SYSTEMS AND METHODS FOR DETERMINING AND SPECIFYING SPECTRUM AVAILABILITY FOR A PREDETERMINED TRAVEL ROUTE

• US 20150105116A1
• Filed: 10/15/2014
• Published: 04/16/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 10/15/2013
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Qualcomm, Inc.
• Original Assignee: Spectrum Bridge, Inc.
• Inventors: Schmidt, Jeffery C., Roberts, Robin U., Stanforth, Peter
• Granted Patent: US 9,445,277 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 455/509
• CPC Class Codes: G01C 21/26 specially adapted for navigation in a road network
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 16/14 Spectrum sharing arrangements between different networks
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/026 using orientation information, e.g. compass
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/029 Location-based management or tracking services
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 72/51 based on terminal or device properties

Abstract

A spectrum management server generates and an electronic device uses a channel map solution for a predetermined travel route of the electronic device. The channel map solution includes at least one available channel for each of the plural geographic areas through which the planned travel route passes. At least two adjacent ones of the geographic areas have different channel availability.

Claims

1. A spectrum management server, comprising:

a communications interface over which communications with an electronic device are made, the electronic device having a need for spectrum access to carry out wireless communications; and

a processor that executes logical instructions to configure the spectrum management server to;

determine a planned travel route of the electronic device;

analyze the planned travel route against incumbent use of spectrum and identify available channels for use by the electronic device for an entire area of each of plural geographic areas through which the planned travel route passes, at least two adjacent ones of the geographic areas having different channel availability; and

communicate a channel map solution to the electronic device, the channel map solution including at least one available channel for each of the plural geographic areas.

2. The spectrum management server of claim 1, wherein each geographic area is a pixel from a grid of pixels, each pixel having a same area and shape.

3. The spectrum management server of claim 2, wherein a size of the pixels in at least one direction is the same as a location-determining accuracy of the electronic device.

4. The spectrum management server of claim 2, wherein if a pixel overlaps two regions with different channel availability, the available channels for the pixel is a set intersection of the available channels from the two regions.

5. The spectrum management server of claim 1, wherein each geographic area is a channel area having a size and a shape that is established by the server based on channel availability relative to the planned travel route.

6. The spectrum management server of claim 1, wherein each geographic area is a line segment along the planned travel route, each line segment having a width.

7. The spectrum management server of claim 6, wherein one of the line segments ends and one of the line segments starts at each vertex of the planned travel route.

8. The spectrum management server of claim 6, wherein one of the line segments ends and one of the line segments starts at each intersection of the planned travel route and a border between two regions of different channel availability.

9. The spectrum management server of claim 1, wherein the planned travel route is approximated by and expressed as a series of line segments.

10. The spectrum management server of claim 1, wherein the server further selects one channel per geographic area to communicate to the electronic device.

11. The spectrum management server of claim 1, wherein, as part of the channel map solution communicated to the electronic device, the server includes plural available channels per geographic area.

12. The spectrum management server of claim 1, wherein the channel map solution comprises an expiration.

13. An electronic device, comprising:

radio circuitry configured to engage in wireless communication, the radio circuitry relying on spectrum access provided by a spectrum management server to carry out the wireless communications, wherein a channel map solution for a predetermined travel route of the electronic device is received from the spectrum management server, the channel map solution comprising the spectrum access and including at least one available channel for an entire area of each of plural geographic areas through which the predetermined travel route passes, at least two adjacent ones of the geographic areas having different channel availability; and

control circuitry configured to make channel use determinations for the radio circuitry, the channel use determinations made by determining a current one of the geographic areas in which the electronic device is present and selecting a channel specified in the channel map solution as being available for the current one of the geographic areas.

14. The electronic device of claim 13, wherein if the channel map solution is expired or the electronic device is not positioned in any of the geographic areas, then the channel map solution is considered by the control circuitry as invalid.

15. The electronic device of claim 14, wherein if the channel map solution is invalid, the control circuitry controls the electronic device to request a new channel map solution from the spectrum management server.

16. The electronic device of claim 13, wherein each geographic area is a pixel from a grid of pixels, each pixel having a same area and shape.

17. The electronic device of claim 16, wherein a size of the pixels in at least one direction is the same as a location-determining accuracy of the electronic device.

18. The electronic device of claim 16, wherein if a pixel overlaps two regions with different channel availability, the available channels for the pixel is a set intersection of the available channels from the two regions.

19. The electronic device of claim 13, wherein each geographic area is a channel area having a size and a shape that is established by the spectrum management server based on channel availability relative to the predetermined travel route.

20. The electronic device of claim 13, wherein each geographic area is a line segment along the predetermined travel route, each line segment having a width.

21. The electronic device of claim 20, wherein one of the line segments ends and one of the line segments starts at each vertex of the predetermined travel route.

22. The electronic device of claim 20, wherein one of the line segments ends and one of the line segments starts at each intersection of the predetermined travel route and a border between two regions of different channel availability.

23. The electronic device of claim 13, wherein the channel map solution specifies one available channel per geographic area, the one specified channel being the channel selected by the control circuitry while the electronic device is in each respective geographic area.

24. The electronic device of claim 13, wherein the channel map solution specifies plural available channels per geographic area.