Systems, apparatuses, and methods for indicating spectrum sharing

Abstract

The present invention is entitled "Systems, Apparatuses, and Methods for Indicating Spectrum Sharing." The present disclosure relates to systems and methods for indicating a communication preference of a base station and / or network operator to a spectrum access system. The communication preference can be indicated using different methods, including a special type parameter transmitted with a spectrum allocation request from the base station, a rule-based system that corresponds to an identifier defined by a rule, and / or a network operator that the spectrum access system accesses the base station and / or network operator. The spectrum access system can assign a channel to the network operator based on its communication preference, such as determining a channel assignment to correspond to a communication raster to be used by the network operator. If the channel is not aligned, the base station can offset a center frequency of the channel so that the channel is aligned with the communication raster.

Description

[0001] This application is a divisional application of the invention patent application filed on August 4, 2021, with application number 202110891397.8 and entitled "System, Apparatus and Method for Instructing Spectrum Sharing", the entire contents of which are incorporated herein by reference.

[0002] Cross-references to related applications

[0003] This application claims the benefit of U.S. Provisional Application Serial No. 63 / 061,441, filed August 5, 2020, entitled “SYSTEMS, APPARATUS, AND METHODSFOR INDICATING SPECTRUM SHARING”, which is incorporated herein by reference in its entirety for all purposes. Background Technology

[0004] This disclosure relates in general to electronic devices, and more specifically to electronic devices that utilize radio frequency signals, transmitters, and receivers for wireless communication.

[0005] This section is intended to introduce the reader to various aspects of the art that may be related to the aspects of this disclosure, which are described below and / or protected by the claims. This discussion is intended to help provide the reader with background information to better understand the aspects of this disclosure. Accordingly, it should be understood that these statements should be read in this regard and not as an endorsement of prior art.

[0006] The use of wireless communication systems is growing rapidly. Wireless electronic devices such as smartphones and tablets are becoming increasingly sophisticated. In addition to supporting phone calls, many wireless electronic devices now offer access to the internet, email, text messaging, and navigation using the Global Positioning System (GPS), and are capable of operating complex and sophisticated applications that utilize these capabilities.

[0007] 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 can be deployed using 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 5G access networks. In some electronic devices, transmitters and receivers are combined to form a transceiver. The transceiver can transmit and / or receive wireless signals, such as radio frequency (RF) signals indicating data, via an antenna coupled to the transceiver.

[0008] With the introduction of Frequency Range 2 (FR2), encompassing a band from 24.25 GHz to 52.6 GHz, in the new version (Rel-16) of the radio standard related to 5G communications, network deployments may experience challenges related to sharing and / or utilizing network spectrum. In relatively simple deployments, network operators managing networks deployed by network access nodes (e.g., radio access nodes, base stations) can allocate a fixed width portion from a shared bandwidth pool (e.g., a shared radio spectrum resource pool). The shared bandwidth pool can be managed by a Spectrum Access System (SAS) entity communicating with many network operators, and each network operator may expect a corresponding portion of the shared bandwidth pool to perform operations for its respective managed network at a given point in time. However, allocating a fixed width portion of spectrum cannot 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.

[0009] Various modifications to the above-described features may exist with respect to various aspects of the invention. Other features may also be incorporated into these aspects. These modifications and additional features may exist individually or in any combination. For example, various features discussed below relating to one or more illustrated embodiments may be incorporated individually or in any combination into any of the above aspects of the invention. The brief summary presented above is intended to familiarize the reader with specific aspects and context of the embodiments disclosed herein and does not limit the claimed subject matter. Summary of the Invention

[0010] The following outlines some of the embodiments disclosed herein. It should be understood that these aspects are presented merely to provide the reader with a concise overview of these particular embodiments, and are not intended to limit the scope of this disclosure. In fact, this disclosure may cover many aspects not set forth below.

[0011] Recent advancements in radio frequency (RF) network deployment have spurred the development of management entities to manage the allocation of shared radio spectrum among network operators. For example, newly developed communication standards provide shared (e.g., public) bandwidth pools of radio spectrum, such as Citizens Broadband Radio Service (CBRS) bands, shared among multiple network operators. Thus, management entities associated with the management of these shared bandwidth pools, such as Spectrum Access System (SAS) entities, 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, and SAS entities may be provided by regulatory bodies, government agencies, corporate oversight entities, etc.

[0012] A shared bandwidth pool can be divided into fixed-width spectrum allocations among requesting network operators. However, as mentioned above, fixed-width allocation of radio spectrum cannot 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.

[0013] Dynamic bandwidth allocation enables the utilization of radio spectrum based on the dynamic allocation of resources. In this way, the SAS entity can allocate radio spectrum resources among requesting network operators based on current and / or anticipated network load, thereby allowing for efficient resource allocation by assigning resources based on maximum determined demand. Thus, the SAS entity can adjust spectrum allocation as the load on the access network increases or decreases.

[0014] In some cases, requests from network operators may include indications of anticipated or current load, and / or may indicate the requested amount of bandwidth determined by the network operator based on changes in anticipated network load. In addition, or alternatively, the SAS entity may allocate portions of the radio spectrum based on the geographic location of the network operator and / or the network operator's radio access nodes, existing services expected to be provided by each network operator (e.g., provided by indicators of future and / or current bandwidth demand), the assigned priority of each network operator, and so on.

[0015] While sharing a resource pool can lead to more efficient resource allocation because resources are allocated based on network operator usage and / or priority rather than fixed allocation, these spectrum allocation methods may present problems when network operators implement Dynamic Spectrum Sharing (DSS) operations. For example, some network operators may communicate exclusively through a first network (e.g., 4G / LTE), some may communicate exclusively through a second network (e.g., 5G / NR), and some network operators using DSS operations may use two or more networks for communication and thus benefit from sharing spectrum among two or more networks. To share spectrum among multiple network types, such as 4G or LTE networks, 5G or NR networks, the different configurations of each network should be considered and accommodated. The first network may use a first grating alignment (e.g., 100 kHz), while the 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.

[0016] DSS operation allows network operators using base stations to dynamically share portions of the radio spectrum between communications occurring through a first network and communications occurring through a second network, resulting in improved spectrum utilization. This improvement in spectrum utilization stems from providing network operators with a single spectrum allocation to be shared between the two networks, rather than two separate allocations for each network. However, as mentioned above, the center frequency and / or grating must be compatible with both networks before network operators can share spectrum allocations. Therefore, the SAS entity assigning portions of the spectrum may inadvertently prevent operators from communicating on both networks at a base station, such as when the SAS entity assigns a portion of the spectrum compatible with one network but incompatible with the other. In practice, systems and methods are desirable that allow network operators to instruct the SAS entity when they anticipate using DSS operation, enabling the SAS entity to allocate portions of the radio spectrum (e.g., frequency range, channel) to suit the corresponding network configuration.

[0017] Enabling network operators to notify SAS entities of spectrum preferences and / or anticipated operations can lead to efficient deployment of communication networks, as SAS entities can assign portions of spectrum based on spectrum preferences and / or anticipated operations, thereby reducing the possibility that SAS entities may inadvertently prevent network operators from implementing DSS operations.

[0018] Thus, when a network operator specifies to the SAS entity that a base station should perform communication on a first network (e.g., 4G / LTE) instead of a second network (e.g., 5G / NR), the SAS entity can allocate a portion of the spectrum aligned with the grating (e.g., a 100kHz grating) assigned to the first network communication. When an operator specifies to the SAS entity that a base station should perform communication on a second network instead of the first network communication, the SAS entity can allocate a portion of the spectrum aligned with the grating (e.g., a 30kHz or 15kHz grating) assigned to the first network communication. Furthermore, when an operator specifies to the SAS entity that a base station should perform dynamic spectrum sharing to communicate using both the first network (e.g., 4G / LTE) and the second network (e.g., 5G / NR), the SAS entity can allocate a portion of the spectrum aligned with the grating (e.g., a 300kHz grating) assigned to both the first and second network communications.

[0019] Furthermore, if the SAS entity cannot allocate a portion of the spectrum that is grating-aligned with both the first and second network communications (e.g., because this portion has already been allocated), the SAS entity may allocate a portion of the spectrum that is not grating-aligned with both the first and second network communications. Alternatively, if the frequency band may not be managed by the SAS entity, the base station may allocate a portion of the spectrum that is not grating-aligned with both the first and second network communications to the network operator managing the base station (e.g., again, because this portion has already been allocated). In either case, the base station may shift the center frequency on the allocated spectrum portion so that the center frequency is grating-aligned with both the first and second network communications, thereby enabling DSS operation on the allocated spectrum portion.

[0020] Various modifications to the above-described features may exist with respect to various aspects of the invention. Other features may also be incorporated into these aspects. These modifications and additional features may exist individually or in any combination. For example, various features discussed below relating to one or more illustrated embodiments may be incorporated individually or in any combination into any of the above aspects of the invention. The brief summary presented above is intended to familiarize the reader with specific aspects and context of the embodiments disclosed herein and does not limit the claimed subject matter. Attached Figure Description

[0021] A better understanding of the various aspects of this disclosure can be achieved by reading the following detailed description and referring to the accompanying drawings, in which:

[0022] Figure 1 This is a schematic block diagram of an electronic device including a transceiver according to an embodiment of this disclosure;

[0023] Figure 2 It means Figure 1 A perspective view of a laptop computer representing a first embodiment of an electronic device;

[0024] Figure 3 It means Figure 1 A front view of a handheld device in a second embodiment of an electronic device;

[0025] Figure 4 It means Figure 1 A front view of another handheld device in a third embodiment of the electronic device;

[0026] Figure 5 It means Figure 1 A front view of a desktop computer in the fourth embodiment of an electronic device;

[0027] Figure 6 It means Figure 1A front view and a side view of a wearable electronic device according to a fifth embodiment of an electronic device;

[0028] Figure 7 It is an embodiment of the present disclosure and an electronic device such as Figure 1 A diagram of a base station for electronic device communication;

[0029] Figure 8 It is an implementation scheme according to this disclosure that can be used to... Figure 7 A diagram illustrating an exemplary spectrum assigned to a base station;

[0030] Figure 9A It is based on the implementation scheme of this disclosure. Figure 8 An illustration of an exemplary spectrum in which each spectrum allocation request is granted a first spectrum allocation;

