Method and systems for synchronizing overlapping wireless systems

摘要

Methods and devices for synchronizing various independent wireless systems are disclosed. For example, an exemplary first base-station (120) capable of communicating with a first set of remote customer devices using a first wireless protocol and a first spectrum is configured to co-exist with a remote base-station capable of communicating with a second set of remote customer devices using the first wireless protocol and the first spectrum. The first base-station includes a physical layer (PHY) device (250) configured to transmit and receive wireless signals of the first protocol and the first spectrum, a suppression device (240) coupled to the PHY device, and a media access control (MAC) device (230) coupled to the PHY device configured to receive the remote set of wireless signals from the PHY device.

主权项

1. A first base-station capable of communicating with a set of first remote customer devices in a first wireless system using a first wireless protocol and a first spectrum, and the first base-station being configured to co-exist with a second wireless system, different from the first wireless system, having a second base-station capable of communicating with a set of second remote customer devices using the first wireless protocol and the first spectrum, the first base-station comprising:
a physical layer (PHY) device configured to transmit and receive wireless signals of the first protocol and the first spectrum; a suppression device coupled to the PHY device, wherein the suppression device is configured to periodically inhibit the PHY device from transmitting, during a a self-coexistence window, while the PHY device detects wireless data signals transmitted by the second base-station; and a media access control (MAC) device coupled to the PHY device and configured to receive the wireless data signals from the PHY device, wherein the MAC device includes a timing estimation device configured to estimate a protocol timing exhibited by the wireless data signals transmitted from the second base-station, and wherein the MAC device is further configured to adjust a protocol timing for the first base-station, based on the estimated protocol timing from said timing estimation device, in order to lessen signal interference between the first base-station and the second wireless system, by aligning superframe boundaries of signals transmitted from the first base-station with superframe boundaries of the wireless data signals transmitted by the second base-station, and wherein the MAC device further includes a co-existence device configured to establish a common co-existence time period between the first and second base-stations in a certain frame occurring every certain number of frame periods, the certain number being a product of a total number of superframes in a repeating set of superframes following an initial quiet period and a total number of frames in each superframe, the certain frame comprising the self-coexistence window occurring during a number of upstream slots located at an end of the certain frame.