System and method for management of a shared frequency band

• US 8,175,539 B2
• Filed: 12/22/2010
• Issued: 05/08/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 04/22/2002
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Cisco Technology, Inc. (Cisco Systems, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Cisco Technology, Inc. (Cisco Systems, Inc.)
• Inventors: Diener, Neil R., Miller, Karl A.
• Primary Examiner(s): Wendell, Andrew
• Application Number:
  US12/975,535
• Publication Number:
  US 20110090939A1
• Time in Patent Office: 503 Days
• Field of Search: 455/41.2, 455/522, 455/67.11, 455/69, 455/62, 375/224, 375/225, 375/132, 370/318
• US Class Current: 455/69
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 1/0001 Systems modifying transmission characteristics according to link quality, e.g. power backoff adaptive data allocation for multicarrier modulation H04L5/0044; controlling transmission power for radio systems H04W52/04
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 1/1664 the supervisory signal being transmitted together with payload signals; piggybacking
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 16/14 Spectrum sharing arrangements between different networks
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 24/00 Supervisory, monitoring or testing arrangements
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 24/08 Testing, supervising or monitoring using real traffic
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 72/542 using measured or perceived quality

Abstract

A system, method, software and related functions are provided for managing activity in a radio frequency band that is shared, both in frequency and time, by signals of multiple types. An example of such a frequency band is an unlicensed frequency band. Radio frequency energy in the frequency band is captured at one or more devices and/or locations in a region where activity in the frequency band is happening. Signals occurring in the frequency band are detected by sampling part or the entire frequency band for time intervals. Signal pulse energy in the band is detected and is used to classify signals according to signal type. Using knowledge of the types of signals occurring in the frequency band and other spectrum activity related statistics (referred to as spectrum intelligence), actions can be taken in a device or network of devices to avoid interfering with other signals, and in general to optimize simultaneous use of the frequency band with the other signals. The spectrum intelligence may be used to suggest actions to a device user or network administrator, or to automatically invoke actions in a device or network of devices to maintain desirable performance.

Claims

1. A method comprising:

receiving radio frequency energy in a frequency band;

analyzing the radio frequency energy to classify devices determined to be operating in the frequency band based on the received radio frequency energy, wherein the frequency band comprises a first portion and a second portion and the second portion is larger than the first portion; and

adjusting an amount of dynamic rate adaptation and bandwidth used by one or more devices operating in the frequency band when a frequency hopping device is determined to be operating in the frequency band based on said analyzing;

wherein adjusting comprises limiting a degree of dynamic rate adaptation used by a non-frequency hopping communication device to the second portion of the frequency band when it is determined based on said analyzing that the frequency hopping device has an adaptive hop set capability.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein adjusting comprises adjusting the amount of dynamic rate adaptation used by a wireless local area network access point device that serves one or more wireless client devices in a wireless network operating in the frequency band.

3. An apparatus comprising:

a radio receiver configured to receive radio frequency energy in a frequency band that comprises a first portion and a second portion, wherein the second portion is larger than the first portion;

a spectrum analysis unit configured to analyze the radio frequency energy to classify devices determined to be operating in the frequency band based on the received radio frequency energy; and

a controller coupled to the spectrum analysis unit and configured to generate a control to adjust an amount of dynamic rate adaptation and bandwidth used by one or more devices operating in the frequency band so as to limit a degree of the dynamic rate adaptation to the second portion of the frequency band when a frequency hopping device is determined to be operating in the frequency band and the frequency hopping device is determined to have an adaptive hop set capability based on the analysis by the spectrum analysis unit.

4. The apparatus of claim 3, wherein the controller is configured to generate a control to adjust the amount of dynamic rate adaptation used by a wireless local area network access point device that serves one or more wireless client devices in a wireless network operating in the frequency band.

5. A non-transitory processor readable medium encoded with instructions that, when executed by a processor, cause the processor to:

analyze data representing radio frequency energy received by a receiver device in a frequency band to classify devices determined to be operating in the frequency band based on the received radio frequency energy, wherein the radio frequency band comprises a first portion and a second portion, wherein the second portion is larger than the first portion; and

generate a control to adjust an amount of dynamic rate adaptation and bandwidth used by one or more devices operating in the frequency band so as to limit a degree of the dynamic rate adaptation to the second portion of the frequency band when a frequency hopping device is determined to be operating in the frequency band and the frequency hopping device is determined to have an adaptive hop set capability based on the analysis of the radio frequency energy.

6. The processor readable medium of claim 5, wherein the instructions that generate the control comprise instructions that generate the control to adjust the amount of dynamic rate adaptation used by a wireless local area network access point device that serves one or more wireless client devices in a wireless network operating in the frequency band.

