Joint user equipment scheduling and cluster formation for distributed antenna systems

A central base station in a distributed antenna system which includes a plurality of users and a plurality of remote radio heads, the remote radio heads to be divided into clusters each including multiple remote radio heads, the central base station comprising:

• a processor;
• a memory;
• a user ordering module configured to order the users in decreasing values of proportional fair scheduling metrics to provide a set of ordered users;
• and
• a user scheduling and cluster formation module configured to schedule the plurality of users according to the order of the users in decreasing values of proportional fair scheduling metrics;
• and for each user being scheduled according to the order of the plurality of users, pick up first N number of remote radio heads, in decreasing order of signal strength to the user being scheduled, which have not been picked up previously to form another cluster for another user, to form a cluster of size N for the user being scheduled, wherein the scheduling of the plurality of users and picking up of remote radio heads for each user being scheduled are performed over a period of time having a plurality of time instants, according to the order of the plurality of users at the plurality of time instants, wherein each cluster of remote radio heads has only one corresponding user.

A method for user scheduling and cluster formation in a distributed antenna system which includes a central base station, a plurality of users, and a plurality of remote radio heads, the remote radio heads to be divided into clusters each including multiple remote radio heads, the method comprising:

• ordering the users in decreasing values of proportional fair scheduling metrics to provide a set of ordered users;
• and
• scheduling the plurality of users according to the order of users in decreasing values of proportional fair scheduling metrics;
• and
• for each user being scheduled according to the order of the plurality of users,
• picking up first N number of remote radio heads, in decreasing order of signal strength to the user being scheduled, which have not been picked up previously to form another cluster for another user, to form a cluster of size N for the user being scheduled;
• wherein the scheduling of the plurality of users and picking up of remote radio heads for each user being scheduled are performed over a period of time having a plurality of time instants, according to the order of the plurality of users at the plurality of time instants;
• and
• wherein each cluster of remote radio heads has only one corresponding user.