Electronic device, method, and computer-readable storage medium

Abstract

The present disclosure relates to an electronic device and method in a wireless communication system, and a computer-readable storage medium. Provided is an electronic device for a spectrum management apparatus in a spectrum-sharing system. The spectrum-sharing system maintains a single blockchain and is partitioned into a plurality of spectrum-sharing autonomous domains; each spectrum-sharing autonomous domain comprises a corresponding spectrum management apparatus and a plurality of base stations; and the spectrum management apparatuses in the plurality of spectrum-sharing autonomous domains realize inter-domain communication by means of a satellite. The electronic device comprises: a processor; and a memory comprising a computer program code, wherein the computer program code, when executed by the processor, causes the electronic device to perform operations comprising: selecting a spectrum-sharing task; by means of an intra-domain task processing and consensus process, generating an autonomous domain candidate block associated with the spectrum-sharing task; confirming, via a satellite, the autonomous domain candidate block by means of an inter-domain task processing and consensus process; and adding the confirmed autonomous domain candidate block as a block of a blockchain.

Description

Electronic devices, methods, and computer-readable storage media TECHNICAL FIELD

[0001] The present disclosure relates generally to the field of wireless communications, and more specifically, to electronic devices, methods, and computer-readable storage media providing dynamic spectrum sharing technology based on a two-layer multi-partition blockchain. BACKGROUND

[0002] With the rapid development of wireless communication technology and the surge of user data, the demand for wireless spectrum resources is growing rapidly, and the shortage of spectrum resources is becoming increasingly prominent. Spectrum is an important strategic resource in the information economy era. Currently, the mainstream static spectrum allocation scheme has problems such as spectrum idling and low utilization due to the exclusive use of frequency bands by authorized users, and it is difficult to meet the requirements of highly flexible mobile application scenarios for spectrum allocation. Therefore, dynamic spectrum sharing technology has been developed, which can reasonably schedule idle spectrum among spectrum resource owners and flexibly manage resources, becoming an important technology for improving spectrum utilization and solving the problem of wireless spectrum bottleneck.

[0003] Current dynamic spectrum sharing schemes mainly adopt a centralized third-party approval mode, which has the security risk of malicious tampering with spectrum allocation, leading to inefficient use and false allocation of spectrum resources. Secondly, in the context of spectrum sharing involving heterogeneous networks, satellite-ground integration, and other scenarios, the current dynamic spectrum sharing system usually relies on a centralized database for resource management, which has the risk of single point failure and is prone to the dilemma of being difficult to prove security, thereby causing a series of trust crises. In addition, the hierarchical and centralized spectrum management mode is difficult to meet the flexible and efficient spectrum allocation requirements in a large-scale mobile environment.

[0004] Therefore, how to establish a trusted and efficient dynamic spectrum sharing scheme to improve spectrum utilization while realizing the trustworthiness of spectrum data is still a problem to be solved. SUMMARY

[0005] The present disclosure provides a plurality of aspects, providing improved dynamic spectrum sharing technology based on a two-layer multi-partition blockchain. By applying one or more aspects of the present disclosure, the above-mentioned needs can be met.

[0006] A brief summary of the present disclosure is presented in the following to provide a basic understanding of some aspects of the present disclosure. However, it should be understood that this summary is not an exhaustive overview of the present disclosure. It is not intended to identify key or critical elements of the present disclosure or to delineate the scope of the present disclosure. Its purpose is merely to present some concepts of the present disclosure in a simplified form as a prelude to the more detailed description to be given later.

[0007] According to an aspect of the present disclosure, there is provided an electronic device for a spectrum management apparatus in a spectrum sharing system that maintains a single blockchain and is partitioned into a plurality of spectrum sharing autonomous domains each comprising a respective spectrum management apparatus and a plurality of base stations, spectrum management apparatuses in the plurality of spectrum sharing autonomous domains enabling inter-domain communication through a satellite, wherein the electronic device comprises: a processor; and a memory including computer program code, wherein the computer program code, when executed by the processor, causes the electronic device to perform operations comprising: electing a spectrum sharing task; generating an autonomous domain candidate block associated with the spectrum sharing task through an intra-domain task processing and consensus procedure; confirming the autonomous domain candidate block through an inter-domain task processing and consensus procedure via the satellite; and adding the confirmed autonomous domain candidate block as a block of the blockchain.

[0008] According to an aspect of the present disclosure, there is provided an electronic device for a base station in a spectrum sharing system that maintains a single blockchain and is partitioned into a plurality of spectrum sharing autonomous domains each comprising a respective spectrum management apparatus and a plurality of base stations, spectrum management apparatuses in the plurality of spectrum sharing autonomous domains enabling inter-domain communication through a satellite, wherein the electronic device comprises: a processor; and a memory including computer program code, wherein the computer program code, when executed by the processor, causes the electronic device to perform operations comprising: maintaining the blockchain; processing and confirming a candidate block associated with a spectrum sharing task to generate an autonomous domain candidate block in an intra-domain task processing and consensus procedure; and in response to the autonomous domain candidate block being confirmed in an inter-domain task processing and consensus procedure, updating the blockchain to add the confirmed autonomous domain candidate block.

[0009] According to an aspect of the present disclosure, there is provided an electronic device for a satellite in a spectrum sharing system that maintains a single blockchain and is partitioned into a plurality of spectrum sharing autonomous domains each comprising a respective spectrum management apparatus and a plurality of base stations, spectrum management apparatuses in the plurality of spectrum sharing autonomous domains enabling inter-domain communication through the satellite, wherein the electronic device comprises: a processor; and a memory including computer program code, wherein the computer program code, when executed by the processor, causes the electronic device to perform operations comprising: receiving an autonomous domain candidate block from a spectrum management apparatus of a spectrum sharing autonomous domain, the autonomous domain candidate block having been confirmed through an intra-domain task processing and consensus procedure performed in the spectrum sharing autonomous domain; transmitting the autonomous domain candidate block to spectrum management apparatuses of the plurality of spectrum sharing autonomous domains for an inter-domain task processing and consensus procedure; and determining a result of the inter-domain task processing and consensus procedure.

[0010] According to an aspect of the present disclosure, a communication method is provided, including operations performed by any of the electronic devices described above.

[0011] According to an aspect of the present disclosure, a computer program product including executable instructions that, when executed, implement operations performed by any of the electronic devices described above is provided. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS

[0012] The present disclosure can be better understood with reference to the following detailed description when considered in connection with the following drawings, in which like elements are numbered alike, and in which: FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram illustrating a spectrum sharing system according to the present disclosure;

[0013] FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram illustrating a spectrum sharing system according to the present disclosure;

[0014] FIG. 2 illustrates a blockchain system suitable for use in the spectrum sharing system of FIG. 1;

[0015] FIG. 3 illustrates the overall flow of a blockchain-based spectrum sharing method according to the present disclosure;

[0016] FIG. 4 illustrates a possible common spectrum sharing task;

[0017] FIGS. 5A and 5B illustrate an example of task filtering according to the present disclosure;

[0018] FIGS. 6A and 6B illustrate an example of task sorting according to the present disclosure;

[0019] FIG. 7 illustrates a flowchart of task processing for intra-domain tasks according to the present disclosure;

[0020] FIGS. 8A and 8B illustrate an example of task processing for intra-domain tasks;

[0021] FIG. 9 illustrates a flowchart of task processing for inter-domain tasks according to the present disclosure;

[0022] FIGS. 10A and 10B illustrate an example of task processing for inter-domain tasks;

[0023] FIG. 11 illustrates the impact of the probability of an abnormal node on system reliability;

[0024] FIG. 12 depicts an exemplary SAS architecture for a CBRS system;

[0025] FIGS. 13A and 13B illustrate an electronic device for a spectrum management apparatus and a communication method thereof according to the present disclosure;

[0026] FIGS. 14A and 14B illustrate an electronic device for a base station and a communication method thereof according to the present disclosure;

[0027] FIGS. 15A and 15B illustrate an electronic device for a primary bootstrap satellite and a communication method thereof according to the present disclosure;

[0028] FIG. 16 shows an example block diagram of a computer that can implement embodiments according to the present disclosure;

[0029] FIG. 17 illustrates a first example of a schematic configuration of a base station according to the present disclosure;

[0030] FIG. 18 illustrates a second example of a schematic configuration of a base station according to the present disclosure.

[0031] The features and aspects of the present disclosure will become apparent from reading the following detailed description, with reference to the attached drawings. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0032] In the following, various exemplary embodiments of the present disclosure will be described in detail with reference to the attached drawings. For the purpose of clarity and the briefness, not all features of the embodiments are described in this specification. However, it should be noted that many implementation-specific arrangements can be made in implementing the embodiments of the present disclosure in accordance with specific requirements, in order to, for example, meet the constraints related to devices and services, and these constraints can vary from implementation to implementation.

[0033] Furthermore, it should also be noted that, in order to avoid obscuring the present disclosure due to unnecessary details, only the processing steps and / or device structures closely related to the technical solutions according to the present disclosure are shown in the drawings, and other details less related to the present disclosure are omitted.

[0034] For the convenience of explaining the technical solutions of the present disclosure, the following content can be described in the context of CBRS. However, it should be noted that this is not a limitation on the scope of application of the present disclosure. Currently, similar shared spectrum to CBRS is also being planned in Europe and other regions. Therefore, one or more aspects of the present disclosure can also be similarly applied to other wireless communication systems using spectrum resource sharing technology. The architectures, entities, functions, processes, etc. mentioned in the following description are not limited to those in the CBRS communication system, but can be found in other communication standards.

[0035] SUMMARY

[0036] With the rapid development of new generation information and communication technology, various wireless devices and services are emerging, which leads to the increasing demand for wireless spectrum resources and the growing contradiction between supply and demand. On the one hand, the ground network gradually evolves towards digitization, individualization, and immersion, and the demand for seamless coverage in all scenarios and massive wireless communication data will increase the pressure on spectrum supply. On the other hand, satellite networks and ground networks are increasingly integrated. Although the same frequency between satellites and ground networks provides an important solution to support satellite-ground integration and reduce the dependence on ground networks, large-scale constellation planning will further exacerbate the competition for spectrum resources. The continuous expansion of ground networks and satellite networks has led to the near depletion of core spectrum resources for wireless communication, and spectrum resources are facing serious structural supply imbalance. The scarce spectrum resources are difficult to support the application requirements of low latency, high reliability, ubiquitous massive connectivity, and global coverage in future networks.

[0037] One way to alleviate the contradiction between supply and demand is to expand spectrum resources, such as using higher millimeter wave or even terahertz bands for communication. In addition, another effective method is to improve the efficiency of spectrum resources, such as dynamic spectrum access based on cognitive radio and spectrum sharing technology based on blockchain, which will be discussed in this disclosure.

[0038] Blockchain, as a distributed technology, is a decentralized shared ledger that combines data blocks in a chain manner according to time sequence and is guaranteed by cryptography. Through multi-party maintenance and network consensus, blockchain can build a decentralized trust system in a multi-party environment and ensure the security, transparency, and traceability of interactive information. This provides a new way to build a trust bridge between spectrum sharing parties. First, blockchain makes full use of cryptography and distributed ledger structure to ensure the security, reliability, traceability, and verifiability of spectrum sharing data flow. Second, based on network consensus for shared data verification, the right information of spectrum sharing parties can be verified to be real and effective, thereby providing protection for clarifying spectrum resource ownership, building a trusted spectrum resource rights system, and implementing an effective incentive mechanism. In addition, through the automatic execution of spectrum sharing procedures by smart contracts, the efficiency of sharing can be improved while ensuring the authenticity and credibility of spectrum resources and rights between the two parties.