[0031] Figure 9B It is based on the implementation scheme of this disclosure. Figure 8 An illustration of a second spectrum allocation in which at least some spectrum allocation requests were not granted;

[0032] Figure 10 It is a user equipment (e.g., according to an embodiment of this disclosure) Figure 1 electronic devices) Figure 8 A flowchart of a method for communicating using a portion of the spectrum allocated to the spectrum (e.g., the assigned channel);

[0033] Figure 11 It is an embodiment of the present disclosure for operating a base station to request and implement Figure 8 A flowchart of the method for allocating a portion of the spectrum;

[0034] Figure 12 It is an entity for operating a spectrum access system (SAS) to allocate spectrum to base stations according to an embodiment of this disclosure. Figure 8 A flowchart of the method for the spectrum portion;

[0035] Figure 13 The entity for operating the Spectrum Access System (SAS) according to the embodiments of this disclosure is determined. Figure 8 A flowchart of the method for assigning a portion of the spectrum to a base station;

[0036] Figure 14A It is an assignment according to an embodiment of this disclosure that is aligned with a grating for implementing Dynamic Spectrum Sharing (DSS) operation. Figure 7 An illustration of an exemplary spectrum of a base station;

[0037] Figure 14B The allocation has been made according to the implementation scheme of this disclosure. Figure 7 The base station and has been built by Figure 7 An illustration of an exemplary spectrum of the center frequency for base station offset to achieve DSS operation; and

[0038] Figure 15 It is an implementation scheme according to this disclosure for operation Figure 7 The flowchart illustrates a method for implementing DSS operation by shifting the center frequency of a channel at a base station to align the center frequency with the grating assigned to the first and second network communications. Detailed Implementation

[0039] One or more specific embodiments of this disclosure will now be described. These described embodiments are examples of the technology currently disclosed. Furthermore, in an attempt to provide a brief description of these embodiments, not all characteristics of an actual embodiment may be described in this specification. It should be understood that in the development of any such actual embodiment, as in any engineering or design project, decisions specific to many embodiments must be made to achieve the developer’s specific objectives, such as compliance with system-related and business-related constraints that may vary from one embodiment to another. Moreover, it should be understood that such development work can be complex and time-consuming, but will still be routine work of design, fabrication, and manufacturing for those skilled in the art who benefit from this disclosure.

[0040] When describing elements of various embodiments of this disclosure, the articles “a” and “the” are intended to mean the presence of one or more of the elements. The terms “comprising,” “including,” and “having” are intended to be included and mean that additional elements may be present in addition to the listed elements. Additionally, it should be understood that reference to “an embodiment” or “an embodiment” of this disclosure is not intended to be construed as excluding the existence of additional embodiments also incorporating the cited features.

[0041] This 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 the medium used to transmit information from a transmitter to a receiver. It should be noted that since the characteristics of the term "channel" can vary depending on different wireless protocols, the term "channel" as used herein can be considered to be used in a manner consistent with the standards used to characterize the device to which the term "channel" is referenced. In some standards, the channel width can be variable (e.g., depending on device capabilities, band conditions). For example, Long Term Evolution (LTE) networks can support scalable channel bandwidths from 1.4 MHz to 20 MHz. In contrast, Wireless Local Area Network (WLAN) channels can be 22 MHz wide, while... The channel can be 1 MHz wide. Other protocols and standards may include different definitions of the channel. Furthermore, 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. Additionally, as used herein, the term "band" has the full range of its ordinary meaning and includes at least a segment of spectrum (e.g., radio frequency spectrum) in which channels are used or reserved for the same purpose.

[0042] Furthermore, in additional or alternative embodiments, the processor of an electronic device (e.g., a base station) may instruct a Spectrum Access System (SAS) entity which type of network a network operator intends 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. In response to receiving an instruction from the network operator that it intends to deploy a network with spectrum sharing, the SAS entity may assign channels (or frequency ranges) compatible with two or more networks to the network operator, enabling the channels to be shared between two network types (e.g., 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 shift the center frequency of the channel to make the channel compatible with two or more networks. In light of the above, a general description of suitable electronic devices that may include such a processor is provided below.

[0043] First go to Figure 1 The electronic device 10 according to the embodiments of this disclosure may, among other things, include 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 may include hardware elements (including circuitry), software elements (including computer code stored on a computer-readable medium), or a combination of both hardware and software elements. Furthermore, combinations of elements may be contained in a tangible, non-transitory, machine-readable medium comprising machine-readable instructions. These instructions are executable by processor 12 and cause processor 12 to perform the operations described herein. It should be noted that... Figure 1 This is merely an example of a particular implementation and is intended to illustrate the types of components that may exist in electronic device 10.

[0044] For example, electronic device 10 can represent Figure 2 The laptop shown Figure 3 The handheld device shown Figure 4 The handheld device shown Figure 5 The desktop computer shown Figure 6The diagram shows a wearable electronic device or similar device. It should be noted that... Figure 1 The processor 12 and other related items herein may be generally referred to as "data processing circuitry". This data processing circuitry may be implemented wholly or partially in software, firmware, hardware, or any combination thereof. Furthermore, the data processing circuitry may be a single, contained processing module, or it may be wholly or partially integrated within any other element of the electronic device 10.

[0045] exist Figure 1 In the electronic device 10, the processor 12 may be operatively 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 may be stored in any suitable article of art, including one or more tangible computer-readable media, such as the memory 14 and the non-volatile storage device 16, that at least commonly store the instructions or routines. The memory 14 and the non-volatile storage device 16 may include any suitable article of art for storing data and executable instructions, such as random access memory, read-only memory, rewritable flash memory, hard disk drive, and optical disk. Additionally, programs (e.g., operating systems) encoded on such computer program products may also include instructions executable by the processor 12 to enable the electronic device 10 to provide various functions.

[0046] In some embodiments, display 18 may be a liquid crystal display (LCD) that facilitates viewing images generated on electronic device 10 by a user. In some embodiments, display 18 may include a touchscreen that facilitates user interaction with the user interface of electronic device 10. Furthermore, it should be understood 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.

[0047] Processor 12 (e.g., as part of or in the form of a controller) can operate circuitry to input or output data generated by electronic device 10. For example, processor 12 can control and / or operate memory 14, non-volatile storage device 16, display 18, input structure 22, input / output (I / O interface) 24, network interface 26, transceiver 28, power supply 30, etc., to perform operation of electronic device 10 and / or facilitate control over the operation of electronic device 10. Specifically, processor 12 can generate control signals for operating transceiver 28 to transmit data over one or more communication networks.

[0048] The input structure 22 of electronic device 10 allows a user to interact with electronic device 10 (e.g., pressing a button to increase or decrease the volume level). Like network interface 26, I / O interface 24 enables electronic device 10 to interact with various other electronic devices. Network interface 26 may include, for example, one or more interfaces for personal area networks (PANs) such as... Networks, local area networks (LANs), or wireless local area networks (WLANs) such as 802.11x Networks, and / or wide area networks (WANs) such as 3rd generation (3G) cellular networks, 4th generation (4G) cellular networks, LTE cellular networks, Long Term Evolution License Assisted Access (LTE-LAA) cellular networks, 5th generation (5G) cellular networks, or New Radio (NR) cellular networks. Network interface 26 may also include one or more interfaces, for example, for broadband fixed wireless access networks (e.g., Mobile broadband wireless network (mobile) Asynchronous digital subscriber lines (e.g., ADSL, VDSL) and digital video terrestrial broadcasting Network and its extension DVB handheld devices Networks, ultra-wideband (UWB) networks, AC power lines, etc.

[0049] In some implementations, electronic device 10 uses transceiver 28 via the aforementioned wireless network (e.g., move 4G 5G, etc., are used for communication. Transceiver 28 may include circuitry available in both wireless receiving and wireless transmitting of signals (e.g., data signals, wireless data signals, wireless carrier signals, RF signals), such as a transmitter and / or receiver. In fact, in some embodiments, transceiver 28 may include a transmitter and receiver combined into a single unit, or in other embodiments, transceiver 28 may include a transmitter separate from the receiver. Transceiver 28 can transmit and receive RF signals to support wireless applications such as, for example, PAN networks (e.g., 5G, etc.). ), WLAN networks (e.g., 802.11x) ), WAN networks (e.g., 3G, 4G, 5G, NR and (and LTE-LAA cellular network) Network, Mobile Network, ADSL and VDSL networks, and Voice and / or data communication in networks, UWB networks, etc. As further shown, electronic device 10 may include power supply 30. 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.

[0050] In some embodiments, electronic device 10 may take the form of a computer, portable electronic device, wearable electronic device, or other type of electronic device. Such a computer may be a typically portable computer (such as a laptop, notebook computer, and tablet computer) and / or a computer typically used in one location (such as a desktop computer, workstation, and / or server). In some embodiments, electronic device 10 in the form of a computer may be a product purchased from Apple Inc., Cupertino, California. PRO, MacBook mini or MAC Model. For example, according to one embodiment of this disclosure, in Figure 2 The image shows an electronic device 10 in the form of a laptop computer 10A. The laptop computer 10A may include a casing or housing 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 touchpad) 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 facilitates user interaction with the user interface, GUI, and / or application interface displayed on the display 18.

[0051] Figure 3 A front view of a handheld device 10B is depicted, representing one embodiment of an electronic device 10. The handheld device 10B may represent, for example, a portable telephone, media player, personal data manager, handheld gaming platform, or any combination of such devices. By way of example, the handheld device 10B may be a product purchased from Apple Inc. in Cupertino, California. or Handheld device 10B may include a housing 36 to protect internal components from physical damage and to shield them from electromagnetic interference. The housing 36 may enclose the display 18. I / O interface 24 can be opened through the housing 36 and may include, for example, I / O ports for hardwired connections to allow charging and / or content manipulation using connectors and protocols such as the Lightning connector supplied by Apple Inc. of Cupertino, California, Universal Serial Bus (USB), or other similar connectors and protocols.

[0052] The input structure 22, in conjunction with the display 18, enables 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, display a user-editable application screen, and / or activate the voice recognition features of the handheld device 10B. Other input structures 22 may provide volume control or switch between vibration and ringtone modes. The input structure 22 may 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 may also include a headphone input for enabling input from external speakers and / or headphones.

