, the term "circuit device" refers to one or more of the following: (a) a hardware circuit implementation (such as an implementation of analog and / or digital circuits only); and (b) a combination of hardware circuits and software, such as (if applicable): (i) a combination of analog and / or digital hardware circuits with software / firmware; and (ii) any part of a hardware processor with software (including digital signal processors, software, and memory that work together to enable devices such as optical communication devices or other computing devices to perform various functions); and (c) hardware circuits and / or processors, such as microprocessors or parts thereof, that require software (e.g., firmware) for operation, but may be without software when it is not required for operation.

[0024] The definition of "circuit device" applies to all uses of this term in this application (including any claim). As another example, the term "circuit device" as used herein also covers only hardware circuitry or a processor (or processors), or a portion of hardware circuitry or a processor, or an implementation thereof with accompanying software or firmware. For example, if applicable to a particular claim element, the term "circuit device" also covers baseband integrated circuits or processor integrated circuits or similar integrated circuits in an OLT or other computing device.

[0025] As used herein, the term "communication network" refers to a network that conforms to any suitable communication standard, such as New Radio (NR), Long Term Evolution (LTE), LTE-Advanced (LTE-A), Wideband Code Division Multiple Access (WCDMA), High-Speed ​​Packet Access (HSPA), Narrowband Internet of Things (NB-IoT), and so on. Furthermore, communication between terminal devices and network devices in the communication network can be performed according to any suitable generation of communication protocol, including but not limited to, first-generation (1G), second-generation (2G), 2.5G, 2.75G, third-generation (3G), fourth-generation (4G), 4.5G, fifth-generation (5G), sixth-generation (6G) communication protocols and / or any other currently known or to be developed in the future. The exemplary embodiments of this disclosure can be applied to a variety of communication systems, including but not limited to terrestrial communication systems, non-terrestrial communication systems, or combinations thereof. Given the rapid development in the field of communications, there will certainly be future types of communication technologies and systems that can be used to implement this disclosure. This should not be construed as limiting the scope of this disclosure to only the aforementioned systems.

[0026] As used herein, the term "network device" refers to a node in a communication network through which terminal devices access the network and receive services. Depending on the terminology and technology applied, network devices can refer to base stations (BS) or access points (APs), such as Node B (NodeB or NB), evolved Node B (eNodeB or eNB), NR NB (also known as gNB), Remote Radio Unit (RRU), Radio Head (RH), Remote Radio Head (RRH), relay, Integrated Access and Backhaul (IAB) nodes, low-power nodes such as femtoseconds and picoseconds, etc.

[0027] As used herein, the term "terminal device" refers to any terminal device capable of wireless communication. By way of example and not limitation, a terminal device may also be referred to as a network device, user equipment (UE), subscriber station (SS), portable subscriber station, mobile station (MS), or access terminal (AT). Terminal devices may include, but are not limited to, mobile phones, cellular phones, smartphones, Voice over IP (VoIP) phones, wireless local loop phones, tablet computers, wearable terminal devices, personal digital assistants (PDAs), portable computers, desktop computers, image capture terminal devices such as digital cameras, gaming terminal devices, music storage and playback devices, vehicle-mounted wireless terminal devices, wireless endpoints, mobile stations, laptop embedded devices (LEEs), laptop-mounted devices (LMEs), Universal Serial Bus (USB) dongles, smart devices, wireless customer premises equipment (CPEs), Internet of Things (IoT) devices, watches or other wearable devices, head-mounted displays (HMDs), vehicles, drones, medical devices and applications (e.g., remote surgery), industrial devices and applications (e.g., robots and / or other wireless devices operating in industrial and / or automated processing chain environments), consumer electronics devices, devices operating on commercial and / or industrial wireless networks, etc. Terminal devices may correspond to the mobile terminal (MT) portion of an IAB node (e.g., a relay node). In the following description, the terms "terminal device," "network device," "terminal," "user equipment," and "UE" are used interchangeably.

[0028] As used herein, the term "circuit" refers to one or more of the following:

[0029] (a) Hardware-only implementations (such as implementations using only analog and / or digital circuits); and

[0030] (b) A combination of hardware circuitry and software, such as (if applicable):

[0031] (i) A combination of analog and / or digital hardware circuitry with software / firmware, and

[0032] (ii) Any part of the hardware processor and its software (including digital signal processors, software, and memory that work together to enable devices such as OLTs or other computing devices to perform various functions); and

[0033] (c) Hardware circuitry and / or processors, such as microprocessors or a portion thereof, that require software (e.g. firmware) for operation, but may be without software when it is not required for operation.

[0034] The definition of "circuit" applies to all uses of the term in this application (including any claim). As another example, the term "circuit" as used herein also covers a hardware circuit or processor (or processors), or a portion thereof, or an implementation thereof with accompanying software or firmware. For instance, if applicable to a particular claim element, the term "circuit" also covers a baseband integrated circuit or processor integrated circuit, or a similar integrated circuit in an OLT or other computing device.

[0035] Figure 1 A schematic diagram of an example communication network 100 in which exemplary embodiments described in this disclosure may be implemented is shown. Communication network 100 may be part of a larger communication network. Communication network 100 may include multiple network nodes 120-1 and 120-2, such as access points (APs), gNBs, or eNBs. Hereinafter, network nodes 120-1 and 120-2 may be collectively referred to as network node 120.

[0036] The communication network 100 may also include multiple terminal devices 130-1, 130-2, 130-3, 130-4 and 130-5, such as UEs. Terminal devices 130-1, 130-2, 130-3, 130-4 and 130-5 may be collectively referred to as terminal device 130.

