Automated real-time site survey in a shared frequency band environment

• US 20050073983A1
• Filed: 08/02/2004
• Published: 04/07/2005
• Est. Priority Date: 10/03/2003
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Cisco Technology, Inc. (Cisco Systems, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Cognio, Inc. (Cisco Systems, Inc.)
• Inventors: Diener, Neil R.
• Granted Patent: US 7,110,756 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 370/338
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 16/18 Network planning tools
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 16/20 for indoor coverage or short range network deployment
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 24/00 Supervisory, monitoring or testing arrangements
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 64/00 Locating users or terminals or network equipment for network management purposes, e.g. mobility management
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 72/00 Local resource management
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 84/18 Self-organising networks, e.g. ad-hoc networks or sensor networks

Abstract

An intelligent spectrum management (ISM) system and method that includes sophisticated features to detect, classify, and locate sources of RF activity. The system comprises one or more radio sensor devices positioned at various locations in a region where activity in a shared radio frequency band is occurring. A server is coupled to the radio sensor devices and aggregates the data generated by the sensor devices. The server receives data from each of the plurality of sensor devices and executes functions to process the data. One feature of the system is to correlate data collected from the sensor or from suitably equipped devices that operate (and may move about) in a space with locations where provocation of that data occurs. To this end, radio frequency energy is received at each of a plurality of known positions (e.g., the sensors) in a space. The positions in the space of one or more devices emitting radio frequency energy in the space is determined from the received radio frequency energy at the plurality of known positions (e.g., the sensors). A variety of positioning techniques may be employed, such as received signal strength, time-difference-of arrival, time-of-arrival, etc. Activity data representing characteristics of received radio frequency energy in the space is generated at the sensors or at suitable equipped devices that may move about the space. The server correlates the activity data with the positions in the space that are associated with the provocation of the activity data.

Claims

1. A method for monitoring wireless activity in a radio frequency band, comprising:

a. receiving radio frequency energy at each of a plurality of known positions in a space;

b. determining positions in the space of one or more devices emitting radio frequency energy in the space from the received radio frequency energy at the plurality of known positions;

c. generating activity data representing characteristics of received radio frequency energy in the space; and

d. correlating the activity data with the positions in the space that are associated with provocation of the activity data.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the step of generating activity data comprises generating protocol activity data from the received radio frequency energy, wherein the protocol activity data represents characteristics of signals transmitted according to a communication protocol in the frequency band.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein the step of generating protocol activity data comprises generating data representing the performance of communication occurring according to the communication protocol, including one or more of:

average data rate, number of packet resends and number of devices operating occurring to the communication protocol.

4. The method of claim 2, and further comprising the step of detecting signals occurring according to the communication protocol at one or more devices in the space that operate according to the communication protocol, and wherein the step of generating protocol activity data is based upon the signals detected at the one or more devices.

5. The method of claim 4, wherein the step of determining positions comprises computing positions of the one or more devices based on signals received at each of the plurality of known positions.

6. The method of claim 5, and further comprising the step of tracking movement of the one or more devices through the space.

7. The method of claim 4, wherein the step of correlating comprises correlating the protocol activity data derived from signals detected by the one or more devices with the positions of the one or more devices.

8. The method of claim 2, and further comprising the step of detecting signals occurring according to the communication protocol at the plurality of known positions from the one or more devices in the space that operate according to the communication protocol, and wherein the step of generating protocol activity data is based upon the signals detected at the one or more plurality of known positions.

9. The method of claim 8, wherein the step of determining positions comprises computing positions of the one or more devices based on signals received at each of the plurality of known positions.

10. The method of claim 9, and further comprising the step of tracking movement of the one or more devices through the space.

11. The method of claim 9, wherein the step of correlating comprises correlating the protocol activity data derived from signals detected at the one or more known positions with the positions of the one or more devices.

12. The method of claim 2, and further comprising the step of displaying the protocol activity data on a map at positions in the space associated with the occurrence of the signals that led to generation of that protocol activity data.

13. The method of claim 2, wherein the step of generating activity data further comprises generating spectrum activity data, wherein the spectrum activity data represents one or more of time, frequency and power characteristics of radio frequency energy received in at least a portion of the frequency band.

14. The method of claim 13, wherein the step of generating spectrum activity data comprises generating over a time interval data for one or more of:

average power, maximum power, duty cycle, pulses per second and average pulse duration.