[0039] However, the integration of blockchain technology and dynamic spectrum sharing technology faces many challenges. For example, in scenarios involving many ground or satellite facilities, the traditional blockchain architecture requires each sharing task to be verified by all blockchain nodes, resulting in low sharing efficiency and high communication and computing overhead, which makes it difficult to meet the demand for low-overhead consensus and efficient sharing. If a multi-chain architecture is used, additional infrastructure is needed to implement cross-chain tasks, increasing resource overhead.

[0040] In view of this, the present disclosure aims to provide improved blockchain-based dynamic spectrum sharing techniques. Exemplary embodiments of the present disclosure will be described below with reference to the accompanying drawings.

[0041] FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram illustrating a spectrum sharing system according to the present disclosure. As shown in the figure, the spectrum sharing system includes participants such as a spectrum management apparatus, base stations, satellites, etc. Logically, the spectrum sharing system according to the present disclosure can be seen as two layers, i.e., an upper layer and a lower layer. This logical layering can correspond to a two-layer blockchain system, as will be described later.

[0042] In the lower layer, the spectrum sharing system can be divided into a plurality of spectrum sharing autonomous domains, such as autonomous domain 1 to autonomous domain n. Each spectrum sharing autonomous domain is composed of one spectrum management apparatus and a number of base stations. Typically, the spectrum sharing autonomous domains can be divided according to geographical locations, for example, the coverage of the spectrum sharing system can be divided into a plurality of geographical areas, each of which constitutes an autonomous domain.

[0043] As used in the present disclosure, a “spectrum management apparatus” is an entity in each autonomous domain for coordinating, authorizing, and managing the spectrum usage of the base stations within the domain to maximize frequency capacity. The spectrum management apparatus can be a government entity or be on rotation by infrastructure service providers. Examples of the spectrum management apparatus include a Spectrum Access System (SAS) in a Citizens Broadband Radio Service (CBRS) system, but are not limited thereto.

[0044] Further, a “base station” is a user of wireless spectrum, which can be provided by any infrastructure service provider. According to exemplary embodiments of the present disclosure, the base stations can include one or both of terrestrial base stations or satellite base stations. That is, while it is shown in FIG. 1 that the autonomous domains include both terrestrial base stations and satellite base stations, one or more autonomous domains can include only terrestrial base stations or only satellite base stations, depending on the specific application of the spectrum sharing system. The base stations in each autonomous domain can belong to the same service provider or be split among different service providers. In one example, the base stations can include Priority Access Licensees (PALs) in a CBRS system, but are not limited thereto.

[0045] In particular, the spectrum sharing system according to exemplary embodiments can be applicable to a space-ground heterogeneous scenario. For example, the deployment of 5G New Radio (NR) can include a Non-Terrestrial Network (NTN), i.e., a network that deploys high-altitude platforms such as satellites instead of traditional ground networks. Such satellites can themselves operate as base stations (e.g., gNBs) that exercise all or part of the functions of traditional ground base stations, such as encoding downlink transmissions to UEs, decoding uplink transmissions from UEs, etc. Since the satellites can be non-stationary relative to the ground, according to their movement trajectories, a satellite can be visible to a spectrum management apparatus of one autonomous domain for a time period, thus belonging to that autonomous domain, and can move to another autonomous domain for another time period.

[0046] According to exemplary embodiments, the base stations within each autonomous domain can be buyers, sellers, or ordinary entities that have no demand for spectrum resources. The base stations can have different node states at different times, such as converting to buyers when there is a demand for spectrum resources, converting to sellers when they are willing to share spectrum resources, and being ordinary nodes at other times. The spectrum management apparatus can coordinate spectrum resources according to the states of the base stations within the domain, i.e., allocating the spectrum resource usage rights of part or all of the base stations within the autonomous domain that have free spectrum resources to the base stations that have a demand for spectrum resources. The base stations and the spectrum management apparatus can form a point-to-point (P2P) network through wired connections (such as fiber optic connections) or wireless connections.

[0047] The upper layer of the spectrum sharing system is composed of the spectrum management apparatuses of all the spectrum sharing autonomous domains. The spectrum management apparatuses of these autonomous domains can communicate with each other. In one example, an inter-satellite information diffusion layer composed of satellites can be provided to facilitate communication between the spectrum management apparatuses, which is particularly advantageous for scenarios in which the spectrum management apparatuses are widely distributed, large-scale space-ground heterogeneous scenarios, etc. The satellites referred to here are different from the satellite base stations mentioned above in that they essentially act as repeaters or relay stations for directing the transmission of information between the spectrum management apparatuses, and are therefore referred to as “guide satellites” in this disclosure for distinction. The inter-satellite information diffusion layer can have more than one guide satellite.

[0048] The spectrum sharing system according to the present disclosure can implement a blockchain-based spectrum sharing method. All participants of the spectrum sharing system jointly maintain only one blockchain. FIG. 2 is a diagram illustrating a blockchain system applicable to the spectrum sharing system in FIG. 1. As shown in the diagram, the blockchain system according to exemplary embodiments includes two layers, upper and lower. In the lower layer, the blockchain system includes multiple partitions corresponding to the multiple spectrum sharing autonomous domains of the spectrum sharing system. Thus, the blockchain system according to the present disclosure is based on a single blockchain with a double-layer multi-partition.

[0049] The spectrum management device and base stations of each spectrum sharing autonomous domain jointly participate in the intra-domain consensus process. According to exemplary embodiments of the present disclosure, the processing of spectrum sharing tasks within an autonomous domain can be implemented as part of the consensus process, so this process can also be referred to as the intra-domain task processing and consensus process. A plurality of consensus nodes are included in each autonomous domain, in which the spectrum management device acts as the partition leader node (L) of the associated blockchain partition, while the intra-domain base stations act as the partition consensus nodes (F). The spectrum management device or base station nodes can issue spectrum sharing related tasks (hereinafter referred to as "spectrum sharing tasks" or "tasks"). The spectrum management device generates a candidate block based on the spectrum sharing task and initiates the intra-domain task processing and consensus process; all nodes within the autonomous domain verify the candidate block, process the spectrum sharing task of the candidate block within the domain, and confirm it, thereby generating an autonomous domain candidate block containing spectrum sharing information.

[0050] "Validation" and "Confirmation" in blockchain consensus are two different concepts, which play different roles in the blockchain network. In general, "validation" in blockchain involves checking the correctness of new transactions or blocks, with the purpose of ensuring the authenticity and integrity of data, preventing fraud and data tampering. All nodes in the blockchain network need to listen to new blocks at any time. Once a block is received, the node will first validate its correctness, including the correctness of the block format, data structure, digital signature, etc. If the validation is passed, the node will put the block into the pool, and after confirming the last block, it will select the block from the pool in a certain priority order for calculation and broadcast. "Confirmation" refers to the process of reaching a consensus agreement after the consensus node correctly executes the consensus protocol. The purpose of confirmation is to ensure the security and reliability of transactions, so that they are widely accepted and used in the entire network, and to prevent double spending, i.e. the same digital asset is used repeatedly.

[0051] As shown in FIG. 2, the upper layer of the blockchain system includes the spectrum management devices of all autonomous domains as inter-domain consensus nodes (C). The spectrum management devices communicate with each other through the guide satellite (D). The guide satellite can receive, store, and forward the autonomous domain candidate blocks broadcast by the spectrum management devices. There can be one or more guide satellites. The guide satellite can select one guide satellite, i.e. the "main guide satellite (B)", to manage the upper layer interaction of the spectrum management devices using some election algorithm (e.g. Raft algorithm). The main guide satellite is also configured to have the function of initiating and ending the inter-domain consensus process.

[0052] According to exemplary embodiments of the present disclosure, the task processing that needs to be implemented among the autonomous domains can be implemented as part of the inter-domain consensus process, thus the process can also be referred to as the inter-domain task processing and consensus process. All the consensus nodes among the autonomous domains (spectrum management devices) implement the inter-domain task processing and consensus process on the autonomous domain candidate blocks selected by the master bootstrap satellite, and the autonomous domain candidate blocks are added as blocks of the blockchain after being confirmed. All the spectrum management devices update the world state and the blockchain ledger based on the blocks; while within each autonomous domain, the base station nodes synchronize the world state and the ledger maintained by the spectrum management devices of the autonomous domain, and execute the solutions or transactions recorded on the chain related to the spectrum sharing tasks.

[0053] FIG. 3 illustrates the overall flow of the blockchain-based spectrum sharing method according to the present disclosure. In particular, the spectrum sharing method according to the present disclosure integrates spectrum sharing and blockchain consensus, as shown in the figure, and implements the spectrum sharing task processing through the intra-domain task processing and consensus process and the inter-domain task processing and consensus process at the upper and lower layers of the blockchain system, respectively. The spectrum sharing method according to the present disclosure is applicable to various tasks related to spectrum sharing. Depending on the type of the task, the details of the task processing stage are slightly different. Therefore, the spectrum sharing method according to the present disclosure preferably further includes task filtering and task sorting, however, it should be noted that the present disclosure is not limited thereto. The various stages of the spectrum sharing method will be described in detail below.

[0054] Task filtering

[0055] According to exemplary embodiments of the present disclosure, the task filtering defines the screening strategy of the tasks submitted in the dynamic spectrum sharing process, so as to divert different types of tasks to different task pools in the task processing and consensus process.

[0056] In the dynamic spectrum sharing process, the spectrum management devices and the base stations can propose various tasks. FIG. 4 illustrates several tasks that can be commonly seen. However, it should be understood that the spectrum sharing method according to the present disclosure is not limited to the tasks shown.

[0057] The spectrum management devices in the spectrum sharing autonomous domain can propose and publish global tasks. The global tasks can involve formulating basic spectrum sharing parameters, including but not limited to: spectrum segments, general interference models, spectrum allocation granularity, unit price, etc. In some embodiments, the global tasks can also include publishing, for example, the priority access licensees of the CBRS system. In some embodiments, the global tasks can also include the update information of the nodes within the autonomous domain, including node registration, revocation information, etc.

[0058] A base station participating in spectrum sharing in a spectrum sharing autonomous domain can request to issue a state transition task. A state transition task is to switch the node state of a base station on its target frequency band to indicate its spectrum demand. For example, a base station that needs additional spectrum resource can request to switch its state to a buyer and also indicate its needed frequency band, bandwidth, unit price, usage duration, current node state, ideal node state (buyer), etc. For example, a base station that has idle spectrum resource to share can request to switch its state to a seller and also indicate the idle frequency band, bandwidth, unit price, usage duration, current node state, ideal node state (seller), etc. In one example, a base station that needs to switch state can broadcast its task request in the spectrum sharing autonomous domain in a broadcast manner and eventually reach the spectrum management apparatus. In an alternative example, for example, to reduce overhead (especially for a satellite base station with limited resources), a base station that needs to switch state can send its task request directly to the spectrum management apparatus. The spectrum management apparatus can then issue and publish a state transition task in the autonomous domain according to the task request.

[0059] A spectrum management apparatus in a spectrum sharing autonomous domain can issue and publish a spectrum allocation task. The spectrum management apparatus can collect state transition tasks broadcast by base stations participating in spectrum sharing in the autonomous domain and determine spectrum sharing demands of the base stations based on their node states. The spectrum management apparatus can thus select a spectrum allocation algorithm and broadcast a spectrum allocation task to all base stations in the autonomous domain. In some embodiments, the spectrum allocation task can include algorithm parameters, participant information, channel bandwidth demand, etc.

