SYSTEM AND METHOD FOR USING GEO-LOCATION AND A CENTRALIZED SPECTRUM MANAGEMENT DATABASE TO ENABLE SEAMLESS HANDOVER AND GEO-FENCING OF CHANNEL USAGE IN WIRELESS SYSTEMS

• US 20140141784A1
• Filed: 11/01/2013
• Published: 05/22/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 11/16/2012
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Qualcomm, Inc.
• Original Assignee: Spectrum Bridge, Inc.
• Inventors: Stanforth, Peter, Schmidt, Jeffery C., Koos, Larry, Koos, William
• Granted Patent: US 9,198,109 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 455/437
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 36/32 by location or mobility data, e.g. speed data
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 36/322 by location data
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 64/00 Locating users or terminals or network equipment for network management purposes, e.g. mobility management
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 72/02 Selection of wireless resources by user or terminal

Abstract

A system for channel handover includes a mobile radio device and a server storing polygon operating area information for a plurality of overlapping polygon operating areas for wireless communication. The mobile radio device receives the polygon operating area information, and determines the device location. Based on the polygon operating area information, the mobile radio device selects a first channel of operation corresponding to a channel that is available for use within a first polygon operating area. The travel of the mobile radio device is tracked to determine when the mobile radio device has exited the first polygon operating area and entered a second polygon operating area. When this occurs, the device selects a second channel of operation corresponding to a channel that is available for use within the second polygon operating area. Alternatively, the channel selection may be determined by the server and transmitted to the mobile radio device.

Claims

1. A mobile radio device comprising:

a network interface that receives polygon operating area information for a plurality of polygon operating areas in which the mobile radio device may engage in wireless communication, wherein each of the polygon operating areas overlaps with at least one other of the polygon operating areas;

a device locator for determining a location of the mobile radio device; and

a controller that executes a channel selection application that is stored in a memory and, by execution of the channel selection application, the controller is configured to process the polygon operating area information to;

determine a first polygon operating area in which the mobile radio device is located;

select a first channel of operation corresponding to a channel that is available for use within the first polygon operating area;

determine whether the mobile radio device has crossed a boundary of the first polygon operating area and entered a second polygon operating area; and

when it is determined that the mobile radio device has crossed the boundary of the first polygon operating area and entered the second polygon operating area, select a second channel of operation corresponding to a channel that is available for use within the second polygon operating area.

2. The mobile radio device of claim 1, wherein the polygon operating area information comprises, for each of the polygon operating areas, polygon boundary information and channel list information of channels that are available for wireless communication within a respective polygon operating area.

3. The mobile radio device of claim 1, wherein the controller executes the channel selection application to determine:

a location vector from the device location to a point on a boundary line segment of the first polygon operating area; and

a boundary vector that is a vector normal to the boundary line segment;

wherein it is determined whether the mobile radio device has crossed the boundary of the first polygon operating area based on a dot product of the location vector and the boundary vector.

4. The mobile radio device of claim 3, wherein it is determined that the mobile radio device has crossed the boundary of the first polygon operating area when there is a sign change in the dot product of the location vector and the boundary vector.

5. The mobile radio device of claim 1, wherein the controller executes the channel selection application to determine whether the mobile radio device has moved outside of the plurality of polygon operating areas, and if so, the controller causes the mobile radio device to idle.

6. The mobile radio device of claim 5, wherein the controller executes the channel selection application to determine whether the mobile radio device has entered one of the plurality of polygon operating areas, and if so, the controller selects a channel of operation corresponding to a channel that is available for use within the entered polygon operating area.

7. A wireless communications server comprising:

a memory that stores a database of polygon operating area information for a plurality of polygon operating areas in which a mobile radio device may engage in wireless communication, wherein each of the polygon operating areas overlaps with at least one other of the polygon operating areas; and

a communications interface that transmits the polygon operating area information to the mobile radio device;

wherein a channel handover selection is made for the mobile radio device based on the polygon operating area information.

