Automatic multi-cell enablement for coexistence with unlicensed interferer waveforms

• US 10,631,305 B2
• Filed: 07/17/2018
• Issued: 04/21/2020
• Est. Priority Date: 07/17/2018
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Cisco Technology, Inc. (Cisco Systems, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Cisco Technology, Inc. (Cisco Systems, Inc.)
• Inventors: Desai, Vishal S., Hart, Brian D., Kloper, David, Myles, Andrew
• Primary Examiner(s): Kading, Joshua
• Application Number:
  US16/037,287
• Publication Number:
  US 20200029361A1
• Time in Patent Office: 644 Days
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 16/14 Spectrum sharing arrangements between different networks
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 16/18 Network planning tools
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 16/32 Hierarchical cell structures
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 24/02 Arrangements for optimising operational condition
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 24/04 Arrangements for maintaining operational condition
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 72/044 based on the type of the allocated resource
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 72/0446 Resources in time domain, e.g. slots or frames
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 72/0453 Resources in frequency domain, e.g. a carrier in FDMA
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 72/0473 the resource being transmission power
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 72/1215 for collaboration of different radio technologies
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 72/535 based on resource usage policies
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 72/541 using the level of interference
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 74/0808 using carrier sensing, e.g. carrier sense multiple access [CSMA]
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 84/12 WLAN [Wireless Local Area Networks]

Abstract

In a wireless local area network (WLAN) that includes one or more wireless access points capable of serving one or more wireless clients, presence of one or more instances of interference from a particular type of interferer is detected on at least one channel in an unlicensed frequency band. In response to detecting the interference, a radio resource management process is biased to continue operation of at least one of the one or more access points, or individual radios of a multi-radio access point, on the channel to make at least some use of the channel for one or more wireless clients.

Claims

1. A method comprising:

in a wireless local area network (WLAN) that includes one or more wireless access points capable of serving one or more wireless clients, detecting a presence of one or more instances of interference from a particular type of interferer on at least one channel in an unlicensed frequency band; and

in response to detecting the presence of the one or more instances of the interference, biasing a radio resource management process to continue operation of at least one of the one or more wireless access points on the at least one channel to make at least some use of the at least one channel for the one or more wireless clients by operating the at least one of the one or more wireless access points to create a plurality of WLAN cells to compete with the interference of the particular type of interferer for usage of the unlicensed frequency band, wherein the plurality of WLAN cells includes;

a first type of a WLAN cell that operates on the at least one channel and is served by the at least one of the one or more wireless access points, wherein the at least one of the one or more wireless access points operates at a first transmit power and a first data rate that maximizes coverage for the one or more wireless clients; and

a second type of the WLAN cell that operates on a channel isolated from the at least one channel.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the plurality of WLAN cells further includes:

a third type of the WLAN cell that operates on a channel isolated from the at least one channel;

wherein;

the second type of the WLAN cell is dedicated to providing a best available capacity based on a second transmit power, a second data rate and a clear channel assessment threshold; and

the third type of the WLAN cell is dedicated to serve at least one wireless client of the one or more wireless clients that meets a criteria having a predetermined attribute.

3. The method of claim 2, further comprising, in the third type of the WLAN cell, the one or more wireless access points performing one or more operations to steer legacy wireless clients of the one or more wireless clients to either the first type of the WLAN cell or the second type of the WLAN cell so as to make available a bandwidth in the third type of the WLAN cell to serve the at least one wireless client of the one or more wireless clients that meets the criteria having the predetermined attribute.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the at least one of the one or more wireless access points configure one or more parameters including:

a receiver start-of-packet threshold at a level to increase a receiver sensitivity or a noise figure.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the particular type of interferer is a signal from a system known or expected to operate using a medium access technique including finding a free channel in response to initial and/or ongoing channel scanning.

6. The method of claim 5, wherein the interference from the particular type of interferer is a wireless cellular network transmission in the unlicensed frequency band.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein the biasing is performed by one of the one or more wireless access points or a controller apparatus connected to the one or more wireless access points.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein the at least one of the one or more wireless access points configure one or more parameters including:

a transmit power or a transmit opportunity duration.

9. The method of claim 1, wherein the at least one of the one or more wireless access points configure one or more parameters including:

a modulation coding scheme.

10. The method of claim 1, wherein the at least one of the one or more wireless access points configure one or more parameters including:

a dynamic clear channel assessment threshold.

11. The method of claim 1, wherein the at least one of the one or more wireless access points configure one or more parameters including:

a responsiveness to probe requests from the one or more wireless clients at an edge of the WLAN cell.

