Interference mitigation techniques for air to ground systems

• US 9,319,172 B2
• Filed: 07/16/2012
• Issued: 04/19/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 10/14/2011
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Qualcomm, Inc.
• Original Assignee: Qualcomm, Inc.
• Inventors: Jalali, Ahmad, Tian, Bin, Schiff, Leonard N., Ames, William G.
• Primary Examiner(s): NGUYEN, LEON VIET Q
• Application Number:
  US13/550,071
• Publication Number:
  US 20130182790A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,373 Days
• Field of Search: 375/285, 375/259
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: H01Q 1/282 Modifying the aerodynamic properties of the vehicle, e.g. projecting type aerials
• CPC Class Codes: H01Q 13/02 Waveguide horns
• CPC Class Codes: H01Q 21/064 using horn or slot aerials slotted waveguides arrays H01Q21/005
• CPC Class Codes: H01Q 25/00 Antennas or antenna systems providing at least two radiating patterns arrangements for changing or varying the orientation or the shape of the directional pattern H01Q3/00
• CPC Class Codes: H01Q 3/24 varying the orientation by switching energy from one active radiating element to another, e.g. for beam switching
• CPC Class Codes: H01Q 3/26 varying the relative phase or relative amplitude of energisation between two or more active radiating elements; varying the distribution of energy across a radiating aperture H01Q3/12, H01Q3/22, H01Q3/24 take precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 7/0617 for beam forming
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 7/18506 Communications with or from aircraft, i.e. aeronautical mobile service
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 7/18508 with satellite system used as relay, i.e. aeronautical mobile satellite service
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 1/0001 Systems modifying transmission characteristics according to link quality, e.g. power backoff adaptive data allocation for multicarrier modulation H04L5/0044; controlling transmission power for radio systems H04W52/04
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 1/0002 by adapting the transmission rate
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 1/0009 by adapting the channel coding H04L1/1812 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 1/0034 where the transmitter decides based on inferences, e.g. use of implicit signalling
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 1/0071 Use of interleaving interleaving per se H03M13/27
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 16/14 Spectrum sharing arrangements between different networks
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 52/24 using SIR [Signal to Interference Ratio] or other wireless path parameters
• CPC Class Codes: Y02D 30/50 in wire-line communication networks, e.g. low power modes or reduced link rate

Abstract

A method for air to ground communication interference mitigation within an aircraft equipped with a multi-beam array antenna includes adjusting a modulation symbol interleaving and/or forward error correction of an aircraft receiver interface in response to detected interference from an interferer. The method further includes reducing a data rate of the aircraft receiver interface when the adjusting of the modulation symbol interleaving and/or forward error correction does not mitigate the detected interference. Another method for interference mitigation may include performing antenna beam-steering away from a geographic (GEO) arc during an aircraft turn. This method further includes reducing an aircraft transmitter transmit power when a signal quality of a forward link is within a predetermined range of a signal quality threshold.

Claims

1. A method for air to ground communication interference mitigation within an aircraft equipped with a multi-beam array antenna, comprising:

adjusting a modulation symbol interleaving and/or forward error correction of an aircraft receiver interface in response to detected interference from a forward link of an interferer aircraft;

reducing a data rate of the aircraft receiver interface when the adjusting of the modulation symbol interleaving and/or forward error correction does not mitigate the detected interference, from the forward link of the interferer aircraft, on communications received by the aircraft receiver interface from a serving ground station through the multi-beam array antenna; and

providing aircraft internet service based on the communications received by the aircraft receiver interface from the serving ground station through the multi-beam array antenna.

2. The method of claim 1, in which the interferer aircraft includes an aeronautical mobile satellite service (AMSS) transmitter.

3. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

assigning the aircraft receiver interface a portion of a communication spectrum that is unused by the interferer aircraft when reducing the data rate of the aircraft receiver interface does not mitigate the detected interference from the forward link of the interferer aircraft.

4. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

handing-off the aircraft receiver interface to a different ground station when reducing the data rate of the aircraft receiver interface does not mitigate the detected interference from the forward link of the interferer aircraft.

