Patent Description:
A wireless network, such as a cellular network, can include an access node (e.g., a base station) serving multiple wireless devices or user equipment (UE) in a geographical area covered by a radio frequency transmission provided by the access node. Different carriers or carrier divisions within the cellular network may utilize different types of radio access technologies (RATs). RATs can include, for example, <NUM> RATs such as Global System for Mobile Communications (GSM), Code-Division Multiple Access (CDMA), etc.; <NUM> RATs such as Worldwide Interoperability for Microwave Access (WiMAX), Long Term Evolution (LTE), etc.; and <NUM> RATs such as new radio (NR).

Additionally, in recent years, networks have evolved to connect using the Internet of things (IoT), which describes the network of physical objects or things that are embedded with sensors, software, and other technologies for the purpose of connecting and exchanging data with other devices and systems over the Internet. Cellular IoT is a way of connecting physical devices such as sensors to the internet by having them utilize the same mobile networks as wireless devices. In the consumer market, IoT technology is frequently utilized to equip the "smart home," including devices and appliances such as lighting fixtures, thermostats, home security systems and cameras, and other appliances which support one or more common ecosystems, and can be controlled via devices associated with that ecosystem, such as smartphones and smart speakers. Cellular IoT itself is a rapidly growing ecosystem based on 3rd Generation Partnership Project (3GPP) global standards, supported by an increasing number of mobile network providers as well as device, chipset, module, and network infrastructure vendors. Cellular IoT improves over other Low Power Wide Area (LPWA) network technologies in terms of quality of service (QoS), scalability, flexibility, and the like.

Deployment of the evolving RATs in a network provides numerous benefits. For example, newer RATs may provide additional resources to subscribers, faster communications speeds, and other advantages. However, newer technologies may also have limited range in comparison to existing technologies. To ensure consistent coverage through a wide geographic range, existing technologies are often used in combination with newer technologies. Cellular IoT applications generally use one of two technologies: narrowband IoT (NB-IoT) and Category M1 (Cat-M1), which are both 3GPP standardized technologies. The technologies address different types of use cases based on their capabilities.

Cat-M1 operates at <NUM> bandwidth with higher device complexity/cost than NB-IoT. The wider bandwidth allows Cat-M1 to achieve greater data rates (up to <NUM> megabit per second (Mbps)), lower latency, and more accurate device positioning capabilities. Cat-M1 supports voice calls and connected mode mobility. Exemplary use cases for Cat-M1 include connected vehicles, wearable devices, trackers, and alarm panels. Cat-M1 devices can exist in a sleep mode for extended periods of time, which greatly reduces device power consumption.

Cat-M1 nodes generally use resources that are shared with LTE. Thus, while LTE devices may communicate with an access node using any available resource, the Cat-M1 devices are only capable of communicating on a smaller subset of the resources. Where an LTE device uses a resource in the smaller subset, the LTE communication (which may occur at a higher transmit power than Cat-M1 communication) may introduce noise, negatively impact device or network performance, and/or otherwise result in a reduced user experience. Thus, there exists a need for systems and methods for determining access to common resources to provide service efficiently; for example, by dynamically restricting or assigning one or more common resources to a particular RAT (such as Cat-M1) based on noise.

<CIT> discloses a method including allocating, in dependence on interference information, at least one resource block group from a frequency carrier for use by one of a plurality of sets of user equipment, said frequency carrier including at least one first resource block group to be used for a first transmission mode and at least one second resource block group to be used for a second transmission mode.

<CIT> discloses techniques for managing Radio Access Technology (RAT) aggregation on a shared communication medium. Control signaling may be sent, over a shared communication medium to an access terminal, in accordance with a first RAT. Data traffic may be scheduled for transmission to the access terminal based on one or more operating mode criteria for selecting between RATs. The scheduled data traffic may be transmitted, over the shared communication medium to the access terminal, in accordance with a second RAT.

<CIT> discloses a method and device for reducing power consumption of UE, and relates to the technical field of wireless communication. The method is characterized by comprising the steps: acquiring the network configuration parameter of the UE, wherein the UE is electronic equipment supporting a <NUM> NSA networking mode and/or a <NUM> SA networking mode independently networked by a <NUM> mobile communication technology; judging whether the network configuration parameter of the UE is smaller than a set threshold value or not, wherein the condition that the network configuration parameter of the UE is smaller than the set threshold value is used for indicating that the UE network speed is limited; if the network configuration parameter of the UE is smaller than the set threshold, enabling the UE to start a power consumption reduction process. The invention aims to effectively reduce the energy consumption of the UE by starting the UE power consumption reduction process under the condition that the network speed of the UE is limited, so as to prolong the standby time of the UE and improve the user experience.

<CIT> discloses a method and system for dynamically optimizing access channel parameters in a cellular wireless communication system. A computer system monitors the level of access channel occupancy and the level of reverse link noise in a given cell sector, and the computer system then automatically adjusts access channel parameters for the sector if the access channel occupancy and reverse link noise cooperatively meet certain threshold criteria. Ideally, the adjustments in access channel parameters will help to improve the success of access channel communications. The computer system may be integrated as part of a base station or may be provided as a separate entity.

