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

• US 9,215,719 B2
• Filed: 08/24/2012
• Issued: 12/15/2015
• 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): LO, DIANE LEE
• Application Number:
  US13/593,794
• Publication Number:
  US 20120322389A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,208 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 determining a wideband power level by scanning a wide frequency band, determining a threshold, detecting from signals scanned in the wide frequency band interference associated with a plurality of channels, wherein the interference is detected according to one of the threshold, the wideband power level, or both, and modifying a variable bandwidth of a filter to substantially suppress the detected interference. Other embodiments are disclosed.

Claims

1. A method, comprising:

analyzing, by a system comprising a processor, a wide frequency band with respect to signal power levels in a plurality of specified different narrow frequency bands;

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

identifying, by the system, a selected narrow frequency band of the plurality of specified different narrow frequency bands having a selected narrow band signal power level higher than other narrow band signal power levels of the plurality of different narrow band signal power levels;

determining, by the system, an average composite wideband power level from the plurality of different narrow band signal power levels without considering the selected narrow band signal power level of the selected narrow frequency band;

determining, by the system, an adaptive threshold based on the average composite wideband power level;

detecting, by the system, according to the adaptive threshold, interference associated with a plurality of channels in the wide frequency band, to obtain detected interference; and

configuring, by the system, a filter bandwidth of a variable-bandwidth filter according to the detected interference to suppress the interference.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the interference comprises a plurality of contiguous narrow band interferers, and wherein each of the plurality of channels has a channel bandwidth that is smaller than the wide frequency band.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the variable-bandwidth filter comprises a plurality of selectable filters, and wherein the average composite wideband power level comprises a spectral average of a wideband power level over a bandwidth of the wide frequency band.

4. The method of claim 3, wherein the configuring of the bandwidth of the variable-bandwidth filter comprises selecting, by the system, a filter of the plurality of selectable filters to configure the filter bandwidth of the variable-bandwidth filter.

5. The method of claim 4, wherein the selecting of the filter of the plurality of selectable filters is performed with a switch.

6. The method of claim 3, wherein the plurality of selectable filters are cascaded.

7. The method of claim 3, wherein each of the plurality of selectable filters has a different rejection bandwidth.

8. The method of claim 1, further comprising reporting, by the system, spectral information relating to the interference.

9. The method of claim 1, wherein one of the analyzing of the wide frequency band, the detecting of the plurality of different narrow band signal power levels, the determining of the average composite wideband power level, the determining of the adaptive threshold, the detecting of the interference, the configuring of the filter bandwidth of the variable-bandwidth filter, or combinations thereof are performed by a base station.

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

11. A device, comprising:

a receiver;

a variable-bandwidth filter;

a circuit coupled to the receiver and the variable-bandwidth filter; and

a memory that stores executable instructions that, when executed by the circuit, facilitate perform of operations comprising;

causing the receiver to scan a wide frequency band;

measuring a plurality of power levels in a plurality of different narrow frequency bands from signals provided by the receiver;

identifying a number of selected narrow frequency bands of the plurality of different narrow frequency bands having power levels higher than other power levels of the plurality of power levels;

determining an average power level from the plurality of power levels in the plurality of different narrow frequency bands without considering the power levels of the number of selected narrow frequency bands;

determining a threshold from one of the average power level or a portion of the plurality of power levels in the plurality of different narrow frequency bands;

detecting from the signals according to one of the threshold, the average power level, or both, interference associated with a plurality of channels of the wide frequency band, to obtain detected interference; and

modifying a filter bandwidth of the variable-bandwidth filter to suppress the detected interference.

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

13. The device of claim 12, wherein the base station comprises a cellular base station.

14. The device of claim 11, wherein the interference comprises a plurality of interferers disposed in the plurality of channels, and wherein the average power level comprises a spectral average of the plurality of power levels in the plurality of different narrow frequency bands over a bandwidth of the wide frequency band.

15. The device of claim 11, wherein the detecting of the interference comprises detecting a plurality of narrow band interferers having power levels that exceed the threshold.

16. The device of claim 11, wherein the interference exceeds the threshold.

17. A memory device, comprising executable instructions that, when executed by a circuit, facilitate performance of operations comprising:

identifying a selected narrow frequency band of a plurality of different narrow frequency bands of a wide frequency band;

determining a wideband power level from a scan of the plurality of different narrow frequency bands, without considering the selected narrow frequency band;

determining a threshold;

detecting, from signals scanned in the wide frequency band, interference associated with a plurality of channels, wherein the interference is detected according to one of the threshold, the wideband power level, or both; and

modifying a variable bandwidth of a filter to suppress the interference.

18. The memory device of claim 17, wherein modifying the variable bandwidth comprises selecting one of a plurality of selectable filters to modify the variable bandwidth.

19. The memory device of claim 17, wherein the operations further comprise controlling a switch to modify the variable bandwidth.

20. The memory device of claim 17, wherein the plurality of channels are adjacent to each other.