Cognitive use of multiple regulatory domains

• US 9,462,479 B2
• Filed: 09/23/2015
• Issued: 10/04/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 12/09/2010
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Microsoft Technology Licensing LLC (Microsoft Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Microsoft Technology Licensing LLC (Microsoft Corporation)
• Inventors: Hassan, Amer A., Reed, Danny Allen, Griffin, Trenholme J.
• Primary Examiner(s): NGUYEN, TUAN HOANG
• Application Number:
  US14/863,290
• Publication Number:
  US 20160014612A1
• Time in Patent Office: 377 Days
• Field of Search: 455/62, 455/120, 455/450, 455/452, 455/454, 370/329, 370/341, 348/729, 348/E5.114
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 1/005 adapting radio receivers, transmitters andtransceivers for operation on two or more bands, i.e. frequency ranges
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 15/00 Suppression or limitation of noise or interference by means associated with receiver H04B1/10
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 7/12 Frequency diversity
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 1/0023 characterised by the signalling
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 1/0033 arrangements specific to the transmitter
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 1/0034 where the transmitter decides based on inferences, e.g. use of implicit signalling
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 2001/0096 Channel splitting in point-to-point links
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/60 Network streaming of media packets
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 16/14 Spectrum sharing arrangements between different networks
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 72/04 Wireless resource allocation
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 88/06 adapted for operation in multiple networks or having at least two operational modes, e.g. multi-mode terminals

Abstract

A wireless communication system that concurrently communicates information in multiple regulatory domains to facilitate audio/video media streaming and other high bandwidth operations. One domain may be licensed and the other may be unlicensed. Transmission in the licensed domain may occur in white space in the domain, and the amount of information transmitted in that domain may be limited by regulations. The amount of information conveyed in the licensed domain may also depend on channel conditions in either or both of the domains. As a result, the relative amount of information transmitted in each domain may vary dynamically. The system includes a transmitter that dynamically determines weighting coefficients applied to each of a plurality of channels to set power levels in both domains to achieve a desired metric for the overall communication. A corresponding receiver assembles the substreams into a stream that can then be displayed or otherwise processed.

Claims

1. A wireless computing device, comprising:

at least one radio,

at least one memory; and

at least one processor, wherein the at least one memory and the at least one processor are respectively configured to store and execute instructions that cause the wireless computing device to;

dynamically determine at least one frequency in a first regulatory domain and at least one frequency in a second regulatory domain;

decompose data for transmission into at least a first portion and a second portion;

determine a transmit power level for the at least one frequency in the second regulatory domain, wherein the transmit power level is determined based at least in part on regulatory constraints for the second regulatory domain; and

concurrently transmit at least the first portion using the at least one frequency in the first regulatory domain and the second portion using the at least one frequency in the second regulatory domain.

2. The wireless computing device of claim 1, wherein the instructions also cause the wireless computing device to:

determine an error control coding rate for transmission of the second portion of the data based at least in part on transmission characteristics of the at least one frequency in the second regulatory domain and the determined transmit power level.

3. The wireless computing device of claim 2, wherein the error control coding rate for transmission of the second portion is based on a Shannon water-filling approach.

4. The wireless computing device of claim 1, wherein:

the first regulatory domain is a UNII domain or an ISM domain; and

the second regulatory domain is a digital TV domain.

5. The wireless computing device of claim 1, wherein the at least one radio includes:

a first radio configured for wireless communications in the first regulatory domain; and

a second radio configured for wireless communications in the second regulatory domain.

6. The wireless computing device of claim 1, wherein the instructions also cause the wireless computing device to:

determine whether the at least one frequency in the second regulatory domain remains available; and

in response to a determination that the at least one frequency in the second regulatory domain is unavailable, transmit data using the at least one frequency in the first regulatory domain without concurrently using the at least one frequency in the second regulatory domain.

7. The wireless computing device of claim 1, wherein the instructions also cause the wireless computing device to:

determine a first time variant function for the first regulatory domain;

determine a second time variant function for the second regulatory domain;

control the transmission of at least the first portion via the at least one frequency in the first regulatory domain according to the first time variant function; and

control the transmission of at least the second portion via the at least one frequency in the second regulatory domain according to the second time variant function.

8. A method of transmitting data over a wireless medium, the method comprising:

dynamically determining at least one frequency in a first regulatory domain;

dynamically determining at least one frequency in a second regulatory domain;

determining a transmit power level for the at least one frequency in the second regulatory domain, wherein the transmit power level is determined based at least in part on regulatory constraints for the second regulatory domain;

splitting the data into at least first and second portions for transmission over the wireless medium;

transmitting at least the first portion using the at least one frequency in the first regulatory domain; and

transmitting the second portion using the at least one frequency in the second regulatory domain concurrently with the transmitting of at least the first portion using the at least one frequency in the first regulatory domain.

9. The method of claim 8, further comprising:

determining an error control coding rate for transmission of the second portion of the data based at least in part on transmission characteristics of the at least one frequency in the second regulatory domain and the determined transmit power level.

10. The method of claim 9, wherein the error control coding rate for transmission of the second portion is based on a Shannon water-filling approach.

11. The method of claim 9, wherein:

the first portion of the data and the second portion of the data are transmitted via a single radio that is configured to wirelessly transmit data via the first regulatory domain and via the second regulatory domain.

12. The method of claim 8, wherein:

the first regulatory domain is a UNII domain or an ISM domain; and

the second regulatory domain is a digital TV domain.

13. The method of claim 8, further comprising:

determining whether the at least one frequency in the second regulatory domain remains available; and

in response to a determination that the at least one frequency in the second regulatory domain is unavailable, transmitting data using the at least one frequency in the first regulatory domain without concurrently using the at least one frequency in the second regulatory domain.

14. The method of claim 8, further comprising:

determining a first time variant function for the first regulatory domain;

determining a second time variant function for the second regulatory domain;

transmitting at least the first portion via the at least one frequency in the first regulatory domain according to the first time variant function; and

transmitting at least the second portion via the at least one frequency in the second regulatory domain according to the second time variant function.

15. A method of receiving data via a wireless medium, the method comprising:

receiving, by a computing device, a first portion of the data over at least one frequency in a first regulatory domain;

receiving, by the computing device, a second portion of the data over at least one frequency in a second regulatory domain that is employed for data transmission, wherein the receiving of the second portion of the data over the at least one frequency in the second regulatory domain comprises receiving the second portion over a first set of subchannels in the second regulatory domain;

generating output data by combining the first portion with the second portion;

detecting a change in the at least one frequency in the second regulatory domain employed for data transmission; and

subsequently receiving a third portion of the data over a second set of subchannels in the second regulatory domain, wherein the second set of subchannels is different than the first set of subchannels.

16. The method of claim 15, further comprising:

detecting another change in the at least one frequency in the second regulatory domain; and

subsequently detecting data over subchannels in the first regulatory domain without concurrently receiving data over subchannels in the second regulatory domain.

17. The method of claim 15, wherein:

the output data comprises audio/video content; and

wherein the method further comprises displaying the audio/video content.

18. The method of claim 15, wherein:

the first portion of the data and the second portion of the data are received via a single radio that is configured to wirelessly receive data via the first regulatory domain and via the second regulatory domain.

19. The method of claim 15, wherein:

the first regulatory domain is a UNII domain or an ISM domain; and

the second regulatory domain is a digital TV domain.

20. The method of claim 15, wherein the second portion of the data was transmitted to the computing device by another computing device at a transmit power level that was determined based at least in part on regulatory constraints for the second regulatory domain.