Systems, Methods, and Apparatuses for Spectrum-Sensing Cognitive Radios

• US 20070091998A1
• Filed: 07/18/2006
• Published: 04/26/2007
• Est. Priority Date: 10/21/2005
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd.
• Original Assignee: Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd.
• Inventors: Lee, Chang-Ho, Kim, Haksun, Woo, Wangmyong, Lee, Jungsuk
• Granted Patent: US 7,710,919 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 375/240.02
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 1/406 with more than one transmission mode, e.g. analog and digital modes
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 16/14 Spectrum sharing arrangements between different networks

Abstract

Systems, methods, and apparatuses are provided for spectrum-sensing cognitive radios that are operative to detect and utilize available RF spectrum resources. The spectrum-sensing cognitive radios include at least one antenna and a frequency-agile radio front-end module in communication with the at least one antenna and configured to transmit and receive radio frequency signals via the at least one antenna. In addition, a spectrum-sensing module, which may include one or both of coarse-sensing and fine-sensing modules, may be in communication with the at least one antenna and be configured to generate RF spectrum usage information. A medium access control (MAC) module is operative to receive the RF spectrum usage information from the spectrum-sensing module. Based upon the received RF spectrum usage information, the MAC module is operative to direct a frequency of operation of the radio front-end module based at least in part on the received spectrum usage information.

Claims

1. A cognitive radio system, comprising:

at least one antenna;

a radio front-end module in communication with the at least one antenna and configured to transmit and receive radio frequency signals via the at least one antenna;

a spectrum-sensing module in communication with the at least one antenna and configured to generate radio frequency spectrum usage information; and

a medium access control (MAC) module operative to receive the RF spectrum usage information from the spectrum-sensing module, wherein the MAC module is operative to direct a frequency of operation of the radio front-end module based at least in part on the received spectrum usage information.

2. The cognitive radio system of claim 1, wherein the at least one antenna comprises a first antenna and a second antenna, wherein the radio front-end module is in communication with the first antenna and the spectrum-sensing module is in communication with the second antenna.

3. The cognitive radio system of claim 1, wherein the spectrum-sensing module comprises at least one of a coarse-sensing module and a fine-sensing module, wherein the coarse-sensing module provides spectrum usage information associated with spectrum occupancy and the fine-sensing module provides spectrum usage information associated with signal identification.

4. The cognitive radio system of claim 3, wherein the spectrum usage information associated with signal identification relates to at least one of modulation schemes and frame types.

5. The cognitive radio system of claim 1, wherein the spectrum sensing module generates spectrum usage information associated with spectrum occupancy and upon a request by the MAC module, generates spectrum usage information associated with signal identification.

6. The cognitive radio system of claim 1, further comprising an analog-to-digital converter that digitizes the generated spectrum usage information, wherein the digitized spectrum usage information is received by the medium access control module.

7. The cognitive radio system of claim 1, wherein the spectrum-sensing module is an analog, wideband spectrum-sensing module.

8. A method for implementing a cognitive radio system, comprising:

receiving radio signals at a spectrum-sensing module;

generating via the spectrum-sensing module, spectrum information based at least in part on the received radio signals;

receiving the spectrum information at a medium access control module;

determining via the medium access control module, a non-occupied spectrum based at least in part upon the spectrum information; and

reconfiguring a transceiver to operate in the non-occupied spectrum.

9. The method of claim 8, wherein generating spectrum information comprises generating information for determining spectrum occupancy.

10. The method of claim 9, wherein generating spectrum information comprises generating information for signal identification upon a request from the medium access control module.

11. The method of claim 10, wherein the spectrum sensing module comprises a module that generates the information for determining spectrum occupancy.

12. The method of claim 10, wherein the spectrum sensing module comprises a module that generates the information for signal identification.

13. The method of claim 10, wherein receiving radio signals at a spectrum-sensing module comprises receiving radio signals at an analog, wideband spectrum-sensing module.

14. A spectrum sensing system, comprising:

a coarse-sensing module that utilizes a wavelet transform to generate a signal indicative of spectrum usage;

a spectrum recognition module in communication with the coarse sensing module that determines an occupied spectrum segment based at least partially on the signal from the course sensing module; and

a fine-sensing module that generates a signal indicative of a feature of a signal type for an occupied spectrum segment identified by the spectrum recognition module.

15. The system of claim 14, further comprising at least one analog-to-digital converter for digitizing the signal indicative of spectrum usage and the signal indicative of a feature of the signal type, wherein the digitized signal indicative of spectrum usage and the digitized signal indicative of a feature of the signal type are provided to the spectrum recognition module.

16. The system of claim 14, wherein the fine-sensing module generates a signal indicative of a feature of a signal type based at least in part on a periodic nature of an input signal.

17. The system of claim 16, wherein the feature of the system type is associated with at least one of a modulation format and frame structure of the input signal.

18. The system of claim 14, wherein the spectrum recognition module is in communication with the fine-sensing module.

19. The system of claim 14, wherein the spectrum recognition module determines a non-occupied segment based at least partially on the signal from the fine-sensing module.

20. The system of claim 14, wherein at least one of the coarse-sensing module and the fine-sensing module operate in an analog domain.