Method and device for controlling frequency selection within a wireless communication system

• US 20050192016A1
• Filed: 10/01/2003
• Published: 09/01/2005
• Est. Priority Date: 04/03/2001
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Telefonaktiebolaget LM Ericsson
• Original Assignee: Telefonaktiebolaget LM Ericsson
• Inventors: Gafvels, Lennart, Schramm, Peter, Zimmermann, Gerd, Pauli, Mathias, Malmgren, Goran, Khun-Jush, Jamshid
• Granted Patent: US 7,496,368 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 455/450
• CPC Class Codes: H04K 2203/18 for wireless local area networks or WLAN
• CPC Class Codes: H04K 3/226 Selection of non-jammed channel for communication spectrum sharing arrangements H04W16/14; selection of wireless resources by user or terminal H04W72/02
• CPC Class Codes: H04K 3/822 by detecting the presence of a surveillance, interception or detection
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 16/14 Spectrum sharing arrangements between different networks
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 24/00 Supervisory, monitoring or testing arrangements

Abstract

The invention relates to a method and a device for controlling frequency selection within a wireless communication system in response to radar-like interference signals. The method comprises continuously or quasi-continuously monitoring and assessing a plurality of frequencies with respect to a radar-like interference signal and allocating a quality parameter to each assessed frequency, the quality parameter indicating the probability that the frequency is occupied. The method further comprises selecting one or more frequencies in dependence on the allocated quality parameters and subsequent frequency monitoring.

Claims

1. A method of controlling frequency selection in a wireless communication system in response to radar-like interference signals, comprising

a) continuously or quasi-continuously monitoring and assessing one or more frequencies with respect to the radar-like interference signals;

b) allocating a quality parameter to each assessed frequency, the quality parameter indicating a probability that the frequency is occupied by a radar-like interference signal;

c) selecting one or more frequencies in dependence on the allocated quality parameters; and

d) further monitoring one or more frequencies with respect to radar-like interference signals.

2. The method of claim 1,

wherein the quality parameter can assume one of a plurality of pre-defined values, a first value indicating that a frequency is occupied, a second value indicating that a frequency is not occupied, and a third value indicating that a frequency might be occupied.

3. The method according to claim 1,

wherein the quality parameter can assume any value between a lower quality order value and an upper quality border value.

4. The method according to claim 1, wherein in step c) only those frequencies are selected to which quality parameters satisfying a threshold condition are allocated.

5. The method according to claim 1, wherein at least step a) is performed during a normal transmission mode.

6. The method according to claim 1, wherein at least step a) is performed prior to a normal transmission mode.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein at least step a) is performed by a separate monitoring device (MD) in ommunication with at least one of an access point (AP) and a central controller (CC) of the wireless communication system.

8. The method of claim 1, further comprising communicating the allocated quality parameters to an access point (AP) or a central controller (CC) of the same or a neighboring wireless communication system.

9. The method of claim 1, wherein, if at least one of the radar-like interference signals and other interference signals are detected in step d), steps a) to c) are repeated.

10. The method to claim 1, wherein during regular operation receive/transmit pauses are artificially created.

11. The method of claim 1, wherein step d) comprises periodically monitoring one or more of the selected frequencies to assess an average quality thereof.

12. The method of claim 11,

further comprising transmitting on the one or more frequencies having the highest average quality.

13. The method of claim 12,

wherein after a predefined period of time the method returns to step a).

14. The method of claim 13,

wherein for a specific transmission frequency the predefined period of time is selected in dependence on the quality parameter previously allocated to this transmission frequency.

15. The method of claim 13, wherein the predefined period of time is selected additionally in dependence on a system traffic load or the transmission quality of the currently used transmission frequency.

16. The method of claim 1, wherein prior to switching from a first transmission frequency to a second transmission frequency, the second transmission frequency is subjected to at least steps a) and b).

17. A computer program product comprising program code portions for performing the steps of claim 1 when the product is run on a computer.

18. The computer program product of claim 17, stored on a computer readable recording medium.

19. A wireless communication system comprising:

a) a first unit for continuously or quasi-continuously monitoring and assessing one or more frequencies with respect to radar-like interference signals;

b) a second unit for allocating a quality parameter to each assessed frequency, the quality parameter indicating a probability that a frequency is occupied by a radar-like interference signal;

c) a third unit for selecting one or more frequencies in dependence on the allocated quality parameters, wherein the first unit is adapted to further monitor one or more frequencies with respect to radar-like interference signals.

20. The wireless communication system of claim 19, comprising a monitoring device (MD) associated with or remote from at least one of an access point (AP) or a central controller (CC),

wherein the monitoring device (MD) includes at least the first unit for continuously or quasi-continuously monitoring and assessing one or more frequencies with respect to the radar-like interference signals.