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

• US 8,750,258 B2
• Filed: 07/13/2012
• Issued: 06/10/2014
• 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:
  US13/548,389
• Publication Number:
  US 20120282918A1
• Time in Patent Office: 697 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 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, tracking narrow band interferers according to the adaptive threshold and the average composite wideband power level, and transmitting a report descriptive of the narrow band interferers. 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;

selecting a subset of excluded narrow band signal power levels from the detected narrow band signal power levels, wherein the selecting of the subset of excluded narrow band signal power levels is according to an amount of signal power and is performed prior to averaging of the narrow band signal power levels;

wherein the subset of excluded narrow band signal power levels corresponds to a first number of narrow band signal power levels that equals a second number of notch modules employed by a filter for filtering narrow band interference;

determining an average composite wideband power level from the narrow band signal power levels without consideration of the subset of excluded narrow band signal power levels;

determining an adaptive threshold based on the average composite wideband power level; and

tracking narrow band interferers according to the adaptive threshold and the average composite wideband power level.

2. The method of claim 1, comprising transmitting a report descriptive of the narrow band interferers to a cellular communication system.

3. The method of claim 1, comprising transmitting a report descriptive of the narrow band interferers, wherein the report includes a time of occurrence of the narrow band interferers, a frequency of occurrence of the narrow band interferers, or a duration of the narrow band interferers.

4. The method of claim 1, comprising:

determining an identity of at least one of the narrow band interferers;

transmitting a report descriptive of the narrow band interferers; and

including in the report the identity of the at least one of the narrow band interferers.

5. The method of claim 1, comprising configuring one or more notch modules of the filter to suppress at least a portion of the narrow band interferers,

wherein the subset of excluded narrow band signal power levels is a group of highest narrow band signal power levels.

6. The method of claim 1, comprising suppressing at least a portion of the narrow band interferers with at least one notch module of the filter selected from among a plurality of available notch modules of the filter.

7. The method of claim 1, comprising transmitting a report descriptive of the narrow band interferers, wherein the report is used to diagnose interference experienced in portions of a communication system.

8. The method of claim 1, comprising transmitting a report descriptive of the narrow band interferers, wherein the report is used to obtain information about a narrow band interferer of the tracked narrow band interferers to mitigate harmful effects caused by the narrow band interferer.

9. 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 selecting of the subset of excluded narrow band signal power levels, the determining of the average composite wideband power level, the determining of the adaptive threshold, the tracking of the narrow band interferers, or combinations thereof is performed by a processor.

10. 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;

selecting a subset of excluded power levels from the measured power levels, wherein the selecting of the subset of excluded power levels is according to an amount of signal power and is performed prior to averaging of the measured power levels;

wherein the subset of excluded power levels from the measured power levels corresponds to a first number of narrow band signal power levels that equals a second number of notch modules employed by a filter for filtering narrow band interference;

calculating an average composite wideband power level from the measured power levels without consideration of the subset of excluded power levels;

determining a threshold based on the average composite wideband power level;

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

recording the detection of the narrow band interference.

11. The memory device of claim 10, wherein the operations further comprise transmitting a report including information associated with the narrow band interference.

12. The memory device of claim 10, wherein the operations further comprise detecting an identity of a source of the narrow band interference.

13. The memory device of claim 12, wherein the operations further comprise transmitting the identity of the source of the narrow band interference.

14. The memory device of claim 12, wherein the operations further comprise analyzing operations in a communication system according to the identity of the source of the narrow band interference,

wherein the subset of excluded power levels is a group of highest power levels.

15. A device, comprising:

a radio frequency receiver; and

a circuit coupled to the radio frequency receiver, 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;

selecting a subset of excluded power levels from the measured power levels, wherein the selecting of the subset of excluded power levels is according to an amount of signal power and is performed prior to averaging of the measured power levels;

wherein the subset of excluded power levels from the measured power levels corresponds to a first number of narrow band signal power levels that equals a second number of notch modules employed by a filter for filtering narrow band interference;

determining a threshold based on an average composite wideband power level calculated from the measured power levels without consideration of the subset of excluded power levels; and

tracking from the signals narrow band interferers based on the threshold.

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

17. The device of claim 15, wherein the circuit further performs operations comprising:

reporting at least a portion of the narrow band interferers being tracked.