Filter Defined Single Wide Carrier Spectrum Management
Find Innovative SolutionsGenerate Solutions
Solution Overview
Problem
Carrier aggregation in wireless networks increases complexity and resource consumption, particularly when combining multiple spectrum blocks, leading to inefficiencies and increased costs due to the need for additional hardware and complex spectrum management.
Innovation Solution
Implementing a digital filter at an access node to define a wide single carrier by eliminating unnecessary spectrum blocks, allowing wireless devices to connect using available blocks and optimizing spectrum usage without expanding network resources.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Productivity
If carrier aggregation is used to combine multiple spectrum blocks, then data rate per user increases, but device complexity and network resource consumption increase
Solution Approach 1:
The patent combines multiple spectrum blocks into a single contiguous carrier by using guard bands as spacers between component carriers, then treating them as one unified carrier for transmission and reception. This merging approach maintains the high data rate benefits of multiple spectrum blocks while simplifying device complexity by eliminating the need for complex multiplexing and filtering operations required by traditional carrier aggregation
Solution Approach 2:
The patent introduces guard bands as intermediary elements between component carriers. These guard bands serve as spacers that allow multiple spectrum blocks to be combined into a single carrier without requiring complex active filtering or multiplexing hardware, thereby reducing device complexity while still enabling high data rates through aggregated spectrum resources
2Productivity
If multiple spectrum blocks are combined using carrier aggregation, then throughput increases, but network resource consumption increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent merges multiple spectrum blocks into a single carrier representation, allowing the network to manage and allocate spectrum resources more efficiently. By treating aggregated spectrum as one unified carrier rather than multiple separate carriers, the network reduces signaling overhead and resource management complexity, thereby improving throughput while reducing network resource consumption
3Adaptability or versatility
If three or four spectrum blocks are combined by carrier aggregation, then spectrum utilization improves, but guard band allocation reduces efficiency
Solution Approach 1:
The patent extracts the guard bands from being active spectrum resources and treats them solely as spacers or delimiters between component carriers. By removing guard bands from the pool of usable spectrum blocks and using them only as structural separators in the unified carrier, the system improves spectrum utilization across multiple blocks while minimizing the efficiency loss from guard band allocation
Data Source
AI summary
Systems, methods, and access nodes are provided for providing a filter defined carrier. The systems and methods include selecting, at an access node, a frequency range encompassing multiple spectrum blocks and applying a digital filter to the frequency range to eliminate at least one spectrum block within the frequency range to create a carrier having a profile. The method additionally includes comparing the profile to capabilities of a wireless device and allowing the wireless device to connect to the access node in compliance with the profile and its capabilities.