[0060] In one example, the spectrum allocation algorithm of the autonomous domain is to maximize the revenue of sellers. Assuming that there are multiple buyers (i.e., base stations with spectrum resource demand) bidding for a piece of spectrum, and assuming that the final result of each round of spectrum sharing is that a seller (a base station with idle spectrum resource) will only select one buyer to lease out the spectrum resource. According to the spectrum allocation algorithm, the seller will select the buyer with the highest bid to sell, i.e., a bidding mode. The following formula gives an example of the spectrum sharing target in the autonomous domain:

[0061] wherein U n,k represents the bid that the seller n gets for leasing its kth frequency band resource. p i is the bid of the buyer i, and P is the set of bids of all buyers bidding for the kth frequency band. In this example, the maximum value p * in P is the final solution of formula (1), and the seller n will lease the frequency band to the corresponding buyer with the bid p * .

[0062] In another example, the spectrum allocation algorithm of an autonomous domain is to minimize the aggregate interference of sellers. The sellers need the buyers to give the planned usage scheme (such as the number of expected connected users, the transmission power, etc.) of the frequency band when applying for a transaction, and the sellers calculate the resulting co-channel aggregate interference according to the information, and select the buyer with the minimum resulting aggregate interference to sell. The following formula gives an example of the spectrum sharing objective in the autonomous domain:

[0063] where B is the set of all buyers, I n,k (i) represents the aggregate interference caused to seller n by the use of the kth frequency band resource by buyer i. U i is the set of users of buyer i, P i,u is the power allocated to user u by buyer i, h i,n is the channel coefficient between buyer i and seller n, d i,n is the distance between buyer i and seller n.

[0064] It should be understood that although two spectrum allocation algorithms are introduced above as examples, the present disclosure is not limited thereto. Each spectrum sharing autonomous domain can customize the spectrum allocation algorithm or select the most suitable algorithm from the set of spectrum allocation algorithms according to actual needs.

[0065] The spectrum management device in the spectrum sharing autonomous domain can propose and issue a result recording task. The result recording task is used to record the results of spectrum allocation, including the sharing parties (sellers and buyers), the frequency band range, the bandwidth, the usage duration, the sharing price, etc.

[0066] The spectrum management device in the spectrum sharing autonomous domain can propose and issue a state reset task. The state reset task is used to reset the node state of the base station, including the state transition process of the participating party, the transition result, etc. Unlike the state transition task in which the base station actively transitions the state, the state reset task is initiated by the spectrum management device.

[0067] Among the above tasks, the global task needs to be processed among all the autonomous domains, and thus can be classified as an inter-domain task. The remaining four tasks generally only need to be processed within the respective autonomous domain, and thus can be classified as an intra-domain task. In addition, the spectrum allocation task, the result recording task, and the state resetting task are sequential tasks associated with spectrum allocation, which can be packaged together into a block in some embodiments. According to an exemplary embodiment of the present disclosure, three task pools can be provided in each node, i.e., a global task pool storing global rule tasks, a state transition task pool storing state transition tasks, and a spectrum allocation task pool storing spectrum allocation tasks, result recording tasks, and state resetting tasks. However, it should be understood that the setting of the task pool in each node can not be limited to this. Alternatively, only an inter-domain task pool and an intra-domain task pool can be provided to store inter-domain tasks (e.g., global tasks) and intra-domain tasks (e.g., state transition tasks, spectrum allocation tasks, result recording tasks, and state resetting tasks), respectively. Alternatively, more task pools can also be provided to store different types of tasks, respectively.

[0068] When a node in the spectrum sharing autonomous domain broadcasts a spectrum sharing task, other nodes in the autonomous domain receive the spectrum sharing task, and according to the screening policy defined by the task filtering, the task is distributed to different local task pools. For example, each node determines according to the information of the task sender, function, etc., and each task is only distributed to one task pool.

[0069] FIG. 5A shows one example of task filtering according to the present disclosure. As shown in the figure, the node determines whether the received task is issued by the spectrum management device, and if not, it is classified as a state transition task; if yes, it continues to determine whether it is a global task, and if yes, it is classified as a global task pool, and if not, it is classified as a spectrum sharing task pool.

[0070] FIG. 5B shows another example of task filtering according to the present disclosure. As shown in the figure, the node determines whether the received task is a global task, and if yes, it is classified as a global task pool; if not, it continues to determine whether the task is issued by the spectrum management device, and if not, it is classified as a state transition task, and if yes, it is classified as a spectrum sharing task pool.

[0071] Task arrangement

[0072] Task selection defines the strategy of the nodes in the autonomous domain to select and order the spectrum sharing tasks in the task pool. When the number of tasks in the task pool is greater than the number of tasks that the next block can accommodate, it is an important decision for the nodes to select which tasks should be packaged into the next block. In one example, task selection can use a first-in, first-out (FIFO) strategy to select tasks; in another example, task selection can use a random ordering strategy; in another example, task selection can calculate a priority for each task and select and order the tasks one by one from high to low priority.

[0073] FIG. 6A illustrates one example of task selection according to the present disclosure. As shown in the figure, for the tasks in the global task pool and the state transition task pool, the spectrum management device selects and sequentially orders the tasks according to the order of task arrival; for the tasks in the spectrum allocation task pool, the spectrum management device selects and sequentially orders the tasks according to the order of task arrival, and then determines whether there are spectrum allocation tasks, result recording tasks, and state resetting tasks for the same frequency band at the same time, and if so, enters the task processing.

[0074] FIG. 6B illustrates another example of task selection according to the present disclosure. As shown in the figure, for the tasks in the global task pool and the state transition task pool, the spectrum management device selects and randomly orders the tasks according to the order of task arrival; for the tasks in the spectrum allocation task pool, the spectrum management device selects and sequentially orders the tasks according to the order of task arrival, and then determines whether there are spectrum allocation tasks, result recording tasks, and state resetting tasks for the same frequency band at the same time, and if so, enters the task processing process.

[0075] Task processing

[0076] Task processing defines the processing strategy of the base stations and the spectrum management device for the selected and ordered dynamic spectrum sharing tasks, and the strategy of the spectrum management device to package the processing results into blocks. As described above with reference to FIG. 3, the task processing according to the present disclosure includes intra-domain task processing and consensus process and inter-domain task processing and consensus process. Due to the differences between intra-domain tasks (e.g., tasks from the state transition task pool or the spectrum allocation task pool) and inter-domain tasks (e.g., tasks from the global task pool) in the task processing stage, they will be described separately below.

[0077] FIG. 7 illustrates a flowchart of task processing for intra-domain tasks according to the present disclosure. The task processing flow in FIG. 7 starts at S10, where the spectrum management device selects an intra-domain task from, for example, the state transition task pool or the spectrum allocation task pool. Subsequently, the spectrum management device broadcasts a message about the selected spectrum sharing task to the remaining nodes in the autonomous domain, and starts the intra-domain task processing and consensus process.

[0078] In S11, the intra-domain task processing and consensus process are performed. Specifically, in S111, the nodes within the autonomous domain receive the spectrum sharing task message broadcasted by the spectrum management apparatus. In one example, the nodes of the autonomous domain form a P2P network, and the propagation of the task message can adopt, for example, a Gossip protocol, i.e., the spectrum management apparatus as the source node first sends to its neighboring nodes (base stations), which in turn send the task message to their neighboring nodes. In this way, the task message can be propagated within the autonomous domain at an exponential rate in a very short time until all nodes within the domain receive it.

[0079] Upon receiving the candidate block, each node verifies its validity. Specifically, the node checks the validity of the message data from the aspects of data structure, syntax specification, input and output, and digital signature, etc. against a predefined standard list. Only the verified message is forwarded to eliminate the propagation of invalid or malicious data as early as possible.

[0080] In response to the successful verification, each node invokes the corresponding computing component to process the spectrum sharing task according to the processing strategy for the intra-domain task. Preferably, the computing component can be a smart contract, such as a node state transition contract, a spectrum allocation contract, a result record contract, or a state reset contract. The node state transition contract defines the record of the spectrum sharing demand related to the base station, the state transition and record strategy of the base station transaction sharing, the spectrum allocation contract defines the specific spectrum allocation strategy, and the result record contract defines the spectrum allocation result record strategy. These contracts are defined by the base stations and the spectrum management apparatus within each spectrum sharing autonomous domain and can be changed periodically or non-periodically. Alternatively, the computing component can be a functional function.

[0081] Subsequently, in S112, each node packs the processing result into the candidate block and performs digital signature. Digital signature is a scheme to prove the authenticity of data, which makes the receiver have reason to believe that the content received by it is sent by the known sender (identity authentication), and the sender cannot deny that it has ever sent (non-repudiation), while the message content is tampered during transmission (integrity). Subsequently, each node generates a confirmation message with the signed candidate block to broadcast to all other nodes within the autonomous domain.

[0082] In S113, the spectrum management device in the autonomous domain counts the received confirmation messages and performs a consensus completion condition judgment according to the received confirmation messages. This judgment can vary according to the consensus mechanism adopted. Examples of consensus mechanisms include, but are not limited to, Practical Byzantine Fault Tolerance (PBFT) consensus mechanism, Proof of Work (PoW) consensus mechanism, Proof of Stake (PoS) consensus mechanism, Ripple Protocol Consensus Algorithm (RPCA), etc. For example, in the case of the PBFT consensus mechanism, the spectrum management device can judge whether a threshold number of confirmation messages is collected, which can be a pre-set value. Assuming that the number of all nodes in the autonomous domain is N, the pre-set threshold number is at least the upper limit (ceil) of (2N / 3). If the number of confirmation messages exceeds the threshold number, the intra-domain consensus of this round is completed, otherwise the intra-domain consensus fails.

[0083] In S114, in response to reaching a consensus, the spectrum management device generates a candidate block with its own signature, and packs the candidate block with all the confirmation messages from the base stations in the domain to obtain an autonomous domain candidate block. Subsequently, the spectrum management device sends the autonomous domain candidate block to the master bootstrap satellite. In one example, the spectrum management device can directly send the autonomous domain candidate block to the visible master bootstrap satellite, or forward it to the master bootstrap satellite via the visible bootstrap satellite. At this point, the intra-domain task processing and consensus process ends.

[0084] In S12, the master bootstrap satellite selects an autonomous domain candidate block from the received autonomous domain candidate blocks, packs it with the height and version number of the current block of the blockchain to construct a master candidate block. In addition, the master bootstrap satellite starts the inter-domain task processing and consensus process, and directly or indirectly via bootstrap satellites broadcasts the master candidate block to the spectrum management devices in all spectrum sharing autonomous domains.

[0085] In S13, the inter-domain task processing and consensus process is performed. Specifically, in S131, the spectrum management devices in all spectrum sharing autonomous domains receive and confirm the master candidate block broadcast by the master bootstrap satellite. According to the task processing strategy for the intra-domain task, the spectrum sharing task in the master candidate block can not be processed in the inter-domain task processing and consensus process. In addition, each spectrum management device can generate a confirmation message for the confirmed master candidate block and feed it back to the master bootstrap satellite.

