METHOD AND APPARATUS FOR ADJACENT CHANNEL INTERFERENCE MITIGATION

Abstract

Systems and methods for mitigation of cross channel interference are disclosed in which the TDD configuration of a potential cross channel interference source is detected by received signals within the network with which the source interferes. The TDD configuration is then used to synchronize the transmissions from the network with which the source interferes to reduce the interference. In addition, interference is mitigated by providing adaptive guard bands based on results of a radio frequency environmental survey and/or coaxing an interfering user to another channel. Sub-channels can be assigned based on the results of the radio frequency environmental survey and Quality of Service requirements for traffic flows.

Claims

1. A communications system comprising: a) an interference mitigation unit (IMU) configured to: i. output Radio Frequency (RF) environmental survey request to cause at least one recipient of the instructions to measure signals received by the recipient; ii. receive, in response to the RF environmental survey request, Time Division Duplex (TDD) configuration information for the potential source of cross channel interference; and iii. output the TDD configuration information; and b) a Network Operations Unit coupled to the IMU and configured to: i. receive TDD configuration information; and ii. in response to the received TDD configuration information, output TDD sync instructions to the IMU for instructing the at least one recipient to operate in synchronicity with the received TDD configuration.

2. The communications system of claim 1, wherein the recipient of the instructions is at least one of a plurality of target base station/access points (BS/APs).

3. The communications system of claim 2, wherein the instructions cause the at least one of the BS/APs to measure signals within a predetermined frequency range.

4. The communication system of claim 3, the IMU further configured to: a) receive a report indicating the RF environment; b) determine from the received report whether there are any potential cross channel interference sources in the RF environment; and c) output the TDD configuration only if there is a potential cross channel interference source.

5. The communication system of claim 1, further including a server Medium Access Control sub-layer module (server MAC) coupled to the IMU, the server MAC configured to: a) receive from the IMU the RF environmental survey request; b) in response to receipt of the RF environmental survey request, generate RF environmental survey instructions; c) transmit the RF environmental survey instructions to the at least one recipient; d) receive in response to the transmission of the RF environmental survey instructions, measurements from the at least one recipient indicating the RF environment; e) generate a report based on the measurements; and f) provide the report to the IMU.

6. The communication system of claim 5, the server MAC further configured to: a) receive TDD sync instructions from the Network Operations Unit; and b) in response to received sync instructions, transmit sync instructions to at least one recipient to cause the at least one recipient to operate in synchronicity with the received TDD configuration.

7. The communication system of claim 1, wherein the recipient of the instructions is at least one of a plurality of user equipment (UEs) and wherein the instructions cause the at least one of the plurality of UEs to measure signals within a predetermined frequency range.

Description

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0024] The disclosed method and apparatus, in accordance with one or more various embodiments, is described with reference to the following figures. The drawings are provided for purposes of illustration only and merely depict examples of some embodiments of the disclosed method and apparatus. These drawings are provided to facilitate the reader's understanding of the disclosed method and apparatus. They should not be considered to limit the breadth, scope, or applicability of the claimed invention. It should be noted that for clarity and ease of illustration these drawings are not necessarily made to scale.

[0025] FIG. 1 is an illustration of a basic configuration for a communication network, such as a “4G LTE” (fourth generation Long-Term Evolution) or “5G NR” (fifth generation New Radio) network, in which user equipment (UE) communicates with a base station/access point.

[0026] FIG. 2 shows a table of TDD configurations having 1 ms U, D and S subframes for each of 7 different configurations.

[0027] FIG. 3 provides details regarding the first configuration (i.e., “configuration 0”) shown in FIG. 2.

[0028] FIG. 4 is an illustration of a frame according to TDD configuration 5.

[0029] FIG. 5 illustrates a Wide Area Network (WAN) operating on a first frequency channel f1.

[0030] FIG. 6 illustrates several modes of interference.

[0031] FIG. 7 is an illustration of the system in which the disclosed method and apparatus resides.

[0032] FIG. 8 is an illustration of a section of the frequency spectrum that has been designated for use by three different operators, each operating a CBRS system.

[0033] FIG. 9 is an illustration of the coverage areas of the WAN network operated and the coverage area of the BS/AP of a private network.