[0053] Figure 4 A front view of another handheld device 10C is depicted, representing another embodiment of electronic device 10. Handheld device 10C can represent, for example, a tablet computer, or one of various portable computing devices. By way of example, handheld device 10C can be a tablet-sized embodiment of electronic device 10, specifically, for example, a device purchased from Apple Inc. in Cupertino, California. Handheld device.

[0054] See Figure 5 Computer 10D can represent Figure 1 Another embodiment of the electronic device 10. The computer 10D can be any computer, such as a desktop computer, server, or laptop computer, and / or can be a standalone media player or video game console. For example, the computer 10D could be Apple Inc. of Cupertino, California. Or other similar devices. It should be noted that computer 10D may also refer to a personal computer (PC) from another manufacturer. Housing 36 may protect and enclose the internal components of computer 10D, such as display 18. In some embodiments, a user of computer 10D may interact with computer 10D using various peripheral input devices operatively coupled to computer 10D, such as keyboard 22A or mouse 22B (e.g., input structure 22).

[0055] Similarly, Figure 6 Depicting the representation Figure 1 Another embodiment of the electronic device 10 is a wearable electronic device 10E. By way of example, the wearable electronic device 10E, which may include a wristband 43, could be Apple Inc. of Cupertino, California. 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, accelerometer, 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, OLED display, an active-matrix organic light-emitting diode (AMOLED) display, etc.) and a touchscreen version of the input structure 22, which facilitates user interaction with the user interface of the wearable electronic device 10E. In some embodiments, as described above, each embodiment of the electronic device 10 (e.g., laptop 10A, handheld device 10B, handheld device 10C, computer 10D, and wearable electronic device 10E) may include a transceiver 28.

[0056] In view of the above, Figure 7 This is an illustration of an access network node communicating with electronic device 10 according to an embodiment of this disclosure. The access network node may include devices such as eNodeBs (eNBs) for Long Term Evolution (LTE) access networks and / or next-generation NodeBs (gNBs) for 5th Generation (5G) access networks. For ease of discussion, eNBs and gNBs, as well as any other network nodes used in various other communication networks, are referred to as base stations 50 (e.g., base station 50A, base station 50B). Figure 7 User equipment (UE), such as electronic device 52 (which may include electronic device 10), is also depicted. Each of base station 50 and / or electronic device 52 may have one or more components similar to electronic device 10, and may therefore include control circuitry (such as processor 12) and / or memory circuitry (such as memory 14 and / or non-volatile storage device 16), which may operate together to enable base station 50 and / or electronic device 52 to perform corresponding operations, respectively.

[0057] It should be noted that user equipment capable of communicating with base station 50 may include any of a variety 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, smartphone, portable gaming device, laptop, wearable device, etc. Generally speaking, the terms "user equipment," "UE," or "UE device" can be broadly defined to encompass any electronic, computing, and / or telecommunications equipment (or combination of equipment) that can be transported by a user and is capable of wireless communication, including electronic device 52.

[0058] Network operator 54 (used interchangeably with "network provider") may use base station 50 as a physical communication node to deploy a radio network managed by network operator 54 on one or more cells (e.g., areas) managed by each respective base station 50. Specifically, each base station in base station 50 may be associated with one or more cells or areas, and thus may provide access to the radio network to 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 range of its common meaning and includes at least a wireless communication station installed at a location for communication as part of a wireless telephone system or radio system such as a radio network managed by a network operator.

[0059] Base station 50 and electronic device 52 can communicate using any of a variety of Radio Access Technologies (RATs) (also known as wireless communication technologies or telecommunications standards) via a transmission medium (e.g., air, atmosphere, water), 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), LTE-Advanced (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, Evolved 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 alternatively be 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 alternatively be referred to as "gNodeB" or "gNB".

[0060] Therefore, base station 50 can act as a "serving cell" for electronic device 52 that is set up or located (e.g., logically or physically) within a cell, where a cell can be defined as a location where base station 50 is located or nearby (e.g., at a threshold distance from base station 50). In practice, each serving cell can use a subset of the radio spectrum (sometimes called a "subcarrier") dedicated to that communication coupling to communicate with user equipment. Subcarriers can be dedicated to communication between electronic device 52 and network operator 54 via base station 50 (such as base station 50B). In some cases, subcarriers are interchangeably referred to as "component carriers," "subcarriers," and / or "subchannels," and can be managed by base station 50B. Thus, base station 50B, as the serving cell, acts as a radio access point on behalf of network operator 54 to enable communication between network operator 54 and electronic device 52 when electronic device 52 is located within the boundary (e.g., a logically defined boundary, a volumetrically defined boundary, or a region-defined boundary) of a cell managed by network operator 54 via the corresponding base station 50.

[0061] When deploying one or more networks on behalf of a network operator, base station 50 may communicate with user equipment (e.g., electronic device 52) using a first network (e.g., 4G / LTE), a second network (e.g., 5G / NR), or both. For example, base station 50B may communicate with electronic device 52A using the first network (e.g., 4G / LTE) and with second electronic device 52B (e.g., additional user equipment) using the second network (e.g., 5G / NR) when it is capable of performing DSS operation and / or when allocating two portions of radio spectrum (e.g., one portion for the first network and another portion for the second network). Since there is a finite number of frequencies within the spectrum, network deployment is more efficient when the Spectrum Access System (SAS) entity 56 assigns frequency ranges compatible with communication on both the first and second networks (or any number of shared networks) to enable communication using both the first and second networks (or any number of shared networks). When using frequencies compatible with both, such as when the frequency range is aligned with the spectral gratings of both the first and second networks, the respective base stations in base station 50 can use both networks without resetting the communication channel (e.g., adjusting the frequency range) when changing the network used for communication.

[0062] It should be noted that these systems and methods can be used to deploy networks of different types than 4G / LTE or 5G / NR. For example, these systems and methods can be used to provide spectrum shared between 2G, 3G, and 4G networks, or any other suitable combination of networks. It should also be noted that... Figure 7Several variations of the communication interconnection between network operator 54, base station 50, SAS entity 56, and electronic device 52 are illustrated. Thus, any suitable communication coupling can 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; however, in another network system, network operator 54 may sometimes communicate with SAS entity 56 via a base station or exclusively with SAS entity 56. Other combinations of these communication couplings not depicted are also compatible with the description herein.

[0063] In detail, Figure 8 This is an illustration of an exemplary radio spectrum 70 that can be assigned to base station 50 according to embodiments of this disclosure. When communicating with electronic device 52, the corresponding base station (e.g., base station 50B) can transmit messages on a subset or “sub-spectrum” of the total radio spectrum (e.g., spectrum, frequency spectrum). In some embodiments, several portions 72 of the total radio spectrum 70 (e.g., portions 72A, portions 72B) may be reserved for federal purposes (e.g., for government use), while another portion 74 of the total radio spectrum 70 may be shared among multiple network operators, such as existing access operators, priority access operators, and / or general licensed access operators. In practice, portion 74 may be dedicated to general-purpose and / or open access bands, such as Citizens Broadband Radio Service (CBRS) bands. Portion 74 may be divided into any number of channels 76, each of which may be assigned to one or more network operators. In some cases, when prioritizing the allocation of spectrum portion 74, various network operators may each correspond to an assigned priority used by SAS entity 56. For example, when determining the sequence or order of allocating one or more channels 76 to each network operator, SAS entity 56 may determine that existing access operators are granted a higher priority than priority access operators, and priority access operators are granted a higher priority than general authorized access operators.

[0064] Channel 76 can be defined by SAS entity 56 via channel parameters 78, including a center frequency 78A and a bandwidth 78B. The bandwidth 78B can be defined by a frequency band, which may include one or more frequency ranges and is defined by a lower limit frequency and an upper limit frequency. Channel gratings 80 can define the channel center frequency 78A of each channel. Thus, because channel 76 has different frequency increments between channel gratings 80, different networks with different channel width configurations can use various channels within channel 76. That is, when a corresponding channel 76 is dynamically allocated to a network operator, SAS entity 56 can dynamically set the channel gratings 80 to the channel center frequency 78A.

[0065] Furthermore, each channel 76 can be further subdivided into sub-channels (not shown), each of which may have a corresponding center frequency and a corresponding bandwidth. Messages transmitted using frequencies within the same frequency band (e.g., channel 76) but using separate sub-channels (e.g., component carriers) with different frequency ranges within the same frequency band can be transmitted without cross-interference (e.g., simultaneously).

[0066] Some frequency ranges may be defined by standards bodies (e.g., standards generated by the 3rd Generation Partnership Project (3GPP) standards body or development group) for specific purposes (e.g., objectives) and / or for specific types of communication. That is, standards bodies may define frequency bands for different communication protocols and / or communication networks, and thus may include different frequency bands for 3rd generation (3G), 4th generation (4G), 5th generation (5G), etc. For example, frequencies between 24 GHz and 48 GHz may be reserved for 5G / NR network communication. However, as shown, narrow bands (e.g., frequencies between 3.5 GHz and 3.6 GHz, frequencies between 3550 MHz and 3650 MHz) may be reserved as general-purpose bands (e.g., portion 74), such as the CBRS band corresponding to the aforementioned spectrum portion 74.

[0067] In practice, both the first network operator deploying the first network (e.g., a 4G / LTE network) and the second network operator deploying the second network (e.g., a 5G / NR network) can use a common frequency band for communication. SAS entity 56 can arbitrate access to portions of radio spectrum 74 (e.g., based on the respective network) among various network operators requesting access to corresponding portions of radio spectrum 74. Each network operator can submit preferences to SAS entity 56 when communicating via the requested frequency band in the spectrum grant request. SAS entity 56 can consider preferences when assigning channels 76, but may additionally or alternatively consider the relative priority of the requesting network operators.

[0068] Therefore, the currently disclosed technology enables network operators to notify SAS entity 56 of their respective communication capabilities and preferences when requesting channel 76 for their network. This may include, for example, enhancing the grant request message transmitted to SAS entity 56 when the network operator requests the allocation of spectrum portion 74. The network operator may enhance the grant request message with information indicating to SAS entity 56 the type of network used by the network operator (e.g., DSS deployment, non-DSS deployment).

