System, apparatus and method for indicating spectrum sharing

Abstract

The present invention is entitled "Systems, Apparatus and Methods for Indicating Spectrum Sharing." The present disclosure relates to systems and methods for indicating the communication preferences of a base station and / or a network operator to a spectrum access system. Different methods may be used to indicate the communication preferences, including dedicated type parameters transmitted with a spectrum allocation request from the base station, a rule-based system in which the spectrum access system accesses the communication preferences of the base station and / or the network operator via an identifier corresponding to a rule definition, and the like. The spectrum access system may assign channels to the network operator based on its communication preferences, such as determining the channel assignment to correspond to a channel aligned with a communication raster to be used by the network operator. If the channel is not aligned, the base station may offset the center frequency of the channel so that the channel is aligned with the communication raster.

Description

[0001] CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

[0002] This application claims the benefit of U.S. Provisional Application Serial No. 63 / 061,441, filed on August 5, 2020, entitled “SYSTEMS, APPARATUS, AND METHODSFOR INDICATING SPECTRUM SHARING,” which is hereby incorporated by reference in its entirety for all purposes. Background Art

[0003] The present disclosure relates generally to electronic devices, and more particularly to electronic devices that utilize radio frequency signals, transmitters, and receivers for wireless communications.

[0004] This section is intended to introduce the reader to various aspects of the art that may be related to various aspects of the present disclosure, which are described and / or claimed below. This discussion is believed to be helpful in providing the reader with background information to facilitate a better understanding of the various aspects of the present disclosure. Accordingly, it should be understood that these statements should be read in this light, and not as an admission of the prior art.

[0005] The use of wireless communication systems is growing rapidly. Wireless electronic devices such as smartphones and tablet computers are becoming increasingly sophisticated. In addition to supporting phone calls, many wireless electronic devices now also provide access to the Internet, email, text messaging, and navigation using the Global Positioning System (GPS), and are capable of operating sophisticated applications that utilize these capabilities.

[0006] Transmitters and / or receivers may be included in various electronic devices to enable communication between user equipment (e.g., user electronic devices, transmitting or receiving electronic devices, user equipment) via a wireless network. The network may be deployed through a variety of technologies, including but not limited to access network base stations, such as eNodeBs (eNBs) for long-term evolution (LTE) access networks and / or next-generation NodeBs (gNBs) for 5th generation (5G) access networks. In some electronic devices, the transmitter and receiver are combined to form a transceiver. The transceiver may transmit and / or receive wireless signals, such as radio frequency (RF) signals indicating data, through an antenna coupled to the transceiver.

[0007] With the introduction of Frequency Range 2 (FR2), which includes a frequency band from 24.25 gigahertz (GHz) to 52.6 GHz, in a version (Rel-16) of a new radio standard version associated with 5G communications, network deployment may experience challenges associated with sharing and / or utilizing the spectrum of the network. In a relatively simple deployment, a network operator that manages a network deployed by network access nodes (e.g., radio access nodes, base stations) may allocate fixed-width portions from a shared bandwidth pool (e.g., a shared radio spectrum resource pool). The shared bandwidth pool may be managed by a spectrum access system (SAS) entity that communicates with many network operators, and each network operator may, at a certain point in time, expect a corresponding portion of the shared bandwidth pool to perform operations of its corresponding managed network. However, allocating fixed-width portions of spectrum does not achieve efficient utilization of network resources and may cause some managed networks to be underloaded or overloaded, such as when channel bandwidth is not allocated based on load usage or expected usage.

[0008] Various improvements to the above features may exist with respect to various aspects of the present invention. Other features may also be added to these various aspects. These improvements and additional features may exist alone or in any combination. For example, the various features associated with one or more of the illustrated embodiments discussed below may be incorporated into any of the above aspects of the present invention alone or in any combination. The brief summary presented above is intended to familiarize the reader with the specific aspects and context of the disclosed embodiments and does not limit the claimed subject matter. Summary of the invention

[0009] The following is a summary of certain embodiments disclosed herein. It should be understood that these aspects are presented only to provide the reader with a concise summary of these specific embodiments, and these aspects are not intended to limit the scope of the present disclosure. In fact, the present disclosure may cover a number of aspects that may not be described below.

[0010] Recent advances in radio frequency network deployment have given rise to the development of management entities that manage the allocation of portions of a shared radio spectrum among network operators. For example, recently developed communication standards provide for a shared (e.g., public) bandwidth pool of radio spectrum shared among multiple network operators, such as the Citizens Broadband Radio Service (CBRS) band. In this way, a management entity associated with the management of the shared bandwidth pool, such as a spectrum access system (SAS) entity, can allocate available portions of the radio spectrum among network operators. These network operators may include large and / or corporate entities, cellular providers, wireless service providers, wireless operators, cellular companies or mobile network operators, etc., and the SAS entity may be provided by a regulatory body, a government agency, a corporate oversight entity, etc.

[0011] The shared bandwidth pool may be divided into fixed-width spectrum allocations among requesting network operators. However, as described above, fixed-width allocations of radio spectrum do not achieve efficient utilization of network resources and may cause some managed networks to be underloaded or overloaded, such as when the allocated channel bandwidth is not allocated based on load usage and / or expected usage.

[0012] Dynamic bandwidth allocation can enable utilization of radio spectrum based on dynamic allocation of resources. Thus, the SAS entity can allocate radio spectrum resources between requesting network operators based on current load and / or expected network load, thereby allowing efficient allocation of resources by assigning resources based on maximum determined demand. Thus, as the load on the access network increases or decreases, the SAS entity can adjust the allocation of spectrum.

[0013] In some cases, the request from the network operator may include an indication of an expected load or current load, and / or may indicate a requested amount of bandwidth determined by the network operator based on an expected change in network load. Additionally or alternatively, the SAS entity may allocate portions of the radio spectrum based on the geographic location of the network operators and / or the network operators' radio access nodes, existing services expected to be provided by each network operator (e.g., provided by an indicator of future demand and / or current demand for bandwidth), each network operator's assigned priority, etc.

[0014] Although sharing of a shared resource pool may result in a more efficient allocation of resources since resources are allocated based on usage and / or priority of the network operator rather than a fixed allocation, these above-described spectrum allocation methods may be problematic when dynamic spectrum sharing (DSS) operations are implemented by network operators. For example, some network operators may communicate exclusively through a first network (e.g., 4G / LTE), some network operators may communicate exclusively through a second network (e.g., 5G / NR), and some network operators using DSS operations may use two or more networks to communicate and may therefore benefit from sharing spectrum between the two or more networks. In order to share spectrum between multiple network types, such as between 4th generation (4G) networks or long term evolution (LTE) networks, 5th generation (5G) or new radio (NR) networks, etc., the different configurations of each network should be considered and accommodated. A first network may use a first grating alignment (e.g., 100 kilohertz (kHz)) while a second network may use a second grating alignment (e.g., 15 kHz), and the first grating alignment may not be a multiple of the second grating alignment, and therefore, a third grating alignment (e.g., 300 kHz) representing a multiple of one or more of the grating alignments may be implemented to compensate for the grating alignments of the two networks.

[0015] DSS operation may permit network operators using a base station to dynamically share portions of a radio spectrum between communications occurring over a first network and communications occurring over a second network, resulting in improved levels of spectrum utilization. Spectrum utilization levels may be improved by providing the network operator with one spectrum allocation to be shared between the two networks rather than two spectrum allocations for the two networks. However, as described above, before the network operator is able to share the spectrum allocation between the two networks, the center frequency and / or raster should be compatible with the first network and the second network. Therefore, a SAS entity that assigns portions of the spectrum may inadvertently prevent an operator from communicating on the two networks at the base station, such as when a SAS entity assigns a portion of the spectrum to the base station that is compatible with one network but incompatible with another network. In fact, it is desirable to enable a system and method for a network operator to indicate to a SAS entity when DSS operation is expected to be used, so that the SAS entity can allocate portions of the radio spectrum (e.g., frequency ranges, channels) to accommodate the corresponding network configuration.

[0016] Enabling a network operator to notify a SAS entity of spectrum preferences and / or intended operations can result in efficient deployment of communication networks because the SAS entity can assign portions of the spectrum based on the spectrum preferences and / or intended operations, thereby reducing the likelihood that the SAS entity will inadvertently prevent a network operator from implementing DSS operations.

[0017] Thus, when the network operator specifies to the SAS entity that the base station is to perform first network (e.g., 4G / LTE) communications instead of second network (e.g., 5G / NR) communications, the SAS entity may allocate a portion of the spectrum that is aligned with the raster assigned to the first network communication (e.g., 100kHz raster). When the operator specifies to the SAS entity that the base station is to perform second network communications instead of first network communications, the SAS entity may allocate a portion of the spectrum that is aligned with the raster assigned to the first network communication (e.g., 30kHz raster or 15kHz raster). Furthermore, when the operator specifies to the SAS entity that the base station is to perform dynamic spectrum sharing to communicate using both first network (e.g., 4G / LTE) communications and second network (e.g., 5G / NR) communications, the SAS entity may allocate a portion of the spectrum that is aligned with the raster assigned to both first network communications and second network communications (e.g., 300kHz raster).

[0018] In addition, in the event that the SAS entity cannot allocate a portion of the spectrum that is aligned with the raster assigned to both the first network communication and the second network communication (for example, because this portion has already been assigned), the SAS entity may allocate a portion of the spectrum that is not aligned with the raster assigned to both the first network communication and the second network communication. Alternatively, in the event that the frequency band may not be managed by the SAS entity, the base station may allocate a portion of the spectrum that is not aligned with the raster assigned to both the first network communication and the second network communication to the network operator that manages the base station (for example, again, because this portion has already been assigned). In either case, the base station may offset the center frequency on the allocated portion of the spectrum so that the center frequency may be aligned with the raster assigned to both the first network communication and the second network communication, thereby enabling DSS operation on the allocated portion of the spectrum.

