CHANNEL MANAGEMENT METHOD IN A DISTRIBUTED SPECTRUM COGNITIVE RADIO NETWORK

• US 20100271948A1
• Filed: 12/05/2008
• Published: 10/28/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 12/06/2007
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Koninklijke Philips Electronics N.V. (Koninklijke Philips N.V.)
• Original Assignee: Koninklijke Philips Electronics N.V. (Koninklijke Philips N.V.)
• Inventors: Wang, Jianfeng, Challapali, Kiran S.
• Granted Patent: US 8,451,751 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 370/235
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 16/14 Spectrum sharing arrangements between different networks
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 36/06 Reselecting a communication resource in the serving access point
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 72/542 using measured or perceived quality

Abstract

A source-assisted channel management method in a distributed spectrum cognitive radio wireless network handling a source of multimedia stream data handles a plurality of communicating devices (1, 2, 3) forming a group, and manages channels with no separate controller that is referenced in applicable IEEE standard. The source makes the reservation on behalf of the device group knows traffic schedule, and determines out-of-band channel scanning, back up channel and channel vacation. The method uses a flexible MAC superframe structure and proactively scans for back-up channels which could be used in lieu of the current channel, identifies devices in the group which should vacate a current channel when any one device from the group of communicating devices (1, 2, 3) detects an incumbent, and make a determination as to when the wireless network should vacate the current channel based on said traffic schedule. The method ensures that no interference is caused to existing users and maintains QoS.

Claims

1. A source assisted channel management method in a distributed spectrum cognitive radio wireless network handling a source of multimedia stream data using a current channel and having a plurality of communicating devices forming a group, the method comprising the steps of:

configuring said source of multimedia stream to track traffic schedule of said data;

proactively scanning for back-up channels which could be used in lieu of the current channel;

identifying certain communicating devices (1, 2, 3) in the network which should vacate a current channel when any one device from the group of communicating devices detects an incumbent, and make a determination as to when the wireless network should vacate the current channel based on said traffic schedule; and

,

ensuring that no interference is caused to existing users and QoS is maintained.

2. The source assisted channel management method as in claim 1 wherein said plurality of communicating devices is a pair of source and destination devices.

3. The source assisted channel management method as in claim 1 wherein said plurality of communicating devices (1, 2, 3) is a multicast broadcast group of devices.

4. The source assisted channel management method as in claim 1 wherein within the plurality of communicating devices, one source device for multimedia content is configured to act as a controller for all remaining of the plurality of communicating devices.

5. The source assisted channel management method as in claim 4 wherein said one source device is further configured to be aware of transmission, reception and sensing times of all the devices in the plurality of communicating devices.

6. The source assisted channel management method as in claim 5 wherein said one source device is additionally configured to request devices within the group of devices to visit other channels when not busy to know any channel activity and to proactively select back up channels for the group of devices.

7. The source assisted channel management method as in claim 4 wherein when one of the devices in the group detects an incumbent device, the method includes reporting to all of the devices in the group, including the source device.

8. The source assisted channel management method as in claim 7 including the step of said one of the devices vacating the channel within a few superframes.

9. The source assisted channel management method as in claim 7 including the step of the source device queuing up said multimedia stream so that no disruption is caused.

10. The source assisted channel management method as in claim 8 including the step wherein other devices in the channel can make an independent decision whether to vacate or not.

11. A source assisted channel management method in a distributed spectrum cognitive radio wireless network handling a source of multimedia stream data using a current channel and having a plurality of communicating devices (1, 23) forming a group, without using a separate controller that is referenced in applicable IEEE standard, the method comprising the steps of:

configuring said source of multimedia stream to track traffic schedule of said data;

proactively scanning for back-up channels which could be used in lieu of the current channel;

identifying certain communicating devices in the network which should vacate a current channel when any one device from the group of communicating devices detects an incumbent, and make a determination as to when the wireless network should vacate the current channel based on said traffic schedule; and

,

ensuring that no interference is caused to existing users and QoS is maintained.

12. The source assisted channel management method as in claim 11 wherein said plurality of communicating devices is a pair of source and destination devices.

13. The source assisted channel management method as in claim 11 wherein said plurality of communicating devices (1, 2, 3) is a multicast broadcast group of devices.

14. The source assisted channel management method as in claim 11 wherein within the plurality of communicating devices, one source device for multimedia content is configured to act as a controller for all remaining of the plurality of communicating devices.

15. The source assisted channel management method as in claim 14 wherein said one source device is further configured to be aware of transmission, reception and sensing times of all the devices in the plurality of communicating devices.

16. The source assisted channel management method as in claim 15 wherein said one source device is additionally configured to request devices within the group of devices to visit other channels when not busy to know any channel activity and to proactively select back up channels for the group of devices.

17. The source assisted channel management method as in claim 14 wherein when one of the devices in the group detects an incumbent device, the method includes reporting to all of the devices in the group, including the source device.

18. The source assisted channel management method as in claim 17 including the step of said one of the devices vacating the channel within a few superframes.

19. The source assisted channel management method as in claim 17 including the step of the source device queuing up said multimedia stream so that no disruption is caused.

20. A channel management method in a distributed spectrum cognitive radio wireless network handling a source of multimedia stream data using a current channel and having a plurality of communicating devices (1, 2, 3) forming a group, without using a separate controller that is referenced in applicable IEEE standard, the method comprising the steps of:

configuring said source of multimedia stream to track traffic schedule of said data;

proactively scanning for back-up channels which could be used in lieu of the current channel;

identifying certain communicating devices in the network which should vacate a current channel when any one device from the group of communicating devices detects an incumbent, and make a determination as to when the wireless network should vacate the current channel based on said traffic schedule;

ensuring that no interference is caused to existing users and QoS is maintained,

the method using a signaling window for exchanging network entry messages and channel reservation requests;

the method including the step of synchronizing the devices to resume transmission in a selected back-up channel after channel switch, retaining for the selected back-up channel unchanged settings/states as used in said current channel.