Systems and methods for determining feasibility of communication spectrum maximization

• US 7,613,465 B2
• Filed: 03/22/2007
• Issued: 11/03/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 03/23/2006
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Broadcast Sciences Corporation
• Original Assignee: Media Technology Ventures, LLC
• Inventors: Hieatt, III, William Roland, Rose, Harold A., Keon, Neil Jennings, Kalvenes, Joakim, Unkefer, Ronald A., Lawrence, Gary Marlin
• Primary Examiner(s): Edouard, Patrick N.
• Assistant Examiner(s): PEREZ, JULIO R
• Application Number:
  US11/690,023
• Publication Number:
  US 20070225007A1
• Time in Patent Office: 957 Days
• Field of Search: 455/450, 455/423, 455/452.1, 455/452.2, 455/454, 455/67.11, 455/277.1, 455/456.3, 703/66
• US Class Current: 455/452.2
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 17/391 Modelling the propagation channel
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 7/10 Polarisation diversity; Directional diversity
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 16/00 Network planning, e.g. coverage or traffic planning tools; Network deployment, e.g. resource partitioning or cells structures
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 16/18 Network planning tools
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 24/00 Supervisory, monitoring or testing arrangements
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 28/18 Negotiating wireless communication parameters

Abstract

A computer-based program performs calculations to analyze, vary, test, manage, and/or improve the performance of channels and/or frequencies in the communication spectrum. The program varies parameters of a point of communication, such as the location, transmission power, channel frequency, antenna height, and the like, alone or in combination, to measure, test, and/or evaluate which parameter changes increase the market coverage of a target market or area. In some scenarios, changes to one point of communication cause the regulations governing the broadcast relationship between one or more nearby points of communication to be violated. When this occurs, the program determines which of the parameters, such as the location, transmission power, channel and/or frequency, antenna height, and the like, alone or in combination, of the point of communication interfering with the increased market coverage scenario to vary to overcome the conflict with communications and/or regulatory law. In addition, the program can determine simultaneously which of the parameters of multiple points of communication to vary to overcome the conflict with communications and/or regulatory law. The program outputs multiple solutions with varying degrees of difficulty and varying amounts of performance improvement.

Claims

1. A computerized method of improving the coverage of a target area by an existing radio transmitter, the method comprising:

creating with one or more computer processors multiple potential alternative locations for an existing radio transmitter wherein the existing radio transmitter comprises at least one of the group consisting of;

an AM radio transmitter, an FM radio transmitter and a television transmitter;

analyzing potential changes in a signal coverage of a target area associated with the potential alternative locations based on predictions of changes in the existing radio transmitter associated with the potential alternative locations;

testing whether the feasibility of the potential alternative locations by automatically accessing with one or more computer processors a database of FCC rules wherein testing whether the potential alternative locations are feasible comprises;

determining spacings between the existing radio transmitter and at least one of multiple other existing radio transmitters, wherein the existing radio transmitter and the at least one of the multiple other existing radio transmitters form a broadcast pair;

comparing each spacing with a distance; and

determining potential alternative locations that are feasible when the spacings are greater than the distance;

wherein if the potential alternative locations are infeasible due to interference from the at least one of the multiple other existing radio transmitters, the method further comprising analyzing one or more potential alternative locations, potential alternative channels, potential alternative frequencies, and potential alternative classes of the at least one of the multiple other existing radio transmitters to potentially remove the interference;

scoring the potential alternative locations that are determined to be feasible;

determining a feasibility of potential alternative locations for the at least one of the multiple other existing radio transmitters;

determining the feasibility of potential alternative channels and potential alternative frequencies for the at least one of the multiple other existing radio transmitters;

determining the feasibility of potential alternative classes for the at least one of the multiple other existing radio transmitters;

determining the feasibility of potential alternative classes at each potential alternative location for the at least one of the multiple other existing radio transmitters;

determining the feasibility of potential alternative channels and potential alternative frequencies at each potential alternative location for the at least one of the multiple other existing radio transmitters;

determining the feasibility of potential alternative classes at each potential alternative channel and potential alternative frequency for the at least one of the multiple other existing radio transmitters;

determining the feasibility of each potential alternative class and each potential alternative each potential alternative frequency at each potential alternative location for the at least one of the multiple other existing radio transmitters;

scoring the potential alternative locations, the potential alternative classes, the potential alternative channels and the potential alternative frequencies of the at least one of the multiple other existing radio transmitters; and

ranking the potential alternative locations, the potential alternative classes, the potential alternative channels and the potential alternative frequencies of the at least one of the multiple other existing radio transmitters based on the scoring of potential alternative locations, the potential alternative classes, the potential alternative channels and the potential alternative frequencies.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein if the potential alternative locations, the potential alternative classes, the potential alternative channels and the potential alternative frequencies of the at least one of the multiple other existing radio transmitters are infeasible due to interference from one or more additional existing radio transmitters, the method further comprising analyzing one or more potential alternative locations, potential alternative channels, potential alternative frequencies, potential alternative classes, and variations of antenna height above average terrain within each potential alternative class, and variations of transmit power with each potential alternative class of the one or more additional existing radio transmitters to potentially remove the interference from the one or more additional existing radio transmitters.