METHOD AND APPARATUS FOR USE OF SIMULTANEOUS MULTIPLE CHANNELS IN THE DYNAMIC FREQUENCY SELECTION BAND IN WIRELESS NETWORKS

• US 20170041949A1
• Filed: 10/22/2015
• Published: 02/09/2017
• Est. Priority Date: 08/04/2015
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Chengdu Sk Spruce Technologies Co., Ltd.
• Original Assignee: Network Performance Research Group LLC
• Inventors: Ngo, Terry F K, Yi, Seung Baek, Kurniawan, Erick, Tsai, Kun Ting
• Granted Patent: US 9,832,791 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 17/30 of propagation channels
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 16/14 Spectrum sharing arrangements between different networks
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 48/08 Access restriction or access information delivery, e.g. discovery data delivery signalling during connection H04W76/00
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 74/006 in the downlink, i.e. towards the terminal
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 84/12 WLAN [Wireless Local Area Networks]
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 88/06 adapted for operation in multiple networks or having at least two operational modes, e.g. multi-mode terminals

Abstract

The present invention relates to wireless networks and more specifically to systems and methods for selecting available channels free of radar signals from a plurality of 5 GHz radio frequency channels. In one embodiment, the present invention provides a standalone multi-channel DFS master that includes a switch and embedded processor that are programmed to switch a 5 GHz radio transceiver to a first channel of the plurality of 5 GHz radio channels, cause a beacon generator to generate a beacon in the first channel of the plurality of 5 GHz radio channels, cause a radar detector to scan for the radar signal in the first channel of the plurality of 5 GHz radio channel, and then repeat these steps for each of the other channels of the plurality of 5 GHz radio channels during a single beacon transmission duty cycle.

Claims

1. A standalone multi-channel Dynamic Frequency Selection (DFS) master for identifying and indicating simultaneous availability of a plurality of 5 GHz radio channels for networking operations, comprising:

a beacon generator programmed to generate successive beacons in each of the plurality of 5 GHz radio channels;

a radar detector programmed to continuously scan for radar in each of the plurality of 5 GHz radio channels;

a 5 GHz radio transceiver coupled to the beacon generator and the radar detector and programmed to transmit the beacons in each of the plurality of 5 GHz radio channels and to receive the radar in each of the plurality of 5 GHz radio channels; and

a switch and an embedded processor coupled to the radar detector, the beacon generator, and the 5 GHz radio transceiver, programmed to perform the following steps on each of the plurality of 5 GHz radio channels sequentially, and simultaneously with and independently of networking operations performed by an access point host or a LTE-U host associated with the DFS master;

(a) switch the 5 GHz radio transceiver to a channel of the plurality of 5 GHz radio channels;

(b) next, cause the beacon generator to generate a beacon and cause the transceiver to broadcast the beacon in the channel, wherein the beacon indicates that the channel is available for networking operations; and

(c) determine if the channel is occupied by radar and identify the channel as one of available for networking operations or unavailable for networking operations in response to the determination.

2. The standalone multi-channel DFS master of claim 1 further comprising memory to store a whitelist of each of the plurality of 5 GHz radio channels that does not contain the radar and a blacklist of each of the plurality of 5 GHz radio channels that contains the radar.

3. The standalone multi-channel DFS master of claim 2 further comprising a wired network interface connected to an access point host or a LTE-U host wherein the standalone multi-channel DFS master is programmed to communicate the whitelist and blacklist to a cloud intelligence engine via the access point host or the LTE-U host, receive control information from the cloud intelligence engine via the access point host or the LTE-U host, and to transmit the control information to the access point host or the LTE-U host.

4. The standalone multi-channel DFS master of claim 3 wherein the control information transmitted to the access point host or the LTE-U host controls an operating channel selection of the access point host or the LTE-U host.

5. The standalone multi-channel DFS master of claim 2 further comprising a non-DFS radio transceiver wherein the standalone multi-channel DFS master is programmed to communicate the whitelist and blacklist with the non-DFS radio transceiver.

6. The standalone multi-channel DFS master of claim 5 wherein the non-DFS radio transceiver is selected from the group consisting of a 2.4 GHz radio transceiver, a Bluetooth transceiver, and an 802.15.4 transceiver.

7. A standalone multi-channel Dynamic Frequency Selection (DFS) master for selecting multiple 5 GHz radio channels for simultaneously performing networking operations comprising:

a memory containing a whitelist of 5 GHz radio channels;

a 5 GHz radio transceiver;

a switch and an embedded processor coupled to the 5 GHz radio transceiver and the memory;

wherein the switch and the embedded processor are programmed to;

first, when a network device associated with the DFS master is not performing networking operations, cause the 5 GHz radio transceiver to sequentially perform radar scans for the channel in the whitelist and identify an available channel for performing networking operations determined not to contain radar, and transmit a beacon in the available channel; and

second, when the network device is performing networking operations, cause the 5 GHz radio transceiver to sequentially and repeatedly scan for radar in each channel in the whitelist, to cause the 5 GHz radio transceiver to transmit a successive beacons for each channel determined not to contain radar.

