Wireless spectrum monitoring and analysis

• US 9,143,968 B1
• Filed: 07/18/2014
• Issued: 09/22/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 07/18/2014
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Cognitive Systems Corp.
• Original Assignee: Cognitive Systems Corp.
• Inventors: Manku, Tajinder, Kravets, Oleksiy
• Primary Examiner(s): Zaidi, Iqbal
• Application Number:
  US14/334,822
• Time in Patent Office: 431 Days
• Field of Search: 370/236, 370328-339, 370/312, 370/386, 455/450, 455/452, 455501-522
• US Class Current: 1/1
• 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 24/08 Testing, supervising or monitoring using real traffic
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/00 Services specially adapted for wireless communication networks; Facilities therefor

Abstract

In some aspects, a wireless-spectrum analysis system is described. In some examples, the wireless-spectrum analysis system includes wireless-spectrum analysis devices distributed at distinct locations over a geographic region. The wireless-spectrum analysis devices are configured to concurrently monitor wireless-spectrum usage at each distinct location. Each wireless-spectrum analysis device is configured to transmit, from the wireless-spectrum analysis device, spectral-usage parameters identified by the wireless-spectrum analysis device based on wireless signals detected by the wireless-spectrum analysis device at its distinct location. The wireless-spectrum analysis system further includes a data aggregation system configured to aggregate the spectral-usage parameters transmitted from the wireless-spectrum analysis devices.

Claims

1. A wireless-spectrum analysis system comprising:

wireless-spectrum analysis devices distributed at distinct locations over a geographic region, the wireless-spectrum analysis devices configured to concurrently monitor wireless-spectrum usage at each distinct location;

each wireless-spectrum analysis device comprising;

a radio-frequency (RF) interface configured to detect, in a local wireless environment about the wireless-spectrum analysis device, RF signals in multiple distinct bandwidths of an RF spectrum;

a signal analysis subsystem configured to generate spectral-usage parameters based on processing the RF signals, the processing comprising identifying a power of the RF signals detected in one or more of the bandwidths; and

a communication interface configured to transmit messages comprising the spectral-usage parameters generated by the signal analysis subsystem, the messages indicating location information and time information for the spectral-usage parameters;

a data aggregation system configured to aggregate the spectral-usage parameters transmitted from the wireless-spectrum analysis devices.

2. The wireless-spectrum analysis system of claim 1, wherein each wireless-spectrum analysis device is a portable device dedicated to monitoring wireless-spectrum usage.

3. The wireless-spectrum analysis system of claim 1, wherein the RF interface comprises an antenna system and a plurality of radio paths, the radio paths configured to process RF signals in the respective bandwidths.

4. The wireless-spectrum analysis system of claim 1, wherein each wireless-spectrum analysis device comprises a dedicated housing that houses the RF interface, the signal analysis subsystem, and the communication interface.

5. The wireless-spectrum analysis system of claim 4, wherein the housing houses a power supply that powers the RF interface, the signal analysis subsystem, and the communication interface.

6. The wireless-spectrum analysis system of claim 1, wherein the wireless-spectrum analysis device is integrated with another device.

7. The wireless-spectrum analysis system of claim 1, wherein the signal analysis subsystem is configured to identify spectral-usage parameters comprising at least one of:

a power of detected RF signals in each bandwidth;

a power of detected RF signals at one or more frequencies;

a signal-to-noise ratio of detected RF signals at one or more frequencies; and

a frequency at which detected RF signals have maximum power in each bandwidth.

8. The wireless-spectrum analysis system of claim 1, wherein the signal analysis subsystem is configured to extract signaling information from the RF signals, and one or more of the spectral-usage parameters is based on the signaling information.

9. The wireless-spectrum analysis system of claim 1, wherein the data aggregation system is configured to generate a spectral-usage report for the geographic region based on the spectral-usage parameters from the wireless-spectrum analysis devices.