<CIT> discloses techniques for supporting asymmetric uplink and downlink bandwidth allocations for a wireless device, and for dynamically modifying the bandwidth allocations for a wireless device, in a wireless communication system. A cellular communication link may be established between a base station and a wireless device. The base station may determine an uplink bandwidth allocation and a downlink bandwidth allocation for the wireless device. The uplink bandwidth allocation and the downlink bandwidth allocation may be selected based on different criteria and may include different amounts of bandwidth. Indications of the uplink bandwidth allocation and the downlink bandwidth allocation may be provided to the wireless device. The base station and wireless device may communicate according to the uplink bandwidth allocation and the downlink bandwidth allocation.

In one exemplary aspect of the present disclosure, a method of managing network resources comprises: setting a noise threshold for an access node, wherein the access node includes a first plurality of resource blocks corresponding to communication in a first communication mode and a second plurality of resource blocks corresponding to communication in either of the first communication mode or a second communication mode; monitoring a noise parameter for the second plurality of resource blocks; comparing the noise parameter to the noise threshold; and in response to a determination that the noise parameter exceeds the noise threshold, restricting access to the second plurality of resource blocks for communication in the first communication mode.

In another exemplary aspect of the present disclosure, a system for managing network resources comprises: an access node including a first plurality of resource blocks corresponding to communication in a first communication mode and a second plurality of resource blocks corresponding to communication in either of the first communication mode or a second communication mode, and at least one electronic processor configured to perform operations including: setting a noise threshold for the access node, monitoring a noise parameter for the second plurality of resource blocks, comparing the noise parameter to the noise threshold, and in response to a determination that the noise parameter exceeds the noise threshold, restricting access to the second plurality of resource blocks for communication in the first communication mode.

In this manner, these and other aspects of the present disclosure provide for improvements in at least the technical field of telecommunications, as well as the related technical fields of network management, device management, wireless communications, and the like.

This disclosure can be embodied in various forms, including hardware or circuits controlled by computer-implemented methods, computer program products, computer systems and networks, user interfaces, and application programming interfaces; as well as hardware-implemented methods, application specific integrated circuits, field programmable gate arrays, and the like. The foregoing summary is intended solely to provide a general idea of various aspects of the present disclosure, and does not limit the scope of the disclosure in any way.

These and other more detailed and specific features of various embodiments are more fully disclosed in the following description, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, in which:.

In the following description, numerous details are set forth, such as flowcharts, schematics, and system configurations. It will be readily apparent to one skilled in the art that these specific details are merely exemplary and not intended to limit the scope of this application.

In accordance with various aspects of the present disclosure, a cellular or wireless network may be provided by an access node. The access node may utilize one or more antennas to communicate with wireless devices or UEs. As the number of simultaneous wireless devices with which an access node communicates increases, so too does resource usage. In one example, consider a scenario in which a network operator is serving both LTE and Cat-M1 (e.g., with six common physical resource blocks within a host LTE cell) and an LTE device is using one of the common resource blocks. The LTE device may introduce noise which negatively affects the operation of Cat-M1 devices using other ones of the common resource blocks. In such a scenario, the resources have not been allocated efficiently, when a different allocation of resources could have saved device battery life, etc..

Thus, various aspects of the present disclosure may operate in an IoT cellular network utilizing multiple RATs, such as LTE and Cat-M1. By providing a system and method to dynamically determine access to particular resources (e.g., based on noise characteristics), the present disclosure may improve the overall performance of LTE and Cat-M1 devices, may improve the battery usage parameters of Cat-M1 devices, improve overall cell resource utilization, and so on.

In practical implementations, noise is present in the IoT cellular network. Noise may be introduced by several sources, including but not limited to environmental conditions, temporary changes in the operating conditions of an access node, interference between different connected wireless devices, interference caused due to external nodes operating in adjacent bands, and so on. Noise may be measured using different representations, including but not limited to signal-to-noise-plus-interference ratio (SINR) and reverse noise rise (RNR). SINR represents the value of a signal divided by the sum interference and background noise. RNR represents a metric of the uplink environment in cellular systems. It is defined as the noise rise due to out-of-cell emissions of adjacent cellular systems or uplink noise from the in-band operating devices. Typically in a high-RNR cellular system, the increase in the noise rise naturally translates to a decrease in the SINR. It also translates to an increase in the signal-to-noise ratio (SNR) required to maintain certain coverage contours or certain data rates.

The term "wireless device" refers to any wireless device included in a wireless network. For example, the term "wireless device" may include a relay node, which may communicate with an access node. The term "wireless device" may also include an end-user wireless device, which may communicate with the access node through the relay node. The term "wireless device" may further include a UE or end-user wireless device that communicates with the access node directly without being relayed by a relay node. Additionally, "wireless device" may encompass any type of wireless device, such as sensors that may be connected to a network as an IoT device.

