Methods and apparatuses for low-rate television white space (TVWS) enablement

• US 9,107,078 B2
• Filed: 01/12/2012
• Issued: 08/11/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 01/14/2011
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Qualcomm, Inc.
• Original Assignee: Qualcomm, Inc.
• Inventors: Shellhammer, Stephen J., Shen, Cong, Tandra, Rahul, Abraham, Santosh Paul, Vermani, Sameer, Sampath, Hemanth
• Primary Examiner(s): Guarino, Rahel
• Application Number:
  US13/349,498
• Publication Number:
  US 20130016760A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,307 Days
• Field of Search: 375/140, 375/141, 375/146, 375/260, 375/E1.001
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 16/14 Spectrum sharing arrangements between different networks
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 84/12 WLAN [Wireless Local Area Networks]

Abstract

Certain aspects of the present disclosure relate to techniques for supporting television white space (TVWS) communication. In an aspect of the present disclosure, a low-rate TVWS enabler (Mode II wireless communication device) may provide initial enablement for all Mode I devices (e.g., access points and user terminals), as well as it may transmit a contact verification signal (CVS) on a regular basis to keep the Mode I devices enabled for the TVWS communication.

Claims

1. An apparatus for wireless communications, comprising:

a first circuit configured to determine a geographical location of the apparatus;

a second circuit configured to obtain a list of channels of a plurality of television white space (TVWS) channels that support TVWS communication, wherein the channels from the list are available for use at the geographical location;

a third circuit configured to generate a non-narrowband signal having a data rate capable of reaching a plurality of apparatuses, wherein the signal advertises to the apparatuses an enablement for the TVWS communication; and

a transceiver configured to transmit the signal to the apparatuses using a first channel from the list.

2. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein:

the transceiver is also configured to establish Global Positioning System (GPS) connection to obtain GPS information associated with the apparatus, and

the first circuit is also configured to determine the geographical location based on the GPS information.

3. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein:

the second circuit is also configured to communicate with a TVWS database via Internet connection to obtain the list, and

the TVWS database comprises information about availability of the plurality of TVWS channels at the geographical location.

4. The apparatus of claim 1, further comprising:

a fourth circuit configured to select the first TVWS channel from the list for transmitting the signal.

5. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the signal comprises a direct sequence spread spectrum (DSSS) signal.

6. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein:

the data rate of the signal is approximately 10 Kbits per second or 100 Kbits per second, and

a bandwidth of the signal is approximately 5 MHz or 6 MHz.

7. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the third circuit is also configured to:

generate another signal having another data rate of approximately 1 Mbits per second, the other signal being in accordance with IEEE 802.11 family of standards, and wherein

the generation of the signal comprises modulating the other signal to scale down the other data rate to generate the signal having the data rate of approximately 250 Kbits per second, 125 Kbits per second, or 62.5 Kbits per second, and

a bandwidth of the signal is approximately 5 MHz.

8. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the signal comprises an Orthogonal Frequency Division Multiplexing (OFDM) signal with repetition codes.

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

receive, from a subset of the apparatuses on the first channel, one or more requests for enabling the TVWS communication at the subset of apparatuses;

receive an identifier (ID) associated with each apparatus from the subset; and

transmit, on the first channel in response to the requests, the list of channels to one or more apparatuses from the subset, wherein each of the one or more apparatuses is associated with the ID that was verified.

10. The apparatus of claim 9, wherein the transceiver is also configured to:

transmit, to the one or more apparatuses, a second list of channels comprising at least one of the first channel or a subset of the TVWS channels being in use by another subset of the apparatuses previously enabled by the apparatus for the TVWS communication.

11. The apparatus of claim 10, wherein the second list comprises a center frequency and a bandwidth of each channel in the second list.

12. The apparatus of claim 10, wherein the transceiver is also configured to:

receive, from each of the one or more apparatuses, information about a second channel of the plurality of TVWS channels being selected for use by that apparatus; and

transmit, to that apparatus, a message with information about periodicity of transmitting on the second channel a contact verification signal (CVS) for continuing the TVWS communication by that apparatus, and the apparatus further comprising

a circuit configured to include the second channel in the second list.

13. The apparatus of claim 12, wherein the transceiver is also configured to:

transmit, to that apparatus, another message comprising a schedule for transmitting the CVS on the second channel.

14. The apparatus of claim 12, wherein the transceiver is also configured to transmit, using the second channel, the CVS at least once in 60 seconds.

15. The apparatus of claim 12, further comprising:

another circuit configured to tune to the second channel with the periodicity specified in the message, and wherein the transceiver is also configured to

transmit, using the second channel, the CVS to that apparatus according to the periodicity.

16. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the geographical location is checked at least once in 60 seconds.

17. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein:

the signal comprises a beacon transmitted in accordance with IEEE 802.11 family of standards, and

the beacon comprises information indicating that the apparatus provides the enablement for TVWS communication.

18. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the transceiver is also configured to:

transmit the signal periodically according to a first frequency, if the first channel is not used for the TVWS communication by any of the apparatuses; and

transmit the signal periodically according to a second frequency, if the first channel is used for the TVWS communication by at least one of the apparatuses, and wherein

the first frequency is greater than the second frequency.

19. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the transceiver is also configured to:

transmit, using the first channel, a message with a schedule of transmitting the signal, if the first channel is used for the TVWS communication by at least one of the apparatuses.

20. A method for wireless communications, comprising:

determining, at an apparatus, a geographical location of the apparatus;

obtaining a list of channels of a plurality of television white space (TVWS) channels that support TVWS communication, wherein the channels from the list are available for use at the geographical location;

generating a non-narrowband signal having a data rate capable of reaching a plurality of apparatuses, wherein the signal advertises to the apparatuses an enablement for the TVWS communication; and

transmitting the signal to the apparatuses using a first channel from the list.

21. The method of claim 20, further comprising:

establishing Global Positioning System (GPS) connection to obtain GPS information associated with the apparatus, and

determining the geographical location based on the GPS information.

22. The method of claim 20, further comprising:

communicating with a TVWS database via Internet connection to obtain the list, wherein the TVWS database comprises information about availability of the plurality of TVWS channels at the geographical location.

23. The method of claim 20, further comprising:

selecting the first TVWS channel from the list for transmitting the signal.

24. The method of claim 20, wherein the signal comprises a direct sequence spread spectrum (DSSS) signal.

25. The method of claim 20, wherein:

the data rate of the signal is approximately 10 Kbits per second or 100 Kbits per second, and

a bandwidth of the signal is approximately 5 MHz or 6 MHz.

26. The method of claim 20, wherein generating the signal comprises:

generating another signal having another data rate of approximately 1 Mbits per second, the other signal being in accordance with IEEE 802.11 family of standards; and

modulating the other signal to scale down the other data rate to generate the signal having the data rate of approximately 250 Kbits per second, 125 Kbits per second, or 62.5 Kbits per second, and wherein

a bandwidth of the signal is approximately 5 MHz.

27. The method of claim 20, wherein the signal comprises an Orthogonal Frequency Division Multiplexing (OFDM) signal with repetition codes.

28. The method of claim 20, further comprising:

receiving, from a subset of the apparatuses on the first channel, one or more requests for enabling the TVWS communication at the subset of apparatuses;

receiving an identifier (ID) associated with each apparatus from the subset; and

transmitting, on the first channel in response to the requests, the list of channels to one or more apparatuses from the subset, wherein each of the one or more apparatuses is associated with the ID that was verified.

29. The method of claim 28, further comprising:

transmitting, to the one or more apparatuses, a second list of channels comprising at least one of the first channel or a subset of the TVWS channels being in use by another subset of the apparatuses previously enabled by the apparatus for the TVWS communication.

30. The method of claim 29, wherein the second list comprises a center frequency and a bandwidth of each channel in the second list.

31. The method of claim 29, further comprising:

receiving, from each of the one or more apparatuses, information about a second channel of the plurality of TVWS channels being selected for use by that apparatus;

transmitting, to that apparatus, a message with information about periodicity of transmitting on the second channel a contact verification signal (CVS) for continuing the TVWS communication by that apparatus; and

including the second channel in the second list.

32. The method of claim 31, further comprising:

transmitting, to that apparatus, another message comprising a schedule for transmitting the CVS on the second channel.

33. The method of claim 31, further comprising:

transmitting, using the second channel, the CVS at least once in 60 seconds.

34. The method of claim 31, further comprising:

tuning to the second channel with the periodicity specified in the message; and

transmitting, using the second channel, the CVS to that apparatus according to the periodicity.

35. The method of claim 20, wherein the geographical location is checked at least once in 60 seconds.

36. The method of claim 20, wherein:

the signal comprises a beacon transmitted in accordance with IEEE 802.11 family of standards, and

the beacon comprises information indicating that the apparatus provides the enablement for TVWS communication.

37. The method of claim 20, further comprising:

transmitting the signal periodically according to a first frequency, if the first channel is not used for the TVWS communication by any of the apparatuses; and

transmitting the signal periodically according to a second frequency, if the first channel is used for the TVWS communication by at least one of the apparatuses, wherein the first frequency is greater than the second frequency.

38. The method of claim 20, further comprising:

transmitting, using the first channel, a message with a schedule of transmitting the signal, if the first channel is used for the TVWS communication by at least one of the apparatuses.

39. An apparatus for wireless communications, comprising:

means for determining a geographical location of the apparatus;

means for obtaining a list of channels of a plurality of television white space (TVWS) channels that support TVWS communication, wherein the channels from the list are available for use at the geographical location;

means for generating a non-narrowband signal having a data rate capable of reaching a plurality of apparatuses, wherein the signal advertises to the apparatuses an enablement for the TVWS communication; and

means for transmitting the signal to the apparatuses using a first channel from the list.

40. The apparatus of claim 39, further comprising:

means for establishing Global Positioning System (GPS) connection to obtain GPS information associated with the apparatus, and

means for determining the geographical location based on the GPS information.

