Apparatus and method for scheduling beam scheduling in wireless communications network

1. A method for operating a base station in a wireless communications network, the method comprising:

determining a set of beams for communicating with a plurality of mobile terminals;

determining a set of beam sequences, each beam sequence comprising a unique order of beams within the set of beams;

transmitting probe signals to the mobile terminals according to each beam sequence within the set of beam sequences;

receiving indications of link quality from the mobile terminals in response to the probe signals;

selecting a beam sequence within the set of beam sequences based upon the received indications of link quality; and

communicating with the mobile terminals in accordance with the selected beam sequence,

wherein the beam sequence is selected according to a probability assigned to each beam sequence in the set of beam sequences, and the probability assigned to each beam sequence in the set of beam sequences is assigned based on a probability assigned to a preceding sequence in the set of beam sequences and a utility function in respect to the preceding sequence computed based on the received indications of link quality.

2. The method of claim 1 , wherein the determining of the set of beams comprises determining a beam direction for each of the plurality of mobile terminals.

3. The method of claim 2 , wherein the plurality of mobile terminals comprises mobile terminals located within a predetermined distance inside of an edge of a cell within which the base station can communicate with mobile terminals.

4. The method of claim 3 , wherein the set of beam sequences comprises:

unique beam sequences within the set of beams; or

a subset of unique beam sequences.

5. The method of claim 1 , wherein the selecting of the beam sequence comprises:

determining a cumulative probability in respect to each sequence in the set of beam sequences;

randomly selecting a number between a minimum probability and a maximum probability; and

selecting the beam sequence for which the randomly selected number exceeds the cumulative probability in respect to the preceding beam sequence in the set of beam sequences but wherein the randomly selected number is less than the cumulative probability in respect to that beam sequence.

6. The method of claim 1 , wherein the probe signals are transmitted if a predetermined event occurs,

wherein the predetermined event comprises:

an expiration of a timer; or

a detected change in the link quality greater than a threshold when communicating with mobile stations.

7. The method of claim 1 , further comprising:

receiving further indications of link quality when communicating with the mobile terminals in accordance with the selected beam sequence; and

detecting a change in link quality based upon the received further indications of link quality.

8. The method of claim 7 , further comprising wherein the set of beams are determined in response to detecting a change to a composition of the plurality of mobile terminals.

9. A non-transitory computer readable storage medium having stored thereon computer executable instructions which when executed by a computer cause the computer to perform the method of claim 1 .

10. A method for operating a mobile terminal in a wireless communications network, the method comprising:

receiving probe signals from a base station according to each beam sequence within a set of beam sequences, applied by the base station, the each beam sequence comprising a unique order of beams within a set of beams;

transmitting an indication of link quality to the base station in respect to a received probe signal; and

communicating with the base station in accordance with a beam sequence established by the base station based on the transmitted indication of link quality,

wherein the beam sequence established by the base station is selected within the set of the beam sequences,

wherein the beam sequence is selected according to a probability assigned to each beam sequence in the set of beam sequences, and the probability assigned to each beam sequence in the set of beam sequences is assigned based on a probability assigned to a preceding sequence in the set of beam sequences and a utility function in respect to the preceding sequence computed based on the received indications of link quality.

11. The method of claim 10 , wherein the communicating with the base station further comprises transmitting a further indication of link quality to the base station upon receipt of data transmitted to the mobile terminal.

12. The method of claim 10 , wherein communication between the base station and the mobile terminal is based on directional beams within an unlicensed frequency band.

13. The method of claim 12 , wherein the unlicensed frequency band comprises a 60 GHz band.

14. A non-transitory computer readable storage medium having stored thereon computer executable instructions which when executed by a computer cause the computer to perform the method of claim 10 .

15. A base station in a wireless communications network, comprising:

a controller, configured to:

determine a set of beams for communicating with a plurality of mobile terminals, and

determine a set of beam sequences, each beam sequence comprising a unique order of beams within the set of beams;

a transmitter, configured to transmit probe signals to the mobile terminals according to each beam sequence within the set of beam sequences; and

a receiver, configured to receive indications of link quality from the mobile terminals in response to the probe signals,

wherein the controller is further configured to select a beam sequence within the set of beam sequences based upon the received indications of link quality, and

wherein the transmitter is further configured to communicate with the mobile terminals in accordance with the selected beam sequence,

wherein the beam sequence is selected according to a probability assigned to each beam sequence in the set of beam sequences, and the probability assigned to each beam sequence in the set of beam sequences is assigned based on a probability assigned to a preceding sequence in the set of beam sequences and a utility function in respect to the preceding sequence computed based on the received indications of link quality.

16. The base station of claim 15 , wherein communication between the base station and the mobile terminals is based on directional beams within an unlicensed frequency band.

17. A mobile terminal in a wireless communications network, comprising:

a receiver, configured to receive probe signals from a base station according to each beam sequence within a set of beam sequences, applied by the base station, the each beam sequence comprising a unique order of beams within a set of beams;

a transmitter, configured to transmit an indication of link quality to the base station in respect to a received probe signal; and

a controller, configured to communicate with the base station in accordance with a beam sequence established by the base station based on the transmitted indication of link quality,

wherein the beam sequence established by the base station is selected within the set of the beam sequences,

wherein the beam sequence is selected according to a probability assigned to each beam sequence in the set of beam sequences, and the probability assigned to each beam sequence in the set of beam sequences is assigned based on a probability assigned to a preceding sequence in the set of beam sequences and a utility function in respect to the preceding sequence computed based on the received indications of link quality.