Methods and apparatus for reducing the impact of RF interference based on estimation of colored noise

• US 9,191,991 B2
• Filed: 02/27/2013
• Issued: 11/17/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 02/27/2013
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Malikie Innovations Limited (Key Patent Innovations Limited)
• Original Assignee: Blackberry Limited
• Inventors: Smadi, Mohammed Nawaf, Zielinski, Ernst Slawomir, Mohamed, Mohamed Darwish A., Wirz, Holger, Kezys, Vytautas Robertas
• Primary Examiner(s): Shaheed, Khalid
• Assistant Examiner(s): TACSIK, ERNEST G
• Application Number:
  US13/778,532
• Publication Number:
  US 20140243042A1
• Time in Patent Office: 993 Days
• Field of Search: 455/63.1
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 1/406 with more than one transmission mode, e.g. analog and digital modes
• CPC Class Codes: H04J 11/0023 Interference mitigation or co-ordination direct sequence spread spectrum [DSSS] systems H04B1/7097; frequency hopping H04B1/713; allocation criteria for ingress interference avoidance H04L5/0062; frequency allocation criteria for requirements on out-of-channel emissions H04L5/0066; arrangements for removing intersymbol interference or baseband equalisers H04L25/03006; peak power aspects in multicarrier modulation H04L27/2614; power management H04W52/00; traffic scheduling H04W72/54, H04W72/541
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 1/00 Arrangements for detecting or preventing errors in the information received correcting synchronisation H04L7/00
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 16/14 Spectrum sharing arrangements between different networks
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 88/06 adapted for operation in multiple networks or having at least two operational modes, e.g. multi-mode terminals

Abstract

A mobile device having first and second RF transceivers performs a communication function in accordance with a communication protocol of the second RF transceiver. During performance of this function, the mobile device estimates the RF interference on a channel of the first RF transceiver, and stores parameters which characterize the estimated RF interference in association with an identifier corresponding to the function. These actions are repeated for a plurality of channels of the first RF transceiver, as well as for a plurality of different communication functions. When performing a communication function again, the mobile device receives an identifier corresponding to the function and retrieves stored parameters corresponding to the received identifier. The mobile device applies the retrieved parameters to the first RF transceiver for reducing the adverse effect of RF interference during reception on the channel of the first RF transceiver.

Claims

1. A method in a mobile communication device for use in reducing the effect of interference, the mobile communication device comprising a first radio frequency (RF) transceiver operable in a first RF band and a second RF transceiver operable in a second RF band adjacent the first RF band, the method comprising:

(i) for each channel of multiple channels to be assessed, the multiple channels belonging to the first RF band;

performing a predetermined communication function using the second RF transceiver;

estimating a noise power spectrum on a channel being assessed of the first RF transceiver during performance of the predetermined communication function; and

storing parameters which characterize the estimated noise power spectrum in association with an identifier of the channel being assessed; and

(ii) when performing the predetermined communication function again using the second RF transceiver;

identifying the channel on which the first RF transceiver is currently operating;

retrieving the stored parameters that were stored in associated with the identified channel which characterize the estimated noise power spectrum; and

applying the retrieved parameters to the first RF transceiver during reception on the identified channel.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

when the predetermined communication function is to be performed, receiving an identifier of the predetermined communication function; and

storing the parameters which characterize the estimated noise power spectrum in association with the identifier of the predetermined communication function.

3. The method of claim 2, further comprising:

when the predetermined communication function is to be performed again, receiving again the identifier of the predetermined communication function; and

wherein retrieving the stored parameters which characterize the estimated noise power spectrum comprises selecting the stored parameters from memory based on the received identifier of the predetermined communication function and based on the identified channel.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the acts of performing, estimating, and storing are performed during a learning mode of operation, and the acts of identifying, retrieving and applying are performed during a communication mode of operation.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the first RF transceiver is configured to communicate in the first RF band with a wireless local area network (WLAN).

6. The method of claim 1, wherein the second RF transceiver is configured to communicate in the second RF band with a Long Term Evolution (LTE) network.

7. The method of claim 1, which is embodied in a computer program product comprising a non-transitory computer readable medium and computer instructions stored in the non-transitory computer readable medium, the computer instructions being executable by one or more processors of the mobile device for performing the method.

19. The method of claim 6, wherein the predetermined communication function is selected from a group consisting of a resource block allocation function, a resource block offset function, and a transmit power function.

