US-12625276-B2 - Hybrid non-line-of-sight detection in wireless networks

Abstract

Devices, systems, methods, and processes for hybrid line-of-sight (LOS)/non-line of sight (NLOS) detection are described herein. To facilitate co-existence and co-operation of a fixed network and a wireless network sharing a same frequency band without interference, a device in the wireless network can be configured to perform automatic frequency coordination (AFC). The device can accurately determine a geolocation of the device by utilizing global navigation satellite system (GNSS) data and light detection and ranging (LiDAR) data. The device can also determine whether the fixed station is in the LOS by utilizing the GNSS data and the LiDAR data. The device can further correct the geolocation and improve an accuracy of the LOS/NLOS detection by using both: the GNSS data and the LiDAR data simultaneously. The device can further control an output power when the fixed station is in the LOS, thereby avoiding the interference.

Inventors

• Peiman Amini
• Ardalan Alizadeh
• Jerome Henry
• Rabe Arshad

Assignees

• CISCO TECHNOLOGY, INC.

Dates

Publication Date

20260512

Application Date

20230913

Claims (20)

1. 1 . A device, comprising: a processor; a memory communicatively coupled to the processor; at least one global navigation satellite system (GNSS) receiver configured to receive GNSS data from a plurality of satellites observed over a predetermined time period; a blockage identification logic, configured to: receive a sky view indicative of an observable area of sky; divide the sky view into a plurality of sub-blocks; map the GNSS data on each of the plurality of sub-blocks; identify a first set of sub-blocks that are devoid of the GNSS data; cluster the first set of sub-blocks to generate clustered data; and generate measured blockage data based on the clustered data, wherein the measured blockage data is indicative of an area of sky devoid of observed satellites; and a blockage validation logic, configured to: receive a geolocation of a fixed station and a geolocation of the device; retrieve a predetermined blockage data from a light detection and ranging (LiDAR) database based on the geolocation of the device; determine whether the fixed station is in a line-of-sight (LOS) of the device based on a direction of blockage and the geolocations of the fixed station and the device.
2. 2 . The device of claim 1 , the blockage validation logic is further configured to: map the measured blockage data on the predetermined blockage data; and identify a direction of blockage based on the mapping.
3. 3 . The device of claim 2 , further comprising an optimization logic, configured to: retrieve LiDAR data corresponding to the sky view from a LiDAR database; determine one or more blockages based on the retrieved LiDAR data; and identify a second set of sub-blocks corresponding to the determined blockages, wherein the clustered data is generated based on the first set of sub-blocks and the second set of sub-blocks.
4. 4 . The device of claim 3 , wherein the LiDAR data includes high-resolution digital elevation models corresponding to the geolocation of the device.
5. 5 . The device of claim 3 , wherein the GNSS receiver is further configured to provide the geolocation of the device based on the GNSS data.
6. 6 . The device of claim 5 , wherein the GNSS receiver corrects the geolocation of the device based on the LiDAR data.
7. 7 . The device of claim 3 , wherein the blockage validation logic and the optimization logic are implemented by a server.
8. 8 . The device of claim 1 , wherein the blockage identification logic is further configured to: determine a blocked area based on the clustered sub-blocks; determine an angle of blockage of the blocked area; and determine a center and a width of the blocked area based on the angle of blockage, wherein the measured blockage data is indicative of the center and width of the blocked area.
9. 9 . The device of claim 1 , wherein clustering the first set of sub-blocks to generate the clustered data utilizes agglomerative hierarchical clustering process.
10. 10 . The device of claim 1 , wherein a number of sub-blocks depends on a processing power of the device.
11. 11 . The device of claim 2 , wherein an output power of the device is controlled based on whether the device is in the LOS of the fixed station.
12. 12 . The device of claim 11 , wherein the output power of the device when the device is not in the LOS of the fixed station is higher than the output power of the device when the device is in the LOS of the fixed station.
13. 13 . A method comprising: receiving global navigation satellite system (GNSS) data from a plurality of satellites observed over a predetermined time period; receiving a sky view indicative of an observable area of sky; dividing the sky view into a plurality of sub-blocks; mapping the GNSS data on each of the plurality of sub-blocks; identifying a first set of sub-blocks that are devoid of the GNSS data; clustering the first set of sub-blocks to generate clustered data; generating measured blockage data based on the clustered data, wherein the measured blockage data is indicative of an area of sky devoid of observed satellites; receiving a geolocation of a fixed station and a geolocation of a device; retrieving a predetermined blockage data from a light detection and ranging (LiDAR) database based on the geolocation of the device; determining whether the fixed station is in a line-of-sight (LOS) based on a direction of blockage and the geolocations of the fixed station and the device.
14. 14 . The method of claim 13 , further comprising: mapping the measured blockage data on the predetermined blockage data; identifying the direction of blockage based on the mapping.
15. 15 . The method of claim 14 , further comprising: retrieving LiDAR data corresponding to the sky view from a LiDAR database; determining one or more blockages based on the retrieved LiDAR data; and identifying a second set of sub-blocks corresponding to the determined blockages, wherein the clustered data is generated based on the first set of sub-blocks and the second set of sub-blocks.
16. 16 . The method of claim 15 , wherein generating the measured blockage data comprises: determining a blocked area based on the clustered sub-blocks; determining an angle of blockage of the blocked area; and determining a center and a width of the blocked area based on the angle of blockage, wherein the measured blockage data is indicative of the center and width of the blocked area.
17. 17 . A device comprising: a processor; a memory communicatively coupled to the processor; a blockage identification logic, configured to: receive a sky view indicative of an observable area of sky; receive global navigation satellite system (GNSS) data from a plurality of satellites observed over a predetermined time period; map the GNSS data on the sky view; and generate measured blockage data based on the mapped GNSS data, wherein the measured blockage data is indicative of an area of sky devoid of observed satellites; and a blockage validation logic, configured to: receive a geolocation of a fixed station and a geolocation of the device; retrieve a predetermined blockage data from a light detection and ranging (LiDAR) database based on the geolocation of the device; map the measured blockage data on the predetermined blockage data; and determine whether the fixed station is in a line-of-sight (LOS) of the device based on the mapped blockage data and the geolocations of the fixed station and the device.
18. 18 . The device of claim 17 , wherein the measured blockage data is generated based on LiDAR data retrieved from a LiDAR database based on the geolocation of the device.
19. 19 . The device of claim 18 , wherein the measured blockage data is indicative of a center and a width of the area of sky devoid of observed satellites.
20. 20 . The device of claim 19 , wherein the geolocation of the device is corrected based on the LiDAR data.