Some network operators have proposed deployment of wireless devices capable of transmitting at a maximum allowable transmit power that is higher than a current maximum allowable transmit power of off-the-shelf wireless devices and/or other currently deployed wireless devices. Such devices may be categorized in terms of a power class, one example is set forth in Table <NUM> below.

For example, the maximum allowable transmit power level (i.e., a transmission power capability) and tolerance (i.e., power error limits) with which wireless devices can transmit data on a given frequency band or sub-band (e.g., bands I-III) can be specified based on a predefined power class (e.g., power classes <NUM>-<NUM> shown in Table <NUM>) of the wireless device rather than a physical maximum transmit capability of the wireless device. Off-the-shelf and/or other low-power wireless devices are defined in LTE as power class <NUM> and/or power class <NUM> wireless devices. Power class <NUM> and/or <NUM> low-power wireless devices can be configured with a maximum allowable transmit power level of +<NUM> decibel-milliwatts (dBm) for frequency bands I-III with a nominal power tolerance of ± <NUM> decibels (dB) (e.g., for Evolved Universal Mobile Telecommunications System Terrestrial Radio Access (E-UTRA) bands). High-power class wireless devices, which may also be referred to as high-power user equipment or HPUEs, are defined as power class <NUM> or power class <NUM> wireless devices. HPUEs can be configured with a maximum transmit power level of +<NUM> dBm for frequency bands I-II and/or +<NUM> dBm for frequency band I with a nominal power tolerance of ±<NUM> dB (e.g., for E-UTRA bands), as illustrated in Table <NUM>.

Examples described herein may include at least an access node (or base station), such as an Evolved Node B (eNodeB) or a next-generation Node B (gNodeB), and one or a plurality of end-user wireless devices; however, the present disclosure is not limited to such a configuration. Various aspects of the present disclosure may also be applied to communication between an end-user wireless device and other network resources, such as relay nodes, controller nodes, antennas, and so on. Moreover, multiple access nodes may be utilized. For example, some wireless devices in the network may communicate with an LTE eNodeB, while others may communicate with an NR gNodeB.

In addition to the particular systems and methods described herein, the operations described herein may be implemented as computer-readable instructions or methods, and a processing node or nodes on the network for executing the instructions or methods. The processing node or nodes may include a processor included in the access node and/or a processor included in any controller node in the wireless network that is coupled to the access node.

Embodiments disclosed herein operate in a network supporting Cat-M1, which is supported by devices having a particular chipset. Cat-M1 supports lower data-rate applications and is appropriate for low-power sensing and monitoring devices such as health and fitness wearables, utility meters, and vending machines, tracking, and other applications. Cat-M1 offers a lower bandwidth than most cellular services, although higher than NB-IoT applications.

<FIG> illustrates an exemplary system <NUM> for use with various aspects of the present disclosure. As illustrated, the system <NUM> includes a cloud platform <NUM>, a core network <NUM>, and a plurality of access nodes <NUM>-<NUM> to <NUM>-m (collectively referred to as access nodes <NUM>), and a plurality of wireless devices <NUM>-<NUM> to <NUM>-n (collectively referred to as wireless devices <NUM>). Other computing systems and devices <NUM> may be connected to the cloud platform <NUM>, for example to monitor and/or control the wireless devices <NUM>. While <FIG> illustrates only two of the access nodes <NUM>, in practical implementations any number of the access nodes <NUM> (including one) may be present in the system <NUM>. Moreover, while <FIG> illustrates seven of the wireless devices <NUM> and illustrates various subsets of the wireless devices <NUM> being connected to individual ones of the access nodes <NUM>, the present disclosure is not so limited. In practical implementations, any number of the wireless devices <NUM> (including zero or one) may be present in total, and any number of such wireless devices <NUM> (including zero or one) may be connected to each access node <NUM>. As illustrated, various elements of <FIG> are connected to one another via wireless connections; however, some of the connections may be wired connections. For example, an access node <NUM> may be connected to the core network via a wired connection.

The cloud platform <NUM>, which may be an IoT cloud platform, may perform processing and forward results to the computing systems and devices <NUM> and/or the wireless devices <NUM>. The core network <NUM>, which may be an IoT core network, connects with the cloud platform <NUM> and the access nodes <NUM>. Examples of the access nodes <NUM> will be described in more detail below with respect to <FIG> and <FIG>.

The wireless devices <NUM> are devices configured with appropriate technologies for connecting to the cloud platform <NUM>. The wireless devices <NUM> may be or include mobile communication devices such as smartphones, laptop computers, tablet computers, and the like; vehicles such as cars, trucks, and the like; and/or low-complexity devices designed to communicate infrequently such as sensors, meters, wearables, trackers, and the like. The wireless devices <NUM> may be deployed in many environments, including remote and/or challenging radio environments such as the basement of a building or on a moving piece of machinery. In some implementations, the wireless devices <NUM> may send occasional signals for several years without a change or charge of battery. The core network <NUM> can collect and analyze data from sensors in the wireless devices <NUM> for real-time monitoring, GPS tracking, mobile route tracking, utility usage monitoring, and the like. Examples of the wireless devices <NUM> will be described in more detail below with respect to <FIG>.