8. The wireless communications server of claim 7, further comprising an input interface that is configured to receive an input of the polygon operating area information.

9. The wireless communications server of claim 7, wherein the polygon operating area information comprises, for each of the polygon operating areas, polygon boundary information and channel list information of channels that are available for wireless communication within a respective polygon operating area.

10. The wireless communications server of claim 7, wherein the communications interface comprises a device locator for determining a location of the mobile radio device, and the wireless communications server further comprises:

a processor that executes a channel selection function that is stored in a memory and, by execution of the channel selection function, the processor is configured to process the polygon operating area information to;

determine a first polygon operating area in which the mobile radio device is located;

select a first channel of operation corresponding to a channel that is available for use within the first polygon operating area;

determine whether the mobile radio device has crossed a boundary of the first polygon operating area and entered a second polygon operating area; and

when it is determined that the mobile radio device has crossed the boundary of the first polygon operating area and entered a second polygon operating area, select a second channel of operation corresponding to a channel that is available for use within the second polygon operating area;

wherein the selections of the first channel and the second channel are transmitted to the mobile radio device.

11. The wireless communications server of claim 10, wherein the processor executes the channel selection function to determine:

a location vector from the device location to a point on a boundary line segment of the first polygon operating area; and

a boundary vector that is a vector normal to the boundary line segment;

wherein it is determined whether the mobile radio device has crossed the boundary of the first polygon operating area based on a dot product of the location vector and the boundary vector.

12. The wireless communications server of claim 11, wherein it is determined that the mobile radio device has crossed the boundary of the first polygon operating area when there is a sign change in the dot product of the location vector and the boundary vector.

13. A method of performing a channel handover selection in a mobile radio device comprising the steps of:

receiving polygon operating area information for a plurality of polygon operating areas in which the mobile radio device may engage in wireless communication, wherein each of the polygon operating areas overlaps with at least one other of the polygon operating areas;

determining a location of the mobile radio device;

determining a first polygon operating area in which the mobile radio device is located;

selecting a first channel of operation corresponding to a channel that is available for use within the first polygon operating area;

determining whether the mobile radio device has crossed a boundary of the first polygon operating area and entered a second polygon operating area; and

when it is determined that the mobile radio device has crossed the boundary of the first polygon operating area and entered a second polygon operating area, selecting a second channel of operation corresponding to a channel that is available for use within the second polygon operating area.

14. The method of performing a channel handover selection of claim 13, wherein the polygon operating area information comprises, for each of the polygon operating areas, polygon boundary information and channel list information of channels that are available for wireless communication within a respective polygon operating area.

15. The method of performing a channel handover selection of claim 13, further comprising:

determining a location vector from the device location to a point on a boundary line segment of the first polygon operating area;

determining a boundary vector that is a vector normal to the boundary line segment; and

determining whether the mobile radio device has crossed the boundary of the first polygon operating area based on a dot product of the location vector and the boundary vector.

16. The method of performing a channel handover selection of claim 13, further comprising determining whether the mobile radio device has moved outside of the plurality of polygon operating areas, and if so, the idling the mobile radio device.

17. The method of performing a channel handover selection of claim 16, further comprising determining whether the mobile radio device has entered one of the plurality of polygon operating areas, and if so, selecting a channel of operation corresponding to a channel that is available for use within the entered polygon operating area.

18. The method of performing a channel handover selection of claim 13, further comprising storing the polygon operating area information on a server.

19. The method of performing a channel handover of 18, wherein the polygon operating area information is received by the mobile radio device from the server over a network interface, and the mobile radio device performs the determining and channel selecting steps based on the polygon operating area information received from the server.

20. The method of performing a channel handover of 18, wherein the server performs the determining and channel selecting steps based on the stored polygon operating area information, and the server transmits the channel selections to the mobile radio device over a network interface.