LTE operation in white spaces

• US 8,406,780 B2
• Filed: 01/14/2011
• Issued: 03/26/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 01/14/2011
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Intel Corporation
• Original Assignee: Intel Mobile Communications GmbH (Intel Corporation)
• Inventors: Mueck, Markus
• Primary Examiner(s): CAI, WAYNE HUU
• Application Number:
  US13/006,740
• Publication Number:
  US 20120184283A1
• Time in Patent Office: 802 Days
• Field of Search: 455/450, 455/451, 455/452.1, 455/452.2, 455/453, 455/454, 370/328, 370/338, 370/341
• US Class Current: 455/452.1
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 27/0006 Assessment of spectral gaps suitable for allocating digitally modulated signals, e.g. for carrier allocation in cognitive radio for spectrum sharing between different networks H04W16/14
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 5/00 Arrangements affording multiple use of the transmission path
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 5/0039 Frequency-contiguous, i.e. with no allocation of frequencies for one user or terminal between the frequencies allocated to another
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 5/0041 Frequency-non-contiguous
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 28/04 Error control
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 72/0453 Resources in frequency domain, e.g. a carrier in FDMA
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 72/541 using the level of interference
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 72/56 based on priority criteria

Abstract

One embodiment of the present invention relates to a method for efficient reassignment of a secondary communication channel (having a first priority) within a white space, upon arrival of a conflicting primary user signal (having a second priority higher than the first priority). In particular, the method comprises reassigning a secondary communication channel to unused portions of one or more white spaces remaining after the arrival of one or more primary users. For example, in one embodiment wherein one or more secondary communication channels are operated at contiguous secondary frequency ranges within a white space, a primary/incumbent user may arrive at a frequency range that conflicts with the secondary frequency range and that generates unused frequency portions of the white space(s). The secondary communication channel may be reassigned to the unused frequency portions of the white space (e.g., forming a non-contiguous secondary communication channel, forming a secondary communication channel having a reduced bandwidth).

Claims

1. A method for reassigning a contiguous secondary communication channel, comprising:

operating one or more secondary communication channels having a first priority at a contiguous secondary frequency range within a white space having a continuous frequency range;

detecting an arrival of one or more primary user signals within the white space, wherein the primary user signals have a higher priority than the first priority and wherein the primary user signals have a primary frequency range that conflicts with the secondary frequency ranges and that provide for one or more unused sections of the white space; and

reassigning the one or more contiguous secondary communication channels from the white space to at least one of the one or more unused sections of the white space.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein reassigning the one or more contiguous secondary communication channels, comprises:

reassigning the one or more contiguous secondary communication channels to one or more non-contiguous secondary communication channels comprising non-contiguous frequency spectrums within the unused sections of the white space.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein reassigning the one or more contiguous secondary communication channels, comprises:

reassigning the one or more contiguous secondary communication channels to unused sections of the white space having a contiguous bandwidth smaller than the one or more contiguous secondary communication channels.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the one or more secondary communication channels comprise Long Term Evolution (LTE) communication channels, International Mobile Telecommunications (IMT)-Advanced bands, military bands, public safety bands, or wireless medical telemetry bands.

5. A method for constructing a non-contiguous secondary communication channel, comprising:

operating one or more secondary communication channels having a first priority at a contiguous secondary frequency range within a white space;

detecting an arrival of a primary user signal within the white space, wherein the primary user signal has a higher priority than the first priority and wherein the primary user signal has a primary frequency range that conflicts with the contiguous secondary frequency range and that provides for unused sections of the white space; and

reassigning the one or more secondary communication channels to one or more non-contiguous secondary communication channels comprising non-contiguous frequency spectrums within the unused sections of the white space, which have a contiguous bandwidth smaller than the contiguous secondary frequency range.

6. The method of claim 5, wherein the one or more secondary communication channels comprise a low secondary communication channel located adjacent to a high secondary communication channel, wherein the low secondary communication channel has a lower frequency range than the high secondary communication channel.

7. The method of claim 6, wherein the low and high secondary communication channel comprises Long Term Evolution (LTE) communication channels, and wherein the white space comprises a TV white space.

8. The method of claim 7, further comprising filtering the low and high secondary communication channels to enable the formation of the non-contiguous secondary communication channel for any frequency range the primary user occupies within the TV white space.

9. The method of claim 8, further comprising:

downconverting the low secondary communication channel to a frequency range that enables filtering to form the non-contiguous frequency spectrum; and

downconverting the high secondary communication channel to a frequency range that enables filtering to form the non-contiguous frequency spectrum.

10. The method of claim 5, wherein upon arrival of the primary user signal within the white space one of the secondary communication channels is reassigned to a frequency range outside of the white space, while the remaining one of the secondary communication channels is provided to a plurality of filters configured to generate the non-contiguous secondary communication channel from the unused sections of the white space.

11. A communication circuit, comprising:

a frequency reassignment circuit configured, upon arrival of a primary user signal within a white space having a continuous frequency range, to reassign a contiguous secondary communication channel, operating within the white space, to a non-contiguous secondary communication channel having a non-contiguous frequency spectrum within the white space;

wherein the primary user signal has a first priority and the secondary communication channel has a second priority less than the first priority, and

wherein the non-contiguous secondary communication channel is assigned to have frequencies that are different than a frequency range of the primary user signal.

12. The circuit of claim 11, wherein the frequency reassignment circuit comprises:

a filter array comprising a plurality of filters configured to generate the non-contiguous secondary communication channel; and

a routing logic circuit configured, upon arrival of the primary user signal within the white space, to selectively re-route a contiguous secondary communication channel to one or more of the plurality of filters within the filter array.

13. The circuit of claim 12, wherein the white space comprises a low secondary communication channel located adjacent to a high secondary communication channel, wherein the low secondary communication channel has a lower frequency range than the high secondary communication channel, and

wherein the contiguous secondary communication channel comprises either the low or high secondary communication channel.

14. The circuit of claim 13, wherein upon arrival of the primary user signal within the white space one of the secondary communication channels is moved to a frequency range outside of the white space, while the remaining one of the secondary communication channels is provided to the plurality of filters configured to generate the non-contiguous secondary communication channel from unused sections of the white space.

15. The circuit of claim 13, wherein the low channel comprises a low LTE channel, wherein the high channel comprises a high LTE channel, and wherein the white space comprises a TV white space.

16. The circuit of claim 15, wherein the plurality of filters are configured to enable the formation of a non-contiguous secondary communication channel for any frequency range the primary user occupies within the TV white space.

17. The circuit of claim 13, wherein the routing logic comprises a plurality of multiplexors configured to provide the low communication channel to one or more selected filters in response to one or more control signals and further configured to provide the high communication channel to one or more selected filters in response to one or more control signals.

18. The circuit of claim 17, wherein the routing logic is configured to provide the input signal to a combination of the plurality of filters, thereby realizing an aggregate filtering function based upon the combination.

19. The circuit of claim 13, further comprising:

a first down converter configured to down convert the low channel to a frequency range that enables the plurality of filters to form a non-contiguous signal that avoids the primary user signal frequency; and

a second down converter configured to down convert the high channel to a frequency range that enables the plurality of filters to form a non-contiguous signal that avoids the primary user signal frequency.

20. The circuit of claim 12, wherein the plurality of filters comprise digital filters.