Re-contention Gaps for Wireless Resource Scheduling
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Solution Overview
Problem
In wireless communication systems, particularly in shared communication mediums like unlicensed frequency bands, there is a challenge of inter-access terminal blocking due to contention schemes, which leads to inefficient resource utilization and potential interference between different Radio Access Technologies (RATs) such as LTE and Wi-Fi, especially with the increasing deployment of small cell access points.
Innovation Solution
The implementation of re-contention gaps and hierarchical scheduling grant schemes allows multiple access terminals to operate concurrently on orthogonal frequency resources or overlapping time and frequency resources, with prioritization and advanced scheduling techniques to mitigate blocking and enhance proportional fairness, thereby improving resource utilization and reducing interference.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Productivity
If multiple access terminals operate concurrently on shared communication medium using contention schemes, then resource utilization increases, but inter-access terminal blocking and interference occur
Solution Approach 1:
The patent segments the shared communication medium into orthogonal frequency resources, allowing multiple access terminals to operate simultaneously on different frequency channels. This segmentation eliminates inter-terminal blocking by providing dedicated frequency resources while maintaining high resource utilization through concurrent operations.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent introduces frequency dimension separation to resolve time-domain contention conflicts. By allocating terminals to different frequency resources rather than relying solely on time-based contention schemes, the system achieves higher productivity without the blocking issues inherent in traditional contention-based access.
2Productivity
If small cell access points are deployed to improve coverage and capacity, then user experience and spectral efficiency improve, but interference with other RATs on unlicensed bands increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent segments the unlicensed spectrum into orthogonal frequency resources specifically allocated to LTE small cells, separating them from Wi-Fi and other RAT operations. This frequency segmentation allows small cells to achieve high spectral efficiency while minimizing harmful interference to other wireless systems sharing the unlicensed band.
3Reliability
If hierarchical scheduling grant schemes are implemented to prioritize access terminals, then blocking is reduced, but scheduling complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent implements preliminary scheduling actions by assigning orthogonal frequency resources to access terminals in advance through hierarchical scheduling grants. This preliminary allocation reduces blocking by pre-establishing conflict-free resource assignments, while the structured hierarchical approach manages scheduling complexity through systematic resource distribution rules.
Data Source
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AI summary
Techniques for managing access to a shared communication medium are disclosed. Scheduling grants may be sent to different access terminals for different sets of resources for uplink transmission on the communication medium. A series of re-contention gaps may be scheduled for access terminal contention within or between the different sets of resources. Uplink and downlink transmission on the communication medium may be silenced during each of the series of re-contention gaps. Moreover, an access terminal may receive a scheduling grant that allocates a set of resources to the access terminal for uplink transmission on a communication medium and contend for access to the communication medium based on the scheduling grant. The access terminal may then selectively transmit uplink traffic over the allocated set of resources based on the contending.