Systems and methods for RF spectrum management

• US 7,599,686 B2
• Filed: 05/06/2005
• Issued: 10/06/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 05/06/2005
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Dell Products LP (Dell Technologies Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Dell Products LP (Dell Technologies Inc.)
• Inventors: Mehta, Pratik M., Quinn, Liam B.
• Primary Examiner(s): Ly; Nghi H
• Application Number:
  US11/124,587
• Publication Number:
  US 20060252418A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,614 Days
• Field of Search: 455/448, 455/450, 455/552.1, 455/553.2, 455/41.2, 455/454, 455/423, 455/522, 370/329, 370/466
• US Class Current: 455/423
• CPC Class Codes: H04K 2203/18 for wireless local area networks or WLAN
• CPC Class Codes: H04K 3/224 with countermeasures at transmission and/or reception of the jammed signal, e.g. stopping operation of transmitter or receiver, nulling or enhancing transmitted power in direction of or at frequency of jammer
• CPC Class Codes: H04K 3/226 Selection of non-jammed channel for communication spectrum sharing arrangements H04W16/14; selection of wireless resources by user or terminal H04W72/02
• CPC Class Codes: H04K 3/822 by detecting the presence of a surveillance, interception or detection
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 16/10 Dynamic resource partitioning
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 84/12 WLAN [Wireless Local Area Networks]

Abstract

Systems and methods for managing RF spectrum use by two or more network computing wireless communication technologies operating in the same wireless communication environment.

Claims

1. A wireless network access point comprising an information handling system configured to manage simultaneous RF spectrum use by two or more network computing wireless technologies operating in the same wireless communication environment, said information handling system being configured to:

allocate said RF frequency spectrum for use by a first client device by instructing said first client device to employ a first channel within said RF frequency spectrum for communication by a first network computing wireless technology; and

allocate said RF frequency spectrum for use by a second client device simultaneously with said use of said RF frequency spectrum by said first client device by instructing said second client device to employ a second channel within said RF frequency spectrum for communication using a second network computing wireless technology;

wherein said information handling system is configured to communicate with multiple first client devices that each communicate by said first network computing wireless technology;

wherein said information handling system is configured to communicate with multiple second client devices that each communicate by said second network computing wireless technology; and

wherein said information handling system is further configured to;

allocate said RF frequency spectrum for use by said multiple first client devices by instructing all of said multiple first client devices to transmit to each other using said first channel; and

allocate said RF frequency spectrum for use by said multiple second client devices simultaneously with said use of said RF frequency spectrum by said multiple first client devices by instructing all of said second multiple client devices to transmit to each other using said second channel.

2. The wireless network access point of claim 1, wherein at least a portion of said RF spectrum is unlicensed;

and wherein said information handling system is configured to monitor usage characteristics for said RF spectrum, and to reallocate use of said RF spectrum by said second client device simultaneously with said use of said RF frequency spectrum by said first client device by instructing said second client device to change to another channel within said RF frequency spectrum for communication by said second network computing wireless technology based at least in part on said monitored usage characteristics of said RF spectrum.

3. The wireless network access point of claim 2, wherein said monitored usage characteristics for said RF spectrum comprises a combination of each of the following characteristics:

identity of used RF channels within said RF spectrum by at least one of said two or more network computing wireless technologies, level of transmission power strength of at least one of said two or more wireless technologies operating within said RF spectrum, and presence of non-network or interfering signals within said RF spectrum.

4. The wireless network access point of claim 2, wherein said monitored usage characteristics for said RF spectrum comprises identity of one or more RF channels used within said RF spectrum by at least one of said two or more network computing wireless technologies.

5. The wireless network access point of claim 1, wherein said two or more network computing technologies comprise ultra wide band (UWB) and Wireless Fidelity (WiFi) network computing technologies.

6. The wireless network access point of claim 1, wherein said two or more network computing wireless technologies comprise at least one wireless local area network (WLAN) technology and at least one wireless personal area network (WPAN) technology.

7. The wireless network access point of claim 1, wherein said information handling system is further configured to:

select a first one of said two or more network computing wireless technologies for use by a first application executing on at least one of said first and second client devices based at least in part on one or more characteristics of said first application, said one or more application characteristics of said first application comprising at least one of first application priority, first application latency, first application bandwidth requirement, or a combination thereof; and

select a second and different one of said two or more network computing wireless technologies for use by a second application executing on at least one of said first and second client devices based at least in part on one or more characteristics of said second application, said one or more application characteristics of said second application comprising at least one of second application priority, second application latency, second application bandwidth requirement, or a combination thereof.

