Intelligent transportation systems device

1. An Intelligent Transportation Systems (ITS) device including:

radio resources including a receiver adapted to receive a radio signal in at least two frequency bands;

a channel detector arranged to analyse a signal received in a first frequency band to determine the presence of a transmission in that frequency band; and

a controller configured to control assignment of radio resources, and in the event that the channel detector detects a signal in the first frequency band, to prevent transmission of a potentially interfering radio signal,

wherein the controller is configured to cause the receiver to be tuned to a second frequency band and to decode a plurality of received channels transmitted on the second frequency band, according to a predetermined access scheme applied to transmissions on the second frequency band, and

wherein in the event that the predetermined access scheme applied to transmission on the second frequency band assigns a first transmission of a first type to a first logical channel, and a second transmission of a second type to a second logical channel, the controller is configured to assign radio resources to the first frequency during at least some periods in which a transmission on the second logical channel of the second frequency band could be received.

2. The ITS device as claimed in claim 1 wherein the controller is configured to cause the receiver to be tuned to the first frequency from time to time to enable the channel detector to attempt detection of a transmission in the first frequency band.

3. The ITS device as claimed in claim 2 wherein the predetermined access scheme includes a plurality of second logical channels and the controller is configured to assign radio resources to the first frequency during at least some periods in which a transmission on one of the second logical channels of the second frequency band could be received.

4. The ITS device as claimed in claim 1 wherein the channel detector is arranged to analyse a received signal to detect the presence of a transmission in the first frequency band without decoding the received signal in the first frequency band.

5. The ITS device as claimed in claim 1 wherein the channel detector is arranged to analyse a power level of a received signal in the first frequency band, and in the event that the received power level is above a threshold, determine that a transmission in the first frequency band is detected.

6. The ITS device as claimed in claim 5 wherein the channel detector includes a spectral analyser to determine a power level at at least one frequency in the first frequency band.

7. The ITS device as claimed in claim 1 wherein the channel detector is arranged to detect a predetermined transmission structure in the first frequency band.

8. The ITS device as claimed in claim 1 wherein the channel detector is arranged to detect a predetermined modulation scheme in the first frequency band.

9. The ITS device as claimed in claim 8 wherein the channel detector includes a time domain correlator for detecting the modulation scheme in the first frequency band.

10. The ITS device as claimed in claim 1 which includes shared radio resources that are used for reception of signals on the first and second frequency bands.

11. A method in a transceiver operating in an Intelligent Transportation System (ITS), the method including:

enabling reception of a radio transmission in at least one ITS frequency band;

enabling reception of a radio transmission in at least one first non-ITS frequency band;

analysing a signal received in the first non-ITS frequency band to detect the presence of a transmission in that frequency band; and in the event that a signal in the first non-ITS frequency band is detected; and

preventing transmission of a potentially interfering radio signal, by the transceiver,

wherein the transmissions received on the ITS frequency band are arranged according a predetermined access scheme applied, such that the ITS frequency band includes a first logical channel and second logical channel, and wherein the method includes:

enabling reception of a radio transmission in at least one of the first non-ITS frequency band during at least some periods in which a transmission on the second logical channel could be received.

12. The method as claimed in claim 11 , wherein the step of enabling reception of a radio transmission in at least one ITS frequency band includes tuning a receiver of the transceiver to the ITS frequency band; and the step of enabling reception of a radio transmission in at least one first non-ITS frequency band includes tuning the same receiver to the non-ITS frequency band.

13. The method as claimed in claim 11 wherein the access scheme includes a plurality of second logical channels, and wherein the method includes enabling reception of a radio transmission in the first non-ITS frequency band during at least some periods in which a transmission on one of the second logical channels could be received.

14. The method as claimed in claim 11 which includes analysing a received signal in the non-ITS channel to detect the presence of a transmission without decoding the received signal.

15. The method as claimed in claim 11 wherein the step of analysing a signal received in the first non-ITS frequency band to detect the presence of a transmission in that frequency band, includes:

analysing a power level of a received signal in the non-ITS frequency band; and

in the event that the received power level is above a threshold, determining that a transmission in the non-ITS frequency band is detected.

16. The method as claimed in claim 11 wherein the step of analysing a signal received in the first non-ITS frequency band to detect the presence of a transmission in that frequency band, includes:

analysing the received signal to detect a presence or absence of a predetermined transmission structure in the received signal.

17. The method as claimed claim 16 wherein the predetermined transmission structure includes a predetermined modulation scheme.

18. The method as claimed in claim 17 wherein the method includes:

conducting time domain correlation to detecting a modulation scheme in the received signal.

19. The method as claimed in claim 11 wherein the method includes:

conducting spectral analysis of the received signal to determine a power level at one or more frequencies in the non-ITS frequency band.

20. The method as claimed in claim 11 wherein the step of preventing transmission of a potentially interfering radio signal, by the transceiver includes any one or more of the following:

preventing transmission by the device;

preventing transmission by the device in one or more selected frequency bands;

preventing transmission by the device having a power level above a predetermined power level.

21. The method as claimed in claim 11 which further includes:

ceasing prohibition of transmissions of a potentially interfering radio signal.

22. The method as claimed in claim 21 wherein the step of ceasing prohibition of transmissions of a potentially interfering radio signal occurs after any one or more of the following criterion are fulfilled:

a predefined time has elapsed;

the transceiver has moved a predefined distance;

a subsequent analysis of a signal received in the first non-ITS frequency band fails to detect the presence of a transmission in that frequency band.