[0037] In some example embodiments, network node 120-1 may connect to and provide services to at least a portion of a plurality of terminal devices 130-1, 130-2, 130-3, 130-4, and 130-5. Network node 120-2 may also connect to and provide services to at least a portion of a plurality of terminal devices 130-1, 130-2, 130-3, 130-4, and 130-5. Each terminal device may be provided with services by one or more network nodes.

[0038] The communication network 100 may also include a management device 110. The management device 110 may be connected to network nodes 120-1 and 120-2 and terminal devices 130-1, 130-2, 130-3, 130-4 and 130-5. The management device 110 may perform performance monitoring and performance optimization for the communication network 100.

[0039] In some example embodiments, the link from network node 120 to terminal device 130 may be referred to as a downlink (DL), while the link from terminal device 130 to network node 120 may be referred to as an uplink (UL). In the DL, network node 120 is a transmitting (TX) device (or transmitter), and terminal device 130 is a receiving (RX) device (or receiver). In the UL, terminal device 130 is a TX device (or transmitter), and network node 120 is an RX device (or receiver).

[0040] It should be understood that Figure 1 The number of devices and their connections shown are merely illustrative and not limiting. Communication network 100 may include any suitable number of devices configured to implement the exemplary embodiments of this disclosure. Although not shown, it should be understood that one or more other devices may be deployed in communication network 100.

[0041] Communication in communication network 100 can be implemented according to any appropriate communication protocol(s). Examples of communication protocols include, but are not limited to, cellular communication protocols such as first generation (1G), second generation (2G), 2.5G, 2.75G, third generation (3G), fourth generation (4G), 4.5G, fifth generation (5G), and sixth generation (6G), wireless local area network communication protocols such as IEEE 802.11, and / or any other protocols currently known or to be developed in the future.

[0042] Furthermore, communication may utilize any suitable wireless communication technology, including but not limited to: Code Division Multiple Access (CDMA), Frequency Division Multiple Access (FDMA), Time Division Multiple Access (TDMA), Frequency Division Duplex (FDD), Time Division Duplex (TDD), Multiple Input Multiple Output (MIMO), Orthogonal Frequency Division Multiplexing (OFDM), Spread Spectrum Orthogonal Frequency Division Multiplexing Based on Discrete Fourier Transform (DFT-s-OFDM), and / or any other technology currently known or to be developed in the future.

[0043] As mentioned above, dMIMO is one of the key technologies for next-generation mobile communication systems. Specifically, it involves a multi-dimensional resource management problem, including clustering, precoding, and power allocation. Clustering determines the actual service relationship between the access point (AP) and the user equipment (UE). Precoding maps different transport layers to a set of antenna ports by weighting the information flow and power allocation, thereby further improving system performance by optimizing resource utilization. Typically, the clustering results directly affect the performance of subsequent precoding and power allocation.

[0044] Early dMIMO systems typically assumed that all access points (APs) served all users. However, as the number of users increased, channel overhead and signal processing complexity rose, making network scalability impossible. Clustering addresses this scalability issue by rationally allocating connections between APs and users. Common clustering methods include static clustering (SC) and dynamic clustering (DC). Static clustering is simple to implement, requiring no consideration of joint resource optimization with precoding and power allocation, but its performance is poor. Dynamic clustering, on the other hand, focuses on joint optimization, offering better performance but being more complex to implement. Mathematically, the goal of clustering is to obtain a connection matrix with elements of 0 or 1. Considering the associated precoding and power allocation, this becomes a difficult-to-solve nondeterministic polynomial-complete (NP-C) 0-1 programming problem. As the number of users increases, the solution speed for dynamic clustering becomes extremely slow. Furthermore, directly solving the 0-1 programming problem to determine dynamic clustering is not scalable; therefore, a more efficient and scalable method is needed.

[0045] Therefore, embodiments of this disclosure propose a scheme for communication management, particularly relating to the clustering and allocation management of communication resources. In this scheme, a management device determines initial connection relationship information between multiple network nodes and multiple terminal devices, the initial connection relationship information indicating that each of the multiple network nodes serves at least one of the multiple terminal devices. The initial connection relationship information is iteratively updated by adjusting the terminal devices served by individual network nodes among the multiple network nodes, so that a target performance level associated with the multiple terminal devices and / or multiple network nodes reaches a threshold level based at least on the updated connection relationship information. Subsequently, the updated connection relationship information is sent to the multiple network nodes.

[0046] In this way, the performance level of data transmission can be improved, unnecessary connections between multiple network nodes and multiple terminal devices can be reduced, thereby reducing overhead and improving the scalability of dynamic clustering.

[0047] The principles and exemplary embodiments of this disclosure will be further described in detail below with reference to the accompanying drawings.

[0048] Now for reference Figure 2 This illustrates signaling diagram 200 for communication according to some example embodiments of the present disclosure. Figure 2 As shown, signaling diagram 200 includes management device 110, network node 120, and terminal device 130. For discussion purposes, refer to... Figure 1 Let's describe signaling diagram 200. It should be understood that, for ease of description, Figure 2 Only one network node 120 and one terminal device 130 are shown. It should be understood that... Figure 2In this context, network node 120 can represent multiple network nodes 120, and terminal device 130 can represent multiple terminal devices 130.

[0049] According to an example embodiment of this disclosure, management device 110 can determine initial connection relationships between multiple network nodes and multiple terminal devices. The initial connection relationship information indicates that each of the multiple network nodes serves at least one of the multiple terminal devices.

[0050] In some embodiments, the management device 110 can obtain initial connection relationship information from multiple terminal devices 130. The initial connection relationship information is determined based on the ranking of the received power strength of signals received by the respective terminal devices 130 from multiple network nodes 120. In some example embodiments, the management device 110 can perform initial clustering based on the received signal power. Figure 1 As shown, the management device 110 can send (202) the results of the initial clustering to each of the multiple network nodes 120.

