Outage predictor for communication link

• US 7,231,559 B2
• Filed: 12/17/2003
• Issued: 06/12/2007
• Est. Priority Date: 12/17/2003
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Redwood Technologies, LLC (Dominion Harbor Enterprises, LLC)
• Original Assignee: Sony Corporation (Sony Group Corp.), Sony Electronics Inc. (Sony Group Corp.)
• Inventors: Dacosta, Behram Mario
• Primary Examiner(s): Baker; Stephen M.
• Application Number:
  US10/738,803
• Publication Number:
  US 20050149835A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,273 Days
• Field of Search: 714/704, 714/708, 714/817
• US Class Current: 714/708
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 1/0003 by switching between different modulation schemes
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 1/0019 in which mode-switching is based on a statistical approach
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 1/203 Details of error rate determination, e.g. BER, FER or WER

Abstract

A device for estimating a likelihood of a wireless link outage includes a memory, a variability calculator, and an outage predictor. The memory maintains a history of signal quality for a signal received from a transmitter. The variability calculator is coupled to the memory. The variability calculator computes a variability statistic for the history of signal quality maintained in the memory. The outage predictor is coupled to the variability calculator. The outage predictor estimates the likelihood of the wireless link outage in direct proportion to the variability statistic.

Claims

1. A receiving device for mitigating a predicted wireless link outage, the receiving device comprising:

a memory to maintain a history of signal quality for a received signal;

a variability calculator coupled to the memory, the variability calculator to compute a variability statistic for the history of signal quality maintained in the memory; and

,

an outage predictor coupled to the variability calculator, the outage predictor to increase the size of a receive buffer if the variability statistic is above a predetermined threshold.

2. The receiving device of claim 1, wherein signal quality is based on a combined signal.

3. The receiving device of claim 1, wherein signal quality is an unencoded bit error rate for the received signal.

4. The receiving device of claim 1, wherein the variability statistic is standard deviation.

5. The receiving device of claim 1, wherein the history is for a predefined length of time.

6. The receiving device of claim 1, wherein signal quality is a received signal strength (RSS) for the received signal.

7. The receiving device of claim 6, wherein the received signal strength (RSS) is raw power in a channel used to receive the signal.

8. The receiving device of claim 1, wherein signal quality is a signal to interference and noise ratio (SINR) for the received signal.

9. The receiving device of claim 8, wherein the signal to interference and noise ratio (SINR) is based on the signal that is coherent and any interference in a channel used to receive the signal.

10. A method for mitigating a predicted wireless link outage at a receiving device, the method comprising:

maintaining a history of signal quality for a received signal;

computing a variability statistic for the history of signal quality maintained in a memory; and

,

increasing the size of a receive buffer if the variability statistic is above a predetermined threshold.

11. The method of claim 10, wherein signal quality is based on a combined signal.

12. The method of claim 10, wherein signal quality is an unencoded bit error rate for the received signal.

13. The method of claim 10, wherein the variability statistic is standard deviation.

14. The method of claim 10, wherein the history is for a predefined length of time.

15. The method of claim 10, wherein signal quality is a received signal strength (RSS) for the received signal.

16. The method of claim 15, wherein the received signal strength (RSS) is raw power in a channel used to receive the signal.

17. The method of claim 10, wherein signal quality is a signal to interference and noise ratio (SINR) for the received signal.

18. The method of claim 17, wherein the signal to interference and noise ratio (SINR) is based on the signal that is coherent and any interference in a channel used to receive the signal.

19. A computer-readable medium having a sequence of instructions, the sequences of instructions, when executed by a processor, causing the processor to perform a method for mitigating a predicted wireless link outage at a receiving device, the sequence of instructions comprising:

a sequence for maintaining a history of signal quality for a received signal;

a sequence for computing a variability statistic for the history of signal quality maintained in a memory; and

,

a sequence for increasing the size of a receive buffer if the variability statistic is above a predetermined threshold.

20. The computer-readable medium of claim 19, wherein signal quality is based on a combined signal.

21. The computer-readable medium of claim 19, wherein signal quality is an unencoded bit error rate for the received signal.

22. The computer-readable medium of claim 19, wherein the variability statistic is standard deviation.

23. The computer-readable medium of claim 19, wherein the history is for a predefined length of time.

24. The computer-readable medium of claim 19, wherein signal quality is a received signal strength (RSS) for the received signal.

25. The computer-readable medium of claim 24, wherein the received signal strength (RSS) is raw power in a channel used to receive the signal.

26. The computer-readable medium of claim 19, wherein signal quality is a signal to interference and noise ratio (SINR) for the received signal.

27. The computer-readable medium of claim 26, wherein the signal to interference and noise ratio (SINR) is based on the signal that is coherent and any interference in a channel used to receive the signal.