Method and system for generating a protection zone
In one embodiment, a method is provided. The method comprises defining propagation analysis points for radial line Rp; obtaining, from an external database, terrain elevation data for the radial line R p up to a maximum radial distance; determining the contour point for the radial line R p ; and upon determining the contour points for M radii, generating a protection zone perimeter.
1. A spectrum access system (SAS) control system of a first SAS, comprising:
processing circuitry configured to:
on a radial line by radial line basis, define propagation analysis points for at least one radial line;
for each radial line, determine terrain elevation data for a propagation analysis point on the corresponding radial line at a maximum radial distance, where the terrain elevation data is determined using terrain elevations, for terrain elevation points on a radial line, obtained from an external database;
for each radial line, determine contour points; and
upon determining the contour points, generate a protection zone perimeter around a radio, where the processing circuitry is further configured to regulate transmission of one or more other radios in the protection zone perimeter so that a level of interference from the one or more other radios within a protection zone does not exceed a first threshold level; and
a communications system coupled to the processing circuitry;
wherein the communications system is configured to be coupled to the external database and at least one radio.
2. The SAS control system of claim 1 , wherein the communications system is configured to be coupled to at least one of: at least one environmental sensing capability (ESC) system, and at least one other SAS.
3. The SAS control system of claim 1 , wherein determining terrain elevation data comprises estimate a terrain elevation for a terrain elevation point on a radial line using two or more terrain elevations obtained from the external database.
4. The SAS control system of claim 1 , wherein determining the terrain elevation data comprises calculate a lateral position of each terrain elevation point on each radial line using a lateral position R 0,0 of the radio, an incremental distance between terrain elevation points on each radial line, and one of Vincenty's formulae.
5. The SAS control system of claim 1 , wherein defining the propagation analysis points comprises select (N+1)*(360/m) propagation analysis points, where m is an incremental angle and N is a number of propagation analysis points along each radial line.
6. A method, configured to be performed by a spectrum access system (SAS) control system of a SAS, comprising:
defining propagation analysis points for radial line R p ;
determining terrain elevation data for a propagation analysis point on the radial line R p at a maximum distance, where the terrain elevation data is generated using terrain elevations, for terrain elevation points on the radial line R p , obtained from an external database;
determining a contour point for the radial line R p ; and
upon determining contour points for M radial lines, generating a protection zone perimeter around a radio, where transmission of one or more other radios in the protection zone perimeter is regulated so that a level of interference at the radio from the one or more other radios within the protection zone does not exceed a first threshold level;
wherein the SAS control system is configured to be coupled to at least one radio.
7. The method of claim 6 , wherein generating the protection zone perimeter further comprises low pass filtering the protection zone perimeter.
8. The method of claim 6 , wherein determining the terrain elevation data comprises:
estimating a terrain elevation for a terrain elevation point on the radial line R p using two or more terrain elevations obtained from the external database.
9. The method of claim 8 , wherein estimating the terrain elevation comprises interpolating terrain elevation using the two or more terrain elevations obtained from the external database.
10. The method of claim 6 , wherein determining the terrain elevation data comprises calculating a lateral position of each terrain elevation point on the radial line R p using a lateral position of a radio R 0,0 , an incremental distance between terrain elevation points on the radial line R p , and one of Vincenty's formulae.
11. The method of claim 6 , wherein defining the propagation analysis points comprises:
selecting (N+1)*(360/m) propagation analysis points, where m is an incremental angle and N is a number of propagation analysis points along each radial line R p .
12. The method of claim 11 , further comprising determining N by taking an integer value of a quotient of a maximum radial distance R max divided by an incremental distance between propagation analysis points on the radial line R p .
13. A program product comprising a non-transitory processor readable medium on which program instructions are embodied, wherein the program instructions are configured, when executed by at least one programmable processor of a spectrum access system (SAS) control system of a SAS, to cause the at least one programmable processor to:
define propagation analysis points for radial line R p ;
determine terrain elevation data for a propagation analysis point on the radial line R p at a maximum distance, where the terrain elevation data is generated using terrain elevations, for terrain elevation points on the radial line R p , obtained from an external database;
determine a contour point for the radial line R p ; and
upon determining contour points for M radial lines, generating a protection zone perimeter around a radio, where transmission of one or more other radios in the protection zone perimeter is regulated so that a level of interference at the radio from the one or more other radios within a protection zone does not exceed a first threshold level;
wherein the SAS control system is configured to be coupled to at least one radio.
14. The program product of claim 13 , wherein generating the protection zone perimeter further comprises low pass filter the protection zone perimeter.
15. The program product of claim 13 , wherein determining the terrain elevation data comprises:
estimate a terrain elevation for a terrain elevation point on the radial line R p using two or more terrain elevations obtained from the external database.
16. The program product of claim 15 , wherein estimating the terrain elevation comprises interpolating terrain elevation using two or more terrain elevations obtained from the external database.
17. The program product of claim 13 , wherein determining the terrain elevation data comprises:
calculate a lateral position of each terrain elevation point on the radial line R p using a lateral position of a radio R 0,0 , an incremental distance between terrain elevation points on the radial line R p , and one of Vincenty's formulae.
18. The program product of claim 13 , wherein defining the propagation analysis points comprises:
selecting (N+1)*(360/m) propagation analysis points, where m is an incremental angle and N is a number of propagation analysis points along each radial line R p .
19. The program product of claim 18 , wherein the program instructions are further configured to cause the at least one programmable processor to determine N by taking an integer value of a quotient of a maximum radial distance R max divided by an incremental distance between propagation analysis points on a radial line R p .
20. The SAS control system of claim 1 , wherein determining the contour point comprises:
for each propagation analysis point, match a lateral position of the propagation analysis point to a closest lateral position of a terrain elevation point on the radial line;
obtain elevations from the terrain elevation data for a subset of terrain elevation points on the radial line corresponding to each propagation analysis point on the radial line; and
determine a propagation analysis point on the radial line closest to the radio from which the radial line projects where an estimated power level is below a second threshold level.
21. The SAS control system of claim 3 , wherein estimating the terrain elevation comprises interpolate a terrain elevation using the two or more terrain elevations obtained from the external database.
22. The method of claim 6 , wherein determining the contour point comprises:
for each propagation analysis point, matching a lateral position of the propagation analysis point to a closest lateral position of a terrain elevation point on the radial line;
obtaining elevations from the terrain elevation data for a subset of terrain elevation points on the radial line R p corresponding to each propagation analysis point on the radial line R p ; and
determining a propagation analysis point on the radial line R p closest to the radio from which the radial line R p projects where an estimated power level is below a second threshold level.
23. The program product of claim 13 , wherein determining the contour point comprises:
for each propagation analysis point, match a lateral position of the propagation analysis point to a closest lateral position of a terrain elevation point on the radial line;
obtain elevations from the terrain elevation data for a subset of terrain elevation points on the radial line R p corresponding to each propagation analysis point on the radial line R p ; and
determine a propagation analysis point on the radial line R p closest to the radio from which the radial line R p projects where an estimated power level is below a second threshold level.