8. A mobile communication device, comprising:

one or more processors;

a memory coupled to the one or more processors;

a first radio frequency (RF) transceiver coupled to the one or more processors, the first RF transceiver being operable in a first RF band;

a second RF transceiver coupled to the one or more processors, the second RF transceiver being operable in a second RF band adjacent the first RF band;

the one or more processors being configured;

(i) for each channel of multiple channels to be assessed, the multiple channels belonging to the first RF band;

to perform a predetermined communication function using the second RF transceiver;

to estimate a noise power spectrum on a channel being assessed of the first RF transceiver during performance of the predetermined communication function; and

to store, in the memory, parameters which characterize the estimated noise power spectrum in association with an identifier of the channel being assessed; and

(ii) when performing the predetermined communication function again using the second RF transceiver;

to identify the channel on which the first RF transceiver is currently operating;

to retrieve from the memory the stored parameters that were stored in associated with the identified channel which characterize the estimated noise power spectrum; and

to apply the retrieved parameters to the first RF transceiver during reception on the identified channel.

9. The mobile device of claim 8, wherein the one or more processors are further configured:

when the predetermined communication function is to be performed, to receive an identifier of the predetermined communication function; and

to store the parameters which characterize the estimated noise power spectrum in association with the identifier of the predetermined communication function.

10. The mobile device of claim 9, wherein the one or more processors are further configured:

when the predetermined communication function is to be performed again, to receive again the identifier of the predetermined communication function; and

to retrieve the stored parameters which characterize the estimated noise power spectrum by selecting the stored parameters from the memory based on the received identifier of the predetermined communication function and based on the identified channel.

11. The mobile device of claim 8, further comprising:

wherein the one or more processors operate the mobile device in a learning mode of operation for the actions of performing, estimating, and storing; and

wherein the one or more processors operate the mobile device in a communication mode of operation for the actions of identifying, retrieving and applying.

12. The mobile device of claim 8, wherein the first RF transceiver comprises a wireless local area network (WLAN) transceiver.

13. The mobile device of claim 8, wherein the second RF transceiver comprises a Long Term Evolution (LTE) transceiver.

20. The mobile device of claim 13, wherein the predetermined communication function is selected from a group consisting of a resource block allocation function, a resource block offset function, and a transmit power function.

14. A method in a mobile communication device for use in reducing the effect of interference, the mobile communication device comprising a first radio frequency (RF) transceiver operable in a first RF band and a second RF transceiver operable in a second RF band adjacent the first RF band, the method comprising:

(i) for each channel of multiple channels to be assessed, the multiple channels belonging to the first RF band;

performing a first predetermined communication function using the second RF transceiver;

estimating a first noise power spectrum on a channel being assessed of the first RF transceiver during performance of the first predetermined communication function;

storing first parameters which characterize the estimated first noise power spectrum in association with an identifier corresponding to the first predetermined communication function and in association with an identifier of the channel being assessed;

performing a second predetermined communication function using the second RF transceiver;

estimating a second noise power spectrum on the channel being assessed of the first RF transceiver during performance of the second predetermined communication function; and

storing second parameters which characterize the estimated second noise power spectrum in association with an identifier corresponding to the second predetermined communication function and in association with the identifier of the channel being assessed; and

(ii) responsive to identifying that the first predetermined communication function is again being performed using the second RF transceiver while the first RF transceiver is operative on an identified channel, retrieving the stored first parameters that were stored in association with the identified channel and applying the retrieved first parameters to the first RF transceiver during reception on the channel of the first RF transceiver; and

(iii) responsive to identifying that the second predetermined communication function is again being performed using the second RF transceiver while the first RF transceiver is operative on another identified channel, retrieving the stored second parameters that were stored in associated with the other identified channel and applying the retrieved second parameters to the first RF transceiver during reception on the channel of the first RF transceiver,

wherein the first predetermined communication function differs from the second predetermined communication function.

15. The method of claim 14, wherein the first RF transceiver comprises a wireless local area network (WLAN) transceiver.

16. The method of claim 14, wherein the second RF transceiver comprises a Long Term Evolution (LTE) transceiver.

17. The method of claim 16, wherein the first predetermined communication function and the second predetermined communication function are selected from a group consisting of a resource block allocation function, a resource block offset function, and a transmit power function.

18. The method of claim 14, which is embodied in a computer program product comprising a non-transitory computer readable medium and computer instructions stored in the non-transitory computer readable medium, the computer instructions being executable by one or more processors of the mobile device for performing the method.