Guard band utilization for wireless data communication

• US 9,705,637 B2
• Filed: 08/19/2014
• Issued: 07/11/2017
• Est. Priority Date: 08/19/2014
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Microsoft Technology Licensing LLC (Microsoft Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Microsoft Technology Licensing LLC (Microsoft Corporation)
• Inventors: Hassan, Amer A., Garnett, Paul W., Mitchell, Paul William Alexander
• Primary Examiner(s): Yao, Kwang B
• Assistant Examiner(s): LOO, JUVENA W
• Application Number:
  US14/462,820
• Publication Number:
  US 20160056916A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,057 Days
• Field of Search: None
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 1/0001 Systems modifying transmission characteristics according to link quality, e.g. power backoff adaptive data allocation for multicarrier modulation H04L5/0044; controlling transmission power for radio systems H04W52/04
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 1/003 Adaptive formatting arrangements particular to signalling, e.g. variable amount of bits
• 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 27/2607 Cyclic extensions
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 43/08 Monitoring or testing based on specific metrics, e.g. QoS, energy consumption or environmental parameters
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 43/0847 Transmission error
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 43/16 Threshold monitoring
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 5/0032 Distributed allocation, i.e. involving a plurality of allocating devices, each making partial allocation
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 5/0062 Avoidance of ingress interference, e.g. ham radio channels
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 16/14 Spectrum sharing arrangements between different networks
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 72/541 using the level of interference

Abstract

Techniques for guard band utilization for wireless data communication are described. In at least some embodiments, guard bands can be leveraged to transmit wireless broadband data and/or other forms of wireless data. According to one or more embodiments, signal activity in a wireless channel that is adjacent to a guard band is monitored, e.g., while the guard band is being utilized for wireless data communication. In at least some implementations, if the signal activity exceeds a signal activity threshold, usage of the guard band channel can be adjusted to mitigate interference with signal activity in an adjacent channel.

Claims

1. A system comprising:

one or more processors; and

one or more computer-readable storage devices storing computer-executable instructions that are executable by the one or more processors to perform operations including;

utilizing at least a portion of a guard band as a wireless channel for wireless data communication;

utilizing a different portion of the guard band for mitigating interference between the wireless data communication in the wireless channel and signal activity in a different wireless channel that is adjacent to the guard band;

detecting signal activity in the different wireless channel;

detecting data errors in relation to the wireless data communication over the wireless channel;

comparing the data errors to a data error threshold; and

reducing a width of the wireless channel within the guard band used for the wireless data communication responsive to ascertaining that the detected data errors exceed the data error threshold.

2. The system as described in claim 1, wherein the operations further include utilizing at least one other guard band for the wireless data communication such that multiple guard bands are used for the wireless data communication.

3. The system as described in claim 1, wherein the guard band comprises a duplex gap between a downlink channel and an uplink channel.

4. The system as described in claim 1, wherein said detecting the data errors is based on at least one of a packet error rate or a packet error count for packets received via the wireless channel, and the data error threshold comprises at least one of a packet error rate threshold or a packet error count threshold.

5. The system as described in claim 1, wherein said detecting the data errors is based on a detected data error in the different wireless channel.

6. The system as described in claim 5, wherein the wireless data communication is implemented via a first antenna, and wherein the data error in the different wireless channel is detected via a second antenna.

7. The system as described in claim 1, wherein the operations further include increasing a transmission power over the wireless channel along with said reducing the width of the wireless channel.

8. The system as described in claim 1, wherein the operations further include communicating a notification of the reduced width of the wireless channel to a wireless base station through which the wireless data communication is routed.

9. The system as described in claim 1, wherein the operations further include:

ascertaining that the signal activity exceeds a signal activity threshold; and

reducing further the width of the wireless channel within the guard band responsive to ascertaining that the signal activity exceeds the signal activity threshold.

10. The system as described in claim 1, wherein the operations further include:

ascertaining that the signal activity exceeds a signal activity threshold; and

ceasing utilization of the guard band for the wireless data communication responsive to said ascertaining.

11. A computer-implemented method comprising:

identifying a pre-specified portion of radio spectrum that corresponds to a guard band;

utilizing at least a portion of the guard band as a wireless channel for wireless data communication;

detecting data errors in relation to the wireless data communication over the wireless channel;

detecting signal activity in a different wireless channel; and

reducing, by a computing device, a width of the wireless channel within the guard band responsive to ascertaining that the signal activity in the different wireless channel exceeds a signal activity threshold and further responsive to ascertaining that the data errors detected in the wireless channel exceed a data error threshold.

12. The computer-implemented method as described in claim 11, wherein the data error threshold comprises at least one of a packet error rate threshold or a packet error count threshold.

13. The computer-implemented method as described in claim 11, wherein the signal activity is detected further based on detected signal strength of the signal activity in the different wireless channel.

14. The computer-implemented method as described in claim 13, wherein the wireless data communication is implemented via a first antenna, and wherein the signal strength of the signal activity in the different wireless channel is detected via a second antenna.

15. The computer-implemented method as described in claim 11, further comprising increasing, by the computing device, a transmission power over the wireless channel along with said reducing the width of the wireless channel.

16. The computer-implemented method as described in claim 11, further comprising communicating, by the computing device, a notification of the reduced width of the wireless channel to a wireless base station through which the wireless data communication is routed.

17. A computer-implemented method comprising:

identifying a pre-specified portion of radio spectrum that corresponds to a guard band;

specifying, within the pre-specified portion that corresponds to the guard band, a wireless channel portion for wireless data communication and an interference mitigation portion, the interference mitigation portion being usable for mitigating interference between the wireless data communication in the wireless channel portion and signal activity in a different wireless channel that is adjacent to the guard band;

utilizing the wireless channel portion of the guard band as a wireless channel for the wireless data communication;

detecting signal activity in the different wireless channel adjacent to the guard band;

detecting data errors in the wireless data communication over the wireless channel portion of the guard band;

comparing, by a computing device, the data errors to a data error threshold; and

reducing, by the computing device, a width of the wireless channel portion within the guard band responsive to ascertaining that the detected data errors exceed the data error threshold.

18. The computer-implemented method as described in claim 17, wherein the wireless data communication is implemented via a first antenna, and wherein the signal activity is detected via a second antenna.

19. The computer-implemented method as described in claim 17, further comprising increasing a transmission power over the wireless channel.

20. The computer-implemented method as described in claim 17, further comprising, by the computing device and responsive to ascertaining that the signal activity exceeds a signal activity threshold, performing at least one of:

further reducing the width of the wireless channel within the guard band;

or

ceasing utilization of the guard band for the wireless data communication.