System and method for minimizing inter-communications system mobile station-to-mobile station interference

• US 7,860,521 B2
• Filed: 12/26/2007
• Issued: 12/28/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 12/26/2007
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Motorola Solutions, Inc.
• Original Assignee: Motorola, Inc. (Motorola Solutions, Inc.)
• Inventors: Liu, Peijuan, Kepler, James F., Chen, Xiang, Kuffner, Stephen L., Jin, Xiaowei, Moorut, Ravindra P.
• Primary Examiner(s): Urban; Edward
• Assistant Examiner(s): Sorowar; Golam
• Application Number:
  US11/964,386
• Publication Number:
  US 20090170542A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,098 Days
• Field of Search: 455/501, 455/41.2, 455/446, 455/63.1, 455/67.13, 370/294, 370/347
• US Class Current: 455/501
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 16/14 Spectrum sharing arrangements between different networks
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 72/20 Control channels or signalling for resource management
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 72/541 using the level of interference
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 88/06 adapted for operation in multiple networks or having at least two operational modes, e.g. multi-mode terminals

Abstract

A system and method for minimizing inter-communications system mobile-to-mobile station interference includes a plurality of base stations (BS A and BS B) and a plurality of mobile stations (MS A and MS B) each communicating with a base station using a first mode of communication. A first mobile station (MS A) sends a message using a second mode of communication upon detecting interference with another mobile station (MS B) to determine the source of the interference. Once determined, the first mobile station (MS A) communicates with its base station (BS A) which, in turn, communicates with the second mobile station'"'"'s base station (BS B) using a back haul network. The second mobile station'"'"'s base station (BS B) may then instruct the second mobile station (MS B) to alter its transmission characteristics based upon instructions from the second base station (BS B) in order to reduce interference and improve overall communications quality.

Claims

1. A system for minimizing inter-communications system mobile-to-mobile station interference comprising:

a plurality of base stations;

a plurality of mobile stations each communicating with a base station using a first mode of communication; and

wherein a first mobile station upon detecting interference with at least one second mobile station sends a message using a second mode of communication to determine the source of the interference, the at least one second mobile station transmitting an identification message to the first mobile station identifying itself as an interfering mobile station, the first mobile station communicating with a first base station the identity of the interfering mobile station, and the first base station communicating with a second base station over a backhaul network for altering transmission characteristics of the second mobile station based upon instructions from the second base station.

2. A system for minimizing inter-communications system mobile-to-mobile station interference as in claim 1 wherein the second mode of communication uses a WiFi or Bluetooth protocol.

3. A system for minimizing inter-communications system mobile-to-mobile station interference as in claim 1, wherein an interfering station receiving the message mitigates the interference by performing at least one mitigating function from the group of altering its transmission time, frequency channel, transmission power and altering its modulation and coding scheme (MCS).

4. A method for minimizing inter-communications system mobile-to-mobile station interference as in claim 1, wherein the plurality mobile stations are cellular telephone devices.

5. A method for minimizing inter-communications system mobile-to-mobile station interference comprising the step of:

providing a plurality of mobile stations and at least a first base station and second base station utilizing a first mode of communications;

detecting a predetermined level of interference at a first mobile station in a first network;

transmitting a query message from the first mobile station using a second mode of communication;

receiving the query message at a second mobile station in a second network;

determining if the second mobile station is contributing to the interference at the first mobile station;

transmitting a reply message from the second mobile station to the first mobile station using the second mode of communication if the second mobile station is the interfering station;

forwarding the reply message from the first mobile station to the first base station;

communicating from the first base station to the second base station an interference mitigation message; and

altering transmission characteristics of the second mobile station based upon instructions from the second base station.

6. A method for minimizing inter-communications system mobile-to-mobile station interference as in claim 5, wherein the first communications mode includes at least one of code division multiple access (CDMA), time division multiple access (TDMA) or Orthogonal Frequency Division Multiplexing Access (OFDMA).

7. A method for minimizing inter-communications system mobile-to-mobile station interference as in claim 5, wherein the first base station communicates with the second base station using a back haul network.

8. A method for minimizing inter-communications system mobile-to-mobile station interference as in claim 5, wherein the transmission characteristics include at least one from the group of transmission time, frequency channel, transmission power and modulation and coding scheme (MCS).

9. A method for minimizing inter-communications system mobile-to-mobile station interference as in claim 5, wherein the second mode of communication uses a WiFi communications standard.

10. A method for minimizing inter-communications system mobile-to-mobile station interference as in claim 5, wherein the second mode of communication uses a Bluetooth communications standard.

11. A method for minimizing inter-communications system mobile-to-mobile station interference as in claim 5, wherein the mobile stations are cellular telephone devices.

12. A method of mitigating interference between mobile stations communicating in separate communications networks comprising the steps of:

detecting interference at a first mobile station in a first communications network using a first communications mode;

broadcasting a query message from the first mobile station using a second communications mode;

receiving the query message at at least one second mobile station using a second communications network;

determining at the at least one second mobile station whether the second mobile station is causing the interference;

transmitting an interference acknowledgment message from the at least one second mobile station to the first mobile station using the second communication mode;

communicating from the first communications network to a second communications network via a backhaul connection a message identifying the second mobile station as an interfering station; and

altering transmission characteristics of the second mobile station by the second based upon instructions from the second base station.

13. A method of mitigating interference between mobile stations as in claim 12, wherein the first communications mode is one of the group of code division multiple access (CDMA), time division multiple access (TDMA) or Orthogonal Frequency Division Multiplexing Access (OFDMA).

14. A method of mitigating interference between mobile stations as in claim 12, wherein the second mode of communication uses a WiFi communications standard.

15. A method of mitigating interference between mobile stations as in claim 12, wherein the second mode of communication uses a Bluetooth communications standard.

16. A method of mitigating interference between mobile stations as in claim 12, wherein the transmission characteristics include at least one from the group of transmission time, frequency channel, transmission power and modulation and coding scheme (MCS).

17. A method of mitigating interference between mobile stations as in claim 12, wherein the mobile stations are cellular telephone devices.