7. A method comprising:

receiving radio frequency energy in a frequency band;

analyzing the radio frequency energy to classify devices determined to be operating in the frequency band based on the received radio frequency energy;

detecting one or more frequency hopping devices operating in the frequency band based on said analyzing;

determining when a detected frequency hopping device is operating with a relatively slow frequency hopping signal and when a detected frequency hopping device is operating with a relatively fast frequency hopping signal;

controlling in a first manner one or more transmit parameters used by a wireless local area network access point device to transmit a data stream in the frequency band to a client device when the detected frequency hopping device is determined to operate with a relatively slow frequency hopping signal; and

controlling in a second manner the one or more transmit parameters used by the wireless local area network access point device to transmit the data stream in the frequency band when the detected frequency hopping device is determined to operate with a relatively fast frequency hopping signal.

8. The method of claim 7, wherein controlling comprises controlling the wireless local area network access point device to transmit a relatively high quality of service data stream on multiple redundant channels when it is determined that the detected frequency hopping device is operating with a relatively slow frequency hopping signal.

9. The method of claim 7, wherein controlling comprises controlling the wireless local area network access point device to transmit a relatively high quality of service data stream across a wider bandwidth channel when it is determined that the detected frequency hopping device is operating with a relatively fast frequency hopping signal.

10. The method of claim 7, wherein the data stream is a relatively high quality of service data stream that includes video.

11. The method of claim 8, wherein controlling comprises controlling the wireless local area network access point device to transmit the relatively high quality of service data stream across a wider bandwidth channel when it is determined that the detected frequency hopping device is operating with a relatively fast frequency hopping signal.

12. An apparatus comprising:

a radio receiver configured to receive radio frequency energy in a frequency band;

a spectrum analysis unit configured to analyze the received radio frequency energy to classify devices determined to be operating in the frequency band based on the received radio frequency energy; and

a controller coupled to the spectrum analysis unit and configured to;

detect one or more frequency hopping devices operating in the frequency band;

determine when a detected frequency hopping device is operating with a relatively slow frequency hopping signal and when a detected frequency hopping device is operating with a relatively fast frequency hopping signal;

control in a first manner one or more transmit parameters used by a wireless local area network access point device to transmit a data stream in the frequency band to a client device when the detected frequency hopping device is determined to operate with a relatively slow frequency hopping signal; and

control in a second manner the one or more transmit parameters used by the wireless local area network access point device to transmit the data stream in the frequency band when the detected frequency hopping device is determined to operate with a relatively fast frequency hopping signal.

13. The apparatus of claim 12, wherein the controller is configured to control the wireless local area network access point device to transmit a relatively high quality of service data stream on multiple redundant channels when it is determined that the detected frequency hopping device is operating with a relatively slow frequency hopping signal.

14. The apparatus of claim 12, wherein the controller is configured to control the wireless local area network access point device to transmit a relatively high quality of service data stream across a wider bandwidth channel when it is determined that the detected frequency hopping device is operating with a relatively fast frequency hopping signal.

15. The apparatus of claim 13, wherein the controller is configured to control the wireless local area network access point device to transmit the relatively high quality of service data stream across a wider bandwidth channel when it is determined that the detected frequency hopping device is operating with a relatively fast frequency hopping signal.

16. A non-transitory processor readable medium encoded with instructions that, when executed by a processor, are operable to:

analyze received radio frequency energy to classify devices determined to be operating in a frequency band based on the received radio frequency energy;

detect one or more frequency hopping devices operating in the frequency band;

determine when a detected frequency hopping device is operating with a relatively slow frequency hopping signal and when a detected frequency hopping device is operating with a relatively fast frequency hopping signal;

control in a first manner one or more transmit parameters used by a wireless local area network access point device to transmit a data stream in the frequency band to a client device when the detected frequency hopping device is determined to operate with a relatively slow frequency hopping signal; and

control in a second manner the one or more transmit parameters used by the wireless local area network access point device to transmit the data stream in the frequency band when the detected frequency hopping device is determined to operate with a relatively fast frequency hopping signal.

17. The processor readable medium of claim 16, wherein the instructions operable to control comprise instructions operable to control the wireless local area network access point device to transmit a relatively high quality of service data stream on multiple redundant channels when it is determined that the detected frequency hopping device is operating with a relatively slow frequency hopping signal.

18. The processor readable medium of claim 17, wherein the instructions operable to control comprises instructions operable to control the wireless local area network access point device to transmit the relatively high quality of service data stream across a wider bandwidth channel when it is determined that the detected frequency hopping device is operating with a relatively fast frequency hopping signal.

19. The processor readable medium of claim 16, wherein the instructions operable to control comprises instructions operable to control the wireless local area network access point device to transmit a relatively high quality of service data stream across a wider bandwidth channel when it is determined that the detected frequency hopping device is operating with a relatively fast frequency hopping signal.