Cellular Wireless LAN with Frequency Division Multiplex in TV White Space

• US 20110222493A1
• Filed: 03/10/2011
• Published: 09/15/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 03/12/2010
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Disney Enterprises Incorporated (The Walt Disney Company)
• Original Assignee: Disney Enterprises Incorporated (The Walt Disney Company)
• Inventors: Gross, Markus, Mangold, Stefan, Aiello, Roberto
• Granted Patent: US 8,594,120 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 370/329
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 1/0475 with means for limiting noise, interference or distortion H04B1/0483 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 1/1027 assessing signal quality or detecting noise/interference for the received signal
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 5/0005 Time-frequency
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 5/0053 Allocation of signaling, i.e. of overhead other than pilot signals
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 5/143 for modulated signals H04L5/1469 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 16/14 Spectrum sharing arrangements between different networks
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 24/00 Supervisory, monitoring or testing arrangements
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 28/04 Error control
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 74/08 Non-scheduled access, e.g. ALOHA hybrid access H04W74/02
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 84/12 WLAN [Wireless Local Area Networks]
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 84/18 Self-organising networks, e.g. ad-hoc networks or sensor networks

Abstract

Systems, methods, and devices for operating a multiplex wireless local area network using separated uplink and downlink channels in the 802.11 and television white space (TVWS) spectra are disclosed. Opportunistic detection and use of available TVWS frequency channels allows for fixed and mobile wireless devices to more efficiently use the available wireless bandwidth. By using separated uplink and downlink channels, a fixed wireless device can listen to incoming uplink frames from other mobile and fixed wireless devices and monitor for uplink frame collisions. In the event of an uplink frame collision, the fixed wireless device can immediately send a stop frame in the downlink channel to all involved wireless devices to avoid lost channel time due to the delay caused by most acknowledgement-based collision recovery protocols. Similarly, communicating mobile and fixed wireless devices can transmit and receive data frames in both directions simultaneously.

Claims

1. A method for operating a first wireless device as part of a wireless frequency division multiplexed communication system comprising:

detecting a first unused frequency channel using the first wireless device;

transmitting an uplink frame with listen-before-talk protocol on the first unused frequency channel using the first wireless device; and

receiving a downlink frame using the first wireless device, from a second wireless device on a second unused frequency channel independent of activity on the first unused frequency channel.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the first unused frequency channel comprises an 802.11 frequency channel or a television white space frequency channel or a mobile/cellular channel in licensed paired spectrum.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein the method further comprises detecting a second unused frequency channel using the first wireless device, and the second unused frequency channel comprises an 802.11 frequency channel or a television white space frequency channel or a mobile/cellular channel in licensed paired spectrum.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein receiving the downlink frame on the second unused frequency channel comprises receiving a stop frame from the second wireless device before the first wireless device completes transmitting the uplink frame.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the first and second frequency channels are separated by at least predefined frequency multiplex gap.

6. A method for communicating between a fixed wireless device and a mobile device, wherein the fixed wireless device is a device configured to be normally stationary when in use and wherein the mobile wireless device is a device configured to be normally usable while moving or not moving without requiring reconfiguration between moving and not moving, the method comprising:

detecting a first unused frequency channel using the fixed wireless device; and

transmitting a downlink frame on the first unused frequency channel using the fixed wireless device.

7. The method of claim 6, wherein the method further comprises detecting a second unused frequency channel using the fixed wireless device, and wherein the first unused frequency channel comprises an 802.11 frequency channel or a television white space frequency channel or a mobile/cellular channel in licensed paired spectrum and wherein the second unused frequency channel comprises an 802.11 frequency channel or a television white space frequency channel or a mobile/cellular channel in licensed paired spectrum.

8. The method of claim 6, wherein transmitting the downlink frame on the first unused frequency channel comprises transmitting a stop frame from the fixed wireless device before receiving the complete uplink frame from the mobile wireless device.

9. The method of claim 6, wherein the first and second frequency channels are separated by at least a predefined frequency multiplex gap.

10. The method of claim 6, wherein the first unused frequency channel is between two other unused frequency channels.

11. The method of claim 6, the method further comprising detecting a second unused frequency channel and a third unused frequency channel using the fixed wireless device.

12. The method of claim 11 further comprising receiving an first uplink frame at the fixed wireless device from a first mobile wireless device on the second unused frequency channel and receiving a second uplink frame at the fixed wireless device on the third unused frequency channel from a second mobile wireless device.

13. A fixed wireless device comprising:

a transmitter;

a receiver; and

a memory comprising computer executable code that when executed performs a method comprising;

detecting a first unused frequency channel using the receiver; and

transmitting a downlink frame on the first unused frequency channel using the transmitter.

14. The fixed wireless device of claim 13, wherein the method further comprises detecting a second unused frequency channel using the receiver, and wherein the first unused frequency channel comprises an 802.11 frequency channel or a television white space frequency channel or a mobile/cellular channel in licensed paired spectrum and wherein the second unused frequency channel comprises an 802.11 frequency channel or a television white space frequency channel or a mobile/cellular channel in licensed paired spectrum.

15. The fixed wireless device of claim 14 wherein the method further comprises receiving an uplink frame at the receiver from a mobile wireless device on the second unused frequency channel while transmitting the downlink frame on the first unused frequency channel using the transmitter.

16. The fixed wireless device of claim 13 wherein transmitting the downlink frame on the first unused frequency channel comprises transmitting a stop frame from the transmitter before receiving the complete uplink frame from the mobile wireless device at the receiver.

17. A wireless local area network system comprising the fixed wireless device of claim 13 and operating on an 802.11 frequency channel or a television white space frequency channel or a mobile/cellular channel in licensed paired spectrum.