[0051] It should be understood that, in addition to directly obtaining the initial connection relationship information from the terminal device 130, the management device 110 can also determine the initial connection relationship information by obtaining some measurement information from the terminal device 130 and / or the network node 120.

[0052] For example, initial connection relationship information may include a matrix characterizing the connection status between multiple network nodes 120 and at least one terminal device 130 served by each of them. In some example embodiments, the initial connection relationship information between the multiple network nodes 120 and the multiple terminal devices 130 can be represented by matrix C, which can be determined by the following formula:

[0053] C∈R K×M (1)

[0054] Where M represents a network node and K represents a terminal device. For example, when network node m serves terminal device k, c mk =1. Conversely, when c mk If the signal strength is 0, the initial clustering operation is as follows: For each of the multiple terminal devices 130, the management device 110 can measure the signal power it receives from all network nodes 120. Then, all network nodes 120 can be sorted according to the signal power, for example, in descending order. In some example embodiments, for a given connection rate δ, the management device 110 can select multiple network nodes 120 to serve the corresponding terminal device 130 based on the sorting.

[0055] Continue to refer to Figure 2In some example embodiments, multiple terminal devices 130 may send (204) probe reference signals (SRS) to multiple network nodes 120 serving them. Based on the SRS received from the terminal devices 130, network nodes 120 may estimate (206) the channel state information (CSI) of each channel between the network node 120 and at least one terminal device 130 served by it, and perform local precoding based on the obtained CSI.

[0056] Specifically, during the computation of local precoding, for example, network node m can perform zero-forcing response (ZF) locally to obtain the downlink precoding matrix. In the formula, K ′ m This indicates the number of terminal devices 130 served by network node m. This indicates that network node m is used for the precoding vector of a single terminal device 130. It can be determined by the following formula:

[0057]

[0058] Where w mk W m The kth column, and Where H mk ∈C 1×N , represents the channel between network node m and terminal device k.

[0059] like Figure 2 As shown, based on the determined CSI and the corresponding local precoding information, network node 120 can determine the equivalent channel information of each channel between network node 120 and at least one terminal device 130 served by it. This equivalent channel information can be represented as the vector product of the determined CSI and the corresponding local precoding matrix.

[0060] In other words, the equivalent channel information is determined by multiple network nodes 120 based on the CSI of multiple channels between the multiple network nodes 120 and at least one terminal device 130 they each serve, and the vector product of the corresponding precoding matrices. In some example embodiments, the equivalent channel can be obtained by multiplying the corresponding precoding vector by the channel of terminal device k. For example, the equivalent channel information between network node m and terminal device k can be... In this way, the amount of channel status information to be reported to management device 110 can be reduced, saving signaling overhead.

[0061] Multiple network nodes 120 can report the determined equivalent channel information to the management device 110 via a forward transmission method (208).

[0062] Furthermore, the management device 110 can calculate (210) dynamic clustering results and power allocation coefficients. For example, the management device 110 can iteratively update the initial connectivity information by adjusting the terminal devices 130 served by individual network nodes 120 among the multiple network nodes 120, so that the target performance level associated with the multiple terminal devices 130 and / or the multiple network nodes 120 reaches a threshold level at least based on the updated connectivity information.

[0063] It is worth noting that this dynamic clustering method does not restrict the optimization objective. This means it is scalable and can satisfy various system performance metrics, such as spectral efficiency (SE) and energy efficiency. The maximum SE criterion will be used as an example below; other criteria can be conveniently used by substituting into the following formula:

[0064]

[0065]

[0066] Where C mk This represents the connection relationship between network node m and terminal device k. For example, when network node m serves terminal device k, C... mk =1. Conversely, C mk =1. Furthermore, η mk ∈R K×M P represents the power allocation coefficient between network node m and terminal device k. max Noise is the maximum transmit power of the network node. k Let be the noise power of terminal device k.

[0067] Specifically, the management device 110 can load the initial clustering matrix C Initial ∈R K×M Equivalent channel information between network node m and terminal device k Any network node m, any matrix η based on equal power allocation coefficients Initial ∈R K×M and the algorithm loop termination condition parameter SE gap .

[0068] In some example embodiments, the management device 110 may utilize the formula described above. Calculate the current system performance value SE.

[0069] For any network node m among multiple network nodes M, all candidate connectivity relationships under the current clustering matrix C can be listed. L in the formula mThis represents the number of terminal devices 130 currently connected to network node m. The candidate connection relationship indicates the connection relationship where network node m removes currently connected terminal devices 130 one by one according to the level of received signal power, while the connection relationships of other network nodes 120 remain unchanged. In some example embodiments, the strategy for network node 120 to remove terminal devices 130 may be to first remove the terminal device 130 with the lowest received signal power, with each removed terminal device 130 corresponding to a candidate connection relationship.

[0070] In some example embodiments, management device 110 can calculate the power allocation coefficient and system performance corresponding to all candidate connectivity relationships. Further, management device 110 can extract the optimal system performance value from all candidate connectivity relationships and compare it with the current value. If the extracted performance value is better than the current value, the clustering result of the current network node m is replaced with the optimal clustering result S. m And update the current clustering matrix C.

[0071] The following will combine Figures 3A to 3C The following detailed description uses a small network with two network nodes and five terminal devices as an example to illustrate the specific communication management process.