[0086] In S132, the lead satellite determines whether the inter-domain consensus completion condition is satisfied based on the acknowledgement messages received from the spectrum management devices in the respective spectrum sharing autonomous domains. The determination depends on the consensus mechanism adopted. For example, the spectrum management devices can determine whether the number of acknowledgement messages collected exceeds a threshold number, which can be a pre-set value. Assuming there are M spectrum sharing autonomous domains, the pre-set threshold number can be an upper bound of (M / 2). If the number of acknowledgement messages exceeds the threshold number, the inter-domain consensus of this round is completed, otherwise the inter-domain consensus fails. At this point, the inter-domain task processing and consensus process ends.

[0087] In S14, in response to determining that the inter-domain consensus is reached, the lead satellite informs all the spectrum management devices to add the master candidate block to the blockchain. As a result, each spectrum management device adds the block to the local blockchain ledger and updates the world state.

[0088] Finally, in S15, in each spectrum sharing autonomous domain, the base stations synchronize the blockchain ledgers of the spectrum management devices in the autonomous domain, and execute or implement the solution for the intra-domain task recorded in the block.

[0089] An example of task processing for intra-domain tasks will be described next with reference to FIGS. 8A, 8B. FIG. 8A shows a schematic diagram of intra-domain task processing and consensus process with PBFT consensus mechanism. In each spectrum sharing autonomous domain, the spectrum management devices select an intra-domain task from the task pool after a certain time interval or the task pool reaches a storage upper limit. Based on the selected intra-domain spectrum sharing task, the spectrum management devices construct a candidate block and generate a consensus pre-prepare message. The consensus pre-prepare message carries information about the spectrum sharing task, including, for example: a PRE-PREPARE identifier indicating that this is a pre-prepare phase message; a view number identifying the view (or round) of the current consensus; a message sequence number, i.e., a unique increasing sequence number of the leadership node broadcasting the message, used to identify a specific message in the view; a message digest used to verify the integrity and content of the message; and a task request message representing the information of the spectrum sharing task. The spectrum management devices broadcast the consensus pre-prepare message to the remaining nodes in the autonomous domain, i.e., the base stations.

[0090] It should be understood that although three base stations are shown in the figure, the number of base stations in the autonomous domain is not limited thereto. Each base station in the autonomous domain verifies the consensus pre-prepare message received from the spectrum management device, and if the verification is successful, broadcasts a consensus prepare message in the autonomous domain;

[0091] Each node in the spectrum sharing autonomous domain counts the received consensus preparation messages, and if the number of consensus preparation messages exceeds a preset threshold, the corresponding computing component is invoked in sequence according to the task information in the consensus preparation message according to the processing strategy for the intra-domain task. As an example, assuming that the number of all nodes in the autonomous domain is N, the preset threshold can be an upper limit of (2N / 3). The computing component can be, for example, a smart contract or a function function. Subsequently, each node in the autonomous domain updates the candidate block with the processing result and signs it, and then generates a confirmation message according to the candidate block with the signature. Each node broadcasts the generated confirmation message in the autonomous domain.

[0092] The spectrum management device in the spectrum sharing autonomous domain counts the received confirmation messages, and if the number exceeds a preset threshold, the intra-domain task processing and consensus process of this round is completed, the spectrum management device will generate a candidate block with its own signature, and pack the block with the confirmation information from all base stations in the domain to obtain an autonomous domain candidate block, and upload it to the master guiding satellite.

[0093] Next, FIG. 8B shows a schematic diagram of the inter-domain task processing and consensus process. As shown in the figure, the master guiding satellite receives autonomous domain candidate blocks from various spectrum sharing autonomous domains. In the current round, the master guiding satellite selects an autonomous domain candidate block, for example, in the order of arrival time or in the order of generation time. The master guiding satellite packs the selected autonomous domain candidate block, the height and version number of the current block of the blockchain to build a master candidate block, and optionally broadcasts this master candidate block to the spectrum management devices of all autonomous domains via the remaining guiding satellites.

[0094] The spectrum management devices of all spectrum sharing autonomous domains receive and store the master candidate block sent by the master guiding satellite, and compare it with the current block information in their own blockchain ledger. If they are consistent, the intra-domain task in the received master candidate block is confirmed, and then a receipt is generated and signed, and a confirmation message is constructed and sent to the master guiding satellite.

[0095] The master guiding satellite counts the confirmation messages received from the spectrum management devices of various spectrum sharing autonomous domains. If the number of collected confirmation messages reaches a preset threshold, the consensus completion information is sent to the spectrum management devices of each spectrum sharing autonomous domain, wherein the consensus completion information includes the signatures of all received spectrum management devices. As an example, assuming that there are M spectrum sharing autonomous domains, there are M spectrum management devices, and the preset threshold can be set to an upper limit of (M / 2).

[0096] The spectrum management devices in each spectrum sharing autonomous domain receive and count the consensus completion messages from the lead bootstrap satellite. If the number of consensus completion messages exceeds a preset threshold, the spectrum management devices fill all the signatures contained in the consensus completion messages into a stored master candidate block, and then add the block to the local blockchain ledger and update the world state. Subsequently, the spectrum management devices send a consensus end message to the lead bootstrap satellite.

[0097] The lead bootstrap satellite receives and counts the consensus end messages sent by the spectrum management devices in the spectrum sharing autonomous domains. If the number of consensus end messages exceeds a preset threshold, the inter-domain task processing and consensus process for this round is completed.

[0098] FIG. 9 illustrates a flowchart of the task processing for inter-domain tasks according to the present disclosure. The task processing flow in FIG. 9 starts at S20, where the spectrum management devices select an inter-domain task from, for example, a global task pool. Subsequently, the spectrum management devices broadcast a message about the selected spectrum sharing task to the remaining nodes in the autonomous domain, and start the intra-domain task processing and consensus process.

[0099] At S21, the intra-domain task processing and consensus process is performed. Compared with the intra-domain task processing and consensus process in FIG. 7, the intra-domain task processing and consensus process in FIG. 9 is that the inter-domain task does not need to be processed in the autonomous domain. Specifically, at S211, the nodes in the autonomous domain receive and verify the spectrum sharing task message broadcast by the spectrum management devices. In response to the verification being valid, each node generates a confirmation message to broadcast to all other nodes in the autonomous domain.

[0100] At S212, the spectrum management devices in the autonomous domain count the received confirmation messages, and perform a consensus completion condition judgment according to the received confirmation messages. For example, the spectrum management devices can judge whether a threshold number of confirmation messages have been collected. If yes, the intra-domain consensus for this round is completed, otherwise the intra-domain consensus fails.

[0101] At S213, in response to the consensus being reached, the spectrum management devices generate a candidate block with their own signature, and package the candidate block with all the confirmation messages from the base stations in the autonomous domain to obtain an autonomous domain candidate block. Subsequently, the spectrum management devices send the autonomous domain candidate block to the lead bootstrap satellite. At S22, the lead bootstrap satellite selects one autonomous domain candidate block from the received autonomous domain candidate blocks, packages it with the height and version number of the current block of the blockchain to construct a master candidate block. In addition, the lead bootstrap satellite starts the inter-domain task processing and consensus process, and broadcasts the master candidate block to the spectrum management devices in all spectrum sharing autonomous domains directly or indirectly via bootstrap satellites.

[0102] In S23, the inter-domain task processing and consensus process is performed. Specifically, in S231, the spectrum management devices in all the spectrum sharing autonomous domains receive the master candidate block broadcasted by the master bootstrap satellite, and according to the task processing strategy for the inter-domain task, process the spectrum sharing task in the master candidate block by invoking the corresponding computing component (e.g. smart contract or function function). For example, when the spectrum sharing task is a global task of formulating spectrum sharing rules, the spectrum management devices can invoke the rule contract to process this task. The rule contract is collectively defined by all the spectrum management devices of the spectrum sharing domains, and changes need to be implemented after consensus of all the spectrum management devices of the spectrum sharing domains. In addition, each spectrum management device can generate a confirmation message for the confirmed master candidate block and feed it back to the master bootstrap satellite.

[0103] In S232, the master bootstrap satellite counts the confirmation messages received from the spectrum management devices in each of the spectrum sharing autonomous domains, and determines whether the inter-domain consensus completion condition is met. For example, the spectrum management devices can determine whether more than a threshold number of confirmation messages are collected, and if so, the inter-domain consensus of this round is completed, otherwise the inter-domain consensus fails. At this point, the inter-domain task processing and consensus process ends.

[0104] In S24, in response to determining that the inter-domain consensus is reached, the master bootstrap satellite notifies all the spectrum management devices to add the master candidate block to the blockchain. Thus, each spectrum management device adds the block to the local blockchain ledger and updates the world state.

[0105] Finally, in S25, in each spectrum sharing autonomous domain, the base station synchronizes the blockchain ledger of the spectrum management devices in the autonomous domain, and executes or implements the solution recorded in the block for the inter-domain task.

[0106] Next, an example of task processing for the inter-domain task will be described with reference to FIGS. 10A, 10B. FIG. 10A shows a schematic diagram of the intra-domain task processing and consensus process using the PBFT consensus mechanism. The intra-domain task processing and consensus process in FIG. 10 is basically the same as that in FIG. 8A, and the only difference is that each node in the autonomous domain only needs to confirm the inter-domain spectrum sharing task, without invoking the computing component to process it, as shown in the shaded box in FIG. 10A. The same steps will not be described again here.

[0107] Next, FIG. 10B shows a schematic diagram of the inter-domain task processing and consensus process. Compared with the inter-domain task processing and consensus process in FIG. 8B, the inter-domain task processing and consensus process in FIG. 10B is that the spectrum management devices of each autonomous domain need to invoke the corresponding computing component (e.g. smart contract or function function) to process the inter-domain task, and update the master candidate block with the processing result, as shown in the shaded box in FIG. 10B. The remaining same steps as in FIG. 8B will not be described again.

[0108] [Simulation]

[0109] The present disclosure provides simulation of the spectrum sharing method according to exemplary embodiments. Assuming that the probability of a satellite base station being an abnormal node is The probability of a spectrum management device or a ground base station being an abnormal node is Assuming that the number of visible satellites of a spectrum management device in the qthautonomous domain is N s , the number of ground nodes (base stations and spectrum management devices) is N g , where N i = N s + N g is the number of all nodes in the qthautonomous domain, then the probability of the inter-domain tasks and intra-domain tasks published in the autonomous domain being successfully consensus and processed in the system (i.e., the reliability of the dynamic spectrum sharing system based on the double-layer multi-partition single-chain block chain according to the present disclosure) is:

[0110] FIG. 11 shows the influence of the abnormal probability of each node on the system reliability. In the case of 100 spectrum autonomous domains, 60 ground nodes and 40 satellite nodes in each autonomous domain, as the abnormal probability of satellite nodes and ground nodes increases, the system stability decreases. However, when the abnormal probability of satellite nodes in the autonomous domain is 20%, the spectrum sharing system according to the present disclosure can still operate stably when the abnormal probability of ground nodes is 30%; when the abnormal probability of satellite nodes in the autonomous domain is 3%, the spectrum sharing system according to the present disclosure can still operate stably when the Byzantine probability of ground nodes is 40%. As can be seen, the reliability and availability of the system are improved.

[0111] [CBRS system]

[0112] The dynamic spectrum sharing method according to the present disclosure can be applied to, for example, a Citizens Broadband Radio Service (CBRS) system. The CBRS system is a spectrum sharing architecture created by the United States of America (USA) in the current 3.5 GHz band currently occupied by incumbent users such as the Department of Defense to meet the growing demand for wireless innovation.

