Method and apparatus for spectrum allocation in wireless networks

• US 8,958,810 B2
• Filed: 11/07/2006
• Issued: 02/17/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 11/07/2006
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Alcatel-Lucent SA (Nokia Corporation), Stevens Institute Of Technology
• Original Assignee: Alcatel-Lucent SA (Nokia Corporation), Stevens Institute Of Technology
• Inventors: Buddhikot, Milind M., Miller, Scott C., Ryan, Kevin
• Primary Examiner(s): RAMPURIA, SHARAD K
• Application Number:
  US11/557,176
• Publication Number:
  US 20080108365A1
• Time in Patent Office: 3,024 Days
• Field of Search: 455446-453, 455509-515, 455/525
• US Class Current: 455/452.2
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 16/10 Dynamic resource partitioning
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 16/14 Spectrum sharing arrangements between different networks
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 24/02 Arrangements for optimising operational condition
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 72/51 based on terminal or device properties

Abstract

The invention includes a method and apparatus for dynamically allocating spectrum available within a region including a plurality of base stations. The method includes obtaining a plurality of spectrum demands associated with at least a portion of the base stations, each spectrum demand requesting a portion of the available spectrum, and determining a plurality of spectrum allocations satisfying at least a portion of the spectrum demands. The spectrum allocations are determined by processing the spectrum demands using network information such as base station information associated with the base stations and region information such as terrain information associated with the region. The region information may include signal propagation information.

Claims

1. An apparatus configured for determining allocation of spectrum, the apparatus comprising:

a processor and a memory communicatively connected to the processor, the processor configured to;

receive a representation of a conflict graph, wherein the representation of the conflict graph comprises a first vertex representing a first base station of a first wireless service provider and

a second vertex representing a second base station of a second wireless service provider, wherein the representation of the conflict graph further comprises an edge between the first vertex and the second vertex,

wherein the edge is configured to represent at least one spectrum allocation constraint, wherein the at least one spectrum allocation constraint comprises at least one cross-provider conflict constraint; and

determine, based on the representation of the conflict graph, a spectrum allocation for at least one of the first base station or the second base station.

2. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the at least one cross-provider conflict constraint comprises a co-located cross-provider conflict constraint indicative that a common portion of the spectrum is not to be allocated to the first base station and the second base station.

3. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the at least one cross-provider conflict constraint comprises a remote cross-provider conflict constraint indicative that a common portion of the spectrum is not to be allocated to the first base station and the second base station when the first base station and the second base station are within interference range of each other.

4. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the representation of the conflict graph comprises a third vertex representing a third base station of the first wireless service provider, wherein the representation of the conflict graph further comprises a second edge between the first vertex and the third vertex, wherein the second edge is configured to represent a soft-handoff constraint.

5. The apparatus of claim 4, wherein the soft-handoff constraint is indicative that a common portion of the spectrum is to be assigned to the first base station and the third base station.

6. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the processor is configured to generate the representation of the conflict graph.

7. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the processor is configured to determine the spectrum allocation based on at least one of a feasibility dynamic spectrum access process, a maximum service dynamic spectrum access process, or a minimum penalty dynamic spectrum access process.

8. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein, to determine the spectrum allocation, the processor is configured to at least one of:

determine the spectrum allocation in a manner for satisfying spectrum demands of a maximum number of base stations while satisfying soft-handoff constraints of a maximum number of base stations;

or

determine the spectrum allocation in a manner for minimizing a sum of penalties associated with spectrum allocation.

9. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the processor is configured to:

receive a first spectrum allocation request associated with the first base station and a second spectrum allocation request associated with the second base station; and

determine the spectrum allocation based on the representation of the conflict graph, the first spectrum allocation request, and the second spectrum allocation request.

10. A method for determining allocation of spectrum, the method comprising:

receiving a representation of a conflict graph via a processor, wherein the representation of the conflict graph comprises a first vertex representing a first base station of a first wireless service provider and

a second vertex representing a second base station of a second wireless service provider, wherein the representation of the conflict graph further comprises an edge between the first vertex and the second vertex, wherein the edge is configured to represent at least one spectrum allocation constraint, wherein the at least one spectrum allocation constraint comprises at least one cross-provider conflict; and

determining, based on the representation of the conflict graph, a spectrum allocation for at least one of the first base station or the second base station.

11. An apparatus configured for determining allocation of spectrum, the apparatus comprising:

a processor and a memory communicatively connected to the processor, the processor configured to determine a spectrum allocation based on a cross-provider conflict constraint associated with allocation of spectrum to a first base station of a first wireless service provider and a second base station of a second wireless service provider.

12. The apparatus of claim 11, wherein the cross-provider conflict constraint comprises a co-located cross-provider conflict constraint indicative that a common portion of the spectrum is not to be allocated to the first base station and the second base station.

13. The apparatus of claim 11, wherein the cross-provider conflict constraint comprises a remote cross-provider conflict constraint indicative that a common portion of the spectrum is not to be allocated to the first base station and the second base station when the first base station and the second base station are within interference range of each other.

14. The apparatus of claim 11, wherein, to determine the spectrum allocation based on the cross-provider conflict constraint, the processor is configured to:

generate a representation of the cross-provider conflict constraint, wherein the representation of the cross-provider conflict constraint comprises a first vertex representing the first base station of the first wireless service provider and a second vertex representing the second base station of the second wireless service provider, wherein the representation of the cross-provider conflict constraint further comprises an edge between the first vertex and the second vertex, wherein the edge is configured to represent the cross-provider conflict constraint; and

determine the spectrum allocation based on the representation of the cross-provider conflict constraint.

15. The apparatus of claim 11, wherein the processor is configured to:

receive a first spectrum allocation request associated with the first base station and a second spectrum allocation request associated with the second base station; and

determine the spectrum allocation based on the cross-provider conflict constraint, the first spectrum allocation request, and the second spectrum allocation request.

16. The apparatus of claim 11, wherein the processor is configured to determine the spectrum allocation based on a co-cell separation constraint indicative that a common portion of the spectrum is not to be assigned to two transmitters of the first base station.

17. The apparatus of claim 11, wherein the processor is configured to determine the spectrum allocation based on a soft-handoff constraint indicative that a common portion of the spectrum is to be assigned to the first base station and a third base station associated with the first wireless service provider when the first base station and the third base station are within neighbor scope of each other.

18. The apparatus of claim 11, wherein the processor is configured to determine the spectrum allocation based on at least one of a feasibility dynamic spectrum access process, a maximum service dynamic spectrum access process, or a minimum penalty dynamic spectrum access process.

19. The apparatus of claim 11, wherein the spectrum allocation comprises a first channel assignment for the first base station and a second channel assignment for the second base station.

20. A method for determining allocation of spectrum, the method comprising:

using a processor and a memory for;

determining a spectrum allocation based on a cross-provider conflict constraint associated with allocation of spectrum to a first base station of a first wireless service provider and a second base station of a second wireless service provider.