[0034] FIG. 10 is a more detailed block diagram of a server in accordance with some embodiments of the disclosed method and apparatus.

[0035] FIG. 11 is an illustration of the message flow that occurs in some embodiments of the disclosed method and apparatus to implement the TDD configuration synchronization.

[0036] FIG. 12 is an illustration of spectrum guard bands.

[0037] FIG. 13 is an illustration of the frequency channel assignments with each spectrum guard band expanded to be 3 MHz wide.

[0038] FIG. 14 is an illustration of the message flow that occurs in some embodiments of the disclosed method and apparatus to implement the adaptive Guard Band.

[0039] FIG. 15 is an illustration of sub-channels that can be defined within the frequency channel f2 in accordance with some embodiments of the disclosed method and apparatus.

[0040] The figures are not intended to be exhaustive or to limit the claimed invention to the precise form disclosed. It should be understood that the disclosed method and apparatus can be practiced with modification and alteration, and that the invention should be limited only by the claims and the equivalents thereof.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

Overview

[0041] FIG. 7 is an illustration of the system 700 in which the disclosed method and apparatus resides. In one embodiment, the system 700 is an enterprise network (i.e., a private communications network). Authorized devices, hereafter referred to as user equipment (UEs) 702 can connect wirelessly to an access point or base station (BS/AP) 704 of the enterprise network implemented by the system 700. In some embodiments, UEs 702 include wireless communications enabled devices, such as virtual reality googles 702a, robotic UEs 702b, autonomous driving machines 702c, smart barcode scanners 702d, and communications equipment 702e, which includes cell phones, computers and other types of personal communications devices. It will therefore be understood that the term UE as used herein is a broad term intended to cover any communications enabled device that can connect wirelessly to the BS/AP 704. In some embodiments, the BS/AP 704 is an eNodeB of an LTE/5G network, a Citizens Broadband Radio Service Device (CBSD) of a Citizens Broadband Radio Service (CBRS), access node of a local area network (LAN) or Wide Area Network (WAN), etc. It should be understood that these are just some the very large number of communication components that might be serviced/used in the private network implemented by the system 700.

[0042] Each of the UEs 702 has a transceiver that allows the device to communicate wirelessly with the BS/AP 704. Details of the transceivers of the UEs 702 are provided further below. The BS/AP 704 allows such communication to be extended to resources either within the private network implemented by the system 700 or with resources that are available in other networks, such as the internet, for example, through a gateway (not shown).

[0043] In some embodiments, the BS/AP 704 is a CBSD within a CBRS. In other embodiments, the BS/AP 704 is an access point, access node, eNodeB or base station operating at a frequency and in conformance with a protocol other than that of the CBRS. Accordingly, the BS/AP 704 may be a base station or central wireless communication hub within any wireless communication system. For the sake of discussing the disclosed method and apparatus generally, the term BS/AP is used for all such communication nodes. In any case, in some embodiments, the BS/AP generally has a physical layer module (“PHY”) 706 and a Medium Access Control sub-layer module (“BS/AP MAC 708”). The PHY 706 performs functions associated with the PHY layer of the conventional 7-layer Open Systems Interconnect (OSI) model. The MAC 708 performs functions associated with the MAC sub-layer of a data link layer (“DLL”) of the OSI model.

[0044] In such embodiments, the PHY 706 is generally responsible for generating a transmission signal, propagating the signal and for receiving signals. Accordingly, components such as the amplifiers and filters are provided in the PHY 706. The MAC 708 is generally responsible for receiving content received by the PHY and controlling the physical hardware of the PHY 706. In particular, the MAC 708 determines the assignments of channels, the general organization of the signals to be transmitted, etc. In some cases, the MAC 706 may receive indications as to which channel to assign for transmission of particular packet of content. However, the MAC determines the particular frequency used to transmit on that channel. It should be understood that this particular configuration is merely one example and the particular details of the organization of the radio within each of the components of the disclosed communication network are not of particular relevance to the disclosed method and apparatus, but are provided here merely as examples of one manner in which the system may be organized to assist in understanding one particular context in which the disclosed method and apparatus may be used. In addition, the designations and logical organization of functions within the radios of the components of the communications system can vary significantly without departing from nature of the disclosed method and apparatus.

