Wireless network channel allocation method for interference avoidance

• US 9,603,152 B2
• Filed: 12/21/2011
• Issued: 03/21/2017
• Est. Priority Date: 03/08/2011
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd.
• Original Assignee: Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd.
• Inventors: Nam, Tae Sik, Kim, Hoon
• Primary Examiner(s): Phillips, Hassan
• Assistant Examiner(s): JONES, PRENELL P
• Application Number:
  US13/332,796
• Publication Number:
  US 20120230263A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,917 Days
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 16/14 Spectrum sharing arrangements between different networks
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 36/06 Reselecting a communication resource in the serving access point
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 72/541 using the level of interference

Abstract

A wireless network channel allocation method for interference avoidance in a wireless network includes determining whether some or all of the one or more channels are used by other sources, if some or all of the one or more channels are used by other sources, determining whether one of channels used by other sources is currently used by the wireless network, if one of the channels used by other sources is currently used by the wireless network, switching the channel currently used by the wireless network to any one of the one or more channels except for the channel currently used by the wireless network, and if one of the channels used by other sources is not currently used by the wireless network, storing information about the channels used by the other sources, wherein the switched channel is a channel which is not most recently used by other sources according to the stored information.

Claims

1. A wireless network channel allocation method for interference avoidance in a wireless network which performs communication between devices in a predetermined frequency band including one or more channels, the method comprising:

initially determining, by at least one of the devices, whether some or all of the one or more channels is used by other sources including sources external to the wireless network;

if some or all of the one or more channels is used by other sources, determining whether one of the one or more channels used by other sources is currently used by the wireless network;

if one of the one or more channels used by other sources is currently used by the wireless network, selecting any one of the one or more channels except for the channel which is currently used by the wireless network and switching the channel which is currently used by the wireless network to the selected channel; and

if one of the one or more channels used by other sources is not currently used by the wireless network, storing information about the channels used by the other sources,

wherein the selected channel is a channel which is not most recently used by other sources according to the stored information, and

wherein the determining of whether some or all of the one or more channels are used by other sources includes

sensing an energy value variation of each of the one or more channels at a prescribed period;

if a channel, energy value variation of which is equal to or greater than a predetermined value, is sensed, determining that the channel, energy value variation of which is equal to or greater than the predetermined value, is used by other sources; and

if a channel, energy value variation of which is less than the predetermined value, is sensed, determining that the channel, energy value variation of which is less than the predetermined value, is not used by other sources.

2. The wireless network channel allocation method of claim 1, wherein the prescribed period is determined according to characteristics of devices communicating in the wireless network.

3. The wireless network channel allocation method of claim 2, wherein the prescribed period varies according to variation in the number of channels having the energy value variation equal to or greater than the predetermined value.

4. The wireless network channel allocation method of claim 2, wherein the storing of information about the channels used by the other sources includes:

storing an order of occurrence of one or more channels used by the other sources.

5. The wireless network channel allocation method of claim 1, wherein the stored information about the channels used by the other sources is times when the one or more channels are used by frequency bands used by other sources, and wherein the selected channel is a channel which is not most recently used by other sources based on the stored information about the channels.

6. The wireless network channel allocation method of claim 1, wherein the stored information about the channels is channel numbers of channels used by other sources.

7. The wireless network channel allocation method of claim 6, wherein the channel numbers are stored in a stack form while being added to a top of a stack in an order of use time of each channel.

8. The wireless network channel allocation method of claim 7, wherein the channel numbers are stacked such that channels which are most recently used by other sources are stacked to a top side of the stack and channels which have least recently been used by other sources are stacked to a bottom side of the stack.

9. The wireless network channel allocation method of claim 8, wherein the selected channel is a channel which is located at the bottommost among channel numbers stored in the stack.

10. The wireless network channel allocation method of claim 1, wherein the wireless network performs communication through a ZIGBEE communication protocol.

11. A computer system, comprising:

a wireless network; and

devices coupled to the wireless network, the devices communicating with each other via the wireless network in a predetermined frequency band including one or more channels,

wherein at least one of the devices is configured to initially determine a first channel from the one or more channels being used by an external source which is a source external to the wireless network, to store information about the first channel, to select a second channel from the one or more channels, and to switch to the second channel if the first channel is currently used by the wireless network, and

wherein the second channel is a channel which is not most recently used by the external source according to the stored information,

wherein the at least one of the devices determine whether the first channel is a same channel as the second channel based on an energy value variation of each of the one or more channels at a prescribed period,

wherein the determining of whether the first channel is a same channel as the second channel includes sensing an energy value variation of each of the one or more channels at a prescribed period,

if a channel, energy value variation of which is equal to or greater than a predetermined value, is sensed, determining that the channel, energy value variation of which is equal to or greater than the predetermined value, is used by other sources, and

if a channel, energy value variation of which is less than the predetermined value, is sensed, determining that the channel, energy value variation of which is less than the predetermined value, is not used by other sources.

12. The computer system of claim 11, wherein the prescribed period is determined according to characteristics of the devices communicating in the wireless network.

13. The computer system of claim 12, wherein the prescribed period varies according to a variation in a number of the one or more channels having the energy value variation equal to or greater than a predetermined value.

14. The computer system of claim 12, wherein the at least one of the devices stores an order of occurrence of the one or more channels used by the external source.