One or more of the access nodes <NUM> and one or more of the wireless devices <NUM> may be configured to operate using LTE and Cat-M1 RATs. Cat-M1 operates at <NUM> bandwidth. Cat-M1 is a versatile low power wireless (IoT) RAT which supports high data rates (compared to, for example, NB-IoT), full mobility, and voice in typical coverage and which also supports deep coverage scenarios. Cat-M1 may operate using six physical resource blocks (PRBs) of the LTE carrier as will be described in more detail below with respect to <FIG>.

<FIG> illustrates a configuration for an exemplary system <NUM> in accordance with various aspects of the present disclosure. As illustrated, the system <NUM> comprises a communication network <NUM>, a gateway node <NUM>, a controller node <NUM> which includes a database <NUM>, an access node <NUM>, and a plurality of wireless devices <NUM>-<NUM> to <NUM>-<NUM> (collectively referred to as wireless devices <NUM>). For purposes of illustration and ease of explanation, only one access node <NUM> is shown; however, as noted above with regard to <FIG>, additional access nodes <NUM> may be present in the system <NUM>. While five wireless devices <NUM> are shown for purposes of explanation, in practical implementations, any number of the wireless devices <NUM> (including zero or one) may be present at any given time.

The access node <NUM> is configured to provide communication in a first communication mode (e.g., LTE) and a second communication mode (e.g., Cat-M1) and is illustrated as having a coverage area <NUM>. Each of the wireless devices <NUM> are present or may become present in the coverage area <NUM>. The access node <NUM> may provide additional coverage areas corresponding to different RATs (such as <NUM> and/or <NUM> RATs), different frequency bands, and the like. In the illustration of <FIG>, five wireless devices <NUM>-<NUM> to <NUM>-<NUM> are located within the coverage area <NUM>, and are connected to and access network services from the access node <NUM>. In accordance with various aspects of the present disclosure, the access node <NUM> may monitor noise characteristics of the network and dynamically allocate and/or restrict access of the wireless devices <NUM> to resources of the access node <NUM>.

A scheduling entity may be located within the access node <NUM> and/or the controller node <NUM>, and may be configured to allocate resources and RATs to improve overall network resource utilization and performance. This may be accomplished by, for example, assigning or allocating one or more of the wireless devices <NUM> to particular resource blocks. For example, if the noise in the system is greater than a predetermined threshold, the scheduling entity may determine that certain resource blocks should be allocated to communication in only one RAT and that wireless devices communicating in other RATs should be restricted from accessing the certain resource blocks.

The access node <NUM> can be any network node configured to provide communications between the wireless devices <NUM> and communication network <NUM>, including standard access nodes and/or short range, lower power, small access nodes. As examples of a standard access node, the access node <NUM> may be a macrocell access node, a base transceiver station, a radio base station, a gNodeB in <NUM> networks, an eNodeB in <NUM>/LTE networks, or the like. In one particular example, the access node <NUM> may be a macrocell access node in which a range of the coverage area <NUM> is from approximately five to thirty-five kilometers (km) and in which the output power is in the tens of watts (W). As examples of a small access node, the access node <NUM> may be a microcell access node, a picocell access node, a femtocell access node, or the like, including a home gNodeB or a home eNodeB.

The access node <NUM> can comprise one or more processors and associated circuitry to execute or direct the execution of computer-readable instructions such as those described herein. In so doing, the access node <NUM> can retrieve and execute software from storage, which can include a disk drive, a flash drive, memory circuitry, or some other memory device, and which may be local or remotely accessible. The software may comprise computer programs, firmware, or some other form of machine-readable instructions, and may include an operating system, utilities, drivers, network interfaces, applications, or some other type of software, including combinations thereof. Moreover, the access node <NUM> can receive instructions and other input at a user interface. The access node <NUM> communicates with the gateway node <NUM> and the controller node <NUM> via communication links <NUM> and <NUM>, respectively. The access node <NUM> may also communicate with other access nodes using a direct link (e.g., an X2 link or the like).

<FIG> illustrates one example of an access node <NUM>, which may correspond to one or more of the access nodes <NUM> shown in <FIG> and/or the access node <NUM> shown in <FIG>. As illustrated the access node <NUM> includes a controller <NUM>, a memory <NUM>, wireless communication circuitry <NUM>, and a bus <NUM> through which the various elements of the access node <NUM> communicate with one another. As illustrated, the controller <NUM> includes sub-modules or units, each of which may be implemented via dedicated hardware (e.g., circuitry), software modules which are loaded from the memory <NUM> and processed by the controller <NUM>, firmware, and the like, or combinations thereof. The access node <NUM> may include a plurality of PRBs as illustrated in <FIG>.