[0045] A server 710 (which may also be referred to as an “edge compute platform”) is coupled to the BS/AP 704 over a separate connection from the wireless connection used for communication between the BS/AP 704 and the UEs 702. In some embodiments, the server 710 is coupled by a hardwire connection to the BS/AP, such as by a proprietary interface or over a standard interface, such as TR-069 on coaxial cable, ethernet cable, etc. In some embodiments, the BS/AP 704 is mounted on the ceiling within a facility, such as a room within an office building or a factory floor within a manufacturing facility. However, the particular environment in which the private network implemented by the system 700 is installed is not of particular relevance to the disclosed method and apparatus, but is provided merely as context to facilitate an understanding of the disclosed method and apparatus.

[0046] In some embodiments, MAC functionality can be distributed between the BS/AP MAC 708 and a server MAC 712 that resides within the server 710. In other embodiments, all of the MAC functionality may be implemented by the server 710. In some embodiments, an Interference Mitigation Unit (IMU) 714 comprising a processor (not shown) resides within the server 710. The IMU 714 performs functions (described in greater detail below) that lie outside the scope of the conventional functions preformed by a conventional MAC and PHY. In some embodiments, the server 710 further comprises a Packet Core Unit (PCU) 715. In some such embodiments, the PCU 715 performs functions similar to those performed by an Evolved Packet Core (EPC) of a 4G LTE network or a 5G Core (5GC) of a 5G network.

[0047] In some embodiments, a Service Orchestrator (SO) 716 provides additional functionality. In some such embodiments, the SO 716 comprises one or more of the following units: (1) a Network Operations Unit 718; (2) a Subscriber Management Unit 720; (3) an Analytics & Insights Unit 722; and (4) an Application Intelligence Unit 724.

RF Environment Survey

[0048] The system 700 has the ability to perform an RF survey of the radio frequency (RF) environment in which the system 700 is operating. That is, in accordance with some embodiments of the disclosed method and apparatus, the Network Operations Unit 718 within the server 710 comprises a processor (not shown) configured to request that each of the BS/APs 704 and each UE 702 registered with the private network implemented by the system 700 listen through their respective antennas (not shown) to detect signals that are within the operating frequency range of the system 700 or that are sufficiently close to the operating frequency of the system 700 that such signal might pose a threat of interfering with communications between any of the UEs 702 and any BS/AP 704. In particular, this includes the frequencies that are immediately adjacent to the frequencies over which the devices and BS/APs 704 communicate with one another. In some such embodiments, the Network Operations Unit 718, in coordination with the IMU 714, can initiate a process by which the BS/APs 704 and UEs 702 each listen on the frequencies of interest and report back the power levels of signals that are detected at those frequencies.

[0049] In some embodiments in which the system 700 conforms to CBRS standard, during registration of the BS/APs 704 (i.e., CBSDs in this example), the registration request can be made to an Spectrum Access System (SAS) 726 that indicates that the BS/APs 704 does not require any inter-group, inter-CBSD interference coordination. In some such embodiments, the Network Operations Unit 718 controls the process by which the RF environment is surveyed. In other embodiments, the IMU 714 controls the process. Alternatively, the BS/AP 704 can register with the SAS 726 in a manner that allows the SAS 726 to coordinate the gathering of information regarding the RF environment and providing that information to the IMU 714 within the server 710. In any case, in some embodiments the Analysis & Insights unit 722 within the SO 716 performs analysis and provides insights into the operation of the private network implemented by the system 700 based on the information received by the IMU 714 from the server 710, the SAS 726 or both and shared with the SO 716. Such analysis and insights can include determining the level of interference present in the RF environment, the likelihood that such interference will impede communications, the level of impediment that might be expected, etc. In some such embodiments, reports regarding one or more of these factors would be available to service personnel responsible for the oversight and/or maintenance of the private network implemented by the system 700. In some embodiments, such reports are provided through a database maintained in a cloud server to which the SO 716 has access or through a terminal at a facility in which the server 710 resides.