[0113] The Federal Communications Commission (FCC) has specified a three-tiered spectrum licensing framework for the 3550-3700 MHz, with higher tiers being given higher interference protection. The incumbent users in the highest tier include federal users operating in the 3.5 GHz band. The second tier consists of users that obtain a priority access licensee (PAL). The FCC will auction 100 MHz (e.g., 3550-3650 MHz) of the 150 MHz spectrum. The third tier includes any user with a licensed 3.5 GHz device, i.e., general authorized access (GAA) users, allowing as broad a potential user group as possible to have open, flexible access to the spectrum.

[0114] In the above three-tiered framework, the second and third tiers will be regulated by the CBRS, with CBSDs only able to operate under the authorization of a centralized SAS. The SAS implements policy management functions and a geo-location database to protect incumbents and to implement tiered access. The SAS maintains current information about registered CBSDs, the geo-location and configuration of protected FSS, federal incumbent exclusion and protection areas.

[0115] FIG. 12 depicts an example SAS architecture for a CBRS system. The SAS can be viewed as a central entity or system for coordinating, authorizing, and managing the use of the CBRS spectrum. In some cases, the SAS can be referred to as a control node. There can be one or more SASs, such as SAS1 and SAS2 connected to each other. As illustrated in the figure, for example, SAS1 is connected to a FCC database, an environmental sensing capability (ESC) system for incumbent detection, a notification incumbent system, a domain proxy, and CBSDs (e.g., CBSD4).

[0116] The FCC database includes information related to commercial users and corresponding licenses (e.g., site-based license information). SAS1 and SAS2 can be able to directly interface with the FCC database to access information for SAS operations.

[0117] The domain proxy can be viewed as a management intermediary. Some functions of the domain proxy can include, for example: accepting a set of one or more available channels and selecting a channel for use by a particular CBSD, or passing available channels to a carrier element management system (EMS) for CBSD channel selection; reporting the selected channel back to the SAS, which optionally receives the selected channel via the EMS; receiving channel assignment confirmation from the SAS; optionally, through a carrier EMS (if present), performing two-way bulk CBSD registration and instruction processing; performing two-way information processing and routing; and performing other activities such as, for example, interference reporting, etc.

[0118] An EMS can be connected to multiple CBSDs, such as CBSD1, CBSD2, CBSD3, etc. Each CBSD domain can optionally include some sensing capability system (e.g., CBSD sensing).

[0119] Currently, the FCC requires CBRS operators to employ a transmission device for use in the 3.5 GHz band with specific standardized capabilities. This device is called a CBSD. A CBSD is typically a fixed base station / wireless access point, such as a gNB for New Radio (NR), an eNodeB for LTE, etc.

[0120] An end user device (EUD) of the CBRS can be controlled by an authorized CBSD. An EUD can have the capability to receive and decode information from a CBSD. An end user can access a communication network through one or more CBSDs and can use resources within the shared band when the CBSD is granted permission from the SAS.

[0121] In connection with the dynamic spectrum sharing system shown in FIG. 1, the SAS of the CBRS system can operate as the above-mentioned spectrum management device, and the CBSD can operate as a terrestrial base station or a satellite base station. The coverage of the CBRS system can be divided into spectrum sharing autonomous domains according to geographical areas, and the SAS in each autonomous domain can constitute an upper node of the system.

[0122]

Electronic device and communication method

[0123] An electronic device and a communication method for implementing various embodiments of the present disclosure will be described below in connection with the accompanying drawings.

[0124] FIG. 13A is a block diagram illustrating an electronic device 100 according to a spectrum management device of the present disclosure, and FIG. 13B is a flowchart illustrating a communication method that the electronic device 100 can perform.

[0125] As shown in FIG. 13A, the electronic device 100 includes processing circuitry 101. The processing circuitry 101 includes at least a selection unit 102, a task processing and consensus unit 103, and an uplink unit 104. The processing circuitry 101 can be configured to perform the communication method illustrated in FIG. 13B. The processing circuitry 101 can refer to various implementations of digital circuitry, analog circuitry, or mixed-signal (combination of analog and digital signals) circuitry that performs functions in a computing system. The processing circuitry can include, for example, portions or circuits of individual processor cores, entire processor cores, individual processors, programmable hardware devices such as field programmable gate arrays (FPGAs), and / or systems on a chip that include multiple processors.

[0126] The selecting unit 102 in the processing circuit 101 is configured to select a spectrum sharing task, i.e. performing step S101 in FIG. 13B. The spectrum sharing task is a task related to spectrum sharing issued by a spectrum management apparatus or a base station. Optionally, the selecting unit 102 can also be configured to perform task filtering and task sorting on the spectrum sharing task to select the task to be processed.

[0127] The task processing and consensus unit 103 is configured to generate an autonomous domain candidate block associated with the spectrum sharing task through an intra-domain task processing and consensus procedure, i.e. performing step S102 in FIG. 13B. When the spectrum sharing task is an intra-domain task, the task can be processed and confirmed in the intra-domain task processing and consensus procedure, while when the spectrum sharing task is an inter-domain task, the task can not be processed in the intra-domain task processing and consensus procedure.

[0128] The task processing and consensus unit 103 is further configured to confirm the autonomous domain candidate block through an inter-domain task processing and consensus procedure, i.e. performing step S103 in FIG. 13B. When the spectrum sharing task is an intra-domain task, the task can not be processed in the inter-domain task processing and consensus procedure, while when the spectrum sharing task is an inter-domain task, the task can be processed in the inter-domain task processing and consensus procedure.

[0129] The uplink unit 104 is configured to add the confirmed autonomous domain candidate block as a block of the blockchain, i.e. performing step S104 in FIG. 13B.

[0130] The electronic device 100 can further include, for example, a communication unit 105 and a memory 106.

[0131] The communication unit 106 can be configured to communicate with other devices (e.g. ground base stations, satellite base stations or a guide satellite, etc.) under the control of the processing circuit 101. In one example, the communication unit 106 can be implemented as a transmitter or a transceiver, including communication components such as an antenna array and / or a radio frequency link, etc. The communication unit 106 is drawn with a dashed line because it can also be located outside the electronic device 100.

[0132] The electronic device 100 can further include a memory 106. The memory 106 can store various data and instructions, programs and data for operation of the electronic device 100, various data generated by the processing circuit 101, data received by the communication unit 105, etc. The memory 106 can be a volatile memory and / or a non-volatile memory. For example, the memory 106 can include, but is not limited to, a random access memory (RAM), a dynamic random access memory (DRAM), a static random access memory (SRAM), a read-only memory (ROM), a flash memory.

[0133] FIG. 14A is a block diagram illustrating an electronic device 200 for a base station according to the present disclosure. The electronic device 200 can be a ground base station, a satellite base station, or a component thereof.

[0134] As shown in FIG. 14A, the electronic device 200 includes processing circuitry 201. The processing circuitry 201 includes at least a blockchain maintenance unit 202, a task processing and consensus unit 203, and an update unit 204. The processing circuitry 201 can be configured to perform the communication method shown in FIG. 14B. The processing circuitry 201 can refer to various implementations of digital circuitry, analog circuitry, or mixed-signal (combination of both analog and digital signals) circuitry that performs a function in a computing system. The processing circuitry can include, for example, a portion or circuit of a circuit such as an integrated circuit (IC), an application-specific integrated circuit (ASIC), a separate processor core, an entire processor core, a separate processor, a programmable hardware device such as a field-programmable gate array (FPGA), and / or a system including a plurality of processors.

[0135] The blockchain maintenance unit 202 of the processing circuitry 201 is configured to maintain a blockchain, i.e., perform step S201 in FIG. 14B.

[0136] The task processing and consensus unit 203 is configured to process and confirm a candidate block associated with a spectrum sharing task in an intra-domain task processing and consensus procedure to generate an autonomous domain candidate block, i.e., perform step S202 in FIG. 14B. When the spectrum sharing task is an intra-domain task, the task can be processed and confirmed in the intra-domain task processing and consensus procedure, while when the spectrum sharing task is an inter-domain task, the task can not be processed in the intra-domain task processing and consensus procedure.

[0137] The update unit 204 is configured to update the blockchain to add the confirmed autonomous domain candidate block in response to the autonomous domain candidate block being confirmed in an inter-domain task processing and consensus procedure, i.e., perform step S203 in FIG. 14B.

[0138] The electronic device 200 can further include, for example, a communication unit 205 and a memory 206.

[0139] The communication unit 205 can be configured to communicate with other devices (e.g., a spectrum management apparatus, another ground or satellite base station, etc.) under the control of the processing circuitry 201. In one example, the communication unit 205 can be implemented as a transmitter or a transceiver, including communication components such as an antenna array and / or a radio frequency link. The communication unit 205 is drawn with a dashed line because it can also be located outside the electronic device 200.

[0140] The electronic device 200 can further include a memory 206. The memory 206 can store various data and instructions, such as programs and data used in the operation of the electronic device 200, various data generated by the processing circuit 201, various control signaling or traffic data to be transmitted by the communication unit 205, etc. The memory 206 is drawn as a dashed line because it can also be located within the processing circuit 201 or located outside of the electronic device 200. The memory 206 can be a volatile memory and / or a non-volatile memory. For example, the memory 206 can include, but is not limited to, random access memory (RAM), dynamic random access memory (DRAM), static random access memory (SRAM), read only memory (ROM), flash memory.

[0141] FIG. 15A is a block diagram illustrating an electronic device 300 of a primary bootstrap satellite, according to the present disclosure. The electronic device 300 can be a satellite or a component thereof.

[0142] As shown in FIG. 15A, the electronic device 300 includes a processing circuit 301. The processing circuit 301 includes at least a receiving unit 302, a transmitting unit 303, and a determining unit 304. The processing circuit 301 can be configured to perform the communication method shown in FIG. 15B. The processing circuit 301 can refer to various implementations of digital circuitry, analog circuitry, or mixed-signal (combination of analog and digital signals) circuitry that performs functions in a computing system. The processing circuit can include, for example, portions or circuits of specialized integrated circuits (ICs), such as application-specific integrated circuits (ASICs), portions or circuits of separate processor cores, entire processor cores, separate processors, programmable hardware devices such as field programmable gate arrays (FPGAs), and / or systems on a chip that include multiple processors.

[0143] The receiving unit 302 of the processing circuit 301 is configured to receive an autonomous domain candidate block from a spectrum management apparatus of a spectrum sharing autonomous domain, i.e., perform step S301 in FIG. 15B. The autonomous domain candidate block received by the receiving unit 302 is confirmed by the intra-domain task processing and consensus process performed in the spectrum sharing autonomous domain.

[0144] The transmitting unit 303 is configured to transmit the autonomous domain candidate block to spectrum management apparatuses of a plurality of spectrum sharing autonomous domains for inter-domain task processing and consensus process, i.e., perform step S302 in FIG. 15B.

[0145] The determining unit 304 is configured to determine a result of the inter-domain task processing and consensus process, i.e., perform step S303 in FIG. 15B.

[0146] The electronic device 300 can further include, for example, a communication unit 305 and a memory 306.

[0147] The communication unit 305 can be configured to communicate with other devices (e.g., a spectrum management apparatus, etc.) under control of the processing circuitry 301. In one example, the communication unit 305 can be implemented as a transmitter or a transceiver, including communication components such as an antenna array and / or a radio frequency link, etc. The communication unit 305 is drawn with dashed lines because it can also be located outside the electronic device 300.

