FR3059866A1 - CONTEXT SPECTRUM COORDINATION - Google Patents

Abstract

The present invention provides a method for dynamically allocating spectrum to a plurality of licensed users sharing this spectrum based on context information.

Description

® FRENCH REPUBLIC

NATIONAL INSTITUTE OF INDUSTRIAL PROPERTY © Publication number:

(to be used only for reproduction orders)

©) National registration number

059 866

01707

COURBEVOIE © IntCI ⁸

H04 W16 / 14 (2017.01)

PATENT INVENTION APPLICATION

A1

©) Date of filing: 01.12.16. © Applicant (s): RED TECHNOLOGIES SAS - FR. (30) Priority: @ Inventor (s): LE THIERRY D'ENNEQUIN CHRIS- TOPHE and MULLER PIERRE JEAN. (43) Date of public availability of the request: 08.06.18 Bulletin 18/23. ©) List of documents cited in the report preliminary research: Refer to end of present booklet (© References to other national documents ® Holder (s): RED TECHNOLOGIES SAS. related: ©) Extension request (s): © Agent (s): RED TECHNOLOGIES SAS.

(34 / CONTEXTUAL SPECTRUM COORDINATION.

(9f) The present invention provides a method for dynamically allocating spectrum to a plurality of licensed users sharing this spectrum, based on context information.

FR 3 059 866 - A1

User 2

Context: (x, y)

Spectrum usage requirements: Max Tx power: 30 dBm Frequency: 2340 MHz Bandwidth: 20 Mhz Duration: 1 hour

Retrieving license conditions (User 2 ^ Context: x, y)

Contextual spectrum management service

Spectrum management engine Determines information on spectrum availability

User 2

Spectrum availability information:

Max Tx power: 25dBm Frequency: 2340 MHz Bandwidth: 20 Mhz

User 1 information on spectrum availability:

Max Tx power: 20 dBm Frequency: 2340 MHz Bandwidth: 20 Mhz

User 3

Spectrum availability information:

Authorized transmission area: polygon3

Max Power Outside Zone: -90 dBm Frequency: 2340 MHz Bandwidth: 20 Mhz

Page 1

State of the art

In order to maximize the use of the spectrum, new models allowing the spectrum to be shared between different users have been defined.

For example, the European Telecommunications Standards Institute (ETSI) has specified Licensed Shared Access (LSA) procedures allowing primary users to share the spectrum with secondary users. Using these procedures, primary users can request exclusive spectrum access over a specific geographic area, over a given period, and over a specific frequency range.

This mechanism makes it possible to optimize the use of the spectrum, since secondary users are able to use the spectrum as soon as it is not used by primary users.

However, the existing mechanisms allowing spectrum sharing have the following limitations:

the rights of primary users and secondary users are defined statically using licenses and sharing agreements with regulatory authorities, and cannot therefore be changed dynamically, primary users must explicitly request access to the spectrum, whenever they need it, the number of categories of users (eg, 2 in the case of the LSA) cannot be extended, the spectrum cannot be used simultaneously by multiple categories of users within the same geographic area and on the same frequency.

The present invention overcomes these limitations and provides a method for dynamically allocating spectrum to a plurality of licensed users sharing this spectrum, based on context information.

DESCRIPTION OF THE FIGURES

Figure 1 shows a state of the art spectrum sharing view.

Figure 2 shows a view of contextual spectrum sharing according to the present invention.

Figure 3 shows details of a possible architecture and possible operations performed by the contextual spectrum management service.

Figure 4 shows an example of contextual spectrum sharing according to the present invention.

Figure 5 shows another example of contextual spectrum sharing according to the present invention.

Figure 6 shows another example of contextual spectrum sharing according to the present invention.

DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

Page 2

Figure 1 shows a state of the art spectrum sharing view.

Primary users have priority over secondary users for spectrum use.

Secondary users have licenses authorizing them to use the spectrum on specific frequencies and areas.

The spectrum availability information indicates how often and what bandwidth can be used by secondary users, and over which geographic areas.

