A network sharing system and data scheduling method thereof

Abstract

This invention relates to a network sharing system and its data scheduling method, comprising a processing module determining multiple transmission paths between a first interface unit and a second interface unit. After receiving data to be transmitted from the first interface unit, the processing module estimates from the multiple transmission paths either the shortest-time transmission path or the maximum-flow transmission path for the total output data volume. The processing module then controls the data to be transmitted to the second interface unit via the shortest-time transmission path or the maximum-flow transmission path. This invention can effectively schedule large amounts of data based on the current situation, processing data in the shortest time and maximizing data processing under optimal conditions.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This invention relates to the field of wireless communication technology, and more particularly to a network sharing system and its data scheduling method. Prior Technology

[0002] The Radio Unit (RU) in a 5G network is responsible for handling the transmission and reception of wireless signals, as well as wireless communication with terminal devices (such as mobile phones and IoT devices). The RU typically works in conjunction with the Distributed Unit (DU). The RU converts digital signals from the DU into radio frequency (RF) signals, which are then output from the RU's antenna. The RU can also convert RF signals from the antenna into digital signals and transmit them to the DU.

[0003] To enable more efficient network utilization, a shared open radio unit (Shared O-RU) has been developed. The Shared O-RU is a hardware device. Besides working with terminals and DUs, the Shared O-RU can provide access to multiple different radio access networks. For example, the Shared O-RU allows different service providers to share access to support different service and business needs, thereby reducing costs and improving efficiency.

[0004] Shared O-RUs need to process a large amount of data from different access networks. Without proper planning and scheduling of data, frequent task switching can easily occur, leading to system performance that cannot be optimized.

[0005] Therefore, a network sharing system and its data scheduling method are needed, capable of effectively scheduling data based on the current situation. This should allow for data processing in the shortest possible time, or, under optimal conditions, processing the maximum amount of data at once. Summary of the Invention

[0006] The main objective of this invention is to provide a network sharing system and its data scheduling method, which can effectively schedule a large amount of data according to the current situation, process data in the least amount of time, or process the maximum amount of data at once under optimal conditions.

[0007] This invention provides a data scheduling method for a network sharing system. The network sharing system includes a processing module, a first interface unit, and a second interface unit. The method includes: the processing module determining multiple transmission paths between the first interface unit and the second interface unit; the processing module further receiving data to be transmitted from the first interface unit; the processing module estimating the total data volume of the data to be transmitted and determining whether the total data volume is less than or equal to a preset value; if so, the processing module estimating the shortest-time transmission path for the total data volume from the multiple transmission paths; if not, the processing module estimating the maximum-flow transmission path for the total data volume from the multiple transmission paths; and the processing module controlling the data to be transmitted to the second interface unit via the shortest-time transmission path or the maximum-flow transmission path.

[0008] In this embodiment, the shortest time transmission path is estimated by inputting the processing time parameters of multiple transmission paths and the first constraint into a linear programming algorithm to estimate the shortest time transmission path.

[0009] In this embodiment, the first constraint further includes that the amount of data output by the first interface unit is less than or equal to the amount of data input by the first interface unit, the amount of data output by the second interface unit is less than or equal to a preset output amount, and the amount of data transmitted in the multiple transmission paths is greater than or equal to 0.

[0010] In this embodiment, the maximum traffic transmission path is estimated by incorporating the maximum transmission volume of multiple transmission paths and the second constraint into a linear programming algorithm.

[0011] In this embodiment, the second constraint further includes constraining the flow of virtual input points and virtual output points, the amount of data input to the first interface unit being equal to the amount of data output by the first interface unit, the amount of data input to the second interface unit being equal to the amount of data output by the second interface unit, the amount of data transmitted by multiple transmission paths being less than or equal to a preset amount of data, and the amount of data transmitted in multiple transmission paths being greater than or equal to 0.

