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

• US 9,107,224 B2
• Filed: 01/14/2015
• Issued: 08/11/2015
• 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): Lee, Jae Y
• Assistant Examiner(s): Voltaire, Jean F
• Application Number:
  US14/596,847
• Publication Number:
  US 20150139013A1
• Time in Patent Office: 209 Days
• Field of Search: 370328-332
• 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 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, detecting narrow band interference according to one of the average composite wideband power level, the adaptive threshold, or both, prioritizing the detected narrow band interference, and selectively filtering a portion of the detected narrow band interference according to the prioritization. Other embodiments are disclosed.

Claims

1. A method, comprising:

scanning, by a processor, a wide frequency band with respect to signal power levels in specified narrow frequency bands;

measuring, by the processor, narrow band signal power levels received in the specified narrow frequency bands;

determining, by the processor, an average wideband power level by excluding a portion of the narrow band signal power levels measured;

determining, by the processor, an adaptive threshold according to the average wideband power level;

detecting, by the processor, narrow band interferers according to the adaptive threshold; and

identifying, by the processor, a prioritization of the narrow band interferers.

2. The method of claim 1, suppressing, by the processor, a portion of the narrow band interferers according to the prioritization.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the processor is used by a cellular base station.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the processor is used by a wireless access point.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the identifying comprises identifying a portion of the narrow band interferers likely to cause signal degradation in the wide frequency band.

6. The method of claim 2, wherein suppressing the portion of the narrow band interferers is performed with at least one of a plurality of filters according to the prioritization.

7. The method of claim 6, wherein the plurality of filters comprise a plurality of notch filters.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein the prioritization is determined according to power levels of the narrow band interferers.

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

monitoring a wide frequency band;

measuring signal power levels in the wide frequency band;

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

determining a threshold according to the average wideband power level;

detecting one or more narrow band interferers in signals of the wide frequency band according to the threshold; and

generating a prioritization of the one or more narrow band interferers.

10. The memory device of claim 9, wherein the operations further comprise suppressing a portion of the one or more narrow band interferers according to the prioritization.

11. The memory device of claim 10, wherein the portion of the one or more narrow band interferers is filtered with one or more notch filters.

12. The memory device of claim 9, wherein the generating comprises identifying a portion of the one or more narrow band interferers likely to cause signal degradation in the wide frequency band.

13. The memory device of claim 9, wherein the generating comprises prioritizing the one or more narrow band interferers according to power levels of the one or more narrow band interferers.

14. The memory device of claim 9, wherein the memory device is utilized by a wireless base station or a wireless access point.

15. A device, comprising:

a filter; and

a circuit coupled to the filter, wherein execution of instructions by the circuit facilitates the circuit to perform operations comprising;

measuring signal power levels in frequency bands of a wideband signal;

determining an average wideband power level by excluding a portion of the signal power levels;

detecting interferers in a wide frequency band according to a threshold determined from the average wideband power level; and

prioritizing the interferers.

16. The device of claim 15, wherein the operations further comprise configuring the filter to suppress at least a portion of the interferers according to the prioritization.

17. The device of claim 15, wherein the device comprises a wireless base station.

18. The device of claim 15, wherein the device comprises a wireless access point.

19. The device of claim 15, wherein the filter comprises a plurality of filters, and wherein the operations further comprise filtering a portion of the interferers according to the prioritizing of the interferers.

20. The device of claim 15, wherein the prioritizing of the interferers comprises:

determining power levels of the interferers; and

prioritizing the interferers according to the power levels of the interferers.