[0148] The electronic device 300 can also include a memory 306. The memory 306 can store various data and instructions, such as a program and data used by the electronic device 300, various data produced by the processing circuitry 301, various control signaling or traffic data to be sent by the communication unit 305, etc. The memory 306 is drawn with dashed lines because it can also be located within the processing circuitry 301 or located external to the electronic device 300. The memory 306 can be a volatile memory and / or a non-volatile memory. For example, the memory 306 can include, but is not limited to, random access memory (RAM), dynamic random access memory (DRAM), static random access memory (SRAM), read only memory (ROM), flash memory.

[0149] It should be understood that each unit of the electronic device 100, 200, 300 described in the above embodiments is only a logical module according to the specific function implemented by it, and is not used to limit the specific implementation mode. In actual implementation, each unit can be implemented as an independent physical entity, or can also be implemented by a single entity (for example, a processor (CPU or DSP, etc.), an integrated circuit, etc.).

[0150] Various aspects of the embodiments of the present disclosure have been described in detail above, but it should be noted that the above described communication device, communication method, signaling flow, etc. are not intended to limit the aspects of the present disclosure to these specific examples.

[0151]

Exemplary Implementations of the Present Disclosure

[0152] According to embodiments of the present disclosure, various implementations of the concepts of the present disclosure can be contemplated, including but not limited to:

[0153] 1) An electronic device for a spectrum management apparatus in a spectrum sharing system, the spectrum sharing system maintaining a single blockchain and being partitioned into a plurality of spectrum sharing autonomous domains, each spectrum sharing autonomous domain comprising a respective spectrum management apparatus and a plurality of base stations, the spectrum management apparatuses in the plurality of spectrum sharing autonomous domains implementing inter-domain communication through a satellite, wherein the electronic device comprises:

[0154] a processor; and

[0155] a memory including computer program code, wherein the computer program code, when executed by the processor, causes the electronic device to perform operations comprising:

[0156] selecting a spectrum sharing task;

[0157] generating an autonomous domain candidate block associated with the spectrum sharing task through an intra-domain task processing and consensus procedure

[0158] a candidate block;

[0159] confirming the autonomous domain candidate block through an inter-domain task processing and consensus procedure via a satellite; and

[0160] adding the confirmed autonomous domain candidate block as a block of the blockchain.

[0161] 2) The electronic device of 1), wherein the operations further comprise:

[0162] updating the blockchain within the spectrum sharing autonomous domain.

[0163] 3) The electronic device of 1), wherein the spectrum sharing task is an intra-domain task, and wherein the intra-domain task processing and consensus procedure comprises:

[0164] constructing a candidate block associated with the spectrum sharing task;

[0165] processing the spectrum sharing task within a spectrum sharing autonomous domain using an intra-domain consensus mechanism and updating the candidate block based on a processing result of the spectrum sharing task; and

[0166] confirming the updated candidate block within the spectrum sharing autonomous domain to generate the autonomous domain candidate block.

[0167] 4) The electronic device of 1), wherein the spectrum sharing task is an intra-domain task, and wherein the inter-domain task processing and consensus procedure comprises:

[0168] confirming an autonomous domain candidate block associated with the spectrum sharing task between spectrum management apparatuses of the plurality of sharing autonomous domains using an inter-domain consensus mechanism.

[0169] 5) The electronic device of 1), wherein the spectrum sharing task is an inter-domain task, and wherein the intra-domain task processing and consensus procedure comprises:

[0170] constructing a candidate block associated with the spectrum sharing task; and

[0171] confirming the candidate block within a spectrum sharing autonomous domain using an intra-domain consensus mechanism to generate the autonomous domain candidate block.

[0172] 6) The electronic device of 1), wherein the spectrum sharing task is an inter-domain task, and wherein the inter-domain task processing and consensus procedure comprises:

[0173] broadcasting, by a satellite, the autonomous domain candidate blocks for the spectrum sharing task to the spectrum management devices of the plurality of spectrum sharing autonomous domains;

[0174] processing, by the spectrum management devices of the plurality of spectrum sharing autonomous domains, the spectrum sharing task using an inter-domain consensus mechanism and updating the autonomous domain candidate blocks based on the processing results; and

[0175] confirming the updated autonomous domain candidate blocks among the spectrum management devices of the plurality of sharing autonomous domains.

[0176] 7) The electronic device of 1), wherein the spectrum sharing task comprises one of:

[0177] a state transition task issued by a base station within a spectrum sharing autonomous domain;

[0178] a global spectrum rule task issued by a spectrum management device;

[0179] a spectrum allocation task issued by a spectrum management device;

[0180] a spectrum allocation result record task issued by a spectrum management device;

[0181] a state reset task issued by a spectrum management device.

[0182] 8) The electronic device of 7), wherein the operations further comprise:

[0183] filtering the spectrum sharing task into corresponding task pools.

[0184] 9) The electronic device of 8), wherein the operations further comprise:

[0185] sorting the spectrum sharing tasks in each task pool and selecting a spectrum sharing task to be processed.

[0186] 10) The electronic device of 1), wherein the plurality of spectrum sharing autonomous domains use the same or different consensus mechanisms.

[0187] 11) The electronic device of 1), wherein the base station comprises at least one of a ground base station and a satellite base station.

[0188] 12) An electronic device for a base station in a spectrum sharing system that maintains a single blockchain and is partitioned into a plurality of spectrum sharing autonomous domains, each spectrum sharing autonomous domain comprising a respective spectrum management apparatus and a plurality of base stations, the spectrum management apparatuses in the plurality of spectrum sharing autonomous domains enabling inter-domain communication through a satellite, wherein the electronic device comprises:

[0189] a processor; and

[0190] a memory including computer program code, wherein the computer program code, when executed by the processor, causes the electronic device to perform operations comprising:

[0191] maintaining the blockchain;

[0192] in intra-domain task processing and consensus processes, processing and confirming candidate blocks associated with spectrum sharing tasks to generate autonomous domain candidate blocks; and

[0193] in response to the autonomous domain candidate blocks being confirmed in inter-domain task processing and consensus processes, updating the blockchain to add the confirmed autonomous domain candidate blocks.

[0194] 13) The electronic device of 12), wherein the operations further comprise:

[0195] updating the blockchain by synchronizing the blockchain maintained by the spectrum management apparatus in the spectrum sharing autonomous domain to which the base station belongs.

[0196] 14) The electronic device of 12), wherein the operations further comprise:

[0197] publishing and broadcasting the spectrum sharing tasks in a spectrum sharing autonomous domain; or

[0198] publishing and sending the spectrum sharing tasks to the spectrum management apparatus in a spectrum sharing autonomous domain.

[0199] 15) The electronic device of 14), wherein the spectrum sharing tasks are state transition tasks to indicate spectrum requirements of the base station.

[0200] 16) The electronic device of 12), wherein the base station is a ground base station or a satellite base station.

[0201] 17) An electronic device for a satellite in a spectrum sharing system that maintains a single blockchain and is partitioned into a plurality of spectrum sharing autonomous domains, each spectrum sharing autonomous domain comprising a respective spectrum management apparatus and a plurality of base stations, the spectrum management apparatuses in the plurality of spectrum sharing autonomous domains enabling inter-domain communication through the satellite, wherein the electronic device comprises:

[0202] a processor; and

[0203] a memory including computer program code, wherein the computer program code, when executed by the processor, causes the electronic device to perform operations comprising:

[0204] receiving an autonomous domain candidate block from a spectrum management device of a spectrum sharing autonomous domain, the autonomous domain candidate block having been confirmed by an intra-domain task processing and consensus process performed in the spectrum sharing autonomous domain;

[0205] sending the autonomous domain candidate block to spectrum management devices of the plurality of spectrum sharing autonomous domains for an inter-domain task processing and consensus process; and

[0206] determining a result of the inter-domain task processing and consensus process.

[0207] 18) The electronic device of 17), wherein determining a result of the inter-domain task processing and consensus process comprises:

[0208] receiving confirmation messages from the spectrum management devices of the plurality of spectrum sharing autonomous domains regarding the inter-domain task processing and consensus process; and

[0209] determining whether the candidate block is confirmed by counting the received confirmation messages.

[0210] 19) The electronic device of 17), wherein the satellite is a satellite elected from a plurality of satellites.

[0211] 20) The electronic device of 19), wherein the operations comprise:

[0212] receiving a candidate block from a spectrum management device via one or more satellites; or

[0213] sending a candidate block to spectrum management devices of the plurality of spectrum sharing autonomous domains via one or more satellites.

[0214] 21) The electronic device of 17), wherein the operations further comprise:

[0215] receiving and storing a candidate block from a spectrum management device; and

[0216] selecting a candidate block from the stored candidate blocks to perform the inter-domain task processing and consensus process.

[0217] 22) A method for a spectrum management apparatus in a spectrum sharing system that maintains a single blockchain and is partitioned into a plurality of spectrum sharing autonomous domains, each spectrum sharing autonomous domain comprising a respective spectrum management apparatus and a plurality of base stations, spectrum management apparatuses in the plurality of spectrum sharing autonomous domains implementing inter-domain communication via a satellite, wherein the method comprises:

[0218] selecting a spectrum sharing task;

[0219] generating, through an intra-domain task processing and consensus procedure, an autonomous domain candidate block associated with the spectrum sharing task;

[0220] confirming, via the satellite, the autonomous domain candidate block through an inter-domain task processing and consensus procedure; and

[0221] adding the confirmed autonomous domain candidate block as a block of the blockchain.

[0222] 23) A method for a base station in a spectrum sharing system that maintains a single blockchain and is partitioned into a plurality of spectrum sharing autonomous domains, each spectrum sharing autonomous domain comprising a respective spectrum management apparatus and a plurality of base stations, spectrum management apparatuses in the plurality of spectrum sharing autonomous domains implementing inter-domain communication via a satellite, wherein the method comprises:

[0223] maintaining the blockchain;

[0224] processing and confirming, in an intra-domain task processing and consensus procedure, a candidate block associated with a spectrum sharing task to generate an autonomous domain candidate block; and

[0225] in response to the autonomous domain candidate block being confirmed in an inter-domain task processing and consensus procedure, updating the blockchain to add the confirmed autonomous domain candidate block.

[0226] 24) A method for a satellite in a spectrum sharing system that maintains a single blockchain and is partitioned into a plurality of spectrum sharing autonomous domains, each spectrum sharing autonomous domain comprising a respective spectrum management apparatus and a plurality of base stations, spectrum management apparatuses in the plurality of spectrum sharing autonomous domains implementing inter-domain communication via the satellite, wherein the method comprises:

[0227] receiving, from a spectrum management apparatus of a spectrum sharing autonomous domain, an autonomous domain candidate block that has been confirmed through an intra-domain task processing and consensus procedure performed in the spectrum sharing autonomous domain;

[0228] sending the autonomous domain candidate block to spectrum management apparatuses of the plurality of spectrum sharing autonomous domains for an inter-domain task processing and consensus procedure; and

[0229] determining a result of the inter-domain task processing and consensus process.

[0230] 25) A computer-readable storage medium containing executable instructions that, when executed, cause an electronic device to perform operations of any of 1) - 21).

[0231]

Application examples of the present disclosure

[0232] FIG. 16 shows an example block diagram of a computer that can implement embodiments according to the present disclosure.

