Method and System for Dynamic Spectrum Access Using Specialty Detectors and Improved Networking

• US 20100075704A1
• Filed: 08/19/2009
• Published: 03/25/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 08/19/2008
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Shared Spectrum Company
• Original Assignee: Shared Spectrum Company
• Inventors: Zhao, Youping, Erpek, Tugba, Nguyen, Thao T.N., McHenry, Mark Allen, Steadman, Karl N., Ritterbush, Olga K.
• Granted Patent: US 8,818,283 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 455/509
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 7/022 Site diversity; Macro-diversity using two or more spaced independent antennas H04B7/04
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 16/14 Spectrum sharing arrangements between different networks
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 72/541 using the level of interference

Abstract

Methods and systems for dynamic spectrum access (DSA) in a wireless network are provided. A DSA-enabled device may sense spectrum use in a region and, based on the detected spectrum use, select one or more communication channels for use. The devices also may detect one or more other DSA-enabled devices with which they can form DSA networks. A DSA network may monitor spectrum use by cooperative and non-cooperative devices, to dynamically select one or more channels to use for communication while avoiding or reducing interference with other devices.

Claims

1. A dynamic spectrum access-enabled device comprising:

at least one receiver to take a plurality of measurements of potential signals in a plurality of propagation channels;

a processor configured to calculate a metric of the measurements taken by said at least one receiver in the plurality of channels; and

a circuit configured to compare the metric calculated by said processor to a threshold and, based on the comparison, to identify the presence or absence of a non-cooperative signal in the channel.

2. The device of claim 1, wherein the metric calculated by the processor is the mode spread of a singular value decomposition of the measurements.

3. The device of claim 1, said at least one receiver comprising a plurality of antennas, each antenna to take measurements of potential signals in one of the plurality of propagation channels.

4. The device of claim 1, wherein each of the propagation channels is selected from a group consisting of one or more of spatial, temporal, polarization, and spectral domains.

5. The device of claim 1, wherein the dynamic spectrum access-enabled device is a base station.

6. The device of claim 1, wherein said receiver, said processor, said circuit, or a combination thereof provides a sensitivity enhancement of at least about 10-15 dB.

7. In a dynamic spectrum access-device, a method of detecting a non-cooperative signal comprising:

obtaining a plurality of measurements of potential signals in a plurality of propagation channels;

calculating a metric of the measurements; and

determining whether the channel contains a non-cooperative signal based on a comparison of the calculated metric to a threshold value.

8. The method of claim 7, wherein the plurality of measurements are obtained from at least one antenna in the dynamic spectrum access-enabled device.

9. The method of claim 7, wherein said obtaining step comprises obtaining a plurality of measurements of potential signals in a plurality of propagation channels from at least one antenna.

10. The method of claim 9, said obtaining step further comprising obtaining the plurality of measurements from a plurality of antennas, each antenna making measurements in one of the propagation channels.

11. The method of claim 7, wherein the metric is a mode spread of a singular value decomposition of the measurements.

12. The method of claim 7, wherein the dynamic spectrum access-enabled device is a base station.

13. The method of claim 7, wherein each of the propagation channels is selected from a group consisting of one or more of spatial, temporal, polarization, and spectral domains.

14. In a dynamic spectrum access-enabled device, a method of detecting a non-cooperative signal having a carrier bandwidth of BW_Carrier and a signal bandwidth of BW_WM, said method comprising:

applying a filter having a bandwidth of about BW_Carrier to energy detected in a frequency range to obtain a plurality of energy measurements;

determining a maximum energy measurement from the plurality of energy measurements; and

determining whether the non-cooperative signal occurs in the frequency range based on the maximum energy measurement by comparing the maximum energy measurement to a threshold.

15. The method of claim 14, further comprising performing said step of applying a filter for a period of time at a rate of about 1/BW_Carrier to obtain a plurality of energy measurements, where BW_Carrier is an unmodulated carrier bandwidth of the non-cooperative signal.

16. The method of claim 14, wherein the non-cooperative signal is a wireless microphone signal.

17. The method of claim 14, further comprising the step of classifying the availability of a channel for use by the dynamic spectrum access-enabled device based on the presence or absence of a signal in the frequency range.

18. A device comprising:

a detector configured to apply a filter having a bandwidth of about BW_Carrier to energy detected in a frequency range to obtain a plurality of energy measurements, where BW_Carrier is a carrier bandwidth of a non-cooperative signal;

a first circuit configured to determine a maximum energy measurement from the plurality of energy measurements; and

a second circuit configured to determine whether the non-cooperative signal occurs in the frequency range based on the maximum energy measurement by comparing the maximum energy measurement to a threshold.