[0050] FIG. 8 is an illustration of a section of the frequency spectrum 800 that has been designated for use by three different operators, each operating a CBRS system. The CBRS frequency range is provided as an example of a frequency range within which a system 700 might operate in accordance with the currently disclosed method and apparatus. Three 10 MHz wide frequency channels 802, 804, 806 within the CBRS frequency band are shown as being assigned to three different operators. In one example, the first channel 802 is granted for use under a Priority Access License (PAL) to an operator operating a Wide Area Network (WAN) in the frequency range from 3550 MHz to 3560 MHz. The second channel 804 is assigned for use by the operator operating the private network implemented by the system 700 as a General Authorized Access (GAA) user in the frequency range from 3560 MHz to 3570 MHz. The third channel 806 may be assigned to a third operator under a PAL for use of the frequency range from 3570 MHz to 3580 MHz.

[0051] FIG. 9 is an illustration of the coverage areas 504 of the WAN network operated under the PAL by the first operator and the coverage area 900 of the BS/AP 704 of the private network implemented by the system 700. The WAN has a WAN BS/AP 502 having a coverage area 504 within his network. In addition, several UE devices 505, such as mobile devices that may include mobile cellular phones, laptop computers, etc. are present in the WAN coverage area 504. The private network BS/AP 506 has a coverage area 900 that is completely within the coverage area 504 of the WAN base station 502 operated by the first PAL operator.

[0052] Due to the relatively close proximity of the device 505b to the BS/AP 704 and the UE 702, transmissions from the device 505b will be detected through antennas of the BS/AP 704 and UE 702 when the server 710 begins to perform an RF survey. The power of the transmissions, particularly within the frequency f2 used by the private network implemented by the system 700 will be provided to the IMU 714.

[0053] FIG. 10 is a more detailed block diagram of the server 710. In some embodiments, the IMU 714 has an Interference Measurement Unit 1002, a Guard Band Assignment Unit 1004, a Sub-channel Assignment Unit 1006 and a Resource Allocation Unit 1008. In some such embodiments, the Interference Measurement Unit 1002 controls the RF survey process described above. In some such embodiments, the Interference Measurement Unit 1002 communicates control information to the server MAC 712 (see FIG. 7). In some embodiments, the control information is communicated from the server 710 to one or more of the BS/APs 704 over a proprietary interface or over a standard interface, such as TR-069. The information instructs the server MAC 712. In some embodiments, those instructions are received and interpreted by the BS/AP MAC 708 in one or more of the BS/APs 704 associated with the server 710. The BS/AP MAC 708 in turn controls the BS/AP PHY 706 to receive in-band signals (i.e., channel f2). The BS/AP PHY 706 receives the signals as instructed, makes measurements of the received signals (i.e., comparing the detected received signal strength indicator/reference signal received power (RSSI/RSRP) to a certain threshold) and provides those measurements back to the BS/AP MAC 708. In addition, in some embodiments, measurements are made on granular chunks of the adjacent frequency channels f1, f3 (i.e., specified frequencies at predetermined times) to determine which subbands in the frequency channel f1, f3 exceed a measurement threshold. The BS/AP MAC 708 returns the measurements back to the server MAC 712. In some embodiments, the server MAC 712 is responsible for interpreting the measurements. For example, in some embodiments, the server MAC 712 determines a signal to Interference plus Noise Ratio (SINR) from measurements of the received power, etc. and determining whether the SINR exceeds a predetermined threshold). In some embodiments, the threshold is a function of the downlink transmit power of the Private Network BS/AP 704. In other embodiments, the BS/AP MAC 708 interprets the measurements prior to sending the information to the server MAC 712.

[0054] In addition, control signals are sent through the BS/AP 704 to one or more of the UEs 702 that are in wireless communication with the BS/AP 704 to instruct those UEs 702 that are capable, to make similar measurements as part of the RF survey. The resulting measurements are then communicated back through the wireless connection to the BS/AP 704 and then on to the server 710.

