Channel selection in wireless communications

• US 9,762,364 B2
• Filed: 05/22/2012
• Issued: 09/12/2017
• Est. Priority Date: 06/14/2011
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Kyynel Oy
• Original Assignee: Kyynel Oy
• Inventors: Linden, Toni, Raustia, Matti, Vanninen, Teemu
• Primary Examiner(s): Crutchfield, Christopher
• Assistant Examiner(s): Lindenbaum, Alan
• Application Number:
  US14/126,292
• Publication Number:
  US 20140119316A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,939 Days
• Field of Search: None
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 27/0006 Assessment of spectral gaps suitable for allocating digitally modulated signals, e.g. for carrier allocation in cognitive radio for spectrum sharing between different networks H04W16/14
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 5/0044 allocation of payload
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 5/0048 Allocation of pilot signals, i.e. of signals known to the receiver
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 5/0055 Physical resource allocation for ACK/NACK for physical mapping arrangements in ARQ protocols H04L1/1861
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 5/006 Quality of the received signal, e.g. BER, SNR, water filling
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 5/0064 Rate requirement of the data, e.g. scalable bandwidth, data priority
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 5/0094 Indication of how sub-channels of the path are allocated
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 72/02 Selection of wireless resources by user or terminal

Abstract

This document discloses a solution for operating a radio communication apparatus that exchanges narrowband control messages with other radio communication apparatuses, each control message comprising a pilot sequence and an identifier identifying a transmitter of the control message. The radio communication apparatus receives a broadband signal through a broadband radio receiver and correlates sub-bands of the received signal so as to detect a narrowband control message within the received broadband signal. Upon detection of the narrowband control message on a sub-band of the received broadband signal, the transmitter of the narrowband control message is determined from the identifier of the narrowband control message. It is also determined from the reception of the narrowband control message on the sub-band that the sub-band is preferred by the transmitter of the narrowband control message, and said sub-band is utilized in data communication with the transmitter of the narrowband control message.

Claims

1. A method of providing radio communication, the method comprising:

receiving a broadband signal and correlating sub-bands of the received broadband signal to detect a first control message on at least one of the sub-bands of the received broadband signal, the first control message being a narrowband control message, the first control message comprising a pilot sequence and an identifier, the identifier representing an identity of a transmitter of the first control message;

determining the identity of the transmitter of the first control message from the identifier of the first control message in response to the detection of the first control message on at least one of the sub-bands of the received broadband signal;

determining using the first control message a preferred sub-band of the transmitter of the first control message; and

causing, by a receiver of the first control message, transmission of a second control message on a first sub-band determined as the preferred sub-band, the second control message comprising information in addition to and different from the first sub-band on which the second control message is transmitted that presents a second sub-band on which a third control message responsive to the second control message shall be transmitted, wherein the second sub-band is different from the first sub-band and is selected exclusively on the basis of the second sub-band being preferred by the receiver of the first control message regardless of whether the second sub-band is preferred by the transmitter of the first control message, wherein the second sub-band is not indicated in the first control message or preferred by the transmitter of the first control message.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the second control message is a request-to-send message indicating a quality-of-service classification for data transmission, and the third control message is a clear-to-send message comprising at least a channel allocation allocating at least one sub-band for the data transmission, the channel allocation determined on the basis of a quality-of-service classification.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein the third control message further specifies other parameters for the data transmission.

4. The method of claim 2, wherein the request-to-send message comprises an information element allocating a sub-band for an acknowledgment message of the data transmission, wherein the acknowledgment message is allocated to a different sub-band that is different from the sub-band allocated to the data transmission.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein a pilot sequence comprised in the third control message is shorter than the pilot sequence of the first control message.

6. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

determining, as a result of said correlation, whether the first control message was received as a surface radio wave or as an ionospheric reflection wave; and

utilizing a different communication procedure depending on whether a communication link with the transmitter is the surface radio wave or the ionospheric reflection wave.

7. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

receiving the third control message on the second sub-band, the third control message comprising a channel allocation indicating one or more sub-bands for data transmission with the transmitter, the one or more sub-bands comprising at least one different sub-band that is different from the second sub-band; and

performing data transmission with the transmitter on the one or more sub-bands.

8. The method of claim 1, further comprising maintaining, on the basis of the received first control message and other received narrowband control messages, a list of sub-bands preferred by network nodes of a wireless network.

9. An apparatus comprising:

a processing device; and

a storage device storing instructions that, when executed by the processing device, cause the processing device to perform operations comprising;

receiving a broadband signal and correlating sub-bands of the received broadband signal to detect a first control message on at least one of the sub-bands of the received broadband signal, the first control message being a narrowband control message, the first control message comprising a pilot sequence and an identifier, the identifier representing an identity of a transmitter of the first control message;

determining the identity of the transmitter of the first control message from the identifier of the first control message in response to the detection of the first control message on at least one of the sub-bands of the received broadband signal;

determining using the first control message a preferred sub-band of the transmitter of the first control message; and

causing transmission of a second control message on a first sub-band determined as the preferred sub-band, the second control message comprising information in addition to and different from the first sub-band on which the second control message is transmitted that presents a second sub-band on which a third control message responsive to the second control message shall be transmitted, wherein the second sub-band is different from the first sub-band and is selected exclusively on the basis of the second sub-band being preferred by a receiver of the first control message regardless of whether the second sub-band is preferred by the transmitter of the first control message, wherein the second sub-band is not indicated in the first control message or preferred by the transmitter of the first control message.