[0069] To request channel 76, a network operator may use one of the base stations 50 (such as base station 50B) to transmit a registration request to SAS entity 56 and receive a confirmation of registration from SAS entity 56. The network operator may continue using base station 50B by transmitting a spectrum grant request including usage type parameters. The network operator may additionally or alternatively transmit additional information about communication capabilities and preferences for reference by SAS entity 56 when allocating a channel to the network operator using base station 50B. The usage type parameters may indicate which network the network operator intends to use (e.g., a first network, a second network, or both in DSS operation). SAS entity 56 may respond to the network operator via base station 50B to confirm receipt of the spectrum grant request. SAS entity 56 may transmit the spectrum allocation to the network operator via base station 50B after determining which channel 76 to allocate to the network operator based on the usage type parameters and / or additional information included in the spectrum grant request. For example, the spectrum allocation sent by SAS entity 56 may include an indication of channel 76 defined as a frequency range to be used for communication.

[0070] In detail, Figure 9A It is determined by SAS entity 56 according to the implementation scheme of this disclosure that Figure 8 The illustration shows an exemplary operation of a first spectrum allocation, in which corresponding channels 76 of spectrum 70 are assigned to multiple network operators 92. A first operator 92A (e.g., a corresponding network operator of network operator 92) may correspond to the highest priority of SAS entity 56, a second operator 92B, a third operator 92C, and a fourth operator 92D may each correspond to a medium priority of SAS entity 56, and the remaining operators (e.g., a fifth operator 92E, a sixth operator 92F, and a seventh operator 92G) may correspond to the lowest priority of SAS entity 56. Each operator 92 may request spectrum allocation from SAS entity 56 based on which communication operations the respective operator's network expects to perform and the desired bandwidth. In this example, operator 92 requests spectrum allocation in its respective spectrum grant request 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). SAS entity 56, in response to the spectrum grant request, 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 respective operator 92, and assigns that channel to the respective operator 92.

[0071] A grating defines a reference radio frequency within a frequency range that can be used to identify uplink and downlink channel locations for a given network type of a specific network operator. The center frequency of each channel can be a multiple of the grating. The grating may include frequency intervals used by the UE to scan channel 76 to synchronize with the network, identify itself with the network, and acquire knowledge about the network the UE is attempting to connect to.

[0072] Thus, each channel available for assignment to a specific network operator corresponds to a multiple of the grating used to specify the network type the operator intends to deploy. For example, when an operator deploys a 4G / LTE network, the grating used is 100kHz, while when deploying a 5G / NR network, the grating used is 15kHz or 30kHz, depending on the operational strategy for assigning channels based on, for example, the details of the network deployment and / or the definition of SAS entity 56. Since different network types can communicate using relatively narrowband or wideband communication, different networks can use different gratings to define the eligible channels to be allocated to the respective network operators.

[0073] In detail, the first operator 92A may request, via a spectrum grant request, a channel 76 (e.g., compatible with both LTE and NR communications) compatible with DSS operation for both the first and second networks, and a bandwidth allocation of at least 20 MHz from the SAS entity 56. Based on the request for a DSS-compatible channel, the SAS entity 56 may identify which channel of the channel 76 is characterized by a center frequency aligned with the gratings for the first network and the second network. For example, the SAS entity 56 may assign to the first operator 92A a 20 MHz frequency range identified as DSS-compatible, 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). Specifically, channel 94 is compatible with DSS operation for both 4G / LTE and 5G / NR networks because its center frequency of 3600MHz (i.e., 3,600,000kHz) is aligned with a 300kHz grating, which is a multiple of both the 100kHz grating for 4G / LTE networks and the 15kHz or 30kHz grating for 5G / NR networks. That is, channel 94 is characterized (e.g., including) a center frequency aligned with a grating that is a multiple of the respective gratings for the first and second networks. Figure 9A and Figure 8 In comparison, Channel 94 extends beyond Figure 8 The 10MHz channel shown is an example, channel 76. Therefore, SAS entity 56 can allocate any portion of spectrum portion 74 to any operator that SAS entity 56 deems suitable.

[0074] The second operator 92B and the third operator 92C may request, via a corresponding spectrum grant request, a corresponding channel 76 compatible with DSS operation (e.g., compatible with both LTE and NR communications), and a bandwidth allocation of at least 10 MHz from the SAS entity 56. The SAS entity 56 may assign channel 96 to the second operator 92B and channel 98 to the third operator 92C, each channel (e.g., channel 96, channel 98) being compatible with DSS operation (e.g., raster alignment 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 and 98 are compatible with DSS operation for 4G / LTE and 5G / NR networks because the center frequencies of 3555MHz (i.e., 3,555,000kHz) and 3615MHz (i.e., 3,615,000kHz) are aligned with a 300kHz grating, which is a multiple of both the 100kHz grating for 4G / LTE networks and the 15kHz or 30kHz grating for 5G / NR networks.

[0075] The fourth operator 92D may request LTE-compatible channel 76 and a bandwidth allocation of at least 20 MHz from SAS entity 56 via a spectrum grant request. 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 SAS entity 56 for the fourth operator 92D because a center frequency of 3580 MHz (i.e., 3,580,000 kHz) is aligned with one of a number of qualified center frequencies for use with LTE communication (e.g., grating alignment at 100 kHz designated for LTE communication), but not assigned to one of a number of qualified center frequencies for use with NR communication, and therefore cannot be used for NR communication. It should be noted that the 20 MHz allocation (e.g., channel 100, channel 94) is described as... Figure 9AThe 10MHz allocation (e.g., channel 96) is approximately twice the width of the 10MHz allocation. SAS entity 56 may assign 10MHz allocations to its operators (e.g., fifth operator 92E, sixth operator 92F, and seventh operator 92G) at center frequencies of 3625MHz (e.g., channel 102), 3635MHz (e.g., channel 104), and 3645MHz (e.g., channel 106) in response to preferences submitted by other operators via corresponding spectrum grant requests. Specifically, preferences submitted by these operators may have indicated that fifth operator 92E, sixth operator 92F, and seventh operator 92G each expect 10MHz channels available for non-DSS LTE private network deployments (e.g., communications). Channels (such as channel 102, channel 104, and channel 106) may be considered unassigned frequency ranges before being assigned to one of the network operators. 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. Furthermore, 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. It should be noted 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, SAS entity 56 may assign more than one channel 76 to the network operator to allocate a relatively large frequency range to the network operator.

[0076] However, in some cases, SAS entity 56 may not be able to grant every request and / or indicated preference to every network operator. For example, Figure 9B This is an illustration of a second spectrum allocation example according to an embodiment of this disclosure. Assume the discussion is related to... Figure 9A With the same priority and the same request to each operator 92, in some cases, SAS entity 56 changes the allocation and does not grant the exact allocation requested.

[0077] For example, a first operator 92A may request a spectrum grant request for a DSS-compatible channel 76 (e.g., compatible with both LTE and NR communications), along with a bandwidth allocation of at least 20 MHz. Conversely, SAS entity 56 may partially grant the first operator 92A's request. This may occur, for example, when SAS entity 56 determines that a portion of spectrum portion 74 (e.g., channel 108) has already been allocated to a network operator (e.g., the eighth operator 92H), where that portion (e.g., channel 108) may have otherwise matched the configuration indicated in the spectrum grant request from the first operator 92A. Therefore, SAS entity 56 may grant the first operator 92A a 10 MHz channel with a center frequency of 3645 MHz as channel 110, instead of channel 94 (e.g., Figure 9A The example shown is a 20MHz channel with a center frequency of 3600MHz. SAS entity 56 can determine that a center frequency of 3645MHz is compatible with DSS operation because the 3645MHz center frequency is aligned with the gratings of both LTE and NR communications (e.g., the 300kHz grating for DSS operation used in LTE and NR communications). This is to allow for the use of spectrum portion 74 compared to that used in the first operator 92A. Figure 9A In the middle, channel 94 frees up space for the relatively higher frequency channel 110, and SAS entity 56 can be as follows: Figure 9A The same allocation is used for channel assignments for other operators 92, except for those for the fifth operator 92E, the sixth operator 92F, and the seventh operator 92G. These channel assignments can continue to be 10MHz allocations that are compatible with LTE communication but incompatible with NR communication (due to the grating alignment of the center frequency). However, SAS entity 56 can offset the channel assignments to center frequencies of 3625MHz (e.g., channel 104), 3635MHz (e.g., channel 106), and 3565MHz (e.g., channel 102), respectively. It should be noted that SAS entity 56 moving channel 102 to a frequency lower than channel 104 or channel 106 is merely an example, and SAS entity 56 may alternatively perform offsets in any order or not at all.

[0078] As described above, base station 50, acting as an agent and / or representative actor of network operator 54 (e.g., network provider), may transmit communication preferences to SAS entity 56 when registering (e.g., requesting) spectrum allocation to spectrum 70 for communication with user equipment requesting access to the network deployed by network operator 54. Thus, reference Figures 10 to 13 The described methods detail the communications and / or operator information of user equipment, base stations, and SAS entity 56 to provide further illustration of these systems. Figure 10This is a flowchart of a method 120 for operating user equipment (e.g., electronic device 10, electronic device 52) to communicate using an allocated portion (e.g., an assigned channel) of spectrum 70, according to embodiments of this disclosure. It should be noted that although depicted in a specific order, the blocks of method 120 can be performed in any suitable order, and at least some blocks can 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, such as one or more processors in processor 12, can perform some or all of the operations of method 120.

[0079] At box 122, electronic device 52 detects one of the base stations 50. For ease of discussion, method 120 is discussed with reference to electronic device 52 as an exemplary user equipment and base station 50B as an exemplary radio access node (e.g., an exemplary base station). Electronic device 52 can detect base station 50B in many different ways, including, for example, by receiving one or more signals transmitted from base station 50B. As discussed above, Figure 7 Each of the illustrated base stations 50 may correspond to one or more network operators 54. A 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 corresponding base stations in 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 up or located within its serving cell as discussed above.

[0080] At box 124, electronic device 52 transmits a registration request to base station 50B. Electronic device 52 may transmit the registration request in response to detecting base station 50B. The registration request may be associated with registering or authenticating the subscriber identification module (SIM) card of electronic device 52 with base station 50B and / or with network operator 54 deploying a radio network using base station 50B. Base station 50B may use information from the registration request, such as an identifier and / or authentication key, to verify that electronic device 52 is permitted to communicate using the radio network.