<FIG> illustrates <NUM> PRBs, which are identified by indices <NUM> to <NUM>. Cat-M1 nodes utilize resources that may be shared with LTE in certain communication modes. For example, where the access node <NUM> is operating in a dynamic mode (e.g., a Quality of Service Class Identifier (QCI) mode), connected Cat-M1 UEs use shared resources. This may be contrasted with cases where the access node <NUM> is operating in a static mode, in which resources are specifically assigned to Cat-M1. An example of operation in the dynamic mode is illustrated in <FIG>, which shows an implementation in which the resources include dedicated resource blocks <NUM> (i.e., a first plurality of resource blocks corresponding to PRBs which are used only for LTE) and common resource blocks <NUM> (i.e., a second plurality of resource blocks corresponding to PRBs which are shared between Cat-M1 and LTE). While <FIG> illustrates PRBs <NUM>-<NUM> as the common resource blocks <NUM> and PRBs <NUM>-<NUM> as the dedicated resource blocks <NUM>, the present disclosure is not so limited. In practice, the common resource blocks <NUM> may comprise any subset of the total resources (for Cat-M1, totaling six consecutive PRBs).

When operating in the dynamic mode, a comparative access node which does not have a system, method, or other mechanism in place for blocking access to the common resources for LTE UEs may suffer from an overall reduction in performance of the Cat-M1 UEs as a result of the resource usage of the LTE UEs. In one particular example, the use of common resources by LTE UEs may cause the RNR to increase to undesirable levels on the common resources. In such a case, LTE HPUEs that are capable of transmitting at an average of <NUM> dBm may contribute to high reverse noise and thus impact the overall performance of the Cat-M1 UEs which may, for example, transit at only <NUM> dBm.

Thus, the access node <NUM> may implement a system and/or method to dynamically determine access to the common resource blocks <NUM>. In one example as illustrated in <FIG>, the controller <NUM> includes a setting unit <NUM>, which may be configured to set a noise threshold for the access node <NUM>; a monitoring unit <NUM>, which may be configured to monitor a noise parameter and/or historical noise data (e.g., RNR) of the access node <NUM> corresponding to the common resource blocks <NUM>; a logic unit <NUM>, which may be configured to compare the noise parameter and/or historical noise data to the noise threshold; and a access control unit <NUM>, which may be configured to restrict access to the common resource blocks <NUM> for communication in a first communication mode (e.g., LTE) in response to a determination that the noise parameter and/or historical noise data exceeds the noise threshold. and/or permit access to the common resource blocks <NUM> for communication in both the first communication mode and a second communication mode (e.g., Cat-M1) in response to a determination that the noise parameter and/or historical noise data does not exceed the noise threshold. The setting unit <NUM>, the monitoring unit <NUM>, the logic unit <NUM>, and the access control unit <NUM> are illustrated as residing within the controller <NUM> for ease of explanation; however, one or more of the units may instead reside within the memory <NUM> and/or may be provided as separate units within the access node <NUM>. Moreover, while the setting unit <NUM>, the monitoring unit <NUM>, the logic unit <NUM>, and the access control unit <NUM> are illustrated as separate units, in practical implementations some or all of the units may be combined and/or share components.

The wireless communication circuitry <NUM> may respectively include circuit elements configured to generate wireless signals (e.g., one or more antennas) as well as interface elements configured, for example, to translate control signals from the controller <NUM> into data signals for wireless output. The access node <NUM> may include additional wireless communication circuitry elements, for example to communicate using RATs other than the first communication mode and the second communication mode. The access node <NUM> may be configured to transmit commands via the wireless communication circuitry <NUM>. For example, the access node <NUM> may be configured to transmit a network command to a wireless device (e.g., to the wireless devices <NUM> or <NUM>), thereby causing the wireless device to utilize particular resources.

Returning to <FIG>, the wireless devices <NUM> may respectively be any device, system, combination of devices, or other such communication platform capable of communicating wirelessly with access node <NUM> using one or more frequency bands deployed therefrom; for example, a Cat-M1 band. The wireless devices <NUM> may respectively be, for example and without limitation, a mobile phone, a wireless phone, a wireless modem, a personal digital assistant (PDA), a voice over internet protocol (VoIP) phone, a voice over packet (VoP) phone, a voice over new radio (VoNR) device, a soft phone, a sensor, a meter, a tracking device, or other types of devices or systems which can exchange audio or data via the access node <NUM>, including IoT devices.