Synchronization of TDD Configuration

[0055] In some embodiments, information attained by the RF survey is used to determine whether, in the particular RF environment in which the system 700 is operating, there is potential interference that could be mitigated by synchronizing the Time Division Duplex (TDD) configuration of the private network implemented by the system 700 with the TDD configuration of other networks transmitting in the RF environment. FIG. 2, discussed above, shows an example of a table of TDD configurations that might be used by a network that operates on frequency channel f1, while the private network implemented by the system 700 operates on the adjacent frequency channel f2. In some embodiments, in addition to determining the amount of power that can be received by particular BS/APs 704 and UEs 702 within the private network, the Interference Measurement Unit 1002 within the IMU 714 determines the particular TDD configuration that is being used by the BS/APs 502 and UEs 505 of the WAN network operating on the adjacent frequency channel f1. Upon determining the TDD configuration, the IMU 714 provides the information to the Network Operations Unit 718. In some such embodiments, the Network Operations Unit 718 then provides instructions to the server MAC 712 to cause the transmissions from each of the BS/APs 704 within the private network to synchronize with the timing of the TDD configuration with which the WAN BS/APs 502 are aligned. Detecting the TDD configuration by means of the RF survey and determining whether there is interference that might be favorably addressed by synchronizing the TDD configuration of the private network with that of a network operating on an adjacent frequency channel, eliminates the need for the private network to directly communicate with the network operating on the adjacent frequency channel and frees the private network to make a determination as to whether to restrict communications to conform with the TDD configuration of the neighboring networks.

[0056] FIG. 11 is an illustration of the message flow that occurs in some embodiments of the disclosed method and apparatus to implement the TDD configuration synchronization. Initially, the IMU 712 provides instructions 1102 to the server MAC 714 within the server 710 to request an RF environmental survey. However, in some embodiments, the IMU 712 transmits the request directly to a recipient, such as a BS/AP 704. The server MAC 714 in turn generates the necessary instructions 1104 to each of the BS/APs 704 to listen to the RF environment and report back measurements of the environment. Each of the BS/APs 704 returns the measurement 1106 made in response to the instructions 1104. In some embodiments, the server MAC 714 prepares a report 1108 based on the measurements 1106 reported from the BS/APs 704. In other embodiments, the measurements received by the server MAC 714 are sent to the IMU 712. In still other embodiments, the measurements are received directly by the IMU 712 from the BS/APs 704. In those embodiments in which the IMU 712 receives the measurements, the IMU 712 prepares the report from the measurements. In either case, the IMU 712 determines whether there are any sources of cross channel interference and if so, whether it would improve the interference to synchronize the TDD configuration of one or more of the BS/APs 704. If so, the IMU 712 provides the TDD configuration 1110 to the Network Operations Unit 718. The Network Operations Unit 718 formulates and communicates instructions 1112 to the server MAC 714. The server MAC 714 in turn sends instructions 1114 to the BS/APs 704 to operate in synchronicity with the TDD configuration.

Adaptable Spectrum Guard Band

[0057] In some embodiments, a Guard Band Assignment Unit 1004 within the IMU 714 can provide control signals to the BS/AP PHY 706 within one or more of the BS/APs 704 within the private network implemented by the system 700 to reduce the bandwidth within which content is modulated on the channel f2 to provide a spectrum guard band on each side of the channel f2 frequency range.

[0058] FIG. 12 is an illustration of spectrum guard bands 1202, 1204. The spectrum guard bands are adaptive. That is, the frequency width of each guard band 1202, 1204 will be determined by the Guard Band Assignment Unit 1004 based on the amount of potential interference that is likely in view of the amount of power that was received by the BS/AP 704 and UE 702. Accordingly, in some embodiments of the disclosed method and apparatus, the Guard Band Assignment Unit 1004 determines the amount of spectrum guard band that needs to be used by the private network to provide adequate protection against the WAN network based on the adjacent channel measurements made by the BS/AP 704 and UE 702. The Guard Band Assignment Unit 1004 uses the information regarding the RF environment to determine the how large the spectrum guard band should be (i.e., the frequency range within which no content will be modulated for transmission between the BS/APs 704 and the UEs 702). In the example shown in FIG. 12, the guard bands 1202, 1204 are each 1 MHz wide. It should be noted that the two guard bands 1202, 1204 at each end of the frequency range 804 need not be the same width.

[0059] In addition to the amount of power measured by the BS/AP 704 and UE 702, some of the factors that may either alternatively, or in addition, be taken into consideration, are packet error rates for content that is communicated between the BS/AP 704 and UE 702 and SINR measured at the BS/AP 704 and UE 702, radio link failures, average Hybrid Automatic Repeat Request/Automatic Repeat Requests (HARQ/ARQ) retransmission count, etc. Other quality of reception metrics may also be used to assist in determining the desired width of the spectrum guard bands 1202, 1204. It will be understood by those skilled in the art that the guard bands 1202, 1204 are generated by controlling the width of filters within the receiver and transmitters in the BS/AP 704 and UE 702, as well as by controlling the oscillators within the modulators used to modulate content upon the carriers used to transmit from the BS/AP 704 and UE 702.