[0081] At box 126, electronic device 52 receives a communication configuration including a spectrum allocation assignment from base station 50B. The spectrum allocation assignment may correspond to the assignment determined by SAS entity 56, and therefore may correspond to a reference. Figures 8 to 9BOne of the many channels 76. In some cases, the spectrum allocation assignment indication corresponds to the center frequency of the channel 76 assigned for communication. However, in other cases, electronic device 52 may receive an indication of a subcarrier of channel 76, specifically allocated by base station 50B, for communication with electronic device 52. The subcarrier indication may correspond to a frequency range within the corresponding channel 76 to be used for communication between electronic device 52 and base station 50B (where other electronic devices communicating with base station 50B may use different subcarriers of channel 76 to transmit messages). The communication configuration may also include other definitions of uplink allocation timing, downlink allocation timing, communication time slots, and / or timing, for reference by electronic device 52 when scheduling transmission or reception operations.

[0082] At box 128, electronic device 52 uses spectrum allocation assignment to communicate with base station 50B. In practice, electronic device 52 can communicate at least partially concurrently or simultaneously with one or more other electronic devices 10 with which base station 50B communicates. Electronic device 52 can align messages used for uplink operation to a center frequency associated with the center frequency of the subcarrier and / or channel 76 indicated by the spectrum allocation assignment. Furthermore, when downlink communication is received, electronic device 52 can anticipate that messages will be downloaded using the center frequency.

[0083] In order to explain in detail the complementary operation of method 120 relative to base station 50, Figure 11 This is a flowchart of a method 140 for operating a corresponding base station (such as base station 50B) in base station 50 to request and use an allocated portion of radio spectrum 70, according to an embodiment of this disclosure. It should be noted that although depicted in a specific order, the blocks of method 140 can be performed in any suitable order, and at least some blocks can be skipped entirely. As described herein, method 140 is described as being performed by base station 50B; however, it should be understood that any suitable processing and / or control circuitry can perform some or all of the operations of method 140, such as electronic equipment 10 that may include base station 50. Therefore, the operation of method 140 can be performed by one or more processors 12.

[0084] At box 142, base station 50B receives a registration request from electronic device 52 and transmits an instruction to network operator 54 regarding the registration request (or a modified version thereof) to verify that electronic device 52 is qualified to communicate with base station 50B. This instruction may include at least some of the information conveyed in the registration request, including authentication information stored on the SIM card of electronic device 52 (e.g., a SIM card identifier used to identify the device as an authorized user equipment) for use by network operator 54 and / or base station 50B when verifying electronic device 52. For example, network operator 54 may verify that electronic device 52 is authorized to communicate on its network. In practice, when electronic device 52 enters the boundary of a corresponding cell, base station 50B may receive a registration request requesting to initiate communication with electronic device 52. Electronic device 52 may transmit a registration request to base station 50B in response to determining that electronic device 52 itself is within the boundary of a cell managed (e.g., served) by base station 50B, or in response to a registration request received from base station 50B. In practice, in some cases, base station 50B may transmit a registration request to electronic device 52 to indicate that user equipment has entered a service cell managed by network operator 54.

[0085] At box 144, base station 50B receives confirmation of registration from network operator 54. That is, network operator 54 can confirm that electronic device 52 has registered to the network managed by network operator 54. In some cases, this operation can be skipped, such as when base station 50B communicates with other base stations 50 regarding the registration status of electronic device 52 to the network (e.g., to bypass each corresponding authentication operation after verifying electronic device 52 once).

[0086] At block 146, base station 50B transmits a spectrum grant request to SAS entity 56 and may receive a channel allocation assignment from SAS entity 56 in response to the request. The spectrum grant request may include usage type parameters indicating the operation to be performed by network operator 54 via base station 50B, and more specifically indicating whether network operator 54 expects to perform DSS operation or non-DSS operation and indicating which network operator 54 wants to use. In some embodiments, the transmission of the spectrum grant request may occur prior to at least some of the operations at block 142, such as in response to initial power-on of base station 50B and / or detection of a first electronic device 52. Once determined, the channel allocation assignment can be used for multiple communication operations between multiple electronic devices 52, such as until the channel allocation assignment period and / or a message instructing base station 50B to suspend (or stop) the use of the channel allocation assignment is received from SAS entity 56. This may occur, for example, in response to a higher-priority network operator 54 requesting the same channel allocation assignment as the assigned channel assignment. The assignable channel assignment fulfills the operation indicated via the usage type parameters to satisfy any suitable grating requirements.

[0087] At box 148, base station 50B determines the spectrum allocation assignment for electronic device 52 based on channel allocation assignment. Thus, base station 50B can assign sub-channels according to the bandwidth of channel 76 indicated by the channel allocation assignment specified by SAS entity 56 to network operator 54. Base station 50B can determine the sub-channel based on which next sub-channel to use, the priority of electronic device 52 relative to other devices in the network, etc. In some cases, base station 50B can assign the entire channel 76 to user equipment, or it can assign two or more sub-channels of channel 76 to user equipment. Furthermore, in some cases, base station 50B can change the width of the sub-channel assigned to user equipment. For example, a first user equipment may be assigned a channel with a bandwidth of 3 MHz, and a second user equipment may be assigned a channel with a bandwidth of 5 MHz.

[0088] At box 150, base station 50B transmits a communication configuration to electronic device 52, including a spectrum allocation assignment for electronic device 52. The communication configuration may include other information, such as indications of downlink allocation, uplink allocation, and the duration of a valid sub-channel assignment. For example, base station 50B may access the communication configuration corresponding to electronic device 52 (at a later time during communication with electronic device 52) to determine that a message is incoming from a first user equipment (i.e., to determine that an uplink allocation is imminent). In response to determining that a message is incoming, base station 50B may suspend the transmission of another message to electronic device 52 (e.g., downlink communication may be suspended so as not to interrupt or interfere with uplink communication from electronic device 52). Base station 50B may then receive messages from electronic device 52, such as via a sub-channel assigned to electronic device 52 in the communication configuration (e.g., spectrum allocation assignment). Base station 50B can also access communication configuration to determine when to schedule the next downlink allocation (e.g., to determine the upcoming downlink allocation that will start at the first time), and can transmit a message to electronic device 52 that is paused when the next downlink allocation begins (e.g., the paused message can be transmitted at the first time).

[0089] In order to explain in detail the complementary operations of methods 120 and 140 relative to SAS entity 56, Figure 12This is a flowchart of a method 164 for operating SAS entity 56 to allocate a portion of spectrum portion 74 to base station 50B according to an embodiment of this disclosure. It should be noted that although depicted in a specific order, the blocks of method 164 can be performed in any suitable order, and at least some blocks can be skipped entirely. As described herein, method 164 is described as being performed by SAS entity 56; however, it should be understood that any suitable processing and / or control circuitry can perform some or all of the operations of method 164, such as electronic device 10 acting as SAS entity 56 and using one or more processors from processor 12 to perform the operations of method 164.

[0090] At box 166, SAS entity 56 receives a spectrum grant request from base station 50B (e.g., in...). Figure 11 (Transmitted at box 146). The spectrum grant request may include information such as whether base station 50B is expected to perform DSS or non-DSS operation, one or more networks on which base station 50B is expected to communicate (e.g., 5G / NR and / or 4G / LTE), preferred bandwidth for channel allocation (e.g., 10MHz, 20MHz), etc. In practice, the spectrum grant request may include usage type parameters indicating the operation to be performed by network operator 54, such as whether the operation is DSS or non-DSS, and which network types network operator 54 will use (e.g., 5G / NR, 4G / LTE). The spectrum grant request may also include low-frequency and / or high-frequency bands of preferred frequency bands and / or identifiers of base station 50B and / or network operator 54. The identifiers may uniquely identify base station 50B and distinguish it from other base stations 50, and / or may include indications of network operator 54. The data included in the spectrum grant request may represent various data types and therefore may include data types such as strings, quantities, objects, booleans, null values, etc.

[0091] At box 168, SAS entity 56 confirms the association between base station 50B and network operator 54. Specifically, the spectrum grant request may include authentication parameters that enable SAS entity 56 to confirm the association between base station 50B and network operator 54. This may involve verifying that the identifier of base station 50B corresponds to a list of known associations between base station 50B and network operator 54.

[0092] At box 170, SAS entity 56 determines a channel allocation assignment for network operator 54 corresponding to base station 50B. To this end, SAS entity 56 may query its memory to determine whether a channel allocation assignment has already been provided to network operator 54, and if so, report the previously reported channel allocation assignment to base station 50B if the channel allocation assignment remains active and / or valid (e.g., has not timed out or expired due to operational changes or accumulated network demands from each network operator 54). 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, SAS entity 56 may assign more than one channel to network operator 54. Multiple channel assignments may be in response to parameters included in the spectrum grant request, in response to stored rules defining specific parameters to be followed or satisfied when assigning a channel to network operator 54, in response to SAS entity 56 receiving multiple spectrum grant requests from different base stations 50 of network operator 54, etc.

[0093] In practice, to this end, before determining which hypothetical assignment yields a relatively better result for network operator 54 (e.g., matching the highest number of preferences), SAS entity 56 can test different channels and determine the number of preferences satisfied by the hypothetical assignment to network operator 54. In practice, SAS entity 56 can use any suitable algorithm to satisfy the maximum or relatively high number of criteria or parameters in the spectrum allocation request. This also involves SAS entity 56 resolving any higher priority spectrum allocation requests before resolving the spectrum allocation request of base station 50B. However, it should also be noted that in some implementations, SAS entity 56 can resolve one or more spectrum allocation requests by determining the relatively best-case scenario that satisfies a higher number of preferences requested by multiple network operators 54.

[0094] For example, SAS entity 56 can identify unallocated channels for grating requirements of different networks corresponding to multiple spectrum grant requests. SAS entity 56 can compare each preference of multiple network operators 54 requesting assignments of unallocated channels. SAS entity 56 can resolve as many preferences as possible using hypothetical assignments to obtain a metric for preference grant (e.g., a percentage value indicating the total number of network operator 54 preferences satisfied divided by the total number of network operator 54 preferences). Then, once a threshold number of hypothetical assignments are generated, SAS entity 56 can formulate a hypothetical assignment corresponding to the metric for the relatively highest preference grant. When there is a tie between two or more hypothetical assignments (e.g., in the case where network operator 54 cannot fill 100% (100%) of the preferences), the final decision can be based on granting a higher priority network operator 54 channels that satisfy its relatively higher amount of preference and / or 100% of its preferences compared to satisfying the preferences of the lower priority network operator 54. This determination may involve SAS entity 56 acting on a “spectrum usage” parameter (e.g., UsageType) from the spectrum grant request and allocating spectrum on a corresponding grating compatible with the spectrum usage parameter. Furthermore, in some implementations, SAS entity 56 may prioritize certain parameters, such as based on its own priority, input from one of the base stations in base station 50, or both, and may determine channel assignment based on satisfying higher priority parameters before satisfying lower priority parameters.

