Smart frequency-hopping control mechanism for mitigating against triggering silent radio squelch circuits by sub-channel transmissions from spectral reuse transceiver

• US 20070008875A1
• Filed: 09/15/2006
• Published: 01/11/2007
• Est. Priority Date: 12/10/2002
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Bone Valley Patents LLC
• Original Assignee: Dataflow Systems Incorporated
• Inventors: Highsmith, William, Gerhardt, Edward, Greenis, Paul
• Granted Patent: US 7,616,606 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 370/204
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 1/7143 Arrangements for generation of hop patterns
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 1/715 Interference-related aspects
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 2001/7154 with means for preventing interference
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 16/02 Resource partitioning among network components, e.g. reuse partitioning
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 16/14 Spectrum sharing arrangements between different networks
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 24/00 Supervisory, monitoring or testing arrangements
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 24/10 Scheduling measurement reports ; Arrangements for measurement reports
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 72/02 Selection of wireless resources by user or terminal
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 72/23 in the downlink direction of a wireless link, i.e. towards a terminal
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 72/27 between access points
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 74/08 Non-scheduled access, e.g. ALOHA hybrid access H04W74/02

Abstract

A ‘smart’ sub-channel hopping control mechanism executes one or more sub-channel selection discriminators to enable the communications controller of a spectral reuse transceiver to delineate on which of a plurality sub-channels the spectral reuse transceiver may transmit, so as to substantially reduce the likelihood of triggering squelch circuits of silent radios of primary (licensed) channel users.

Claims

1. A method of conducting radio frequency (RF) communications between respective transceivers of a communication network by transmitting on selected sub-channels contained within primary user channels of a prescribed RF communication band, said method comprising the steps of:

(a) monitoring said prescribed RF communication band for the presence of communication activity on said sub-channels, and identifying those ones of said sub-channels, which are effectively absent communication activity, as clear sub-channels that are potentially available for use by said respective transceivers; and

(b) causing said respective transceivers to conduct RF communications therebetween by controllably hopping among and transmitting on prescribed ones of said clear sub-channels in a manner that reduces sub-channel energy density in primary user channels containing said prescribed sub-channels to a value that mitigates against activating squelch circuits of receivers operating on said primary user channels.

2. The method according to claim 1, wherein step (b) comprises constraining dwell times of transmitted sub-channels.

3. The method according to claim 1, wherein step (b) comprises successively hopping between and transmitting spectrally non-adjacent sub-channels.

4. The method according to claim 1, wherein step (b) comprises successively hopping to and transmitting selected sub-channels in a manner that avoids transmitting the same sub-channel that was transmitted during an immediately previous hop.

5. The method according to claim 1, wherein step (b) comprises transmitting sub-channels that do not overlap center portions of said primary user channels.

6. The method according to claim 1, wherein step (b) comprises transmitting sub-channels spectrally located at edges of primary user channels.

7. The method according to claim 1, wherein step (b) comprises performing one or more of the following operations:

i—

constraining dwell times of transmitted sub-channels,

ii—

successively hopping between and transmitting spectrally non-adjacent sub-channels,

iii—

successively hopping to and transmitting sub-channels in a manner that avoids transmitting the same sub-channel that was transmitted during an immediately previous sub-channel hop,

iv—

transmitting sub-channels that do not overlap center portions of said primary user channels, and

v—

transmitting sub-channels spectrally located at edges of primary user channels.

8. The method according to claim 7, wherein step (b) comprises performing plural ones of said operations i-v.

9. A method of conducting radio frequency (RF) communications between respective transceivers of a communication network by transmitting on selected sub-channels contained within primary user channels of a prescribed RF communication band, said method comprising the steps of:

(a) monitoring said prescribed RF communication band for the presence of communication activity on said sub-channels, and identifying sub-channels, which exhibit energy less than a prescribed value, as effectively clear sub-channels that are potentially available for use by said respective transceivers; and

(b) causing said respective transceivers to hop among and transmit on selected ones of said clear sub-channels in a manner that constrains sub-channel energy density in primary user channels containing said selected sub-channels to a value that effectively prevents activating squelch circuits of receivers operating on said primary user channels.

10. The method according to claim 9, wherein step (b) comprises performing one or more of the following operations:

i—

constraining dwell times of transmitted sub-channels,

ii—

successively hopping between and transmitting spectrally non-adjacent sub-channels,

iii—

successively hopping to and transmitting sub-channels in a manner that avoids transmitting the same sub-channel that was transmitted during an immediately previous sub-channel hop,

iv—

transmitting sub-channels that do not overlap center portions of said primary user channels, and

v—

transmitting sub-channels spectrally located at edges of primary user channels.

11. The method according to claim 10, wherein step (b) comprises performing plural ones of said operations i-v.

12. The method according to claim 9, wherein step (b) comprises constraining dwell times of transmitted sub-channels.

13. The method according to claim 9, wherein step (b) comprises successively hopping between and transmitting spectrally non-adjacent sub-channels.

14. The method according to claim 9, wherein step (b) comprises successively hopping to and transmitting sub-channels in a manner that avoids transmitting the same sub-channel that was transmitted during an immediately previous hop.

15. The method according to claim 9, wherein step (b) comprises transmitting sub-channels that do not overlap center portions of said primary user channels.

16. The method according to claim 9, wherein step (b) comprises transmitting sub-channels spectrally located at edges of primary user channels.

17. In a method of conducting radio frequency (RF) communications between respective spectral reuse transceivers of a communication network, wherein said transceivers monitor said prescribed RF communication band for the presence of communication activity on sub-channels contained within primary user channels of a prescribed RF communication band, and identify those sub-channels which exhibit energy less than a prescribed value, as effectively clear sub-channels that are potentially available for use by said respective spectral reuse transceivers, the improvement comprising the step of:

causing said respective spectral reuse transceivers to hop among and transmit on selected ones of said clear sub-channels in a manner that constrains sub-channel energy density in primary user channels containing said selected sub-channels to a value that effectively prevents activating squelch circuits of receivers operating on said primary user channels.

18. The improvement according to claim 17, wherein causing step comprises performing one or more of the following operations:

i—

constraining dwell times of transmitted sub-channels,

ii—

successively hopping between and transmitting spectrally non-adjacent sub-channels,

iii—

successively hopping to and transmitting sub-channels in a manner that avoids transmitting the same sub-channel that was transmitted during an immediately previous sub-channel hop,

iv—

transmitting sub-channels that do not overlap center portions of said primary user channels, and

v—

transmitting sub-channels spectrally located at edges of primary user channels.

19. The improvement according to claim 18, wherein said causing step comprises performing plural ones of operations i-v.

20. The improvement according to claim 18, wherein said transceivers are configured to exclude one or more prescribed sub-channels within said prescribed RF communication band for the presence of communication activity, in the course of identifying sub-channels, which exhibit energy less than said prescribed value, as effectively clear sub-channels that are potentially available for use by said respective spectral reuse transceivers, and wherein said causing step comprises causing said respective spectral reuse transceivers to hop among and transmit on selected ones of said clear sub-channels, that exclude said one or more prescribed sub-channels, in a manner that constrains sub-channel energy density in primary user channels containing said selected sub-channels to a value that effectively prevents activating squelch circuits of receivers operating on said primary user channels.