15. The method of claim 13, and further comprising the step of detecting radio frequency energy in the frequency band at one or more devices in the space, and wherein the step of generating the spectrum activity data is based upon the radio frequency energy detected at the one or more devices.

16. The method of claim 15, wherein the step of determining positions comprises computing positions of the one or more devices based on signals received at each of the plurality of known positions.

17. The method of claim 16, and further comprising the step of tracking movement of the one or more devices through the space.

18. The method of claim 15, and further comprising the step of correlating the spectrum activity data derived from radio frequency energy detected at the one or more devices with positions of the one or more devices.

19. The method of claim 13, wherein the step of generating spectrum activity data is based upon radio frequency energy received at the one or more plurality of known positions.

20. The method of claim 19, wherein the step of determining positions comprises computing positions of the one or more devices based on signals received at each of the plurality of known positions.

21. The method of claim 20, and further comprising the step of tracking movement of the one or more devices through the space.

22. The method of claim 20, wherein the step of correlating comprises correlating the spectrum activity data derived from signals detected at the one or more known positions with the positions of the one or more devices.

23. The method of claim 13, and further comprising displaying the spectrum activity data on a map at positions in the space associated with the occurrence of the radio frequency energy that led to generation of that spectrum activity data.

24. The method of claim 1, and further comprising displaying the data on a map at positions in the space associated with the occurrence of the radio frequency energy that led to generation of that data.

25. A system comprising:

a. a plurality of sensor devices, each at a corresponding known position in a space, each sensor device receiving radio frequency energy at their corresponding known position;

b. a computing device coupled to the plurality of sensor devices, wherein the computing device;

i. determines positions in the space of one or more devices emitting radio frequency energy in the space from the radio frequency energy received by the sensor devices at the known positions; and

ii. correlates the activity data representing characteristics of received radio frequency energy with positions in the space associated with provocation of the activity data.

26. The system of claim 25, wherein each of the plurality of sensor devices generates the activity data from the radio frequency energy it receives.

27. The system of claim 26, wherein the sensor devices generate protocol activity data from the received radio frequency energy, wherein the protocol activity data represents characteristics of signals transmitted according to a communication protocol in the shared frequency band.

28. The system of claim 27, wherein the sensor devices generate spectrum activity data from the received radio frequency energy, wherein the spectrum activity data represents one or more of time, frequency and power characteristics of radio frequency energy received in at least a portion of the frequency band.

29. The system of claim 25, wherein the one or more devices operate in the frequency band according to a communication protocol, and the one or more devices generates the data from the radio frequency energy they receive, and wherein the devices send the data to the computing device.

30. The system of claim 29, wherein the one or more devices generate protocol activity data from the received radio frequency energy, wherein the protocol activity data represents characteristics of signals transmitted according to a communication protocol in the shared frequency band.

31. The system of claim 29, wherein the one or more devices generate spectrum activity data from the received radio frequency energy, wherein the spectrum activity data represents one or more of time, frequency and power characteristics of radio frequency energy received in at least a portion of the frequency band.

32. The system of claim 29, wherein the computing device computes the positions of the one or more devices from data pertaining to signals received at the one or more sensor devices from the one or more devices.

33. The system of claim 25, wherein the computing device generates display data that displays the data on a map at positions in the space associated with the occurrence of the radio frequency energy that led to generation of that data.

34. A method for monitoring wireless activity in a radio frequency band, comprising:

a. computing positions in a space of one or more devices emitting radio frequency energy in the space from radio frequency energy received at a plurality of known positions; and

b. correlating the activity data representing characteristics of received radio frequency energy in the space with positions in the space that are associated with provocation of the activity data.

35. The method of claim 34, wherein the step of correlating comprises correlating protocol activity data derived from the received radio frequency energy, wherein the protocol activity data represents characteristics of signals transmitted according to a communication protocol in the frequency band.

36. The method of claim 35, and further comprising generating display data for displaying the activity data correlated with positions in the space.

37. The method of claim 35, wherein the step of correlating comprises correlating data including one or more of:

average data rate, number of packet resends and number of devices operating occurring to the communication protocol.

38. The method of claim 34, wherein the step of correlating comprises correlating spectrum activity data, wherein the spectrum activity data represents one or more of time, frequency and power characteristics of radio frequency energy received in at least a portion of the frequency band.

39. The method of claim 38, wherein the step of correlating comprises correlating spectrum activity data including one or more of:

average power, maximum power, duty cycle, pulses per second and average pulse duration.