Cognitive multi-user OFDMA

• US 9,866,418 B2
• Filed: 01/20/2017
• Issued: 01/09/2018
• Est. Priority Date: 12/12/2006
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Microsoft Technology Licensing LLC (Microsoft Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Microsoft Technology Licensing LLC (Microsoft Corporation)
• Inventors: Hassan, Amer A., Huitema, Christian
• Primary Examiner(s): JAIN, RAJ K
• Application Number:
  US15/411,806
• Publication Number:
  US 20170134196A1
• Time in Patent Office: 354 Days
• CPC Class Codes: H04J 1/12 Arrangements for reducing cross-talk between channels in line transmission systems H04B3/32; in cables or lines H04B3/26 - H04B3/30
• CPC Class Codes: H04J 1/16 Monitoring arrangements for transmission in general H04B17/00; for amplifiers H03F1/52, H03F1/523
• CPC Class Codes: H04J 11/003 at the transmitter transmission to multiple receive units in multiple input multiple output [MIMO] H04B7/0452; transmit antenna weighting H04B7/0615
• CPC Class Codes: H04J 11/0066 of narrowband interference narrowband interference reduction H04B1/1036
• 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 27/16 Frequency regulation arrangements
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 27/2627 Modulators
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 5/0007 the frequencies being orthogonal, e.g. OFDM(A), DMT
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 5/0016 Time-frequency-code
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 5/0032 Distributed allocation, i.e. involving a plurality of allocating devices, each making partial allocation
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 5/0037 Inter-user or inter-terminal allocation
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 5/0039 Frequency-contiguous, i.e. with no allocation of frequencies for one user or terminal between the frequencies allocated to another
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 5/0058 Allocation criteria
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 5/0064 Rate requirement of the data, e.g. scalable bandwidth, data priority
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 5/0073 Allocation arrangements that take into account other cell interferences for intercell interference mitigation or co-ordination in orthogonal multiplex systems H04J11/005
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 5/023 Multiplexing of multicarrier modulation signals multicarrier modulation H04L27/2601
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 16/10 Dynamic resource partitioning

Abstract

A computing device operating according to a frequency division multiplexed protocol in which communication occurs over a signal formed from a plurality of sub-channels selected from anywhere in a frequency spectrum. A computing device may select sub-channels cognitively by using information about sub-channels previously deemed suitable or unsuitable by that computing device or other computing devices. A described technique for determining sub-channel suitability includes analyzing radio frequency energy in the sub-channel to detect signals generated by another computing device or high noise levels. Information may also be used to cognitively select sub-channels to be analyzed, such as by first selecting for analysis previously-used sub-channels.

Claims

1. A method performed on a computing device, the method comprising:

selecting, by the computing device based on an indication that a first set of one or more sub-channels in a radio spectrum is associated with a second device, a second set of one or more sub-channels in the radio spectrum, where each sub-channel in the selected second set of one or more sub-channels is different than each sub-channel in the first set of one or more sub-channels, and where the second device is separate from the computing device; and

transmitting, by the computing device, data via the selected second set of one or more sub-channels.

2. The method of claim 1 where the indication that the first set of one or more sub-channels is associated with the second device is based on detecting, by the computing device, that the first set of one or more sub-channels is being used by the second device.

3. The method of claim 1 where the indication that the first set of one or more sub-channels is associated with the second device is based on discovering, by the computing device, that the first set of one or more sub-channels has been reserved by the second device.

4. The method of claim 3 where the discovering is based on a message received by the computing device from the second device.

5. The method of claim 1 further comprising reserving, by the computing device, the selected second set of one or more sub-channels.

6. The method of claim 1 further comprising releasing, by the computing device upon completion of the transmitting the data, the reserved second set of one or more sub-channels.

7. The method of claim 1 further comprising examining, by the computing, the spectrum so as to identify sub-channels suitable for the transmitting the data, where the indication is based at least in part on the examining the spectrum.

8. A computing device comprising;

at least one processor;

memory coupled to the at least one processor and comprising computer-executable instructions via which, based on execution by the at least one processor, the computing device is configured for selecting, based on an indication that a first set of one or more sub-channels in a radio spectrum is associated with a second device, a second set of one or more sub-channels in the radio spectrum, where each sub-channel in the selected second set of one or more sub-channels is different than each sub-channel in the first set of one or more sub-channels, and where the second device is separate from the computing device; and

radio hardware via which the computing device is configured for transmitting data via the selected second set of one or more sub-channels.

9. The computing device of claim 8 where the indication that the first set of one or more sub-channels is associated with the second device is based on detecting, by the computing device, that the first set of one or more sub-channels is being used by the second device.

10. The computing device of claim 8 where the indication that the first set of one or more sub-channels is associated with the second device is based on discovering, by the computing device, that the first set of one or more sub-channels has been reserved by the second device.

11. The computing device of claim 10 where the discovering is based on a message received by the computing device from the second device.

12. The computing device of claim 8 further configured for reserving the selected second set of one or more sub-channels.

13. The computing device of claim 8 further configured for releasing, upon completion of the transmitting the data, the reserved second set of one or more sub-channels.

14. The computing device of claim 8 further configured for examining the spectrum so as to identify sub-channels suitable for the transmitting the data, where the indication is based at least in part on the examining the spectrum.

15. At least one computer-readable medium comprising:

a hardware computer memory that comprises computer-executable instructions that, based on execution by at least one processor of a computing device, configure the computing device to perform actions comprising;

selecting, by the computing device based on an indication that a first set of one or more sub-channels in a radio spectrum is associated with a second device, a second set of one or more sub-channels in the radio spectrum, where each sub-channel in the selected second set of one or more sub-channels is different than each sub-channel in the first set of one or more sub-channels, and where the second device is separate from the computing device; and

transmitting, by the computing device, data via the selected second set of one or more sub-channels.

16. The at least one computer-readable medium of claim 15:

where the indication that the first set of one or more sub-channels is associated with the second device is based on detecting, by the computing device, that the first set of one or more sub-channels is being used by the second device;

or

where the indication that the first set of one or more sub-channels is associated with the second device is based on discovering, by the computing device, that the first set of one or more sub-channels has been reserved by the second device.

17. The at least one computer-readable medium of claim 16 where the discovering is based on a message received by the computing device from the second device.

18. The at least one computer-readable medium of claim 15, the actions further comprising reserving, by the computing device, the selected second set of one or more sub-channels.

19. The at least one computer-readable medium of claim 15, the actions further comprising releasing, by the computing device upon completion of the transmitting the data, the reserved second set of one or more sub-channels.

20. The at least one computer-readable medium of claim 15, the actions further comprising examining, by the computing, the spectrum so as to identify sub-channels suitable for the transmitting the data, where the indication is based at least in part on the examining the spectrum.