[0095] At box 172, SAS entity 56 transmits a channel allocation assignment for network operator 54 to base station 50B, and at box 174, stores the channel allocation assignment in a memory associated with network operator 54 and / or base station 50B. That is, SAS entity 56 may store the indication of the channel allocation assignment in a memory associated with the identifier of base station 50B and / or network operator 54 (received at box 166).

[0096] To further elaborate on the operations that SAS entity 56 can perform to determine channel allocation assignments. Figure 13 It is for use in the implementation of the embodiments of this disclosure. Figure 12 The operation of block 170 of method 164 is a flowchart of method 190, which involves operating SAS entity 56 to determine the channel assigned to base station 50B. It should be noted that although depicted in a specific order, the blocks of method 190 can be performed in any suitable order, and at least some blocks can be skipped entirely. As described herein, method 190 is described as being performed by SAS entity 56; however, it should be understood that some or all of the operations of method 190 can be performed by any suitable processing and / or control circuitry, such as electronic devices 10 via one or more processors in processor 12.

[0097] SAS entity 56 can be found Figure 12 Box 170 defines the channel allocation assignment for network operator 54. When executing... Figure 12 During the operation of box 170, SAS entity 56 may determine whether the spectrum grant request includes an instruction from network operator 54 to use DSS operations. These determinations may include performing... Figure 13 The operation of method 190. In fact, after resolving any high-priority requests (e.g., requests from network operators 54 associated with relatively high priority channels), SAS entity 56 can... Figure 12 Box 170 continues to determine at box 194 whether the spectrum grant request corresponds to a DSS-related request (e.g., a request for a channel available for or compatible with DSS operation). However, in some embodiments, it should be noted that SAS entity 56 may assign channel allocations without first resolving the priority of the request, thereby using only the priority of network operator 54 to break a tie and / or determine the final assignment in the absence of a compromise arrangement.

[0098] In practice, at box 194, SAS entity 56 determines whether the spectrum grant request corresponds to a DSS-related request. For this purpose, SAS entity 56 may reference a usage type parameter (e.g., the "Spectrum Usage" parameter UsageType). For dual network option scenarios (e.g., 4G / LTE and 5G / NR), the usage type parameter can specify whether network operator 54 is requesting a channel compatible with the first network grating, the second network grating, or both. For example, the usage type parameter can identify "LTE," "NR," or "LTE / NRDSS" (e.g., a spectrum sharing flag). It should be noted 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 grating configuration.

[0099] In response to determining that the type parameter corresponds to DSS operation, at box 196, SAS entity 56 determines a channel allocation assignment compatible with the gratings of the first and second networks. For example, some specifications may define channels used for 4G / LTE 48 (e.g., n48) band communication as aligned with 100 kHz gratings, while channels used for 5G / NR 48 (e.g., n48) band communication will be aligned with 15 kHz or 30 kHz gratings. Therefore, when the type parameter indicates “LTE / NR DSS”, SAS entity 56 can assign a channel aligned with both the 4G / LTE and 5G / NR gratings (e.g., 300 kHz). For example, refer to... Figure 9ARegarding channel 94, SAS entity 56 can determine the preference of the first operator 92A for using DSS operation, and therefore assign channel 94 to the first operator 92A with a center frequency of 3600MHz, which is a multiple of the 300kHz grating. In some cases, SAS entity 56 may be unable to assign channel allocations compatible with the gratings of the first network and the second network because, for example, such channels have already been assigned. Therefore, SAS entity 56 may assign channel allocations incompatible with the gratings of the first network and the second network.

[0100] If SAS entity 56 determines that the type parameter does not correspond to a DSS operation, then at box 198, SAS entity 56 may determine whether the spectrum grant request corresponds to a first network-related request, such as whether the type parameter indicates "LTE". When SAS entity 56 determines that the spectrum grant request corresponds to a first network-related request, at box 200, SAS entity 56 determines a channel allocation assignment compatible with the grating of the first network, without concern for whether the channel is compatible with the grating of the second network. For example, SAS entity 56 may determine the channel as one aligned with a 100kHz grating used for LTE communication. For example, refer to... Figure 9A Channel 102, SAS entity 56 can determine the preference of the fifth operator 92E for using LTE operation instead of DSS operation, and thus assign the fifth operator 92E channel 102 with a center frequency of 3625MHz, which is a multiple of 100kHz (but not 15kHz or 30kHz, such as a grating that can be used for NR communication).

[0101] However, when SAS entity 56 determines at box 198 that the spectrum grant request does not correspond to a first network-related request, SAS entity 56 may default to determining that the spectrum grant request corresponds to a second network-related request and / or may determine that the type parameter indicates "NR". Therefore, when SAS entity 56 determines that the spectrum grant request corresponds to a second network-related request, at box 202, SAS entity 56 determines a channel allocation assignment compatible with the second network's grating, without concern about whether the channel is compatible with the first network's grating. For example, SAS entity 56 may determine a channel aligned with a 15kHz or 30kHz grating used for NR communication. After determining the channel allocation assignment, SAS entity 56 may continue execution. Figure 12 The operations of box 172 (e.g., performing the remaining operations of method 164).

[0102] Method 190 represents an exemplary method for determining channel allocation assignments for the provided network. Other methods may also be used. For example, in some cases, base station 50B may not include the usage type parameter in the spectrum grant request. In these cases, SAS entity 56 may reference rules indicating the operational preferences and / or expectations of each network operator 54. The rules may be stored in the memory (or storage device) of SAS entity 56. In some cases, the rules may be accessible by SAS entity 56 in a cloud-based storage system, and may also be accessible by one or more network operators 54, wherein network operators 54 can update their communication preferences individually by updating the definition of the rules in the cloud-based storage system. Thus, network operator 54 can specify preferences for implementing DSS operations in the rules, and therefore SAS entity 56 can access the rules indicating preferences in memory when determining channel allocation assignments for that network operator 54. With this in mind, Figures 10 to 13 The approach can be modified to accommodate the use of these rules (e.g., SAS Entity 56 can reference rules instead of relying on them). Figure 11 Transmission and in the operation of box 146 Figure 12 (Parameters used in receiving the spectrum grant request during the operation of box 166).

[0103] In practice, in some cases, a spectrum grant request may include several parameters identifying network operator 54 and base station 50B, such as a user identifier, a government identifier corresponding to network operator 54 (e.g., Federal Communications Commission identifier (FCCID)), a serial number and / or identifier of base station 50B, etc. The rules discussed above can be accessed and searched by 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 defaulting to DSS operation (or defaulting to assigning a channel compatible with the execution of DSS operation), SAS entity 56 may have rules that are formed with and / or negotiated with network operator 54 to be referenced when assigning a channel. Thus, when a request corresponding to network operator 54 is received, SAS entity 56 determines, based on the definition of the rules accessing network operator 54, to assign a channel compatible with DSS operation to network operator 54. For example, a rule might define that when a first network operator 92A transmits a spectrum grant request to SAS entity 56, SAS entity 56 will by default assign a DSS-compatible grating (e.g., including a definition that associates the first network operator 92A with DSS operations for channel assignment purposes). When defining the rule, network operator 54 and / or SAS entity 56 might specify a default action to occur when assigning a channel to network operator 54 in response to parameters identified by SAS entity 56 in the spectrum grant request. For example, SAS entity 56 might determine that the spectrum grant request includes an identifier corresponding to network operator 54, and in response to this determination, access the rule defining the default action to assign either a DSS-compatible or non-DSS-compatible channel to network operator 54. Other default actions might involve default network deployment, default channel bandwidth to be assigned, default number of channels to be assigned to network operator 54, or any combination thereof.

[0104] SAS entity 56 can update rules and definitions indicated by the rules over time, such as when network operator 54 requests a rule update. In practice, network operator 54 can initiate a change in rules from assigning network operator 54's identifier to a first default action to assigning network operator 54's identifier to a second default action. Thus, rules can include a first definition at a first time and a second definition at a second time, and network operator 54 can negotiate with or notify the spectrum access system which definitions are stored as rules. Furthermore, in some cases, communication parameters defined by standards bodies may exist such that when specific identifiers, tags, conditions are met, signals are transmitted at a certain frequency or amplitude, etc., SAS entity 56 knows to assign a DSS-compatible channel to network operator 54 corresponding to the specific identifier, tag, met condition, etc.

[0105] It should be noted that although described using the term "single SAS entity 56," one or more SAS entities can perform the operations described herein. When multiple SAS entities manage channel allocation for a specific geographic area, each SAS entity 56 can benefit from knowing when a channel is no longer available for assignment (e.g., a previously assigned channel is no longer available for allocation). When multiple SAS entities are assigning channel allocations to different network operators 54 and / or base stations 50, the respective SAS entities can communicate information about the assigned frequency ranges to each other to reduce, minimize, or eliminate the possibility that different network operators 54 are assigned the same channel. This communication can be a periodic transmission of reports about changes in channel assignments between SAS entities to keep each other updated. However, in some cases, updates to the channel assignments can be transmitted to each SAS entity after the channel assignments have been determined. By receiving these reports, each SAS entity can assign unassigned channels (e.g., unassigned frequency ranges) without unintentionally assigning assigned channels (e.g., assigned frequency ranges).

[0106] In some cases, when base station 50B receives a spectrum allocation assignment, base station 50B may continue to perform Dynamic Spectrum Sharing (DSS) operations. DSS operations may include base station 50B determining the current network load (e.g., a first network load) and determining whether the determined current network load is greater than a load threshold. In practice, DSS operations can be used to change the network used by base station 50B to communicate with user equipment, such as in response to changes in network load (e.g., network demand). For example, a 4G / LTE network may use less bandwidth than a 5G / NR network to transmit downlink messages to user equipment, and is therefore more suitable for use when the network load is greater than a load threshold. Thus, in response to determining that the current network load is greater than or equal to the load threshold, base station 50B may use the 4G / LTE network (e.g., the first network) to transmit messages to user equipment, and in response to determining that the current network load is less than the load threshold, may use 5G / NR (e.g., the second network) to transmit messages to user equipment. In some cases, base station 50B may, at least partially simultaneously, use 4G / LTE to communicate with the first user equipment and use 5G / NR to communicate with the second user equipment while using DSS operations, regardless of network load.