12. The method of claim 1, wherein the at least one of the one or more wireless access points configure one or more parameters including:

a selectiveness of beamforming to selected wireless clients of the one or more wireless clients.

13. The method of claim 1, wherein the at least one of the one or more wireless access points configure one or more parameters including:

enhanced distributed channel access parameters for a contention back-off within an allowed channel occupancy time window.

14. A system comprising:

one or more wireless local area network (WLAN) access points capable of serving one or more wireless clients, wherein the one or more WLAN access points are configured to detect a presence of one or more instances of interference from a particular type of interferer on at least one channel in an unlicensed frequency band; and

a controller apparatus in communication with the one or more WLAN access points, wherein the controller apparatus is configured to, in response to detection of the presence of the one or more instances of the interference, bias a radio resource management process to continue operation of at least one of the one or more WLAN access points on the at least one channel to make at least some use of the at least one channel for the one or more wireless clients by operating the at least one of the one or more WLAN access points to create a plurality of WLAN cells to compete with the interference of the particular type of interferer for usage of the unlicensed frequency band, wherein the plurality of WLAN cells includes;

a first type of a WLAN cell that operates on the at least one channel and is served by the at least one of the one or more WLAN access points, wherein the at least one of the one or more WLAN access points operates at a first transmit power and a first data rate that maximizes coverage for the one or more wireless clients; and

a second type of the WLAN cell that operates on a channel isolated from the at least one channel.

15. The system of claim 14, wherein the plurality of WLAN cells further includes:

a third type of the WLAN cell that operates on a channel isolated from the at least one channel;

wherein;

the second type of the WLAN cell is dedicated to providing a best available capacity based on a second transmit power, a second data rate and a clear channel assessment threshold; and

the third type of the WLAN cell is dedicated to serve at least one wireless client of the one or more wireless clients that meets a criteria having a predetermined attribute.

16. The system of claim 15, wherein, in the third type of the WLAN cell, the one or more WLAN access points perform one or more operations to steer legacy wireless clients of the one or more wireless clients to either the first type of the WLAN cell or the second type of the WLAN cell so as to make available a bandwidth in the third type of the WLAN cell to serve the at least one wireless client of the one or more wireless clients that meets the criteria having the predetermined attribute.

17. The system of claim 14, wherein the at least one of the one or more WLAN access points configure one or more parameters including:

a receiver start-of-packet threshold at a level to increase receiver sensitivity or noise figure;

a transmit power;

a transmit opportunity duration;

a modulation coding scheme;

a dynamic clear channel assessment threshold;

a responsiveness to probe requests from the one or more wireless clients at an edge of the WLAN cell;

a selectiveness of beamforming to selected wireless clients of the one or more wireless clients; and

enhanced distributed channel access parameters for a contention back-off within an allowed channel occupancy time window.

18. The system of claim 14, wherein the particular type of interferer is a signal from a system known or expected to operate using a medium access technique including finding a free channel in response to initial and/or ongoing channel scanning.

19. An apparatus comprising:

a network interface configured to enable communication with one or more wireless local area network (WLAN) access points capable of serving one or more wireless clients, wherein the one or more WLAN access points are configured to detect a presence of one or more instances of interference from a particular type of interferer on at least one channel in an unlicensed frequency band; and

a processor coupled to the network interface, wherein the processor is configured to, in response to detection of the presence of the one or more instances of the interference, bias a radio resource management process to continue operation of at least one of the one or more WLAN access points on the at least one channel to make at least some use of the at least one channel for the one or more wireless clients by operating the at least one of the one or more WLAN access points to create a plurality of WLAN cells to compete with the interference of the particular type of interferer for usage of the unlicensed frequency band, wherein the plurality of WLAN cells includes;

a first type of a WLAN cell that operates on the at least one channel and is served by the at least one of the one or more WLAN access points, wherein the at least one of the one or more WLAN access points operates at a first transmit power and a first data rate that maximizes coverage for the at least one of the one or more wireless clients; and

a second type of the WLAN cell that operates on a channel isolated from the at least one channel.

20. The apparatus of claim 19, wherein the plurality of WLAN cells further includes:

a third type of the WLAN cell that operates on a channel isolated from the at least one channel;

wherein;

the second type of the WLAN cell is dedicated to providing a best available capacity based on a second transmit power, a second data rate and a clear channel assessment threshold; and

the third type of the WLAN cell is dedicated to serve at least one wireless client of the one or more wireless clients that meets a criteria having a predetermined attribute.