Method and device for maintaining the performance quality of a communication system in the presence of narrow band interference

• US 8,634,386 B2
• Filed: 08/24/2012
• Issued: 01/21/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 02/02/1999
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: ISCO International Inc.
• Original Assignee: ISCO International Inc.
• Inventors: Jagger, Charles E., Willetts, Mark N., Tobia, Micolino
• Primary Examiner(s): Hamza, Faruk
• Assistant Examiner(s): DECKER, CASSANDRA L
• Application Number:
  US13/593,741
• Publication Number:
  US 20130029659A1
• Time in Patent Office: 515 Days
• Field of Search: None
• US Class Current: 370/335
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 1/10 Means associated with receiver for limiting or suppressing noise or interference
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 1/1036 with automatic suppression of narrow band noise or interference, e.g. by using tuneable notch filters H04B1/123 takes precedence; filter circuits H03H
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 1/71 the interference being narrowband interference
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 1/7103 the interference being multiple access interference
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 15/00 Suppression or limitation of noise or interference by means associated with receiver H04B1/10
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 2001/1063 using a notch filter
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 2201/709709 Methods of preventing interference
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 2201/709718 Determine interference
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 7/005 Control of transmission; Equalising
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 24/00 Supervisory, monitoring or testing arrangements
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 24/02 Arrangements for optimising operational condition
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 24/04 Arrangements for maintaining operational condition
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 24/08 Testing, supervising or monitoring using real traffic
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 24/10 Scheduling measurement reports ; Arrangements for measurement reports
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 28/04 Error control
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 28/16 Central resource management; Negotiation of resources or communication parameters, e.g. negotiating bandwidth or QoS [Quality of Service]
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 28/20 Negotiating bandwidth
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 52/243 taking into account interferences
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 52/245 taking into account received signal strength
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 72/0453 Resources in frequency domain, e.g. a carrier in FDMA
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 72/541 : using the level of interference
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 72/542 : using measured or perceived quality
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 88/02 : Terminal devices
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 88/08 : Access point devices

Abstract

A system that incorporates teachings of the subject disclosure may include, for example, a method for measuring power levels in narrow frequency bands of signals provided by a radio frequency receiver configured to scan radio frequency signals over a wide frequency band, calculating an average wideband power level from at least a portion of the measured power levels, determining a threshold from the average wideband power level, the portion of the measured power levels in the narrow frequency bands, or both, detecting from the signals narrow band interference based on the threshold, and substantially suppressing the detected narrow band interference. Other embodiments are disclosed.

Claims

1. A method, comprising:

analyzing, by a processor, a wide frequency band with respect to signal power levels in specified narrow frequency bands;

detecting narrow band signal power levels received in the specified narrow frequency bands, wherein the detecting of the narrow band signal power levels includes performing frequency shifting for a guard band of the wide frequency band to generate RSSI measurements for the guard band;

determining an average wideband power level from less than all of the narrow band signal power levels;

determining an adaptive threshold from one of the average wideband power level, the narrow band signal power levels, or both;

detecting interference associated with a channel according to the adaptive threshold; and

configuring a filter according to the detected interference to suppress at least a first portion of signals of the channel.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the interference comprises a narrow band interferer disposed in the channel, and wherein the channel has a bandwidth that is smaller than the wide frequency band.

3. The method of claim 1, further comprising configuring the filter to suppress at least a second portion of the detected interference.

4. The method of claim 1, comprising reporting spectral information relating to the guard band to a remote device.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein at least one of the analyzing of the wide frequency band, the detecting of the narrow band signal power levels, the determining of the average wideband power level, the determining of the adaptive threshold, the detecting of the interference, the configuring of the filter, or combinations thereof are performed by a base station.

6. The method of claim 5, wherein the base station is a cellular base station.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein the less than all of the narrow band signal power levels corresponds to a number of highest power levels, the number of highest power levels corresponding to a number of notch modules being employed by the filter.

8. A device, comprising:

a receiver;

a filter; and

a circuit coupled to the receiver and the filter, wherein execution of instructions by the circuit cause the circuit to perform operations comprising;

causing the receiver to scan a wide frequency band;

measuring power levels in narrow frequency bands from signals provided by the receiver, wherein the measuring of the power levels includes performing frequency shifting for a guard band of the wide frequency band to generate RSSI measurements for the guard band;

determining an average wideband power level from a portion that is less than all of the power levels in the narrow frequency bands;

determining a threshold from the average wideband power level or the portion of the power levels in the narrow frequency bands;

detecting from the signals interference associated with a channel of the wide frequency band based on one of the threshold, the average wideband power level, or both; and

configuring the filter to suppress at least a first portion of signals of the channel.

9. The device of claim 8, wherein the device is a base station.

10. The device of claim 9, wherein the base station comprises a cellular base station.

11. The device of claim 8, wherein the interference comprises a narrow band interferer disposed in the channel.

12. The device of claim 8, wherein the circuit further performs operations comprising configuring the filter to suppress at least a second portion of the detected interference.

13. The device of claim 8, wherein the circuit further performs operations comprising reporting spectral information relating to the guard band to a remote device and controlling operation of the filter including at least one of adjusting channels scanned for interference, changing the threshold, adjusting a hang time, or adjusting an attack time.

14. A memory device, comprising instructions, which when executed by a circuit, cause the circuit to perform operations comprising:

measuring power levels of signals provided by a receiver configured to scan radio frequency signals over a wide frequency band, wherein the measuring of the power levels includes performing frequency shifting for a guard band of the wide frequency band to generate RSSI measurements for the guard band;

calculating an average wideband power level from a portion of the measured power levels;

determining a threshold;

detecting interference associated with a channel in the wide frequency band based on the threshold, the average wideband power level, or both; and

suppressing at least a first portion of signals of the channel.

15. The memory device of claim 14, wherein the circuit further performs operations comprising suppressing at least a second portion of the detected interference.

16. The memory device of claim 14, wherein the suppressing of at least the first portion of the signals comprises configuring a filter to at least suppress the first portion of the signals.