[0107] Furthermore, if base station 50B requests a channel available for or compatible with DSS operation and SAS entity 56 cannot allocate a portion of the spectrum that is raster-aligned with the raster assigned to both the first and second network communications (e.g., because this portion has already been assigned), SAS entity 56 may allocate a portion of the spectrum that is not raster-aligned with the raster assigned to both the first and second network communications. Alternatively, if the frequency band may not be managed by the SAS entity, base station 50B may allocate a portion of the spectrum that is not raster-aligned with the raster assigned to both the first and second network communications to the network operator 54 managing base station 50B (e.g., again, because this portion has already been assigned). For example, the frequency band may be an unlicensed band, such as the 5G / NR 46 (e.g., n46) band, which includes 5150MHz to 5925MHz, and which, like the 5G / NR 48 (e.g., n48) band, does not have a 100kHz raster. Furthermore, it should be understood that the disclosed techniques are applicable to any suitable frequency range, such as any frequency range greater than and including 3GHz. In some implementations, the disclosed techniques can be applied to any suitable frequency range for implementing Time Division Multiplexing (TDD) (e.g., making a single frequency band available for both uplink and downlink). In any case, base station 50B (such as an eNodeB (eNB) for LTE access networks and / or a next-generation NodeB (gNB) for 5G access networks) can offset the center frequency of the allocated spectrum portion such that the allocated spectrum portion is aligned with the grating assigned to both the first and second network communications. Thus, the offset aligns the center frequency with the nearest NR absolute radio frequency channel number (ARFCN). It should be noted that base station 50B can offset the center frequency when needed and if required, without affecting SAS entity 56. That is, SAS entity 56 may not be aware whether base station 50B has offset the center frequency.

[0108] For example, Figure 14A This is an illustration of an exemplary spectrum or channel 210, aligned with a grating for implementing DSS operation, assigned to base station 50B according to an embodiment of this disclosure. That is, according to... Figure 11In box 146, base station 50 may request a channel from SAS entity 56 that is available for or compatible with DSS operation. SAS entity 56 receives the request and determines a channel compatible with the gratings of the first and second networks. For example, some specifications may define a channel for 4G / LTE 48 (e.g., n48) band communication as aligned with a 100 kHz grating, while a channel for 5G / NR 48 (e.g., n48) band communication will be aligned with a 15 kHz or 30 kHz grating. Therefore, when the requested use type parameter indicates “LTE / NR DSS”, SAS entity 56 may assign spectrum aligned with both the 4G / LTE and 5G / NR gratings (e.g., 300 kHz).

[0109] In this case, according to Figure 12 Frame 170 and Figure 13 In box 196, SAS entity 56 can determine that spectrum 210 (e.g., a 10MHz channel) between 3550MHz and 3560MHz has a center frequency 212 of 3555MHz, which is compatible with DSS operation because center frequency 212 is aligned (e.g., a multiple of both) with the 100kHz grating of the 4G / LTE 48 band and the 15kHz or 30kHz grating of the 5G / NR 48 band, and this spectrum can be used for assignment. Therefore, according to Figure 12 In box 172, SAS entity 56 transmits the channel allocation assignment corresponding to channel 210 to base station 50B. According to... Figure 11 In box 148, the network operator 54 managing base station 50B can determine the spectrum allocation assignment (e.g., a sub-channel corresponding to channel 210) for use by electronic device 52. Then, according to... Figure 11 In frame 150, base station 50B can transmit communication configuration, including spectrum allocation assignment, to electronic device 52. Then, according to... Figure 10 In box 128, electronic device 52 can use a sub-channel corresponding to the spectrum allocation assignment to communicate with base station 50B, and adopts DSS operation.

[0110] As shown in the figure, channel 210 includes guard bands 214, which are the unused portions of channel 210 used to prevent communication in channel 210 from interfering with communication in adjacent channels, and vice versa. Each guard band 214 is 680 kHz wide, but it should be understood that guard bands 214 can have any suitable frequency width. In some cases, the frequency width of guard bands 214 can be controlled by standards bodies (e.g., 3GPP standards bodies).

[0111] However, SAS entity 56 may be unable to assign a channel (e.g., 210) that is grating-aligned with both the first and second network communications (e.g., because the channel has already been assigned). Additionally, in cases where the frequency band may not be managed by the SAS entity, such as the 5G / NR 46 (e.g., n46) band, base station 50B may allocate a channel to network operator 54 that is not grating-aligned with both the first and second network communications (e.g., again, because the channel has already been assigned).

[0112] Figure 14B This is an illustration of an exemplary spectrum or channel 220, a center frequency 222, assigned to base station 50B and offset by base station 50B to enable DSS operation, according to an embodiment of this disclosure. Specifically, SAS entity 56 or base station 50B may assign spectrum (e.g., a 10MHz channel) between 3560MHz and 3570MHz with a center frequency of 3565MHz to network operator 54. The center frequency is incompatible with DSS operation because it is not aligned with (e.g., not a multiple of) both the 100kHz grating of the 4G / LTE 48 band and the 15kHz or 30kHz grating of the 5G / NR 48 band.

[0113] However, base station 50B can shift the center frequency to achieve DSS operation. In this example, base station 50B can shift the center frequency by -100kHz, moving the center frequency from 3565MHz to the shifted center frequency 222 at 3564.9MHz. Since the shifted center frequency 222 is aligned (e.g., a multiple of both) with the 100kHz grating of the 4G / LTE 48 band and the 15kHz or 30kHz grating of the 5G / NR 48 band, the shifted center frequency 222 is compatible with DSS operation. Then, according to Figure 11 In block 150, base station 50B can transmit a communication configuration to electronic device 52 including a spectrum allocation assignment corresponding to the offset center frequency 222. In some embodiments, base station 50B can indicate (e.g., via a marker or field) that the center frequency 222 has been offset. Then, according to Figure 10 In box 128, electronic device 52 can use a sub-channel corresponding to the spectrum allocation assignment to communicate with base station 50B, and adopts DSS operation.

[0114] When the center frequency is shifted, the frequency width of the guard band can be changed. Specifically, one guard band 224 can shrink or decrease, while another guard band 226 can grow or increase. As shown, since the center frequency 222 has been shifted by a negative frequency amount (e.g., -100kHz), the reduced or smaller guard band 224 reduces the frequency shift (e.g., 680kHz to 580kHz), while the increased or larger guard band 226 increases the frequency shift (e.g., 680kHz to 780kHz). It should be understood that if the frequency shift is positive (e.g., -100kHz), the reduced guard band 224 can increase the frequency shift, while the increased guard band 226 can decrease the frequency shift.

[0115] Because the reduced guard band 224 has a reduced frequency bandwidth, electronic device 52 can execute one or more power backoff procedures (e.g., in addition to any power backoff procedures already executed near guard bands 224, 226) to ensure that transmitting and receiving wireless signals near the reduced guard band 224 does not interfere with communications transmitted or received through boundary or adjacent channels via the reduced guard band 224. Specifically, electronic device 52 can execute one or more power backoff procedures to reduce transmit or receive power in response to receiving an indication from base station 50B that the center frequency 222 has been shifted. In some embodiments, base station 50B can indicate a frequency shift amount (e.g., -100kHz, +100kHz, etc.), and electronic device 52 can execute one or more power backoff procedures corresponding to the reduced guard band (e.g., 224), but may not execute power backoff procedures corresponding to the increased guard band (e.g., 226). Additionally or alternatively, electronic device 52 can adjust the number or magnitude of the power backoff procedures based on the frequency shift amount. That is, the larger the frequency shift, the greater the number or value of the power backoff procedure. The smaller the frequency shift, the smaller the number or value of the power backoff procedure.

[0116] In some implementations, for downlink operation, base station 50B can compensate for the reduced guard band 224 because base station 50B controls and knows whether the guard band has decreased. Base station 50B may also have better filtering techniques, and therefore the need to fully execute the power backoff procedure can be reduced or avoided. Moreover, if necessary, base station 50B can determine and implement the power backoff procedure itself. For uplink operation, user equipment (electronic equipment 52) ​​can be informed whether the guard band has decreased, because user equipment itself cannot determine this situation and therefore cannot make an independent decision about when to apply power backoff.

[0117] In view of the above, Figure 15This is a flowchart of a method 240 for operating a corresponding base station (such as base station 50B) of base station 50 according to an embodiment of this disclosure to align the center frequency of a channel with a grating assigned to a first network communication and a second network communication to achieve DSS operation by offsetting the center frequency of the channel. It should be noted that although depicted in a specific order, the blocks of method 240 can be performed in any suitable order, and at least some blocks can 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 can perform some or all of the operations of method 240, such as electronic equipment 10 that may include base station 50. Therefore, the operation of method 240 can be performed by one or more processors 12.

[0118] At box 242, base station 50B determines whether DSS operation is required. Specifically, base station 50B may require LTE-dedicated communication operation, NR-dedicated communication operation, or LTE / NR DSS communication operation (where both LTE and NR can be used for communication). If base station 50B determines that DSS operation is not required, at box 244, base station 50B transmits a spectrum grant request indicating that DSS is not required to SAS entity 56 and receives a channel allocation assignment. The spectrum grant request may include usage type parameters indicating that network operator 54 expects to perform non-DSS operation. Then, at box 246, base station 50B uses the channel allocation assignment to transmit communication configuration to electronic device 52. For example, base station 50B may transmit a spectrum allocation assignment (e.g., a sub-channel corresponding to a channel indicated in the channel allocation assignment). Then, according to... Figure 10 In box 128, electronic device 52 can use a sub-channel corresponding to the spectrum allocation assignment to communicate with base station 50B, and adopts DSS operation.

