White Space Channel Selection Using Cellular Triangulation

Resolve Bottlenecks,
Find Innovative SolutionsGenerate Solutions

Solution Overview

Problem

Wireless devices face challenges in efficiently utilizing white spaces in licensed spectra for communication due to regulatory requirements for accurate location determination and interference minimization, which existing technologies do not adequately address.

Innovation Solution

A wireless device obtains white space information from a component configured for cellular communication, using GPS or triangulation with multiple cellular base stations to determine its location accurately and access a regulatory database to identify available white space channels, while providing reliability information and prioritizing channels based on propagation characteristics and congestion.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Measurement precision

If a wireless device uses GPS or triangulation with multiple cellular base stations to determine its location accurately, then location determination accuracy is improved, but device complexity and energy consumption increase

Engineering Contradiction:

Improvelocation determination accuracyVSAvoiddevice complexity

Core Design Contradiction:

Measurement precisionVSDevice complexity

Solution Approach 1:

The patent uses cellular base stations as intermediary components to perform triangulation and determine the wireless device's location. Instead of requiring the device to have complex GPS hardware and processing capabilities, the base stations serve as mediators that perform the complex location calculation using signal propagation time measurements, thereby improving location accuracy without significantly increasing device complexity.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #24Intermediary (Mediator)

Solution Approach 2:

The patent replaces the mechanical/GPS-based location determination system with an electromagnetic signal-based triangulation system using cellular base stations. This substitution allows for accurate location determination through signal processing rather than relying on satellite-based GPS infrastructure, reducing device complexity while maintaining or improving accuracy.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #28Mechanics substitution (Replace mechanical system)

2Measurement precision

If a wireless device accesses a regulatory database to identify available white space channels, then channel selection accuracy is improved, but communication delay increases

Engineering Contradiction:

Improvechannel selection accuracyVSAvoidcommunication delay

Core Design Contradiction:

Measurement precisionVSLoss of time

Solution Approach 1:

The patent performs location determination and white space channel identification as preliminary actions before actual data transmission begins. By determining the device's location and identifying available white space channels in advance, the system ensures accurate channel selection while minimizing communication delay during the actual data transfer phase, as the channel selection process is completed beforehand.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #10Preliminary action

3Productivity

If a wireless device uses white space channels for communication, then spectrum utilization is improved, but interference risk with licensed users increases

Engineering Contradiction:

Improvespectrum utilizationVSAvoidinterference risk

Core Design Contradiction:

ProductivityVSObject-affected harmful factors

Solution Approach 1:

The patent implements a feedback mechanism where the wireless device continuously monitors the white space channels it is using and compares them against the licensed spectrum allocations. The device receives feedback about the location and licensed channel assignments from the regulatory database, and uses this feedback to adjust its transmission parameters or switch to alternative white space channels if potential interference with licensed users is detected, thereby maintaining high spectrum utilization while minimizing interference risk.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #23Feedback

Applied Scientific Principles

This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.

Function Achieved in This Case

Enables reliable and efficient communication in white space channels by ensuring accurate location determination and channel selection, meeting regulatory requirements and optimizing communication performance.

Implementation Method 1

The component may have access to location information, such as from GPS circuitry

Methodology Applied

Scientific EffectGPS satellite signal reception and processing:

Implementation Method 2

through communication with multiple cellular base stations

Methodology Applied

Scientific EffectTriangulation:

Data Source

PatentUS9271156B2Location determination for white space utilization

Publication Date: 2016.02.23 MICROSOFT TECHNOLOGY LICENSING LLC

AI summary

A technique for a wireless device to obtain white space information from a component configured for cellular communication, such as a cellular phone. The wireless device and cellular phone may communicate using a short-range connection, such as a peer-to-peer connection, ensuring that the white space information, which is location based, generated by the cellular phone is also accurate for the location of the wireless device. With such white space information, the wireless device can comply with regulatory requirements for white space use by accessing a regulatory database identifying, by location, available white space channels. When the cellular phone is configured for accessing a wide area network, the cellular telephone may provide the white space information as a set of channels available for white space communication. Channels of the set may be prioritized based on one or more parameters, including frequency, permitted transmit power or detected noise.