CONFIGURING A NETWORK OF DEVICES TO OPERATE WITHIN A TELEVISION WHITESPACE SPECTRUM

• US 20140369270A1
• Filed: 06/18/2013
• Published: 12/18/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 06/18/2013
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Itron Networked Solutions, Inc. (Itron, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Silver Spring Networks, Inc. (Itron, Inc.)
• Inventors: SEIBERT, Cristina, FLAMMER, George H. III, NOTOR, John
• Granted Patent: US 11,146,966 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 370/329
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 27/0006 Assessment of spectral gaps suitable for allocating digitally modulated signals, e.g. for carrier allocation in cognitive radio for spectrum sharing between different networks H04W16/14
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 16/14 Spectrum sharing arrangements between different networks

Abstract

Nodes within a network are configured to communicate with one another on one or more television white space (TVWS) frequencies that may be subject to interference caused by nearby TV towers. In order to mitigate that interference, the nodes may be configured to communicate according to specific operating parameters. The operating parameters may be generated based on expected interference levels caused by the nearby TV towers or QOS metrics associated with available channels. The nodes may also update a private database to reflect the expected interference levels or measured QOS metrics for different channels.

Claims

1. A computer-implemented method for configuring a node to communicate on a television white space (TVWS) spectrum of frequencies, the method comprising:

receiving a request for at least one operating parameter from a first node that resides at a first location in a network;

retrieving one or more entries associated with the first location from a first database, wherein each of the one or more entries reflects a quality of service metric for a TVWS channel at the first location;

determining the at least one operating parameter for the first node based on the one or more entries, wherein the at least one operating parameter indicates a first TVWS channel; and

transmitting the at least one operating parameter to the first node, wherein the first node is configured to perform future communication operations over the first TVWS channel according to the at least one operating parameter.

2. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, further comprising:

receiving from the first node a quality of service metric associated with the first TVWS channel and the first location; and

updating the first database to include an entry that includes the quality of service metric, the first TVWS channel, and the first location.

3. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, further comprising:

receiving the at least one operating parameter;

configuring a network interface associated with the first node to communicate over the first TVWS channel according to the at least one operating parameter;

generating a quality of service metric associated with communication operations performed over the first TVWS channel; and

transmitting the quality of service metric to a server.

4. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, wherein the at least one operating parameter determined for the first node reflects a sensitivity value with which signals are received or a signal-to-noise ratio with which signals are transmitted.

5. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, wherein the quality of service metric associated with the first TVWS channel reflects a packet loss rate associated with the first TVWS channel previously measured by a node configured to communicate over the first TVWS channel at the first location.

6. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, wherein the quality of service metric associated with the first TVWS channel reflects the inverse of an expected interference level associated with the first TVWS channel at the first location.

7. The computer-implemented method of claim 6, further comprising generating the expected interference level by:

computing a first power loss associated with a TV signal based on frequency separation between a frequency associated with the first TVWS channel and a frequency associated with a channel on which a TV tower transmits the TV signal;

computing a second power loss associated with the TV signal based on physical separation between a location associated with the TV tower and the first location; and

reducing an initial power level associated with the TV signal by the first power loss and by the second power loss.

8. The computer-implemented method of claim 7, further comprising:

retrieving the frequency associated with the channel on which the TV tower transmits the TV signal, the location associated with the TV tower, and the initial power level associated with the TV signal from a second database,

wherein the second database comprises a public database, and

wherein the first database comprises a private database.

9. The computer-implemented method of claim 7, wherein the first power loss is computed based on a frequency loss model, and the second power loss is computed based on a path loss model.

