Peer-To-Peer Control Network For A Wireless Radio Access Network

• US 20100309806A1
• Filed: 06/04/2010
• Published: 12/09/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 06/08/2009
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company Limited
• Original Assignee: Quarterhill Inc. (f/k/a Wi-LAN Inc.)
• Inventors: Wu, Shiquan, Yee, Jung
• Granted Patent: US 8,937,872 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 370/252
• CPC Class Codes: H04H 20/423 Transmitter side
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/104 Peer-to-peer [P2P] networks
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 16/14 Spectrum sharing arrangements between different networks
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 72/0453 Resources in frequency domain, e.g. a carrier in FDMA

Abstract

A spectrum manager and base station controller for a wireless radio access network allocates TV band white space to all TV band devices under its control using: an allocation policy; information pulled/pushed from a white space database, spectrum usage data supplied by a spectrum sensing engine, and information received from at least one other peer spectrum manager and base station controller for the wireless radio access network.

Claims

1. A peer-to-peer control network for a wireless radio access network, comprising:

a peer TV band sensing engine that collects TV band spectrum occupancy information;

a peer geolocation engine that collects geolocation information from the base stations and the TV band devices in the wireless radio access network; and

a peer spectrum manager and base station controller having a communications link to a white space database server, and a processor that processes spectrum occupancy information received from the peer TV band sensing engine, the peer geolocation engine, and the white space database, and allocates white space spectrum to at least one base station and TV band devices associated with the at least one base station.

2. The peer-to-peer control network as claimed in claim 1, wherein the base station is an access point (AP).

3. The peer-to-peer control network as claimed in claim 1, wherein the spectrum manager resides on the AP.

4. The peer-to-peer control network as claimed in claim 3, wherein the spectrum manager is a standalone device that serves a plurality of APs and all TV band devices associated with the respective APs.

5. The peer-to-peer control network as claimed in claim 3, wherein the spectrum manager is functionally distributed among a plurality of the APs.

6. The peer-to-peer control network as claimed in claim 1, wherein the base station is a base transceiver station (BTS).

7. The peer-to-peer control network as claimed in claim 6, wherein the spectrum manager resides on the BTS.

8. The peer-to-peer control network as claimed in claim 5, wherein the spectrum manager is a standalone device that serves a plurality of BTSs and all TV band devices associated with the respective BTSs.

9. The peer-to-peer control network as claimed in claim 5, wherein the spectrum manager is functionally distributed among a plurality of the BTSs.

10. A method of controlling TV band white space spectrum usage by base stations of a remote wireless access network, comprising:

provisioning the remote wireless access network with a peer-to-peer control network that comprises peer spectrum manager and base station controllers respectively having a communications link to a white space database server, and a processor that processes TV band spectrum occupancy information received from peer TV Band sensing engines, peer geolocation engines, and the white space database, and allocate the TV band white space spectrum to the base stations and TV band devices associated with the base stations based on the TV band spectrum occupancy information.

11. The method as claimed in claim 10 wherein the peer spectrum managers are pushed TV band spectrum occupancy information by the white space database, and pushed TV band spectrum usage changes by their peer spectrum managers.

12. The method as claimed in claim 11 wherein the peer spectrum managers respectively determine whether TV band white space spectrum allocations for one or more base stations must be re-computed if they are pushed TV band spectrum occupancy information or TV band spectrum usage changes.

13. The method as claimed in claim 13 wherein the peer spectrum managers respectively optimize the interference environment associated with any base stations for which the TV band white space spectrum allocations were re-computed.

14. A spectrum manager and base station controller in a peer-to-peer control network for a TV band white space wireless radio access network, comprising:

a TV band white space allocation policy;

a communications link to a white space database server; and

a processor that processes spectrum occupancy information received from a peer TV band sensing engine, a peer geolocation engine, and the white space database, and allocates white space spectrum to the base station and TV band devices associated with the base station.

15. The spectrum manager and base station controller as claimed in claim 14 wherein the spectrum manager and base station controller resides on the base station it controls.

16. The spectrum manager and base station controller as claimed in claim 14 wherein the spectrum manager and base station controller is a standalone device that serves a plurality of base stations and all TV band devices associated with the respective base stations.

17. The spectrum manager and base station controller as claimed in claim 14 wherein the spectrum manager and base station controller wherein the spectrum manager is functionally distributed among a plurality of base stations in the wireless radio access network.

18. The spectrum manager and base station controller as claimed in claim 14 wherein allocation policy adheres to a Federal Communications Commission Ruling and Order respecting TV band white space usage, and the spectrum manager has the authority to shut down TV band devices and to report to higher authorities any problematic TV band device under its control.

19. The spectrum manager and base station controller as claimed in claim 14 wherein the spectrum manager and base station controller has a direct communications link with the TV band sensing engine, the TV band geolocation engine and all other spectrum manager and base station controllers in the wireless radio access network.

20. The spectrum manager and base station controller as claimed in claim 14 wherein the spectrum manager and base station controller optimizes TV band white space spectrum usage when allocating TV band white space spectrum to a base station it controls.