Method, device and system for collecting and identifying interference

• US 9,686,700 B2
• Filed: 04/23/2015
• Issued: 06/20/2017
• Est. Priority Date: 10/30/2012
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Huawei Technologies Co., Ltd. (Huawei Investment & Holding Co., Ltd.)
• Original Assignee: Huawei Technologies Co., Ltd. (Huawei Investment & Holding Co., Ltd.)
• Inventors: Wang, Yungui, Peng, Min
• Primary Examiner(s): Masur, Paul H
• Application Number:
  US14/694,782
• Publication Number:
  US 20150230111A1
• Time in Patent Office: 789 Days
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/189 in combination with wireless systems selective distribution or broadcast in wireless communication networks H04W4/06
• 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 4/06 Selective distribution of broadcast services, e.g. multimedia broadcast multicast service [MBMS]; Services to user groups; One-way selective calling services

Abstract

A method for collecting and identifying interference, which includes requesting each access point device to collect spectrum information, so as to determine interference sources of spectrum information that belongs to a same interference type and is collected by the at least two access point devices, and extracting, from the spectrum information collected by the at least two access point devices, the spectrum information that belongs to the same interference type; matching characteristic sequences of the interference sources, and calculating an overlapping characteristic match value so as to determine whether the match value is greater than a preset threshold, and if the match value is greater than the preset threshold, determining that the extracted spectrum information is from a same interference source, and if the match value is not greater than the preset threshold, determining that the extracted spectrum information is from different interference sources.

Claims

1. A method for identifying interference, applied to a wireless communications network that comprises a wireless management device and at least two access point devices, the method comprising:

sending a channel switch request message that comprises a specified channel to each access point device, to instruct the at least two access point devices to switch to the specified channel;

receiving a channel switch response message from each access point device;

determining, based on received channel switch response messages from the at least two access point devices, one of the at least two access point device as a master access point device, and every other access point device except the master access point device as a slave access point device;

sending a spectrum scan request message to the master access point device, requesting the master access point device to send to each slave access point device, a spectrum scan request message that comprises information about a scan start time, such that each access point device starts spectrum scanning according to the scan start time and collects spectrum information of an interference source;

receiving, from each of the at least two access point devices, collected spectrum information of the interference source;

determining that the spectrum information collected by the at least two access point devices comprises spectrum information of interference sources that belong to a same device type;

separately extracting, from the spectrum information collected by the at least two access point devices, the spectrum information of the interference sources that belong to the same device type;

matching characteristic sequences that are in a same time period and in the separately extracted spectrum information of the interference sources that belong to the same device type;

calculating an overlapping characteristic match value of the characteristic sequences in the same time period;

determining whether the overlapping characteristic match value is greater than a preset threshold;

determining that the separately extracted spectrum information of the interference sources that belong to the same device type is from a same interference source when the overlapping characteristic match value is greater than the preset threshold; and

determining that the separately extracted spectrum information of the interference sources that belong to the same device type is from different interference sources when the overlapping characteristic match value is not greater than the preset threshold.

2. The method according to claim 1, wherein determining one of the at least two access point device as a master access point device, and every other access point device except the master access point device as a slave access point device comprises:

comparing interference values reported by all access point devices in the at least two access point devices; and

selecting an access point device with a maximum interference value as the master access point device, and every other access point device as a slave access point device.

3. The method according to claim 1, wherein requesting the master access point device to send, to each slave access point device, the spectrum scan request message that carries information about the scan start time comprises:

requesting the master access point device to send, to each slave access point device using a broadcast frame, the spectrum scan request message that carries the information about the scan start time.

4. The method according to claim 1, wherein requesting the master access point device to send, to each slave access point device, the spectrum scan request message that comprises information about the scan start time further comprises:

presetting the master access point device and each slave access point device as a multicast group or pre-configuring a multicast address; and

requesting the master access point device to send, to each slave access point device using a multicast frame, the spectrum scan request message that carries the information about the scan start time.

5. A method for identifying interference, applied to a wireless communications network that comprises a wireless management device and at least two access point devices, the method comprising:

sending a channel switch request message that specifies a channel to each access point device to instruct the at least two access point devices to switch to the specified channel;

receiving a channel switch response message from each access point device;

determining whether response time of the at least two access point devices is synchronous, and sending a spectrum scan request message to each access point device such that each access point device starts spectrum scanning according to the scan start timestamp and collects spectrum information of an interference source, wherein, when the response time of the at least two access point devices is synchronous, the spectrum scan request message sent to each access point device comprises a same scan start timestamp, and wherein, when the response time of the at least two access point devices is not synchronous, the spectrum scan request message sent to each access point device comprises a different scan start timestamp;

receiving, from each of the at least two access point devices, collected spectrum information of the interference source;

determining that the spectrum information collected by the at least two access point devices comprises spectrum information of interference sources that belong to a same device type;

separately extracting, from the spectrum information collected by the at least two access point devices, the spectrum information of the interference sources that belong to the same device type;

matching characteristic sequences that are in a same time period and in the separately extracted spectrum information of the interference sources that belong to the same device type;

calculating an overlapping characteristic match value of the characteristic sequences in the same time period;

determining whether the overlapping characteristic match value is greater than a preset threshold;

determining that the separately extracted spectrum information of the interference sources that belong to the same device type is from a same interference source when the overlapping characteristic match value is greater than the preset threshold; and

determining that the separately extracted spectrum information of the interference sources that belong to the same device type is from different interference sources when the overlapping characteristic match value is not greater than the preset threshold.