[0072] Figures 3A to 3C A schematic diagram of several communication management processes according to some example embodiments of the present disclosure is shown. Figures 3A to 3C The illustrated communication process may involve, for example, at least one management device 110 (e.g., CPU), multiple network nodes 120 (e.g., AP), and multiple terminal devices 130 (e.g., UE). In 3A to Figure 3C In the illustrated embodiment, system performance optimization is implemented across two network nodes 120-1 and 120-2 and five terminal devices 130-1 to 130-5. It should be understood that the described scheme is applicable to communication networks consisting of any number of network nodes and / or terminal devices.

[0073] like Figures 3A to 3C As shown, the multiple network nodes 120 may include a first network node 120-1 (hereinafter also referred to as AP 1) and a second network node 120-2 (hereinafter also referred to as AP 2). The multiple terminal devices 130 may include a first terminal device 130-1 (hereinafter also referred to as UE 1), a second terminal device 130-2 (hereinafter also referred to as UE 2), a third terminal device 130-3 (hereinafter also referred to as UE 3), a fourth terminal device 130-4 (hereinafter also referred to as UE 4), and a fifth terminal device 130-5 (hereinafter also referred to as UE 5).

[0074] Through initial clustering, the first network node 120-1 can serve the first group of terminal devices among the multiple terminal devices 130. The second network node 120-2 can serve the second group of terminal devices among the multiple terminal devices 130.

[0075] Figure 3A The initial clustering matrix 310 in the diagram illustrates the initial connection status between multiple network nodes 120 and multiple terminal devices 130. For example, if the correspondence between an AP and a UE is identified as "1", it indicates that the AP serves the UE. If the correspondence between an AP and a UE is identified as "0", it indicates that the AP does not serve the UE.

[0076] The first network node 120-1 may serve UE 1 to UE 4 (hereinafter also referred to as the first group of terminal devices). The second network node 120-2 may serve UE 3 to UE 5 (hereinafter also referred to as the second group of terminal devices).

[0077] Under such initial clustering (i.e. initial connectivity), each network node in the first network node 120-1 and the second network node 120-2 can calculate the CSI and local precoding matrix of each channel between each terminal device 130 served by it and the network node 120, and calculate the equivalent channel information accordingly.

[0078] like Figure 3A Tables 321 and 322 in the table represent all candidate connection relationship matrices for the first network node 120-1 and the second network node 120-2, respectively. For example, when the connection relationship of AP 1 is [1,1,1,0], it means that AP 1 is connected to UE 1, UE 2, and UE 3. AP 1 needs to precode these users and calculate their equivalent channel information.

[0079] In some example embodiments, such as Figure 3B As shown, while keeping the second network node 120-2 serving the second group of terminal devices unchanged, the management device 110 can determine a first plurality of candidate connection relationships 331 associated with the first network node 120-1 and the first group of terminal devices by successively canceling the service provided by the first network node 120-1 to one or more terminal devices 130 in the first group of terminal devices. The first plurality of candidate connection relationships 331 may include, for example, candidate connection relationship 1, candidate connection relationship 2, and candidate connection relationship 3. Candidate connection relationship 1 may indicate that the first network node 120-1 serves UE 1 to UE 3, candidate connection relationship 2 may indicate that the first network node 120-1 serves UE 2 and UE 3, and candidate connection relationship 3 may indicate that the first network node 120-1 serves UE 2.

[0080] In some example embodiments, the successive cancellations performed by the management device 110 may be based on the order of the received power strength of the signals received by the first group of terminal devices from the first network node 120-1. For example, for the multiple terminal devices 130 (i.e., UE 1 to UE 4) initially served by the first network node 120-1, they may be ordered according to the received signal power, for example, P... 12 >P 13 >P 11 >P 14 .

[0081] Furthermore, the management device 110 can calculate the power allocation coefficients and corresponding spectral efficiencies of all candidate connections and compare them with the spectral efficiency of the current connection. If it is determined that the first performance level under the first candidate connection in the first plurality of candidate connections is better than or no worse than the initial performance level, and better than the other performance levels under other candidate connections in the first plurality of candidate connections, the management device 110 can determine the first candidate connection as the first current connection between the first network node 120-1 and the first group of terminal devices. For example, the spectral efficiency corresponding to candidate connection 1 in the first plurality of candidate connections 331 is the highest. Then the first network node 120-1 uses the connection corresponding to candidate connection 1 and updates the initial connection to obtain the updated clustering matrix 332.

[0082] In some example embodiments, such as Figure 3C As shown, while maintaining the first current connection relationship unchanged, the management device 110 can determine a second plurality of candidate connection relationships 341 associated with the second network node and the second group of terminal devices by successively canceling the service provided by the second network node 120-2 to one or more terminal devices in the second group of terminal devices. The second plurality of candidate connection relationships 341 may include, for example, candidate connection relationship 4 and candidate connection relationship 5. Candidate connection relationship 4 may indicate that the second network node 120-2 serves UE 4 and UE 5, and candidate connection relationship 5 may indicate that the second network node 120-2 serves UE 4.

[0083] Similarly, the successive cancellation performed by management device 110 can be performed by sorting the received power strength of the signals received by the second group of terminal devices from the second network node 120-2. For example, for the multiple terminal devices 130 (i.e., UE 3 to UE 4) initially served by the second network node 120-2, sorting them according to the received signal power, for example, can yield P 24 >P 25 >P 23 Among them, P mkThis represents the signal power received by the k-th terminal device 130-k served by the m-th network node 120-m.

[0084] Furthermore, the management device 110 can calculate the power allocation coefficients and corresponding spectral efficiencies of all candidate connections and compare them with the spectral efficiency of the current connection. If it is determined that the second performance level under another first candidate connection in the second plurality of candidate connections is better than or no worse than the first performance level, and better than other performance levels under other candidate connections in the second plurality of candidate connections, the management device 110 can determine the other first candidate connection as the second current connection between the second network node 120-2 and the second group of terminal devices. For example, the spectral efficiency corresponding to candidate connection 4 in the second plurality of candidate connections 341 is the highest. Then the second network node 120-2 uses the connection corresponding to candidate connection 4 and updates the initial connection to obtain the updated clustering matrix 342.