[0019] Various improvements to the above features may exist with respect to various aspects of the present invention. Other features may also be added to these various aspects. These improvements and additional features may exist alone or in any combination. For example, the various features associated with one or more of the illustrated embodiments discussed below may be incorporated into any of the above aspects of the present invention alone or in any combination. The brief summary presented above is intended to familiarize the reader with the specific aspects and context of the disclosed embodiments and does not limit the claimed subject matter. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0020] Various aspects of the present disclosure may be better understood upon reading the following detailed description and referring to the accompanying drawings, in which:

[0021] Figure 1 is a schematic block diagram of an electronic device including a transceiver according to an embodiment of the present disclosure;

[0022] Figure 2 Yes means Figure 1 A perspective view of a laptop computer of a first embodiment of the electronic device;

[0023] Figure 3 Yes means Figure 1 A front view of a handheld device of a second embodiment of the electronic device;

[0024] Figure 4 Yes means Figure 1 A front view of another handheld device of the third embodiment of the electronic device;

[0025] Figure 5 Yes means Figure 1 A front view of a desktop computer of a fourth embodiment of the electronic device;

[0026] Figure 6 Yes means Figure 1A front view and a side view of a wearable electronic device of a fifth embodiment of the electronic device;

[0027] Figure 7 According to an embodiment of the present disclosure, an electronic device such as Figure 1 An illustration of a base station for electronic devices to communicate with;

[0028] Figure 8 According to the embodiments of the present disclosure, Figure 7 A diagram of an exemplary spectrum assigned to a base station of

[0029] Fig.9A According to the embodiments of the present disclosure Figure 8 an illustration of a first spectrum allocation of an exemplary spectrum in which each spectrum allocation request is granted;

[0030] Fig. 9B According to the embodiments of the present disclosure Figure 8 an illustration of a second spectrum allocation of an exemplary spectrum in which at least some spectrum allocation requests are not granted;

[0031] Fig.10 is a method for use with user equipment (e.g., Figure 1 Electronic devices) use Figure 8 A flowchart of a method for communicating using an allocated portion of a spectrum (e.g., an assigned channel);

[0032] Fig.11 is a method for operating a base station to request and implement a Figure 8 A flowchart of a method for allocating a portion of a spectrum;

[0033] Fig.12 A method for operating a spectrum access system (SAS) entity to allocate spectrum to a base station according to an embodiment of the present disclosure Figure 8 A flowchart of a method for detecting a portion of a spectrum;

[0034] Fig.13 is a method for operating a spectrum access system (SAS) entity according to an embodiment of the present disclosure to determine Figure 8 A flowchart of a method for assigning a portion of a spectrum to be assigned to a base station;

[0035] Fig.14A is a raster-aligned assignment for implementing dynamic spectrum sharing (DSS) operation according to an embodiment of the present disclosure Figure 7 An illustration of an exemplary frequency spectrum of a base station of;

[0036] Fig. 14B is according to the embodiments of the present disclosure has been assigned to Figure 7 The base station has been Figure 7 An illustration of an exemplary spectrum of a center frequency at which a base station is offset to achieve DSS operation; and

[0037] Fig.15 is a method for operating according to an embodiment of the present disclosure Figure 7 Flow chart of a method for a base station to shift the center frequency of a channel to align the center frequency with a raster assigned to a first network communication and a second network communication to implement DSS operation. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0038] One or more specific embodiments of the present disclosure will be described below. These described embodiments are examples of the presently disclosed technology. In addition, in an attempt to provide a brief description of these embodiments, all features of the actual implementation may not be described in this specification. It should be understood that in the development of any such actual implementation, as in any engineering or design project, decisions specific to many implementations must be made to achieve the developer's specific goals, such as compliance with system-related and business-related constraints that may change from one implementation to another. In addition, it should be understood that such development work may be complex and time-consuming, but for those of ordinary skill in the art who benefit from the present disclosure, it will still be a routine task of design, processing and manufacturing.

[0039] When introducing elements of various embodiments of the present disclosure, the articles "a / an" and "the / said" are intended to mean that there are one or more of the elements. The terms "comprising," "including," and "having" are intended to be inclusive and mean that there may be additional elements other than the listed elements. Additionally, it should be understood that reference to "one embodiment" or "an embodiment" of the present disclosure is not intended to be interpreted as excluding the existence of additional embodiments that also incorporate the recited features.

[0040] The present invention discloses various methods for adjusting the operating frequency range of an antenna. The process can be applied to various electronic devices. It should be noted that a channel can be a medium for transmitting information from a sender (transmitter) to a receiver. It should be noted that since the characteristics of the term "channel" can vary according to different wireless protocols, the term "channel" as used herein can be regarded as being used in a manner that conforms to the standards that characterize the devices that reference the term "channel". In some standards, the channel width can be variable (e.g., depending on device capabilities, frequency band conditions). For example, a Long Term Evolution (LTE) network can support scalable channel bandwidths from 1.4 megahertz (MHz) to 20 MHz. In contrast, a wireless local area network (WLAN) channel can be 22 MHz wide, while A channel may be 1 MHz wide. Other protocols and standards may include different definitions of channels. In addition, some standards may define and use multiple types of channels, such as different channels for uplink or downlink and / or different channels for different purposes such as data, control information, etc. In addition, as used herein, the term "frequency band" has the full range of its ordinary meaning and includes at least a section of the spectrum (e.g., radio frequency spectrum) in which channels are used or set aside for the same purpose.

[0041] Furthermore, in additional or alternative embodiments, a processor of an electronic device (e.g., a base station) may indicate to a spectrum access system (SAS) entity which type of network the network operator expects to deploy for communication with one or more user equipment, such as a network that supports spectrum sharing or a network that does not support spectrum sharing. The SAS entity may assign a channel (or frequency range) compatible with two or more networks to the network operator in response to receiving an indication that the network operator expects to deploy a network with spectrum sharing, so that the channel can be shared between the two network types (e.g., shared between a 4G / LTE network and a 5G / NR network). In some embodiments, if the assigned channel (or frequency range) is not compatible with two or more networks, the processor may offset the center frequency of the channel so that the channel is compatible with the two or more networks. In view of the above, a general description of a suitable electronic device that may include such a processor is provided below.

[0042] First go to Figure 1 , an electronic device 10 according to an embodiment of the present disclosure may include, among other things, one or more of a processor 12, a memory 14, a non-volatile storage device 16, a display 18, an input structure 22, an input / output (I / O) interface 24, a network interface 26, a transceiver 28, and a power supply 30. Figure 1 The various functional blocks shown in the may include hardware elements (including circuits), software elements (including computer code stored on a computer-readable medium), or a combination of both hardware elements and software elements. In addition, the combination of elements may be included in a tangible, non-transitory machine-readable medium including machine-readable instructions. The instructions may be executed by the processor 12 and may cause the processor 12 to perform operations as described herein. It should be noted that Figure 1 This is merely one example of a particular embodiment and is intended to illustrate the types of elements that may be present in electronic device 10 .

[0043] By way of example, the electronic device 10 may represent Figure 2 The laptop shown in Figure 3 The handheld device shown in Figure 4 The handheld device shown in Figure 5 The desktop computer shown in Figure 6A block diagram of a wearable electronic device or similar device is shown in FIG. It should be noted that Figure 1 The processor 12 and other related items in the electronic device 10 may be generally referred to herein as "data processing circuitry". Such data processing circuitry may be implemented in whole or in part in software, firmware, hardware, or any combination thereof. In addition, the data processing circuitry may be a single processing module that is contained, or may be fully or partially incorporated into any of the other elements within the electronic device 10.

[0044] exist Figure 1 In the electronic device 10, the processor 12 can be operably coupled to the memory 14 and the non-volatile storage device 16 to execute various algorithms. Such programs or instructions executed by the processor 12 can be stored in any suitable product, which includes one or more tangible computer-readable media that at least collectively store the instructions or routines, such as the memory 14 and the non-volatile storage device 16. The memory 14 and the non-volatile storage device 16 may include any suitable product for storing data and executable instructions, such as random access memory, read-only memory, rewritable flash memory, hard disk drive, and optical disk. In addition, the program (e.g., operating system) encoded on such a computer program product may also include instructions that can be executed by the processor 12 to enable the electronic device 10 to provide various functions.

[0045] In certain embodiments, display 18 may be a liquid crystal display (LCD) that may facilitate a user viewing images generated on electronic device 10. In some embodiments, display 18 may include a touch screen that may facilitate a user interacting with a user interface of electronic device 10. Additionally, it should be appreciated that in some embodiments, display 18 may include one or more organic light emitting diode (OLED) displays, or some combination of LCD panels and OLED panels.

[0046] The processor 12 (e.g., as part of or in the form of a controller) may operate circuits to input or output data generated by the electronic device 10. For example, the processor 12 may control and / or operate the memory 14, the non-volatile storage device 16, the display 18, the input structure 22, the input / output (I / O interface) 24, the network interface 26, the transceiver 28, the power supply 30, etc. to perform operations of the electronic device 10 and / or facilitate control of the operation of the electronic device. In particular, the processor 12 may generate control signals for operating the transceiver 28 to transmit data over one or more communication networks.

[0047] The input structures 22 of the electronic device 10 may enable a user to interact with the electronic device 10 (e.g., press a button to increase or decrease a volume level). As with the network interface 26, the I / O interface 24 may enable the electronic device 10 to interact with various other electronic devices. The network interface 26 may, for example, include one or more interfaces for a personal area network (PAN) such as a Network, Local Area Network (LAN) or Wireless Local Area Network (WLAN) such as 802.11x A network, and / or a wide area network (WAN) such as a 3rd generation (3G) cellular network, a 4th generation (4G) cellular network, an LTE cellular network, a Long Term Evolution Licensed Assisted Access (LTE-LAA) cellular network, a 5th generation (5G) cellular network, or a New Radio (NR) cellular network. The network interface 26 may also include, for example, one or more interfaces for: a broadband fixed wireless access network (e.g., ), mobile broadband wireless network (mobile ), asynchronous digital subscriber line (e.g., ADSL, VDSL), digital video terrestrial broadcasting Network and its extension DVB handheld equipment Networks, ultra-wideband (UWB) networks, alternating current (AC) power lines, etc.

[0048] In some embodiments, the electronic device 10 uses the transceiver 28 to communicate with the user via the aforementioned wireless network (e.g., move 4G, 5G, etc.) to communicate. The transceiver 28 may include circuits useful in both wireless reception and wireless transmission of signals (e.g., data signals, wireless data signals, wireless carrier signals, RF signals), such as a transmitter and / or a receiver. In fact, in some embodiments, the transceiver 28 may include a transmitter and a receiver combined into a single unit, or in other embodiments, the transceiver 28 may include a transmitter separate from a receiver. The transceiver 28 may transmit and receive RF signals to support wireless applications such as, for example, a PAN network (e.g., ), WLAN networks (e.g., 802.11x ), WAN networks (e.g., 3G, 4G, 5G, NR, and and LTE-LAA cellular networks), Web, Mobile Network, ADSL and VDSL network, and The electronic device 10 may include a power supply 30. The power supply 30 may include any suitable power source, such as a rechargeable lithium polymer (Li-poly) battery and / or an alternating current (AC) power converter.

[0049] In some embodiments, the electronic device 10 may take the form of a computer, a portable electronic device, a wearable electronic device, or other type of electronic device. Such computers may be computers that are generally portable (such as laptops, notebook computers, and tablet computers) and / or computers that are generally used in one location (such as desktop computers, workstations, and / or servers). In some embodiments, the electronic device 10 in the form of a computer may be a computer available from Apple Inc. of Cupertino, California. PRO、MACBOOK mini or MAC For example, according to one embodiment of the present disclosure, Figure 2 1 shows an electronic device 10 in the form of a laptop computer 10A. The laptop computer 10A may include a housing or casing 36, a display 18, input structures 22, and ports associated with an I / O interface 24. In one embodiment, the input structures 22 (such as a keyboard and / or a touchpad) may enable interaction with the laptop computer 10A, such as launching, controlling, or operating a graphical user interface (GUI) or application running on the laptop computer 10A. For example, the keyboard and / or touchpad may facilitate user interaction with a user interface, GUI, and / or application interface displayed on the display 18.

[0050] Figure 3 A front view of a handheld device 10B is depicted, which represents one embodiment of an electronic device 10. The handheld device 10B may represent, for example, a portable telephone, a media player, a personal data organizer, a handheld gaming platform, or any combination of such devices. By way of example, the handheld device 10B may be a iPod Touch available from Apple Inc. of Cupertino, California. or The handheld device 10B may include a housing 36 to protect the internal components from physical damage and to shield the internal components from electromagnetic interference. The housing 36 may surround the display 18. The I / O interface 24 may be opened through the housing 36 and may include, for example, an I / O port for a hardwired connection for charging and / or content manipulation using a connector and protocol such as a Lightning connector provided by Apple Inc. of Cupertino, California, a universal serial bus (USB), or other similar connectors and protocols.

