SPECTRUM COORDINATION CONTROLLER

• US 20090135767A1
• Filed: 11/28/2007
• Published: 05/28/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 11/28/2007
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Motorola Solutions, Inc.
• Original Assignee: Motorola, Inc. (Motorola Solutions, Inc.)
• Inventors: Economy, George R., Silk, S. David
• Granted Patent: US 8,040,815 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 370/329
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 16/14 Spectrum sharing arrangements between different networks

Abstract

A method, wireless controller, and information processing system that define communication channel allocation. Communication channel allocation commands associated with a first network are monitored (102). The first network (102) comprises a plurality of communication frequencies assigned by the communication channel allocation commands. A set of communication frequencies are determined that have been assigned to wireless devices (108) associated with the first network (102) in response to the monitoring. A specification of unused communication frequencies within the plurality of communication frequencies are transmitted to a second network (104) in response to the determining.

Claims

1. A method for defining communication channel allocation, the method comprising:

monitoring communication channel allocation commands associated with a first network, wherein the first network comprises a plurality of communication frequencies assigned by the communication channel allocation commands;

determining, in response to the monitoring, a set of communication frequencies that have been assigned to wireless devices associated with the first network; and

transmitting, in response to the determining, to at least one second network, a specification of unused communication frequencies within the plurality of communication frequencies.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the communication channel commands are communicated among at least some components of the first network via a wired link.

3. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

accepting a message from at least one second network comprising a second specification of communication frequencies from the plurality of communication frequencies that are not to be used by the first network; and

transmitting the specification of communication frequencies that are not to be used by the first network to the first network.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the at least one second network accepts the specification of unused communication frequencies and assigns at least one of the unused communication frequencies to at least one wireless device associated with the at least second network.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the at least one wireless communication controller associated with the at least one second network accepts the specification of unused communication frequencies and designates at least one unused communication channel as a wirelessly exchanging control channel for the at least one second network.

6. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

determining, based on the monitoring, that the first network has allocated a communication channel within the specification of unused communication frequencies; and

notifying the at least one second network of an unavailability of the unused communication channel.

7. The method of claim 6, further comprising:

determining by the at least one second network in response to the notifying, that the unused communication channel is assigned by the first network; and

de-allocating by the second network, in response to the determining, the unused communication channel assigned by the first network.

8. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

receiving, in response to the transmitting, a request from the at least one second network, to reserve at least one communication channel in the plurality of communication frequencies; and

instructing, in response to the receiving, the first network to reserve the at least one communication channel.

9. A wireless communication controller comprising:

a channel assignment monitor adapted to monitor communication channel allocation commands associated with a first network, wherein the first network comprises a plurality of communication frequencies assigned by the communication channel allocation commands;

a channel assignment tracker, communicatively coupled to the channel assignment monitor, adapted to determine, in response to monitoring by the channel assignment monitor, a set of communication frequencies that have been assigned to wireless devices associated with the first network; and

a channel availability transmitter communicatively coupled to the channel assignment tracker, adapted to transmit, in response to determinations by the channel assignment tracker, to at least one second network, a specification of unused communication frequencies within the plurality of communication frequencies.

10. The wireless communications controller of claim 9, wherein the communication channel commands are communicated among at least some components of the first network via a wired link, and wherein the channel assignment monitor is adapted to monitor the wired link.

11. The wireless communications controller of claim 9, further comprising:

a second channel assignment monitor, communicatively coupled to the channel assignment tracker, adapted to accept a message from at least one second network comprising a second specification of communication frequencies from the plurality of communication frequencies that are not to be used by the first network; and

a second channel availability transmitter, communicatively coupled to the second channel assignment monitor, adapted to transmit the specification of communication frequencies that are not to be used by the first network to the first network.

12. The wireless communications controller of claim 9, wherein the at least one second network accepts the specification of unused communication frequencies and assigns at least one of the unused communication frequencies to at least one wireless device associated with the at least second network.

13. The wireless communications controller of claim 9, wherein the at least one wireless communication controller associated with the at least one second network accepts the specification of unused communication frequencies and designates at least one unused communication channel as a wirelessly exchanging control channel for the at least one second network.

14. The wireless communications controller of claim 9,

wherein the channel assignment tracker is further adapted to determine, based on the monitoring, that the first network has allocated a communication channel within the specification of unused communication frequencies, and

wherein the channel availability transmitter is further adapted to notify the at least one second network of an unavailability of the unused communication channel.

15. The wireless communications controller of claim 9, further comprising:

a second channel assignment monitor, communicatively coupled to the channel assignment tracker, adapted to receive, a request from the at least one second network, to reserve at least one communication channel in the plurality of communication frequencies; and

a second channel availability transmitter, communicatively coupled to the second channel assignment monitor and the channel assignment tracker, adapted to instructing the first network to reserve the least one communication channel.

16. An information processing system comprising:

network adapter hardware;

a processing unit comprising a processor communicatively coupled to a memory, the processing unit communicatively coupled to the network adapter hardware, wherein the processing unit is

adapted to monitor communication channel allocation commands associated with a first network, wherein the first network comprises a plurality of communication frequencies assigned by the communication channel allocation commands,

adapted to determine, in response to the monitoring, a set of communication frequencies that have been assigned to wireless devices associated with the first network, and

adapted to transmit, in response to the determinations, to at least one second network, a specification of unused communication frequencies within the plurality of communication frequencies.

17. The information processing system of claim 16, wherein the communication channel commands are communicated among at least some components of the first network via a wired link, and wherein the processing unit is adapted to monitor the wired link.

18. The information processing system of claim 16, wherein the processing unit is further

adapted to accept a message from at least one second network comprising a second specification of communication frequencies from the plurality of communication frequencies that are not to be used by the first network and

adapted to transmit the specification of communication frequencies that are not to be used by the first network to the first network.

19. The information processing system of claim 16, wherein the processing unit is further

adapted to determine, based on the monitoring, that the first network has allocated a communication channel within the specification of unused communication frequencies and

adapted to notify the at least one second network of an unavailability of the unused communication channel.

20. The information processing system of claim 16, wherein the processing unit is further

adapted to receive, a request from the at least one second network, to reserve at least one communication channel in the plurality of communication frequencies and

adapted to instruct the first network to reserve the at least one communication channel.