19. The device of claim 18, said detector further configured to apply the filter for a period of time at a rate of about 1/BW_Carrier to obtain a plurality of energy measurements, where BW_Carrier is an unmodulated carrier bandwidth of the non-cooperative signal.

20. The device of claim 18, wherein the non-cooperative signal is a wireless microphone signal.

21. The device of claim 18, further comprising a dynamic spectrum access-enabled device.

22. The device of claim 18, wherein said detector provides a sensitivity enhancement of at least about 10-20 dB.

23. A method of operating a dynamic spectrum access-enabled device, said method comprising:

operating a detector to detect a non-cooperative signal in a first channel, the detector comprising an amplitude probability distribution (APD) detector, a locally-optimum Bayesian detector (LOBD), or a combination thereof; and

selecting a channel for use by the dynamic spectrum access-enabled device based on the presence or absence of the non-cooperative signal in the first channel as determined by the detector.

24. A device comprising:

a dynamic spectrum access module to coordinate communication with at least one cooperative dynamic spectrum access-enabled device; and

a detector comprising an amplitude probability distribution (APD) detector, a locally-optimum Bayesian detector (LOBD), or a combination thereof.

25. A dynamic spectrum access (DSA)-enabled device configured to communicate concurrently with a second DSA-enabled device in a first DSA-enabled network and a third DSA-enabled device in a second DSA-enabled network.

26. The device of claim 25, wherein the DSA-enabled device operates as a base station in the first DSA-enabled network and as a subscriber unit in the second DSA-enabled network.

27. The device of claim 25, wherein the DSA-enabled device operates as a subscriber unit in each of the first and the second DSA-enabled networks.

28. The device of claim 25, wherein the DSA-enabled device is configured to route packets between the first and the second DSA-enabled networks.

29. The device of claim 25, wherein the DSA-enabled device comprises a first transceiver to communicate with the first DSA-enabled network and a second transceiver to communicate with the second DSA-enabled network.

30. The device of claim 25, further comprising a policy module to store a first policy associated with the first network that specifies operation of the device in the first network and a second policy associated with the second network that specifies operation of the device in the second network.

31. The device of claim 25, wherein the device is configured to provide a subset of coordinating device roles for the first network, the second network, or both, the subset being less than the set of roles available to the device.

32. A dynamic spectrum access-enabled device comprising:

a first transceiver to operate on a first channel in a first dynamic spectrum access-enabled network; and

a second transceiver to operate on a second channel in a second dynamic spectrum access-enabled network, the second channel being different than the first channel.

33. The device of claim 32, wherein the first network controls selection of the first channel, and the second network controls selection of the second channel.

34. The device of claim 32, further comprising a policy module to store a first policy associated with the first network that specifies operation of the device in the first network and a second policy associated with the second network that specifies operation of the device in the second network.

35. The device of claim 32, wherein the device operates as a base station in the first DSA-enabled network and as a subscriber unit in the second DSA-enabled network.

36. The device of claim 32, wherein the device operates as a subscriber unit in each of the first and the second DSA-enabled networks.

37. The device of claim 32, wherein the device is configured to route packets between the first and the second DSA-enabled networks.

38. A system comprising:

a plurality of dynamic spectrum access-enabled devices including devices from a plurality of non-cooperative dynamic spectrum access-enabled networks, each of the plurality of devices configured to refrain from transmitting during a first time period, the first time period being synchronized among the plurality of devices; and

at least one of the plurality of devices including a sensor module to detect spectrum use by a device not in the plurality of devices that is non-cooperative with each of the networks during the first time period, and to detect spectrum use by a cooperative device not in said plurality of devices during a second time period, the second time period not coinciding with the first time period.

39. The system of claim 38, wherein each of said devices does not transmit data other than control data to devices in any of the other of the plurality of non-cooperative networks.

40. The system of claim 38, wherein the device that is non-cooperative with each of the networks is a primary device relative to the plurality of networks.

41. A dynamic spectrum access (DSA)-enabled device comprising:

a first circuit causing the device to refrain from transmitting during a first time period, the first time period being synchronized among a plurality of other DSA-enabled devices in a plurality of dynamic spectrum-access enabled networks, each network being non-cooperative with at least one of the other networks; and

a second circuit to sense at least one channel to detect spectrum use by at least one cooperative DSA-enabled device during a second time period, the second time period not coinciding with the first time period.

42. A method of coordinating dynamic spectrum access, the method comprising:

scheduling a first time period during which a plurality of devices in a plurality of dynamic spectrum access networks refrain from transmitting, the first time period being synchronized among the plurality of devices; and

during a second time period, sensing at least one channel to detect spectrum use by at least one cooperative device not in the plurality of devices on the at least one channel, the second time period not coinciding with the first time period.

43. The method of claim 42, wherein each network is non-cooperative with at least one of the other networks.