[0051] The input structure 22 in conjunction with the display 18 can enable the user to control the handheld device 10B. For example, the input structure 22 can activate or deactivate the handheld device 10B, navigate the user interface to the home screen, present a user editable application screen, and / or activate the voice recognition feature of the handheld device 10B. Other input structures 22 can provide volume control, or can switch between vibration and ringtone modes. The input structure 22 can also include a microphone for acquiring the user's voice for various voice-related features, and a speaker for enabling audio playback. The input structure 22 can also include a headphone input for enabling input from an external speaker and / or headphones.

[0052] Figure 4 A front view of another handheld device 10C is depicted, which represents another embodiment of the electronic device 10. The handheld device 10C may represent, for example, a tablet computer, or one of a variety of portable computing devices. By way of example, the handheld device 10C may be a tablet-sized embodiment of the electronic device 10, specifically, may be, for example, an Apple computer available from Apple Inc. of Cupertino, California. Type handheld device.

[0053] See also Figure 5 , the computer 10D can represent Figure 1 The computer 10D may be any computer, such as a desktop computer, a server, or a notebook computer, and / or may be a stand-alone media player or video game console. By way of example, the computer 10D may be a iPod Touch from Apple Inc. of Cupertino, California. or other similar devices. It should be noted that the computer 10D may also represent a personal computer (PC) of another manufacturer. The housing 36 may protect and enclose the internal components of the computer 10D, such as the display 18. In some embodiments, a user of the computer 10D may interact with the computer 10D using various peripheral input devices such as a keyboard 22A or a mouse 22B (e.g., input structures 22) that may be operatively coupled to the computer 10D.

[0054] Similarly, Figure 6 Depicted Figure 1 Another embodiment of the electronic device 10 is a wearable electronic device 10E. By way of example, the wearable electronic device 10E that may include the wristband 43 may be an APPLE However, in other embodiments, the wearable electronic device 10E may include any wearable electronic device, such as a wearable motion monitoring device (e.g., a pedometer, an accelerometer, a heart rate monitor), or other devices from another manufacturer. The display 18 of the wearable electronic device 10E may include a display 18 (e.g., an LCD, an OLED display, an active matrix organic light emitting diode (AMOLED) display, etc.) and a touch screen version of the input structure 22, which may facilitate user interaction with the user interface of the wearable electronic device 10E. In certain embodiments, as described above, each embodiment of the electronic device 10 (e.g., a laptop 10A, a handheld device 10B, a handheld device 10C, a computer 10D, and a wearable electronic device 10E) may include a transceiver 28.

[0055] In view of the above, Figure 7 1 is a diagram of an access network node communicating with an electronic device 10 according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. The access network node may include devices such as eNodeB (eNB) for a long term evolution (LTE) access network and / or a next generation NodeB (gNB) for a 5th generation (5G) access network. For ease of discussion, the eNB and gNB, as well as any other network nodes for various other communication networks, are referred to as base stations 50 (e.g., base station 50A, base station 50B). Figure 7 Also depicted is user equipment (UE), such as electronic device 52 (which may include electronic device 10). Each of base station 50 and / or electronic device 52 may have one or more components similar to electronic device 10, and thus may include control circuits (such as processor 12) and / or memory circuits (such as memory 14 and / or non-volatile storage device 16), which may operate together to cause base station 50 and / or electronic device 52 to perform corresponding operations, respectively.

[0056] It should be noted that user equipment capable of communicating with the base station 50 may include any of various types of computer system devices that are mobile or portable and perform wireless communication. Examples of user equipment include any suitable portable electronic device, mobile phone, smart phone, portable gaming device, laptop computer, wearable device, etc. In general, the term "user equipment", "UE" or "UE device" can be broadly defined to cover any electronic, computing and / or telecommunication device (or combination of devices) that can be transported by a user and capable of wireless communication, including the electronic device 52.

[0057] The network operator 54 (used interchangeably with "network provider") may use the base stations 50 as physical communication nodes to deploy a radio network managed by the network operator 54 over one or more cells (e.g., areas) managed by each respective base station 50. Specifically, each of the base stations 50 may be associated with one or more cells or areas, and thus may provide access to the radio network for each electronic device 52 physically or logically located in the cell or area served by the respective base station 50. The term "base station" has the full scope of its ordinary meaning and includes at least a wireless communication station installed at a location for communicating as part of a wireless telephone system or radio system such as a radio network managed by a network operator.

[0058] The base station 50 and the electronic device 52 may communicate over a transmission medium (e.g., air, atmosphere, water) using any of a variety of radio access technologies (RATs) (also referred to as wireless communication technologies or telecommunication standards), including Global System for Mobile Communications (GSM), Universal Mobile Telecommunications Service (UMTS) associated with, for example, Wideband Code Division Multiple Access (WCDMA) or Time Division Synchronous Code Division Multiple Access (TD-SCDMA) air interfaces, Long Term Evolution (LTE), Advanced LTE (LTE-A), 5G New Radio (5GNR), High Speed ​​Packet Access (HSPA), 3rd Generation Partnership Project (3GPP), 3rd Generation Partnership Project 2 (3GPP2), Code Division Multiple Access (CDMA), Code Division Multiple Access 2000 (CDMA2000) (e.g., Single Carrier Radio Transmission Technology (lxRTT) air interface standard, Evolution-Data Optimized (lxEV-DO), High Rate Packet Data (HRPD), Evolved High Rate Packet Data (eHRPD)), etc. It should be noted that if the corresponding base station in base station 50 is implemented in the context of LTE, it may be alternatively referred to as "eNodeB" or "eNB", and if the corresponding base station in base station is implemented in the context of 5G NR, it may be alternatively referred to as "gNodeB" or "gNB".

[0059] Thus, the base station 50 may act as a "serving cell" for electronic devices 52 that are disposed or located (e.g., logically, physically) within a cell, where a cell may be defined as a location at or near (e.g., a threshold distance from) the base station 50. In practice, each serving cell may communicate with user equipment using a subset of the radio spectrum (sometimes referred to as a "subcarrier") dedicated to that communication coupling. The subcarrier may be dedicated to communication between the electronic device 52 and the network operator 54 via a base station 50 (such as the base station 50B). In some cases, the subcarrier may be interchangeably referred to as a "component carrier," "subcarrier," and / or "subchannel," and may be managed by the base station 50B. Thus, the base station 50B as a serving cell acts as a radio access point on behalf of the network operator 54 to enable communication to occur between the network operator 54 and the electronic device 52 when the electronic device 52 is located within the boundaries (e.g., logically defined boundaries, boundaries defined by volume, boundaries defined by area) of a cell managed by the network operator 54 via the corresponding base station 50.

[0060] When deploying one or more networks on behalf of a network operator, the base station 50 can communicate with a user equipment (e.g., an electronic device 52) using a first network (e.g., 4G / LTE), a second network (e.g., 5G / NR), or both, respectively. For example, the base station 50B can communicate with the electronic device 52A using the first network (e.g., 4G / LTE) and can communicate with the second electronic device 52B (e.g., an additional user equipment) using the second network (e.g., 5G / NR) when capable of performing DSS operations and / or when two portions of the radio spectrum are allocated (e.g., one portion to be used for the first network and another portion to be used for the second network). Because there are a limited number of frequencies within the spectrum, the networks can be deployed more efficiently when the spectrum access system (SAS) entity 56 enables communication using both the first network and the second network (or any number of shared networks) by assigning a frequency range that is compatible with both communication on the first network and on the second network. When using frequencies that are compatible with both, such as when the frequency range is aligned with the spectrum raster of both the first network and the second network, the corresponding base stations in the base stations 50 can use both networks without resetting the channel used for communication (e.g., adjusting the frequency range) when changing the network used for communication.

[0061] Note that these systems and methods can be used to deploy types of networks other than 4G / LTE or 5G / NR. For example, these systems and methods can be used to provide spectrum shared between 2G networks, 3G networks, and 4G networks, or any other suitable combination of networks. Note also that Figure 7Several variations of communication interconnections between network operator 54, base station 50, SAS entity 56, and electronic device 52 are shown. Thus, any suitable communication coupling may be used to interconnect the components of the depicted system to facilitate operation and / or communication between the components. For example, in one network system, network operator 54 may communicate directly with SAS entity 56, while in another network system, network operator 54 may sometimes communicate with SAS entity 56 via a base station or exclusively communicate with SAS entity 56. Other combinations of these undepicted communication couplings may also be compatible with the description herein.

[0062] In detail, Figure 8 is a diagram of an exemplary radio spectrum 70 that can be used to assign to a base station 50 according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. When communicating with an electronic device 52, a corresponding base station (e.g., base station 50B) can transmit a message on a subset or "sub-spectrum" of the total radio spectrum (e.g., spectrum, frequency spectrum). In some embodiments, several portions 72 (e.g., portion 72A, portion 72B) of the total radio spectrum 70 can be reserved, such as for federal purposes (e.g., for government use), while another portion 74 of the total radio spectrum 70 can be shared between multiple network operators, such as existing access operators, priority access operators, and / or general authorized access operators. In fact, portion 74 can be dedicated to general use and / or open access bands, such as Citizen Broadband Radio Service (CBRS) bands. Portion 74 can be divided into any number of channels 76, each of which can be assigned to one or more network operators, respectively. In some cases, when the allocation of spectrum portions 74 is prioritized, various network operators can each correspond to the assigned priorities used by the SAS entity 56. For example, in determining the sequence or order in which to assign one or more channels 76 to each network operator, the SAS entity 56 may determine that existing access operators are granted priority over priority access operators, and priority access operators are granted priority over general authorized access operators.

[0063] The channel 76 may be defined by the SAS entity 56 via channel parameters 78 including a center frequency 78A and a bandwidth 78B. The bandwidth 78B may be defined by a frequency band, which may include one or more frequency ranges in a frequency range and is bounded by a lower frequency and an upper frequency. A channel raster 80 may define a channel center frequency 78A of the channel, respectively. In this way, since the channels 76 have different frequency increments between the channel raster 80, different networks using different channel width configurations may use various channels in the channel 76. That is, when the corresponding channel 76 is dynamically allocated to a network operator, the SAS entity 56 may dynamically set the channel raster 80 to the channel center frequency 78A.

[0064] In addition, each channel 76 may be further subdivided into subchannels (not shown), wherein each subchannel may have a respective center frequency and a respective bandwidth. Messages transmitted using frequencies within the same frequency band (e.g., channel 76) but using separate subchannels (e.g., component carriers) having different frequency ranges within the same frequency band may be transmitted (e.g., simultaneously) without cross interference.

[0065] Some frequency ranges may be defined by a standards body (e.g., a standard generated by a 3rd Generation Partnership Project (3GPP) standards body or development group) as being used for a specific purpose (e.g., purpose) and / or for a specific type of communication. That is, a standards body may define frequency bands for different communication protocols and / or communication networks, and therefore may include different frequency bands for the 3rd generation (3G) band, the 4th generation (4G) band, the 5th generation (5G) band, etc. For example, a frequency between 24 gigahertz (GHz) and 48 GHz may be reserved for 5G / NR network communications. However, as shown in the figure, a narrowband (e.g., a frequency between 3.5 GHz and 3.6 GHz, a frequency between 3550 MHz and 3650 MHz) may be reserved as a general purpose band (e.g., part 74), such as a CBRS band corresponding to the above-mentioned spectrum part 74.

