Patent · US Active

Media access control (MAC) protocol for cognitive wireless networks

US8879573B2 · kind B2 · utility

10Cited by
8References
19Claims
0Family size

Assignee

Inventors

Key dates

Filing dateAug 29, 2007
Grant dateNov 4, 2014
Priority date
Expiry dateFeb 29, 2028

Classification

  • Technology area (CPC H)Electricity
  • CPC primaryH04L43/16
  • WIPO fieldDigital communication
  • WIPO sectorElectrical engineering

Abstract

A new media access control (MAC) protocol for cognitive wireless networks is described. The new MAC protocol allows each of multiple nodes, such as cell phones and computers with wireless, to determine utilization of a communication spectrum, such as the television broadcast band. The nodes collaborate to achieve a combined view of spectrum utilization in their local vicinity, in which scheduled users and empty time segments are mapped across a wide range of frequencies. Nodes negotiate with each other to reserve idle segments of the spectrum for packet exchange on negotiated frequencies. Control packet structure allows nodes to become prescient of the local spectrum utilization during handshaking. A cognitive device operating under the new MAC has a first radio that both scans the spectrum and monitors a control channel; and a second reconfigurable radio with adjustable parameters, including frequency and bandwidth, for packet transmission.

Source: USPTO / EPO open patent data. Objective bibliographic and citation counts.