METHODS AND APPARATUSES FOR CHANNEL SELECTION

• US 20110255487A1
• Filed: 10/15/2010
• Published: 10/20/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 02/03/2010
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Qualcomm, Inc.
• Original Assignee: Qualcomm, Inc.
• Inventors: Jones, Vincent Knowles, Sampath, Hemanth, Taghavi Nasrabadi, Mohammad Hossein, Jain, Avinash
• Granted Patent: US 8,861,446 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 370/329
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 7/0695 using beam selection
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 7/088 using beam selection
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 72/046 the resource being in the space domain, e.g. beams
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 72/542 using measured or perceived quality
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 84/18 Self-organising networks, e.g. ad-hoc networks or sensor networks

Abstract

Various methods and apparatuses for channel selection based on energy levels are disclosed. In one aspect, an apparatus for communication is disclosed, the apparatus comprising a processing system configured to determine, for each of one or more channels, a plurality of energy levels of a respective plurality of signals received via a respective plurality of beam directions and to select one of the channels based on the determined energy levels and a transceiver configured to communicate over the selected channel.

Claims

1. A method of communicating, the method comprising:

determining, for each of one or more channels, a plurality of energy levels of a respective plurality of signals received via a respective plurality of beam directions;

selecting one of the channels based on the determined energy levels; and

communicating over the selected channel.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein selecting one of the channels comprises:

determining, for each of the one or more channels, one or more values based on the determined energy levels; and

comparing one or more of the values to one or more thresholds.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein, determining, for each of the one or more channels, the one or more values comprises determining, for each of the one or more channels, at least one of the highest of the determined energy levels, the second highest of the determined energy levels, the lowest of the determined energy levels, or a value based on a cumulative density function of the determined energy levels.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein selecting one of the channels comprises:

determining one or more values based on at least two of the plurality of energy levels; and

comparing one or more of the values to one or more noise-independent values.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein selecting one of the channels comprises selecting one or more of the plurality of beam directions, and wherein communicating over the selected channel comprises communicating over the selected beam directions.

6. The method of claim 5, wherein selecting one or more of the plurality of beam directions is based on the determined energy levels which are less than or equal to a threshold.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein communicating comprises transmitting data indicative of the selected channel.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein determining comprises determining a plurality of sub-interval energy levels for each of a respective plurality of sub-intervals, wherein one of the determined energy levels is the maximum of the sub-interval energy levels.

9. The method of claim 8, where each of the sub-intervals is less than or equal to a period of transmission in a transmit beam direction of an interfering apparatus.

10. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

determining a quasi-omni energy level for a particular channel of the one or more channels; and

determining that the particular channel may be available based on the quasi-omni energy level.

11. An apparatus for communicating, the apparatus comprising:

a processing system configured to determine, for each of one or more channels, a plurality of energy levels of a respective plurality of signals received via a respective plurality of beam directions and to select one of the channels based on the determined energy levels; and

a transceiver configured to communicate over the selected channel.

12. The apparatus of claim 11, wherein the processing system is configured to determine, for each of the one or more channels, one or more values based on the determined energy levels and to compare one or more of the values to one or more thresholds.

13. The apparatus of claim 12, wherein, the processing system is configured to determine, for each of the one or more channels, at least one of the highest of the determined energy levels, the second highest of the determined energy levels, the lowest of the determined energy levels, or a value based on a cumulative density function of the determined energy levels.

14. The apparatus of claim 11, wherein the processing system is configured to determine one or more values based on at least two of the plurality of energy levels and to compare one or more of the values to one or more noise-independent values.

15. The apparatus of claim 11, wherein the processing system is configured to select one or more of the plurality of beam directions, and wherein the transceiver is configured to communicate over the selected beam directions.

16. The apparatus of claim 15, wherein the processing system is configured to select one or more of the plurality of beam directions based on the determined energy levels which are less than or equal to a threshold.

17. The apparatus of claim 11, wherein the transceiver is configured to transmit data indicative of the selected channel.

18. The apparatus of claim 11, wherein the processing system is configured to determine one of the plurality of energy levels as the maximum of a plurality of sub-interval energy levels determined for each of a respective plurality of sub-intervals.

19. The apparatus of claim 18, wherein each of the sub-intervals is less than or equal to a period of transmission in a transmit beam direction of an interfering apparatus.

20. The apparatus of claim 11, wherein in the processing system is configured to determine a quasi-omni energy level for a particular channel of the one or more channels and determine that the particular channel may be available based on the quasi-omni energy level.

21. An apparatus for communicating, the apparatus comprising:

means for determining, for each of one or more channels, a plurality of energy levels of a respective plurality of signals received via a respective plurality of beam directions;

means for selecting one of the channels based on the determined energy levels; and

means for communicating over the selected channel.

22. The apparatus of claim 21, wherein the means for selecting comprises:

means for determining, for each of the one or more channels, one or more values based on the determined energy levels; and

means for comparing one or more of the values to one or more thresholds.

23. The apparatus of claim 22, wherein, the means for determining, for each of the one or more channels, the one or more values comprises means for determining, for each of the one or more channels, at least one of the highest of the determined energy levels, the second highest of the determined energy levels, the lowest of the determined energy levels, or a value based on a cumulative density function of the determined energy levels.

24. The apparatus of claim 21, wherein the means for selecting comprises:

means for determining one or more values based on at least two of the plurality of energy levels; and

means for comparing one or more of the values to one or more noise-independent values.

25. The apparatus of claim 21, wherein the means for selecting comprises means for selecting one or more of the plurality of beam directions, and wherein the means for communicating over the selected channel comprises means for communicating over the selected beam directions.

26. The apparatus of claim 25, wherein the means for selecting one or more of the plurality of beam directions comprises means for selecting one or more of the plurality of beam directions based on the determined energy levels which are less than or equal to a threshold.

27. The apparatus of claim 21, wherein the means for communicating comprises means for transmitting data indicative of the selected channel.

28. The apparatus of claim 21, wherein the means for determining comprises means for determining a plurality of sub-interval energy levels for each of a respective plurality of sub-intervals, wherein one of the determined energy levels is the maximum of the sub-interval energy levels.

29. The apparatus of claim 28, where each of the sub-intervals is less than or equal to a period of transmission in a transmit beam direction of an interfering apparatus.

30. The apparatus of claim 21, further comprising:

means for determining a quasi-omni energy level for a particular channel of the one or more channels; and

means for determining that the particular channel may be available based on the quasi-omni energy level.

31. A computer program product for communication comprising a computer readable medium comprising instructions that when executed cause an apparatus to:

determine, for each of one or more channels, a plurality of energy levels of a respective plurality of signals received via a respective plurality of beam directions;

select one of the channels based on the determined energy levels; and

communicate over the selected channel.

32. A wireless node comprising:

at least one antenna configured to receive a plurality of wireless signals via a respective plurality of beam directions;

a processing system configured to determine, for each of one or more channels, a plurality of respective energy levels for the plurality of wireless signals received via the at least one antenna and to select one of the channels based on the determined energy levels; and

a transceiver configured to communicate, via the at least one antenna, over the selected channel.