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US 9,867,053 B2Granted
Coexistence of LTE-U with WiFi and/or another LTE-U system in unlicensed spectrum
AssigneeVerizon Patent and Licensing Inc.
InventorsAbhinav Prasad, Siva Sandeep Dhandu
Life of this patent
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Abstract
Techniques are described that provide for the collaborative co-existence of LTE-U base stations and access points associated with technologies, such as WiFi, that use unlicensed frequency spectrum. In one implementation, a LTE-U device may select a frequency block, in an unlicensed frequency spectrum, based on measured signal strengths and decoded Master Information Blocks (MIBs) that are broadcast in the unlicensed frequency spectrum. The LTE-U device may initiate communications via the selected frequency block by transmitting a MIB that includes a token identifier field that identifies the selected frequency block.
Claims20
A Long Term Evolution Unlicensed (LTE-U) device comprising:
- a first radio to implement a first wireless interface with User Equipment (UE) using licensed frequency spectrum;
- a second radio to implement a second wireless interface with the UE using unlicensed frequency spectrum;
- and
- processing circuitry to:
- measure signal strengths of signals received over the unlicensed frequency spectrum,
- decode LTE Master Information Blocks (MIBs) that are broadcast in the unlicensed frequency spectrum,
- receive, from the UE, a report including, for a particular frequency block among a plurality of possible frequency blocks of the unlicensed frequency spectrum, a value indicating a historical usage of the particular frequency block, as measured by the UE,
- select a frequency block, from among the plurality of possible frequency blocks in the unlicensed frequency spectrum, based on the measured signal strengths, the decoded MIBs, and the report including the value indicating the historical usage of the particular frequency block, and
- initiate communications via the selected frequency block by transmitting, using the second radio, a MIB that includes a token identifier field that is set to a particular integer value that identifies the selected frequency block.
6 more elements
A method-comprising:
- measuring, by a Long Term Evolution Unlicensed (LTE-U) device, signal strengths of signals received over an unlicensed frequency spectrum;
- decoding, by the LTE-U device, LTE Master Information Blocks (MIBs) that are broadcast, by other LTE-U devices, in the unlicensed frequency spectrum;
- receiving, from User Equipment (UE), a report including, for a particular frequency block among a plurality of possible frequency blocks of the unlicensed frequency spectrum, a value indicating a historical usage of the particular frequency block, as measured by the UE,
- selecting, by the LTE-U device, a frequency block from among the plurality of possible frequency blocks, in the unlicensed frequency spectrum, based on the determined signal strengths, the decoded MIBs, and the report including the value indicating the historical usage of the particular frequency block;
- and
- initiating, by the LTE-U device, communications via the selected frequency block by transmitting, using the unlicensed frequency spectrum, a MIB that includes a token identifier field that is set to a particular integer value that identifies the selected frequency block from among a plurality of possible frequency blocks in the unlicensed frequency spectrum.
3 more elements
A Long Term Evolution Unlicensed (LTE-U) device comprising:
- a first radio to implement a first wireless interface with User Equipment (UE) using licensed frequency spectrum;
- a second radio to implement a second wireless interface with the UE using unlicensed frequency spectrum;
- and
- processing circuitry to:
- decode received LTE-U signaling, in the unlicensed frequency spectrum, to determine frequency blocks in which other LTE-U devices are operating;
- receive, from User Equipment (UE), a report including, for a particular frequency block of the frequency blocks in the unlicensed frequency spectrum, a value indicating a historical usage of the particular frequency block, as measured by the UE,
- select a frequency block, in the unlicensed frequency spectrum, based on the determination of the frequency blocks in which the other LTE-U devices are operating and based on the report;
- select, based on a desired Quality of Service (QoS) for the selected frequency block, a release time period for the selected frequency block;
- initiate communications, via the selected frequency block, by broadcasting, using the second radio interface, an identifier of the selected frequency block, the identifier including a value that identifies the selected frequency block from among a plurality of possible frequency blocks in the unlicensed frequency spectrum;
- and
- ceasing communications, via the selected frequency block, after the release time period has elapsed relative to the initiation of the communications.
8 more elements
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.