Simultaneous sharing of spectrum in wireless communications

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-11937093-B2
Application number	US-202017310362-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Feb 19, 2020
Priority date	Feb 19, 2019
Publication date	Mar 19, 2024
Grant date	Mar 19, 2024

Abstract

Methods and systems for simultaneous sharing of spectrum in wireless communications. Base Stations (BSs) of a plurality of mobile network operators in a cell may send downlink signals to their respective connected User Equipments (UEs) through a shared frequency spectrum. Further, the BSs may receive uplink signals from the UEs in the shared frequency spectrum.

First claim

We claim:

1. A system comprising:
a first Base Station (BS) in a first cell, the first BS belonging to a first mobile network operator, wherein the first cell is a geographical area comprising an interior region having a predetermined area surrounding a centre of the first cell and a first exterior region comprising at least a portion of a remainder of the first cell, wherein the first BS is to:
send downlink signals to a first User Equipment (UE) in the interior region in a first band of a frequency spectrum; and
send downlink signals to a second UE in the first exterior region in a second band of the frequency spectrum; and
a second BS in the first cell and belonging to a second mobile network operator, wherein the second BS is to:
send downlink signals to a third UE in the interior region in the first band; and
send downlink signals to a fourth UE in the first exterior region in the second band.

2. The system as claimed in claim 1 , wherein the first cell comprises:
a first region comprising a first part of the interior region and a first part of the first exterior region; and
a second region comprising a second part of the interior region and a second part of the first exterior region, wherein the second region has an overlapping boundary with the first region, wherein the first BS and the second BS each comprises a first antenna to service the first region and a second antenna to service the second region, wherein the first BS is to:
send, through the first antenna of the first BS, downlink signals to a UE in the first part of the interior region in the first band;
send, through the first antenna of the first BS, downlink signals to a UE in the first part of the first exterior region in the second band;
send, through the second antenna of the first BS, downlink signals to a UE in the second part of the interior region in a third band of the frequency spectrum; and
send, through the second antenna, downlink signals to a UE in the second part of the first exterior region in the second band.

3. The system as claimed in claim 1 , wherein the frequency spectrum further comprises a fourth band and a fifth band and wherein the system comprises:
a third BS in a second cell and belonging to the first mobile network operator, wherein the second cell has an overlapping boundary with the first cell and wherein the third BS is to send downlink signals to a UE in a first exterior region of the second cell in the fourth band;
a fourth BS in the second cell and belonging to the second mobile network operator, wherein the fourth BS is to send downlink signals to a UE in the first exterior region of the second cell in the fourth band;
a fifth BS in a third cell and belonging to the first mobile network operator, wherein the third cell has an overlapping boundary with the first cell and the second cell and wherein the fifth BS is to send downlink signals to a UE in a first exterior region of the third cell in the fifth band; and
a sixth BS in the third cell and belonging to the second mobile network operator, wherein the sixth BS is to send downlink signals to a UE in the first exterior region of the third cell in the fifth band.

4. The system as claimed in claim 1 , wherein the first BS comprises:
a first antenna to service a first region of the first cell; and
a second antenna to service a second region of the first cell, wherein the second BS comprises:
a third antenna to service the first region of the first cell; and
a fourth antenna to service the second region of the first cell, wherein the first BS is to:
transmit, through the first antenna, a preamble signal having a combination of a preamble signal and a frequency sub-band different than that transmitted through the second antenna, the third antenna, and the fourth antenna.

5. The system as claimed in claim 4 , wherein the combination of the preamble signal and the frequency sub-band transmitted by the first antenna is different than that transmitted through antennas of BS's in other cells that have an overlapping boundary with the first cell.

6. The system as claimed in claim 1 , wherein the first UE comprises a Subscriber Identity Module (SIM) card issued by the first mobile network operator and wherein, prior to sending downlink signals and receiving uplink signals from the first UE, the first BS is to authenticate the first UE, and wherein, subsequent to the authentication, the first BS is to:
receive a request from the first UE to be served by the second BS in response to a determination by the first UE, based on a preamble signal from the second BS, that a strength of signal received from the second BS is greater than that from the first BS;
request the second BS to serve the first UE, wherein the second BS is to:
determine, based on load of the second BS, as to whether the first UE is servable by the second BS; and
in response to the determination that the first UE is servable, accept the request of the first BS.

7. The system as claimed in claim 1 , comprising:
a third BS in a second cell and belonging to the first mobile network operator, the second cell having an overlapping boundary with the first cell; and
a fifth BS in a third cell and belonging to the first mobile network operator, the third cell having an overlapping boundary with the first cell and the second cell, wherein
the first BS is to send a first pilot signal in a plurality of resource elements (REs) of a physical resource block (PRB),
the third BS is to send a second pilot signal in a plurality of REs of the PRB, and
the fifth BS is to send a third pilot signal in a plurality of REs of the PRB.

8. The system as claimed in claim 7 , wherein
each of the first cell, the second cell, and the third cell comprises:
a first set of regions; and
a second set of regions, each region of the second set of regions having an overlapping boundary with a region of the first set of regions,
each of the first BS, the third BS, and the fifth BS comprises a first set of antennas to service the first set of regions in its respective cell and a second set of antennas to service the first set of regions in its respective cell,
first set of antennas of the first BS are to send the first pilot signal in a first set of REs of the PRB,
second set of antennas of the first BS are to send the first pilot signal in a second set of REs of the PRB,
first set of antennas of the third BS are to send the second pilot signal in the first set of REs of the PRB,
second set of antennas of the third BS are to send the second pilot signal in the second set of REs of the PRB,
first set of antennas of the fifth BS are to send the third pilot signal in the first set of REs of the PRB, and
second set of antennas of the fifth BS are to send the third pilot signal in the second set of REs of the PRB.

9. The system as claimed in claim 8 , comprising:
a fourth BS in the second cell and belonging to the second mobile network operator; and
a sixth BS in the third cell and belonging to the second mobile network operator, wherein
each of the second BS, the fourth BS, and the sixth BS comprises a first set of antennas to service the first set of regions in its respective cell and a second set of antennas to service the second set of regions in its respective cell,
first set of antennas of the second BS are to send the first pilot signal in a third set of REs of the PRB,
second set of antennas of the second BS are to send the first pilot signal in a fourth set of REs of the PRB,
first set of antennas of the fourth BS are to send the second pilot signal in the third set of REs of the PRB,
second set of antennas of the fourth BS are to send the second pilot signal in the fourth set of REs of the PRB,
first

Assignees

• Indian Institute Of Tech Madras

Inventors

• K Giridhar
• C R Venkatesh

Classifications

• H04W16/14 Primary

  Spectrum sharing arrangements {between different networks} · CPC title

• H04W16/12

  Fixed resource partitioning · CPC title

• H04W16/32

  Hierarchical cell structures · CPC title

• H04W16/30 Primary

  Special cell shapes, e.g. doughnuts or ring cells · CPC title