Cognitive Channel Assignment in Wireless Networks

An frequency agile base station comprising:

• a) at least one frequency agile receiver configured to receive communications from at least one frequency agile mobile station on at least one subcarrier in a set of subcarriers;
• b) at least one frequency agile transmitter configured to transmit communications to at least one frequency agile mobile station on at least one subcarrier in the set of subcarriers;
• c) a power level detector configured to identify a received power level for at least one subcarrier in the set of subcarriers;
• d) an uplink power level allocation module configured to allocate a minimum uplink power level needed to establish uplink communications from one of the at least one frequency agile mobile station to the frequency agile base station;
• e) an uplink detection threshold determination module configured to determine an uplink detection threshold using the minimum uplink power level, the uplink detection threshold set to avoid interference with other devices currently transmitting on at least one subcarrier in the set of subcarriers;
• f) an uplink subcarrier selection module configured to select an uplink subset of subcarriers not already assigned, each subcarrier in the uplink subset of subcarriers having a received power level that is less than the uplink detection threshold;
• g) an uplink subchannel forming module configured to form an uplink subchannel that satisfies an uplink bandwidth requirement, the uplink subchannel consisting of selected subcarriers in the set of subcarriers available for uplink data transmission from the frequency agile mobile station to the frequency agile base station;
• h) a downlink power level allocation module configured to allocate a minimum downlink power level needed to establish downlink communications from the frequency agile base station to at least one of the at least one agile mobile station;
• i) a downlink detection threshold determination module configured to determine a downlink detection threshold using the minimum downlink power level, the downlink detection threshold set to avoid interference with other devices currently transmitting on at least one subcarrier in the set of subcarriers;
• j) a downlink subcarrier selection module configured to select a downlink subset of subcarriers not already assigned, each subcarrier in the downlink subset of subcarriers having a received power level that is less than the downlink detection threshold;
• and
• k) a downlink subchannel forming module configured to form a downlink subchannel that satisfies a downlink bandwidth requirement, the downlink subchannel consisting of selected subcarriers in the set of subcarriers available for downlink data transmission between the frequency agile base station and at least one of the at least one agile mobile station.