SYSTEM AND METHOD FOR IDENTIFYING AND MANAGING OVERLAPPING SPECTRUM USE

• US 20140073259A1
• Filed: 09/12/2012
• Published: 03/13/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 09/12/2012
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Qualcomm, Inc.
• Original Assignee: Spectrum Bridge, Inc.
• Inventors: Schmidt, Jeffrey C., Joslyn, Don, Evans, Thomas C.
• Granted Patent: US 8,824,970 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 455/63.3
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 16/10 Dynamic resource partitioning
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 16/14 Spectrum sharing arrangements between different networks
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 64/00 Locating users or terminals or network equipment for network management purposes, e.g. mobility management

Abstract

A spectrum use assessment server receives spectrum use data from each of plural electronic devices. The spectrum use data from each electronic device includes at least location of the electronic device and operating channel of the electronic device. The server determines a spectrum use coverage area of each electronic device and identifies an overlap in the coverage areas in which two or more of the electronic devices engage in competing spectrum use.

Claims

1. A spectrum use assessment server, comprising:

a communications interface over which spectrum use data is received from each of plural electronic devices, the spectrum use data from each electronic device including at least location of the electronic device and operating channel of the electronic device; and

a processor that executes logical instructions to;

determine a spectrum use coverage area of each electronic device; and

identify an overlap in the coverage areas in which two or more of the electronic devices engage in competing spectrum use.

2. The spectrum use assessment server of claim 1, wherein the spectrum use assessment server notifies the electronic devices that are engaged in competing spectrum use of the competing spectrum use.

3. The spectrum use assessment server of claim 1, wherein the processor additionally executes logical instructions to identify a change in spectrum use for one of the electronic devices engaged in the competing spectrum use that will reduce or eliminate the competing spectrum use and transmit information to the one of the electronic devices with the communications interface that enables the one of the electronic devices to implement the identified change in spectrum use.

4. The spectrum use assessment server of claim 3, wherein the identified change in spectrum use is a change in channel used for wireless communications.

5. The spectrum use assessment server of claim 3, wherein the information transmitted to the one of the electronic devices is a channel map of channels available for wireless communications in the location of the electronic device.

6. The spectrum use assessment server of claim 5, wherein the channel map is ranked in accordance with likelihood of causing competing spectrum use.

7. The spectrum use assessment server of claim 3, wherein the identified change in spectrum use is a change in transmit power for the one of the electronic devices.

8. The spectrum use assessment server of claim 3, wherein the identified change in spectrum use is use of a spectrum sharing protocol under which two or more of the electronic devices use the same channel.

9. The spectrum use assessment server of claim 1, wherein the competing spectrum use is a result of at least two of the electronic devices using the same channel for wireless communications.

10. The spectrum use assessment server of claim 1, wherein the competing spectrum use is a result of use of a channel by a low-power electronic device on which there are substantial out-of-band emissions affecting induced noise floor.

11. The spectrum use assessment server of claim 1, wherein the competing spectrum use is a result of use of a channel by a high power device such that in-band or out-of-band emissions from the high power device substantially affects the induced noise floor for another electronic device.

12. The spectrum use assessment server of claim 1, wherein each coverage area is expressed in terms of area, frequency, and field strength.

13. The spectrum use assessment server of claim 12, wherein the identification of the overlap with competing spectrum use includes expressing the area component of each coverage area using a mapping protocol to identify relationships among the coverage areas.

14. The spectrum use assessment server of claim 13, wherein the coverage areas are graphically presented on a display and overlaid on a map of corresponding geography.

15. A method of identifying and managing competing spectrum use, comprising:

receiving, with a spectrum use assessment server, spectrum use data from each of plural electronic devices, the spectrum use data from each electronic device including at least location of the electronic device and operating channel of the electronic device;

determining, with the spectrum use assessment server, a spectrum use coverage area of each electronic device; and

identifying, with the spectrum use assessment server, an overlap in the coverage areas in which two or more of the electronic devices engage in competing spectrum use.

16. The method of claim 15, further comprising notifying the electronic devices that are engaged in competing spectrum use of the competing spectrum use.

17. The method of claim 15, further comprising identifying a change in spectrum use for one of the electronic devices engaged in the competing spectrum use that will reduce or eliminate the competing spectrum use and transmitting information to the one of the electronic devices that enables the one of the electronic devices to implement the identified change in spectrum use.

18. The method of claim 17, wherein the identified change in spectrum use is a change in channel used for wireless communications.

19. The method of claim 17, wherein the information transmitted to the one of the electronic devices is a channel map of channels available for wireless communications in the location of the electronic device.

20. The method of claim 19, wherein the channel map is ranked in accordance with likelihood of causing competing spectrum use.

21. The method of claim 17, wherein the identified change in spectrum use is a change in transmit power for the one of the electronic devices.

22. The method of claim 17, wherein the identified change in spectrum use is use of a spectrum sharing protocol under which two or more of the electronic devices use the same channel.

23. The method of claim 15, wherein the competing spectrum use is a result of at least two of the electronic devices using the same channel for wireless communications.

24. The method of claim 15, wherein the competing spectrum use is a result of use of a channel by a low-power electronic device on which there are substantial out-of-band emissions affecting induced noise floor.

25. The method of claim 15, wherein the competing spectrum use is a result of use of a channel by a high power device such that in-band or out-of-band emissions from the high power device substantially affects the induced noise floor for another electronic device.

26. The method of claim 15, wherein each coverage area is expressed in terms of area, frequency, and field strength.

27. The method of claim 26, wherein the identification of the overlap with competing spectrum use includes expressing the area component of each coverage area using a mapping protocol to identify relationships among the coverage areas.

28. The method of claim 27, wherein the coverage areas are graphically presented on a display and overlaid on a map of corresponding geography.