Outage predictor for communication link

• US 20050149835A1
• Filed: 12/17/2003
• Published: 07/07/2005
• Est. Priority Date: 12/17/2003
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Redwood Technologies, LLC (Dominion Harbor Enterprises, LLC)
• Original Assignee: Sony Corporation (Sony Group Corp.), Sony Electronics Inc. (Sony Group Corp.)
• Inventors: Dacosta, Behram Mario
• Granted Patent: US 7,231,559 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 714/794
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 1/0003 by switching between different modulation schemes
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 1/0019 in which mode-switching is based on a statistical approach
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 1/203 Details of error rate determination, e.g. BER, FER or WER

Abstract

A device for estimating a likelihood of a wireless link outage includes a memory, a variability calculator, and an outage predictor. The memory maintains a history of signal quality for a signal received from a transmitter. The variability calculator is coupled to the memory. The variability calculator computes a variability statistic for the history of signal quality maintained in the memory. The outage predictor is coupled to the variability calculator. The outage predictor estimates the likelihood of the wireless link outage in direct proportion to the variability statistic.

Claims

1. A device for estimating a likelihood of a wireless link outage, comprising:

a memory to maintain a history of signal quality for a received signal;

a variability calculator coupled to the memory, the variability calculator to

compute a variability statistic for the history of signal quality

maintained in the memory; and

, an outage predictor coupled to the variability calculator, the outage

predictor to estimate the likelihood of the wireless link outage in

direct proportion to the variability statistic.

2. The device of claim 1, wherein signal quality is a received signal strength (RSS) for the received signal.

3. The device of claim 2, wherein the received signal strength (RSS) is raw power in a channel used to receive the signal.

4. The device of claim 1, wherein signal quality is a signal to interference and noise ratio (SINR) for the received signal.

5. The device of claim 4, wherein the signal to interference and noise ratio (SINR) is based on the signal that is coherent and any interference in a channel used to receive the signal.

6. The device of claim 1, wherein signal quality is based on a combined signal.

7. The device of claim 1, wherein signal quality is based on signals at different stages of processing.

8. The device of claim 1, wherein signal quality is an unencoded bit error rate for the received signal.

9. The device of claim 1, wherein the variability statistic is standard deviation.

10. The device of claim 1, wherein the history is for a predefined length of time.

11. A method for estimating a likelihood of a wireless link outage, comprising:

maintaining a history of signal quality for a received signal;

computing a variability statistic for the history of signal quality maintained in a memory; and

, estimating the likelihood of the wireless link outage to be directly proportional to the variability statistic.

12. The method of claim 11, wherein signal quality is a received signal strength (RSS) for the received signal.

13. The method of claim 12, wherein the received signal strength (RSS) is raw power in a channel used to receive the signal.

14. The method of claim 11, wherein signal quality is a signal to interference and noise ratio (SINR) for the received signal.

15. The method of claim 14, wherein the signal to interference and noise ratio (SINR) is based on the signal that is coherent and any interference in a channel used to receive the signal.

16. The method of claim 11, wherein signal quality is based on a combined signal.

17. The method of claim 11, wherein signal quality is based on signals at different stages of processing.

18. The method of claim 11, wherein signal quality is an unencoded bit error rate for the received signal.

19. The method of claim 11, wherein the variability statistic is standard deviation.

20. The method of claim 11, wherein the history is for a predefined length of time.

21. A computer-readable medium having a sequence of instructions, the sequences of instructions, when executed by a processor, causing the processor to perform a method for estimating a likelihood of a wireless link outage, the sequence of instructions comprising:

a sequence for maintaining a history of signal quality for a received signal;

a sequence for computing a variability statistic for the history of signal quality maintained in a memory; and

,

a sequence for estimating the likelihood of the wireless link outage to be directly proportional to the variability statistic.

22. The computer-readable medium of claim 21, wherein signal quality is a received signal strength (RSS) for the received signal.

23. The computer-readable medium of claim 22, wherein the received signal strength (RSS) is raw power in a channel used to receive the signal.

24. The computer-readable medium of claim 21, wherein signal quality is a signal to interference and noise ratio (SINR) for the received signal.

25. The computer-readable medium of claim 24, wherein the signal to interference and noise ratio (SINR) is based on the signal that is coherent and any interference in a channel used to receive the signal.

26. The computer-readable medium of claim 21, wherein signal quality is based on a combined signal.

27. The computer-readable medium of claim 21, wherein signal quality is based on signals at different stages of processing.

28. The computer-readable medium of claim 21, wherein signal quality is an unencoded bit error rate for the received signal.

29. The computer-readable medium of claim 21, wherein the variability statistic is standard deviation.

30. The computer-readable medium of claim 21, wherein the history is for a predefined length of time.

31. A method for reducing a likelihood of a wireless link outage, comprising:

maintaining a history of signal quality for a received signal;

computing a variability statistic for the history of signal quality maintained in a memory; and

,

making a mitigating change to the wireless link if the variability statistic is above a predetermined threshold.

32. The method of claim 31, wherein signal quality is a received signal strength (RSS) for the received signal.

33. The method of claim 32, wherein the received signal strength (RSS) is raw power in a channel used to receive the signal.

34. The method of claim 31, wherein signal quality is a signal to interference and noise ratio (SINR) for the received signal.

35. The method of claim 34, wherein the signal to interference and noise ratio (SINR) is based on the signal that is coherent and any interference in a channel used to receive the signal.

36. The method of claim 31, wherein signal quality is based on a combined signal.

37. The method of claim 31, wherein signal quality is based on signals at different stages of processing.

38. The method of claim 31, wherein signal quality is an unencoded bit error rate for the received signal.

39. The method of claim 31, wherein the variability statistic is standard deviation.

40. The method of claim 31, wherein the history is for a predefined length of time.

41. The method of claim 31, wherein the mitigating change is switching to a more reliable modulation rate.

42. The method of claim 31, wherein the mitigating change is increasing the size of a receive buffer.

43. A computer-readable medium having a sequence of instructions, the sequences of instructions, when executed by a processor, causing the processor to perform a method for reducing a likelihood of a wireless link outage, the sequence of instructions comprising:

a sequence for maintaining a history of signal quality for a received signal;

a sequence for computing a variability statistic for the history of signal quality maintained in a memory; and

,

a sequence for making a mitigating change to the wireless link if the variability statistic is above a predetermined threshold.

44. The computer-readable medium of claim 43, wherein signal quality is a received signal strength (RSS) for the received signal.

45. The computer-readable medium of claim 44, wherein the received signal strength (RSS) is raw power in a channel used to receive the signal.

46. The computer-readable medium of claim 43, wherein signal quality is a signal to interference and noise ratio (SINR) for the received signal.

47. The computer-readable medium of claim 46, wherein the signal to interference and noise ratio (SINR) is based on the signal that is coherent and any interference in a channel used to receive the signal.

48. The computer-readable medium of claim 43, wherein signal quality is based on a combined signal.

49. The computer-readable medium of claim 43, wherein signal quality is based on signals at different stages of processing.

50. The computer-readable medium of claim 43, wherein signal quality is an unencoded bit error rate for the received signal.

51. The computer-readable medium of claim 43, wherein the variability statistic is standard deviation.

52. The computer-readable medium of claim 43, wherein the history is for a predefined length of time.

53. The computer-readable medium of claim 43, wherein the mitigating change is switching to a more reliable modulation rate.

54. The computer-readable medium of claim 43, wherein the mitigating change is increasing the size of a receive buffer.