10. The wireless-spectrum analysis system of claim 1, wherein the data aggregation system comprises a central control system configured to remotely control operation of the wireless-spectrum analysis devices.

11. The wireless-spectrum analysis system of claim 1, wherein the communication interface is configured to transmit processed data without transmitting the RF signals from which the processed data are generated.

12. The wireless-spectrum analysis system of claim 1, wherein the location information comprises at least one of an identifier associated with a wireless-spectrum analysis device, a location identifier or location coordinates.

13. A method of analyzing wireless-spectrum usage in a geographic region, the method comprising:

monitoring wireless-spectrum usage concurrently at multiple distinct locations in a geographic region by operation of modular wireless-spectrum analysis devices distributed over the geographic region, each wireless-spectrum analysis device comprising a radio-frequency (RF) interface, a signal analysis subsystem, and a communication interface, each radio-frequency (RF) interface configured to detect, in a local wireless environment about the wireless-spectrum analysis device, RF signals in multiple distinct bandwidths of an RF spectrum;

generating spectral-usage parameters at each wireless-spectrum analysis device by operation of the respective signal analysis subsystems, the spectral-usage parameters generated based on a power of the RF signals detected in one or more of the bandwidths;

transmitting messages from the wireless-spectrum analysis devices by operation of the respective communication interfaces, the messages transmitted by each wireless-spectrum analysis device comprising the spectral-usage parameters generated by the signal analysis subsystem of the respective wireless-spectrum analysis device, the messages indicating location information and time information for the spectral-usage parameters; and

aggregating, on a computing system, the spectral-usage parameters transmitted from the wireless-spectrum analysis devices.

14. The method of claim 13, wherein each wireless-spectrum analysis device monitors wireless-spectrum usage for multiple wireless communication standards.

15. The method of claim 13, wherein each wireless-spectrum analysis device transmits data that indicate the spectral-usage parameters and temporal and spatial coordinates associated with the spectral-usage parameters.

16. The method of claim 13, wherein each wireless-spectrum analysis device identifies spectral-usage parameters comprising at least one of:

a power of detected signals in each of multiple distinct bandwidths;

a power of detected signals at one or more frequencies;

a signal-to-noise ratio of detected signals at one or more frequencies; and

a frequency at which detected signals have maximum power in each of multiple distinct bandwidths.

17. The method of claim 13, further comprising generating a spectral-usage report for the geographic region based on the aggregated spectral-usage parameters from the wireless-spectrum analysis devices.

18. A wireless-spectrum analysis system comprising:

a communication system configured to receive spectral-usage parameters from wireless-spectrum analysis devices distributed over a geographic region, each wireless-spectrum analysis device comprising;

a radio-frequency (RF) interface configured to detect, in a local wireless environment about the wireless-spectrum analysis device, RF signals in multiple distinct bandwidths of an RF spectrum;

a signal analysis subsystem configured to generate spectral-usage parameters based on processing the RF signals, the processing comprising identifying a power of the RF signals detected in one or more of the bandwidths; and

a communication interface configured to transmit messages comprising the spectral-usage parameters from the wireless-spectrum analysis device, the messages indicating location information and time information for the spectral-usage parameters; and

a data analysis system that generates a spectral-usage report for the geographic region based on the spectral-usage parameters from the devices.

19. The wireless-spectrum analysis system of claim 18, wherein the spectral-usage report indicates detected wireless traffic levels in each of multiple bandwidths in a radio-frequency spectrum.

20. The wireless-spectrum analysis system of claim 18, wherein the communication system receives spatial and temporal coordinates for each of the spectral-usage parameters, and the spectral-usage report indicates spatial and temporal distributions of wireless-spectrum usage in the geographic region.

21. The wireless-spectrum analysis system of claim 18, wherein the spectral-usage report indicates detected wireless traffic levels for multiple wireless communication standards.

22. The wireless-spectrum analysis system of claim 18, wherein the data analysis system is configured to determine a source location for the detected RF signals, and the spectral-usage report indicates the source location.