[0066] In fact, both a first network operator deploying a first network (e.g., a 4G / LTE network) and a second network operator deploying a second network (e.g., a 5G / NR network) can use a common frequency band for communication. The SAS entity 56 can arbitrate access to portions of the radio spectrum portion 74 (e.g., based on the respective networks) between various network operators requesting access to respective portions of the radio spectrum portion 74. Each network operator can submit preferences to the SAS entity 56 when requesting a frequency band for communication via a spectrum grant request. The SAS entity 56 can take preferences into account when assigning channels 76, but can additionally or alternatively consider the relative priorities of the network operators requesting access.

[0067] Thus, the presently disclosed techniques may enable a network operator to inform the SAS entity 56 of its respective communication capabilities and preferences when requesting a channel 76 for its network. This may include, for example, enhancing a grant request message transmitted to the SAS entity 56 by the network operator when requesting an allocation of a spectrum portion 74. The network operator may enhance the grant request message with information indicating to the SAS entity 56 the type of network used by the network operator (e.g., DSS deployment, non-DSS deployment).

[0068] In order to request a channel 76, the network operator may use one of the base stations 50 (such as base station 50B) to transmit a registration request to the SAS entity 56 and receive a response confirming the registration from the SAS entity 56. The network operator may continue by transmitting a spectrum grant request including a use type parameter using base station 50B. The network operator may use base station 50B to additionally or alternatively transmit additional information about communication capabilities and preferences for reference by the SAS entity 56 when allocating a channel to the network operator. The use type parameter may indicate what network the network operator expects to use (e.g., a first network, a second network, or both in a DSS operation). The SAS entity 56 may respond to the network operator via base station 50B to confirm receipt of the spectrum grant request. The SAS entity 56 may transmit a spectrum allocation to the network operator via base station 50B after determining which channel 76 is to be allocated to the network operator based on the use type parameter and / or additional information included in the spectrum grant request. For example, the spectrum allocation sent by the SAS entity 56 may include an indication of a channel 76 defined as a frequency range to be used for communication.

[0069] In detail, Fig.9A The SAS entity 56 according to the embodiment of the present disclosure determines Figure 8 The diagram of the first spectrum allocation exemplary operation of the corresponding channel 76 of the spectrum 70 shown is allocated to multiple network operators 92. The first operator 92A (e.g., the corresponding network operator of the network operator 92) may correspond to the highest priority of the SAS entity 56, the second operator 92B, the third operator 92C, and the fourth operator 92D may each correspond to the medium priority of the SAS entity 56, and the remaining operators (e.g., the fifth operator 92E, the sixth operator 92F, and the seventh operator 92G) may correspond to the lowest priority of the SAS entity 56. Each operator 92 may request spectrum allocation from the SAS entity 56 based on which communication operations and the desired bandwidth the corresponding operator network expects to perform. In this example, the operator 92 requests spectrum allocation based on LTE dedicated communication operations, NR dedicated communication operations, or LTE / NR DSS communication operations (where both LTE and NR can be used for communication) in its corresponding spectrum grant request. The SAS entity 56 determines a channel compatible with the parameters of the spectrum grant request, such as a raster compatible with the network to be used by the corresponding operator 92, in response to the spectrum grant request, and assigns the channel to the corresponding operator 92.

[0070] The raster defines a reference radio frequency within a frequency range that can be used to identify uplink channel locations and downlink channel locations for a given network type for a particular network operator. Each channel center frequency may be a multiple of the raster. The raster may include frequency intervals used by the UE to scan channels 76 to synchronize with the network, identify itself with the network, acquire knowledge about the network to which the UE is attempting to connect, etc.

[0071] Thus, each channel available for assignment to a particular network operator corresponds to a multiple of the raster used to provide the network type that the network operator is deploying. For example, when the network operator is deploying a 4G / LTE network, the raster used is 100 kHz, while when the network operator is deploying a 5G / NR network, the raster used is 15 kHz or 30 kHz based on, for example, the details of the network deployment and / or the operational policy of the SAS entity 56 defining which raster to use to assign channels. Because different network types may communicate using relatively narrower or wider bandwidth communications, different networks may use different rastering to define eligible channels for assignment to the respective network operators.

[0072] In detail, the first operator 92A may request a channel 76 compatible with DSS operations for the first network and the second network (e.g., compatible with both LTE communications and NR communications) and a bandwidth allocation of at least 20 MHz from the SAS entity 56 via a spectrum grant request. Based on the request for a channel compatible with DSS operations, the SAS entity 56 may identify which of the channels 76 is characterized by a center frequency that is aligned with a raster for the first network and a raster for the second network. For example, the SAS entity 56 assigns a 20 MHz frequency range, referred to as channel 94 (e.g., defined as a channel with a center frequency of 3600 MHz between approximately 3590 MHz and 3610 MHz), to the first operator 92A. Specifically, channel 94 is compatible with DSS operation for both 4G / LTE networks and 5G / NR networks because the center frequency of 3600 MHz (i.e., 3,600,000 kHz) is aligned with a 300 kHz raster, which is a multiple of both the 100 kHz raster of the 4G / LTE network and the 15 kHz or 30 kHz of the 5G / NR network. That is, channel 94 is characterized by (e.g., includes) a center frequency that is aligned on a raster that is a multiple of the corresponding raster of the first network and the second network. Fig.9A and Figure 8 By comparison, channel 94 extends beyond Figure 8 A 10 MHz channel is shown (eg, channel 76). Thus, SAS entity 56 may allocate any portion of spectrum portion 74 to any operator that SAS entity 56 deems appropriate.

[0073] The second operator 92B and the third operator 92C may request the SAS entity 56 via corresponding spectrum grant requests for corresponding channels 76 that are compatible with DSS operations (e.g., compatible with both LTE communications and NR communications), and a bandwidth allocation of at least 10 MHz. The SAS entity 56 may assign channel 96 to the second operator 92B and assign channel 98 to the third operator 92C, each channel (e.g., channel 96, channel 98) being compatible with DSS operations (e.g., raster aligned at 300 kHz) and having a bandwidth allocation substantially equal to 10 MHz. Specifically, channel 96 is assigned a frequency range with a center frequency of 3555 MHz between approximately 3550 MHz and 3560 MHz, and channel 98 is assigned a frequency range with a center frequency of 3615 MHz between approximately 3610 MHz and 3620 MHz. Specifically, channels 96, 98 are compatible with DSS operations for 4G / LTE networks and 5G / NR networks because the center frequencies of 3555 MHz (i.e., 3,555,000 kHz) and 3615 MHz (i.e., 3,615,000 kHz) are aligned with a 300 kHz raster, which is a multiple of both the 100 kHz raster of 4G / LTE networks and the 15 kHz or 30 kHz of 5G / NR networks.

[0074] The fourth operator 92D may request a channel 76 compatible with LTE operation and a bandwidth allocation of at least 20 MHz from the SAS entity 56 via a spectrum grant request. The SAS entity 56 may assign channel 100 to the fourth operator 92D, wherein channel 100 is assigned a frequency range equal to 20 MHz with a center frequency of 3580 MHz between approximately 3570 MHz and 3590 MHz. The center frequency of channel 100 is selected by the SAS entity 56 for the fourth operator 92D because the center frequency of 3580 MHz (i.e., 3,580,000 kHz) is aligned with one of many qualified center frequencies for use with LTE communications (e.g., raster aligned on 100 kHz designated for LTE communications), while not being assigned one of many qualified center frequencies for use with NR communications, and therefore cannot be used for NR communications. Note that the 20 MHz allocation (e.g., channel 100, channel 94) is depicted as Fig.9ASAS entity 56 may assign 10 MHz allocations to these operators (e.g., fifth operator 92E, sixth operator 92F, seventh operator 92G) at center frequencies of 3625 MHz (e.g., channel 102), 3635 MHz (e.g., channel 104), and 3645 MHz (e.g., channel 106) in response to preferences submitted by the remaining operators via corresponding spectrum grant requests. Specifically, the preferences submitted by these operators may have indicated that the fifth operator 92E, the sixth operator 92F, and the seventh operator 92G each desire a 10 MHz channel that can be used for non-DSS LTE dedicated network deployments (e.g., communications). Prior to being assigned to one of the network operators, channels (such as channel 102, channel 104, and channel 106) may be considered to be unassigned frequency ranges. Channel 102 is assigned a frequency range with a center frequency of 3625 MHz (i.e., 3,625,000 kHz) between approximately 3620 MHz and 3630 MHz, and channel 104 is assigned a frequency range with a center frequency of 3635 kHz (i.e., 3,635,000 kHz) between approximately 3630 MHz and 3640 MHz. In addition, channel 106 is assigned a frequency range with a center frequency of 3655 MHz (i.e., 3,655,000 kHz) between approximately 3640 MHz and 3650 MHz. Note that in some cases, a network operator may transmit multiple requests, such as one request from multiple base stations 50 and / or multiple requests from a single base station 50. In these cases, the SAS entity 56 may assign more than one channel 76 to the network operator to assign a relatively large amount of frequency range to the network operator.

[0075] However, in some cases, the SAS entity 56 may not be able to grant every request and / or indicated preference for every network operator. For example, Fig. 9B is a diagram of a second spectrum allocation example according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. Fig.9A With the same priority in and the same request to each operator 92, in some cases the SAS entity 56 changes the allocation and does not grant the exact allocation requested.

[0076] For example, the first operator 92A may request, via a spectrum grant request, a channel 76 that is compatible with DSS operations (e.g., compatible with both LTE communications and NR communications), and a bandwidth allocation of at least 20 MHz. Conversely, the SAS entity 56 may partially grant the request of the first operator 92A. This may occur, for example, when the SAS entity 56 determines that a portion of the spectrum portion 74 (e.g., channel 108) has already been allocated to a network operator (e.g., the eighth operator 92H), where the portion (e.g., channel 108) may otherwise already match the configuration indicated in the spectrum grant request from the first operator 92A. Thus, the SAS entity 56 may grant a 10 MHz channel with a center frequency of 3645 MHz as channel 110 to the first operator 92A, rather than channel 94 (e.g., Fig.9A 20 MHz channels with a center frequency of 3600 MHz as illustrated in FIG. 2 ). The SAS entity 56 may determine that a center frequency of 3645 MHz is compatible with DSS operation because the center frequency of 3645 MHz is aligned with the raster for both LTE communications and NR communications (e.g., a 300 kHz raster for DSS operation for LTE communications and NR communications). Fig.9A To make room for the higher frequency channel 110, the SAS entity 56 may Fig.9A The channel assignments for the other operators 92 are similarly allocated, except for the channel assignments for the fifth operator 92E, the sixth operator 92F, and the seventh operator 92G. These channel assignments may continue to be 10 MHz assignments that are compatible with LTE communications and incompatible with NR communications (due to the raster alignment of the center frequencies). However, the SAS entity 56 may offset the channel assignments to have center frequencies of 3625 MHz (e.g., channel 104), 3635 MHz (e.g., channel 106), and 3565 MHz (e.g., channel 102), respectively. It should be noted that the SAS entity 56 that moves channel 102 to a lower frequency than channel 104 or channel 106 is merely an example, and the SAS entity 56 may alternatively perform any order of offsets or no offsets at all.

