Method of managing interference in a wireless communication system

• US 20070264940A1
• Filed: 05/10/2006
• Published: 11/15/2007
• Est. Priority Date: 05/10/2006
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: RPX Corporation
• Original Assignee: Alcatel-Lucent SA (Nokia Corporation)
• Inventors: Claussen, Holger, Samuel, Louis, Ho, Lester, Karimi, Hamid
• Granted Patent: US 8,958,752 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 455/67.130
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 1/10 Means associated with receiver for limiting or suppressing noise or interference
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 72/541 using the level of interference
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 74/085 collision avoidance

Abstract

The present invention provides methods of managing interference in a wireless communication system. The methods may include receiving information indicative of a portion of an interfering signal received by a first wireless communication device, decoding the portion of the interfering signal, and providing at least one back-off instruction destined for a second wireless communication device based on the decoded portion of the interfering signal.

Claims

1. A method, comprising:

receiving information indicative of at least a portion of an interfering signal received by a first wireless communication device;

decoding the received portion of the interfering signal; and

providing at least one back-off instruction destined for a second wireless communication device based on the decoded portion of the interfering signal.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein receiving the information indicative of the portion of the interfering signal comprises receiving at least one packet including encapsulated information indicative of the portion of the interfering signal.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein decoding the portion of the interfering signal comprises determining that the interfering signal is an encoded signal provided by the second wireless communication device.

4. The method of claim 3, wherein decoding the portion of the interfering signal comprises determining that the interfering signal is an encoded signal provided by a hidden wireless communication device.

5. The method of claim 3, wherein decoding the portion of the interfering signal comprises determining at least one protocol associated with the encoded signal.

6. The method of claim 5, wherein determining said at least one protocol comprises determining said at least one protocol based on at least one protocol library.

7. The method of claim 5, wherein determining said at least one protocol comprises determining said at least one protocol using information indicative of said at least one protocol provided by the first wireless communication device.

8. The method of claim 5, wherein decoding the portion of the interfering signal comprises decoding the portion of the interfering signal based on said at least one protocol.

9. The method of claim 1, comprising determining an identity of the second wireless communication device based on the decoded portion of the interfering signal.

10. The method of claim 9, wherein providing said at least one back-off instruction comprises providing said at least one back-off instruction using the identity of the second wireless communication device.

11. The method of claim 10, wherein providing said at least one back-off instruction comprises providing said at least one back-off instruction to at least one of the first and the second wireless communication devices.

12. A method, comprising:

receiving an interfering signal;

determining whether the interfering signal was received from at least one wireless communication device; and

providing information indicative of at least a portion of the interfering signal in response to determining that the interfering signal was received from said at least one wireless communication device.

13. The method of claim 12, wherein determining whether the interfering signal was provided by said at least one wireless communication device comprises comparing the interfering signal strength with an ambient noise level.

14. The method of claim 13, wherein determining whether the interfering signal was provided by said at least one wireless communication device comprises determining that the interfering signal was provided by said at least one wireless communication device when the interfering signal strength exceeds the ambient noise level.

15. The method of claim 12, comprising sampling a portion of the interfering signal.

16. The method of claim 15, wherein providing the information indicative of the interfering signal comprises forming at least one packet by encapsulating samples portions of the interfering signal.

17. The method of claim 16, wherein providing the information indicative of the interfering signal comprises providing said at least one packet including encapsulated information indicative of the interfering signal.

18. The method of claim 12, comprising receiving information indicative of at least one back-off instruction destined for said at least one wireless communication device.

19. The method of claim 18, comprising providing said at least one back-off instruction to said at least one wireless communication device.