Selecting a channel based on backhaul bandwidth

• US 9,609,568 B1
• Filed: 09/03/2015
• Issued: 03/28/2017
• Est. Priority Date: 09/03/2015
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: T-Mobile USA, Inc. (Deutsche Telekom AG)
• Original Assignee: T-Mobile USA, Inc. (Deutsche Telekom AG)
• Inventors: Karimli, Yasmin, Nimbavikar, Gunjan
• Primary Examiner(s): TRAN, CONGVAN
• Application Number:
  US14/844,856
• Publication Number:
  US 20170070935A1
• Time in Patent Office: 572 Days
• Field of Search: 455/434, 455/435.1, 455/435.2, 455436-439, 455/444
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 43/16 Threshold monitoring
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 28/20 Negotiating bandwidth
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 36/24 Reselection being triggered by specific parameters
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 72/0453 Resources in frequency domain, e.g. a carrier in FDMA
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 72/541 using the level of interference
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 88/08 Access point devices

Abstract

In some implementations, a base station may determine a bandwidth associated with a backhaul connecting the base station to a network. The base station may select a band in an unlicensed spectrum based at least partly on a scan of at least a portion of the unlicensed spectrum. The base station may select an operating channel in the band based at least partly on a characteristic of the operating channel and the bandwidth associated with the backhaul. After selecting the operating channel, the base station may, based on one or more conditions, re-scan the band and select a new operating channel based at least partly on a characteristic of the new operating channel.

Claims

1. A method performed by one or more processors configured with specific instructions, the method comprising:

receiving, by a base station, a request to select an operating channel for a computing device;

determining, by the base station, a bandwidth associated with a backhaul that carries communications between the base station and a network;

performing, by the base station, a scan of at least a portion of an unlicensed spectrum;

selecting, by the base station, a band in the unlicensed spectrum based at least partly on the scan;

determining, by the base station, a set of channel widths, wherein individual channel widths of the set of channel widths correspond to individual channels of a set of channels in the band; and

selecting, by the base station, the operating channel from the set of channels in the band based at least partly on a channel width of the operating channel, wherein the channel width of the operating channel supports the bandwidth associated with the backhaul.

2. The method of claim 1, the method further comprising:

performing an additional scan of at least a portion of a licensed spectrum; and

determining at least one additional channel width of at least one additional channel in the licensed spectrum.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein selecting the operating channel further comprises:

selecting the operating channel from the set of channels and the at least one additional channel.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the unlicensed spectrum comprises at least one of:

5.15 GigaHertz (GHz) to 5.25 GHz;

or

5.725 GHz to 5.825 GHz.

5. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

after a predetermined period of time, re-scanning the band to determine the set of channel widths; and

selecting a new operating channel from the set of channels in the band based at least partly on the set of channel widths.

6. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

determining that a characteristic associated with the operating channel has fallen below a predetermined threshold; and

selecting a different operating channel.

7. The method of claim 6, wherein selecting the different operating channel comprises:

performing a second scan of at least the unlicensed spectrum;

selecting a second band in the unlicensed spectrum based at least partly on the second scan;

determining a second set of channel widths, wherein individual ones of the second set of channel widths correspond to individual channels in a second set of channels associated with the second band; and

selecting a new operating channel from the second set of channels associated with the second band based at least partly on the second set of channel widths.

8. One or more non-transitory computer readable media storing instructions that are executable by one or more processors to perform operations comprising:

receiving a request to select an operating channel;

determining a bandwidth associated with a backhaul carrying communications traffic between a base station and a network;

performing a scan of at least a portion of an unlicensed spectrum;

selecting a band in the unlicensed spectrum based at least partly on a transmission clarity associated with the band; and

selecting an operating channel from a set of channels in the band based at least partly on a channel width of the operating channel.

9. The one or more non-transitory computer readable media of claim 8, wherein selecting the operating channel from the set of channels in the band comprises:

determining that the channel width of a particular channel from the set of channels supports the bandwidth associated with the backhaul; and

selecting the particular channel as the operating channel.

10. The one or more non-transitory computer readable media of claim 8, wherein the operations further comprise:

determining a set of channel widths, wherein individual channel widths of the set of channel widths correspond to individual channels of the set of channels in the band in the unlicensed spectrum.

11. The one or more non-transitory computer readable media of claim 10, wherein the operations further comprise:

selecting a new operating channel from the set of channels in the band based at least partly on the set of channel widths.

12. The one or more non-transitory computer readable media of claim 8, wherein the operations further comprise:

selecting a different operating channel based at least in part on determining that a signal to noise ratio associated with the operating channel satisfies a predetermined threshold.

13. The one or more non-transitory computer readable media of claim 8, wherein the operations further comprise:

selecting a different operating channel based at least in part on determining that an amount of interference associated with the operating channel satisfies a predetermined threshold.

14. A base station, comprising:

one or more processors; and

one or more computer readable media to store instructions that are executable by the one or more processors to perform operations comprising;

receiving a request from a computing device to select an operating channel;

determining a bandwidth associated with a backhaul connecting the base station to a network;

selecting a band in an unlicensed spectrum based at least partly on a scan of at least a portion of the unlicensed spectrum; and

selecting an operating channel in the band based at least partly on determining that a channel width of the operating channel supports the bandwidth associated with the backhaul.

15. The base station of claim 14, wherein the operations further comprise:

determining a channel width of at least one channel in the band in the unlicensed spectrum.

16. The base station of claim 15, wherein the operations further comprise:

selecting a new operating channel in the band based at least partly on the channel width.

17. The base station of claim 14, wherein the operations further comprise:

determining that a characteristic associated with the operating channel satisfies a predetermined threshold; and

selecting a second operating channel to replace the operating channel.

18. The base station of claim 17, wherein the characteristic comprises at least one of:

a signal to noise ratio associated with the operating channel;

or

an amount of interference associated with the operating channel.

19. The base station of claim 17, wherein selecting the second operating channel comprises:

selecting a second band in the unlicensed spectrum or a licensed spectrum based at least partly on a second scan of at least a portion of the unlicensed spectrum and the licensed spectrum; and

selecting the second operating channel based at least partly on a second channel width associated with the second operating channel.

20. The base station of claim 14, wherein the unlicensed spectrum includes at least a portion of spectrum between 5.15 GigaHertz (GHz) and 5.825 GHz.