Resource sharing between secondary networks

• US 8,385,286 B2
• Filed: 09/03/2010
• Issued: 02/26/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 09/03/2010
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Nokia Technologies Oy (Nokia Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Nokia Corporation
• Inventors: Junell, Jari Henrik, Salokannel, Juha
• Primary Examiner(s): Chan, Wing F
• Assistant Examiner(s): Krishnan, Rajeshwari
• Application Number:
  US12/875,183
• Publication Number:
  US 20120057533A1
• Time in Patent Office: 907 Days
• Field of Search: 370/235, 370/250, 370/252, 370/315, 370/328, 370/329, 370/331, 370/337, 370/338, 370/350, 455/41.2, 455/67.13, 455/452.1, 455/500, 455/509
• US Class Current: 370/329
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 16/14 Spectrum sharing arrangements between different networks
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 72/563 of the wireless resources

Abstract

Method, apparatus, and computer program product embodiments are disclosed to provide for wireless resource sharing on a fair basis between heterogeneous wireless networks to enable coexistence in a TV band white space. An example embodiment of the invention includes a method, comprising the steps of: receiving a coexistence value associated with a wireless network; receiving radio frequency spectral environment information of the wireless network; receiving coexistence values and radio frequency spectral environment information of wireless networks neighboring the wireless network; receiving a resource request for the wireless network; generating a resource allocation based at least on the received coexistence values and received radio frequency spectral environment information; and communicating at least a portion of the generated resource allocation to the wireless network. The resulting embodiments provide for wireless resource sharing on a fair basis between heterogeneous wireless networks to enable coexistence of secondary networks.

Claims

1. A method executed by one or more coexistence managers to provide for wireless resource sharing between heterogeneous wireless networks, comprising:

receiving a coexistence value associated with a wireless network from a coexistence enabler of the wireless network, the coexistence value indicating eligibility level of the wireless network to the spectrum resources based on usage by the wireless network of both currently allocated resources and historically allocated resources;

receiving radio frequency spectral environment information of the wireless network, indicating, at least, whether primary users are present in one or more coexistence bands;

receiving coexistence values and other radio frequency spectral environment information of wireless networks neighboring the wireless network, wherein the neighboring networks potentially interfere with the wireless network by sharing the same spectrum resources;

receiving a resource request for the wireless network;

generating a resource allocation based at least on the received coexistence values and received radio frequency spectral environment information; and

communicating at least a portion of the generated resource allocation to the wireless network.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising

sharing the coexistence value associated with the wireless network, with one or more coexistence managers serving the neighboring wireless networks.

3. The method of claim 1, further comprising

building a spectrum map based on the received radio frequency spectral environment information of the wireless network, past radio frequency spectral environment information of the wireless network, indicating, at least, whether primary users were present in one or more coexistence bands in the past, and radio frequency spectral environment information accessed from a database;

and

sharing the spectrum map with the one or more coexistence managers serving the wireless networks neighboring the wireless network.

4. The method of claim 1, further comprising

receiving the coexistence values and the other radio frequency spectral environment information of the wireless networks neighboring the wireless network from one or more coexistence managers serving the wireless networks neighboring the wireless network.

5. The method of claim 1, further comprising

communicating at least a portion of the generated resource allocation to the one or more coexistence managers serving the wireless networks neighboring the wireless network.

6. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

receiving network capabilities information of the wireless network, at least including needed bandwidth, and sharing the network capabilities information with one or more coexistence managers serving the wireless networks neighboring the wireless network;

receiving network capabilities information of the wireless networks neighboring the wireless network, at least including available bandwidth, from the one or more coexistence managers serving the wireless networks neighboring the wireless network;

comparing the coexistence value of the wireless network with the coexistence values of the wireless networks neighboring the wireless network and comparing the network capabilities information of the wireless network with the network capabilities information of the wireless networks neighboring the wireless network;

generating a resource allocation based on a result of comparison the coexistence value of the wireless network with coexistence values of the wireless networks neighboring the wireless network, a result of the comparison of the network capabilities information of the wireless network with the network capabilities information of the wireless networks neighboring the wireless network, and the received radio frequency spectral environment information.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein the coexistence value of the wireless network is based on at least one of a number of nodes in the wireless network, current resource allocation utilization rate of the wireless network, coexistence assistance by the wireless network to assist in operation of other wireless networks and a priority of the wireless network.

8. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

normalizing the received coexistence value of the wireless network and the received coexistence values of the wireless networks neighboring the wireless network to a common scale based on available communication resources that are not limited by primary users or secondary users that are not part of an allocation ring.

9. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

maintaining information related to coexistence managers serving wireless networks neighboring the wireless network.

