System and method for interference free operation of co-located transceivers

• US 9,084,120 B2
• Filed: 08/26/2011
• Issued: 07/14/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 08/27/2010
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Trilliant Networks Incorporated
• Original Assignee: Trilliant Networks Incorporated
• Inventors: Frei, Randy
• Primary Examiner(s): Maung, Nay A
• Assistant Examiner(s): Rivero, Alejandro
• Application Number:
  US13/219,143
• Publication Number:
  US 20120052812A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,418 Days
• Field of Search: None
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: H01Q 1/241 used in mobile communications, e.g. GSM H01Q1/247, H01Q1/248 take precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H01Q 21/065 Patch antenna array
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 16/14 Spectrum sharing arrangements between different networks
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 72/0446 Resources in time domain, e.g. slots or frames
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 72/046 the resource being in the space domain, e.g. beams

Abstract

Systems and methods for co-locating a plurality of transceivers capable of operating on the same frequency without interference are provided. The transmissions and/or receptions of the transceivers are coordinated in the time domain such that conflicting sectors are not utilized simultaneously, allowing for the transceivers to be physically located in close proximity without significant intra-system interference. The coordinating programs described herein allow for enhanced efficiency of spectral utilization as well as enhanced quality of service (QoS) through latency controls, rate control and traffic prioritization.

Claims

1. A panel system comprising:

a first panel device comprising a first processor, a transmitter, and a receiver, the first panel device capable of transmitting and/or receiving a first beam along a first sector chosen from a plurality of first sectors defining a first beam arc; and

a second panel device co-located with the first panel device comprising a second processor, a transmitter, and a receiver, the second panel device capable of transmitting and/or receiving a second beam along a second sector chosen from a plurality of second sectors defining a second beam arc;

wherein the first sector is located such that the transmitting and/or receiving of the first beam by the first panel device along the first sector would interfere with the transmitting and/or receiving of the second beam by the second panel device along the second sector; and

wherein the first processor and the second processor are configured to communicate with each other via the first panel device and the second panel device, respectively to exchange time-based demand requirements of signal transmission or reception for at least one of the transmitter and receiver of each of the first panel device and second panel device, and in response to processing of the demand requirements, determine a schedule in the time domain for a plurality of future time slots to be available for the exclusive use by a respective one of the first and second panel devices for the at least one of future transmitting or receiving, said schedule being determined by a ratio (T_A)/(T_A+T_B), where, T_A and T_B are the exchanged time-based demand requirements of the first and second panel devices, respectively, so as to prevent the future transmitting and/or receiving of the second beam along the second sector when the first panel device is transmitting and/or receiving the first beam along the first sector.

2. A system according to claim 1, wherein the second panel device is not prevented from transmitting and/or receiving along any of the plurality of second sectors that do not interfere with the first sector.

3. A system according to claim 1, wherein the first panel device and/or second panel device comprises an array of antenna elements.

4. A system according to claim 1, wherein the first panel device and/or second panel device is a directional antenna.

5. A system according to claim 1, wherein the plurality of future time slots are coordinated in an interleaved manner, so that time slots for at least one of signal transmission or reception in the first sector are interleaved in time with time slots for at least one of signal transmission or reception in the second sector.

6. A system according to claim 1 further comprising a third panel device located adjacent to the first panel device comprising a third processor, a transmitter, and a receiver, the third panel device capable of transmitting and/or receiving a third beam along a third sector chosen from a plurality of third sectors defining a third beam arc;

wherein a different first sector among the plurality of first sectors is located such that the transmitting and/or receiving of a different first beam by the first panel device along the different first sector would interfere with the transmitting and/or receiving of the third beam by the third panel device along the third sector; and

wherein the first panel device and third panel device are coordinated by at least one of the first processor and the third processor in the time domain according to the ratio (T_A)/(T_A+T_C), where, T_A and T_C are exchanged time-based demand requirements of the first and third panel devices, respectively, to prevent the transmitting and/or receiving of the third beam along the third sector by the third panel device when the first panel device is transmitting and/or receiving the different first beam along the different first sector.

7. A system according to claim 6, wherein the third panel device is not prevented from transmitting and/or receiving along any of the plurality of third sectors that do not interfere with the different first sector.

8. A system according to claim 6 further comprising a fourth panel device located adjacent to the second panel device and the third panel device comprising a fourth processor, a transmitter, and a receiver, the fourth panel device capable of transmitting and/or receiving a fourth beam along a fourth sector chosen from a plurality of fourth sectors defining a fourth beam arc;

wherein a different second sector among the plurality of second sectors is located such that the transmitting and/or receiving of a different second beam by the second panel device along the different second sector would interfere with the transmitting and/or receiving of the fourth beam by the fourth panel device along the fourth sector; and

wherein the second panel device and fourth panel device are coordinated by at least one of the second processor and the fourth processor in the time domain according to the ratio (T_B)/(T_B−

T_D), where, T_B and T_D are exchanged time-based demand requirements of the second and fourth panel devices, respectively, to prevent the transmitting and/or receiving of the fourth beam along the fourth sector by the fourth panel device when the second panel device is transmitting and/or receiving the different second beam along the different second sector.