[0233] In FIG. 16, a central processing unit (CPU) 1301 performs various processing according to a program stored in a read only memory (ROM) 1302 or a program loaded from a storage section 1308 to a random access memory (RAM) 1303. In the RAM 1303, data required when the CPU 1301 performs various processing and the like is also stored as necessary.

[0234] The CPU 1301, the ROM 1302, and the RAM 1303 are connected to each other via a bus 1304. An input / output interface 1305 is also connected to the bus 1304.

[0235] The following components are connected to the input / output interface 1305: an input section 1306 including a keyboard, a mouse, and the like; an output section 1307 including a display such as a cathode ray tube (CRT), a liquid crystal display (LCD), and the like, and a speaker and the like; the storage section 1308 including a hard disk and the like; and a communication section 1309 including a network interface card such as a LAN card, a modem, and the like. The communication section 1309 performs communication processing via a network such as the Internet.

[0236] A drive 1310 is also connected to the input / output interface 1305 as necessary. A removable medium 1311 such as a magnetic disk, an optical disk, a magneto-optical disk, a semiconductor memory, and the like is mounted on the drive 1310 as necessary, so that a computer program read therefrom is installed in the storage section 1308 as necessary.

[0237] In a case where the above series of processing is implemented by software, the program constituting the software is installed from a network such as the Internet or a storage medium such as the removable medium 1311.

[0238] The skilled person will appreciate that such storage media are not limited to the removable media 1311 shown in Figure 16 in which the program is stored, but also to the hard disks (including the hard disk (registered trademark)) included in the storage section 1308, the ROM 1302, and the like in which the program is stored and which are distributed to the user together with the device including them.

[0239] The technology described in this disclosure can be applied to various products.

[0240] For example, the electronic device 100 according to an embodiment of the present disclosure can be implemented as or installed in various spectrum management apparatuses, the electronic device 200 can be implemented as or installed in various base stations such as terrestrial base stations or satellite base stations, and the electronic device 300 can be implemented as or installed in various satellites.

[0241] The communication method according to an embodiment of the present disclosure can be implemented by various devices; the method and operations according to an embodiment of the present disclosure can be embodied as computer executable instructions stored in a non-transitory computer readable storage medium and can be executed by various devices to implement one or more functions described above.

[0242] The technology according to an embodiment of the present disclosure can be made into various computer program products and used for various devices to implement one or more functions described above.

[0243] The term "base station" used in this disclosure is an example of a control device on the network side and has all the breadth of its ordinary meaning. The base station described in this disclosure can be implemented as any type of base station, preferably, such as a macro gNB and ng-eNB defined in the 5G NR standard of 3GPP. The gNB can be a gNB of a small cell covered by a macro cell, such as a pico gNB, micro gNB, and home (femto) gNB. Alternatively, the base station can be implemented as any other type of base station, such as a NodeB, eNodeB, and base transceiver station (BTS).

[0244] The following briefly introduces application examples of the base station to which the technology of the present disclosure can be applied.

[0245] First application example of base station

[0246] FIG. 17 is a block diagram illustrating a first example of a schematic configuration of a base station to which the technology of the present disclosure can be applied. In FIG. 17, the base station can be implemented as a gNB 1400. The gNB 1400 includes a plurality of antennas 1410 and a base station apparatus 1420. The base station apparatus 1420 and each of the antennas 1410 can be connected with each other via an RF cable. In one implementation, the gNB 1400 (or the base station apparatus 1420) here can correspond to the electronic device 200 described above.

[0247] The antennas 1410 include a plurality of antenna elements, such as a plurality of antenna arrays for massive MIMO. The antennas 1410 can be arranged, for example, in a matrix of antenna arrays, and used for transmission and reception of wireless signals by the base station apparatus 1420. For example, the plurality of antennas 1410 can be compatible with a plurality of frequency bands used by the gNB 1400.

[0248] The base station apparatus 1420 includes a controller 1421, a memory 1422, a network interface 1423, and a wireless communication interface 1425.

[0249] The controller 1421 can be, for example, a CPU or a DSP, and operates various functions of higher layers of the base station apparatus 1420. For example, the controller 1421 can include the processing circuitry 201 described above to execute the communication method described in FIG. 14B, or control the individual components of the electronic device 200. For example, the controller 1421 generates data packets from data in signals processed by the wireless communication interface 1425, and transfers the generated packets via the network interface 1423. The controller 1421 can bundle data from a plurality of baseband processors to generate bundled packets, and transfer the generated bundled packets. The controller 1421 can have a logical function of performing control such as radio resource control, radio bearer control, mobility management, admission control, and scheduling. The control can be performed in conjunction with a nearby gNB or a core network node. The memory 1422 includes a RAM and a ROM, and stores programs executed by the controller 1421 and various types of control data such as a terminal list, transmission power data, and scheduling data.

[0250] The network interface 1423 is a communication interface for connecting the base station device 1420 to a core network 1424 (e.g., a 5G core network). The controller 1421 can communicate with a core network node or another gNB via the network interface 1423. In this case, the gNB 1400 and the core network node or other gNBs can be connected to each other by logical interfaces such as an NG interface and an Xn interface. The network interface 1423 can also be a wired communication interface or a wireless communication interface for a wireless backhaul line. If the network interface 1423 is a wireless communication interface, the network interface 1423 can use a higher frequency band for wireless communication than the frequency band used by the wireless communication interface 1425.

[0251] The wireless communication interface 1425 supports any cellular communication scheme such as 5G NR and provides wireless connections to terminals located in the cell of the gNB 1400 via the antennas 1410. The wireless communication interface 1425 can generally include, for example, a baseband (BB) processor 1426 and an RF circuit 1427. The BB processor 1426 can perform, for example, encoding / decoding, modulation / demodulation, and multiplexing / demultiplexing, and perform various types of signal processing of layers (e.g., physical, MAC, RLC, PDCP, SDAP layers). The BB processor 1426 can have a part or all of the logical functions described above instead of the controller 1421. The BB processor 1426 can be a memory that stores a communication control program, or a module including a processor and related circuitry configured to execute the program. Updating the program can cause the function of the BB processor 1426 to change. The module can be a card or a blade that is inserted into a slot of the base station device 1420. Alternatively, the module can also be a chip mounted on a card or a blade. Meanwhile, the RF circuit 1427 can include, for example, a mixer, a filter, and an amplifier, and transmit and receive wireless signals via the antennas 1410. Although FIG. 17 shows an example in which one RF circuit 1427 is connected to one antenna 1410, the present disclosure is not limited to this illustration, but one RF circuit 1427 can be connected to multiple antennas 1410 at the same time.

[0252] As illustrated in FIG. 17, the wireless communication interface 1425 can include multiple BB processors 1426. For example, the multiple BB processors 1426 can be compatible with multiple frequency bands used by the gNB 1400. As illustrated in FIG. 17, the wireless communication interface 1425 can include multiple RF circuits 1427. For example, the multiple RF circuits 1427 can be compatible with multiple antenna elements. Although FIG. 17 shows an example in which the wireless communication interface 1425 includes multiple BB processors 1426 and multiple RF circuits 1427, the wireless communication interface 1425 can also include a single BB processor 1426 or a single RF circuit 1427.

[0253] In the gNB 1400 shown in FIG. 17, one or a plurality of elements included in the processing circuitry 201 described with reference to FIG. 14A can be implemented in the wireless communication interface 1425. Alternatively, at least a part of the components can be implemented in the controller 1421. For example, the gNB 1400 includes a part (e.g., the BB processor 1426) or the entirety of the wireless communication interface 1425, and / or a module including the controller 1421, and one or a plurality of components can be implemented in the module. In this case, the module can store a program for allowing the processor to function as the one or a plurality of components (in other words, a program for allowing the processor to perform the operations of the one or a plurality of components), and can execute the program. As another example, a program for allowing the processor to function as the one or a plurality of components can be installed in the gNB 1400, and the wireless communication interface 1425 (e.g., the BB processor 1426) and / or the controller 1421 can execute the program. As described above, the gNB 1400, the base station apparatus 1420, or the module can be provided as a device including the one or a plurality of components, and a program for allowing the processor to function as the one or a plurality of components can be provided. In addition, a readable medium in which the program is recorded can be provided.

[0254] Second application example of base station

[0255] FIG. 18 is a block diagram illustrating a second example of a schematic configuration of a base station to which the technology of the present disclosure can be applied. In FIG. 18, the base station is illustrated as a gNB 1530. The gNB 1530 includes a plurality of antennas 1540, a base station apparatus 1550, and RRHs 1560. The RRHs 1560 and each of the antennas 1540 can be connected to each other via an RF cable. The base station apparatus 1550 and the RRHs 1560 can be connected to each other via a high-speed line such as an optical fiber cable. In one implementation example, the gNB 1530 (or the base station apparatus 1550) here can correspond to the electronic device 200 described above.

[0256] The antennas 1540 include a plurality of antenna elements such as a plurality of antenna arrays for massive MIMO. The antennas 1540, for example, can be arranged in a matrix of antenna arrays, and are used for the base station apparatus 1550 to transmit and receive radio signals. The plurality of antennas 1540, for example, can be compatible with a plurality of frequency bands used by the gNB 1530.

[0257] The base station apparatus 1550 includes a controller 1551, a memory 1552, a network interface 1553, a wireless communication interface 1555, and a connection interface 1557. The controller 1551, the memory 1552, and the network interface 1553 are the same as the controller 1421, the memory 1422, and the network interface 1423 described with reference to FIG. 17.

[0258] The wireless communication interface 1555 supports any cellular communication scheme such as 5G NR and provides wireless communication to terminals located in a sector corresponding to the RRH 1560 via the RRH 1560 and the antenna 1540. The wireless communication interface 1555 can generally include, for example, a BB processor 1556. The BB processor 1556 is the same as the BB processor 1426 described with reference to FIG. 17 except that the BB processor 1556 is connected to the RF circuit 1564 of the RRH 1560 via a connection interface 1557. As shown in FIG. 18, the wireless communication interface 1555 can include a plurality of BB processors 1556. For example, the plurality of BB processors 1556 can be compatible with a plurality of frequency bands used by the gNB 1530. Although FIG. 18 shows an example in which the wireless communication interface 1555 includes a plurality of BB processors 1556, the wireless communication interface 1555 can also include a single BB processor 1556.

[0259] The connection interface 1557 is an interface for connecting the base station device 1550 (the wireless communication interface 1555) to the RRH 1560. The connection interface 1557 can also be a communication module for communication in the high-speed line described above.

[0260] The RRH 1560 includes a connection interface 1561 and a wireless communication interface 1563.

[0261] The connection interface 1561 is an interface for connecting the RRH 1560 (the wireless communication interface 1563) to the base station device 1550. The connection interface 1561 can also be a communication module for communication in the high-speed line described above.

[0262] The wireless communication interface 1563 transmits and receives wireless signals via the antenna 1540. The wireless communication interface 1563 can generally include, for example, an RF circuit 1564. The RF circuit 1564 can include, for example, a mixer, a filter, and an amplifier, and transmits and receives wireless signals via the antenna 1540. Although FIG. 18 shows an example in which one RF circuit 1564 is connected to one antenna 1540, the present disclosure is not limited to this illustration, but one RF circuit 1564 can be connected to a plurality of antennas 1540 at the same time.

[0263] As shown in FIG. 18, the wireless communication interface 1563 can include a plurality of RF circuits 1564. For example, the plurality of RF circuits 1564 can support a plurality of antenna elements. Although FIG. 18 shows an example in which the wireless communication interface 1563 includes a plurality of RF circuits 1564, the wireless communication interface 1563 can also include a single RF circuit 1564.

