Measuring received signal quality

• US 8,364,140 B2
• Filed: 03/08/2006
• Issued: 01/29/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 03/09/2005
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Lenovo Innovations Ltd Hong Kong (Lenovo Group Ltd.)
• Original Assignee: NEC Corporation
• Inventors: Stanhope, David, Wang, Xinhua, Vasic, Dobrica, Isaac, Paul
• Primary Examiner(s): MITCHELL, NATHAN A
• Application Number:
  US11/885,772
• Publication Number:
  US 20090129357A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,519 Days
• Field of Search: 455/423, 455/127.1, 455/127.2
• US Class Current: 455/423
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 17/21 for calibration; for correcting measurements
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 17/327 Received signal code power [RSCP]
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 17/345 Interference values signal-to-interference ratio [SIR] or carrier-to-interference ratio [CIR] H04B17/336
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 52/12 Outer and inner loops
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 52/241 taking into account channel quality metrics, e.g. SIR, SNR, CIR, Eb/lo

Abstract

A method of determining a signal quality parameter in a radio communications device includes: measuring a signal error parameter of a received signal (104); comparing said measured signal error parameter to a threshold level (106), and determining the signal quality parameter on the basis of a reference signal error parameter value (114) in the event that the measured signal error parameter value is less than the threshold level (112).

Claims

1. A method of determining a signal quality parameter in a radio communications device, the method comprising:

measuring by a measurement component a signal error parameter of a received signal;

comparing by comparison means the measured signal error parameter to a threshold level, and

determining by data processing means the signal quality parameter on the basis of the measured signal error parameter in the event that the measured signal error parameter is equal to or more than the threshold level, and determining the signal quality parameter on the basis of a reference signal error parameter different from the threshold level in the event that the measured signal error parameter is less than the threshold level.

2. The method as claimed in claim 1, further comprising determining by a reference signal determination component the reference signal error parameter on the basis of at least one signal measurement.

3. The method as claimed in claim 1, further comprising determining by a threshold determination component the threshold level on the basis of at least one signal measurement.

4. The method as claimed in claim 1, wherein the threshold level is more than the reference signal error parameter.

5. The method as claimed in claim 1, wherein the threshold level is less than the reference signal error parameter.

6. The method as claimed in claim 2, further comprising:

determining a minimum signal expected error parameter; and

setting the threshold level to the minimum signal error parameter.

7. The method as claimed in claim 3, wherein the threshold level is determined on the basis of the measured power of another channel.

8. The method as claimed in claim 1, wherein the method is used to determine at least one of a signal to interference ratio (SIR), and a signal to noise ratio (SNR), of a received radio channel.

9. A method of power control in a radio telecommunication device comprising:

determining a signal quality parameter in accordance with claim 1; and

performing power control in the radio telecommunication device at least partly on the basis of the determined signal quality parameter.

10. A method of gain control in a radio telecommunication device comprising:

determining a signal quality parameter in accordance with claim 1; and

controlling gain in the radio telecommunication device at least partly on the basis of the determined signal quality parameter.

11. A device adapted to determine a signal quality parameter of a received radio signal, the device comprising:

a measurement component configured to measure a signal error parameter of a received signal;

comparison means configured to compare the measured signal error parameter to a threshold level;

memory means storing a first set of instructions to control the operation of a data processing means; and

data processing means, operating under control of the first set of instructions, configured to determine the signal quality parameter on the basis of the measured signal error parameter in the event that the measured signal error parameter is equal to or more than the threshold level, and to determine the signal quality parameter on the basis of a reference signal error parameter different from the threshold level in the event that the measured signal error parameter is less than the threshold level.

12. The device as claimed in claim 11, further comprising a reference signal determination component configured to determine the reference signal error parameter on the basis of at least one signal measurement.

13. The device as claimed in claim 11, further comprising a threshold determination component configured to determine the threshold level on the basis of at least one signal measurement.

14. The device as claimed in claim 11, wherein the threshold level is more than the reference signal error parameter.

15. The device as claimed in claim 11, wherein the threshold level is less than the reference signal error parameter.

16. The device as claimed in claim 11, wherein the comparison means is implemented as a software component.

17. The device as claimed in claims 16, wherein the software component is stored as a second set of instructions in the memory means for control of the comparison means.