Method and Apparatus for Operating Within White Space Band Using Message Indicating Whether Available Channel Information is Valid in Wireless System

• US 20130231108A1
• Filed: 06/23/2011
• Published: 09/05/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 08/16/2010
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: LG Electronics, Inc. (LG Corporation)
• Original Assignee: LG Electronics, Inc. (LG Corporation)
• Inventors: Kim, Eunsun, Seok, Yongho
• Granted Patent: US 9,332,484 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 455/434
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 16/14 Spectrum sharing arrangements between different networks
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 48/16 Discovering, processing access restriction or access information
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 72/20 Control channels or signalling for resource management

Abstract

A method and apparatus for operating within a white space band using a message indicating whether an available channel information is valid in the wireless system are disclosed. In a method for a first station (STA) to operate as an unlicensed device which is permitted to operate on an available channel within a White Space (WS) band of a wireless system, comprises: receiving a message indicating whether an available channel information of the first STA is valid from a second STA, wherein the available channel is a channel not used by a licensed device, wherein the message includes a Map ID of a current valid available channel information; and determining whether an existing available channel information of the first STA is valid by comparing a Map ID of the existing available channel information of the first STA with the Map ID included in the received message.

Claims

1. A method for a first station (STA) to operate as an unlicensed device which is permitted to operate on an available channel within a White Space (WS) band of a wireless system, the method comprising:

receiving a message indicating whether an available channel information of the first STA is valid from a second STA, wherein the available channel is a channel not used by a licensed device and allowed for operation by a unlicensed device, wherein the message includes a Map ID of a current valid available channel information; and

determining whether an existing available channel information of the first STA is valid by comparing a Map ID of the existing available channel information of the first STA with the Map ID included in the received message.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the determination includes:

determining that the existing available channel information of the first STA is valid if the Map ID of the existing available channel information of the first STA is the same as the Map ID included in the received message; and

determining that the existing available channel information of the first STA is invalid if the Map ID of the existing available channel information of the first STA is different from the Map ID included in the received message.

3. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

requesting the second STA to transmit a valid available channel information upon determining that the existing available channel information of the first STA is invalid.

4. The method of claim 3, further comprising:

receiving the valid available channel information from the second STA.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the second STA is a STA which had provided the first STA with the existing available channel information of the first STA.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein the available channel information comprises a White Space Map (WSM).

7. The method of claim 6, wherein the Map ID, included in the received message, includes a Map version indicating a version of the WSM, and wherein a value of the Map version increases by one whenever the WSM is updated.

8. The method of claim 6, wherein the message further includes a Length field indicating the length of information included in the message in units of octets, and the Length field is set to 1.

9. The method of claim 1, wherein the message is received at a preset interval.

10. The method of claim 8, further comprising:

stopping transmitting and receiving signals in the WS band when the message is not received at the preset interval.

11. A method of a second station (STA) for controlling a first STA to operate as an unlicensed device which is permitted to operate on an available channel within a White Space (WS) band of a wireless system, the method comprising:

transmitting a message indicating whether an available channel information of the first STA is valid to the first STA, wherein the available channel is a channel not used by a licensed device, wherein the message includes a Map ID of a current valid available channel information; and

wherein the MAP ID of the current valid available channel information is used by the first STA to determine whether the existing available channel information of the first STA is invalid based on a comparison of the Map ID of the current valid available channel information to a Map ID of the existing available channel information.

12. The method of claim 11, further comprising:

receiving a request for a valid available channel information from the first STA, when the Map ID of the current valid available channel information is different from the Map ID of the existing available channel information of the first STA; and

transmitting the valid available channel information to the first STA.

13. The method of claim 11, wherein the second STA is a STA which had provided the first STA with the existing available channel information of the first STA.

14. The method of claim 11, wherein the available channel information comprises a White Space Map (WSM).

15. The method of claim 14, wherein the Map ID, included in the transmitted message, includes a Map version indicating a version of the WSM, and wherein a value of the Map version increases by one whenever the WSM is updated.

16. The method of claim 11, wherein the message further includes a Length field indicating the length of information included in the message in units of octets, and the Length field is set to 1.

17. A first station (STA) operating as an unlicensed device which is permitted to operate on an available channel within a White Space (WS) band of a wireless system, the first STA comprising:

a reception module for receiving a message indicating whether an available channel information of the first STA is valid from a second STA, wherein the available channel is a channel not used by a licensed device, wherein the message includes a Map ID of a current valid available channel information; and

a processor for determining whether an existing available channel information of the first STA is valid by comparing a Map ID of the existing available channel information of the first STA with the Map ID included in the received message.

18. A second station (STA) controlling a first STA to operate as an unlicensed device which is permitted to operate on an available channel within a White Space (WS) band of a wireless system, the second STA comprising:

a transmission module for transmitting a message indicating whether an available channel information of the first STA is valid to the first STA, wherein the available channel is a channel not used by a licensed device,

wherein the message includes a Map ID of a current valid available channel information; and

wherein the Map ID of the current valid available channel information is used by the first STA to determine whether the existing available channel information of the first STA is invalid based on a comparison of the Map ID of the current valid available channel information with a Map ID of the existing available channel information.