10. A non-transitory computer-readable medium storing program instructions that, when executed by a processing unit, cause the processing unit to configure a node to communicate on a television white space (TVWS) spectrum of frequencies, by performing the steps of:

receiving a request for at least one operating parameter from a first node that resides at a first location in a network;

retrieving one or more entries associated with the first location from a first database, wherein each of the one or more entries reflects a quality of service metric for a TVWS channel at the first location;

determining the at least one operating parameter for the first node based on the one or more entries, wherein the at least one operating parameter indicates a first TVWS channel; and

transmitting the at least one operating parameter to the first node, wherein the first node is configured to perform future communication operations over the first TVWS channel according to the at least one operating parameter.

11. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 10, further comprising the steps of:

receiving from the first node a quality of service metric associated with the first TVWS channel and the first location; and

updating the first database to include an entry that includes the quality of service metric, the first TVWS channel, and the first location.

12. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 10, further comprising the steps of:

receiving the at least one operating parameter;

configuring a network interface associated with the first node to communicate over the first TVWS channel according to the at least one operating parameter;

generating a quality of service metric associated with communication operations performed over the first TVWS channel; and

transmitting the quality of service metric to a server.

13. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 10, wherein the at least one operating parameter determined for the first node reflects a sensitivity value with which signals are received or a signal-to-noise ratio with which signals are transmitted.

14. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 10, wherein the quality of service metric associated with the first TVVVS channel reflects a packet loss rate associated with the first TVWS channel previously measured by a node configured to communicate over the first TVWS channel at the first location.

15. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 10, wherein the quality of service metric associated with the first TVWS channel reflects the inverse of an expected interference level associated with the first TVWS channel at the first location.

16. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 15, further comprising generating the expected interference level by:

computing a first power loss associated with a TV signal based on frequency separation between a frequency associated with the first TVWS channel and a frequency associated with a channel on which a TV tower transmits the TV signal;

computing a second power loss associated with the TV signal based on physical separation between a location associated with the TV tower and the first location; and

reducing an initial power level associated with the TV signal by the first power loss and by the second power loss.

17. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 16, further comprising:

retrieving the frequency associated with the channel on which the TV tower transmits the TV signal, the location associated with the TV tower, and the initial power level associated with the TV signal from a second database,

wherein the second database comprises a public database, and

wherein the first database comprises a private database.

18. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 16, wherein the first power loss is computed based on a frequency loss model, and the second power loss is computed based on a path loss model.

19. A system for configuring a node to communicate on a television white space (TVWS) spectrum of frequencies, including:

a processing unit configured to;

receive a request for at least one operating parameter from a first node that resides at a first location in a network,

retrieve one or more entries associated with the first location from a first database, wherein each of the one or more entries reflects a quality of service metric for a TVWS channel at the first location,

determine the at least one operating parameter for the first node based on the one or more entries, wherein the at least one operating parameter indicates a first TVWS channel, and

transmit the at least one operating parameter to the first node, wherein the first node is configured to perform future communication operations over the first TVWS channel according to the at least one operating parameter.

20. The system of claim 19, further including:

a memory unit coupled to the processing unit and storing program instructions that, when executed by the processing unit, cause the processing unit to;

receive the request for the at least one operating parameter,

retrieve the one or more entries associated with the first location from the first database,

determine the at least one operating parameter for the first node based on the one or more entries, and

transmit the at least one operating parameter to the first node.

21. A computer-implemented method for configuring a node to communicate on a television white space (TVWS) spectrum of frequencies, the method comprising:

receiving a request for a first TVWS channel from a first node that resides at a first location in a network;

retrieving one or more entries associated with the first location from a first database, wherein a given entry included in the one or more entries reflects a quality of service metric associated with a given TVWS channel computed by a given node residing at the first location and configured to communicate on the given TVWS channel;

determining the first TVWS channel for the first node based on the quality of service metrics associated with the one or more entries; and

transmitting the first TVWS channel to the first node, wherein the first node is configured to perform a communication operation over the first TVWS channel.

22. The computer-implemented method of claim 21, wherein the quality of service metric associated with the given TVWS channel reflects the inverse of an expected interference level associated with the given TVWS channel at the first location