10. The apparatus of claim 9, wherein the second control message is a request-to-send message indicating a quality-of-service classification for data transmission, and the third control message is a clear-to-send message comprising at least a channel allocation allocating at least one sub-band for the data transmission, the channel allocation determined on the basis of a quality-of-service classification.

11. The apparatus of claim 10, wherein the third control message further specifies other parameters for the data transmission.

12. The apparatus of claim 10, wherein the request-to-send message comprises an information element allocating a sub-band for an acknowledgment message of the data transmission, wherein the acknowledgment message is allocated to a different sub-band that is different from the sub-band allocated to the data transmission.

13. The apparatus of claim 9, wherein a pilot sequence comprised in the third control message is shorter than the pilot sequence of the first control message.

14. The apparatus of claim 9, wherein the operations further comprise:

determining, as a result of said correlation, whether the first control message was received as a surface radio wave or as an ionospheric reflection wave; and

utilizing a different communication procedure depending on whether a communication link with the transmitter is the surface radio wave or the ionospheric reflection wave.

15. The apparatus of claim 9, wherein the operations further comprise:

receiving the third control message on the second sub-band, the third control message comprising a channel allocation indicating one or more sub-bands for data transmission with the transmitter, the one or more sub-bands comprising at least one different sub-band that is different from the second sub-band; and

performing data transmission with the transmitter on the one or more sub-bands.

16. The apparatus of claim 9, wherein the operations further comprise maintaining, on the basis of the received narrowband control message and other received narrowband control messages, a list of sub-bands preferred by network nodes of a wireless network.

17. A computer program product embodied on a non-transitory distribution medium readable by a computer and comprising program instructions that, when executed by an apparatus, perform operations comprising:

receiving a broadband signal and correlating sub-bands of the received broadband signal to detect a first control message on at least one of the sub-bands of the received broadband signal, the first control message being a narrowband control message, the first control message comprising a pilot sequence and an identifier, the identifier representing an identity of a transmitter of the first control message;

determining the identity of the transmitter of the first control message from the identifier of the first control message in response to the detection of the first control message on at least one of the sub-bands of the received broadband signal;

determining using the first control message a preferred sub-band of the transmitter of the first control message; and

causing transmission of a second control message on a first sub-band determined as the preferred sub-band, the second control message comprising information in addition to and different from the first sub-band on which the second control message is transmitted that presents a second sub-band on which a third control message responsive to the second control message should be transmitted, wherein the second sub-band is different from the first sub-band and is selected exclusively on the basis of the second sub-band being preferred by a receiver of the first control message regardless of whether the second sub-band is preferred by the transmitter of the first control message

the second sub-band is not indicated in the first control message or preferred by the transmitter of the first control message.

18. The computer program product of claim 17, wherein the second control message is a request-to-send message comprising parameters of the data transmission, and the third control message is a clear-to-send message comprising a channel allocation determined on the basis of the parameters comprised in the request-to-send message.

19. The computer program product of claim 18, wherein the request-to-send message comprises an information element allocating a sub-band for an acknowledgment message of the data transmission, wherein the acknowledgment message is allocated to a different sub-band than the sub-band allocated to the data transmission.

20. The computer program product of claim 17, wherein a pilot sequence comprised in the third control message is shorter than the pilot sequence of the first control message.

21. The computer program product of claim 17, wherein the operations further comprise:

determining, as a result of said correlation, whether the first control message was received as a surface radio wave or as an ionospheric reflection wave; and

utilizing a different communication procedure depending on whether a communication link with the transmitter is the surface radio wave or the ionospheric reflection wave.

22. The computer program product of claim 17, wherein the operations further comprise:

receiving the third control message on the second sub-band, the third control message comprising a channel allocation indicating one or more sub-bands for data transmission with the transmitter, the one or more sub-bands comprising at least one different sub-band that is different from the second sub-band; and

performing data transmission with the transmitter on the one or more sub-bands.

23. The computer program product of claim 17, wherein the operations further comprise maintaining, on the basis of the received first control message and other received narrowband control messages, a list of sub-bands preferred by network nodes of a wireless network.

24. An apparatus comprising:

a processing device; and

a storage device to store instructions that, when executed by the processing device, cause the processing device to perform operations comprising;

causing, by the apparatus, transmission of a first control message on a first sub-band, the first control message comprising a pilot sequence and an identifier, the identifier representing an identity of the apparatus, the first control message indicating a preferred sub-band of the apparatus;

receiving, by the apparatus, from a second apparatus a second control message on a second sub-band representing the preferred sub-band, the second control message comprising information indicating a third sub-band on which a third control message responsive to the second control message shall be transmitted, wherein the third sub-band is different from the second sub-band and is selected exclusively on the basis of the third sub-band being preferred by the second apparatus regardless of whether the third sub-band is preferred by the apparatus; and

causing, by the apparatus, transmission of the third control message to the second apparatus on the third sub-band, wherein the second sub-band is not indicated in the first control message or preferred by the transmitter of the first control message.

25. The apparatus of claim 24, wherein the second control message comprises a quality-of-service classification for data transmission, wherein the operations further comprise:

determining, on the basis of the received second control message and the quality-of-service classification, one or more sub-bands and other parameters for which the data transmission shall be transmitted in accordance with; and

inserting, in the third control message, at least one information element indicating the determined one or more sub-bands and further indicating the other parameters for which the data transmission shall be transmitted in accordance with.