The spectrum management service restricts, as much as necessary, the spectrum allocated to secondary users whenever primary users request to be protected from interference, on specific frequencies and zones.

Figure 2 shows a view of contextual spectrum sharing according to the present invention.

In this figure, the licensed users are connected to the contextual spectrum management service. The contextual spectrum management service controls the use of the spectrum of a given user from:

the context of this user, the spectrum usage requirements provided by this user, the license for this user,

- the use of the spectrum of users likely to be interfered with by this user or to interfere with this user.

A user can be associated with a single device or with a controller controlling the transmissions of a multiplicity of devices connected to this controller.

The devices mentioned through the present invention may consist of user terminals or radio base stations, and may be part of a cellular network or a mesh network (or "mesh" network). In addition, some or all of the devices may be able to communicate using d2d (deviceto-device) communication and / or operate as a relay, in order to provide connectivity to other devices.

The context of each user is regularly provided by the users of the contextual spectrum management service, for example at predefined intervals or whenever changes to the context are identified. The contextual spectrum management server can verify that the context provided contains reliable information before using this context. This can be done by the contextual spectrum management server, for example by performing authentication with the user.

Alternatively, or in addition, the contextual spectrum management server can determine the context of the users by other means. For example, the location of devices associated with users can be determined using a network of sensors detecting the radio signals emitted by these devices.

The context of a user can consist, for example, of all or a subset of:

Page 3 the location, speed and acceleration of each device associated with the user, consisting, for example, for each device, in a point represented by a latitude, a longitude and an altitude, the geographical area, in two or three dimensions, on which the user is operating, consisting for example of a polygon, the type of location where the user is located, such as a train, a stadium, a battlefield, one or more types of applications for which the user requests spectrum.

The spectrum usage requirements provided by each user of the contextual spectrum management service may consist, for example, of any where a subset of the following:

frequency required, bandwidth required, maximum transmit power required, type of spectrum access required, such as "shared" or "exclusive", level of interference protection required, in a geographic area in two or three dimensions, a period during which the spectrum is required.

A license is associated with one or more contexts. For each context, a license specifies the rights to use the spectrum, such as:

authorized frequencies, maximum authorized bandwidth,

- the maximum authorized transmission power, the type of access authorized to the spectrum such as "shared" or "exclusive", the priority of the user, the geographical area, in two or three dimensions, on which the license applies , the maximum area size, in two or three dimensions, to which the license applies.

Whenever the context received or the requirements received on the use of the spectrum of a given user are updated, the contextual spectrum management service:

determines if the information on the availability of a user's spectrum should be updated, based on the current context of all users, the conditions of their licenses, and their current spectrum usage,

Page 4 provides information on spectrum availability to users whenever this information is updated.

The spectrum availability information may consist of all or a subset of the following information:

authorized frequencies, authorized bandwidth,

- the maximum authorized transmission power, the type of access to the authorized spectrum, such as "shared" or "exclusive", the geographic area, in two or three dimensions, to which this information on spectrum availability applies, maximum aggregate power at any point outside a given geographic area.

In "shared" mode, users must take into account other users' broadcasts before broadcasting. An example of radio technology applicable for this use is Wi-Fi. The precise mechanism for controlling access to the medium, ensuring equity between users accessing the spectrum in "shared" mode with identical priorities or is outside the scope of the present invention.

On the other hand, in "exclusive" mode, users are allowed to use the full spectrum, without having to take into account the emissions of other users. LTE is an example of radio technology applicable to this use.

Figure 3 shows the details of a possible architecture and the operations performed by the contextual spectrum management service upon reception of the requirements on the use of the spectrum of a user.

In this example architecture, a spectrum management engine is responsible for determining information on spectrum availability. This spectrum management engine is connected to:

a radio environment map (REM), used to estimate radio propagation and identify interference between users, and, a database containing the licenses of each user, and, a database containing the context of each user.

In this example, "User 2", located at latitude x and longitude y, requests authorization, for a duration of 1 hour, to transmit at a maximum transmission power of 30 dBm, on the frequency 2340 MHz.

