Patent ID: 8908493

Claim:
A method for use in a cognitive radio configured to receive an RF waveform propagating in a predetermined RF spectrum, the RF spectrum having a plurality of predetermined channels, the method comprising: performing a Fourier transform of a time domain signal to obtain a series of frequency domain samples covering substantially the entire predetermined RF spectrum, the time domain signal corresponding to the RF waveform, each frequency domain sample being characterized by a predetermined waveform characteristic; dividing the series of frequency domain samples into a plurality of subcarrier blocks, each subcarrier block corresponding to one of the plurality of predetermined channels; evaluating the predetermined waveform characteristic of each frequency domain sample in each subcarrier block to obtain a subcarrier block activity level for each subcarrier block; selecting a subcarrier block when its subcarrier block activity level is greater than a predetermined threshold; and assembling selected subcarrier blocks into a message signal, the selected subcarrier blocks corresponding to non-contiguous channels within the plurality of predetermined channels.