Radio station, transmitting station, and frequency band sharing method

• US 8,396,498 B2
• Filed: 07/08/2010
• Issued: 03/12/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 07/10/2009
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: NTT Docomo Incorporated (Nippon Telegraph and Telephone Corporation)
• Original Assignee: NTT Docomo Incorporated (Nippon Telegraph and Telephone Corporation)
• Inventors: Harada, Hiroki, Fujii, Hiromasa, Asai, Takahiro, Ohya, Tomoyuki
• Primary Examiner(s): Nguyen, Tuan H.
• Assistant Examiner(s): YANG, CHUNG TIEN
• Application Number:
  US12/832,139
• Publication Number:
  US 20110009141A1
• Time in Patent Office: 978 Days
• Field of Search: 455/447, 455/450, 455/452.1, 455/452.2, 455/453, 455/509, 370/252, 370/278, 370/329
• US Class Current: 455/509
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 16/14 Spectrum sharing arrangements between different networks
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 52/243 taking into account interferences
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 88/08 Access point devices

Abstract

The invention has a step where a transmitting station in a second radio communication system determines whether transmission of a second radio communication system signal using a shared frequency band is possible or not based on load information of a first radio communication system broadcast from a base station in the first radio communication system, a step where the transmitting station in the second radio communication system calculates predicted interference power caused in a receiving station in the first radio communication system by the second radio communication system signal transmitted using the shared frequency band, and a step where the base station in the first radio communication system increases an allowable interference level of a first radio communication system signal transmitted using the shared frequency band based on the predicted interference power broadcast from the transmitting station in the second radio communication system.

Claims

1. A transmitting station for transmitting a second radio communication system signal to a receiving station in a second radio communication system, using a shared frequency band which a first radio communication system uses in priority to the second radio communication system, comprising:

an acquisition section that acquires load information of the first radio communication system;

a transmission determining section that estimates, based on the load information acquired in the acquisition section, an allowable interference level margin defined by a difference between an allowable interference level of a first radio communication system signal transmitted using the shared frequency band and a current interference level of the first radio communication system signal, and determines whether transmission of the second radio communication system signal using the shared frequency band is possible or not, based on whether or not the estimated allowable interference level margin is a predetermined value or more;

a predicted interference power calculating section that calculates predicted interference power caused in a receiving station in the first radio communication system by the second radio communication system signal transmitted using the shared frequency band; and

a broadcast section that broadcasts the predicted interference power calculated in the predicted interference power calculating section to the first radio communication system.

2. The transmitting station according to claim 1, further comprising:

a channel state estimating section that estimates a channel state between the receiving station in the first radio communication system and the transmitting station,

wherein the transmission determining section determines whether or not a transmitting station transmitting the first radio communication system signal exists near the transmitting station for transmitting the second radio communication system signal based on the channel state, and determines that transmission of the second radio communication system signal using the shared frequency band is impossible, when the transmitting station transmitting the first radio communication system signal exists near the transmitting station for transmitting the second radio communication system signal even in a case where the estimated allowable interference level margin is a predetermined value or more.

3. The transmitting station according to claim 1, wherein the broadcast section broadcasts priority information of the second radio communication system signal transmitted using the shared frequency band, in addition to the predicted interference power.

4. The transmitting station according to claim 3, wherein the broadcast section broadcasts load information of the second radio communication system, in addition to the predicted interference power and the priority information.

5. A frequency band sharing method in which a first radio communication system and a second radio communication system share a shared frequency band which the first radio communication system uses in priority to the second radio communication system, comprising:

broadcasting, in a radio station in the first radio communication system, load information of the first radio communication system to a transmitting station in the second radio communication system;

estimating, in a transmitting station in the second radio communication system, based on load information acquired in an acquisition section of the transmitting station, an allowable interference level margin defined by a difference between an allowable interference level of a first radio communication system signal transmitted using the shared frequency band and a current interference level of the first radio communication system signal,

determining, in the transmitting station in the second radio communication system, whether transmission of a second radio communication system signal from the transmitting station using the shared frequency band is possible or not, based on whether or not the estimated allowable interference level margin is a predetermined value or more;

calculating, in the transmitting station in the second radio communication system, predicted interference power caused in a receiving station in the first radio communication system by the second radio communication system signal transmitted using the shared frequency band;

broadcasting, in the transmitting station in the second radio communication system, the calculated predicted interference power to the radio station in the first radio communication system;

increasing, in the radio station in the first radio communication system, an allowable interference level of a first radio communication system signal transmitted using the shared frequency band, based on the broadcast predicted interference power; and

increasing transmission power of the first radio communication system signal or decreasing a transmission rate of the first radio communication system signal in an allowable interference level control section, so that signal quality of the first radio communication system signal can be maintained even when a receiving station in the first radio communication system receives the predicted interference power by the second radio communication system signal.