41. The apparatus of claim 39, further comprising:

means for communicating with a TVWS database via Internet connection to obtain the list, wherein the TVWS database comprises information about availability of the plurality of TVWS channels at the geographical location.

42. The apparatus of claim 39, further comprising:

means for selecting the first TVWS channel from the list for transmitting the signal.

43. The apparatus of claim 39, wherein the signal comprises a direct sequence spread spectrum (DSSS) signal.

44. The apparatus of claim 39, wherein:

the data rate of the signal is approximately 10 Kbits per second or 100 Kbits per second, and

a bandwidth of the signal is approximately 5 MHz or 6 MHz.

45. The apparatus of claim 39, wherein the means for generating the signal comprises:

means for generating another signal having another data rate of approximately 1 Mbits per second, the other signal being in accordance with IEEE 802.11 family of standards; and

means for modulating the other signal to scale down the other data rate to generate the signal having the data rate of approximately 250 Kbits per second, 125 Kbits per second, or 62.5 Kbits per second, and wherein

a bandwidth of the signal is approximately 5 MHz.

46. The apparatus of claim 39, wherein the signal comprises an Orthogonal Frequency Division Multiplexing (OFDM) signal with repetition codes.

47. The apparatus of claim 39, further comprising:

means for receiving, from a subset of the apparatuses on the first channel, one or more requests for enabling the TVWS communication at the subset of apparatuses, wherein

the means for receiving is further configured to receive an identifier (ID) associated with each apparatus from the subset, and

the means for transmitting is further configured to transmit, on the first channel in response to the requests, the list of channels to one or more apparatuses from the subset, wherein each of the one or more apparatuses is associated with the ID that was verified.

48. The apparatus of claim 47, wherein the means for transmitting is further configured to:

transmit, to the one or more apparatuses, a second list of channels comprising at least one of the first channel or a subset of the TVWS channels being in use by another subset of the apparatuses previously enabled by the apparatus for the TVWS communication.

49. The apparatus of claim 48, wherein the second list comprises a center frequency and a bandwidth of each channel in the second list.

50. The apparatus of claim 48, wherein:

the means for receiving is further configured to receive, from each of the one or more apparatuses, information about a second channel of the plurality of TVWS channels being selected for use by that apparatus; and

the means for transmitting is further configured to transmit, to that apparatus, a message with information about periodicity of transmitting on the second channel a contact verification signal (CVS) for continuing the TVWS communication by that apparatus, and the apparatus further comprising

means for including the second channel in the second list.

51. The apparatus of claim 50, wherein the means for transmitting is further configured to:

transmit, to that apparatus, another message comprising a schedule for transmitting the CVS on the second channel.

52. The apparatus of claim 50, wherein the means for transmitting is further configured to:

transmit, using the second channel, the CVS at least once in 60 seconds.

53. The apparatus of claim 50, further comprising:

means for tuning to the second channel with the periodicity specified in the message, wherein the means for transmitting is further configured to

transmit, using the second channel, the CVS to that apparatus according to the periodicity.

54. The apparatus of claim 39, wherein the geographical location is checked at least once in 60 seconds.

55. The apparatus of claim 39, wherein:

the signal comprises a beacon transmitted in accordance with IEEE 802.11 family of standards, and

the beacon comprises information indicating that the apparatus provides the enablement for TVWS communication.

56. The apparatus of claim 39, wherein the means for transmitting is further configured to:

transmit the signal periodically according to a first frequency, if the first channel is not used for the TVWS communication by any of the apparatuses; and

transmit the signal periodically according to a second frequency, if the first channel is used for the TVWS communication by at least one of the apparatuses, wherein the first frequency is greater than the second frequency.

57. The apparatus of claim 39, wherein the means for transmitting is further configured to:

transmit, using the first channel, a message with a schedule of transmitting the signal, if the first channel is used for the TVWS communication by at least one of the apparatuses.

58. A computer-program product for wireless communications, comprising a non-transitory computer-readable medium comprising instructions executable to:

determine, at an apparatus, a geographical location of the apparatus;

obtain a list of channels of a plurality of television white space (TVWS) channels that support TVWS communication, wherein the channels from the list are available for use at the geographical location;

generate a non-narrowband signal having a data rate capable of reaching a plurality of apparatuses, wherein the signal advertises to the apparatuses an enablement for the TVWS communication; and

transmit the signal to the apparatuses using a first channel from the list.

59. An access point, comprising:

at least one antenna;

a first circuit configured to determine a geographical location of the access point;

a second circuit configured to obtain a list of channels of a plurality of television white space (TVWS) channels that support TVWS communication, wherein the channels from the list are available for use at the geographical location;

a third circuit configured to generate a non-narrowband signal having a data rate capable of reaching a plurality of wireless nodes, wherein the signal advertises to the wireless nodes an enablement for the TVWS communication; and

a transceiver configured to transmit, via the at least one antenna, the signal to the wireless nodes using a first channel from the list.