[0060] In some embodiments, control signals are sent to the UEs 702 on the wireless connection from the BS/AP 704 to indicate to the UEs 702 the size of the spectrum guard bands. Alternatively, the transmitters and receivers within the UEs 702 remain unchanged and only the transmitters within the BS/AP 704 transmit signals with the guard bands 1202, 1204.

[0061] In some embodiments, in addition to information gathered by the BS/AP 704 and UEs 702, the BS/AP 704 and the WAN BS/AP 502 periodically exchange interference power measured by their respective PHYs and the UEs 702, 505b 505c, 502d, an in some embodiments, particularly those devices at the edges of the common coverage areas (i.e., the edge of the BS/AP cover area 900). In some embodiments, particular significance is afforded to the amount of interference power measured at the edges of the frequency channels f1, f2. In some embodiments, the information exchange between the private network BS/AP 704 and the WAN BS/AP 502 occurs over a standard interface, such as X2. Alternatively, the exchange can be facilitated by private network BS/AP 704 using a proprietary interface and protocol. In some embodiments, the exchange is facilitated by adding “proprietary vendor extensions” to the standard X2 protocol. In some embodiments, the exchange occurs in response to a request (i.e., on demand). Alternatively, the exchange occurs in response to a triggering event, such as the interference power exceeding a threshold. In some embodiments, the threshold is set based on quality of service metrics, including the amount of interference power that is tolerable based on SINR, packet error rate, radio link failures, average Hybrid Automatic Repeat Request/Automatic Repeat Requests (HARQ/ARQ) retransmission count or other such performance metrics measured at the BS/AP 704 or UE 702.

[0062] FIG. 13 is an illustration of the frequency channel assignments with each spectrum guard band 1302, 1304 expanded to be 3 MHz wide based on criteria set in the Guard Band Assignment Unit 1004 within the IMU 714.

[0063] FIG. 14 is an illustration of the message flow that occurs in some embodiments of the disclosed method and apparatus to implement the adaptive Guard Band. Initially, message flow for the portion of the flow related attaining an RF environmental survey is the same as shown in FIG. 11 and described above. Once the survey results are reported 1108, the IMU 712 determines whether there are any sources of cross channel interference and if so, whether it would improve if communications between the BS/AP 704 and the UEs 702. If so, the IMU 712 provides the guard band instructions 1402 to the Network Operations Unit 718. The Network Operations Unit 718 formulates and communicates instructions 1404 to the server MAC 714. The server MAC 714 in turn sends instructions 1406 to the BS/APs 704 to operate with the guard bands.

Selection of Sub-Channels

[0064] The particular channel that is selected for use by the private network implemented by the system 700 may be influenced or determined based on the amount of interference measured in response to the RF survey. In addition, whether the private network continues to use that channel that it is originally assigned may depend upon the results of the RF survey. For example, selection of frequency channel f2 for the GAA may be appropriate at the time the selection is made. However, at some time in the future (i.e., either short term or long term future), the RF survey may indicate that a new interfering system is present or that the RF environment has otherwise changed. In that case, the Sub-channel Assignment Unit 1006 within the IMU 714 can determine that there are potentially other frequency channels that might be less impacted by interference from adjacent channel cross interference.

[0065] FIG. 15 is an illustration of sub-channels that can be defined within the frequency channel 2 in accordance with some embodiments of the disclosed method and apparatus. Accordingly, in addition to selecting the frequency range 804 in which the private network operates, sub-channels 1502 are defined within the frequency channel f2. In the example shown, the frequency channel f2 is divided into 10 equal sub-channels 1502. Each sub-channel 1502 is 1 MHz wide. The first sub-channel 1502a begins at 3560 MHz and ends at 3561 MHz. A Sub-channel Assignment Unit 1006 within the IMU 714 uses the results of the RF environmental survey and information regarding the particular QoS requirements for each traffic flow to determine the particular sub-channel assignments.