[0077] As described above, the base station 50, as an agent and / or representative actor for the network operator 54 (e.g., a network provider), may transmit the communication preferences to the SAS entity 56 when registering to (e.g., requesting) a spectrum allocation of the spectrum 70 for communication with a user equipment requesting access to a network deployed by the network operator 54. In this way, reference is made to Figures 10 to 13 The described methods detail the communications of user equipment, base stations, and SAS entities 56 and / or operators to provide further explanation of these systems. Fig.101 is a flow chart of a method 120 for operating a user equipment (e.g., electronic device 10, electronic device 52) to communicate using an allocated portion (e.g., an assigned channel) of a spectrum 70 according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. Note that, although depicted in a particular order, the blocks of method 120 may be performed in any suitable order, and at least some blocks may be skipped entirely. As described herein, method 120 is described as being performed by electronic device 52, however, it should be understood that any suitable processing and / or control circuitry may perform some or all of the operations of method 120, such as one or more processors in processor 12.

[0078] At block 122, the electronic device 52 detects one of the base stations 50. For ease of discussion, the method 120 is discussed with respect to the electronic device 52 as an exemplary user equipment and the base station 50B as an exemplary radio access node (e.g., an exemplary base station). The electronic device 52 can detect the base station 50B in many different ways, including, for example, by receiving one or more signals transmitted from the base station 50B. As discussed above, Figure 7 The illustrated base stations 50 may each correspond to one or more network operators 54. One network operator 54 may deploy its communication network via each of the depicted base stations 50, or multiple network operators 54 may deploy multiple networks via respective ones of the base stations 50. In practice, two or more base stations 50 may correspond to one network operator 54 and communicate with user equipment when the user equipment is set or positioned within its serving cell as discussed above.

[0079] At block 124, the electronic device 52 transmits a registration request to the base station 50B. The electronic device 52 may transmit the registration request in response to detecting the base station 50B. The registration request may be associated with an operation to register or authenticate a subscriber identity module (SIM) card of the electronic device 52 with the base station 50B and / or with a network operator 54 that deploys a radio network using the base station 50B. The base station 50B may use information of the registration request, such as an identifier and / or an authentication key, to verify that the electronic device 52 is permitted to communicate using the radio network.

[0080] At block 126, the electronic device 52 receives a communication configuration including a spectrum allocation assignment from the base station 50B. The spectrum allocation assignment may correspond to the assignment determined by the SAS entity 56 and may therefore correspond to the reference Figures 8 to 9BOne of the many channels 76 described. In some cases, the spectrum allocation assignment indication corresponds to the center frequency of the channel 76 assigned for communication. However, in other cases, the electronic device 52 may receive an indication of the subcarriers of the channel 76 allocated, in particular, by the base station 50B for communication with the electronic device 52. The indication of the subcarrier may correspond to a frequency range within the corresponding channel 76 to be used for communication between the electronic device 52 and the base station 50B (wherein other electronic devices communicating with the base station 50B may use different subcarriers of the channel 76 to transmit messages). The communication configuration may also include uplink allocation timing, downlink allocation timing, other definitions of communication time slots and / or timing, etc., for reference by the electronic device 52 when scheduling transmission operations or reception operations.

[0081] At block 128, the electronic device 52 communicates with the base station 50B using the spectrum allocation assignment. In practice, the electronic device 52 may communicate at least partially concurrently or simultaneously with one or more other electronic devices 10 with which the base station 50B communicates. The electronic device 52 may align messages for uplink operations to a center frequency associated with the center frequency of the subcarriers and / or channels 76 indicated by the spectrum allocation assignment. In addition, when receiving downlink communications, the electronic device 52 may expect that the message will be downloaded using the center frequency.

[0082] To elaborate on the complementary operations of method 120 with respect to base station 50, Fig.11 1 is a flow chart of a method 140 for operating a corresponding base station in the base stations 50 (such as the base station 50B) to request and use an allocated portion of the radio spectrum 70 according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. It is noted that, although depicted in a particular order, the blocks of the method 140 may be performed in any suitable order, and at least some blocks may be skipped entirely. As described herein, the method 140 is described as being performed by the base station 50B, however, it should be understood that any suitable processing and / or control circuitry may perform some or all of the operations of the method 140, such as the electronic device 10 that may include the base station 50. Thus, the operations of the method 140 may be performed by one or more processors 12.

[0083] At block 142, the base station 50B receives a registration request from the electronic device 52 and transmits an indication of the registration request (or a modified version of the registration request) to the network operator 54 to verify that the electronic device 52 is eligible to communicate with the base station 50B. The indication may include at least some of the information conveyed in the registration request, including authentication information stored on the SIM card of the electronic device 52 (e.g., a SIM card identifier for identifying the device using the SIM card as an authorized user equipment) for use by the network operator 54 and / or the base station 50B in verifying the electronic device 52. For example, the network operator 54 may verify that the electronic device 52 is authorized to communicate on its network. In practice, the base station 50B may receive a registration request requiring initiation of communication with the electronic device 52 when the electronic device 52 enters the boundary of the corresponding cell. The electronic device 52 may transmit the registration request to the base station 50B in response to determining that the electronic device 52 itself is within the boundary of one of the cells managed (e.g., served) by the base station 50B, in response to a request for registration received from the base station 50B, and the like. Indeed, in some cases, the base station 50B may transmit a registration request to the electronic device 52 to indicate that the user equipment has entered a serving cell managed by the network operator 54 .

[0084] At block 144, the base station 50B receives confirmation of the registration from the network operator 54. That is, the network operator 54 may confirm that the electronic device 52 is registered to the network managed by the network operator 54. In some cases, this operation may be skipped, such as when the base station 50B communicates with other base stations 50 regarding the registration status of the electronic device 52 with the network (e.g., such that each respective authentication operation is bypassed after authenticating the electronic device 52 once).

[0085] At box 146, the base station 50B transmits a spectrum grant request to the SAS entity 56 and may receive a channel allocation assignment from the SAS entity 56 in response to its request. The spectrum grant request may include a use type parameter indicating the operation to be implemented by the network operator 54 via the base station 50B, and more specifically indicating whether the network operator 54 expects to perform DSS operation or non-DSS operation and indicating what network the network operator 54 is to use. In some embodiments, the transmission of the spectrum grant request may occur before at least some operations of box 142, such as in response to the initial power-on of the base station 50B and / or the detection of the first electronic device 52. Once determined, the channel allocation assignment may be used for multiple communication operations between multiple electronic devices 52, such as until the channel allocation assignment period and / or a message indicating that the base station 50B suspends (or stops) the use of the channel allocation assignment is received from the SAS entity 56. This may occur, for example, in response to a higher priority network operator 54 requesting a channel allocation assignment that is the same as the allocated channel assignment. The channel assignment may be allocated to meet any suitable raster requirements to perform the operation indicated via the use type parameter.

[0086] At box 148, the base station 50B determines the spectrum allocation assignment for the electronic device 52 according to the channel allocation assignment. In this way, the base station 50B can assign subchannels according to the bandwidth of the channel 76 indicated by the channel allocation assignment assigned by the SAS entity 56 to the network operator 54. The base station 50B can determine the subchannel based on which next subchannel to use, based on the priority of the electronic device 52 relative to other devices of the network, etc. In some cases, the base station 50B can assign the entire channel 76 to the user equipment, or two or more subchannels of the channel 76 can be assigned to the user equipment. In addition, in some cases, the base station 50B can change the width of the subchannel assigned to the user equipment. For example, a first user equipment can be assigned a channel with a 3MHz bandwidth, and a second user equipment can be assigned a channel with a 5MHz bandwidth.

[0087] At block 150, the base station 50B transmits a communication configuration including a spectrum allocation assignment for the electronic device 52 to the electronic device 52. The communication configuration may include other information, such as an indication of a downlink allocation, an uplink allocation, a duration for which the sub-channel assignment is valid, and the like. For example, the base station 50B (at a later time during communication with the electronic device 52) may access the communication configuration corresponding to the electronic device 52 to determine that the message is incoming from the first user equipment (i.e., to determine that the uplink allocation is imminent). In response to determining that the message is incoming, the base station 50B may suspend transmission of another message to the electronic device 52 (e.g., downlink communications may be suspended so as not to interrupt or interfere with uplink communications from the electronic device 52). The base station 50B may then receive a message from the electronic device 52, such as via a sub-channel assigned to the electronic device 52 in the communication configuration (e.g., spectrum allocation assignment). The base station 50B may also access the communication configuration to determine when to schedule the next downlink allocation (e.g., to determine an upcoming downlink allocation that will begin at a first time), and may transmit a message to the electronic device 52 that is paused at the beginning of the next downlink allocation (e.g., the paused message may be transmitted at a first time).

[0088] To elaborate on the complementary operation of method 120 and method 140 with respect to SAS entity 56, Fig.121 is a flow chart of a method 164 for operating a SAS entity 56 to allocate a portion of a spectrum portion 74 to a base station 50B according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. It is noted that, although depicted in a particular order, the blocks of the method 164 may be performed in any suitable order, and at least some blocks may be skipped entirely. As described herein, the method 164 is described as being performed by the SAS entity 56, however, it should be understood that any suitable processing and / or control circuitry may perform some or all of the operations of the method 164, such as an electronic device 10 acting as a SAS entity 56 and using one or more of the processors 12 to perform the operations of the method 164.

[0089] At block 166, the SAS entity 56 receives a spectrum grant request from the base station 50B (e.g., at Fig.11 146 of ). The spectrum grant request may include information such as whether the base station 50B is expected to perform DSS operation or non-DSS operation, one or more networks that the base station 50B is expected to communicate on (e.g., 5G / NR and / or 4G / LTE), a preferred bandwidth for channel allocation (e.g., 10 MHz, 20 MHz), etc. In practice, the spectrum grant request may include a usage type parameter indicating the operation to be implemented by the network operator 54, such as whether the operation is a DSS operation or a non-DSS operation, and which network types (e.g., 5G / NR, 4G / LTE) the network operator 54 is to use. The spectrum grant request may also include a low frequency and / or high frequency of the preferred frequency band and / or an identifier of the base station 50B and / or the network operator 54. The identifier may uniquely identify the base station 50B and distinguish the base station 50B from other base stations 50, and / or may include an indication of the network operator 54. The data included in the spectrum grant request may represent a variety of data types, and therefore may include data types such as strings, quantities, objects, Boolean values, null values, etc.

[0090] At block 168, the SAS entity 56 confirms the association of the base station 50B with the network operator 54. Specifically, the spectrum grant request may include an authentication parameter that enables the SAS entity 56 to confirm the association of the base station 50B with the network operator 54. This may involve verifying that the identifier of the base station 50B corresponds to a list of known associations between the base station 50 and the network operator 54.

[0091] At box 170, the SAS entity 56 determines a channel allocation assignment for the network operator 54 corresponding to the base station 50B. To this end, the SAS entity 56 may query its memory to determine whether the channel allocation assignment has been provided to the network operator 54, and if so, if the channel allocation assignment remains active and / or valid (e.g., has not timed out or expired due to changes in operation or accumulated network demand from each network operator 54), the previously reported channel allocation assignment may be reported to the base station 50B. The SAS entity 56 may determine the channel allocation assignment as a channel that satisfies the maximum number of criteria or parameters included in the spectrum grant request. In some cases, the SAS entity 56 may assign more than one channel to the network operator 54. The multi-channel assignment may be in response to parameters included in the spectrum grant request, in response to stored rules that define specific parameters to be followed or satisfied when assigning channels to the network operator 54, in response to the SAS entity 56 receiving multiple spectrum grant requests from different base stations 50 of the network operator 54, and the like.

