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

• US 9,100,860 B2
• Filed: 09/22/2014
• Issued: 08/04/2015
• 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:
  US14/492,426
• Publication Number:
  US 20150080042A1
• Time in Patent Office: 316 Days
• Field of Search: None
• US Class Current: 1/1
• 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, by a system including a processor, a wide frequency band with respect to signal power levels in specified narrow frequency bands;

detecting, by the system, narrow frequency band signal power levels received in the specified narrow frequency bands;

determining, by the system, an average composite wideband power level associated with the narrow frequency band signal power levels;

determining, by the system, an adaptive threshold;

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

responsive to a detection of the narrow band interference, obtaining, by the system, identification information for a source of the narrow band interference, wherein the obtaining of the identification information for the source of the narrow band interference comprises intercepting a transmission from the source that includes the identification information without requesting the transmission; and

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

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the strategy comprises initiating communication with a base station controlling a communication session of the source of the narrow band interference to request the base station to adjust the communication session to mitigate the interference, wherein the intercepting of the transmission from the source occurs prior to the initiating communication with the base station.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the strategy for responding to the interference in the wide frequency band comprises causing a device to nullify at least a portion of the detected narrow band interference.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the determining of the average composite wideband power level comprises determining the average composite wideband power level from less than all of the detected narrow frequency band signal power levels.

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

6. The method of claim 1, wherein the strategy for responding to the interference in the wide frequency band comprises configuring a filter to create a null that nullifies at least a portion of the narrow band interference.

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

8. The method of claim 1, wherein the system comprises 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 detected narrow band interference.

11. An apparatus, comprising:

a receiver;

a device;

a memory that stores executable instructions; and

a circuit coupled to the receiver, the device, and the memory, wherein execution of instructions by the circuit causes the circuit to perform operations 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 associated with the narrow frequency band signal power levels;

determining an adaptive threshold;

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

responsive to a detection of the narrow band interference, intercepting a transmission from a source of the narrow band interference without requesting the transmission, wherein the intercepted transmission enables access to identification information for the source of the narrow band interference; and

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

12. The apparatus of claim 11, wherein the identification information for the source is included in the intercepted transmission.

13. The apparatus of claim 11, wherein the strategy for responding to the interference in the wide frequency band comprises causing the device to nullify at least a portion of the detected narrow band interference.

14. The apparatus of claim 11, wherein the determining of the average composite wideband power level comprises determining the average composite wideband power level from a subset of the detected narrow frequency band signal power levels.

15. The apparatus of claim 11, wherein the strategy for responding to the interference in the wide frequency band comprises configuring a filter of the device to create a null that nullifies at least a portion of the narrow band interference.

16. The apparatus of claim 11, wherein the receiver, the device and the circuit are co-located at a base station.

17. The apparatus of claim 16, wherein the base station is a cellular base station.

18. A machine-readable storage device comprising instructions, which when executed by a circuit, cause the circuit to perform operations 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 associated with the narrow frequency band signal power levels;

determining an adaptive threshold;

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

responsive to a detection of the narrow band interference, obtaining identification information for a source of the narrow band interference, wherein the obtaining of the identification information for the source of the narrow band interference comprises intercepting a transmission from the source that includes the identification information without requesting the transmission; and

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

19. The machine-readable storage device of claim 18, wherein the strategy comprises initiating communication with a base station controlling a communication session of the source of the narrow band interference to request the base station to adjust the communication session to mitigate the interference, wherein the intercepting of the transmission from the source occurs prior to the initiating communication with the base station.

20. The machine-readable storage device of claim 18, wherein the determining of the average composite wideband power level comprises determining the average composite wideband power level from a subset of the detected narrow frequency band signal power levels.