9. A system according to claim 8, wherein the fourth panel device is not prevented from transmitting and/or receiving along any of the plurality of fourth sectors that do not interfere with the different second sector.

10. A system according to claim 8, wherein the first sector does not interfere with any of the third plurality of sectors or any of the fourth plurality of sectors, and wherein the different first sector does not interfere with any of the second plurality of sectors or fourth plurality of sectors.

11. A system according to claim 1, wherein at least one of the plurality of first sectors does not interfere with at least one of the plurality of second sectors.

12. A system according to claim 8, further comprising a synchronized clock shared by the first, second, third and fourth panel devices.

13. A system according to claim 1 wherein the plurality of future time slots are scheduled so that pre-determined recurring time slots are reserved for use by a given panel device.

14. The system according to claim 1, wherein:

the first panel device is scheduled to at least one of future transmit or receive when the integer value of the calculation of (T_A*i)/(T_A +T_B), where i is an integer, is not equal to the integer value of the calculation of (T_A*(i-1))/(T_A+T_B), and

the second panel device is scheduled to at least one of future transmit or receive when the integer value of the calculation of (T_A*i)/(T_A+T_B), where i is an integer, is equal to the integer value of the calculation of (T_A*(i-1))/(T_A+T_B).

15. A transceiver system comprising:

multiple co-located transceiver devices, each transceiver device including an M×

N matrix of elements as part of a panel device, where M and N represent a number of columns and rows, respectively, such that the M×

N matrix of elements defines a predetermined number of individual sectors of an array antenna, where signal transmission or reception in a first sector of the predetermined number of individual sectors by a first transceiver device of the multiple co-located transceiver devices would interfere with signal transmission or reception in a second sector by a second transceiver device of the multiple co-located transceiver devices; and

at least one processor of each of the first and second transceiver devices are programmed to communicate with each other via a respective one of a first and second panel device, to exchange signal transmission or reception time-based demand requirements for the at least first and second sectors, and in response to processing of the demand requirements, schedule in the time domain a plurality of future time slots using a ratio (T_A)/(T_A +T_B), where, T_A and T_B are the exchanged time-based demand requirements of the first and second panel devices, respectively, for at least one of future signal transmission and/or reception in the first and second sectors, in order to avoid signal interference of use in the time domain.

16. The transceiver system according to claim 15, further comprising a synchronized clock shared by the multiple co-located transceiver devices.

17. The transceiver system according to claim 15, wherein the at least one processor of each of the first and second transceiver devices schedules the plurality of future time slots so as to interleave time slots for at least one of signal transmission or reception in the first sector with time slots for at least one of signal transmission or reception in the second sector.

18. The transceiver system according to claim 15 wherein the plurality of future time slots are scheduled so that pre-determined recurring time slots are reserved for use by a given transceiver device.

19. The transceiver system according to claim 15, wherein:

the first panel device is scheduled to at least one of future transmit or receive when the integer value of the calculation of (T_A*i)/(T_A+T_B), where i is an integer, is not equal to the integer value of the calculation of (T_A*(i-1))/(T_A+T_B), and

the second panel device is scheduled to at least one of future transmit or receive when the integer value of the calculation of (T_A*i)/(T_A+T_B), where i is an integer, is equal to the integer value of the calculation of (T_A*(i-1))/(T_A+T_B).

20. A process for scheduling sector use across multiple antenna panels comprising:

receiving by at least a first processor of a first antenna panel, an indication that reception and/or transmission of a first communication signal at a first sector of the first antenna panel would interfere with reception and/or transmission of a second communication signal at a second sector of a second antenna panel; and

receiving by at least a second processor of the second antenna panel, an indication that reception and/or transmission of the second communication signal at the second sector of the second antenna panel would interfere with reception and/or transmission of the first communication signal at the first sector of the first antenna panel; and

coordinating by and between the at least a first and second processors to exchange signal transmission and/or reception time-based demand requirements, and in response to such exchange, determining a schedule in the time domain of a plurality of future time slots for the transmission and/or reception of the first and second communication signals at the first and second sectors, said schedule being determined by a ratio (T_A)/(T_A+T_B ),where, T_A and T_B are the exchanged time-based demand requirements of the first and second antenna panels, respectively, so as to avoid signal interference therebetween.

21. The process according to claim 20, wherein coordinating comprises exchanging between the first and second processors use data for the first and second sectors.

22. The process according to claim 20 wherein the plurality of future time slots are scheduled so that pre-determined recurring time slots are reserved for use by a given antenna panel.

23. The process according to claim 20, wherein:

the first antenna panel is scheduled to at least one of future transmit or receive when the integer value of the calculation of (T_A*i)/(T_A+T_B), where i is an integer, is not equal to the integer value of the calculation of (T_A*(i-1))/(T_A+T_B), and

the second antenna panel is scheduled to at least one of future transmit or receive when the integer value of the calculation of (T_A*i)/(T_A+T_B), where i is an integer, is equal to the integer value of the calculation of (T_A*(i-1))/(T_A+T_B).