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

• US 9,451,495 B2
• Filed: 12/14/2015
• Issued: 09/20/2016
• 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:
  US14/967,804
• Publication Number:
  US 20160100327A1
• Time in Patent Office: 281 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 process for measuring by a system having a processor, within a wide frequency band, signal power levels received in specified narrow frequency bands, determining an average composite wideband power level that excludes a portion of the power levels of the received signals, detecting interference according to an adaptive threshold based on the average composite wideband power level, and generating an interference report based on the detecting of the interference. Other embodiments are disclosed.

Claims

1. A method, comprising:

analyzing, by a system comprising a processor, within a wide frequency band, power levels of received signals in specified frequency bands;

determining, by the system, an average composite wideband power level that excludes a portion of the power levels of the received signals;

detecting, by the system, interference according to an adaptive threshold based on the average composite wideband power level; and

generating, by the system, an interference report based on the detecting of the interference.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein each of the specified frequency bands has a bandwidth that is smaller than the wide frequency band.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the system comprises a portable communication device, and wherein the method further comprises:

detecting an operational mode of the system and

associating the operational mode with the interference, to obtain a modal association, wherein the interference report comprises the modal association.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the adaptive threshold has a power level that exceeds the average composite wideband power level.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the detecting of the interference according to the adaptive threshold comprises detecting a plurality of interferers having power levels that exceed the adaptive threshold.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein the detecting of the interference is repeated for a plurality of interferers to obtain a plurality of detected interferers, and wherein the interference report is based on the detecting of the interference of a number of most recently detected interferers of the plurality of detected interferers.

7. The method of claim 6, wherein the interference report comprises for each interferer, one of a frequency on which interferer was detected, an RF level of the interferer, a time at which the interferer appeared, a duration of the interferer and a wide band signal power that was coincident with the interferer.

8. The method of claim 7, further comprising, correlating, by the system, the report with performance of the system to obtain a measure of effectiveness of interference mitigation.

9. A device, comprising:

a filter adapted to receive signals from a wireless receiver and having a selectable bandwidth; and

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

measuring, within a wide frequency band, power levels to obtain measured power levels in frequency bands from signals provided by the wireless receiver;

determining an average power level that excludes the measured power levels of a portion of the frequency bands;

detecting interference from the signals according to a threshold based on the average power level; and

updating an interference report based on the detecting of the interference.

10. The device of claim 9, wherein the device comprises a mobile communication device, a base station or a wireless access point, and wherein the operations further comprise:

detecting an operational mode of the device and

associating the operational mode with the interference, to obtain a modal association, wherein the interference report comprises the modal association.

11. The device of claim 9, wherein the detecting the interference from the signals comprises detecting a plurality of interferers having power levels that exceed the threshold.

12. The device of claim 9, wherein the filter comprises a plurality of selectable notch modules, wherein the selectable bandwidth of the filter is based on a selection of the plurality of selectable notch modules.

13. The device of claim 12, wherein modifying the selectable bandwidth comprises modifying a selectable bandwidth of one or more of the plurality of selectable notch modules.

14. The device of claim 9, wherein the detecting of the interference is repeated for a plurality of interferers to obtain a plurality of detected interferers, and wherein the interference report is based on the detecting of the interference of a number of most recently detected interferers of the plurality of detected interferers.

15. The device of claim 14, wherein the interference report comprises for each interferer, one of a frequency on which interferer was detected, an RF level of the interferer, a time at which the interferer appeared, a duration of the interferer and a wide band signal power that was coincident with the interferer.

16. A memory device, comprising instructions, wherein responsive to a circuit executing the instructions, the circuit performs operations comprising:

obtaining measured power levels in frequency bands of signals provided over a wide frequency band;

determining an average power level that excludes a portion of the measured power levels;

obtaining historical information based on prior measurements of power levels over the wide frequency band;

detecting from the signals, interference based on the historical information and a threshold based on the average power level, a plurality of the power levels obtained or a combination thereof; and

updating a report based on the detecting of the interference.

17. The memory device of claim 16, wherein the circuit is utilized by a system comprising a wireless base station, a wireless access point, or a wireless portable communication device and wherein the operations, further comprises:

detecting an operational mode of the system and

associating the operational mode with the interference, to obtain an modal association, wherein the report comprises the modal association.

18. The memory device of claim 16, wherein the detecting of the interference further comprising detecting the interference based on an interference probability determined from the historical information.

19. The memory device of claim 18, wherein the detecting of the interference is repeated for a plurality of interferers to obtain a plurality of detected interferers, and wherein the report is based on the detecting of the interference of a number of most recently detected interferers of the plurality of detected interferers.

20. The memory device of claim 19, wherein the report comprises for each interferer, one of a frequency on which interferer was detected, an RF level of the interferer, a time at which the interferer appeared, a duration of the interferer and a wide band signal power that was coincident with the interferer.