[0092] In practice, to this end, the SAS entity 56 may test out different channels and determine the number of preferences satisfied by the hypothetical assignments to the network operator 54 before determining which hypothetical assignment produces a relatively better result for the network operator 54 (e.g., matches the highest number of preferences). In practice, the SAS entity 56 may use any suitable algorithm to satisfy a maximum or relatively high number of criteria or parameters in the spectrum grant request. This may also involve the SAS entity 56 resolving any higher priority spectrum grant requests before resolving the spectrum grant request for the base station 50B. However, it should also be noted that in some embodiments, the SAS entity 56 may resolve one or more spectrum grant requests by determining a relatively best case scenario that satisfies a higher number of preferences requested by multiple network operators 54.

[0093] For example, the SAS entity 56 may identify unallocated channels corresponding to raster requirements of different networks for multiple spectrum grant requests. The SAS entity 56 may compare each preference of multiple network operators 54 requesting assignment of unallocated channels. The SAS entity 56 may resolve as many preferences with hypothetical assignments to obtain a measure of preference grants (e.g., a percentage value indicating the total number of satisfied network operator 54 preferences divided by the total number of network operator 54 preferences). Then, once a threshold number of hypothetical assignments are generated, the SAS entity 56 may formulate a hypothetical assignment corresponding to a measure of relatively highest preference grants. When there is a tie between two or more hypothetical assignments (e.g., in the case where a network operator 54 cannot fill 100 percent (100%) of preferences), the final decision may be based on granting a higher priority network operator 54 a channel that satisfies its relatively high amount of preferences and / or satisfies 100% of its preferences when compared to satisfying the preferences of lower priority network operators 54. This determination may involve the SAS entity 56 acting on a "spectrum usage" parameter (e.g., UsageType) from a spectrum grant request and allocating spectrum on a corresponding raster that is compatible with the spectrum usage parameter. Furthermore, in some embodiments, the SAS entity 56 may prioritize certain parameters, such as based on its own priority, input from one of the base stations 50, or both, and may determine channel assignments based on satisfying higher priority parameters before satisfying lower priority parameters.

[0094] At block 172, the SAS entity 56 transmits a channel allocation assignment for the network operator 54 to the base station 50B, and at block 174, stores the channel allocation assignment in a memory associated with the network operator 54 and / or the base station 50B. That is, the SAS entity 56 may store an indication of the channel allocation assignment in a memory associated with the identifier of the base station 50B and / or the network operator 54 (received at block 166).

[0095] To further detail the operations that SAS entity 56 may perform to determine channel allocation assignments, Fig.13 is a method for executing the Fig.12 The operation of block 170 of method 164 is a flow chart of method 190 for operating SAS entity 56 to determine a channel assigned to base station 50B. It should be noted that although depicted in a particular order, the blocks of method 190 may be performed in any suitable order and at least some blocks may be skipped entirely. As described herein, method 190 is described as being performed by SAS entity 56, however, it should be understood that any suitable processing and / or control circuitry may perform some or all of the operations of method 190, such as electronic device 10 via one or more processors in processor 12.

[0096] SAS entity 56 is available at Fig.12 The channel allocation assignment for the network operator 54 is determined at block 170 of Fig.12 During the operation of block 170, the SAS entity 56 may determine whether the spectrum grant request includes an indication that the network operator 54 uses DSS operation. These determinations may include performing Fig.13 In practice, after parsing any high priority request (eg, a request for channel assignment from a network operator 54 associated with a relatively high priority), the SAS entity 56 may Fig.12 Block 170 of the request continues to determine whether the spectrum grant request corresponds to a DSS-related request (e.g., a request for a channel that is available for or compatible with DSS operation) at block 194. However, in some embodiments, it is noted that the SAS entity 56 may assign channel allocations without first resolving the priority of the request, thereby using only the priority of the network operator 54 to break a tie and / or determine a final assignment when no compromise arrangement can be determined.

[0097] In practice, at box 194, the SAS entity 56 determines whether the spectrum grant request corresponds to a DSS-related request. To do this, the SAS entity 56 may reference a usage type parameter (e.g., a "spectrum usage" parameter UsageType). For a dual network option scenario (e.g., 4G / LTE and 5G / NR), the usage type parameter may specify whether the network operator 54 is requesting a channel that is compatible with the first network raster, with the second network raster, or both. For example, the usage type parameter may identify "LTE", "NR", or "LTE / NRDSS" (e.g., a spectrum sharing tag). Note that other network option scenarios may be used, such as three or more network options, where each network may be associated with a different frequency and / or raster configuration.

[0098] In response to determining that the usage type parameter corresponds to DSS operation, at box 196, the SAS entity 56 determines a channel allocation assignment that is compatible with the raster of the first network and the second network. For example, certain specifications may define that channels used for 4G / LTE 48 (e.g., n48) band communications are to be aligned with a 100 kilohertz (kHz) raster, while channels used for 5G / NR 48 (e.g., n48) band communications are to be aligned with a 15 kHz or 30 kHz raster. Thus, when the usage type parameter indicates "LTE / NR DSS", the SAS entity 56 may assign channels that are aligned with both the 4G / LTE raster and the 5G / NR raster (such as 300 kHz). For example, referring to Fig.9A94, the SAS entity 56 may determine that the first operator 92A indicates a preference for operating using DSS, and therefore assign the first operator 92A a channel 94 having a center frequency of 3600 MHz, which is a multiple of the 300 kHz raster. In some cases, the SAS entity 56 may not assign a channel allocation assignment that is compatible with the raster of the first network and the raster of the second network because, for example, such a channel has already been assigned. Therefore, the SAS entity 56 may assign a channel allocation assignment that is incompatible with the raster of the first network and the raster of the second network.

[0099] If the SAS entity 56 determines that the usage type parameter does not correspond to a DSS operation, then at box 198, the SAS entity 56 may determine whether the spectrum grant request corresponds to a first network-related request, such as whether the usage type parameter indicates "LTE". When the SAS entity 56 determines that the spectrum grant request corresponds to a first network-related request, at box 200, the SAS entity 56 determines a channel allocation assignment that is compatible with the raster of the first network without worrying about whether the channel is compatible with the raster of the second network. For example, the SAS entity 56 may determine the channel as a channel that is aligned with a 100 kHz raster for LTE communications. For example, referring to Fig.9A channel 102, the SAS entity 56 can determine that the fifth operator 92E indicates a preference for using LTE operation rather than DSS operation, and therefore assigns the fifth operator 92E a channel 102 having a center frequency of 3625 MHz, which is a multiple of 100 kHz (but not 15 kHz or 30 kHz, such as the raster that may be used for NR communications).

[0100] However, when at box 198, the SAS entity 56 determines that the spectrum grant request does not correspond to a first network-related request, the SAS entity 56 may determine by default that the spectrum grant request corresponds to a second network-related request and / or may determine that the usage type parameter indicates "NR". Therefore, when the SAS entity 56 determines that the spectrum grant request corresponds to a second network-related request, at box 202, the SAS entity 56 determines a channel allocation assignment that is compatible with the raster of the second network without worrying about whether the channel is compatible with the raster of the first network. For example, the SAS entity 56 may determine the channel as a channel that is aligned with a 15kHZ or 30kHz raster for NR communication. After determining the channel allocation assignment, the SAS entity 56 may proceed to execute Fig.12 The operations of box 172 (e.g., executing the remaining operations of method 164).

[0101] Method 190 represents an exemplary method for determining channel allocation assignments for a provided network. Other methods may also be used. For example, in some cases, the base station 50B may not include a usage type parameter in the spectrum grant request. In these cases, the SAS entity 56 may reference rules indicating the operating preferences and / or expectations of each network operator 54. The rules may be stored in a memory (or storage device) of the SAS entity 56. In some cases, the rules may be accessible by the SAS entity 56 in a cloud-based storage system and may also be accessed by one or more network operators 54, where the network operators 54 may update the communication preferences separately by updating the definitions of the rules in the cloud-based storage system. In this way, the network operator 54 may specify preferences for implementing DSS operations in the rules, and therefore the SAS entity 56 may access the rules indicating preferences in the memory when determining the channel allocation assignments for the network operator 54. With this in mind, Figures 10 to 13 The method can be modified to accommodate the use of these rules (for example, SAS entity 56 can refer to the rules instead of relying on Fig.11 The operation of block 146 is transmitted and Fig.12 (the usage parameters of the spectrum grant request received in the operation of box 166).

[0102] In fact, in some cases, the spectrum grant request may include several parameters that identify the network operator 54 and the base station 50B, such as a user identifier, a government identifier corresponding to the network operator 54 (e.g., a Federal Communications Commission identifier (FCCID)), a serial number and / or identifier of the base station 50B, etc. The rules discussed above can be accessed and searched by the SAS entity 56 based at least in part on one or more of these identifiers that may be included in the spectrum grant request. Therefore, when a particular network operator 54 is interested in performing DSS operations by default (or assigning channels that are compatible with the performance of DSS operations by default), the SAS entity 56 may have rules that are formed with the network operator 54 and / or negotiated with the network operator for reference when assigning channels. In this way, when a request corresponding to the network operator 54 is received, the SAS entity 56 determines to assign channels compatible with DSS operations to the network operator 54 based on the definition of the rules for accessing the network operator 54. For example, a rule may define that when a first network operator 92A transmits a spectrum grant request to a SAS entity 56, the SAS entity 56 will default to assigning a DSS operation-compatible grating (e.g., including a definition that associates the first network operator 92A with DSS operation for the purpose of channel assignment). When defining the rule, the network operator 54 and / or the SAS entity 56 may specify a default action to occur when assigning a channel to the network operator 54 in response to the SAS entity 56 identifying parameters of the spectrum grant request. For example, the SAS entity 56 may determine that the spectrum grant request includes an identifier corresponding to the network operator 54, and in response to that determination, access a rule defining a default action to assign a DSS operation-compatible channel or a non-DSS operation-compatible channel to the network operator 54. Other default actions may involve a default network deployment, a default channel bandwidth to be assigned, a default number of channels to be assigned to the network operator 54, the like, or any combination thereof.

[0103] The SAS entity 56 may update the rules and the definitions indicated by the rules over time, such as when a network operator 54 requests an update to the rules. In practice, the network operator 54 may initiate a change in the rule from corresponding the identifier of the network operator 54 to a first default action to corresponding the identifier of the network operator 54 to a second default action. In this way, the rule may include a first definition at a first time and a second definition at a second time, and wherein the network operator 54 is able to negotiate with the spectrum access system or notify the spectrum access system of what definitions are stored as rules. In addition, in some cases, there may be communication parameters defined by a standards body such that when a specific identifier, tag is set, a condition is met, a signal is transmitted at a certain frequency or at a certain amplitude, etc., the SAS entity 56 knows to assign a channel compatible with DSS operation to the network operator 54 corresponding to the specific identifier, tag, condition being met, etc.