[0085] In some example embodiments, the management device 110 can update the initial connectivity based on a first current connectivity relationship and a second current connectivity relationship. That is, the updated clustering matrix 342 is used as the final updated initial connectivity relationship. For example, after trying one iteration process as described above, the management device 110 can calculate the absolute value of the difference between the spectral efficiency of the updated connectivity relationship and the spectral efficiency of the initial connectivity relationship: |SE new -SE|. If |SE| new -SE|>SE gap The management device 110 can continue executing the loop described above. Otherwise, the management device 110 can directly output the final clustering results and power allocation coefficients. It is worth noting that the candidate connection relationships of each network node 120 in the new cycle are still obtained by sorting the received power, which makes the search range monotonically non-increasing.

[0086] In some example embodiments, the management device 110 may perform the cyclic process described above multiple times. The management device 110 may further update the updated connection relationships by adjusting the terminal devices served by the first network node based on the first current connection relationship and the terminal devices served by the second network node based on the second current connection relationship, such that a third performance level associated with multiple terminal devices and / or multiple network nodes exceeds the second performance level. For example, after multiple cyclic processes, the performance level associated with spectral efficiency or energy efficiency of the updated connection relationship may be better than the performance level corresponding to the connection relationship before the update.

[0087] Continue to refer to Figure 2When all network nodes 120 have undergone at least one round of the cycle process described above, when |SE new -SE| <SE gap The management device 110 can send (212) updated connection relationship information, i.e. clustering results, to multiple network nodes 120.

[0088] In some example embodiments, management device 110 can send (214) power allocation coefficients and downlink data to multiple network nodes 120. Subsequently, the multiple network nodes 120 can determine a precoding matrix based on clustering results and send (216) the precoded and power-allocated downlink data to the corresponding multiple terminal devices 130.

[0089] According to an example embodiment of this disclosure, candidate connection methods can be filtered by ranking the channels by quality, which greatly reduces the search space without degrading performance.

[0090] The communication management process described above can be simulated to determine the effectiveness of dynamic clustering. The following section will combine... Figure 4A as well as Figure 4B The simulation of the communication management process according to some example embodiments of this disclosure is described in detail.

[0091] For example, the simulation process can use the following parameters shown in Table 1 as application parameters for the simulation:

[0092] Table 1

[0093] Number of UEs 8 Number of antennas per UE 1 Number of APs 30 Number of antennas per AP 8 Candidate connection relationship 1 Candidate connection 2 carrier frequency 3.5GHz bandwidth 10MHz Subcarrier spacing 15KHz Number of sub-bands 13 Number of physical resource blocks per sub-band 4 Noise figure 9dB Physical propagation channel 3GPP 38.901 Urban Microcell Channel AP's maximum transmit power 25dBm

[0094] Figure 4A A schematic diagram of simulation curves 400 according to some example embodiments of the present disclosure is shown. For example... Figure 4A As shown in simulation curve 400A, the dynamic clustering scheme according to some example embodiments of this disclosure can better utilize limited communication resources, and therefore has a better performance level than static clustering under different initial connection rates. For example, when the initial connection rate of each AP is 0.6, 0.8, and 1, the average spectral efficiency is improved by 1.10%, 8.26%, and 33.04%, respectively, compared with static clustering. Furthermore, because dynamic clustering has the ability to intelligently adjust service relationships, dynamic clustering according to some example embodiments of this disclosure is more robust to initial connection rates than static clustering.

[0095] Figure 4BA schematic diagram of a fronthaul overhead table 400B according to some example embodiments of the present disclosure is shown. The fronthaul overhead table 400B compares the fronthaul overhead of different clustering schemes during the data transmission phase. According to the overhead table 400B, dynamic clustering reduces invalid connections between network nodes and terminal devices, effectively reducing fronthaul overhead during transmission.

[0096] Figure 5 A flowchart of a method for communication management according to some example embodiments of the present disclosure is shown. Method 500 can be implemented at management device 110.

[0097] In box 510, the management device determines initial connection relationship information between multiple network nodes and multiple terminal devices, the initial connection relationship information indicating that each of the multiple network nodes serves at least one of the multiple terminal devices.

[0098] In box 520, the management device iteratively updates the initial connectivity information by adjusting the terminal devices served by a single network node among multiple network nodes, so that the target performance level associated with the multiple terminal devices and / or multiple network nodes reaches a threshold level at least based on the updated connectivity information.

[0099] In box 530, the management device sends updated connection relationship information to multiple network nodes.

[0100] In some example embodiments, determining the initial connection relationship information includes: obtaining initial connection relationship information from multiple terminal devices, wherein the initial connection relationship information is determined based on the order of the received power strength of the signals received by the respective terminal devices from the multiple network nodes.

[0101] In some example embodiments, the initial connection relationship information includes a matrix for characterizing the connection state between multiple network nodes and at least one terminal device serving their respective services.

[0102] In some example embodiments, during the process of adjusting a terminal device served by a single network node among a plurality of network nodes, the connection relationships associated with other network nodes among the plurality of network nodes remain unchanged.

[0103] In some example embodiments, method 500 further includes: obtaining equivalent channel information associated with multiple channels between multiple network nodes and at least one terminal device served by the multiple network nodes; and determining an initial performance level associated with the multiple terminal devices and / or multiple network nodes based on initial connection relationship information and equivalent channel information.

