System and method for spectrum sharing

• US 20080069079A1
• Filed: 09/19/2006
• Published: 03/20/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 09/19/2006
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Star-H Corporation
• Original Assignee: Star-H Corporation
• Inventors: Jacobs, Michael W.
• Application Number:
  US11/522,924
• Publication Number:
  US 20080069079A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 370/348
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 16/14 Spectrum sharing arrangements between different networks
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 72/542 using measured or perceived quality

Abstract

A system and method of predicting the availability of a communication channel in a frequency sharing spectrum based on the expected probability of near-term transmissions by other users, the priority of the communication, the type of waveform, channel noise sampling, and/or channel availability.

Claims

1. A method of predicting the availability of a communication channel from a plurality of communication channels in disparate communication systems comprising the steps of:

(a) assigning a measurement bin for each communication channel;

(b) periodically monitoring the signals levels for each communication channel;

(b) evaluating the signal level for each communication channel against a predetermined threshold level;

(d) incrementing a numerical value of the measurement bin associated with each communication channel that exceeds a predetermined threshold;

(e) selecting a communication channel for transmission as a function of the numerical value of the measurement bins.

2. The method of claim 1 wherein the plurality of communication channels are monitored at least once each second.

3. The method of claim 1 wherein the availability of the communication channels are ranked as a function of the numeral values of their associated bins

4. The method of claim 1 wherein the step of selecting further comprises:

(i) maintaining a plurality of records for each of the bins, each record having a time interval;

(ii) weighting the records as a function of the time interval;

(iii) determining a numerical value of each bin as a function of its associated record;

5. The method of claim 4, wherein the step of determining comprises adding the weighted values of the records for each bin.

6. The method of claim 1 wherein the step of selecting includes selecting the communication channel having the bin with the lowest numerical value.

7. The method of claim 4 wherein each bin has a first record of a one second time interval representing a measurement value of the current second, second through sixth records of one minutes interval corresponding to the measurement values for the previous five minutes, respectively, a seventh record having a five minute interval corresponding to the accumulated value of the second through sixth records, an eighth record having a fifteen minute interval, a ninth record having a thirty minute interval and tenth record having a sixty minute interval.

8. The method of claim 7 wherein records of longer time intervals are weighted less than records of shorter time intervals.

9. The method of claim 6 further comprising maintaining a database of excluded frequencies and preventing the selection of a communication channel associated with the excluded frequencies.

10. The method of claim 1 wherein the communication channels are used by communication systems having non-compatible communications protocols.

11. The method of claim 6 wherein the selecting excludes communications channels having s signal above the predetermined threshold for the current measurement.

12. The method of claim 1 wherein the step of monitoring includes measuring a signal characteristic, time stamping the measurement and noting the location of the measurement.

13. The method of claim 12 wherein the measurements are maintained in a database.

14. The method of claim 6 further comprising classifying the measured signals as a function of waveform and excluding a channel form selection for transmission as a function of the classification of the measured signal.

15. A method of predicting the availability of a communication channel for use in a communication system having plural communication channels, comprising:

(a) evaluating the current use of a communication channel;

(b) evaluating if the communication channel is excluded from selection

(c) predicting the expected use of the communication channel;

(d) selecting a communication channel for use as a function of steps (a), (b) and (c).

18. The method of claim 15 wherein the step of predicting the expected use includes maintaining a moving weighted average of the past use of the communication channel.

16. The method of step 15 wherein the step of evaluating the current use includes measuring at least one characteristic of a measurement channel and comparing the measurement to a predetermined threshold.

17. The method of claim 16 wherein the step of evaluating if a communication channel is excluding from selection includes maintaining a database of excluded frequencies and identifying communication channels associated with the excluded frequencies.