METHOD AND APPARATUS FOR SPECTRUM ALLOCATION IN WIRELESS NETWORKS

• US 20080108365A1
• Filed: 11/07/2006
• Published: 05/08/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 11/07/2006
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Alcatel-Lucent SA (Nokia Corporation), Stevens Institute Of Technology
• Original Assignee: Alcatel-Lucent SA (Nokia Corporation)
• Inventors: Ryan, Kevin, Buddhikot, Milind M., Miller, Scott C.
• Granted Patent: US 8,958,810 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 455/452.1
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 16/10 Dynamic resource partitioning
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 16/14 Spectrum sharing arrangements between different networks
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 24/02 Arrangements for optimising operational condition
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 72/51 based on terminal or device properties

Abstract

The invention includes a method and apparatus for dynamically allocating spectrum available within a region including a plurality of base stations. The method includes obtaining a plurality of spectrum demands associated with at least a portion of the base stations, each spectrum demand requesting a portion of the available spectrum, and determining a plurality of spectrum allocations satisfying at least a portion of the spectrum demands. The spectrum allocations are determined by processing the spectrum demands using network information such as base station information associated with the base stations and region information such as terrain information associated with the region. The region information may include signal propagation information.

Claims

1. A method for allocating spectrum available within a region comprising a plurality of base stations, comprising:

obtaining a plurality of spectrum demands associated with at least a portion of the base stations, each spectrum demand requesting a portion of the available spectrum; and

determining, using base station information associated with the base stations and terrain information associated with the region, a plurality of spectrum allocations satisfying at least a portion of the spectrum demands.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the terrain information comprises signal propagation information.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein obtaining the plurality of spectrum demands comprises:

determining a plurality of candidate spectrum demands by processing a plurality of new spectrum demands.

4. The method of claim 3, wherein determining the candidate spectrum demands comprises:

obtaining a spectrum allocation map identifying a portion of the available spectrum utilized during a first time period and a free spectrum map identifying a portion of the available spectrum unutilized during the first time period;

determining a new demand set comprising the new spectrum demands received from the at least a portion of the base stations during the first time period; and

determining, using the new demand set, the spectrum allocation map, and the free spectrum map, a candidate demand set comprising the candidate spectrum demands, the candidate spectrum demands being considered for allocation in a second time period.

5. The method of claim 4, wherein determining the candidate demand set further comprises:

determining a sticky demand set comprising a plurality of sticky spectrum demands satisfying at least one criteria; and

determining the candidate demand set using a union of the new demand set and the sticky demand set.

6. The method of claim 4, further comprising:

determining a sticky demand set comprising a plurality of sticky spectrum demands satisfying at least one criteria;

determining an expired demand set comprising a plurality of spectrum demands expiring during the first time slot; and

updating, using the expired demand set and the sticky demand set, the spectrum allocation map and free spectrum map for use during the second time period.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein determining the plurality of spectrum allocations comprises:

generating a representation of a plurality of conflicts between at least a portion of the base stations, each conflict comprising one a plurality of conflict types;

determining a plurality of spectrum allocation constraints comprising demand model constraints determined using the spectrum demand and conflict representation constraints determined using the representation of the conflicts; and

determining the spectrum allocations by processing the spectrum demands for satisfying the spectrum allocation constraints.

8. The method of claim 7, wherein the conflict types comprise a co-cell provider conflict, a co-located cross-provider conflict, a remote cross-provider conflict, or a soft-handoff conflict.

9. The method of claim 7, wherein the spectrum demand comprises demand model constraints, wherein the demand model constraints comprise at least one scope constraint and at least one timing constraint.

10. The method of claim 7, wherein determining the spectrum allocations comprises one of:

maximizing a number of spectrum allocations satisfying associated spectrum demands subject to the spectrum allocation constraints;

or

minimizing a sum of a plurality of penalties associated with the spectrum allocations satisfying associated spectrum demands subject to the spectrum allocation constraints.

11. The method of claim 1, wherein each spectrum allocation comprises a base station identifier, a transceiver identifier, a transmission frequency, a maximum transmission power, and an allocation duration period.

12. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

communicating the spectrum allocations to at least one base station associated with the spectrum allocations; and

reconfiguring at least one transceiver associated with each of the at least one base station associated with the spectrum allocations using the associated spectrum allocations.

13. An apparatus for allocating spectrum available within a region comprising a plurality of base stations, comprising:

means for obtaining a plurality of spectrum demands associated with at least a portion of the base stations, each spectrum demand requesting a portion of the available spectrum; and

means for determining, using base station information associated with the base stations and terrain information associated with the region, a plurality of spectrum allocations satisfying at least a portion of the spectrum demands.

14. The apparatus of claim 13, wherein the means for obtaining the plurality of spectrum demands comprises:

means for determining a plurality of candidate spectrum demands by processing a plurality of new spectrum demands.

15. The apparatus of claim 14, wherein the means for determining the candidate spectrum demands comprises:

means for obtaining a spectrum allocation map identifying a portion of the available spectrum utilized during a first time period and a free spectrum map identifying a portion of the available spectrum unutilized during the first time period;

means for determining a new demand set comprising the new spectrum demands received from the at least a portion of the base stations during the first time period; and

means for determining, using the new demand set, the spectrum allocation map, and the free spectrum map, a candidate demand set comprising the candidate spectrum demands, the candidate spectrum demands being considered for allocation in a second time period.

16. The apparatus of claim 15, wherein the means for determining the candidate demand set further comprises:

means for determining a sticky demand set comprising a plurality of sticky spectrum demands satisfying at least one criteria; and

means for determining the candidate demand set using a union of the new demand set and the sticky demand set.

17. The apparatus of claim 15, further comprising:

means for determining a sticky demand set comprising a plurality of sticky spectrum demands satisfying at least one criteria;

means for determining an expired demand set comprising a plurality of spectrum demands expiring during the first time slot; and

means for updating, using the expired demand set and the sticky demand set, the spectrum allocation map and free spectrum map for use during the second time period.

18. The apparatus of claim 13, wherein the means for determining the plurality of spectrum allocations comprises:

means for generating a representation of a plurality of conflicts between at least a portion of the base stations, each conflict comprising one a plurality of conflict types;

means for determining a plurality of spectrum allocation constraints comprising demand model constraints determined using the spectrum demand and conflict representation constraints determined using the representation of the conflicts; and

means for determining the spectrum allocations by processing the spectrum demands for satisfying the spectrum allocation constraints.

19. The apparatus of claim 13, further comprising:

means for communicating the spectrum allocations to at least one base station associated with the spectrum allocations; and

means for reconfiguring at least one transceiver associated with each of the at least one base station associated with the spectrum allocations using the associated spectrum allocations.

20. A method for utilizing, at one of a plurality of base stations, one of a plurality of spectrum allocations allocated from spectrum available within a region comprising the plurality of base stations, comprising:

receiving at the one of the base stations the one of the spectrum allocations; and

reconfiguring at least one transceiver of the one of the base stations using the one of the spectrum allocations;

wherein the spectrum allocations are determined by a method comprising;

obtaining a plurality of spectrum demands associated with at least a portion of the base stations, each spectrum demand requesting a portion of the available spectrum; and

determining, using base station information associated with the base stations and terrain information associated with the region, the plurality of spectrum allocations satisfying at least a portion of the spectrum demands.