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

• US 9,788,331 B2
• Filed: 07/02/2015
• Issued: 10/10/2017
• 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:
  US14/790,879
• Publication Number:
  US 20150382225A1
• Time in Patent Office: 831 Days
• Field of Search: None
• 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, tracking narrow band interferers according to the adaptive threshold and the average composite wideband power level, and transmitting a report descriptive of the narrow band interferers. Other embodiments are disclosed.

Claims

1. A method, comprising:

determining, by a system including a processor, narrow band signal power levels received in narrow frequency bands of a wide frequency band;

selecting, by the system, a subset of excluded narrow band signal power levels from the determined narrow band signal power levels, wherein the selecting of the subset of excluded narrow band signal power levels is performed prior to and independent of determining an average power level;

determining, by the system, the average power level from the narrow band signal power levels without consideration of the subset of excluded narrow band signal power levels;

monitoring, by the system, narrow band interferers according to the average power level; and

generating, by the system, a notification to cause an adjustment to an operation of a source of one or more of the narrow band interferers.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the selecting of the subset of excluded narrow band signal power levels is according to an amount of signal power.

3. The method of claim 1, comprising generating, by the system, a report descriptive of the narrow band interferers, wherein the report is included in the notification.

4. The method of claim 3, wherein the report includes a time of occurrence of the narrow band interferers, a duration of the narrow band interferers or a combination thereof.

5. The method of claim 3, wherein the report includes a frequency of occurrence of the narrow band interferers.

6. The method of claim 1, comprising:

determining an identity of a source of at least one of the narrow band interferers; and

transmitting a report descriptive of the source including the identity of the source.

7. The method of claim 1, comprising configuring, by the system, one or more notch modules of a filter to suppress at least a portion of the narrow band interferers.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein the subset of excluded narrow band signal power levels is one or more highest narrow band signal power levels.

9. The method of claim 1, comprising suppressing, by the system, at least one of the narrow band interferers with at least one notch module of a filter selected from among a plurality of available notch modules of the filter.

10. The method of claim 1, wherein the system is part of a mobile phone.

11. The method of claim 1, wherein the system is part of a base station.

12. The method of claim 1, wherein the determining of the narrow band signal power levels includes performing signal strength compensation for a guard band.

13. A memory device, comprising instructions, which responsive to being executed by a circuit, cause the circuit to perform operations comprising:

selecting a subset of excluded power levels from measured power levels in narrow frequency bands of signals, wherein the selecting of the subset of excluded power levels is performed prior to and independent of calculating an average power level;

calculating the average power level from the measured power levels without including the subset of excluded power levels in the calculating;

detecting, from the signals, narrow band interference based on the average power level; and

generating a report including information associated with the detecting of the narrow band interference.

14. The memory device of claim 13, wherein the selecting of the subset of excluded power levels is according to an amount of signal power.

15. The memory device of claim 13, wherein the subset of excluded power levels is at least one highest power level.

16. The memory device of claim 13, wherein the operations further comprise transmitting the report, and wherein the report includes a time of occurrence of the narrow band interferers, a duration of the narrow band interferers, a frequency of occurrence of the narrow band interferers, or any combination thereof.

17. The memory device of claim 13, wherein the operations further comprise detecting an identity of a source of the narrow band interference.

18. The memory device of claim 17, wherein the operations further comprise transmitting the identity of the source of the narrow band interference.

19. The memory device of claim 17, wherein the operations further comprise analyzing operations in a communication system according to the identity of the source of the narrow band interference.

20. A device, comprising:

a radio frequency receiver; and

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

measuring power levels in narrow frequency bands from signals provided by a radio frequency receiver;

selecting a subset of excluded power levels from the measured power levels, wherein the selecting of the subset of excluded power levels is performed prior to and independent of determining an average power level;

determining the average power level calculated from the measured power levels without consideration of the subset of excluded power levels;

monitoring narrow band interferers based on the average power level and according to historical interference patterns; and

detecting narrow band interference according to the monitoring.