The communication network <NUM> can be a wired and/or wireless communication network, and can comprise processing nodes, routers, gateways, and physical and/or wireless data links for carrying data among various network elements, including combinations thereof, and can include a local area network (LAN) or a wide area network (WAN), and an internetwork (including the Internet). The communication network <NUM> can be capable of carrying data, for example to support voice, push-to-talk (PTT), broadcast video, and/or data communications by the wireless devices <NUM>. Wireless network protocols can comprise Multimedia Broadcast Multicast Services (MBMS), CDMA, 1xRTT, GSM, UMTS, High Speed Packet Access (HSPA), Evolution-Data Optimized (EV-DO), EV-DO rev. A, 3GPP LTE, WiMAX, <NUM> including LTE Advanced and the like, and <NUM> including <NUM> NR or <NUM> LTE, or combinations thereof. Wired network protocols that may be utilized by the communication network <NUM> comprise Ethernet, Fast Ethernet, Gigabit Ethernet, Local Talk (e.g., Carrier Sense Multiple Access with Collision Avoidance), Token Ring, Fiber Distributed Data Interface (FDDI), and Asynchronous Transfer Mode (ATM). The communication network <NUM> may also comprise additional base stations, controller nodes, telephony switches, internet routers, network gateways, computer systems, communication links, other types of communication equipment, and combinations thereof.

The communication links <NUM> and <NUM> may respectively use various communication media, such as air, space, metal, optical fiber, other signal propagation paths, and combinations thereof. The communication links <NUM> and <NUM> may respectively be wired or wireless and use various communication protocols such as Internet, Internet protocol (IP), LAN, optical networking, hybrid fiber coax (HFC), telephony, T1, other communication formats, and combinations, improvements, or variations thereof. Wireless communication links may use electromagnetic waves in the radio frequency (RF), microwave, infrared (IR), or other wavelength ranges, and may use a suitable communication protocol, including but not limited to MBMS, CDMA, 1xRTT, GSM, UMTS, HSPA, EV-DO, EV-DO rev. A, 3GPP LTE, WiMAX, <NUM> including LTE Advanced and the like, and <NUM> including <NUM> NR or <NUM> LTE, or combinations thereof. The communication links <NUM> and <NUM> may respectively be a direct link or might include various equipment, intermediate components, systems, and networks. The communication links <NUM> and <NUM> may comprise many different signals sharing the same link.

The gateway node <NUM> may be any network node configured to interface with other network nodes using various protocols. The gateway node <NUM> can communicate user data over the system <NUM>. The gateway node <NUM> may be a standalone computing device, computing system, or network component, and can be accessible by, for example, a wired or wireless connection, or through an indirect connection such as via a computer network or communication network. The gateway node <NUM> may include but is not limited to a serving gateway (SGW) and/or a public data network gateway (PGW). Additionally or alternatively, the gateway node <NUM> may include user plane network functions (NFs), such as a User Plane Function (UPF). The gateway node <NUM> is not limited to any specific technology architecture, such as LTE or <NUM> NR, but may be used with any network architecture and/or protocol.

The gateway node <NUM> can comprise a processor and associated circuitry to execute or direct the execution of computer-readable instructions to obtain information. In so doing, the gateway node <NUM> can retrieve and execute software from storage, which can include a disk drive, a flash drive, memory circuitry, or some other memory device, and which may be local or remotely accessible. The software may comprise computer programs, firmware, or some other form of machine-readable instructions, and may include an operating system, utilities, drivers, network interfaces, applications, or some other type of software, including combinations thereof. Moreover, the gateway node <NUM> can receive instructions and other input at a user interface.

The controller node <NUM> may be any network node configured to communicate and/or control information over the system <NUM>. The controller node <NUM> may be configured to transmit control information associated with resource usage thresholds and/or usage parameters. The controller node <NUM> may be a standalone computing device, computing system, or network component, and can be accessible by, for example, a wired or wireless connection, or through an indirect connection such as via a computer network or communication network. The controller node <NUM> may include but is not limited to a mobility management entity (MME), a Home Subscriber Server (HSS), a Policy Control and Charging Rules Function (PCRF), an authentication, authorization, and accounting (AAA) node, a rights management server (RMS), a subscriber provisioning server (SPS), a policy server, and the like. Additionally or alternatively, the controller node <NUM> may comprise user plane NFs and/or control plane NFs, including but not limited to a Core Access and Mobility Management Function (AMF), an Authentication Server Function (AUSF), a Unified Data Management (UDM), a Session Management Function (SMF), a Policy Control Function (PCF), an Application Function (AF), a Network Exposure Function (NEF), a NF Repository Function (NRF), a Network Slice Selection Function (NSSF), a Short Message Service Function (SMSF), and the like. The controller node <NUM> is not limited to any specific technology architecture, such as LTE or <NUM> NR, but may be used with any network architecture and/or protocol.