Description

The present disclosure relates to communication networks. More particularly, the present disclosure relates to detecting whether a network device in a wireless communication network is in a Line-of-Sight (LOS) of another communication device. BACKGROUND Wireless transceivers and global navigation satellite system (GNSS) receivers are commonly integrated into network devices to provide complementary services. For instance, the wireless transceivers may broadcast signals for communication operations, whereas the GNSS receivers may determine geolocation of the network device or may correct clock bias errors in the network device to aid in the communication operations. However, performance of the GNSS receivers is greatly dependent on clear visibility of sky. As a result, the performance of the GNSS receivers suffers in metropolitan settings where tall structures often block portions of the sky. To improve the performance of the GNSS receivers, some conventional network devices use multiple antennas or antenna arrays to enhance signal separation and accuracy. Some other conventional network devices use signal processing techniques to identify and suppress multipath errors. However, all such conventional network devices are agnostic to surrounding environment. Therefore, the network devices cannot determine if there exists another network device in its line-of-sight (LOS). This may lead to conflicts in spectrum sharing or may affect quality of service (QoS) of the network devices that operate within a LOS of each other. SUMMARY OF THE DISCLOSURE In response to the problems described above, devices and methods are discussed herein that detect whether a network device in a wireless communication network is in a Line-of-Sight (LOS) of another communication device. In some embodiments, a device, includes a processor, a memory communicatively coupled to the processor, at least one global navigation satellite system (GNSS) receiver configured to receive GNSS data from a plurality of satellites observed over a predetermined time period, and a blockage identification logic. The logic is configured to receive a sky view indicative of an observable area of sky, divide the sky view into a plurality of sub-blocks, map the GNSS data on each of the plurality of sub-blocks, identify a first set of sub-blocks that are devoid of the GNSS data, cluster the first set of sub-blocks to generate clustered data, and generate measured blockage data based on the clustered data, wherein the measured blockage data is indicative of an area of sky devoid of observed satellites. In some embodiments, the device further includes a blockage validation logic, configured to receive a geolocation of a fixed station and a geolocation of the device, retrieve a predetermined blockage data from a light detection and ranging (LiDAR) database based on the geolocation of the device, map the measured blockage data on the predetermined blockage data, identify a direction of blockage based on the mapping, and determine whether the fixed station is in a line-of-sight (LOS) of the device based on the direction of blockage and the geolocations of the fixed station and the device. In some embodiments, the device further includes an optimization logic, configured to retrieve LiDAR data corresponding to the sky view from a LiDAR database, determine one or more blockages based on the retrieved LiDAR data, and identify a second set of sub-blocks corresponding to the determined blockages, wherein the clustered data is generated based on the first set of sub-blocks and the second set of sub-blocks. In some embodiments, the LiDAR data includes high-resolution digital elevation models corresponding to the geolocation of the device. In some embodiments, the GNSS receiver is further configured to provide the geolocation of the device based on the GNSS data. In some embodiments, the GNSS receiver corrects the geolocation of the device based on the LiDAR data. In some embodiments, the blockage validation logic and the optimization logic are implemented by a server. In some embodiments, the blockage identification logic is further configured to determine a blocked area based on the clustered sub-blocks, determine an angle of blockage of the blocked area, and determine a center and a width of the blocked area based on the angle of blockage, wherein the measured blockage data is indicative of the center and width of the blocked area. In some embodiments, clustering the first set of sub-blocks to generate the clustered data utilizes agglomerative hierarchical clustering process. In some embodiments, a number of sub-blocks depends on a processing power of the device. In some embodiments, an output power of the device is controlled based on whether the device is in the LOS of the fixed station. In some embodiments, the output power of the device when the device is not in the LOS of the fixed station is higher than the output power of the device when the device is in the LOS of t