Channel selection in an unlicensed frequency band
First Claim
1. A method of selecting frequency channels for a wireless network operating in an unlicensed band and comprising a network node and a wireless communication device, the network node configured to send downlink signals to the wireless communication device and to receive uplink signals from the wireless communication device, the method implemented by the network node and comprising:
- receiving a signal for each of two or more frequency channels;
estimating a load of each of the two or more frequency channels responsive to the received signals;
for each of the two or more frequency channels;
correlating the corresponding received signal with one or more delayed versions of the corresponding received signal to generate one or more autocorrelation results, wherein each delayed version of the corresponding received signal is associated with a different delay;
identifying one or more types of wireless communication devices associated with the corresponding received signal using at least one of the one or more autocorrelation results;
selecting one of the two or more frequency channels for the unlicensed band responsive to the estimated loads and the identified types of wireless communication devices; and
scheduling communications in the unlicensed band with the wireless communication device on the selected frequency channel.
1 Assignment
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Accused Products
Abstract
A process for selecting frequency channel(s) used by a network node (20) operating in an unlicensed band is disclosed. To that end, a network node (20) analyzes a signal received for each of multiple frequency channels using autocorrelation techniques, and thus without first demodulating the signals, to determine what types of wireless communication devices (32) are contributing to the load of each frequency channel. The network node (20) then selects one of the frequency channels for scheduling communications in the unlicensed band with a wireless communication device (30), where the selection is responsive not only to the estimated load, but also to the identified types of other wireless communication devices (32).
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Citations
15 Claims
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1. A method of selecting frequency channels for a wireless network operating in an unlicensed band and comprising a network node and a wireless communication device, the network node configured to send downlink signals to the wireless communication device and to receive uplink signals from the wireless communication device, the method implemented by the network node and comprising:
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receiving a signal for each of two or more frequency channels; estimating a load of each of the two or more frequency channels responsive to the received signals; for each of the two or more frequency channels; correlating the corresponding received signal with one or more delayed versions of the corresponding received signal to generate one or more autocorrelation results, wherein each delayed version of the corresponding received signal is associated with a different delay; identifying one or more types of wireless communication devices associated with the corresponding received signal using at least one of the one or more autocorrelation results; selecting one of the two or more frequency channels for the unlicensed band responsive to the estimated loads and the identified types of wireless communication devices; and scheduling communications in the unlicensed band with the wireless communication device on the selected frequency channel. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12)
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13. A network node in a wireless network operating in an unlicensed band, the wireless network comprising the network node and a wireless communication device, the network node configured to send downlink signals to the wireless communication device and to receive uplink signals from the wireless communication device, the network node comprising:
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a transceiver circuit configured to receive a signal for each of two or more frequency channels; a load circuit configured to estimate a load of each of the two or more frequency channels responsive to the received signals; an identification circuit comprising; a correlation circuit configured to, for each of the two or more frequency channels, correlate the corresponding received signal with one or more delayed versions of the corresponding received signal to generate one or more autocorrelation results, wherein each delayed version of the corresponding received signal is associated with a different delay; wherein the identification circuit is configured to identify, for each of the two or more frequency channels, one or more types of wireless communication devices associated with the corresponding received signal using at least one of the one or more autocorrelation results; a selection circuit configured to select one of the two or more frequency channels for the unlicensed band responsive to the estimated loads and the identified types of wireless communication devices; and a scheduling circuit configured to schedule communications in the unlicensed band with the wireless communication device on the selected frequency channel. - View Dependent Claims (14)
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15. A non-transitory computer readable medium storing a computer program product for controlling a network node comprising instructions which, when executed on at least one processor of the network node, causes the network node to:
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receive a signal for each of two or more frequency channels; estimate a load of each of the two or more frequency channels responsive to the received signals; for each of the two or more frequency channels; correlate the corresponding received signal with one or more delayed versions of the corresponding received signal to generate one or more autocorrelation results, wherein each delayed version of the corresponding received signal is associated with a different delay; identify one or more types of wireless communication devices associated with the corresponding received signal using at least one of the one or more autocorrelation results; select one of the two or more frequency channels for the unlicensed band responsive to the estimated loads and the identified types of wireless communication devices; and schedule communications in the unlicensed band with the wireless communication device on the selected frequency channel.
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Specification