[0104] It should be noted that, although described in terms of a single SAS entity 56, one or more SAS entities may perform the operations described herein. When multiple SAS entities manage channel allocations for a specific geographic area, each SAS entity 56 may benefit from knowing when a channel is no longer available for assignment (e.g., a previously allocated channel is not available for assignment). When multiple SAS entities are assigning channel allocations to different network operators 54 and / or base stations 50, the corresponding SAS entities may communicate information about the allocated frequency ranges to each other to reduce, minimize or eliminate the possibility that different network operators 54 are assigned the same channel. The communication may be a report of changes in the assignment of a channel that is periodically sent between SAS entities to update each other. However, in some cases, updates to the channel assignment may be transmitted to each SAS entity in the SAS entity after determining the channel assignment. By receiving these reports, each SAS entity in the SAS entity may assign unallocated channels (e.g., unallocated frequency ranges) without inadvertently assigning allocated channels (e.g., allocated frequency ranges).

[0105] In some cases, when the base station 50B receives the spectrum allocation assignment, the base station 50B may continue to perform dynamic spectrum sharing (DSS) operations. The DSS operation may include the base station 50B determining the current network load (e.g., the first network load) and determining whether the determined current network load is greater than a load threshold. In fact, the DSS operation can be used to change the network used by the base station 50B to communicate with the user equipment, such as in response to changes in the network load (e.g., network demand). For example, a 4G / LTE network may use a smaller bandwidth than 5G / NR to transmit a message downlink to the user equipment, and may therefore be more suitable for use when the network load is greater than the load threshold. In this way, in response to determining that the current network load is greater than or equal to the load threshold, the base station 50B may use the 4G / LTE network (e.g., the first network) to transmit a message to the user equipment, and in response to determining that the current network load is less than the load threshold, use 5G / NR (e.g., the second network) to transmit a message to the user equipment. In some cases, the base station 50B uses the DSS operation to communicate with the first user equipment using 4G / LTE and communicate with the second user equipment using 5G / NR at least partially simultaneously, without considering the network load.

[0106] In addition, in the case where the base station 50B requests a channel that can be used for or is compatible with the DSS operation and the SAS entity 56 cannot allocate a portion of the spectrum that is aligned with the raster assigned to both the first network communication and the second network communication (for example, because this portion has already been assigned), the SAS entity 56 may allocate a portion of the spectrum that is not aligned with the raster assigned to both the first network communication and the second network communication. Alternatively, in the case where the frequency band may not be managed by the SAS entity, the base station 50B may allocate a portion of the spectrum that is not aligned with the raster assigned to both the first network communication and the second network communication to the network operator 54 that manages the base station 50B (for example, again, because this portion has already been assigned). For example, the frequency band may be an unlicensed frequency band, such as a 5G / NR 46 (e.g., n46) band including 5150 MHz to 5925 MHz, which, like the 5G / NR 48 (e.g., n48) band, does not have a 100 kilohertz (kHz) raster. In addition, it should be understood that the disclosed technology can be applied to any suitable frequency range, such as any frequency range greater than and including 3 GHz. In some embodiments, the disclosed techniques may be applied to any suitable frequency range that implements time division duplexing (TDD) (e.g., such that a single frequency band can be used for both uplink and downlink). In any case, a base station 50B (such as an eNodeB (eNB) for a long term evolution (LTE) access network and / or a next generation NodeB (gNB) for a 5th generation (5G) access network) may offset the center frequency of the allocated portion of the spectrum so that the allocated portion of the spectrum may be aligned with the raster assigned to both the first network communication and the second network communication. Thus, the offset may align the center frequency with the nearest NR absolute radio frequency channel number (ARFCN). Note that when and if necessary, the base station 50B may offset the center frequency without affecting the SAS entity 56. That is, the SAS entity 56 may not know whether the base station 50 has offset the center frequency.

[0107] For example, Fig.14A is a diagram of an exemplary spectrum or channel 210 assigned to a base station 50B aligned with a raster to implement DSS operation according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. Fig.11In block 146 of the request, the base station 50 may request a channel that may be used for or is compatible with DSS operation from the SAS entity 56. The SAS entity 56 receives the request and determines a channel that is compatible with the raster of the first network and the raster of the second network. For example, certain specifications may define that channels used for 4G / LTE 48 (e.g., n48) band communications are to be aligned with a 100 kilohertz (kHz) raster, while channels used for 5G / NR 48 (e.g., n48) band communications are to be aligned with a 15 kHz or 30 kHz raster. Thus, when the usage type parameter of the request indicates "LTE / NR DSS", the SAS entity 56 may assign spectrum that is aligned with both the 4G / LTE raster and the 5G / NR raster (such as 300 kHz).

[0108] In this case, according to Fig.12 Box 170 and Fig.13 At block 196, the SAS entity 56 may determine that spectrum 210 between 3550 MHz and 3560 MHz (e.g., a 10 MHz channel) has a center frequency 212 of 3555 MHz that is compatible with DSS operation because the center frequency 212 is aligned with (e.g., is a multiple of) both the 100 kHz raster of the 4G / LTE 48 band and the 15 kHz or 30 kHz raster of the 5G / NR 48 band, and that the spectrum is available for assignment. Fig.12 At block 172, SAS entity 56 transmits a channel allocation assignment corresponding to channel 210 to base station 50B. Fig.11 At block 148, the network operator 54 managing the base station 50B may determine a spectrum allocation assignment (e.g., corresponding to a subchannel of the channel 210) for use by the electronic device 52. Then, according to Fig.11 At block 150, the base station 50B may transmit a communication configuration including a spectrum allocation assignment to the electronic device 52. Then, according to Fig.10 At block 128, the electronic device 52 may communicate with the base station 50B using the subchannels corresponding to the spectrum allocation assignment and employing DSS operation.

[0109] As shown, channel 210 includes guard band 214, which is an unused portion of channel 210 that is used to prevent communications in channel 210 from interfering with communications in adjacent channels, and vice versa. Each guard band 214 is 680 kHz wide, but it should be understood that guard band 214 can have any suitable frequency width. In some cases, the frequency width of guard band 214 can be regulated by a standards body (e.g., 3GPP standards body).

[0110] However, the SAS entity 56 may not be able to assign a channel (e.g., 210) that is aligned with the raster assigned to both the first network communication and the second network communication (e.g., because the channel has already been assigned). Additionally, in the case where the frequency band may not be managed by the SAS entity, such as the 5G / NR 46 (e.g., n46) frequency band, the base station 50B may assign a channel to the network operator 54 that is not aligned with the raster assigned to both the first network communication and the second network communication (e.g., again, because the channel has already been assigned).

[0111] Fig. 14B 2 is an illustration of an exemplary spectrum or channel 220 that has been assigned to a base station 50B and that has been offset by the base station 50B to enable DSS operation in accordance with an embodiment of the present disclosure. That is, the SAS entity 56 or base station 50B may assign a spectrum (e.g., a 10 MHz channel) between 3560 MHz and 3570 MHz and having a center frequency of 3565 MHz to the network operator 54. The center frequency is not compatible with DSS operation because the center frequency is not aligned with (e.g., is not a multiple of) both the 100 kHz raster of the 4G / LTE 48 band and the 15 kHz or 30 kHz raster of the 5G / NR 48 band.

[0112] However, the base station 50B may offset the center frequency to enable DSS operation. In this example, the base station 50B may offset the center frequency by -100 kHz, such that the center frequency moves from 3565 MHz to an offset center frequency 222 of 3564.9 MHz. Since the offset center frequency 222 is aligned with (e.g., is a multiple of) both the 100 kHz raster of the 4G / LTE 48 band and the 15 kHz or 30 kHz raster of the 5G / NR 48 band, the offset center frequency 222 is compatible with DSS operation. Then, according to Fig.11 In block 150, the base station 50B may transmit to the electronic device 52 a communication configuration including a spectrum allocation assignment corresponding to the shifted center frequency 222. In some embodiments, the base station 50B may indicate (e.g., via a flag or field) that the center frequency 222 has been shifted. Then, according to Fig.10 At block 128, the electronic device 52 may communicate with the base station 50B using the subchannels corresponding to the spectrum allocation assignment and employing DSS operation.

[0113] When the center frequency is offset, the frequency width of the guard band can be changed. Specifically, a guard band 224 can shrink or reduce, and another guard band 226 can grow or increase. As shown, since the center frequency 222 has shifted a negative frequency amount (e.g., -100kHz), the frequency width of the reduced or smaller guard band 224 reduces the frequency shift amount (e.g., 680kHz to 580kHz), and the increased or larger guard band 226 increases the frequency shift amount (e.g., 680kHz to 780kHz). It should be understood that if the frequency shift amount is positive (e.g., -100kHz), the frequency width of the reduced guard band 224 can increase the frequency shift amount, and the increased guard band 226 can reduce the frequency shift amount.

[0114] Since the frequency width of the reduced guard band 224 is reduced, the electronic device 52 may perform one or more power backoff procedures (e.g., in addition to any power backoff procedures already performed near the guard bands 224, 226) to ensure that the transmission and reception of wireless signals near the reduced guard band 224 do not interfere with communications transmitted or received through the border or adjacent channels to the reduced guard band 224. Specifically, the electronic device 52 may perform one or more power backoff procedures to reduce the transmission or reception power in response to receiving an indication from the base station 50B that the center frequency 222 has been shifted. In some embodiments, the base station 50B may indicate the amount of frequency shift (e.g., -100kHz, +100kHz, etc.), and the electronic device 52 may perform one or more power backoff procedures corresponding to the reduced guard band (e.g., 224), but may not perform the power backoff procedure corresponding to the increased guard band (e.g., 226). Additionally or alternatively, the electronic device 52 may adjust the number or magnitude of the power backoff procedures based on the amount of frequency shift. That is, the larger the frequency shift amount, the larger the number or magnitude of the power backoff procedure. The smaller the frequency shift amount, the smaller the number or magnitude of the power backoff procedure.

[0115] In some embodiments, for downlink operation, the base station 50B can compensate for the reduced guard band 224, because the base station 50B controls and knows whether the guard band is reduced. The base station 50B can also have better filtering technology, and therefore can reduce or avoid the need to fully perform the power backoff procedure. Moreover, if necessary, the base station 50B can determine and implement the power backoff procedure itself. For uplink operation, the user equipment (electronic device 52) can be informed whether the guard band is reduced, because the user equipment itself cannot determine this situation, and therefore cannot make an independent decision about when to apply power backoff.

[0116] In view of the above, Fig.152 is a flow chart of a method 240 for operating a corresponding base station of base stations 50 (such as base station 50B) to offset the center frequency of a channel to align the center frequency with a raster assigned to a first network communication and a second network communication to achieve DSS operation according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. It should be noted that although depicted in a particular order, the blocks of method 240 may be performed in any suitable order, and at least some blocks may be skipped entirely. As described herein, method 240 is described as being performed by base station 50B, however, it should be understood that any suitable processing and / or control circuitry may perform some or all of the operations of method 240, such as an electronic device 10 that may include base station 50. Therefore, the operations of method 240 may be performed by one or more processors 12.

[0117] At box 242, the base station 50B determines whether DSS operation is required. Specifically, the base station 50B may require LTE-specific communication operation, NR-specific communication operation, or LTE / NR DSS communication operation (where both LTE and NR can be used for communication). If the base station 50B determines that DSS operation is not required, then at box 244, the base station 50B transmits a spectrum grant request indicating that DSS is not required to the SAS entity 56 and receives a channel allocation assignment. The spectrum grant request may include a usage type parameter indicating that the network operator 54 expects non-DSS operation. Then, at box 246, the base station 50B uses the channel allocation assignment to transmit a communication configuration to the electronic device 52. For example, the base station 50B may transmit a spectrum allocation assignment (e.g., a subchannel corresponding to a channel indicated in the channel allocation assignment). Then, according to Fig.10 At block 128, the electronic device 52 may communicate with the base station 50B using the subchannels corresponding to the spectrum allocation assignment and employing DSS operation.