[0012] The present invention further provides a network sharing system, including a first interface unit, a second interface, and a processing module. The first interface unit receives data to be transmitted. The second interface unit outputs data to be transmitted. The processing module connects the first interface unit and the second interface unit. The processing module is used to determine the output from the first interface unit to the second interface unit and generate multiple transmission paths; the processing module is further used to receive data to be transmitted from the first interface unit to estimate the total data volume of the data to be transmitted, and when the total data volume is less than or equal to a preset value, to estimate the shortest time transmission path for the total output data volume from the multiple transmission paths. When the total data volume is greater than the preset value, to estimate the maximum flow transmission path for the total output data volume from the multiple transmission paths; the processing module is further used to control the data to be transmitted to the second interface unit via the shortest time transmission path or the maximum flow transmission path. Simple Explanation of the Diagram

[0013] Figure 1 is a network sharing system architecture diagram according to an embodiment of the present invention. Figure 2 is a flowchart of the data scheduling method according to an embodiment of the present invention. Figure 3 is a schematic diagram of multiple transmission paths according to an embodiment of the present invention. Implementation

[0014] To facilitate understanding and implementation of the present invention by those skilled in the art, the present invention will be further described in detail below with reference to the accompanying drawings and embodiments. It should be understood that the embodiments described herein are for illustration and explanation only and are not intended to limit the present invention.

[0015] This invention relates to a network sharing system and its data scheduling method, which can effectively schedule transmitted data according to the current situation. It can process data in the least amount of time, or process the maximum amount of data at once under optimal conditions.

[0016] The data scheduling method of this embodiment can be applied to a network sharing system to effectively schedule data transmitted to the network sharing system from multiple different providers. Referring to Figure 1, the network sharing system 1 in this embodiment is a Shared Open Radio Unit (Shared O-RU), and the network sharing system 1 is connected to an external device 2. In this embodiment, the external device 2 can be a Distributed Unit (DU). The network sharing system 1 receives data from different providers and transmits this data to the external device 2; the network sharing system 1 can also transmit data received by the external device 2.

[0017] The network sharing system 1 includes a first interface unit 10, a second interface unit 20, a processing module 30, and a storage unit 40. In this embodiment, the processing module 30 is connected to the first interface unit 10 (first interface a11, first interface b12, first interface c13, first interface d14), the second interface unit 20 (second interface a21, second interface b22, second interface c23, second interface d24), and the storage unit 40. The processing module 30 can control each of the first interfaces a11, b12, c13, and d14 of the first interface unit 10, and each of the second interfaces a21, b22, c23, and d24 of the second interface unit 20 to send or receive messages.

[0018] In this embodiment, the first interface unit 10 can be a radio frequency (RF) antenna device used to receive or transmit RF signals. The second interface unit 20 can be a connection port, such as a high-speed (25G) output port, an RJ45 (Registered Jack 45) interface, or a USB (Universal Serial Bus) port. The network sharing system 1 connects to the external device 2 through the second interface unit 20.

[0019] In this embodiment, the first interface unit 10 is the data input port, and the second interface unit 20 is the data output port. The processing module 30 determines multiple transmission paths from the first interface unit 10 to the second interface unit 20. In this embodiment, the first interface unit 10 includes a first interface a11, a first interface b12, a first interface c13, and a first interface d14. The second interface unit 20 includes a second interface a21, a second interface b22, a second interface c23, and a second interface d24, thus generating sixteen transmission paths. The processing module 30 can effectively estimate the optimal transmission path for data transmission, delivering the data to the external device 2 in an optimized manner. For example, the first interface unit 10 can receive data from different vendors and transmit this data to the external device 2 through the second interface unit 20. The second interface unit 20 can also receive data from the external device 2 and transmit its data through the first interface unit 10.

[0020] The processing module 30 can be a multi-core processor, and the processing module 30 includes multiple cores 32. The multiple cores 32 are used to control the first interface unit 10, the second interface unit 20, and schedule the operation of sending messages. By using multiple cores 32 to control the first interface unit 10, the second interface unit 20, and schedule the operation of sending messages at the same time, the utilization efficiency of the network sharing system 1 can be effectively improved.