[0119] If base station 50B determines that DSS operation is required, then at block 248, base station 50B transmits a spectrum grant request indicating the need for DSS to SAS entity 56 and receives a channel allocation assignment. The spectrum grant request may include usage type parameters indicating that network operator 54 expects to perform DSS operation. In some implementations, the frequency band may not be managed by SAS entity 56, and therefore base station 50B may determine the channel allocation assignment itself. For example, the frequency band may be an unlicensed frequency band, such as the 5G / NR 46 (e.g., n46) band, which, like the 5G / NR 48 (e.g., n48) band, does not have a 100 kHz grating.

[0120] At box 250, base station 50B determines whether the channel assigned by channel allocation is aligned with the grating implementing DSS. If so, at box 252, base station 50B uses the channel allocation to transmit communication configuration to electronic device 52. For example, as Figure 14AAs shown, the allocated channel 210 is aligned with both the 100kHz grating of the 4G / LTE 48 band and the 15kHz or 30kHz grating of the 5G / NR 48 band. Then, according to Figure 10 In block 128, electronic device 52 can communicate with base station 50B using a sub-channel corresponding to the spectrum allocation assigned by base station 50B based on the allocated channel 210, and employs DSS operation.

[0121] If base station 50B determines that the channel assigned by channel allocation is not aligned on the grating implementing DSS, then at block 254, base station 50B shifts the center frequency of the assigned channel to align it on the grating implementing DSS. For example, as Figure 14B As shown, the allocated channel 220 is misaligned because the 3565MHz center frequency is not aligned with either the 100kHz grating of the 4G / LTE 48 band or the 15kHz or 30kHz grating of the 5G / NR 48 band (e.g., not a multiple of either). Base station 50B can determine how to offset the center frequency to align with the grating. Figure 14B As shown, base station 50B shifts the center frequency by -100kHz to 3564.9MHz, aligning this center frequency with both the 100kHz grating of the 4G / LTE 48 band and the 15kHz or 30kHz grating of the 5G / NR 48 band. It should be understood that base station 50B can determine to shift the center frequency by any negative or positive amount to align the center frequency with the grating.

[0122] Then, at box 256, base station 50B transmits communication configuration to electronic device 52 based on the offset center frequency. Then, according to... Figure 10 In block 128, electronic device 52 can communicate with base station 50B using a sub-channel corresponding to the spectrum allocation assigned by base station 50B based on the allocated channel 212, and employs DSS operation. In some embodiments, base station 50B may also indicate that the center frequency has been offset (e.g., in a communication configuration). Specifically, the 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. Alternatively, 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, electronic device 52 may execute one or more power backoff procedures.

[0123] In some cases, base station 50B may not transmit an indication that the center frequency has been shifted. For example, the channel (e.g., Figure 14BBoth guard band 220 and at least one adjacent or neighboring channel (e.g., adjacent to the reduced guard band 224) can be assigned to the network operator 54 operating base station 50B. Therefore, base station 50B can accept a degree of greater transmission (e.g., which may intrude and / or exceed the reduced guard band 224) without performing power backoff, because base station 50B can compensate for such transmission by adjusting adjacent channels (e.g., by increasing the guard band of adjacent channels).

[0124] In some implementations, base station 50B may indicate a frequency shift (e.g., -100kHz, +100kHz, etc.), and electronic device 52 may perform a guard band corresponding to the reduced value (e.g., Figure 14B One or more power backoff procedures (of 224) may be performed, but the corresponding protection band (e.g.,) may not be executed. Figure 14B The power backoff procedure (226) is as follows. Additionally or alternatively, the electronic device 52 may adjust the number or value of the power backoff procedure based on the frequency shift. That is, the larger the frequency shift, the larger the number or value of the power backoff procedure. The smaller the frequency shift, the smaller the number or value of the power backoff procedure.

[0125] Thus, even if a channel is assigned to base station 50B that is not aligned with the grating assigned to the first network communication and the second network communication, execution of method 240 can enable base station 50B to shift the center frequency of the channel to align the center frequency with the grating, thereby achieving DSS operation.

[0126] The technical effects of this disclosure include systems and methods for improving the allocation of resources from a network resource sharing pool by an SAS entity. In practice, these systems and methods provide network operators with a way to communicate one or more preferences to an SAS entity via a base station when assigning communication channels in the radio spectrum for the SAS entity to consider. Each network operator can indicate to the SAS entity whether the respective network operator intends to use a first network, a second network, or both of the first and second networks' DSS operations when communicating with user equipment in its serving cell. When the SAS entity determines to assign a channel to a network operator that has indicated it intends to use DSS operations, the SAS entity can determine a channel with a center frequency that is grating-aligned and compatible with the grating definitions of both the first and second networks. However, when the SAS entity is determining to assign a channel to a network operator that indicates only one network will be used for communication, the SAS entity can determine a channel with a center frequency grating-aligned and compatible with that one network. When determining to assign a specific channel, the SAS entity can also consider the relative defined priorities of the network operators.

[0127] Furthermore, if the SAS entity cannot allocate a portion of the spectrum that is grating-aligned with both the first and second network communications (e.g., because this portion has already been allocated), the SAS entity may allocate a portion of the spectrum that is not grating-aligned with both the first and second network communications. Alternatively, if the frequency band may not be managed by the SAS entity, the base station may allocate a portion of the spectrum that is not grating-aligned with both the first and second network communications to the network operator managing the base station (e.g., again, because this portion has already been allocated). In either case, the base station may shift the center frequency on the allocated spectrum portion so that the center frequency is grating-aligned with both the first and second network communications, thereby enabling DSS operation on the allocated spectrum portion.

[0128] The specific embodiments described above have been illustrated by way of example, and it should be understood that various modifications and alternatives are permissible. It should also be understood that the claims are not intended to limit us to the specific forms disclosed, but rather to cover all modifications, equivalents, and alternatives falling within the substance and scope of this disclosure.

[0129] The techniques described herein and protected by the claims are referenced and applied to specific examples of physical and practical nature, which significantly improve the technical field and are therefore not abstract, intangible, or purely theoretical. Furthermore, if any claim appended to the end of this specification contains one or more elements designated as "means for [performing] [function]..." or "steps for [performing] [function]...", those elements shall be interpreted in accordance with 35U.SC112(f). However, for any claim containing elements designated in any other manner, those elements shall not be interpreted in accordance with 35U.SC112(f).

Claims

1. A base station, comprising: a transmitter; a receiver; and one or more processors coupled to the transmitter and the receiver, the one or more processors configured to: transmit, using the transmitter, a spectrum grant request including an indication of a spectrum sharing operation, receive, using the receiver, a channel allocation assignment indicating a frequency range to use when transmitting communication data to and receiving communication data from a user equipment, and transmit, using the transmitter, a communication configuration to the user equipment based on the frequency range being aligned with a first raster of a first communication network and a second raster of a second communication network, the communication configuration enabling the spectrum sharing operation, wherein a first center frequency of the frequency range is a multiple of the first raster and the second raster.

2. The base station of claim 1, wherein the one or more processors are configured to transmit, using the transmitter, the spectrum grant request to a spectrum access system for the channel allocation assignment, the channel allocation assignment being received from the spectrum access system and the spectrum grant request including a usage type parameter indicating the spectrum sharing operation.

3. The base station of claim 1, wherein the one or more processors are configured to offset the first center frequency of the frequency range based on the frequency range not being aligned with the first raster and the second raster to generate an offset center frequency that is aligned with the first raster and the second raster, the communication configuration being based on the offset center frequency.

4. The base station of claim 1, wherein the one or more processors are configured to communicate, using the transmitter or the receiver, with the user equipment using the spectrum sharing operation, the channel allocation assignment, and the frequency range.

5. The base station of claim 1, wherein the first raster includes 100 kilohertz (kHz) and the second raster includes 15 kHz or 30 kHz.

6. The base station of claim 1, wherein the frequency range is greater than or equal to 3 GHz.

7. The base station of claim 1, wherein the frequency range enables time division duplexing.

8. An electronic device, comprising: a transmitter; a receiver; and one or more processors coupled to the transmitter and the receiver, the one or more processors configured to: receive, using the receiver, a communication configuration from a base station enabling a spectrum sharing operation, the communication configuration including a spectrum allocation assignment indicating a frequency range to use when transmitting communication data to and receiving communication data from the base station, ​ ​ receiving, using the receiver, an indication that the base station has shifted a first center frequency associated with the spectrum allocation assignment, the base station configured to shift the first center frequency to generate a shifted center frequency that aligns with a first raster of a first communication network and a second raster of a second communication network, the first raster different from the second raster, wherein the shifted center frequency is a multiple of the first raster and the second raster, and based on the indication, performing one or more power back-off procedures.

9. The electronic device of claim 8, wherein the one or more processors are configured to use the transmitter or the receiver to communicate with the base station using the spectrum allocation assignment.

10. The electronic device of claim 8, wherein the frequency range includes a first guard band and a second guard band, the first guard band having a different frequency width than the second guard band.

11. The electronic device of claim 10, wherein the one or more power back-off procedures prevent interference between communication data transmitted or received on the frequency range and communication data transmitted or received on one or more adjacent frequency ranges.

12. A method of communication comprising: transmitting, using a transmitter of a base station, a spectrum grant request including an indication of a spectrum sharing operation; receiving, using a receiver of the base station, a channel allocation assignment indicating a frequency range for use when transmitting communication data to and receiving communication data from a user equipment; and transmitting, using the transmitter, a communication configuration to the user equipment based on the frequency range aligning with a first raster of a first communication network and a second raster of a second communication network, the communication configuration enabling the spectrum sharing operation, wherein a first center frequency of the frequency range is a multiple of the first raster and the second raster.

13. The method of claim 12, comprising: transmitting, using the transmitter of the base station, the spectrum grant request to a spectrum access system from which the channel allocation assignment is received using the receiver of the base station.

14. The method of claim 12, comprising: based on the frequency range not aligning with the first raster and the second raster, shifting the first center frequency of the frequency range to generate a shifted center frequency that aligns with the first raster and the second raster, the communication configuration based on the shifted center frequency.

15. The method of claim 14, wherein the shifted center frequency is greater than the first center frequency by 100 kilohertz (kHz) or less than the center frequency by 100 kHz.

16. The method of claim 14, wherein shifting the first center frequency causes a guard band of the frequency range to decrease.

17. The method of claim 14, wherein the communication configuration includes an indication that the first center frequency has been shifted.

18. The method of claim 17, wherein the user equipment is configured to, based on the indication, perform one or more power back-off procedures to compensate for the decreased guard band of the frequency range.

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