10. An apparatus to provide for wireless resource sharing between heterogeneous wireless networks, comprising:

at least one processor;

at least one memory including computer program code;

the at least one memory and the computer program code configured to, with the at least one processor, cause a coexistence manager at least to;

receive a coexistence value associated with a wireless network, from a coexistence enabler of the wireless network, the coexistence value indicating eligibility level of the wireless network to the spectrum resources, based on usage by the wireless network of both currently allocated resources and historically allocated resources;

receive radio frequency spectral environment information of the wireless network, indicating, at least, whether primary users are present in one or more coexistence bands;

receive coexistence values and other radio frequency spectral environment information of wireless networks neighboring the wireless network, wherein the neighboring networks potentially interfere with the wireless network by sharing the same spectrum resources;

receive a resource request for the wireless network;

generate a resource allocation based at least on the received coexistence values and received radio frequency spectral environment information; and

communicate at least a portion of the generated resource allocation to the wireless network.

11. The apparatus of claim 10, further comprising:

the at least one memory and the computer program code configured to, with the at least one processor, cause the coexistence manager at least to;

share the coexistence value associated with the wireless network, with one or more coexistence managers serving the neighboring wireless networks.

12. The apparatus of claim 10, further comprising:

the at least one memory and the computer program code configured to, with the at least one processor, cause the coexistence manager at least to;

build a spectrum map based on the received radio frequency spectral environment information of the wireless network, past radio frequency spectral environment information of the wireless network, indicating, at least, whether primary users were present in one or more coexistence bands in the past, and radio frequency spectral environment information accessed from a database; and

share the spectrum map with the one or more coexistence managers serving the wireless networks neighboring the wireless network.

13. The apparatus of claim 10, further comprising:

the at least one memory and the computer program code configured to, with the at least one processor, cause the coexistence manager at least to;

receive the coexistence values and the other radio frequency spectral environment information of the wireless networks neighboring the wireless network from one or more coexistence managers serving the wireless networks neighboring the wireless network.

14. The apparatus of claim 10, further comprising:

the at least one memory and the computer program code configured to, with the at least one processor, cause the coexistence manager at least to;

communicate at least a portion of the generated resource allocation to the one or more coexistence managers serving the wireless networks neighboring the wireless network.

15. The apparatus of claim 10, further comprising:

the at least one memory and the computer program code configured to, with the at least one processor, cause the coexistence manager at least to;

receive network capabilities information of the wireless network, at least including needed bandwidth, and sharing the network capabilities information with one or more coexistence managers serving the wireless networks neighboring the wireless network;

receive network capabilities information of the wireless networks neighboring the wireless network, at least including available bandwidth, from the one or more coexistence managers serving the wireless networks neighboring the wireless network;

compare the coexistence value of the wireless network with the coexistence values of the wireless networks neighboring the wireless network and comparing the network capabilities information of the wireless network with the network capabilities information of the wireless networks neighboring the wireless network;

generate a resource allocation based on a result of comparison the coexistence value of the wireless network with coexistence values of the wireless networks neighboring the wireless network, a result of the comparison of the network capabilities information of the wireless network with the network capabilities information of the wireless networks neighboring the wireless network, and the received radio frequency spectral environment information.

16. The apparatus of claim 10, wherein the coexistence value of the wireless network is based on at least one of a number of nodes in the wireless network, current resource allocation utilization rate of the wireless network, coexistence assistance by the wireless network to assist in operation of other wireless networks and a priority of the wireless network.

17. The apparatus of claim 10, further comprising:

the at least one memory and the computer program code configured to, with the at least one processor, cause the coexistence manager at least to;

normalize the received coexistence value of the wireless network and the received coexistence values of the wireless networks neighboring the wireless network to a common scale based on available communication resources that are not limited by primary users or secondary users that are not part of an allocation ring.

18. The apparatus of claim 10, further comprising:

the at least one memory and the computer program code configured to, with the at least one processor, cause the coexistence manager at least to;

maintaining information related to coexistence managers serving wireless networks neighboring the wireless network.

19. A computer program product comprising computer executable program code recorded on a computer readable non-transitory storage medium, to provide for wireless resource sharing between heterogeneous wireless networks, the computer executable program code comprising:

code for receiving a coexistence value associated with a wireless network from a coexistence enabler of the wireless network, the coexistence value indicating eligibility level of the wireless network to the spectrum resources based on usage by the wireless network of both currently allocated resources and historically allocated resources;

code for receiving radio frequency spectral environment information of the wireless network, indicating, at least, whether primary users are present in one or more coexistence bands;

code for receiving coexistence values and other radio frequency spectral environment information of wireless networks neighboring the wireless network, wherein the neighboring networks potentially interfere with the wireless network by sharing the same spectrum resources;

code for receiving a resource request for the wireless network;

code for generating a resource allocation based at least on the received coexistence values and received radio frequency spectral environment information; and

code for communicating at least a portion of the generated resource allocation to the wireless network.