Method for scheduling radio resources

A method for allocating resource blocks of a transmission frame on a cellular network comprising a cluster of antennas and a master unit of the cluster, wherein each antenna of each cluster is configured to provide radio coverage over a corresponding cell to exchange data with corresponding user equipment in communication with the antenna, and wherein during the transmission frame the antennas of the cluster are configured to be selectively activated and muted according to a plurality of cluster muting conditions, the method comprising:

• at each antenna of a cluster:
• a) subdividing the transmission frame into a plurality of interference sub-bands each one corresponding to a cluster muting condition of the plurality and each one comprising a respective set of resource blocks of the transmission frame, and
• b) calculating a respective resource block allocation proposal providing for each cluster muting condition in which the antenna is active, a number of resource blocks requested by the antenna to be assigned to the interference sub-band corresponding to the cluster muting condition;
• at the master unit of the cluster:
• c) collecting the resource block allocation proposals of the antennas of the cluster;
• d) checking if the resource block allocation proposals are mutually compatible within the transmission frame;
• e) adjusting the resource block allocation proposals in a case the resource block allocation proposals are not mutually compatible within the transmission frame, the adjusting comprising reducing the number of resource blocks requested by each antenna to be assigned to the interference sub-bands until they become mutually compatible within the transmission frame;
• and
• f) partitioning the transmission frame by setting the number of resource blocks of each interference sub-band based on the resource block allocation proposals;
• at each antenna of the cluster:
• g) allocating to the user equipment corresponding resource blocks of the transmission frame based on the transmission frame partitioning carried out by the master unit.

A system for allocating resource blocks of a transmission frame on a cellular network, comprising:

• at least a cluster of antennas, wherein each antenna of each cluster is configured to provide radio coverage over a corresponding cell, to exchange data with corresponding user equipment in communication with the antenna, and wherein during the transmission frame the antennas of the cluster are configured to be selectively activated and muted according to a plurality of cluster muting conditions, wherein each antenna of the cluster is configured to:
• a) subdivide the transmission frame into a plurality of interference sub-bands each one corresponding to a cluster muting condition of the plurality and each one comprising a respective set of resource blocks of the transmission frame;
• and
• b) calculate a respective resource block allocation proposal providing for each cluster muting condition in which the antenna is active, a number of resource blocks requested by the antenna to be assigned to the interference sub-band corresponding to the cluster muting condition;
• a master unit of the cluster, configured to:
• c) collect the resource block allocation proposals of the antennas of the cluster;
• d) check if the resource block allocation proposals are mutually compatible within the transmission frame;
• e) adjust the resource block allocation proposals in a case the resource block allocation proposals are not mutually compatible within the transmission frame, the adjusting comprising reducing the number of resource blocks requested by each antenna to be assigned to the interference sub-bands until they become mutually compatible within the transmission frame;
• and
• f) partition the transmission frame by setting the number of resource blocks of each interference sub-band based on the resource block allocation proposals, wherein
• each antenna of the cluster is further configured to:
• g) allocate to the user equipment corresponding resource blocks of the transmission frame based on the transmission frame partitioning carried out by the master unit.