METHOD AND APPARATUS FOR DIRECTED ADAPTIVE CONTROL OF DYNAMIC CHANNEL SELECTION IN WIRELESS NETWORKS

• US 20180234974A1
• Filed: 04/11/2018
• Published: 08/16/2018
• Est. Priority Date: 08/10/2015
• 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 10,257,832 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 5/0062 Avoidance of ingress interference, e.g. ham radio channels
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 16/14 Spectrum sharing arrangements between different networks
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 72/0453 Resources in frequency domain, e.g. a carrier in FDMA

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 radio frequency channels. In one embodiment, the present invention provides a standalone multi-channel DFS master device and a cloud intelligence device. The standalone multi-channel DFS master device generates spectral information associated with a plurality of communication channels for a device in communication with the standalone multi-channel DFS master device. The cloud intelligence device receives the spectral information via a network device, integrates the spectral information with other spectral information to generate integrated spectral information, and determines a communication channel for the device that is selected from the plurality of communication channels based at least on the integrated spectral information.

Claims

1. A system, comprising:

a radio detector configured to scan for radar in each of a plurality of 5 GHz communication channels associated with an access point; and

a dynamic frequency selection (DFS) master device configured to perform a channel availability check (CAC) associated with the plurality of 5 GHz communication channels.

2. The system of claim 1, wherein the DFS master device is configured to:

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

(b) cause the radar detector to scan for the radar in the one of the plurality of 5 GHz radio channels;

(c) determine whether the one of the plurality of 5 GHz radio channels is occupied; and

(d) repeat steps (a) through (c) for each other channel of the plurality of 5 GHz radio channels.

3. The system of claim 2, wherein steps (a) through (d) are performed during (1) a transmission duty cycle which is a time period between successive transmissions on a specific 5 GHz channel and which is less than or equal to the maximum time period between the successive transmissions allowable for a client device to remain associated with the specific 5 GHz channel and (2) during a radar detection duty cycle which is the time period between successive radar scans on the specific 5 GHz channel.

4. The system of claim 1, wherein the radio detector is located in an integrated circuit chip configured as the access point.

5. The system of claim 1, wherein the radio detector is located in a printed circuit board configured as the access point.

6. The system of claim 1, wherein the radio detector is located in a semiconductor package configured as the access point.

7. The system of claim 1, wherein the radio detector includes a first radio and a second radio, wherein the first radio is configured to monitor for intermittent radar for a first range of DFS frequencies, and wherein the second radio is configured to monitor for intermittent radar for a second range of DFS frequencies.

8. The system of claim 7, wherein the first range and the second range are contiguous.

9. The system of claim 7, wherein the first range and the second range are non-contiguous.

10. The system of claim 1, wherein the access point and the DFS master device are located on a corresponding processor.

11. The system of claim 1, wherein the DFS master device is configured to indicate that a 5 GHz communication channel of the plurality of 5 GHz communication channels is occupied upon completion of a corresponding CAC on the 5 GHz communication channel.

12. The system of claim 1, wherein the DFS master device is configured to indicate that a 5 GHz communication channel of the plurality of 5 GHz communication channels is occupied within sixty seconds of a corresponding CAC on the 5 GHz communication channel.

13. A method, comprising:

scanning for radar in each of a plurality of 5 GHz communication channels; and

performing a channel availability check (CAC) associated with the plurality of 5 GHz communication channels.

14. The method of claim 13, further comprising:

indicating that a 5 GHz communication channel of the plurality of 5 GHz communication channels is occupied upon completion of a corresponding CAC on the 5 GHz communication channel.

15. The method of claim 13, further comprising:

indicating that a 5 GHz communication channel of the plurality of 5 GHz communication channels is occupied with sixty seconds of completion of a corresponding CAC on the 5 GHz communication channel.

16. The method of claim 13, further comprising:

monitoring the radar for a first range of DFS frequencies by using a first dedicated radio; and

monitoring the radar for a second range of DFS frequencies by using a second dedicated radio.

17. The method of claim 16, wherein the first range and the second range are contiguous.

18. The method of claim 16, wherein the first range and the second range are non-contiguous.

19. A system, comprising:

a radio detector configured to scan for radar in each of a plurality of 5 GHz communication channels associated with an access point; and

a dynamic frequency selection (DFS) master device configured to generate spectral information associated with a plurality of 5 GHz radio channels based on a first channel availability check (CAC) associated with the plurality of 5 GHz radio channels.

20. The system of claim 19, wherein the DFS master device is configured to:

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

(b) cause the radar detector to scan for the radar in the one of the plurality of 5 GHz radio channels;

(c) determine whether the one of the plurality of 5 GHz radio channels is occupied; and

(d) repeat steps (a) through (c) for each other channel of the plurality of 5 GHz radio channels.