# US 9,521,631 B2 · Radio network node and method therein > Agents: this data is available as JSON from the patentgrep API and MCP server — see https://patentgrep.com/llms.txt - Number: US 9,521,631 B2 - Document ID: US9521631B2 - Status: Granted - Kind: B2 - Application number: 14/369,313 - Filed: 2012-01-20 - Published: 2015-01-01 - Granted: 2016-12-13 - Earliest claimed: 2012-01-20 - Assignees: Telefonaktiebolaget LM Ericsson (publ) - Applicants: Fredrik Athley; Mikael Coldrey; Sven Petersson - Inventors: Fredrik Athley; Mikael Coldrey; Sven Petersson - Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US9521631B2 ## CPC - H04W 52/346: {distributing total power among users or channels} - H04B 7/0426: Power distribution - H04B 7/0452: Multi-user MIMO systems - H04B 7/0465: {taking power constraints at power amplifier or emission constraints, e.g. constant modulus, into account} - H04B 7/0617: {for beam forming} - H04B 7/068: {using space frequency diversity (space-frequency coding H04L1/0606)} - H04L 5/0023: {Time-frequency-space} - H04L 5/0037: {Inter-user or inter-terminal allocation} - H04W 72/0446: Resources in time domain, e.g. slots or frames - H04W 72/0453: Resources in frequency domain, e.g. a carrier in FDMA - H04W 72/0473: {the resource being transmission power} - H04W: WIRELESS COMMUNICATION NETWORKS (broadcast communication H04H; communication systems using wireless links for non-selective communication, e.g. wireless extensions H04M1/72) - H04B: TRANSMISSION - H04L: TRANSMISSION OF DIGITAL INFORMATION, e.g. TELEGRAPHIC COMMUNICATION (arrangements common to telegraphic and telephonic communication H04M) ## Abstract Embodiments herein relate to a radio network node for scheduling a radio resource within a radio communications network. The radio network node comprises at least two antenna ports over which communication is performed using a respective power amplifier over each antenna port out of the at least two antenna ports. The radio network node determines a utilization factor of power of each power amplifier when a first user equipment is assigned to the radio resource. The radio network node further determines a utilization factor of power of each power amplifier when a second user equipment is assigned to the radio resource. The radio network node then schedules the first user equipment or the second user equipment to the radio resource based on the determined utilization factors. ## Claims ### Claim 1 A method in a radio network node for scheduling a radio resource within a radio communications network, wherein the radio network node comprises at least two antenna ports over which communication is performed using a respective power amplifier over each antenna port out of the at least two antenna ports, the method comprising: determining a utilization factor of power of each power amplifier when a first user equipment is assigned to the radio resource, and a utilization factor of power of each power amplifier when a second user equipment is assigned to the radio resource; and scheduling the first user equipment to the radio resource based on the determined utilization factors. ### Claim 2 (depends on 1) A method according to claim 1, wherein the determining comprises to determine each utilization factor of power based on a beamforming weight for each of the at least two antenna ports. ### Claim 3 (depends on 2) A method according to claim 2, wherein the radio resource is comprised in one frequency sub-band out of at least two frequency sub-bands within a bandwidth of the radio communications network, and wherein the determining further comprises to determine, for the first user equipment and the second user equipment, beamforming weights for each of the at least two antenna ports over each of the at least two frequency sub-bands; and wherein the scheduling comprises to schedule the first user equipment or the second user equipment to one frequency sub-band out of the at least two frequency sub-bands based on the determined beamforming weights for the first user equipment and the determined beamforming weights for the second user equipment. ### Claim 4 (depends on 3) A method according to claim 3, wherein the determining is based on a combination of the beamforming weights squared of each user equipment assigned to the respective frequency sub-band out of the at least two frequency sub-bands, which combination indicates the utilization factor of power of each power amplifier in the radio network node. ### Claim 5 (depends on 4) A method according to claim 4, wherein the combination is normalized based on a maximum transmission value and the utilization factor of power of each power amplifier is based on the normalized combination. ### Claim 6 (depends on 3) A method according to claim 3, further comprising: comparing, respectively, the utilization factor of power of each power amplifier when the first user equipment is assigned to a first frequency sub-band out of the at least two frequency sub-bands, with another utilization factor of power of each power amplifier when the first user equipment is assigned to a second frequency sub-band out of the at least two frequency sub-bands, and wherein the scheduling one of the at least two frequency sub-bands to user equipments is based on the compared utilization factors. ### Claim 7 (depends on 2) A method according to claim 2, wherein the radio resource is comprised in a time slot of a frequency band or a frequency sub-band, and wherein the determining further comprises to determine, for the first user equipment and for the second user equipment, beamforming weights for each of the at least two antenna ports over the time slot; and wherein the scheduling comprises to schedule the first user equipment or the second user equipment to the time slot based on comparing the determined beamforming weights squared for the first user equipment of respective power amplifier, with the determined beamforming weights squared for the second user equipment of respective power amplifier. ### Claim 8 (depends on 7) A method according to claim 7, wherein the scheduling comprises to schedule the first user equipment to the time slot when the determined beamforming weights for the first user equipment indicate a more even utilization factor of power of the power amplifiers than for the determined beamforming weights for the second user equipment. ### Claim 9 (depends on 1) A method according to claim 1, wherein the scheduling is based on a scheduling scheme taking throughput into account. ### Claim 10 (depends on 1) A method according to claim 1, wherein the determining comprises to sum beamforming weights, squared over radio resources in the form of resource blocks for a plurality of user equipments in a cell served by the radio network node, where the beamforming weights are normalized by a total power value into a normalized value. ### Claim 11 (depends on 1) A method according to claim 1, wherein the radio resource is comprised in a frequency sub-band out of at least two frequency sub-bands within a bandwidth of the radio communications network, and wherein the scheduling is based on comparing combinations of beamforming weights, squared, of the user equipments assigned to different frequency sub-bands out of the at least two