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

• US 8,724,552 B2
• Filed: 07/09/2012
• Issued: 05/13/2014
• 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): Lee, Jae Y
• Assistant Examiner(s): Voltaire, Jean F
• Application Number:
  US13/543,941
• Publication Number:
  US 20120275492A1
• Time in Patent Office: 673 Days
• Field of Search: 370328-332, 370/346, 455/295, 455/296, 455/307
• US Class Current: 370/328
• 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 analyzing 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, determining an average composite wideband power level from the narrow band signal power levels, determining an adaptive threshold from the average composite wideband power level, detecting narrow band interference according to the adaptive threshold, and configuring a filter to substantially suppress the detected narrow band interference. Other embodiments are disclosed.

Claims

1. A method, comprising:

analyzing 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;

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

determining an adaptive threshold from the average composite wideband power level;

detecting narrow band interference according to the adaptive threshold; and

configuring a filter to suppress at least a portion of the detected narrow band interference.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein each of the specified narrow frequency bands has a bandwidth that is smaller than the wide frequency band, and wherein the adaptive threshold has a power level that exceeds the average composite wideband power level.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the filter selectively suppresses at least the portion of the detected narrow band interference.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the adaptive threshold is configured for hysteresis.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the adaptive threshold comprises more than one threshold.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein the detecting of the narrow band interference according to the adaptive threshold comprises detecting a plurality of narrow band interferers having power levels that exceed the adaptive threshold.

7. The method of claim 6, wherein the filter comprises a plurality of sub-filters, and wherein the configuring the filter comprises configuring each of the plurality of sub-filters to suppress at least the portion of the plurality of narrow band interferers.

8. The method of claim 7, wherein the filter has a variable stop band.

9. The method of claim 1, wherein the analyzing of the wide frequency band, the detecting of the narrow band signal power levels, the determining of the average composite wideband power level, the determining of the adaptive threshold, the detecting of the narrow band interference, and the configuring of the filter are performed by a base station.

10. The method of claim 9, wherein the base station is a cellular base station.

11. The method of claim 1, comprising repeating the analyzing of the wide frequency band, the detecting of the narrow band signal power levels, the determining of the average composite wideband power level, the determining of the adaptive threshold, the detecting of the narrow band interference, and the configuring of the filter to suppress additional narrow band interference.

12. The method of claim 1, wherein the determining of the average composite wideband power level comprises not including a subset of the narrow band signal power levels in the determination of the average composite wideband power level.

13. The method of claim 12, wherein the subset of the narrow band signal power levels have a largest signal strengths in the specified narrow frequency bands.

14. A device, comprising:

a radio frequency receiver;

a filter; and

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

causing the radio frequency receiver to scan a wide frequency band;

measuring power levels in narrow frequency bands from signals provided by the radio frequency receiver;

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

determining a threshold from the average wideband power level;

detecting from the signals narrow band interference based on the threshold; and

configuring the filter to suppress at least a portion of the detected narrow band interference.

15. The device of claim 14, wherein the device is a base station.

16. The device of claim 15, wherein the base station comprises a cellular base station.

17. The device of claim 14, wherein the filter has a variable stop band.

18. The device of claim 14, wherein the circuit further performs operations comprising updating the threshold, the average wideband power level, or both according to subsequent measurements of power levels in the narrow frequency bands.

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

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 less than all of the measured power levels;

determining a threshold from the average wideband power level, less than all of the measured power levels in the narrow frequency bands, or both;

detecting from the signals narrow band interference based on the threshold; and

suppressing at least a portion of the detected narrow band interference.

20. The memory device of claim 19, wherein the threshold has a power level that exceeds the average wideband power level.