The controller node <NUM> can comprise a processor and associated circuitry to execute or direct the execution of computer-readable instructions to obtain information. In so doing, the controller node <NUM> can retrieve and execute software from storage, which can include a disk drive, a flash drive, memory circuitry, or some other memory device, and which may be local or remotely accessible. As illustrated in <FIG>, the controller node <NUM> includes the database <NUM> for storing information, such as predetermined resource usage thresholds utilized for dynamically managing RATs of the wireless devices <NUM>, as well as positions and/or characteristics of the wireless devices <NUM>. The database <NUM> may further store handover thresholds, scheduling schemes, and resource allocations for the access node <NUM>, the wireless devices <NUM>, and so on. This information may be requested or shared with the access node <NUM> via the communication link <NUM>, X2 connections, and the like. The software may comprise computer programs, firmware, or some other form of machine-readable instructions, and may include an operating system, utilities, drivers, network interfaces, applications, or some other type of software, including combinations thereof. Moreover, the controller node <NUM> can receive instructions and other input at a user interface.

Other network elements may be present in system <NUM> to facilitate communication but are omitted for clarity, such as base stations, base station controllers, mobile switching centers, dispatch application processors, and location registers such as a home location register or visitor location register. Furthermore, other network elements that are omitted for clarity may be present to facilitate communication, such as additional processing nodes, routers, gateways, and physical and/or wireless data links for carrying data among the various network elements, e.g., between the access nodes <NUM> and communication network <NUM>.

Devices or systems in accordance with various aspects of the present disclosure may perform various operations to dynamically determine access to or allocation of common resource blocks. Exemplary methods including these operations are illustrated in <FIG>. The methods of <FIG> may be triggered by various events, and in some examples may be performed continually at predetermined intervals and/or in response to network noise characteristics. The methods of <FIG> may be performed by, for example, the scheduling entity described above. For purposes of explanation, the methods of <FIG> will be described as being performed in the access node <NUM> and as corresponding to the dedicated resource blocks <NUM> and the common resource blocks <NUM>; however, this is merely exemplary and not limiting.

<FIG> illustrates an exemplary method which may be performed in the event of an increase in noise. At operation <NUM>, the access node <NUM> sets a noise threshold (e.g., an RNR threshold). The noise threshold may refer to a noise value above which the network is deemed to be exhibiting poor performance. The noise threshold may be predetermined by a network operator, or may be determined in response to a network status. The noise threshold may be specific to a particular PRB or group of PRBs (e.g., all common resources), or may be a general value used for all PRBs.

At operation <NUM>, the access node <NUM> monitors a noise parameter corresponding to one or more of the common resource blocks <NUM>. The noise parameter may correspond to an instantaneous measurement of noise or may correspond to an average of the instantaneous noise over a period of time. The period of time may have a duration predetermined by the network operator. In some implementations, the noise measurement is an RNR. At operation <NUM>, the access node <NUM> compares the monitored noise parameter to the noise threshold. If the comparison results in a determination that the noise parameter exceeds the noise threshold, at operation <NUM> the access node <NUM> may restrict access to the one or more of the common resource blocks <NUM> for communication in a first communication mode (e.g., LTE). This restriction may have the effect of causing the one or more of the common resource blocks <NUM> to be available for communication in only a second communication mode (e.g., Cat-M1) and not the first communication mode, or may have the effect of causing the one or more of the common resource blocks <NUM> to be accessed differently (e.g., with a different transmit power).

In one example, operation <NUM> includes designating the one or more common resource blocks <NUM> for communication in only the second communication mode. Another example of operation <NUM> is illustrated in <FIG>. In the example of <FIG>, operation <NUM> includes an operation <NUM> of determining a communication mode of a wireless device or devices communicating using the one or more common resource blocks <NUM>. For example, the access node <NUM> may determine whether any of the wireless devices accessing the one or more common resource blocks <NUM> are of a type corresponding to the first communication mode (e.g., HPUEs). If a particular wireless device corresponds to the first communication mode, at operation <NUM> the access node <NUM> may limit the transmit power capability of the wireless device. In one particular example, the access node <NUM> may limit the transmit power capability of the HPUEs from an average power value of <NUM> dBm to <NUM> dBm or lower. The determination of the type of any particular wireless device may be based on the UE capability report of that wireless device.

Yet another example of operation <NUM> is illustrated in <FIG>. In the example of <FIG>, operation <NUM> includes an operation <NUM> of determining a communication mode of a wireless device or devices communicating using the one or more common resource blocks <NUM>. For example, the access node <NUM> may determine whether any of the wireless devices accessing the one or more common resource blocks <NUM> are of a type corresponding to the first communication mode (e.g., HPUEs). If a particular wireless device corresponds to the first communication mode, at operation <NUM> the access node <NUM> may determine a communication type of the wireless device; for example, whether the wireless device is performing a guaranteed bitrate (GBR) communication or a non-GBR communication. If the wireless device is performing a non-GBR communication, at operation <NUM> the access node <NUM> may deny the wireless device access to the one or more common resource blocks <NUM>. In this manner, the access node <NUM> may permit only GBR traffic via the common resource blocks <NUM>.

The operations of <FIG> may be usable together; for example, depending on the severity of the noise. In one example, the operations of <FIG> may be performed when the noise parameter exceeds a first threshold but the operations of <FIG> may be performed when the noise parameter exceeds a second, higher threshold. Moreover, the operations of <FIG> are not limited to situations where HPUEs are present on the network. In some examples, the operations of <FIG> and/or <NUM> may be performed where there are LTE UEs (other than HPUEs) which are transmitting at a higher transmit power on average compared to the Cat-M1 UEs.