frequency sub-bands. ### Claim 12 (depends on 1) A method according to claim 1, wherein the radio resource is comprised in a time slot of a frequency band or a frequency sub-band and the scheduling takes a sum of all power of beamforming weights over each antenna port into account when scheduling the time slot to one of the user equipments. ### Claim 13 (depends on 1) A method according to claim 1, wherein the scheduling is based on a round robin scheduling and an order of the round robin scheduling is based on the determined utilization factors. ### Claim 14 (depends on 1) A method according to claim 1, wherein the scheduling comprises to take respective utilization factor of each power amplifier into account when scheduling. ### Claim 15 (depends on 1) A method according to claim 1, wherein the scheduling comprises to schedule a plurality of user equipments to a same radio resource. ### Claim 16 A radio network node for scheduling a radio resource within a radio communications network, wherein the radio network node comprises: at least two antenna ports over which communication is to be performed using a respective power amplifier over each antenna port out of the at least two antenna ports; a determining circuit configured to determine a utilization factor of power of each power amplifier when a first user equipment is assigned to the radio resource, and to determine a utilization factor of power of each power amplifier when a second user equipment is assigned to the radio resource; and a scheduler configured to schedule the first user equipment or the second user equipment to the radio resource based on the determined utilization factors. ### Claim 17 (depends on 16) A radio network node according to claim 16, wherein the determining circuit is configured to determine each utilization factor of power based on a beamforming weight for each of the at least two antenna ports. ### Claim 18 (depends on 17) A radio network node according to claim 17, wherein the radio resource is comprised in one frequency sub-band out of at least two frequency sub-bands within a bandwidth of the radio communications network, and wherein the determining circuit is configured determine, for the first user equipment and the second user equipment, beamforming weights for each of the at least two antenna ports over each of the at least two frequency sub-bands; and wherein the scheduler is configured to schedule the first user equipment or the second user equipment to one frequency sub-band out of the at least two frequency sub-bands based on the determined beamforming weights for the first user equipment and the determined beamforming weights for the second user equipment. ### Claim 19 (depends on 18) A radio network node according to claim 18, wherein the determining circuit is configured to determine each utilization factor based on a combination of the beamforming weights squared of each user equipment assigned to the respective frequency sub-band out of the at least two frequency sub-bands, which combination indicates the utilization factor of power of each power amplifier in the radio network node. ### Claim 20 (depends on 19) A radio network node according to claim 19, wherein the determining circuit is configured to normalize the combination based on a maximum transmission value and the utilization factor of power of each power amplifier is based on the normalized combination. ### Claim 21 (depends on 18) A radio network node according to claim 18, further comprising: a comparing circuit configured to compare, respectively, the utilization factor of power of each power amplifier when the first user equipment is assigned to a first frequency sub-band out of the at least two frequency sub-bands, with another utilization factor of power of each power amplifier when the first user equipment is assigned to a second frequency sub-band out of the at least two frequency sub-bands, and the scheduler is configured to schedule one of the at least two frequency sub-bands to user equipments based on the compared utilization factors. ### Claim 22 (depends on 17) A radio network node according to claim 17, wherein the radio resource is comprised in a time slot of a frequency band or a frequency sub-band, and wherein the determining circuit is configured to determine, for the first user equipment and for the second user equipment, beamforming weights for each of the at least two antenna ports over the time slot; and wherein the scheduler is configured to schedule the first user equipment or the second user equipment to the time slot based on comparing the determined beamforming weights squared for the first user equipment of respective power amplifier, with the determined beamforming weights squared for the second user equipment of respective power amplifier. ### Claim 23 (depends on 22) A radio network node according to claim 22, wherein the scheduler is configured to schedule the first user equipment to the time slot when the determined beamforming weights for the first user equipment indicate a more even utilization factor of power of the power amplifiers than for the determined beamforming weights for the second user equipment. ### Claim 24 (depends on 16) A radio network node according to claim 16, wherein the scheduler is configured to schedule the radio resource based on a scheduling scheme taking throughput into account. ### Claim 25 (depends on 16) A radio network node according to claim 16, wherein the determining circuit is configured to sum beamforming weights, squared, over radio resources in the form of resource blocks for a plurality of user equipments in a cell served by the radio network node, where the determining circuit is further configured to normalize, by a total power value, the beamforming weights into a normalized value. ### Claim 26 (depends on 16) A radio network node according to claim 16, wherein the radio resource is comprised in a frequency sub-band out of at least two frequency sub-bands within a bandwidth of the radio communications network, and wherein the scheduler is configured to schedule the radio resource based on comparing combinations of beamforming weights squared of the user equipments assigned to different frequency sub-bands out of the at least two frequency sub-bands. ### Claim 27 (depends on 16) A radio network node according to claim 16, wherein the radio resource is comprised in a time slot of a frequency band or a frequency sub-band and the scheduler is configured to take a sum of all beamforming weights squared over each antenna port into account when scheduling the time slot to one of the user equipments. ### Claim 28 (depends on 16) A radio network node according to claim 16, wherein the scheduler is configured to schedule the radio resource based on a round robin scheduling and an order of the round robin scheduling is based on the determined utilization factors. ### Claim 29 (depends on 16) A radio network node according to claim 16, wherein the scheduler is configured to take respective utilization factor of each power amplifier into account when scheduling. ### Claim 30 (depends on 16) A radio network node according to claim 16, wherein the scheduler is configured to schedule a plurality of user equipments to a same radio resource, e.g. in MU-MIMO or SDMA.