6. A wireless management device comprising:

a memory comprising instructions; and

a processor coupled to the memory and configured to execute the instructions to;

send a channel switch request message that comprises a specified channel to each access point device in at least two access point device, to instruct the at least two access point devices to switch to the specified channel;

receive a channel switch response message returned by each access point device;

determine, based on received channel switch response messages from the at least two access point devices, one of the at least two access point device as a master access point device, and every other access point device except the master access point device as a slave access point device;

send a spectrum scan request message to the master access point device, to request the master access point device to send to each slave access point device, a spectrum scan request message that carries information about a scan start time, such that each access point device starts spectrum scanning according to the scan start time and collects spectrum information of an interference source;

receive from each of the at least two access point devices, collected spectrum information of the interference source;

determine that the spectrum information collected by the at least two access point devices comprises spectrum information of interference sources that belong to a same device type;

separately extract, from the spectrum information collected by the at least two access point devices, the spectrum information of the interference sources that belong to the same device type;

match characteristic sequences that are in a same time period and in the separately extracted spectrum information of the interference sources that belong to the same device type;

calculate an overlapping characteristic match value of the characteristic sequences in the same time period;

determine whether the overlapping characteristic match value is greater than a preset threshold;

determine that the separately extracted spectrum information of the interference sources that belong to the same device type is from a same interference source when the overlapping characteristic match value is greater than the preset threshold; and

determine that the separately extracted spectrum information of the interference sources that belong to the same device type is from different interference sources when the overlapping characteristic match value is not greater than the preset threshold.

7. The wireless management device according to claim 6, wherein the processor is configured to execute the instructions to:

compare interference values reported by all access point devices in the at least two access point devices; and

select an access point device with a maximum interference value as the master access point device, and every other access point device as a slave access point device.

8. The wireless management device according to claim 6, wherein the processor is configured to execute the instructions to:

request the master access point device to send, to each slave access point device using a broadcast frame, the spectrum scan request message that carries the information about the scan start time.

9. The wireless management device according to claim 6, wherein the processor is configured to execute the instructions to:

preset the master access point device and each slave access point device as a multicast group or pre-configuring a multicast address; and

request the master access point device to send, to each slave access point device using a multicast frame, the spectrum scan request message that carries the information about the scan start time.

10. A wireless management device comprising:

a memory comprising instructions; and

a processor coupled to the memory and configured to execute the instructions to;

send a channel switch request message that comprises a specified channel to each access point device in at least two access point devices to instruct the at least two access point devices to switch to the specified channel;

receive a channel switch response message returned by each access point device;

determine whether response time of the at least two access point devices is synchronous, and send a spectrum scan request message to each access point device such that each access point device starts spectrum scanning according to the scan start timestamp and collects spectrum information of an interference source, wherein, when the response time of the at least two access point devices is synchronous, the spectrum scan request message sent to each access point device comprises a same scan start timestamp, and wherein, when the response time of the at least two access point devices is not synchronous, the spectrum scan request message sent to each access point device comprises a different scan start timestamp;

receive from each of the at least two access point devices, collected spectrum information of the interference source;

determine that the spectrum information collected by the at least two access point devices comprises spectrum information of interference sources that belong to a same device type;

separately extract, from the spectrum information collected by the at least two access point devices, the spectrum information of the interference sources that belong to the same device type;

match characteristic sequences that are in a same time period and in the separately extracted spectrum information of the interference sources that belong to the same device type;

calculate an overlapping characteristic match value of the characteristic sequences in the same time period;

determine whether the overlapping characteristic match value is greater than a preset threshold;

determine that the separately extracted spectrum information of the interference sources that belong to the same device type is from a same interference source when the overlapping characteristic match value is greater than the preset threshold; and

determine that the separately extracted spectrum information of the interference sources that belong to the same device type is from different interference sources when the overlapping characteristic match value is not greater than the preset threshold.

11. A wireless communications network for identifying interference, comprising a wireless management device and at least two access point devices;

the wireless management device comprising;

a first memory comprising instructions; and

a first processor coupled to the first memory and configured to execute the instructions to;

send a channel switch request message that comprises a specified channel to each access point device in at least two access point device, to instruct the at least two access point devices to switch to the specified channel;

receive a channel switch response message from each access point device;

determine based on received channel switch response messages from the at least two access point devices, one of the at least two access point device as a master access point device, and each other access point device except the master access point device as a slave access point device;

send a spectrum scan request message to the master access point device, requesting the master access point device to send to each slave access point device, a spectrum scan request message that carries information about a scan start time;

receive from each of the at least two access point devices, collected spectrum information of an interference source;

determine that the spectrum information collected by the at least two access point devices comprises spectrum information of interference sources that belong to a same device type;

separately extract, from the spectrum information collected by the at least two access point devices, the spectrum information of the interference sources that belong to the same device type;

match characteristic sequences that are in a same time period and in the separately extracted spectrum information of the interference sources that belong to the same device type;

calculate an overlapping characteristic match value of the characteristic sequences in the same time period;

determine whether the overlapping characteristic match value is greater than a preset threshold;

determine that the separately extracted spectrum information of the interference sources that belong to the same device type is from a same interference source when the overlapping characteristic match value is greater than the preset threshold; and

determine that the separately extracted spectrum information of the interference sources that belong to the same device type is from different interference sources when the overlapping characteristic match value is not greater than the preset threshold; and

an access point device in the at least two access point device comprising;

a second memory comprising instructions; and

a second processor coupled to the second memory and configured to execute the instructions to;

receive the channel switch request message sent by the wireless management device, and switch to the specified channel;

return the channel switch response message to the wireless management device;

receive the spectrum scan request message sent by the wireless management device, preset the scan start time, and send to every other access point device in the at least two access point devices, the spectrum scan request message that carries information about the scan start time;

start spectrum scanning according to the scan start time; and

collect spectrum information of the interference source.