Methods and apparatus for mitigating interference between co-located collaborating radios

• US 9,066,363 B2
• Filed: 12/29/2011
• Issued: 06/23/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 12/29/2011
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Motorola Solutions, Inc.
• Original Assignee: Motorola Solutions, Inc.
• Inventors: Anderson, Jeff S., Anderson, Henry W., Hiben, Bradley M.
• Primary Examiner(s): Pham, Chi H
• Assistant Examiner(s): Rivas, Raul
• Application Number:
  US13/340,057
• Publication Number:
  US 20130170439A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,272 Days
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 72/1215 for collaboration of different radio technologies
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 72/21 in the uplink direction of a wireless link, i.e. towards the network

Abstract

Methods and apparatus are provided for mitigating interference between spectrally distinct wireless communication networks employing co-located, collaborating radios. A first base station is in a first network and communicates with a first radio within a first frequency range, and a second base station is in a second network and communicates with a second radio in a second frequency range. The first and second radios are geographically co-located, for example, within a public safety vehicle. The first radio determines a maximum level of interference it will accept based on current operational parameters, and communicates a corresponding threshold value to the second radio through a data link. The second radio sends a request to its base station to employ interim scheduling constraints governing uplink transmissions from the second radio, to thereby limit out of band emissions received by the first radio to a range that is less than the threshold interference level.

Claims

1. A method of mitigating an interfering radio signal, that is received at a first mobile device configured to communicate with a first base station within a first frequency band, and which was transmitted by a second mobile device configured to communicate with a second base station within a second frequency band, the method comprising:

the second mobile device receiving, from the first mobile device responsive to the first mobile device detecting initiation of a call within the first frequency band, information indicating a threshold value corresponding to a maximum amount of interference the first mobile device can accept from the second mobile device'"'"'s uplink transmissions without interfering with the call at the first mobile device;

the second mobile device, responsive to receiving the threshold value, determining preferred operational parameters associated with its uplink transmissions to the second base station that will satisfy the maximum amount of interference indicated by the threshold value, wherein said operational parameters include at least one of;

frequency, bandwidth, and transmission power level;

the second mobile device transmitting an interim scheduling request requesting adjustment to at least one current operational parameter associated with its uplink transmissions, as a function of the determined preferred operational parameters, to said second base station; and

in response to transmitting the interim scheduling request, the second mobile device receiving an instruction from the second base station instructing the second mobile station to adjust its uplink transmissions to said second base station in accordance with the instruction; and

wherein said first mobile device is a public safety land mobile radio (LMR) device and said second mobile device is wireless broadband subscriber modem.

2. The method according to claim 1, wherein determining the maximum amount of interference comprises determining an acceptable threshold level of out of band emissions (OOBEs).

3. The method according to claim 1, wherein said second mobile device and second base station are configured to communicate with each other using an orthogonal frequency division multiple access (OFDMA) modulation scheme.

4. The method according to claim 1, wherein communicating comprises communicating said information over a collaborative link between co-located radios.

5. The method according to claim 4, wherein said data link is a dedicated data link between the first and second mobile devices.

6. The method according to claim 4, wherein said data link comprises at least one of a Bluetooth™

compatible link and a universal serial bus (USB) connection.

7. The method according to claim 4, wherein said rescheduling comprises adjusting operational parameters associated with said uplink transmissions.

8. The method according to claim 4, wherein said rescheduling comprises pausing said uplink transmissions.

9. The method according to claim 1, wherein:

said first mobile device is a public safety land mobile radio (LMR) device;

said first base station is a public safety LMR base station; and

said first mobile device receives on a narrow band channel in the range of 769 to 775 megahertz.

10. The method according to claim 1, wherein said second base station is a broadband base station, and said second mobile device is a broadband public safety radio device.

11. The method according to claim 10, wherein said second mobile device transmits on a broadband channel in the range of 777 to 798 megahertz.

12. The method according to claim 1, wherein said first and second mobile devices are co-located in a vehicle.

13. The method according to claim 1, wherein said first and second mobile devices are co-located on a person.

14. The method according to claim 1, wherein at least one of said first and second mobile devices is a hand-held unit, and further wherein at least one of said first and second mobile devices is mounted in an emergency response vehicle.

15. A method of mitigating out of band emissions received at a first radio that communicates with a first base station within a first frequency band, and

which was transmitted by a second radio configured to communicate with a second base station within a second frequency band, the method comprising:

transmitting a first control signal from said first base station to said first radio to alert said first radio regarding an initiation of a call within the first frequency band forthcoming from said first base station to said first radio;

communicating a second control signal from said first radio to said second radio in response to said first control signal, the second control signal including information indicating a threshold value corresponding to a maximum amount of

interference the first radio can accept from the second radio'"'"'s uplink transmissions without interfering with the call at the first radio;

the second radio, responsive to receiving the second control signal, determining preferred operational parameters associated with its uplink transmissions to the second base station that will satisfy the maximum amount of interference indicated by the threshold value, wherein said operational parameters include at least one of;

frequency, bandwidth, and transmission power level;

transmitting an interim scheduling request from said second radio to said second base station requesting adjustment to at least one current operational parameter associated with its uplink transmissions, as a function of the determined preferred operational parameters; and

in response to transmitting the interim scheduling request, the second radio receiving an instruction from the second base station and the second radio executing an uplink transmission mitigation protocol in accordance with the instruction; and

wherein said first mobile device is a public safety land mobile radio (LMR) device and said second mobile device is wireless broadband subscriber modem.

16. A system for mitigating radio interference from out of band emissions between land mobile radio (LMR) and 3GPPP long term evolution (LTE) mobile devices, comprising:

an LMR mobile device configured to communicate with a first base station in a first frequency range of 769 to 805 megahertz;

an LTE mobile device geographically co-located with said LMR mobile device and configured to communicate with a second base station in a second frequency range of 777 to 798 megahertz; and

a data link connecting said LMR and LTE mobile devices and configured to communicate information indicating a threshold interference value from said LMR mobile device, responsive to the LMR mobile device detecting initiation of a call within the first frequency range, to said LTE mobile device, the threshold interference value corresponding to a maximum amount of interference the LMR mobile device can accept from the LTE mobile device'"'"'s uplink transmissions without interfering with the call at the LMR mobile device;

wherein said LTE mobile device is configured, responsive to receiving said threshold interference value, to;

determine preferred operational parameters associated with its uplink transmissions to the second base station that will satisfy the maximum amount of interference indicated by the threshold value, wherein said operational parameters include at least one of;

frequency, bandwidth, and transmission power level; and

send an interim scheduling request to said second base station requesting adjustment to at least one current operational parameter associated with its uplink transmissions as a function of the determined preferred operational parameters.