8. The standalone multi-channel DFS master of claim 7 further comprising the switch and the embedded processor are programmed to cause the 5 GHz radio transceiver to perform the following steps:

(a) when the network device is not performing networking operations, identifying a first channel of the 5 GHz radio channels that does not contain radar and commencing networking operations in the first channel; and

(b) next, when the first channel is performing networking operations, continuously and sequentially scanning a second channel and a third channel for radar and commencing networking operations in the second and third channels upon determining that the second and third channels do not contain radar.

9. The standalone multi-channel DFS master of claim 7 further comprising the switch and the embedded processor are programmed to cause the 5 GHz radio transceiver to perform the following steps on each of the plurality of 5 GHz radio channels sequentially, and simultaneously with and independently of networking operations performed by the network device:

(a) first, when the network device is performing networking operations, switching the 5 GHz radio transceiver to a channel in the whitelist;

(b) next, causing the 5 GHz radio transceiver to transmit a beacon in the channel, wherein the beacon indicates that the channel is available for networking operations; and

(c) next, determine if the channel contains radar and identify the channel as one of available for networking operations or unavailable for networking operations in response to the determination.

10. A method of selecting and simultaneously using 5 GHz radio channels that are available for networking operations comprising:

providing a beacon generator to generate successive beacons in each of a plurality of 5 GHz radio channels, providing a radar detector to continuously scan for radar in each of the plurality of 5 GHz radio channels, providing a 5 GHz radio transceiver to transmit the beacons in each of the plurality of 5 GHz radio channels and to receive the radar in each of the plurality of 5 GHz radio channels, and providing a switch and embedded processor coupled to the radar detector, the beacon generator, and the 5 GHz radio transceiver;

with the switch and the embedded processor performing the following steps on each of the plurality of 5 GHz radio channels sequentially, and simultaneously with and independently of networking operations performed by an access point host or a LTE-U host associated with the DFS channels;

(a) switching the 5 GHz radio transceiver to a first channel of the plurality of 5 GHz radio channels;

(b) next, causing the beacon generator to generate a beacon and the transceiver to broadcast the beacon in the channel, wherein the beacon indicates that the channel is available for networking operations; and

(c) next, determine if the channel is occupied by radar and identify the channel as one of available for networking operations or unavailable for networking operations in response to the determination.

11. The method of claim 10 further comprising providing a memory and storing in the memory a whitelist of each of the plurality of 5 GHz radio channels that does not contain the radar and a blacklist of each of the plurality of 5 GHz radio channels that contains the radar.

12. The method of claim 11 further comprising providing a wired network interface connected to an access point host or a LTE-U host and communicating via the wired network interface the whitelist and blacklist to a cloud intelligence engine via the access point host or the LTE-U host, receiving control information from the cloud intelligence engine via the access point host or the LTE-U host, and to transmitting the control information to the access point host or the LTE-U host.

13. The method of claim 11 further comprising providing a non-DFS radio transceiver and communicating the whitelist and blacklist with the non-DFS radio transceiver.

14. The method of claim 13 wherein the non-DFS radio transceiver is selected from the group consisting of a 2.4 GHz radio transceiver, a Bluetooth transceiver, and an 802.15.4 transceiver.

15. A method for continuously monitoring and simultaneously using 5 GHz radio channels for networking operations comprising:

providing a memory containing a whitelist of a plurality of 5 GHz radio channels, providing a 5 GHz radio transceiver, providing a switch and an embedded processor coupled to the 5 GHz radio transceiver and the memory;

the switch and the embedded processor;

first, when none of the channels in the whitelist are performing networking operations, causing the 5 GHz radio transceiver to scan each of the plurality of 5 GHz radio channels for radar, identify an available channel for performing networking operations determined not to contain radar, and cause a beacon transmission in the available channel; and

next, performing with the 5 GHz radio transceiver, when one or more channels in the whitelist are performing networking operations, continuous and sequential scanning for radar in each channel in the whitelist, and causing the 5 GHz radio transceiver to transmit successive beacons for each channel determined not to contain radar.

16. The method of claim 15, wherein identifying the available channel comprising:

(a) first, switching the 5 GHz radio transceiver to a first channel in the channel whitelist; and

(b) next, causing the 5 GHz radio transceiver to scan for radar in the first channel and one of identifying the first channel as the available channel or switching the 5 GHz transceiver to a second channel.

17. The method of claim 15, wherein continuous and sequential scanning for radar includes scanning a channel that is performing network operations and scanning a channel that was previously determined to contain radar.

18. The method of claim 15 further comprising providing a memory and storing in the memory a whitelist of each of the plurality of 5 GHz radio channels determined to not contain the radar and a blacklist of each of the plurality of 5 GHz radio channels determined to contain the radar.

19. The method of claim 18 further comprising providing a wired network interface connected to an access point host or a LTE-U host and communicating via the wired network interface the whitelist and blacklist to a cloud intelligence engine via the access point host or a LTE-U host, receiving control information from the cloud intelligence engine via the access point host or a LTE-U host, and to transmitting the control information to the access point host or a LTE-U host.

20. The method of claim 18 further comprising providing a non-DFS radio transceiver and communicating the whitelist and blacklist with the non-DFS radio transceiver, wherein the non-DFS radio transceiver is selected from the group consisting of a 2.4 GHz radio transceiver, a Bluetooth transceiver, and an 802.15.4 transceiver.