[0021] Storage unit 40 may be memory or hard disk, used to store information such as the linear programming algorithm for estimating and scheduling message transmission, the data transmission time for each transmission path, and the maximum transmission capacity for each transmission path. Storage unit 40 may also store information such as the amount of data input or output to the network sharing system 1, for example, the amount of data input or output to each first interface unit 10.

[0022] Figure 1 is merely an example and should not be construed as a limitation of the present invention. For example, the number of first interface units 10 or second interface units 20 may also be multiple; more processing modules 30, cores 32, and storage units 40 may also be deployed.

[0023] Please refer to Figure 2 for an explanation of how the processing module 30 estimates the optimal data transmission path for data scheduling. In this embodiment, the processing module 30 uses a portion of core 32 to operate the data scheduling method.

[0024] First, in step S10, the network sharing system 1 receives data to be transmitted through the first interface unit 10. In this embodiment, multiple first interface units 10 can receive data from different vendors, which becomes data to be transmitted. Then, the first interface unit 10 transmits the data to be transmitted to the processing module 30. The data to be transmitted can be a radio frequency signal.

[0025] After receiving the data to be transmitted, the processing module 30 uses part of core 32 to convert the radio frequency signal of the data to be transmitted into a digital signal. Then, in step S12, part of core 32 estimates the total amount of data to be transmitted and determines whether the total amount of data is less than or equal to a preset value. The total amount of data to be transmitted is the total amount of data input to the first interface unit 10, and this total amount of data can be stored in the storage unit 40. The preset value is the total amount of data that the second interface unit 20 can currently transmit at one time. The preset value is obtained by pre-measuring the data transmitted by the second interface unit 20 and is stored in the storage unit 40.

[0026] If the determination in step S12 is yes, and the total amount of data to be transmitted is less than or equal to a preset value, then proceed to step S14, where the processing module 30 estimates and outputs the shortest time transmission path from multiple transmission paths.

[0027] If the determination in step S12 is negative, and the total amount of data to be transmitted is greater than the preset value, then proceed to step S16, where the processing module 30 estimates the maximum flow transmission path from multiple transmission paths.

[0028] After steps S14 and S16, the process will proceed to step S18, where the processing module 30 controls the data to be transmitted to the second interface unit 20 via the shortest time transmission path or the maximum flow transmission path.

[0029] Taking Figure 1 as an example, this section details an embodiment of step S14, in which the processing module 30 estimates the shortest time transmission path for the total output data volume from multiple transmission paths. The shortest time transmission path is estimated based on the processing time parameters and first constraints of each transmission path from the first interface unit 10 to the second interface unit 20. These parameters are then input into a linear programming algorithm to estimate the shortest time transmission path. The processing time parameters of each transmission path are obtained by pre-measuring the processing time of each transmission path, and are stored in the storage unit 40 after measurement. First interface a First interface b First interface c First interface d Second interface a 3 ms 11 ms 3 ms 10 ms Second interface b 1 ms 9 ms 2 ms 8 ms Second interface c 7 ms 4 ms 10 ms 5 ms Second interface d 6 ms 5 ms 9 ms 6 ms Table 1

[0030] Table 1 represents the processing time parameters of the storage transmission paths in storage unit 40, indicating the processing time parameters for each of the first interfaces a11, b12, c13, and d14 to transmit data to each of the second interfaces a21, b22, c23, and d24, respectively. For example, the processing time parameter for data transmission from the first interface a11 to the second interface a21 is 3 milliseconds (ms), the processing time parameter for data transmission from the first interface a11 to the second interface b22 is 11 milliseconds (ms), and so on.