[0104] In some example embodiments, the equivalent channel information is determined by multiple network nodes based on the channel state information (CSI) of multiple channels between the multiple network nodes and at least one terminal device they each serve, and the vector product of the corresponding precoding matrices.

[0105] In some example embodiments, the multiple network nodes include a first network node and a second network node. The first network node serves a first group of terminal devices among multiple terminal devices, and the second network node serves a second group of terminal devices among multiple terminal devices. Iteratively updating the initial connection relationship information includes: while keeping the second network node serving the second group of terminal devices unchanged, determining a first plurality of candidate connection relationships associated with the first network node and the first group of terminal devices by successively canceling the first network node's service to one or more terminal devices in the first group of terminal devices; if it is determined that a first performance level under the first candidate connection relationship in the first plurality of candidate connection relationships is better than or no worse than the initial performance level, then... A candidate connection relationship is determined as the first current connection relationship between the first network node and the first group of terminal devices; while keeping the first current connection relationship unchanged, a second plurality of candidate connection relationships associated with the second network node and the second group of terminal devices are determined by successively canceling the service of the second network node to one or more terminal devices in the second group of terminal devices; if the second performance level under another first candidate connection relationship in the second plurality of candidate connection relationships is determined to be better than or no worse than the first performance level, the other first candidate connection relationship is determined as the second current connection relationship between the second network node and the second group of terminal devices; and the initial connection relationship is updated based on the first current connection relationship and the second current connection relationship.

[0106] In some example embodiments, the process is performed by successively canceling the sorting of the corresponding received power strength of the signals received by the first group of terminal devices from the first network node and the sorting of the corresponding received power strength of the signals received by the second group of terminal devices from the second network node.

[0107] In some example embodiments, a first performance level is higher than other performance levels under other candidate connection relationships in a first plurality of candidate connection relationships other than the first candidate connection relationship; and a second performance level is higher than other performance levels under other candidate connection relationships in a second plurality of candidate connection relationships other than another first candidate connection relationship.

[0108] In some example embodiments, method 500 further includes: further updating the updated connection relationship by adjusting the terminal devices served by the first network node based on the first current connection relationship and the terminal devices served by the second network node based on the second current connection relationship, so that the third performance level associated with the multiple terminal devices and / or multiple network nodes exceeds the second performance level.

[0109] In some example embodiments, the target performance level includes at least one of the following: a performance level associated with spectral efficiency, or a performance level associated with energy efficiency.

[0110] In some example embodiments, a communication apparatus may include components for performing corresponding steps of method 500. These components may be implemented in any suitable manner. For example, the components may be implemented as circuit devices or software modules.

[0111] The communication apparatus may include a means for managing devices to determine initial connection relationship information between multiple network nodes and multiple terminal devices, the initial connection relationship information indicating that each of the multiple network nodes serves at least one of the multiple terminal devices; iteratively updating the initial connection relationship information by adjusting the terminal devices served by individual network nodes among the multiple network nodes, such that a target performance level associated with the multiple terminal devices and / or multiple network nodes reaches a threshold level at least based on the updated connection relationship information; and a means for transmitting the updated connection relationship information to the multiple network nodes.

[0112] In some example embodiments, the communication apparatus further includes a component for obtaining initial connection relationship information from a plurality of terminal devices, the initial connection relationship information being determined based on the order of the received power strength of signals received by the respective terminal devices from the plurality of network nodes.

[0113] In some example embodiments, the initial connection relationship information includes a matrix for characterizing the connection state between multiple network nodes and at least one terminal device serving their respective services.

[0114] In some example embodiments, during the process of adjusting a terminal device served by a single network node among a plurality of network nodes, the connection relationships associated with other network nodes among the plurality of network nodes remain unchanged.

[0115] In some example embodiments, the means for communication further includes: equivalent channel information associated with multiple channels between multiple network nodes and at least one terminal device served by the multiple network nodes; and components for determining an initial performance level associated with the multiple terminal devices and / or multiple network nodes based on initial connection relationship information and equivalent channel information.

[0116] In some example embodiments, the equivalent channel information is determined by multiple network nodes based on the channel state information (CSI) of multiple channels between the multiple network nodes and at least one terminal device they each serve, and the vector product of the corresponding precoding matrices.

[0117] In some example embodiments, the plurality of network nodes include a first network node and a second network node. The first network node serves a first group of terminal devices among the plurality of terminal devices, and the second network node serves a second group of terminal devices among the plurality of terminal devices. The communication apparatus further includes: while maintaining the second network node serving the second group of terminal devices, determining a first plurality of candidate connection relationships associated with the first network node and the first group of terminal devices by successively canceling the service provided by the first network node to one or more terminal devices in the first group of terminal devices; if it is determined that a first performance level under the first candidate connection relationship in the first plurality of candidate connection relationships is better than or no worse than an initial performance level, then adding the first candidate connection... The connection relationship is determined as a first current connection relationship between a first network node and a first group of terminal devices; while keeping the first current connection relationship unchanged, a second plurality of candidate connection relationships associated with the second network node and the second group of terminal devices are determined by successively canceling the service of the second network node to one or more terminal devices in the second group of terminal devices; if it is determined that the second performance level under another first candidate connection relationship in the second plurality of candidate connection relationships is better than or no worse than the first performance level, the other first candidate connection relationship is determined as the second current connection relationship between the second network node and the second group of terminal devices; and a component for updating the initial connection relationship based on the first current connection relationship and the second current connection relationship.

[0118] In some example embodiments, the process involves successively canceling the ranking of the corresponding received power strength of signals received by the first group of terminal devices from the first network node and the ranking of the corresponding received power strength of signals received by the second group of terminal devices from the second network node. In some example embodiments, a first performance level is higher than other performance levels under other candidate connection relationships among a first plurality of candidate connection relationships other than the first candidate connection relationship; and a second performance level is higher than other performance levels under other candidate connection relationships among a second plurality of candidate connection relationships other than another first candidate connection relationship.