8. The wireless network access point of claim 1, wherein said information handling system comprises an array of antennas and is configured to profile the available wireless spectrum using said array of antennas and then to pre-assign specific spectrum masks for said multiple first client devices and said multiple second client devices based on said profiled wireless spectrum and combination of a given usage model with a specific application type used by each of said respective first and second client devices, said spectrum mask pre-assigned for said multiple first client devices being different than said spectrum mask pre-assigned for said multiple second client devices.

9. The information handling system of claim 1, wherein said information handling system is further configured to adjust RF transmission power levels of said multiple first client devices so as to minimize potential for interference with another separate wireless communication system detected to be operating in the same wireless communication environment.

10. An information handling system configured as a wireless network access point, said information handling system comprising:

a first wireless network technology communication component configured to communicate using a first network computing wireless technology;

a second wireless network technology communication component configured to communicate simultaneously with said first wireless network technology communication component using a second network computing wireless technology; and

an RF spectrum controller coupled to control operation of said first and second wireless network technology communication components;

wherein said information handling system is configured to;

allocate said RF frequency spectrum for use by a first client device by instructing said first client device to employ a first channel within said RF frequency spectrum for communication by a first network computing wireless technology, and

allocate said RF frequency spectrum for use by a second client device simultaneously with said use of said RF frequency spectrum by said first client device by instructing said second client device to employ a second channel within said RF frequency spectrum for communication using a second network computing wireless technology;

wherein said information handling system is configured to communicate with multiple first client devices that each communicate by said first network computing wireless technology;

wherein said information handling system is configured to communicate with multiple second client devices that each communicate by said second network computing wireless technology; and

wherein said information handling system is further configured to;

allocate said RF frequency spectrum for use by said multiple first client devices by instructing all of said multiple first client devices to transmit to each other using said first channel; and

allocate said RF frequency spectrum for use by said multiple second client devices simultaneously with said use of said RE frequency spectrum by said multiple first client devices by instructing all of said second multiple client devices to transmit to each other using said second channel.

11. The information handling system of claim 10, further comprising an external network interface coupled between an external network and each of said first wireless network technology communication component and said second wireless network technology communication component.

12. The information handling system of claim 10, further comprising a wireless environment monitor coupled to said RF spectrum controller.

13. The information handling system of claim 10, wherein at least a portion of said RF spectrum is unlicensed;

and wherein said spectrum controller is configured to monitor usage characteristics for said RF spectrum, and to adjust use of said RF spectrum by at least one of said first and second wireless network technology communication components based at least in part on said monitored usage characteristics of said RF spectrum.

14. The information handling system of claim 13, wherein said monitored usage characteristics for said RF spectrum comprises a combination of each of the following characteristics:

identity of used and non-used RF channels within said RF spectrum by at least one of said two or more network computing wireless technologies, level of transmission power strength of at least one of said two or more wireless technologies operating within said RF spectrum and presence of non-network or interfering signals within said RF spectrum.

15. The information handling system of claim 13, wherein said monitored usage characteristics for said RF spectrum comprises identity of one or more RF channels used within said RF spectrum by at least one of said first and second network computing wireless technologies.

16. The information handling system of claim 10, wherein said first network computing technology comprises a wireless local area network (WLAN) computing technology;

and wherein said second network computing technology comprises a wireless personal area network (WPAN) computing technology.

17. The information handling system of claim 10, wherein said first network computing technology comprises an ultra wide band (UWB) computing technology;

and wherein said second network computing technology comprises a Wireless Fidelity (WiFi) network computing technology.

18. The wireless network access point of claim 10, wherein said information handling system comprises an array of antennas and is configured to profile the available wireless spectrum using said array of antennas and then to pre-assign specific spectrum masks for said multiple first client devices and said multiple second client devices based on said profiled wireless spectrum and combination of a given usage model with a specific application type used by each of said respective first and second client devices, said spectrum mask pre-assigned for said multiple first client devices being different than said spectrum mask pre-assigned for said multiple second client devices.

19. The information handling system of claim 10, wherein said information handling system is further configured to adjust RF transmission power levels of said multiple first client devices so as to minimize potential for interference with another separate wireless communication system detected to be operating in the same wireless communication environment.