[0031] The first constraints include: the amount of data output by the first interface unit 10 must be less than or equal to the amount of data input to the first interface unit 10; the amount of data output by the second interface unit 20 must be less than or equal to a preset output amount; and the amount of data transmitted in each transmission path must be greater than or equal to 0. The preset output amount is the amount of data that the second interface unit 20 can currently output, and it can be determined by prior measurement of the second interface unit 20. The preset output amount is measured and stored in the storage unit 40. Second interface a Second interface b Second interface c Second interface d The second interface can transmit a certain amount of data. 3G 6G 5G 6G Table 2

[0032] Table 2 shows the preset output data amount for each of the second interfaces a21, b22, c23, and d24 of the second interface unit 20. The processing module 30 receives the data to be transmitted, estimates the data amount of the data to be transmitted received by each interface, and records the data amount received by each interface in the storage unit 40, as shown in Table 3 below, to represent the data amount of the currently input data for each of the first interfaces a11, b12, c13, and d14 of the first interface 20. First interface a First interface b First interface c First interface d Data volume to be transmitted on the first interface 5G 4G 7G 4G Table 3

[0033] Next, it will be explained how processing module 30 estimates the shortest transmission path based on the processing time parameters of the transmission path and the first constraint. First, the processing time parameters of the transmission path of processing module 30 are substituted into the objective function equation of linear programming: in To process time parameters, This represents the transmission path. Combined with the parameters from Table 1, it can be represented as follows:

[0034] Next, the first constraint condition is set for module 30. The amount of data output from each of the first interfaces a11, b12, c13, and d14 must be less than or equal to the amount of data input to each of the first interfaces a11, b12, c13, and d14. This, combined with the parameters in Table 3, is expressed by the following equation:

[0035] The amount of data output from each of the second interfaces a21, b22, c23, and d24 is less than or equal to the preset output amount. This is expressed as follows when combined with the parameters in Table 2:

[0036] The amount of data transmitted in each transmission path must be greater than or equal to 0, as expressed by the following equation:

[0037] After the processing module 30 inputs the processing time parameters and the first constraint of the above transmission path into the linear programming algorithm, it can calculate the shortest time transmission path, that is, the best transmission path in which all data is transmitted in the shortest time.

[0038] Next, a detailed explanation of an embodiment of step S16, which uses a linear programming algorithm to estimate the maximum flow transmission path of the total output data volume, will be provided. The maximum flow transmission path is estimated based on the maximum transmission capacity of the transmission path and the second constraint condition. The maximum transmission capacity of the transmission path is obtained by pre-measuring each transmission path, and the measurements are stored in storage unit 40. Second interface a Second interface b Second interface c Second interface d First interface a 3 Gbps - 3 Gbps 10 Gbps First interface b 1 Gbps - - 8 Gbps First interface c 7 Gbps 4 Gbps - 5 Gbps First interface d 6 Gbps - 9 Gbps 6 Gbps Table 4

[0039] Table 4 represents the maximum transmission capacity of the storage transmission paths in storage unit 40. It indicates the maximum transmission capacity of each of the first interfaces a11, b12, c13, and d14 to each of the second interfaces a21, b22, c23, and d24, respectively. For example, the maximum transmission capacity of the path from the first interface a11 to the second interface a21 is 3 (Gbps). The path from the first interface a11 to the second interface b22 is also not possible. The maximum transmission capacity of the path from the first interface a11 to the third interface a23 is 3 (Gbps), and so on.

[0040] The second constraint includes: constraining the flow of virtual input points and virtual output points; the amount of data input to the first interface is equal to the amount of data output to the first interface; the amount of data input to the second interface is equal to the amount of data output to the second interface; the amount of data transmitted along the transmission path is less than or equal to a preset amount of data; and the amount of data transmitted along the transmission path is greater than or equal to 0.

[0041] The virtual input point serves as a virtual starting point for providing data, through which data is input to the first interface unit 10. The virtual output point serves as a virtual ending point for receiving data output from the second interface unit 20.

