Communication environment with plurality of radio systems

• US 6,198,909 B1
• Filed: 08/14/1998
• Issued: 03/06/2001
• Est. Priority Date: 08/16/1997
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Uniloc 2017 LLC (FIG LLC (d/b/a Fortress Investment Group LLC))
• Original Assignee: US Philips Corporation (Koninklijke Philips N.V.)
• Inventors: Du, Yonggang
• Primary Examiner(s): Nguyen, Lee
• Assistant Examiner(s): Ferguson, Keith
• Application Number:
  US09/134,108
• Time in Patent Office: 935 Days
• Field of Search: 455/67.1, 455/67.3, 455/63, 455/67.4, 455/67.6, 455/454, 455/446, 455/447, 455/448, 455/449, 455/423, 455/403, 455/422, 370/445, 370/446, 370/447, 370/448
• US Class Current: 455/67.11
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 16/10 Dynamic resource partitioning
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 16/14 Spectrum sharing arrangements between different networks
• CPC Class Codes: Y02D 30/70 in wireless communication networks

Abstract

In a communication environment with a number of radio systems a radio station in one of the radio systems seizes a sub-frequency range in a predetermined frequency range. Prior to each transmission of a useful signal, the one radio station checks whether a given sub-frequency range in the predetermined frequency range is free for a selected size of a propagation area. If the given sub-frequency range is free, the radio station transmits at random instants at least two pulses with a transmission range that is substantially restricted to the given sub-frequency range and avoids collisions with another radio system belonging to the communication environment by detecting whether the other radio system has seized the sub-frequency range in an overlapping radio propagation area at the same time. If the given sub-frequency range is free for the selected size of the radio propagation area and no collision with the other radio system is detected, the radio station transmits useful signals restricted to the given sub-frequency range.

Claims

1. A communication environment with a plurality of radio systems, a radio system of the plurality of radio systems comprising a radio station, the radio station comprising:

checking means for checking, prior to transmission of a useful signal, whether a certain sub-frequency range in a predefined frequency range is free for a selected size of a propagation area,

transmitting means for transmitting at random instants, if the certain sub-range is free, at least two pulses restricted to the certain sub-frequency range, the radio station being configured to avoid collisions with another radio system belonging to the communication environment by detecting whether the other radio system has seized the certain sub-frequency range in an overlapping radio propagation area at the same time, the other radio system, for the purpose of collision avoidance, being configured to also transmit at random instants at least two pulses, and

said transmitting means transmitting, if the certain sub-frequency range is free and no collision is detected, useful signals restricted to the certain sub-frequency range.

2. A communication environment as claimed in claim 1, wherein the radio station is configured to determine the size of the radio propagation area of the radio system at least by its radiated energy and is configured to detect a sub-frequency area as free when, on the one hand, the radiated energy outside its radio propagation area is so weak that an interference of another radio system does not occur and, on the other hand, the radio system does not experience interference caused by radiated energy of the other radio system.

3. A communication environment as claimed in claim 1, wherein the radio station after detecting that the certain sub-frequency range in the predefined frequency range for the selected size of the radio propagation area is occupied after a randomly determined time period is configured to carry out a new check either with a reduced size of the radio propagation area of the radio system or with another sub-frequency range.

4. A communication environment as claimed in claim 1, wherein the radio station is configured to transmit, if the sub-frequency range is free and no collision is detected, pulses in addition to the useful signals when average radiated energy during a predefined time period is smaller than energy which determines the size of the radio propagation area.

5. A communication environment as claimed in claim 1, wherein the radio station is configured to store average energy on a periphery of the radio propagation area during a predefined time period, the predefined time period and a minimum and a maximum instant between two successive pulses.

6. A communication environment as claimed in claim 1, wherein the radio station is configured to determine via an estimated or empirically determined formula average energy to be radiated during a predefined period of time for a selected size of the radio propagation area.

7. A communication environment as claimed in claim 1, wherein the radio station is configured to determine via an estimated or empirically determined formula received average interference energy during a predefined period of time for a selected size of the radio propagation area.

8. A communication environment as claimed in claim 1, wherein the radio station is configured to carry out an energy detection and is configured to only communicate with other radio stations if the energy detection that the radio station is located in the radio propagation area.

9. A communication environment as claimed in claim 1, wherein the radio station comprises at least a radio unit for transmitting and receiving radio signals, an energy detector for measuring the average energy of the received radio signals during a predefined time period, a pulse generator for generating pulses transmitted via the radio unit and a control unit for controlling the radio unit and the pulse generator and for determining measuring results of the energy detector.

10. A radio station for use in a communication environment with a plurality of radio systems, the radio station comprising:

checking means for checking, prior to each transmission of a useful signal, whether a certain sub-frequency range in a predefined frequency range is free for a selected size of a propagation area,

transmitting means for transmitting at random instants, if the certain sub-frequency range is free, at least two pulses restricted to the certain sub-frequency range, the radio station being configured to avoid collisions with another radio system belonging to the communication environment by detecting whether the other radio system has seized the certain sub-frequency range in an overlapping radio propagation area at the same time, the other radio system, for the purpose of collision avoidance, being configured to also transmit at random instants at least two pulses, and

said transmitting means transmitting, if the certain sub-frequency range is free and no collision is detected, useful signals restricted to the certain sub-frequency range.

11. A method of seizing a sub-frequency range in a predefined frequency range the method comprising:

prior to each transmission of a useful signal, checking in a radio system belonging to a communication environment whether a certain sub-frequency range in a predefined frequency range is free for a selected size of a propagation area,

if the certain sub-range is free, transmitting in the radio system at random instants at least two pulses restricted to the certain sub-frequency range and avoiding in the radio system of collisions with another radio system belonging to the communication environment by detecting whether the other radio system has seized the certain sub-frequency range in an overlapping radio propagation area at the same time, also transmitting in the other radio system, for the purpose of collision avoidance, at random instants at least two pulses, and

if the certain sub-frequency range is free and no collision is detected, transmitting useful signals restricted to the certain sub-frequency range.