20. An RF spectrum management method, comprising using an information handling system configured as a wireless network access point to manage simultaneous RF spectrum use by two or more network computing wireless technologies operating in the same wireless communication environment, wherein said method comprises:

allocating said RF frequency spectrum for use by a first client device by instructing said first client device to employ a first channel within said RF frequency spectrum for communication by a first network computing wireless technology; and

allocating said RF frequency spectrum for use by a second client device simultaneously with said use of said RF frequency spectrum by said first client device by instructing said second client device to employ a second channel within said RF frequency spectrum for communication using a second network computing wireless technology; and

wherein said method further comprises;

allocating said RF frequency spectrum for use by multiple first client devices by instructing all of said multiple first client devices to transmit to each other using said first channel, each of said multiple first client devices communicating by said first network computing wireless technology; and

allocating said RF frequency spectrum for use by multiple second client devices simultaneously with said use of said RF frequency spectrum by said multiple first client devices by instructing all of said second multiple client devices to transmit to each other using said second channel, each of said multiple second client devices communicating by said second network computing wireless technology.

21. The method of claim 20, wherein at least a portion of said RF spectrum is unlicensed;

and wherein said method further comprises monitoring usage characteristics for said RF spectrum, and reallocating use of said RF spectrum by said second client device simultaneously with said use of said RF frequency spectrum by said first client device by instructing said second client device to change to another channel within said RF frequency spectrum for communication by said second network computing wireless technology based at least in part on said monitored usage characteristics of said RF spectrum.

22. The method of claim 21, wherein said monitored usage characteristics for said RF spectrum comprises a combination of each of the following characteristics:

identity of used RF channels within said RF spectrum by at least one of said two or more network computing wireless technologies, level of transmission power strength of at least one of said two or more wireless technologies operating within said RF spectrum, and presence of non-network or interfering signals within said RF spectrum.

23. The method of claim 21, wherein said monitored usage characteristics for said RF spectrum comprises identity of one or more RF channels used within said RF spectrum by at least one of said two or more network computing wireless technologies.

24. The method of claim 20, wherein said two or more network computing technologies comprise ultra wide band (UWB) and Wireless Fidelity (WiFi) network computing technologies.

25. The method of claim 20, wherein said two or more network computing wireless technologies comprise at least one wireless local area network (WLAN) technology and at least one wireless personal area network (WPAN) technology.

26. The method of claim 20, wherein said method further comprises:

selecting a first one of said two or more network computing wireless technologies for use by a first application executing on at least one of said first and second client devices based at least in part on one or more characteristics of said first application, said one or more application characteristics of said first application comprising at least one of first application priority, first application latency, first application bandwidth requirement, or a combination thereof; and

,

selecting a second and different one of said two or more network computing wireless technologies for use by a second application executing on at least one of said first and second client devices based at least in part on one or more characteristics of said second application, said one or more application characteristics of said second application comprising at least one of second application priority, second application latency, second application bandwidth requirement, or a combination thereof.

27. The method of claim 20, further comprising:

using an array of antennas to profile the available wireless spectrum; and

then pre-as signing specific spectrum masks for each of said multiple first client devices and said second multiple client devices based on said profiled wireless spectrum and combination of a given usage model with a specific application type used by each of said respective first and second client devices, said spectrum mask pre-assigned for said multiple first client devices being different than said spectrum mask pre-assigned for said multiple second client devices.

28. The method of claim 20, further comprising simultaneously using said RF spectrum by said two or more network computing wireless technologies by using said first client device to employ said first channel within said RF frequency spectrum to communicate by said first network computing wireless technology;

and using said second client device to employ said second channel within said RF frequency spectrum to communicate by said second network computing wireless technology simultaneously with said use of said RF frequency spectrum by said first client device.

29. The method of claim 20, further comprising adjusting RF transmission power levels of said multiple first client devices so as to minimize interference with another separate wireless communication system detected to be operating in the same wireless communication environment.

30. An information handling system configured as a wireless network access point, said information handling system comprising:

a first wireless network technology communication component configured to communicate using a first network computing wireless technology;

a second wireless network technology communication component configured to communicate simultaneously with said first wireless network technology communication component using a second network computing wireless technology; and

an RF spectrum controller coupled to control operation of said first and second wireless network technology communication components;

wherein said information handling system is configured to;

allocate said RF frequency spectrum for use by a first client device by instructing said first client device to employ a first channel within said RF frequency spectrum to transmit by a first network computing wireless technology, and

allocate said RF frequency spectrum for use by a second client device simultaneously with said use of said RF frequency spectrum by said first client device by instructing said second client device to employ a second channel within said RF frequency spectrum to transmit using a second network computing wireless technology.