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Method for defining and applying a frequency plan

  • US 10,277,234 B2
  • Filed: 05/23/2017
  • Issued: 04/30/2019
  • Est. Priority Date: 06/15/2016
  • Status: Active Grant
First Claim
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1. A method, performed by a server, for defining and applying a frequency plan in a communication system of the LPWAN type comprising the server and a plurality of gateways connected to said server, the plurality of gateways using frequency bands for making wireless communications with terminals in the communication system, wherein the method comprises:

  • obtaining a description of a mobility hierarchy in which mobility types are hierarchically defined;

    obtaining a description of a mobility tree in which mobility areas are hierarchically defined, each mobility area having a mobility type in conformity with the mobility hierarchy;

    obtaining terrain measurements associated with each mobility area defined in the mobility tree;

    determining, from the terrain measurements, for each mobility area, information on a percentage of time during which the terrain measurements show a received signal level RSSI lower than a received signal level RSSI threshold from a predefined set of received signal level RSSI thresholds;

    in that the server runs through the mobility tree by iterating the following steps;

    selecting the mobility area with the highest hierarchical degree not yet processed;

    determining, for the mobility area selected, a mean probability Pm for each frequency band, from said time-percentage information determined for each mobility area that is a leaf of the tree and is hierarchically attached to the mobility area selected;

    allocating, for the mobility area selected, up to a quantity P of frequency bands having mean probabilities with the highest values among the mean probabilities Pm for the frequency bands;

    in that the server performs the following steps for configuring the gateways vis-à

    -vis the frequency plan;

    obtaining descriptions of mobility ranges in which groupings of mobility areas are made and in which, for each grouping, a list of gateways is associated with each grouping in order to indicate which gateways are intended to support said grouping;

    configuring each gateway according to said descriptions of ranges and frequency bands allocated to the mobility areas constituting said groupings;

    in that, on reception from a terminal of a request for connection to the communication system, the server obtains a description of the terminal from a terminal identifier included in said request, the description including a list of mobility types to which said terminal has a right of access, and the server iterates the following steps for all the mobility types to which said terminal has a right of access;

    identifying the mobility type with the highest hierarchical degree;

    identifying which mobility areas correspond to said mobility type with the highest hierarchical degree identified;

    selecting a mobility area from the mobility areas identified;

    allocating to said terminal at least one frequency band allocated to the mobility area selected;

    and wherein the server configures said terminal according to the frequency bands thus allocated to said terminal.

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