The operations of <FIG> (including, where applicable, the operations of <FIG> and/or <NUM>) are not necessarily performed in a strict series from operation <NUM> to operation <NUM>. In some implementations, the access node <NUM> may perform operation <NUM> once for a given period of time, perform operations <NUM> and <NUM> repeatedly or continuously until the noise parameter exceeds the noise threshold, and then perform operation <NUM>. After the resources have been appropriately restricted or assigned, the access node <NUM> may return to operation <NUM> without resetting the noise threshold.

The present disclosure may also be implemented based on historical noise data in addition to or as an alternative to instantaneous or averaged instantaneous noise data. <FIG> illustrates an exemplary method which may be performed in the event of high historical noise. At operation <NUM>, the access node <NUM> sets a noise threshold (e.g., an RNR threshold). The noise threshold may refer to a noise value above which the network is deemed to be exhibiting poor performance. The noise threshold may be predetermined by a network operator, or may be determined in response to a network status. The noise threshold may be specific to a particular PRB or group of PRBs (e.g., all common resources), or may be a general value used for all PRBs.

At operation <NUM>, the access node <NUM> determines a historical noise data corresponding to one or more of the common resource blocks <NUM>. The historical noise data may be, for example, retrieved from the memory <NUM> or from a storage location external to the access node <NUM>. In some implementations, the historical noise data may be a historical RNR. At operation <NUM>, the access node <NUM> compares the monitored noise parameter to the noise threshold. If the comparison results in a determination that the noise parameter exceeds the noise threshold, at operation <NUM> the access node <NUM> may designate the one or more of the common resource blocks <NUM> (e.g., only those blocks which exhibit high historical noise) for communication only in a second communication mode (e.g., Cat-M1) and not a first communication mode (e.g., LTE). Thereby, the access node <NUM> may allow only Cat-M1 UEs to access common resource blocks <NUM> corresponding to historically noisy sectors.

The operations of <FIG> are not necessarily performed in a strict series from operation <NUM> to operation <NUM>. In some implementations, the access node <NUM> may perform operation <NUM> once for a given period of time and then perform operations <NUM> to <NUM>. After a predetermined period of time designated by a network operator (which may be equal to or shorter than the given period of time in which operation <NUM> is performed once) or in response to a network command, the access node <NUM> may perform operations <NUM> to <NUM> based on updated historical noise data.

The exemplary systems and methods described herein may be performed under the control of a processing system executing computer-readable codes embodied on a computer-readable recording medium or communication signals transmitted through a transitory medium. The computer-readable recording medium may be any data storage device that can store data readable by a processing system, and may include both volatile and nonvolatile media, removable and non-removable media, and media readable by a database, a computer, and various other network devices.

Examples of the computer-readable recording medium include, but are not limited to, read-only memory (ROM), random-access memory (RAM), erasable electrically programmable ROM (EEPROM), flash memory or other memory technology, holographic media or other optical disc storage, magnetic storage including magnetic tape and magnetic disk, and solid state storage devices. The computer-readable recording medium may also be distributed over network-coupled computer systems so that the computer-readable code is stored and executed in a distributed fashion. The communication signals transmitted through a transitory medium may include, for example, modulated signals transmitted through wired or wireless transmission paths.

The above description and associated figures teach the best mode of the invention, and are intended to be illustrative and not restrictive. Many embodiments and applications other than the examples provided would be apparent to those skilled in the art upon reading the above description. The scope should be determined, not with reference to the above description, but instead with reference to the appended claims.

It is anticipated and intended that future developments will occur in the technologies discussed herein, and that the disclosed systems and methods will be incorporated into future embodiments. In sum, it should be understood that the application is capable of modification and variation.

All terms used in the claims are intended to be given their broadest reasonable constructions and their ordinary meanings as understood by those knowledgeable in the technologies described herein unless an explicit indication to the contrary is made herein. In particular, the use of the singular articles such as "a," "the," "said," etc. should be read to recite one or more of the indicated elements unless a claim recites an explicit limitation to the contrary.

Claim 1:
A method of managing network resources, comprising:
setting a noise threshold for an access node (<NUM>), wherein the access node (<NUM>) includes a first plurality of resource blocks (<NUM>) corresponding to communication in a first communication mode and a second plurality of resource blocks (<NUM>) corresponding to communication in either of the first communication mode or a second communication mode;
monitoring an instantaneous noise for the second plurality of resource blocks (<NUM>) over a period of time having a predetermined duration,
setting an average of the instantaneous noise over the period of time as a noise parameter;
comparing the noise parameter to the noise threshold; and
in response to a determination that the noise parameter exceeds the noise threshold, restricting access to the second plurality of resource blocks (<NUM>) for communication in the first communication mode.