Channel access and transmission scheduling for industrial wireless communications

A method for channel access in an industrial wireless network, the method being performed by a packet transceiver in the industrial wireless network, the method comprising:

• obtaining, from a network controller of the industrial wireless network, information about time/frequency resource units allocated to the packet transceiver, wherein the time/frequency resource units are provided in a set of guaranteed timeslots, wherein the guaranteed timeslots are timewise divided into slots and frequency wise divided into channels, and where one slot-channel pair defines one time/frequency resource unit, at least two allocated time/frequency resource units sharing a slot, wherein information of the allocated time/frequency resource units for each packet transceiver is provided in a resource allocation scheme, wherein each allocated time/frequency resource unit is allocated to a single packet transceiver;
• mapping packets of its own traffic flows to its allocated time/frequency resource units in each set of guaranteed timeslots, wherein the packets are mapped according to priority-based scheduling of its own traffic flows and independently of any mapping of packets of other packet transceivers in the industrial wireless network;
• and
• after mapping packets of its own traffic flows to its allocated time/frequency resource units in each set of guaranteed timeslots, providing feedback, from the packet transceiver to the network controller about usage of the allocated time/frequency resource units, wherein the network controller dynamically updates the resource allocation scheme according to the feedback as obtained by the network controller from the packet transceiver.

A system for channel access in an industrial wireless network, the system comprising a network controller and packet transceivers, wherein:

• the network controller is configured to allocate, to packet transceivers in the industrial wireless network, time/frequency resource units in a set of guaranteed timeslots, wherein the guaranteed timeslots are timewise divided into slots and frequency wise divided into channels, where one slot-channel pair defines one time/frequency resource unit, at least two allocated time/frequency resource units sharing a slot, wherein information of the allocated time/frequency resource units for each packet transceiver is provided in a resource allocation scheme, wherein a frequency-hopping pattern for the allocated time/frequency resource units is applied between consecutive guaranteed timeslots, the consecutive guaranteed timeslots not being separated by a shared timeslot, wherein each allocated time/frequency resource unit is allocated to a single packet transceiver;
• the network controller is further configured to provide, to the packet transceivers, information about the time/frequency resource units allocated to the packet transceivers;
• the packet transceivers are configured to map packets of their own traffic flows to their allocated time/frequency resource units in each set of guaranteed timeslots, wherein the packets for each packet transceiver are mapped according to priority-based scheduling of its own traffic flows and independently of any mapping of packets of other packet transceivers in the industrial wireless network;
• the packet transceivers are further configured to after mapping packets of their own traffic flows to their allocated time/frequency resource units in each set of guaranteed timeslots, provide feedback, from the packet transceivers and to the network controller about usage of the allocated time/frequency resource units;
• and
• the network controller is further configured to dynamically update the resource allocation scheme according to the feedback as obtained by the network controller from the packet transceivers.

A packet transceiver for channel access in an industrial wireless network, the packet transceiver comprising processing circuitry, the processing circuitry being configured to cause the packet transceiver to:

• obtain, from a network controller of the industrial wireless network, information about time/frequency resource units allocated to the packet transceiver, wherein the time/frequency resource units are provided in a set of guaranteed timeslots, wherein the guaranteed timeslots are timewise divided into slots and frequency wise divided into channels, and where one slot- channel pair defines one time/frequency resource unit, at least two allocated time/frequency resource units sharing a slot, wherein information of the allocated time/frequency resource units for each packet transceiver is provided in a resource allocation scheme, wherein each allocated time/frequency resource unit is allocated to a single packet transceiver;
• map packets of its own traffic flows to its allocated time/frequency resource units in each set of guaranteed timeslots, wherein the packets are mapped according to priority-based scheduling of its own traffic flows and independently of any mapping of packets of other packet transceivers in the industrial wireless network;
• and
• after mapping packets of its own traffic flows to its allocated time/frequency resource units in each set of guaranteed timeslots, provide feedback, from the packet transceiver to the network controller about usage of the allocated time/frequency resource units, wherein the network controller dynamically updates the resource allocation scheme according to the feedback as obtained by the network controller from the packet transceiver.

Non-transitory computer readable medium storing a computer program for channel access in an industrial wireless network, the computer program comprising computer code which, when run on a network controller and a packet transceiver in the industrial wireless network causes the network controller and the packet transceiver to:

• allocate, by the network controller and to packet transceivers in the industrial wireless network, time/frequency resource units in a set of guaranteed timeslots, wherein the guaranteed timeslots are timewise divided into slots and frequency wise divided into channels, where one slot-channel pair defines one time/frequency resource unit, at least two allocated time/frequency resource units sharing a slot, wherein information of the allocated time/frequency resource units for each packet transceiver is provided in a resource allocation scheme, wherein a frequency-hopping pattern for the allocated time/frequency resource units is applied between consecutive guaranteed timeslots, the consecutive guaranteed timeslots not being separated by a shared timeslot;
• provide, by the network controller and to the packet transceivers, information about the time/frequency resource units allocated to the packet transceivers;
• map, by the packet transceivers, packets of their own traffic flows to its allocated time/frequency resource units in each set of guaranteed timeslots, wherein the packets for each packet transceiver are mapped according to priority-based scheduling of its own traffic flows and independently of any mapping of packets of other packet transceivers in the industrial wireless network;
• after mapping, by the packet transceivers, packets of their own traffic flows to their allocated time/frequency resource units in each set of guaranteed timeslots, provide feedback, from the packet transceivers and to the network controller about usage of the allocated time/frequency resource units;
• and
• dynamically update, by the network controller, the resource allocation scheme according to the feedback as obtained by the network controller from the packet transceivers.

Non-transitory computer readable medium storing a computer program for channel access in an industrial wireless network, the computer program comprising computer code which, when run on processing circuitry of a packet transceiver in the industrial wireless network, causes the packet transceiver to:

• obtain, from a network controller of the industrial wireless network, information about time/frequency resource units allocated to the packet transceiver, wherein the time/frequency resource units are provided in a set of guaranteed timeslots, wherein the guaranteed timeslots are timewise divided into slots and frequency wise divided into channels, and where one slot- channel pair defines one time/frequency resource unit, at least two allocated time/frequency resource units sharing a slot, wherein information of the allocated time/frequency resource units for each packet transceiver is provided in a resource allocation scheme;
• map packets of its own traffic flows to its allocated time/frequency resource units in each set of guaranteed timeslots, wherein the packets are mapped according to priority-based scheduling of its own traffic flows and independently of any mapping of packets of other packet transceivers in the industrial wireless network;
• and
• after mapping packets of its own traffic flows to its allocated time/frequency resource units in each set of guaranteed timeslots, provide feedback, from the packet transceiver to the network controller about usage of the allocated time/frequency resource units, wherein the network controller dynamically updates the resource allocation scheme according to the feedback as obtained by the network controller from the packet transceiver,
• wherein a frequency-hopping pattern for the allocated time/frequency resource units is applied between consecutive guaranteed timeslots, the consecutive guaranteed timeslots not being separated by a shared timeslot,
• wherein each allocated time/frequency resource unit is allocated to a single packet transceiver.