5. A method for air to ground communication interference mitigation within an aircraft equipped with a multi-beam array antenna, comprising:

adjusting a modulation symbol interleaving and/or forward error correction of an aircraft receiver interface in response to detected interference from an interferer;

reducing a data rate of the aircraft receiver interface when the adjusting of the modulation symbol interleaving and/or forward error correction does not mitigate the detected interference, from the interferer;

performing antenna beam-steering away from a geographic (GEO) arc during an aircraft turn; and

disabling an aircraft transmitter when a roll-angle of the aircraft turn is greater than or equal to a predetermined roll-angle threshold.

6. An apparatus configured for air to ground communication interference mitigation within an aircraft equipped with a multi-beam array antenna, the apparatus comprising:

a memory; and

at least one processor coupled to the memory, the at least one processor being configured;

to adjust a modulation symbol interleaving and/or forward error correction of an aircraft receiver interface in response to detected interference from a forward link of an interferer aircraft;

to reduce a data rate of the aircraft receiver interface when the adjusting of the modulation symbol interleaving and/or forward error correction does not mitigate the detected interference, from the forward link interferer aircraft, on communications received by the aircraft receiver interface from a serving ground station through the multi-beam array antenna; and

to provide aircraft internet service based on the communications received by the aircraft receiver interface from the serving ground station through the multi-beam array antenna.

7. The apparatus of claim 6, in which the interferer aircraft includes an aeronautical mobile satellite service (AMSS) transmitter.

8. The apparatus of claim 6, in which the at least one processor is further configured to assign the aircraft receiver interface a portion of a communication spectrum that is unused by the interferer when reducing the data rate of the aircraft receiver interface does not mitigate the detected interference from the forward link of the interferer aircraft.

9. The apparatus of claim 6, in which the at least one processor is further configured to hand-off the aircraft receiver interface to a different ground station when reducing the data rate of the aircraft receiver interface does not mitigate the detected interference from the forward link of the interferer aircraft.

10. An apparatus configured for air to ground communication interference mitigation within an aircraft equipped with a multi-beam array antenna, the apparatus comprising:

a memory; and

at least one processor coupled to the memory, the at least one processor being configured;

to adjust a modulation symbol interleaving and/or forward error correction of an aircraft receiver interface in response to detected interference from an interferer;

to reduce a data rate of the aircraft receiver interface when the adjusting of the modulation symbol interleaving and/or forward error correction does not mitigate the detected interference, from the interferer;

to perform antenna beam-steering away from a geographic (GEO) arc during an aircraft turn; and

to disable an aircraft transmitter when a roll-angle of the aircraft turn is greater than or equal to a predetermined roll-angle threshold.

11. A computer program product configured for air to ground communication interference mitigation within an aircraft equipped with a multi-beam array antenna, the computer program product comprising:

a non-transitory computer-readable medium having non-transitory program code recorded thereon, the program code comprising;

program code to adjust a modulation symbol interleaving and/or forward error correction of an aircraft receiver interface in response to detected interference from a forward link of an interferer aircraft;

program code to reduce a data rate of the aircraft receiver interface when the adjusting of the modulation symbol interleaving and/or forward error correction does not mitigate the detected interference, from the forward link of interferer aircraft, on communications received by the aircraft receiver interface from a serving ground station through the multi-beam array antenna; and

program code to provide aircraft internet service based on the communications received by the aircraft receiver interface from the serving ground station through the multi-beam array antenna.

12. An apparatus operable for air to ground communication interference mitigation within an aircraft equipped with a multi-beam array antenna, the apparatus comprising:

means for adjusting a modulation symbol interleaving and/or forward error correction of an aircraft receiver interface in response to detected interference from a forward link of an interferer aircraft;

means for reducing a data rate of the aircraft receiver interface when the adjusting of the modulation symbol interleaving and/or forward error correction does not mitigate the detected interference, from the forward link of the interferer aircraft, on communications received by the aircraft receiver interface from a serving ground station through the multi-beam array antenna; and

means for providing aircraft internet service based on the communications received by the aircraft receiver interface from the serving ground station through the multi-beam array antenna.