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

• US 8,750,259 B2
• Filed: 08/16/2012
• 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): LO, DIANE LEE
• Application Number:
  US13/587,166
• Publication Number:
  US 20120315937A1
• Time in Patent Office: 663 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 scanning wireless signals in a wide frequency band, measuring power levels in narrow frequency bands from the wireless signals, determining a threshold according to an average wideband power level or at least a portion of the power levels in the narrow frequency bands, detecting from the wireless signals a narrow band interferer based on the threshold, and initiating a strategy for responding to interference in the wide frequency band caused by the detected narrow band interferer. 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 based on the average composite wideband power level;

detecting a narrow band interferer according to the adaptive threshold and the average composite wideband power level;

responsive to a detection of the narrow band interferer, intercepting identification information for a source of the narrow band interferer wherein the source transmits the identification information; and

initiating a strategy for responding to interference in the wide frequency band caused by the detected narrow band interferer, wherein the initiating of the strategy is according to the identification information.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the initiating of the strategy comprises submitting information to a system about the detected narrow band interferer enabling the system to determine the strategy according to the information.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein the system causes a network element of the system to perform the strategy.

4. The method of claim 3, wherein the network element is a base station, wherein the narrow band interferer is a communication device wirelessly coupled to the base station, and wherein the base station causes the communication device to adjust operations of a wireless transmitter of the communication device according to the strategy.

5. The method of claim 4, wherein the communication device adjusts operations of the wireless transmitter by causing the wireless transmitter to use a new transmission frequency.

6. The method of claim 4, wherein the communication device adjusts operations of the wireless transmitter by ceasing wireless transmissions to the base station.

7. The method of claim 1, comprising selectively filtering the narrow band interferer according to the strategy.

8. The method of claim 7, comprising selecting a subset of notch modules from among a total number of available notch modules for the filtering of the narrow band interferer.

9. The method of claim 1, wherein the initiating of the strategy comprises submitting to a system the identification information for the source of the narrow band interferer enabling the system to determine the strategy according to the identification information.

10. The method of claim 1, comprising:

determining from the identification information of the narrow band interferer a type of interferer, wherein the identification information comprises an electronic serial number for the source; and

generating a list of channels having interferers.

11. The method of claim 10, wherein the type of interferer is a cellular communications device.

12. The method of claim 1, wherein the initiating of the strategy comprises:

detecting a type of communication activity initiated by the narrow band interferer; and

allowing the narrow band interferer to continue to use a portion of the wide frequency band based on the detected type of communication activity.

13. 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 composite wideband power level, the determining of the adaptive threshold, the detecting of the narrow band interferer, the initiating of the strategy, or combinations thereof is performed by a circuit, and wherein the determining of the average composite wideband power level from less than all of the narrow band signal power levels comprises selecting a number of the narrow band signal power levels to be excluded from the determining of the average composite wideband power level according to a number of notch modules to be employed for filtering.

14. A computer-readable storage device, comprising instructions, which when executed by a circuit, causes the circuit to perform operations comprising:

scanning wireless signals in a wide frequency band;

measuring from the wireless signals power levels in narrow frequency bands;

determining a threshold according to an average wideband power level determined from less than all of the power levels measured in the narrow frequency bands;

detecting from the wireless signals a narrow band interferer based on the threshold;

responsive to a detection of the narrow band interferer, obtaining identification information for a source of the narrow band interferer wherein the source transmits the identification information; and

initiating a strategy for responding to interference in the wide frequency band caused by the detected narrow band interferer, wherein the initiating of the strategy is according to the identification information.

15. The computer-readable storage device of claim 14, wherein the initiating of the strategy comprises submitting the identification information to a system about the detected narrow band interferer enabling the system to determine the strategy according to the identification information.

16. The computer-readable storage device of claim 15, wherein the system causes a network element of the system to perform the strategy.

17. The computer-readable storage device of claim 14, wherein the operations further comprise selectively filtering the narrow band interferer according to the strategy.

18. A device, comprising:

a receiver that receives wireless signals;

a memory storing instructions; and

a circuit coupled to the receiver and the memory, wherein responsive to executing the instructions, the circuit performs operations comprising;

causing the receiver to scan a wide frequency band;

receiving wireless signals from the receiver, the signals associated with the wide frequency band;

measuring power levels in narrow frequency bands from the wireless signals;

determining a threshold from less than all of the power levels measured in the narrow frequency bands; and

detecting from the wireless signals a narrow band interferer based on the threshold;

responsive to a detection of the narrow band interferer, obtaining identification information for a source of the narrow band interferer; and

initiating a strategy for responding to interference in the wide frequency band caused by the detected narrow band interferer, wherein the initiating of the strategy is according to the identification information.

19. The device of claim 18, wherein the initiating of the strategy comprises reporting the identification information about the detected narrow band interferer to a system that determines the strategy according to the identification information, wherein the source transmits the identification information.

20. The device of claim 18, wherein the strategy comprises selecting a subset of notch modules from among a total number of available notch modules for filtering of the narrow band interferer.