[0118] If the base station 50B determines that DSS operation is required, then at box 248, the base station 50B transmits a spectrum grant request to the SAS entity 56 indicating that DSS is required and receives a channel allocation assignment. The spectrum grant request may include a usage type parameter indicating that the network operator 54 expects to perform DSS operation. In some embodiments, the frequency band may not be managed by the SAS entity 56, and therefore the base station 50B may determine the channel allocation assignment itself. For example, the frequency band may be an unlicensed frequency band, such as a 5G / NR 46 (e.g., n46) band, which does not have a 100 kilohertz (kHz) raster like the 5G / NR 48 (e.g., n48) band.

[0119] At block 250, the base station 50B determines whether the channel allocated by the channel allocation assignment is aligned on the raster implementing DSS. If so, at block 252, the base station 50B uses the channel allocation assignment to transmit a communication configuration to the electronic device 52. For example, Fig.14AAs shown, the allocated channels 210 are aligned on both the 100 kHz raster of the 4G / LTE 48 band and the 15 kHz or 30 kHz raster of the 5G / NR 48 band. Fig.10 At block 128, the electronic device 52 may communicate with the base station 50B using a sub-channel corresponding to a spectrum allocation assignment sent by the base station 50B based on the allocated channel 210 and employ DSS operation.

[0120] If the base station 50B determines that the channel assigned by the channel allocation assignment is not aligned on the raster implementing DSS, then at block 254, the base station 50B shifts the center frequency of the assigned channel to align on the raster implementing DSS. Fig. 14B As shown, the allocated channel 220 is not aligned because the center frequency of 3565 MHz is not aligned with (e.g., is not a multiple of) both the 100 kHz raster of the 4G / LTE 48 band and the 15 kHz or 30 kHz raster of the 5G / NR 48 band. The base station 50B may determine how to offset the center frequency to align with the raster. Fig. 14B As shown, base station 50B shifts the center frequency by -100 kHz to 3564.9 MHz so that the center frequency is aligned with both the 100 kHz raster of the 4G / LTE 48 band and the 15 kHz or 30 kHz raster of the 5G / NR 48 band. It should be understood that base station 50B may determine to shift the center frequency by any negative or positive frequency shift amount to align the center frequency with the raster.

[0121] Then, at block 256, the base station 50B transmits a communication configuration to the electronic device 52 based on the shifted center frequency. Fig.10 In block 128, the electronic device 52 may communicate with the base station 50B using a subchannel corresponding to the spectrum allocation assignment sent by the base station 50B based on the allocated channel 212, and employ DSS operation. In some embodiments, the base station 50B may also indicate that the center frequency has been offset (e.g., in a communication configuration). Specifically, an indication may be provided in a field or a tag. For example, an offset value (e.g., an "S" bit) or a non-offset value (e.g., an "NS" bit) may be added to an existing 3GPP framework to indicate whether the center frequency has been offset. As another example, a tag may be added to the modifierMPRbehavior field of an existing 3GPP framework to indicate whether the center frequency has been offset. In response to receiving an indication that the center frequency has been offset, the electronic device 52 may perform one or more power backoff procedures.

[0122] In some cases, base station 50B may not send an indication that the center frequency has been shifted. For example, a channel (e.g., Fig. 14B220) and at least one adjacent or neighboring channel (e.g., adjacent to the reduced guard band 224) may be assigned to the network operator 54 operating the base station 50B. Thus, the base station 50B may accept somewhat larger emissions (e.g., which may intrude and / or exceed the reduced guard band 224) without performing power backoff because the base station 50B may compensate for such emissions by adjusting the adjacent channels (e.g., by increasing the guard band of the adjacent channels).

[0123] In some embodiments, the base station 50B may indicate the amount of frequency shift (eg, -100 kHz, +100 kHz, etc.), and the electronic device 52 may perform operations corresponding to the reduced guard band (eg, Fig. 14B One or more power backoff procedures of 224) may be performed, but the power backoff procedures corresponding to the increased guard band (eg, Fig. 14B Additionally or alternatively, the electronic device 52 may adjust the number or magnitude of the power backoff procedures based on the frequency shift amount. That is, the larger the frequency shift amount, the larger the number or magnitude of the power backoff procedures. The smaller the frequency shift amount, the smaller the number or magnitude of the power backoff procedures.

[0124] Thus, even if base station 50B is assigned a channel that is not aligned with the raster assigned to first and second network communications, executing method 240 enables base station 50B to shift the center frequency of the channel to align the center frequency with the raster, thereby achieving DSS operation.

[0125] The technical effects of the present disclosure include systems and methods for improving the allocation of resources from a network resource sharing pool by a SAS entity. In fact, these systems and methods provide a way for network operators to convey one or more preferences to a SAS entity via a base station for consideration by the SAS entity when assigning a communication channel of a radio spectrum. Each network operator may indicate to the SAS entity whether the corresponding network operator expects to use the first network, the second network, or the DSS operation of both the first network and the second network when communicating with the user equipment in its service cell. When the SAS entity determines that a channel is to be assigned to a network operator that has indicated that the DSS operation is expected to be used, the SAS entity may determine a channel with a center frequency of grating alignment compatible with the grating definition of both the first network and the second network. However, when the SAS entity is determining to assign a channel to a network operator that indicates that only one network will be used for communication, the SAS entity may determine a channel with a center frequency of grating alignment compatible with this one network. When determining to assign a specific channel, the SAS entity may also consider the relative defined priorities of the network operator.

[0126] In addition, in the event that the SAS entity cannot allocate a portion of the spectrum that is aligned with the raster assigned to both the first network communication and the second network communication (for example, because this portion has already been assigned), the SAS entity may allocate a portion of the spectrum that is not aligned with the raster assigned to both the first network communication and the second network communication. Alternatively, in the event that the frequency band may not be managed by the SAS entity, the base station may allocate a portion of the spectrum that is not aligned with the raster assigned to both the first network communication and the second network communication to the network operator that manages the base station (for example, again, because this portion has already been assigned). In either case, the base station may offset the center frequency on the allocated portion of the spectrum so that the center frequency may be aligned with the raster assigned to both the first network communication and the second network communication, thereby enabling DSS operation on the allocated portion of the spectrum.

[0127] The above specific embodiments have been shown by way of example, and it should be understood that these embodiments are susceptible to various modifications and alternative forms. It should also be understood that the claims are not intended to be limited to the specific forms disclosed, but are intended to cover all modifications, equivalents and alternatives that fall within the spirit and scope of the present disclosure.

[0128] The technology described and claimed herein is cited and applied to specific examples of a physical and practical nature that significantly improves the art and is therefore not abstract, intangible, or purely theoretical. In addition, if any claim appended to the end of this specification contains one or more elements designated as "means for [performing] [the function] ..." or "steps for [performing] [the function] ...", then those elements will be interpreted in accordance with 35 U.S.C. 112(f). However, for any claim containing elements designated in any other manner, those elements will not be interpreted in accordance with 35 U.S.C. 112(f).

Claims

1. A base station, comprising: one or more processors; as well as one or more memory devices storing machine-readable instructions that, when executed by the one or more processors, cause the one or more processors to: determining or receiving a channel allocation assignment defining a frequency range to be used when sending communications to and receiving communications from user equipment, determining whether a center frequency of the frequency range is aligned with a first grating of the first communication network and a second grating of the second communication network, responsive to determining that the center frequency is not aligned with the first grating and the second grating, shifting the center frequency to generate a shifted center frequency aligned with the first grating and the second grating and transmitting to the user equipment a communication configuration that implements spectrum sharing operations based on the shifted center frequency, and The spectrum sharing operation, the channel allocation assignment, and the frequency range are used to communicate with the user equipment.

2. According to the base station of claim 1, the machine-readable instructions cause the one or more processors to transmit a request for the channel allocation assignment to a spectrum access system, and the one or more processors to receive the channel allocation assignment from the spectrum access system.

3. The base station of claim 2, wherein the request comprises a usage parameter indicating the spectrum sharing operation.

4. The base station of claim 1, the machine-readable instructions causing the one or more processors to transmit a second communication configuration implementing the spectrum sharing operation to the user equipment in response to determining that the center frequency is aligned with the first grating and the second grating.

5. The base station of claim 1, the first raster comprising 100 kilohertz (kHz), and the second raster comprising 15 kHz or 30 kHz. The base station according to claim 1 , wherein the frequency range is greater than or equal to 3 GHz. The base station according to claim 1 , wherein the frequency range implements time division duplexing.

8. An electronic device comprising: one or more processors; as well as one or more memory devices storing machine-readable instructions that, when executed by the one or more processors, cause the one or more processors to: transmitting a registration request to a base station; receiving, from the base station, a communication configuration including a spectrum allocation assignment, the communication configuration including an indication that the base station has shifted a center frequency associated with the spectrum allocation assignment, the center frequency being shifted to align with a first raster of a first communication network and a second raster of a second communication network; performing one or more power backoff procedures in response to receiving the indication that the base station has shifted the center frequency; as well as The spectrum allocation assignment is used to communicate with the base station.

9. The electronic device of claim 8, wherein the first grating is different from the second grating.

10. The electronic device of claim 8, the communication configuration implementing spectrum sharing operations when using the spectrum allocation assignment to communicate with the base station.

11. The electronic device of claim 8, the spectrum allocation assignment defining a frequency range used when sending communications to and receiving communications from the base station, the frequency range comprising a first guard band, the first guard band being a frequency width different from a second guard band.

12. The electronic device of claim 11, the one or more power back-off procedures prevent interference between communications transmitted or received within the frequency range and communications transmitted or received within one or more adjacent frequency ranges.

13. A method for communication, comprising: determining or receiving a channel allocation assignment defining a frequency range to be used when sending communications to and receiving communications from user equipment, determining whether a center frequency of the frequency range is aligned with a first grating of the first communication network and a second grating of the second communication network, in response to determining that the center frequency is not aligned with the first grating and the second grating, shifting the center frequency to generate a shifted center frequency aligned with the first grating and the second grating to implement spectrum sharing operations, A communication configuration is transmitted to the user equipment based on the shifted center frequency, and the spectrum sharing operation, the channel allocation assignment, and the frequency range are used to communicate with the user equipment.

14. The method of claim 13, comprising transmitting a second communication configuration to the user equipment based on the center frequency in response to determining that the center frequency is aligned with the first grating and the second grating.

15. The method of claim 13, comprising transmitting a request for the channel allocation assignment to a spectrum access system, the channel allocation assignment being received from the spectrum access system.

16. The method of claim 13, wherein the shifted center frequency is 100 kilohertz (kHz) greater than the center frequency or 100 kHz less than the center frequency.

17. The method of claim 13, wherein shifting the center frequency results in a reduced guard band of the frequency range.

18. The method of claim 13, the communication configuration comprising an indication that the center frequency has been shifted.

19. The method of claim 18, the user equipment being configured to perform one or more power back-off procedures to compensate for the reduced guard band of the frequency range in response to receiving the indication that the center frequency has been shifted.

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