APPARATUS AND ASSOCIATED METHODS

• US 20110143761A1
• Filed: 12/11/2009
• Published: 06/16/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 12/11/2009
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Nokia Technologies Oy (Nokia Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Nokia Corporation
• Inventors: Rantalainen, Timo, Uusitalo, Mikko A., Rinne-Rahkola, Pasi, Ahtiainen, Ari
• Granted Patent: US 10,172,114 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 455/450
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 16/14 Spectrum sharing arrangements between different networks
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 64/006 with additional information processing, e.g. for direction or speed determination
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 72/02 Selection of wireless resources by user or terminal

Abstract

This document describes an apparatus for providing an advance indication of channels available for use by a mobile device travelling along a geographic path. The path extends across two or more cells, with each cell defining a particular set of radio channels available for use by the mobile device in that cell. The apparatus is configured to receive predicted geographic path signalling associated with prediction of the geographic path to be taken by the mobile device. The apparatus is also configured to determine radio channels available for use by the mobile device along that path. The apparatus is also configured to provide, in advance, an indication of the radio channels available for use by the mobile device along the geographic path in each respective cell along the path.

Claims

1. An apparatus configured to:

receive predicted geographic path signalling associated with prediction of a geographic path to be taken by a mobile device, the path extending across two or more cells, each cell defining a particular set of radio channels available for use by the mobile device in that cell;

determine one or more radio channels available for use by the mobile device along the path; and

provide, in advance, an indication of the one or more radio channels available for use by the mobile device along the geographic path in each respective cell along the path.

2. The apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the apparatus is configured to:

determine one or more radio channels available for use by the mobile device that are common to a plurality of the cells that the path extends across; and

provide, in advance, an indication of the one or more common radio channels available for use by the mobile device along the geographic path in the plurality of cells along the path.

3. The apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the predicted geographic path signalling provides an indication of one or more of:

a motion vector of the mobile device, a probable route of the mobile device, a user defined geographic path to be taken, a pre-determined route of the mobile device, a pre-determined destination of the mobile device, and an initial location of the mobile device.

4. The apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the predicted geographic path signalling indicates a predicted geographic path that is at least a portion of a longer journey.

5. The apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the apparatus is configured to provide the indication of the one or more channels available for use in advance of the mobile device moving along the geographic path, or when the device is in a cell corresponding to an initial part of the path.

6. The apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the apparatus is configured to, for a locally defined network comprising a particular plurality of mobile devices, one of which is configured to act as a master node for the other mobile devices of the network:

receive predicted geographic path signalling associated with the prediction of the geographic path to be taken by the master node mobile device of the locally defined network,

determine one or more radio channels available for use by the master node mobile device of the network along the path; and

provide, in advance, an indication of the one or more radio channels available for use by the master node mobile device of the network along the geographic path in each respective cell along the path, the indication for use by the master node mobile device to define the channels available for use by the other mobile devices of the network.

7. The apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the apparatus is configured to consider the number of changes in channel selection as the device is to travel along the predicted path to minimise one or more:

channel availability requests, and power consumption by the mobile device.

8. The apparatus according to claim 7, wherein the apparatus is configured to provide an advance indication of one or more channels available for use by the mobile device that corresponds to minimising one or more of:

channel availability requests, channel switches between respective cells, power consumption by the mobile device. bandwidth use by the mobile device and/or the apparatus itself.

9. The apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the path extends across two or more adjacent cells.

10. The apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the cells are representative of one or more of:

cells of a cellular mobile telephone network, cells/geographical regions of a white-space device database, and cells/geographical regions of a television broadcast network.

11. The apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the apparatus is configured for identification of available white-space channels for one or more mobile white-space devices, wherein the mobile device is a mobile white-space device, and wherein the cells define a particular set of white-space radio channels available for use by a mobile white-space device in respective cells.

12. The apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the cells define a particular set of unlicensed radio channels available for use by a mobile device in that cell.

13. The apparatus according to claim 12, wherein the unlicensed radio channels may be defined as unlicensed or unauthorised for use by one or more of:

a particular radio network (e.g. 2G, 2.5G, 3G, GSM, TDMA, WCDMA, CDMA, WLAN etc), a particular radio network operator, a particular device or radio network user, a particular mobile device owner, a particular user of a network of mobile devices, a TV broadcaster/transmitter/receiver.

14. The apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the apparatus is configured to determine the prediction of a geographic path to be taken by a mobile device.

15. The apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the apparatus is one or more of a mobile device, a network server, or a module/processor thereof.

16. The apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the in advance indication is provided in advance of one or more of the device moving to another cell in the predicted geographic path, whilst the device is in the first cell in which the prediction is made, before the device has begun travelling along the predicted geographic path.

17. A method comprising:

receiving predicted geographic path signalling associated with prediction of a geographic path to be taken by a mobile device, the path extending across two or more cells, each cell defining a particular set of radio channels available for use by the mobile device in that cell;

determining one or more radio channels available for use by the mobile device along the path; and

providing, in advance, an indication of the one or more radio channels available for use by the mobile device along the geographic path in each respective cell along the path.

18. The method according to claim 17, wherein the method comprises, for a locally defined network comprising a particular plurality of mobile devices, one of which is configured to act as a master node for the other mobile devices of the network:

providing predicted geographic path signalling associated with the prediction of the geographic path to be taken by the master node mobile device of the locally defined network,

determining one or more radio channels available for use by the master node mobile device of the network along the path; and

providing, in advance, an indication of the one or more radio channels available for use by the master node mobile device of the network along the geographic path in each respective cell along the path, the indication for use by the master node mobile device to define the channels available for use by the other mobile devices of the network.

19. A computer readable medium comprising computer code stored thereon, the computer code configured to, when run, perform the method of claim 18.