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

• US 8,873,464 B2
• Filed: 08/24/2012
• Issued: 10/28/2014
• 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:
  US13/593,750
• Publication Number:
  US 20120322478A1
• Time in Patent Office: 795 Days
• Field of Search: None
• 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 measuring power levels of signals provided by a receiver configured to scan radio frequency signals over a wide frequency band, calculating an average power level from at least a portion of the measured power levels, determining a threshold, detecting interference in the wide frequency band based on the threshold, the average power level, or both, and causing a null that substantially suppresses the interference received by the receiver. 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 frequency 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 frequency band signal power levels;

determining an adaptive threshold;

monitoring the wide frequency band for one or more interference signals;

detecting narrow band interference in the wide frequency band according to one of the adaptive threshold, the average composite wideband power level, or both; and

causing a device to nullify at least a portion of the detected narrow band interference.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the detected narrow band interference has a bandwidth that is smaller than the wide frequency band.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the device is a filter.

4. The method of claim 3, wherein the causing of the device to nullify the narrow band interference comprises configuring the device to create a null that nullifies the narrow band interference.

5. The method of claim 4, wherein the null is a spectral nullification.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein the detected narrow band interference comprises a narrow band interferer.

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

8. The method of claim 1, wherein at least one of the analyzing of the wide frequency band, the determining of the average composite wideband power level, the determining of the adaptive threshold, the monitoring of the wide frequency band, the detecting of the narrow band interference, the causing of the device to nullify at least a portion of the narrow band interference, or combinations thereof are performed by a base station.

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

10. The method of claim 1, comprising reporting spectral information relating to the narrow band interference.

11. A base station, comprising:

a receiver;

a device; and

a circuit coupled to the receiver and the device, 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 from signals provided by the receiver;

determining an average power level from a subset of the measured power levels;

determining a threshold from the average power level or the subset of the measured power levels;

detecting from the signals interference in the wide frequency band based on one of the threshold, the average power level, or both; and

causing a device to create a null that suppresses at least a portion of the interference.

12. The device of claim 11, wherein the device is a filter.

13. The device of claim 11, wherein the base station comprises a cellular base station.

14. The device of claim 11, wherein the interference comprises a narrow band interferer.

15. The device of claim 11, wherein the null is a spectral nullification.

16. The device of claim 11, wherein the circuit further performs operations comprising reporting spectral information relating to the interference.

17. 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;

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

determining a threshold;

detecting interference in the wide frequency band based on the threshold, the average power level, or both; and

causing a null that suppresses at least a portion of the interference received by the receiver.

18. The memory device of claim 17, wherein the causing of the null comprises configuring a device to create the null.

19. The memory device of claim 18, wherein the device is a filter.

20. The memory device of claim 18, wherein the device is configured to create the null according to the detected interference.