Real-Time Radio Spectrum Assessment Engine

• US 20140241178A1
• Filed: 02/25/2013
• Published: 08/28/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 02/25/2013
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Itron, Inc.
• Original Assignee: Itron, Inc.
• Inventors: Seely, Danny Ray, Sanders, Jeffrey Steele
• Granted Patent: US 9,426,680 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 370/252
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 24/04 Arrangements for maintaining operational condition
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 24/08 Testing, supervising or monitoring using real traffic

Abstract

A multichannel radio receiver configured for real-time radio channel assessment is described herein. In one example, a radio frequency (RF) front end provides a frequency spectrum which is converted into a digitized spectrum. Within a digital subsystem, resources (e.g., software or a hardware device) may analyze channels or portions of spectrum within the digitized spectrum for a packet error rate (PER) at a plurality of power levels and a plurality of modulation schemes. The analysis may result a required received signal strength indicator (RSSI) that is needed to result in a particular read reliability requirement (RRR). Using the required RSSI, endpoints communicating with the multichannel radio may be associated with a channel(s), modulation scheme(s) and/or power level(s) that results in the RRR. The analysis may be performed by one or more resources operating in parallel and operating in the background to other communications between the endpoints and multichannel radio receiver.

Claims

1. A radio receiver, comprising:

a digital subsystem configured to communicate with a plurality of endpoints and configured to;

find a required receive signal strength indicator (RSSI) that results in a required read reliability requirement (RRR) for each of a plurality of locations in an RF band, respectively; and

associate endpoints with communication parameters based at least in part on the required RSSI for the plurality of locations in the RF band.

2. The radio receiver as recited in claim 1, wherein finding the required RSSI comprises:

measuring a packet error rate (PER) at a plurality of power levels for each of the plurality of locations on the RF band until a PER threshold indicates the required RSSI for each of the plurality of locations.

3. The radio receiver as recited in claim 1, wherein finding the required RSSI comprises:

operating a plurality of channel assessment engines on each of a plurality of channel plans, respectively, wherein all of the plurality of channel plans do not have the same modulation scheme.

4. The radio receiver as recited in claim 1, wherein associating endpoints with communication parameters comprises:

associating endpoints with channels, transmit power levels and/or modulation schemes based in part on received RSSI from each endpoint and the required RSSI for achieving the targeted RRR.

5. The radio receiver as recited in claim 1, wherein associating endpoints with communication parameters comprises:

an ongoing process by which endpoints are directed to change channels, change transmit power levels and/or change modulation schemes based on new findings of required RSSI and/or an RSSI of incoming packets from the endpoints, respectively.

6. The radio receiver as recited in claim 1, wherein finding the required RSSI comprises:

finding required RSSIs for at least two modulation schemes.

7. The radio receiver as recited in claim 1, wherein the plurality of locations in the RF band are configured as a plurality of channels.

8. The radio receiver as recited in claim 7, wherein finding the required RSSI comprises:

tuning to the plurality of channels simultaneously, wherein the plurality of channels have irregular channel spacing and/or irregular channel widths.

9. The radio receiver as recited in claim 7, wherein finding the required RSSI comprises:

tuning to a plurality of channels by scanning.

10. The radio receiver as recited in claim 9, wherein the scanning is performed by a plurality of scanners.

11. A digital subsystem, comprising:

a channel assessment engine configured to communicate with at least one endpoint and to;

find a required receive signal strength indicator (RSSI) for each of a plurality of channels that results in a required read reliability requirement (RRR) for each of the plurality of channels, respectively; and

associate endpoints with a channel plan, a modulation scheme and/or a power level based at least in part on the required RSSI for each channel.

12. The digital subsystem as recited in claim 11, wherein finding the required RSSI for each of the plurality of channels comprises:

measuring a packet error rate (PER) at a plurality of power levels for each of the plurality of channels until a PER threshold indicates the required RSSI for each of the plurality of channels using more than one modulation scheme.

13. The digital subsystem as recited in claim 11, wherein finding the required RSSI each of the plurality of channels comprises:

simultaneous operation a plurality of resources, each resource configured to find an RSSI of each channel within a channel plan using a modulation scheme associated with the channel plan.

14. The digital subsystem as recited in claim 11, wherein finding the required RSSI each of the plurality of channels comprises:

operating a resource to find the required RSSI of each of the plurality of channels in parallel with other network traffic handled by the digital subsystem.

15. The digital subsystem as recited in claim 11, wherein associating endpoints comprises:

determining an evolving interference signature based at least in part on RSSI values for the plurality of channels and a plurality of modulation schemes; and

associating endpoints with channels in real time according to the evolving interference signature.

16. A method of real-time radio channel assessment, comprising:

finding a required receive signal strength indicator (RSSI) for each of a plurality of channels that results in a required read reliability requirement (RRR) for each of the plurality of channels, respectively; and

associating endpoints with a channel plan, a modulation scheme and/or a transmit power level based at least in part on the required RSSI for each channel.

17. The method of claim 16, wherein finding the required RSSI for each of a plurality of channels comprises:

measuring a packet error rate (PER) on each of the plurality of channels, wherein the measuring is performed at a plurality of different power levels.

18. The method of claim 16, wherein:

finding the required RSSI is performed using at least two modulation schemes in parallel; and

channels associated with different modulation schemes are irregular in width and/or spacing.

19. The method of claim 16, additionally comprising:

recognizing a periodicity of required RSSI data; and

assigning endpoints to channels based at least in part on the recognized periodicity.

20. The method of claim 16, additionally comprising:

maintaining an interference signature including the required RSSI for each of the plurality of channels; and

assigning endpoints to channels based at least in part on the interference signature.