Method, apparatus and computer program for sensing spectrum in a cognitive radio environment
First Claim
1. A method comprising:
- searching a wideband spectrum with a first resolution to identify bandwidth slices having low or no signal levels;
searching the identified bandwidth slices with a second resolution that is higher than the first resolution and selecting as candidate frequency slices those bandwidth slices having least signal levels after the second resolution searching;
executing a spectrum detection algorithm on at least one of the selected candidate frequency slices and deciding that it has sufficiently free spectrum; and
transmitting in the decided candidate frequency slice.
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Accused Products
Abstract
To find frequency slots over which a cognitive radio can send an opportunistic transmission, a wideband spectrum is searched with a lower resolution to identify bandwidth slices having low or no signal levels. The identified bandwidth slices are searched with a higher resolution and candidate frequency slices are selected as those bandwidth slices having the least signal levels after the higher resolution searching, and ranked from the lowest signal level to the highest. A spectrum detection algorithm is executed on the selected candidate frequency slices in the order of the rank until it is decided that one of them has sufficiently free spectrum. A transmission is then opportunistically sent on the decided candidate frequency slice. Ongoing to the searching, intermittent signals are detected and a band about them is searched with the lower resolution to determine if the band about the detected intermittent signal is an identified bandwidth slice. Various techniques are shown for how the fine search is conducted.
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Citations
30 Claims
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1. A method comprising:
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searching a wideband spectrum with a first resolution to identify bandwidth slices having low or no signal levels; searching the identified bandwidth slices with a second resolution that is higher than the first resolution and selecting as candidate frequency slices those bandwidth slices having least signal levels after the second resolution searching; executing a spectrum detection algorithm on at least one of the selected candidate frequency slices and deciding that it has sufficiently free spectrum; and transmitting in the decided candidate frequency slice. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10)
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11. An apparatus comprising:
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a coarse power detector configured to search a wideband spectrum with a first resolution to identify bandwidth slices having low or no signal levels; a fine power detector configured to search the identified bandwidth slices with a second resolution that is higher than the first resolution and to select as candidate frequency slices those bandwidth slices having least signal levels after the second resolution searching; a spectrum detector configured to execute a spectrum detection algorithm on at least one of the selected candidate frequency slices; a processor configured to decide that the at least one of the selected candidate frequency slices has sufficiently free spectrum; and a transmitter configured to transmit in the decided candidate frequency slice. - View Dependent Claims (12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20, 21)
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22. A computer readable memory embodying a program of machine-readable instructions executable by a digital data processor to perform actions directed toward searching spectrum for a frequency band available for transmission, the actions comprising:
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searching a wideband spectrum with a first resolution to identify bandwidth slices having low or no signal levels; searching the identified bandwidth slices with a second resolution that is higher than the first resolution and selecting as candidate frequency slices those bandwidth slices having least signal levels after the second resolution searching; and executing a spectrum detection algorithm on at least one of the selected candidate frequency slices and deciding that it has sufficiently free spectrum. - View Dependent Claims (23, 24, 25, 26, 27, 28, 29)
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30. An apparatus comprising:
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first searching means for searching a wideband spectrum with a first resolution to identify bandwidth slices having low or no signal levels; second searching means for searching the identified bandwidth slices with a second resolution that is higher than the first resolution and selecting as candidate frequency slices those bandwidth slices having least signal levels after the second resolution searching; detect means for detecting spectrum of at least one of the selected candidate frequency slices; processing means for deciding that the at least one of the selected candidate frequency slices has sufficiently free spectrum; and transmit means for transmitting in the decided candidate frequency slice.
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Specification