[0042] The preset output quantity is the amount of data that the second interface unit 20 can currently output. The preset output quantity can be obtained by pre-measuring each of the second interfaces a21, b22, c23, and d24. Assume that the measured output quantity is stored in the storage unit 40. Second interface a Second interface b Second interface c Second interface d The second interface can transmit a certain amount of data. 3G 6G 5G 6G Table 5

[0043] Table 5 shows the preset output data volume for each of the second interfaces a21, b22, c23, and d24. When the processing module 30 receives the data to be transmitted and estimates the data volume, it can also record the data volume received by each of the first interfaces a11, b12, c13, and d14 in the storage unit 40, as shown in Table 6 below, to represent the data volume currently input to each of the first interfaces a11, b12, c13, and d14. First interface a First interface b First interface c First interface d Data volume to be transmitted on the first interface 8G 4G 7G 4G Table 6

[0044] Next, it is explained how processing module 30 estimates the maximum transmission path based on the maximum transmission volume of the transmission path and the second constraint condition. For ease of calculation, processing module 30 sets up virtual input point S and virtual output point E. Referring to Figure 3, virtual input point S inputs data to the first interface a11, first interface b12, first interface c13, and first interface d14, respectively. The first interfaces a11, b12, c13, and d14 are connected to the second interfaces a21, b22, c23, and d24, respectively, generating transmission paths. The second interfaces a21, b22, c23, and d24 are then connected to virtual output point 4. For easier reading, the amount of data transmitted in the paths in Tables 4 to 6 is shown in Figure 3.

[0045] Substituting the parameters of the output data from Tables 4 to 6 into the objective function equation of the linear programming, as follows: in S represents the transmission path, S represents the virtual input point, and E represents the virtual output point. For example, The number 8 represents the amount of data transmitted from virtual input point 3 to the first interface a11, while the number 8 represents the amount of data transmitted from virtual input point 4 to the first interface a11 in Table 6. This represents the data transmitted from the first interface a11 to the second interface a21, and the number 3 represents the amount of data transmitted from the first interface a11 to the second interface a21 in Table 4.

[0046] Next, the processing module 30 sets a second constraint. This second constraint includes restricting the flow of data at virtual input point 3 and virtual output point 4. In this embodiment, according to Table 6, the data transmitted to the first interface a11, first interface b12, first interface c13, and first interface d14 are summed, and can be expressed by the following equation: 8+4+7+4=23G

[0047] In this embodiment, based on Table 5, the total amount of data output from all second interfaces a21, b22, c23, and d24 to virtual output point 4 is summed and can be expressed by the following equation: 3+6+5+6=20G

[0048] The second constraint further includes that the total data input to the first interfaces a11, b12, c13, and d14 should be equal to the data output from the first interfaces a11, b12, c13, and d14. The data input to the second interfaces a21, b22, c23, and d24 should be equal to the data output from the second interfaces a21, b22, c23, and d24. The data transmitted along the transmission path is less than or equal to a preset data amount, where the preset data amount is the maximum throughput of each transmission path. The data transmitted along the transmission path is greater than or equal to 0, as expressed by the following equation:

[0049] After the processing module 30 inputs the maximum transmission volume of the above transmission path and the second constraint into the linear programming algorithm, it can calculate the maximum flow transmission path, that is, the optimal transmission path that can output the maximum amount of data at one time.

[0050] As stated above, this invention effectively schedules large amounts of data based on the current situation, processes the data in the shortest amount of time, and processes the maximum amount of data under optimal conditions.

[0051] In summary, this invention meets the requirements for an invention patent, and therefore a patent application is filed in accordance with the law. However, the above description is only a preferred embodiment of the invention, and the scope of the invention is not limited to the described embodiments. All equivalent modifications or variations made by those skilled in the art in accordance with the spirit of the invention should be covered within the scope of the following patent application.

