Adaptive Cross-Radio Access Technology (RAT) Channel Assignment

Abstract

Systems and methods for channel assignment configuration in a multiple access point (AP) environment are provided. The multiple APs can be homogeneous or heterogeneous and can implement one or more radio access technologies (RATs), including Massive Multiple Input Multiple Output (M-MIMO) RATs. A channel assignment configuration for a user equipment (UE) can identify one or more communication channels to be established to serve the UE by one or more of the APs.

1 . A central access controller communicatively coupled to a plurality of Access Points (APs), comprising:
 a memory configured to store AP information associated with the plurality of APs and User Equipment (UE) information associated with one or more UEs in a vicinity of the plurality of APs; and   a processor configured to:
 generate a first channel assignment configuration for a first UE of the one or more UEs based at least in part on the AP information and the UE information, wherein the first channel assignment configuration identifies a first communication channel to be established between at least a first AP of the plurality of APs and the first UE; and 
 send the first channel assignment configuration to at least the first AP, 
 adjust the channel assignment configuration when changes in the AP information and/or the UE information are detected. 
   
     
     
         2 . The central access controller of claim I, wherein the AP information includes information regarding capabilities of the first AP, including information regarding a maximum transmit power of the first AP, supported radio access technologies (RATs) at the first AP, an antenna configuration of the first AP, Massive Multiple Input Multiple Output (M-MIMO) communication availability at the first AP, capacity of a backhaul link of the first AP, or latency of the backhaul link of the first AP. 
     
     
         3 . The central access controller of  claim 1 , wherein the UE information includes information regarding the first UE, including information regarding supported radio access technologies (RATs) at the first UE, an antenna configuration of the first UE, Massive Multiple Input Multiple Output (M-MIMO) communication availability at the first UE, data traffic characteristics of the first UE, a current serving AP of the first UE, a current receive power at the first UE due to the current serving AP, a current estimate of a downlink channel from the current serving AP to the first UE, a location of the first UE, or a battery level of the first UE. 
     
     
         4 . The central access controller of  claim 1 , wherein the first channel assignment configuration identifies parameters of the first communication channel, including:
 a first radio access technology (RAT) of the first communication channel;   downlink/uplink time and frequency resources associated with the first communication channel;   downlink/uplink modulation and coding scheme (MCS) associated with the first communication channel; or   Massive Multiple Input Multiple Output (M-MIMO) parameters for M-MIMO communication over the first communication channel.   
     
     
         5 . The central access controller of  claim 4 , wherein the M-MIMO parameters include a number of transmit/receive antennas for use in the M-MIMO communication over the first communication channel, a selection between Single User MIMO (SU-MIMO) and Multi-User (MU-MIMO), or a transmit precoder for use in the M-MIMO communication over the first communication channel. 
     
     
         6 . The central access controller of  claim 1 , wherein the first channel assignment configuration further identifies a second communication channel to be established between a second AP of the plurality of APs and the first UE. 
     
     
         7 . The central access controller of  claim 6 , wherein the first communication channel corresponds to a. data channel and the second communication channel corresponds to a control channel. 
     
     
         8 . The central access controller of  claim 6 , wherein the first AP corresponds to a small cell AP and the second AP corresponds to a large cell AP. 
     
     
         9 . The central access controller of  claim 6 , wherein the first communication channel corresponds to a primary data channel and the second communication channel corresponds to a secondary data channel. 
     
     
         10 . The central access controller of  claim 6 , wherein a first radio access technology (RAT) of the first communication channel is different than a second RAT of the second communication channel. 
     
     
         11 . The central access controller of  claim 10 , wherein the first RAT is Long Term Evolution (LTE) and the second RAT is Wireless Local Area Network (WLAN). 
     
     
         12 . The central access controller of  claim 10 , wherein the first RAT is a Multiple Input Multiple Output (M-MIMO) RAT and the second RAT is a non-M-MIMO RAT. 
     
     
         13 - 20 . (canceled) 
     
     
         21 . The central access controller of  claim 1 , wherein:
 the first channel assignment configuration identifies parameters of the first communication channel including Massive Multiple Input Multiple Output (M-MIMO) parameters for M-MIMO communication over the first communication channel, and   the processor is further configured to adjust the M-MIMO parameters of the M-MIMO communication over the first communication channel when the changes in the AP information and/or the UE information are detected.   
     
     
         22 . The central access controller of  claim 21 , wherein the processor is further configured to adjust the M-MIMO parameters of the M-MIMO communication to increase or decrease a number of transmit antennas of the first AP or decrease or increase a number of receive antennas used by the first UE for the M-MIMO communication. 
     
     
         23 . The central access controller of  claim 21 , wherein the processor is further configured to adjust the M-MIMO parameters of the M-MIMO communication to increase or decrease a number of data streams carried by the M-MIMO communication. 
     
     
         24 . The central access controller of  claim 1 , wherein the processor is further configured to:
 receive the AP information or the UE information directly from one of the plurality of APs;   retrieve the AP information or the UE information from one or more network entities coupled to the at least one of the plurality of APs; or   collect the AP information or the UE information from eavesdropping on a communication between the at least one of the plurality of APs and the UE.   
     
     
         25 . A central access controller communicatively coupled to a plurality of Access Points (APs), comprising:
 a memory configured to store AP information associated with the plurality of APs and User Equipment (UE) information associated with one or more UEs in a coverage area of the plurality of APs; and   a processor configured to execute logical instructions stored in the memory, wherein the processor executes the instructions to:
 generate a channel assignment configuration for the one or more UEs based at least in part on the AP information and the UE information, wherein the channel assignment configuration identifies each of the communication channels to be established between a UE of the one or more UEs and at least one of the plurality of APs, identifies each of the communication channels as a data channel or a control channel, and specifies the radio access technology (RAT) and parameters related to each of the communication channels; and 
 send the channel assignment configuration to the at least one of the plurality of APs. 
   
     
     
         26 . The central access controller of  claim 25 , wherein the logic instructions rely on heuristics to generate the channel assignment configuration. 
     
     
         27 . An Access Point (AP) communicatively coupled to a central access controller, comprising:
 a first transmit/receive chain for enabling a first radio access technology (RAT); and   a second transmit/receive chain for enabling a second RAT,   wherein the first or second transmit/receive chains receives a channel assignment configuration from the central access controller which identifies a first communication channel to be established using the first RAT between the AP and a User Equipment (UE) and a second communication channel to be established using the second RAT between the AP and the UE.   
     
     
         28 . The AP of  claim 27 , wherein the first RAT is a multi-carrier based RAT and the second RAT is a single carrier RAT.