[0264] In the gNB 1500 shown in FIG. 18, one or a plurality of units included in the processing circuitry 201 described with reference to FIG. 14A can be implemented in the wireless communication interface 1525. Alternatively, at least a part of these components can be implemented in the controller 1521. For example, the gNB 1500 includes a part of or the entirety of the wireless communication interface 1525 (e.g., the BB processor 1526), and / or a module including the controller 1521, and one or a plurality of components can be implemented in the module. In this case, the module can store a program for allowing the processor to function as the one or a plurality of components (in other words, a program for allowing the processor to perform the operations of the one or a plurality of components), and can execute the program. As another example, the program for allowing the processor to function as the one or a plurality of components can be installed in the gNB 1500, and the wireless communication interface 1525 (e.g., the BB processor 1526) and / or the controller 1521 can execute the program. As described above, as a device including the one or a plurality of components, the gNB 1500, the base station apparatus 1520, or the module can be provided, and a program for allowing the processor to function as the one or a plurality of components can be provided. In addition, a readable medium in which the program is recorded can be provided.

[0265] The exemplary embodiments of the present disclosure are described above with reference to the accompanying drawings, but the present disclosure is of course not limited to the above examples. Various changes and modifications can be made by those skilled in the art within the scope of the claims, and it should be understood that such changes and modifications naturally fall within the technical scope of the present disclosure.

[0266] For example, a plurality of functions included in one unit in the above embodiments can be implemented by separate devices. Alternatively, a plurality of functions implemented by a plurality of units in the above embodiments can be respectively implemented by separate devices. In addition, one of the above functions can be implemented by a plurality of units. Needless to say, such a configuration is included in the technical scope of the present disclosure.

[0267] In this specification, the steps described in the flowcharts described in the flowcharts include not only the processing performed in time series in the order described but also processing performed in parallel or individually rather than in time series. Furthermore, even in the steps that are processed in time series, the order of processing is not essential, needless to say, and can be changed appropriately.

[0268] While the disclosure and the best mode thereof have been described in detail, it should be understood that various changes, substitutions and alterations can be made hereto without departing from the spirit and scope of the disclosure as defined by the appended claims. Moreover, the terms "comprising", "including", or any other variations thereof, are intended to cover a non-exclusive inclusion, such that a process, method, article, or apparatus that comprises a list of elements does not include only those elements but can also include other elements not expressly listed or inherent to such process, method, article, or apparatus. An element proceeded by "comprises a... " does not, without further restriction, preclude the existence of additional elements of the same type in the process, method, article, or apparatus.

Claims

1. An electronic device for a spectrum management apparatus in a spectrum sharing system that maintains a single blockchain and is partitioned into a plurality of spectrum sharing autonomous domains each comprising a respective spectrum management apparatus and a plurality of base stations, the spectrum management apparatuses in the plurality of spectrum sharing autonomous domains implementing inter-domain communication through a satellite, wherein the electronic device comprises: a processor; and a memory including computer program code, wherein the computer program code, when executed by the processor, causes the electronic device to perform operations comprising: selecting a spectrum sharing task; generating, through an intra-domain task processing and consensus procedure, an autonomous domain candidate block associated with the spectrum sharing task; confirming, via the satellite, the autonomous domain candidate block through an inter-domain task processing and consensus procedure; and adding the confirmed autonomous domain candidate block as a block of the blockchain. The operations further comprise: 2.The electronic device of claim 1, wherein, updating the blockchain within a spectrum sharing autonomous domain. The spectrum sharing task is an intra-domain task, and wherein the intra-domain task processing and consensus procedure comprises: 3.The electronic device of claim 1, wherein, constructing a candidate block associated with the spectrum sharing task; processing the spectrum sharing task within a spectrum sharing autonomous domain using an intra-domain consensus mechanism and updating the candidate block based on a processing result of the spectrum sharing task; and confirming the updated candidate block within the spectrum sharing autonomous domain to generate the autonomous domain candidate block. The spectrum sharing task is an inter-domain task, and wherein the intra-domain task processing and consensus procedure comprises:

4. The electronic device of claim 1, wherein, constructing a candidate block associated with the spectrum sharing task; and confirming the candidate block within a spectrum sharing autonomous domain using an intra-domain consensus mechanism to generate the autonomous domain candidate block. 5.The electronic device of claim 1, wherein, The spectrum sharing task is an inter-domain task, and wherein the inter-domain task processing and consensus procedure comprises: broadcasting, through the satellite, the autonomous domain candidate block associated with the spectrum sharing task to the spectrum management apparatuses of the plurality of spectrum sharing autonomous domains; processing the spectrum sharing task by the spectrum management apparatuses of the plurality of spectrum sharing autonomous domains using an inter-domain consensus mechanism and updating the autonomous domain candidate block based on a processing result; and 6. The electronic device of claim 1, wherein, confirming the updated autonomous domain candidate block among the spectrum management apparatuses of the plurality of sharing autonomous domains. The spectrum sharing task comprises one of: a state transition task issued by a base station within a spectrum sharing autonomous domain; a global spectrum rule task issued by a spectrum management apparatus; 7. The electronic device of claim 1, wherein, a spectrum allocation task issued by a spectrum management apparatus; a spectrum allocation result recording task issued by a spectrum management apparatus; a state reset task issued by a spectrum management apparatus. The operations further comprise: filtering the spectrum sharing task to a corresponding task pool. The operations further comprise:

8. The electronic device of claim 7, wherein, ordering the spectrum sharing tasks in each task pool and selecting a spectrum sharing task to be processed. ​ 9. The electronic device of claim 8, wherein, ​ ​ 10.The electronic device of claim 1, wherein, The plurality of spectrum sharing autonomous domains utilize the same or different consensus mechanisms. 11.The electronic device of claim 1, wherein The base station comprises at least one of a terrestrial base station and a satellite base station. 12.An electronic device for a base station in a spectrum sharing system that maintains a single blockchain and is partitioned into a plurality of spectrum sharing autonomous domains each comprising a respective spectrum management apparatus and a plurality of base stations, the spectrum management apparatuses in the plurality of spectrum sharing autonomous domains implementing inter-domain communication via satellites, wherein the electronic device comprises: a processor; and a memory including computer program code, wherein the computer program code, when executed by the processor, causes the electronic device to perform operations comprising: maintaining the blockchain; processing and validating candidate blocks associated with spectrum sharing tasks in intra-domain task processing and consensus processes to generate autonomous domain candidate blocks; and in response to the autonomous domain candidate blocks being validated in inter-domain task processing and consensus processes, updating the blockchain to add the validated autonomous domain candidate blocks. The operations further comprise:

13. The electronic device of claim 12, wherein, updating the blockchain by synchronizing the blockchain maintained by the spectrum management apparatus in the spectrum sharing autonomous domain to which the base station belongs. The operations further comprise:

14. The electronic device of claim 12, wherein, publishing and broadcasting the spectrum sharing tasks in a spectrum sharing autonomous domain; or publishing and sending the spectrum sharing tasks to the spectrum management apparatus in a spectrum sharing autonomous domain. 15.The electronic device of claim 14, wherein the spectrum sharing tasks are state transition tasks to indicate spectrum needs of the base station. The base station is a terrestrial base station or a satellite base station.

16. The electronic device of claim 12, wherein, 17.An electronic device for a satellite in a spectrum sharing system that maintains a single blockchain and is partitioned into a plurality of spectrum sharing autonomous domains each comprising a respective spectrum management apparatus and a plurality of base stations, the spectrum management apparatuses in the plurality of spectrum sharing autonomous domains implementing inter-domain communication via satellites, wherein the electronic device comprises: a processor; and a memory including computer program code, wherein the computer program code, when executed by the processor, causes the electronic device to perform operations comprising: receiving autonomous domain candidate blocks from the spectrum management apparatus of a spectrum sharing autonomous domain, the autonomous domain candidate blocks having been validated by intra-domain task processing and consensus processes performed in the spectrum sharing autonomous domain; sending the autonomous domain candidate blocks to the spectrum management apparatuses of the plurality of spectrum sharing autonomous domains for inter-domain task processing and consensus processes; and determining a result of the inter-domain task processing and consensus processes. Determining the result of the inter-domain task processing and consensus processes comprises: receiving validation messages from the spectrum management apparatuses of the plurality of spectrum sharing autonomous domains regarding the inter-domain task processing and consensus processes; and 18. The electronic device of claim 17, wherein, determining whether the autonomous domain candidate blocks are validated by counting the received validation messages. The satellite is a satellite elected from a plurality of satellites. The operations comprise:

19. The electronic device of claim 17, wherein, receiving autonomous domain candidate blocks from the spectrum management apparatus via one or more satellites; or 20. The electronic device of claim 19, wherein, receiving autonomous domain candidate blocks from the spectrum management apparatus via one or more satellites; or ​ transmitting, via one or more satellites, the autonomous domain candidate block to the spectrum management devices of the plurality of spectrum sharing autonomous domains.

21. The electronic device of claim 17, wherein, The operations further include: receiving and storing the autonomous domain candidate block from the spectrum management device; and selecting, from the stored autonomous domain candidate blocks, an autonomous domain candidate block to perform an inter-domain task processing and consensus process.

22. A method for a spectrum management device in a spectrum sharing system that maintains a single blockchain and is partitioned into a plurality of spectrum sharing autonomous domains, each spectrum sharing autonomous domain including a respective spectrum management device and a plurality of base stations, the spectrum management devices of the plurality of spectrum sharing autonomous domains enabling inter-domain communication through satellites, wherein the method includes: selecting a spectrum sharing task; generating, through an intra-domain task processing and consensus process, an autonomous domain candidate block associated with the spectrum sharing task; confirming, through an inter-domain task processing and consensus process via a satellite, the autonomous domain candidate block; and adding the confirmed autonomous domain candidate block as a block of the blockchain.

23. A method for a base station in a spectrum sharing system that maintains a single blockchain and is partitioned into a plurality of spectrum sharing autonomous domains, each spectrum sharing autonomous domain including a respective spectrum management device and a plurality of base stations, the spectrum management devices of the plurality of spectrum sharing autonomous domains enabling inter-domain communication through satellites, wherein the method includes: maintaining the blockchain; processing and confirming, in an intra-domain task processing and consensus process, a candidate block associated with a spectrum sharing task to generate an autonomous domain candidate block; and in response to the autonomous domain candidate block being confirmed in an inter-domain task processing and consensus process, updating the blockchain to add the confirmed autonomous domain candidate block.

24. A method for a satellite in a spectrum sharing system that maintains a single blockchain and is partitioned into a plurality of spectrum sharing autonomous domains, each spectrum sharing autonomous domain including a respective spectrum management device and a plurality of base stations, the spectrum management devices of the plurality of spectrum sharing autonomous domains enabling inter-domain communication through the satellite, wherein the method includes: receiving, from a spectrum management device of a spectrum sharing autonomous domain, an autonomous domain candidate block that has been confirmed through an intra-domain task processing and consensus process performed in the spectrum sharing autonomous domain; transmitting, via one or more satellites, the autonomous domain candidate block to the spectrum management devices of the plurality of spectrum sharing autonomous domains for an inter-domain task processing and consensus process; and determining a result of the inter-domain task processing and consensus process.

25. A computer-readable storage medium containing executable instructions that, when executed, cause an electronic device to perform operations of any of claims 1-21. ​ ​ ​

Images