Soft Airtime Share Allocation for Unlicensed Spectrum Coexistence
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Solution Overview
Problem
Current mobile communication technologies face challenges in utilizing unlicensed spectrum for 5G communications due to unpredictable time-frequency resource allocation, lack of quality of service and experience, and compliance with region-specific regulations, especially when geographically overlapping deployments and fairness between operators are considered.
Innovation Solution
The method involves forming radio access clusters to contend for unlicensed spectrum channels using a combination of passive and active sensing mechanisms, with coordination through over-the-air signaling, to allocate flexible 'soft airtime shares' that ensure quality of service and experience, while adhering to regulatory compliance.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Adaptability or versatility
If unlicensed spectrum is used for 5G communications to accommodate data growth, then spectrum utilization is improved, but resource allocation becomes unpredictable and QoS cannot be guaranteed
Solution Approach 1:
The patent implements dynamic resource allocation through soft airtime shares that can be adjusted in real-time based on channel conditions and traffic requirements. Transmission points within a radio access cluster dynamically sense unlicensed channels and adapt their resource allocation, transforming the static and unpredictable spectrum access into a dynamic, controllable system that can guarantee QoS while utilizing unlicensed spectrum.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent introduces a network element as an intermediary that coordinates resource allocation among multiple transmission points. This intermediary receives sensing results from transmission points, calculates appropriate soft airtime shares, and distributes resource allocations back to the transmission points, thereby centralizing control to ensure QoS while maintaining flexible unlicensed spectrum utilization.
2Productivity
If multiple operators deploy geographically overlapping networks in unlicensed spectrum, then spectrum capacity is increased, but coordination complexity and interference management become difficult
Solution Approach 1:
The patent merges multiple transmission points from potentially different operators into a unified radio access cluster that jointly accesses unlicensed spectrum. By combining their sensing results and coordinating resource allocation through a network element, the system reduces coordination complexity compared to independent operations while increasing overall spectrum capacity through cooperative utilization.
3Ease of operation
If individual transmission points access unlicensed spectrum independently, then deployment flexibility is improved, but resource allocation efficiency and fairness between operators deteriorate
Solution Approach 1:
The patent segments the unlicensed spectrum access into two levels: transmission points independently sense channels (maintaining deployment flexibility), while the network element segments resource allocation into soft airtime shares for different radio access clusters (improving efficiency and fairness). This segmentation allows independent operation at the physical layer while enabling coordinated resource management at the network layer.
Data Source
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AI summary
A method and system at a network element for providing a soft airtime share of unlicensed spectrum to at least one transmission point. The method includes receiving, from a plurality of transmission points, sensing results, selecting a group of candidate channels, grouping subsets of transmission points into radio access clusters, receiving, from each radio access cluster, a report, and allocating a soft airtime share to a radio access cluster for a channel at a time. Also, at a transmission point, a method and system for obtaining a soft airtime share of a channel in unlicensed spectrum. The method includes sensing a plurality of channels, providing a report, receiving a message assigning at least one radio access cluster, contending with other radio access clusters to send a beacon, receiving coordination beacons from neighboring clusters, self-scheduling and reporting in accordance with the received coordination beacons, and receiving an airtime share.