Upon receipt of this request, the spectrum management engine first determines the conditions of the "User 2" license, depending on the context provided by "User 2".

Page 5

The spectrum management engine then determines whether the request for "User 2" can be satisfied, based on the current context of all users, the conditions of their licenses, and their current use of the spectrum.

In this example, the spectrum management engine determines that the maximum transmission power allowed for "User 2", given the current context of all users and their current spectrum usage, is 25 dBm.

In addition, the spectrum management engine determines that the maximum transmission power authorized for "User 1" must be updated to a value of 20 dBm. One possible reason for this update could be that the applicable license conditions for "User 1" indicate a priority lower than the priority indicated in the applicable license conditions of "User 2", and that "User 1" is likely to generate interference on "User 2", given its current maximum authorized transmission power.

Finally, the spectrum management engine determines that the authorized transmission area for "User 3" must be updated, and provides a new polygon ("polygon3"), for example in the form of a list of coordinates, corresponding to the authorized transmission area. "User 3" is then responsible for controlling the transmission power of the device or devices associated with it, so that the aggregated transmission power of all these device (s) at any point beyond the authorized transmission area does not exceed not the "maxMaxHorsZone" parameter.

Figures 4, Figure 5 and Figure 6 show how information on spectrum availability is determined, through three different examples.

Examples of contextual spectrum sharing

Figure 4 shows an example of contextual spectrum sharing in accordance with the present invention.

Two types of licenses are shown at the top of Figure 4. In this example, each device is associated with one of these licenses.

Users with a type 1 license, labeled "L1", have exclusive access to the spectrum on 20 MHz when they are inside a train operating on the "line 1" train line. Apart from line 1, these users are authorized to access the spectrum on 10 MHz in "shared" mode, anywhere in the national territory.

Users with a type 2 license, labeled "L2", are authorized to access the spectrum on 10 MHz in "shared" mode, anywhere in the country.

The triangles in the figure represent users' devices.

A triangle colored in black represents a device operating in "exclusive" mode.

A triangle colored in white represents a device that is not in operation.

A triangle colored in gray represents a device operating in “shared” mode.

Page β

All the devices shown in the figure regularly provide their context to the contextual spectrum management service.

In Figure 4, the devices of "User 4" and "User 5" are shown in white because the contextual spectrum management service has determined, for example using a

REM, that these devices are likely to interfere with "User 3" whose priority is higher since context # 1 of license 1 is applicable for "User 3".

Similarly, the device of "User 9" is shown in white because the contextual spectrum management service has determined, for example using an REM, that this user is likely to interfere with "User 1" whose priority is higher since the license conditions applicable for "User 1" are those corresponding to context # 1 of license 1.

On the other hand, Users 2, 6, 7 and 8 are identified as being sufficiently distant from “User 3”, and are therefore authorized to access the spectrum in “shared” mode.

Note that in this example, interference between users accessing the spectrum in "exclusive" mode (such as "User 1" and "User 3") is not avoided by the contextual spectrum management service. Such a use case can apply, for example, when "User 1" and "User 3" belong to the same cellular network. In this case, the cellular network is responsible for correctly configuring the "User 1" and "User 3" devices to avoid interference.

In an alternative to this example, a frequency range, or a set of frequencies can be associated with a license, instead of a specific frequency. In this case, the contextual spectrum management service is able to minimize interference between users accessing the spectrum in "exclusive" mode (such as "User 1" and "User 3") by allocating a different frequency to users who are likely to interfere with each other, for example from the estimation of the radio propagation from the REM.

Figure 5 shows another example of contextual spectrum sharing according to the present invention.

In this example, each user is associated with a group of devices.

User 1, associated with two devices (labeled "Gl"), has a license 1 (labeled "L1"). User 2, associated with three devices, has a license 2.

A black colored triangle illustrates a device operating in "exclusive" mode.

A triangle colored in gray illustrates a device operating in “shared” mode.