[0119] In some example embodiments, the communication apparatus further includes: a component that further updates the updated connection relationship by adjusting the terminal devices served by the first network node based on the first current connection relationship and the terminal devices served by the second network node based on the second current connection relationship, so that a third performance level associated with multiple terminal devices and / or multiple network nodes exceeds the second performance level.

[0120] In some example embodiments, the target performance level includes at least one of the following: a performance level associated with spectral efficiency, or a performance level associated with energy efficiency.

[0121] Figure 6This is a simplified block diagram of a device 600 suitable for implementing an example embodiment of the present disclosure. Device 600 can be used to implement network device 110 and / or terminal device 120 in communication network 100. As shown, device 600 includes one or more processing units 610, one or more memories 620 coupled to the processing units 610, and a communication module 640 coupled to the processing units 610.

[0122] Communication module 640 is used for bidirectional communication. In some example embodiments, communication module 640 may have at least one antenna to facilitate communication. In some example embodiments, communication module 640 may have one or more communication interfaces. A communication interface may represent any interface required for communication with other network elements.

[0123] Processing unit 610 can be any type suitable for a local technology network and can include, but is not limited to, one or more of a general-purpose computer, a special-purpose computer, a microcontroller, a digital signal controller (DSP), and a controller-based multi-core controller architecture. Device 600 can have multiple processors, such as application-specific integrated circuit chips, which are time-dependent on a clock synchronized with the main processor.

[0124] Memory 620 may include one or more non-volatile memories and one or more volatile memories. Examples of non-volatile memories include, but are not limited to, read-only memory (ROM) 624, erasable programmable read-only memory (EPROM), flash memory, hard disk, optical disc (CD), digital video disc (DVD), and other magnetic and / or optical storage. Examples of volatile memories include, but are not limited to, random access memory (RAM) 622 and other volatile memories that do not persist during power-off periods.

[0125] Computer program 630 includes computer-executable instructions that are executed by associated processing unit 610. Computer program 630 may be stored in ROM 624. Processing unit 610 may perform any suitable actions and processes by loading computer program 630 into RAM 622.

[0126] The exemplary embodiments of this disclosure can be implemented by means of computer program 630, enabling device 600 to perform as described in the reference. Figures 2 to 6 Any process discussed in this disclosure. Exemplary embodiments of this disclosure may also be implemented by hardware or by a combination of software and hardware.

[0127] In some example embodiments, the computer program 630 may be tangibly contained in a computer-readable medium, which may include in device 600 (such as in memory 620) or other storage devices accessible by device 600. The computer program 630 may be loaded from the computer-readable medium into RAM 622 for execution. The computer-readable medium may include any type of tangible non-volatile memory, such as ROM, EPROM, flash memory, hard disk, CD, DVD, etc. Figure 7 An example of a computer-readable medium 700 in the form of a CD or DVD according to some exemplary embodiments of the present disclosure is shown. A computer program 630 is stored on the computer-readable medium 800.

[0128] Generally, the various embodiments of this disclosure can be implemented in hardware or dedicated circuitry, software, logic, or any combination thereof. Some aspects can be implemented in hardware, while others can be implemented in firmware or software, which can be executed by a controller, microprocessor, or other computing device. While various aspects of exemplary embodiments of this disclosure are shown and described as block diagrams, flowcharts, or represented using some other illustration, it should be understood that the blocks, apparatuses, systems, techniques, or methods described herein can be implemented as, as in the non-limiting examples, hardware, software, firmware, dedicated circuitry or logic, general-purpose hardware or controllers or other computing devices, or some combination thereof.

[0129] This disclosure also provides at least one computer program product tangibly stored on a computer-readable storage medium. In some example embodiments, the computer-readable storage medium may be non-transitory. The computer program product includes computer-executable instructions, such as instructions included in program modules, which execute in a device on a real or virtual processor of a target to perform the above-referenced... Figure 5 The method described in 500 or Figure 6 The method described in 600. Typically, a program module includes routines, programs, libraries, objects, classes, components, data structures, etc., that perform specific tasks or implement specific abstract data types. In various embodiments, the functionality of program modules can be combined or divided among program modules as needed. The machine-executable instructions for a program module can be executed locally or in a distributed device. In a distributed device, the program module can reside in both local and remote storage media.

[0130] Computer program code used to implement the methods of this disclosure may be written in one or more programming languages. This computer program code may be provided to a processor of a general-purpose computer, a special-purpose computer, or other programmable data processing apparatus, such that when executed by the computer or other programmable data processing apparatus, the program code causes the functions / operations specified in the flowcharts and / or block diagrams to be performed. The program code may be executed entirely on a computer, partially on a computer, as a stand-alone software package, partially on a computer and partially on a remote computer, or entirely on a remote computer or server.

[0131] In the context of this disclosure, computer program code or related data may be carried on any suitable carrier to enable a device, apparatus, or processor to perform the various processes and operations described above. Examples of carriers include signals, computer-readable media, and so on. Examples of signals may include electrical, optical, radio, sound, or other forms of propagation signals, such as carrier waves, infrared signals, etc.

[0132] A computer-readable medium can be any tangible medium that contains or stores a program for or relating to an instruction execution system, apparatus, or device. A computer-readable medium can be a computer-readable signal medium or a computer-readable storage medium. A computer-readable medium can be, but is not limited to, electronic, magnetic, optical, electromagnetic, infrared, or semiconductor systems, apparatus, or devices, or any suitable combination thereof. More detailed examples of computer-readable storage media include electrical connections with one or more wires, portable computer disks, hard disks, random access memory (RAM), read-only memory (ROM), erasable programmable read-only memory (EPROM or flash memory), optical storage devices, magnetic storage devices, or any suitable combination thereof.

