Systems for communicating using multiple frequency bands in a wireless network

• US 8,340,071 B2
• Filed: 01/11/2010
• Issued: 12/25/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 10/26/2005
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Tahoe Research Limited (f/k/a Learndale Limited) (Vector Capital Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Intel Corporation
• Inventors: Sadri, Ali S., Maltsev, Alexander, Khoryaev, Alexey, Maslennikov, Roman, Sergeyev, Vadim
• Primary Examiner(s): Wong, Warner
• Application Number:
  US12/685,607
• Publication Number:
  US 20100135238A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,079 Days
• Field of Search: 370310-350
• US Class Current: 370/344
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 16/28 using beam steering
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 72/0453 Resources in frequency domain, e.g. a carrier in FDMA
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 84/20 Master-slave selection or change arrangements

Abstract

Communication signals using a first and a second frequency band in a wireless network is described herein. The first frequency band may be associated with a first beamwidth while the second frequency band may be associated with a second beamwidth. A method includes transmitting, in a first frequency band by a coordinating device, an indication of a first time resource and/or first frequency resource for a communication device to identify one or more neighbor communication devices that are capable of communicating over a second frequency band, receiving, in the first frequency band by the coordinating device, link availability information for the second frequency band based at least in part on the one or more neighbor communication devices identified as being capable of communicating over the second frequency band, and transmitting, in the first frequency band, a transmission schedule to indicate to the communication device a second time resource and/or second frequency resource in which the communication device can communicate with at least one of the one or more neighbor communications devices over the second frequency band, the transmission schedule being based at least in part on the received link availability information. Other embodiments may be described and/or claimed.

Claims

1. A method comprising:

transmitting, in a first frequency band by a coordinating device, an indication of a first time resource and/or first frequency resource for a communication device to identify one or more neighbor communication devices that are capable of communicating over a second frequency band, the first frequency band being associated with a first beamwidth and the second frequency band being associated with a second beamwidth;

receiving, in the first frequency band by the coordinating device, link availability information for the second frequency band based at least in part on the one or more neighbor communication devices identified as being capable of communicating over the second frequency band;

receiving, in the first frequency band by the coordinating device, interference information associated with the communication device, wherein said receiving the interference information comprises receiving interference measurements including interference levels, the interference measurements being performed by one or more communication devices, including the communication device;

determining a transmission schedule based at least in part on the received interference information, wherein said determining the transmission schedule comprises comparing the interference levels to allow simultaneous transmission for at least two communication devices that have mutual interference levels below a threshold level using the second frequency band and to prevent simultaneous transmission for at least another two communication devices that have mutual interference levels above the threshold level using the second frequency; and

transmitting, in the first frequency band, the transmission schedule to indicate to the communication device a second time resource and/or second frequency resource in which the communication device can communicate with at least one of the one or more neighbor communications devices over the second frequency band, the transmission schedule being based at least in part on the received link availability information.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

creating a connectivity table comprising pairs of communication devices that are capable of directly communicating over the second frequency band, said creating the connectivity table being based at least in part on the received link availability information.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein said transmitting, in a first frequency band by a coordinating device, an indication of a first time resource and/or first frequency resource comprises transmitting a time interval for a communication device to identify, using the second frequency band, one or more neighbor communication devices that are capable of communicating over the second frequency band;

wherein said transmitting, in the first frequency band, a transmission schedule to indicate to the communication device a second time resource and/or second frequency resource comprises transmitting, in the first frequency band, a transmission schedule to indicate to the communication device a time period in which the communication device can communicate with at least one of the one or more neighbor communications devices over the second frequency band; and

wherein the first beamwidth is greater than the second beamwidth.

4. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

receiving, by the coordinating device, notification of establishment of a communication link over the second frequency band between the communication device and at least one of the one or more neighboring communication devices.

5. A method comprising:

receiving, in a first frequency band by a communication device from a coordinating device, an indication of a first time resource and/or first frequency resource for the communication device to identify one or more neighbor communication devices that are capable of communicating using a second frequency band, the first frequency band being associated with a first beamwidth and the second frequency band being associated with a second beamwidth, the first beamwidth being greater than the second beamwidth;

identifying, by the communication device using the indicated first time resource and/or first frequency resource, one or more neighboring communication devices that are capable of communicating using the second frequency band;

transmitting, in the first frequency band by the communication device, link availability information of the one or more neighboring communication devices that are capable of communicating using the second frequency band to the coordinating device;

transmitting, in the first frequency band by the communication device, interference information associated with the communication device, wherein said transmitting the interference information comprises transmitting interference measurements including interference levels, the interference measurements being performed by one or more communication devices, including the communication device;

and

receiving, in the first frequency band by the communication device, a transmission schedule to indicate a second time resource and/or second frequency resource in which the communication device can communicate with at least one of the one or more neighbor communications devices using the second frequency band, the transmission schedule being based at least in part on the transmitted link availability information and the transmitted interference information, wherein the transmission schedule is determined based on a comparison of the interference levels to allow simultaneous transmission for at least two communication devices that have mutual interference levels below a threshold level using the second frequency band and to prevent simultaneous transmission for at least another two communication devices that have mutual interference levels above the threshold level using the second frequency.

6. The method of claim 5, wherein said identifying, by the communication device using the indicated first time resource and/or first frequency resource comprises transmitting, by the communication device using the second frequency band, search routine signals associated with link establishment.

7. The method of claim 5, further comprising:

notifying the coordinating device, by the communication device, that a communication link is established over the second frequency band between the communication device and at least one of the one or more neighboring communication devices.

8. An apparatus comprising:

transmitter circuitry configured to transmit, in a first frequency band, an indication of a first time resource and/or first frequency resource for a communication device to identify one or more neighbor communication devices that are capable of communicating using a second frequency band, the first frequency band being associated with a first beamwidth and the second frequency band being associated with a second beamwidth, the first beamwidth being greater than the second beamwidth; and

receiver circuitry coupled to the transmitter circuitry, wherein the receiver circuitry is configured to receive, in the first frequency band, link availability information for the second frequency band based at least in part on the one or more neighbor communication devices identified as being capable of communicating using the second frequency band;

wherein the transmitter circuitry is further configured to transmit a transmission schedule to indicate to the communication device a second time resource and/or second frequency resource in which the communication device can communicate with at least one of the one or more neighbor communications devices using the second frequency band, the transmission schedule being based at least in part on the received link availability information,

wherein the receiver circuitry is further configured to receive, in the first frequency band, interference information associated with the communication device, the interference information comprising interference measurements including interference levels, the interference measurements being performed by one or more communication devices, including the communication device; and

wherein the scheduling module is further configured to determine the transmission schedule based at least in part on the received interference information by comparing the interference levels to allow simultaneous transmission for at least two communication devices that have mutual interference levels below a threshold level using the second frequency band and to prevent simultaneous transmission for at least another two communication devices that have mutual interference levels above the threshold level using the second frequency.

9. The apparatus of claim 8, further comprising:

a scheduling module coupled to the receiver circuitry and to the transmitter circuitry, the scheduling module being configured to create a connectivity table comprising pairs of communication devices that are capable of directly communicating using the second frequency band, wherein the scheduling module is configured to create the connectivity table based at least in part on the received link availability information.

10. The apparatus of claim 9, wherein the apparatus comprises an access point of a wireless communication network.