The dotted line around each group indicates the area to which that group's license applies. The licenses shown in this example indicate that each area must be less than 1 square km in size.

The outline of the area to which a group's license applies is calculated based on the location of the devices belonging to this group. The direction, speed and acceleration of the devices can also be taken into account to determine the optimal area to which the license applies.

Page 7

In this example, the two areas overlap. This means that User 2's devices are likely to interfere with User 1's area. Since License 2 indicates a priority lower than License 1 for the frequency 250 MHz, this frequency cannot be used by user 2. As a result, the contextual spectrum management service provides user 2 with an alternative frequency (of 320 MHz) and a bandwidth (of 20 MHz) authorized in accordance with its license.

When a license is applied to a three-dimensional area, a volume instead of a contour is calculated by the contextual spectrum management service, using the location of the device (s).

Figure 6 illustrates such a use case. The aircraft (associated with "User 1") is associated with a license, the conditions of which differ depending on whether the aircraft is in flight or has landed. The cone indicates the area on which the aircraft is likely to be located and therefore must be protected from interference, this area being determined from its path, speed and acceleration. A prediction angle can be used to widen the protection area based on the estimated prediction accuracy.

In the example shown in Figure 6, the contextual spectrum management service has determined that "User 3" is likely to interfere with the protection zone associated with "User 1". As the license associated with "User 3" indicates a lower priority than that indicated in the license for "User 1", the device associated with "User 3" is not authorized to transmit.

Page 8

Claims (7)

1) A method for dynamically allocating spectrum to a plurality of licensed users connected to a contextual spectrum management service, characterized by: i. the receipt by said contextual spectrum management service, of the context and of the requirements on the use of the spectrum by each user, ii. the determination, each time that the context received or the requirements received on the use of the spectrum of a given user are updated, by said contextual spectrum management service, of the fact that the information on the availability of the spectrum d 'a user must be updated or not, depending on the current context of all users, the conditions of their licenses, and their current use of the spectrum, iii. the transmission, by said spectrum spectrum management service, of information on the availability of spectrum to users each time this information is updated. 2) The method according to claim 1 characterized in that each user is associated with a single device, or with a controller controlling the transmissions of a multiplicity of devices connected to this controller. 3) The method according to claims 1 to 2 characterized in that said requirements on the use of the spectrum can consist of everything or a subset of the following elements: i. a required frequency, ii. bandwidth required, iii. maximum transmission power required, iv. a type of spectrum access required, such as "shared" or "exclusive", v. a required level of interference protection, in a required geographic area, in two or three dimensions, vi. a period during which the spectrum is required. 4) The method according to claims 1 to 3 characterized in that the license of each user is associated with one or more contexts, and in which for each context, this license specifies the rights to the use of the spectrum, consisting of all or a subset of the following: i. authorized frequencies, ii. the maximum authorized bandwidth, iii. the maximum authorized transmission power, Page 9 îv. the type of spectrum access allowed, such as "shared" or "exclusive", v. user priority, vi. the geographic area, in two or three dimensions, to which the license applies, vii. the maximum zone size, in two or three dimensions, to which the license applies. 5) The method according to claims 1 to 4 characterized in that the context may consist of all or a subset of the following elements: i. the location, speed and acceleration of each device associated with the user, ii. the geographic area, in two or three dimensions, in which the user is operating, iii. the type of location where the user is located, iv. one or more types of applications for which the user requests spectrum. 6) The method according to claims 1 to 5 characterized in that the information on the availability of the spectrum can consist of all or a subset of the following elements: i. authorized frequencies, ii. the authorized bandwidth, iii. the maximum authorized transmission power, iv. the type of spectrum access allowed, such as "shared" or "exclusive", v. the geographic area, in two or three dimensions, to which this information on spectrum availability applies, vi. maximum aggregate power at any point outside a given geographic area. 7) The method according to claims 1 to 6 characterized in that the information on the availability of the spectrum is determined using a radio environment map, used to estimate the radio propagation and identify interference between users. Page 10