[0133] Furthermore, although the operation of the methods of this disclosure is described in a specific order in the accompanying drawings, this does not require or imply that these operations must be performed in that specific order, or that all of the operations shown must be performed to achieve the desired result. Rather, the steps depicted in the flowcharts may be performed in a different order. Additionally or alternatively, certain steps may be omitted, multiple steps may be combined into one step, and / or one step may be broken down into multiple steps. It should also be noted that the features and functions of two or more devices according to this disclosure may be embodied in one device. Conversely, the features and functions of one device described above may be further divided and embodied by multiple devices.

[0134] While this disclosure has been described with reference to several specific embodiments, it should be understood that this disclosure is not limited to the specific embodiments disclosed. This disclosure is intended to cover various modifications and equivalent arrangements included within the spirit and scope of the appended claims.

Claims

1. A method for communication management, comprising: determining, by a managing device, initial connection relationship information between a plurality of network nodes and a plurality of terminal devices, the initial connection relationship information indicating that each of the plurality of network nodes serves at least one terminal device of the plurality of terminal devices; iteratively updating the initial connection relationship information by adjusting terminal devices served by individual network nodes of the plurality of network nodes, such that a target performance level associated with the plurality of terminal devices and / or the plurality of network nodes reaches a threshold level based at least on the updated connection relationship information; and sending the updated connection relationship information to the plurality of network nodes. 2.The method of claim 1, wherein determining the initial connection relationship information comprises: obtaining the initial connection relationship information from the plurality of terminal devices, the initial connection relationship information being determined based on an ordering of received power strengths of signals received by respective terminal devices of the plurality of terminal devices from the plurality of network nodes respectively. 3.The method of claim 1, wherein the initial connection relationship information comprises a matrix characterizing connection states between the plurality of network nodes and the at least one terminal device served by each of the plurality of network nodes respectively. 4.The method of claim 1, wherein in the process of adjusting terminal devices served by individual network nodes of the plurality of network nodes, connection relationships associated with other network nodes of the plurality of network nodes remain unchanged. 5.The method of any one of claims 1-4, further comprising: obtaining, from the plurality of network nodes, equivalent channel information associated with a plurality of channels between the plurality of network nodes and the at least one terminal device served by each of the plurality of network nodes respectively; and determining an initial performance level associated with the plurality of terminal devices and / or the plurality of network nodes based on the initial connection relationship information and the equivalent channel information. 6.The method of claim 5, wherein the equivalent channel information is determined by the plurality of network nodes based on a vector product of channel state information (CSI) of the plurality of channels between the plurality of network nodes and the at least one terminal device served by each of the plurality of network nodes respectively and a corresponding precoding matrix. 7.The method of claim 5, wherein the plurality of network nodes comprises a first network node and a second network node, the first network node serving a first group of terminal devices of the plurality of terminal devices and the second network node serving a second group of terminal devices of the plurality of terminal devices, and wherein iteratively updating the initial connection relationship information comprises: determining a first plurality of candidate connection relationships associated with the first network node and the first group of terminal devices by successively canceling the service of one or more terminal devices of the first group of terminal devices by the first network node while keeping the service of the second group of terminal devices by the second network node unchanged. ​ ​ determining the first candidate connection relationship as a first current connection relationship between the first network node and the first group of terminal devices if it is determined that a first performance level under the first candidate connection relationship in the first plurality of candidate connection relationships is better than or not worse than the initial performance level; determining a second plurality of candidate connection relationships associated with the second network node and the second group of terminal devices by successively cancelling the service of one or more terminal devices in the second group of terminal devices by the second network node while keeping the first current connection relationship unchanged; determining another first candidate connection relationship in the second plurality of candidate connection relationships as a second current connection relationship between the second network node and the second group of terminal devices if it is determined that a second performance level under the another first candidate connection relationship is better than or not worse than the first performance level; and updating the initial connection relationship based on the first current connection relationship and the second current connection relationship.

8. The method of claim 7, wherein the successively cancelling is performed based on an ordering of respective received power strengths of signals received by the first group of terminal devices from the first network node and an ordering of respective received power strengths of signals received by the second group of terminal devices from the second network node.

9. The method of claim 7, wherein the first performance level is higher than other performance levels under other candidate connection relationships in the first plurality of candidate connection relationships other than the first candidate connection relationship; and wherein the second performance level is higher than other performance levels under other candidate connection relationships in the second plurality of candidate connection relationships other than the another first candidate connection relationship.

10. The method of claim 7, further comprising: further updating the updated connection relationship by adjusting terminal devices served by the first network node based on the first current connection relationship and terminal devices served by the second network node based on the second current connection relationship such that a third performance level associated with the plurality of terminal devices and / or the plurality of network nodes exceeds the second performance level.

11. The method of claim 1, wherein the target performance level comprises at least one of: a performance level associated with spectral efficiency, or a performance level associated with energy efficiency.

12. An apparatus for communication management, comprising at least one processor; and at least one memory coupled with the at least one processor and comprising instructions stored therein, the at least one memory and the instructions being further configured to, with the at least one processor, cause the apparatus to perform the method of any of claims 1-11.

13. An apparatus for communication management, comprising means for performing the method of any of claims 1-11. ​ ​ ​ ​ 14. A computer-readable storage medium having stored thereon a computer program comprising instructions, which, when executed by a processor on a device, cause the device to perform the method according to any one of claims 1-11.

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