System and method for managing spectrum allocation

• US 8,160,599 B2
• Filed: 04/14/2009
• Issued: 04/17/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 04/14/2009
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Qualcomm, Inc.
• Original Assignee: Spectrum Bridge, Inc.
• Inventors: Stanforth, Peter, Schmidt, Jeffrey C.
• Primary Examiner(s): Mehrpour, Melody
• Application Number:
  US12/423,094
• Publication Number:
  US 20100261423A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,099 Days
• Field of Search: 455/3.01, 455/450.1, 455/450.2, 455/422.1, 455/552.1, 455/423, 455/425, 455/562, 455/1, 455/452.1, 455/450, 455/452.2, 455/451, 455/453, 455/454, 370/329, 370/328, 370/230, 370/468, 370/462, 370/236, 370/346, 370/342, 370/335, 705/37, 705/1, 705/7
• US Class Current: 455/450
• CPC Class Codes: H04H 20/42 Arrangements for resource management
• CPC Class Codes: H04H 20/72 of terrestrial networks

Abstract

A registration system for secondary radio systems that use spectrum that is interleaved with spectrum used by primary radio systems may include an interface to communicate with the secondary radio systems over a network. The registration system also may receive a registration request from a requesting one of the secondary radio systems and generate a spectrum certificate for the requesting secondary radio system. The spectrum certificate may contain a channel map identifying available channels that may be used for wireless communications activity of the requesting secondary radio system and may contain, for each available channel, a guidance indicator that identifies relative channel desirability to the requesting secondary radio system.

Claims

1. A registration system for secondary radio systems that use spectrum that is interleaved with spectrum used by primary radio systems, comprising:

an interface to communicate with the secondary radio systems over a network; and

a processor that executes a spectrum allocation function that is stored in a memory and, by execution of the spectrum allocation function, the registration system configured to;

receive a registration request from a requesting one of the secondary radio systems; and

generate a spectrum certificate for the requesting secondary radio system, the spectrum certificate containing a channel map identifying available channels that the requesting one of the secondary radio systems is entitled to use for wireless communications activity and containing, for each available channel, a guidance indicator that identifies relative channel desirability to the requesting secondary radio system, the available channels being further available for use by any of the secondary radio systems in a location of the requesting one of the secondary radio systems.

2. The registration system of claim 1, wherein the guidance indicator is determined from attributes of the requesting secondary radio system.

3. The registration system of claim 2, wherein the attributes of the requesting secondary radio system are selected from radio type, transmit power capability, location, spectral mask, spectrum usage, and combinations thereof.

4. The registration system of claim 1, wherein the guidance indicator is determined from attributes of commonly located or nearby primary radio systems.

5. The registration system of claim 4, wherein the attributes of the primary radio systems are selected from location, channel usage, service contour, and combinations thereof.

6. The registration system of claim 1, wherein the guidance indicator is determined from attributes of previously registered secondary radio systems.

7. The registration system of claim 6, wherein attributes of the previously registered secondary radio systems includes channel selections made by the previously registered secondary radio systems.

8. The registration system of claim 6, wherein the attributes of the previously registered secondary radio systems are selected from radio type, transmit power capability, location, spectral mask, spectrum usage, and combinations thereof.

9. The registration system of claim 1, wherein the guidance indicator is determined from potential interference between the requesting secondary radio system and at least one of another secondary radio system or one of the primary radio systems.

10. The registration system of claim 1, wherein the guidance indicator is determined from a distribution approach to distribute spectrum usage among the secondary radio systems.

11. The registration system of claim 1, wherein the guidance indicator is determined from at least one of attributes of the requesting secondary radio system, attributes of commonly located or nearby primary radio systems, attributes of previously registered secondary radio systems, potential interference between the requesting secondary radio system and at least one of another secondary radio system or one of the primary radio systems, a distribution approach to distribute spectrum usage among the secondary radio systems, and combinations thereof.

12. The registration system of claim 1, wherein the registration request contains a location identifier for the requesting secondary radio system, the location identifier being a partial or full street address.

13. The registration system of claim 1, wherein the registration request contains a location identifier for the requesting secondary radio system, the location identifier being a channel map of transmission activity of other radio devices, and the location is derived by the registration system using reverse triangulation based on the channel map from the requesting secondary radio system.

14. The registration system of claim 1, wherein the registration system is further configured to receive a channel selection from the requesting secondary radio system and a reason for the channel selection.

15. The registration system of claim 14, wherein the generation of future guidance indicators is determined using the reason provided by the secondary radio system.

16. The registration system of claim 1, wherein the spectrum certificate further contains a time frame for which the channel map is valid.

17. The registration system of claim 16, wherein the time frame is determined from attributes of the requesting secondary radio system and from attributes and spectrum usage by other commonly located or nearby secondary radio systems.

18. A secondary radio system that uses spectrum that is interleaved with spectrum used by primary radio systems for wireless communications activity, comprising:

a transceiver for engaging in the wireless communications activity;

a controller for managing secondary radio system operation such that the secondary radio system is configured to;

transmit a registration request to a registration system;

receive a spectrum certificate from the registration system, the spectrum certificate containing a channel map identifying available channels that the secondary radio system is entitled to use for the wireless communications activity and containing, for each available channel, a guidance indicator that identifies relative channel desirability to the secondary radio system; and

select one of the available channels for the wireless communications activity with consideration of the guidance indicators and where each of plural additional secondary radio systems in a location of the secondary radio system is entitled to use the selected channel for wireless communications.

19. The secondary radio system of claim 18, wherein the registration request contains a location identifier for the secondary radio system, the location identifier being a partial or full street address.

20. The secondary radio system of claim 18, wherein the registration request contains a location identifier for the secondary radio system, the location identifier being a channel map of transmission activity of other radio devices.

21. The secondary radio system of claim 18, wherein the secondary radio system is further configured to transmit the channel selection to the registration system.

22. The secondary radio system of claim 21, wherein the secondary radio system is further configured to transmit a reason for the channel selection to the registration system.

23. The secondary radio system of claim 18, wherein the spectrum certificate further contains a time frame for which the channel map is valid.

24. The secondary radio system of claim 23, wherein the time frame is determined from attributes of the secondary radio system and from attributes and spectrum usage by other commonly located or nearby secondary radio systems.