[0066] A similar message flow to that shown in FIG. 11 and FIG. 14 occurs between the BS/AP 704, the server MAC 714, the IMU 712 and the Network Operations Unit 718 to allocate sub-channels based on the results of the RF environmental survey.

Coax Away a Potential Interference

[0067] In some embodiments of the disclosed method and apparatus, when an RF environmental survey determines that a particular UE 505b is causing cross channel interference, the Resource Allocation Unit 1008 within the IMU 714 makes an attempt to move the UE 505b to another channel in order to reduce the potential interference. For example, in one such case, a UE 505b is causing cross channel interference affecting the operation of the UE 702 within the private network serviced by BS/AP 704. In some such embodiments, the Resource Allocation Unit 1008 within the IMU 714 communicates with the WAN network on which the UE 505b is communicating to request that the WAN enlarge the UE specific Cell Individual Offset (CIO) parameter used by the network of the UE 505b in such a way that the UE 505b is biased in favor of communicating over a different channel of the WAN network. In another embodiment, the

[0068] Resource Allocation Unit 1008 within the server 710 communicates with the WAN network and provides the details of the information about UE 505b, requesting that UE 505b to be moved to another frequency channel (i.e., frequency channel f4 (not shown)) that is not adjacent to frequency channel (f2). In another alternative embodiment, Resource Allocation Unit 1008 within the server 710 facilitates adding the public land mobile network (PLMN) of BS/AP 704 to be an allowed roaming PLMN for UE 505b for a predetermined amount of time. The server 710 coordinates with the WAN to perform a handover of UE 505b to BS/AP 704 temporarily. In yet another embodiment, the Resource Allocation Unit 1008 within the server 710 directs BS/AP 704 to increase its downlink transmit power. Doing so may encourage the UE 505b to start an inter-frequency handover to another channel.

[0069] Although the disclosed method and apparatus is described above in terms of various examples of embodiments and implementations, it should be understood that the particular features, aspects and functionality described in one or more of the individual embodiments are not limited in their applicability to the particular embodiment with which they are described. Thus, the breadth and scope of the claimed invention should not be limited by any of the examples provided in describing the above disclosed embodiments.

[0070] Terms and phrases used in this document, and variations thereof, unless otherwise expressly stated, should be construed as open ended as opposed to limiting. As examples of the foregoing: the term “including” should be read as meaning “including, without limitation” or the like; the term “example” is used to provide examples of instances of the item in discussion, not an exhaustive or limiting list thereof; the terms “a” or “an” should be read as meaning “at least one,” “one or more” or the like; and adjectives such as “conventional,” “traditional,” “normal,” “standard,” “known” and terms of similar meaning should not be construed as limiting the item described to a given time period or to an item available as of a given time, but instead should be read to encompass conventional, traditional, normal, or standard technologies that may be available or known now or at any time in the future. Likewise, where this document refers to technologies that would be apparent or known to one of ordinary skill in the art, such technologies encompass those apparent or known to the skilled artisan now or at any time in the future.

[0071] A group of items linked with the conjunction “and” should not be read as requiring that each and every one of those items be present in the grouping, but rather should be read as “and/or” unless expressly stated otherwise. Similarly, a group of items linked with the conjunction “or” should not be read as requiring mutual exclusivity among that group, but rather should also be read as “and/or” unless expressly stated otherwise. Furthermore, although items, elements or components of the disclosed method and apparatus may be described or claimed in the singular, the plural is contemplated to be within the scope thereof unless limitation to the singular is explicitly stated.

[0072] The presence of broadening words and phrases such as “one or more,” “at least,” “but not limited to” or other like phrases in some instances shall not be read to mean that the narrower case is intended or required in instances where such broadening phrases may be absent. The use of the term “module” does not imply that the components or functionality described or claimed as part of the module are all configured in a common package. Indeed, any or all of the various components of a module, whether control logic or other components, can be combined in a single package or separately maintained and can further be distributed in multiple groupings or packages or across multiple locations.

[0073] Additionally, the various embodiments set forth herein are described with the aid of block diagrams, flow charts and other illustrations. As will become apparent to one of ordinary skill in the art after reading this document, the illustrated embodiments and their various alternatives can be implemented without confinement to the illustrated examples. For example, block diagrams and their accompanying description should not be construed as mandating a particular architecture or configuration.