[0052] 1: Network sharing system 10: First Interface Unit 11: First interface a 12: First interface b 13: First interface c 14: First interface d 20: Second Interface Unit 21: Second Interface a 22: Second interface b 23: Second interface c 24: Second interface d 30: Processing Module 32: Core 40: Storage Unit 2: External devices 3: Virtual Input Point 4: Virtual output point S10~S18: Steps

[0053] none

Claims

1. A data scheduling method for a network sharing system, the network sharing system comprising a processing module, a first interface unit, and a second interface unit, the method comprising: The processing module is used to determine multiple transmission paths between the first interface unit and the second interface unit; The processing module is further configured to receive data to be transmitted from the first interface unit; the processing module is further configured to estimate the total data volume of the data to be transmitted and determine whether the total data volume is less than or equal to a preset value; if so, the processing module estimates the shortest time transmission path for outputting the total data volume from the multiple transmission paths; if not, the processing module estimates the maximum flow transmission path for outputting the total data volume from the multiple transmission paths, wherein estimating the maximum flow transmission path is done by substituting the maximum transmission volume of the multiple transmission paths and the second constraint into a linear programming algorithm to estimate the maximum flow transmission path; and the processing module is further configured to control the data to be transmitted to the second interface unit via the shortest time transmission path or the maximum flow path.

2. The data scheduling method for a network sharing system as described in claim 1, wherein estimating the shortest time transmission path is achieved by inputting the processing time parameters of the multiple transmission paths and the first constraint into a linear programming algorithm to estimate the shortest time transmission path.

3. The data scheduling method for the network sharing system as described in claim 2, wherein the first constraint further includes that the amount of data output by the first interface unit is less than or equal to the amount of data input by the first interface unit, the amount of data output by the second interface unit is less than or equal to a preset output amount, and the amount of data transmitted in the multiple transmission paths is greater than or equal to 0.

4. The data scheduling method for a network sharing system as described in claim 1, wherein the second constraint further includes constraining the traffic of virtual input points and virtual output points, the amount of data input to the first interface unit being equal to the amount of data output by the first interface unit, the amount of data input to the second interface unit being equal to the amount of data output by the second interface unit, the amount of data transmitted by the multiple transmission paths being less than or equal to a preset amount of data, and the amount of data transmitted in the multiple transmission paths being greater than or equal to 0.

5. A network sharing system, comprising: The first interface unit receives the data to be transmitted; A second interface unit outputs the data to be transmitted; A processing module is connected to the first interface unit and the second interface unit. The processing module is used to determine multiple transmission paths between the first interface unit and the second interface unit. The processing module is further used to receive data to be transmitted from the first interface unit, estimate the total data volume of the data to be transmitted, and determine that if the total data volume is less than or equal to a preset value, estimate the shortest time transmission path for outputting the total data volume from the multiple transmission paths; if the total data volume is greater than the preset value, estimate the maximum flow transmission path for outputting the total data volume from the multiple transmission paths. The processing module estimates the maximum flow transmission path by incorporating the maximum transmission volume of the multiple transmission paths and a second constraint condition into a linear programming algorithm. The processing module is further used to control the data to be transmitted to the second interface unit via the shortest time transmission path or the maximum flow transmission path.

6. The network sharing system as described in claim 5, wherein the processing module estimates the shortest time transmission path by inputting the processing time parameters of the multiple transmission paths and the first constraint into a linear programming algorithm to estimate the shortest time transmission path.

7. The network sharing system as described in claim 6, wherein the first constraint further includes that the amount of data output by the first interface unit is less than or equal to the amount of data input by the first interface unit, the amount of data output by the second interface unit is less than or equal to a preset output amount, and the amount of data transmitted in the plurality of transmission paths is greater than or equal to 0.

8. The network sharing system as described in claim 5, wherein the second constraint further includes constraining the traffic of the virtual input point and the virtual output point, the amount of data input to the first interface unit is equal to the amount of data output, the amount of data input to the second interface unit is equal to the amount of data output, the amount of data transmitted by the multiple transmission paths is less than or equal to a preset amount of data, and the amount of data transmitted in the multiple transmission paths is greater than or equal to 0.

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