Avoidance of interference in wireless communications

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10602372-B2
Application number	US-201816148324-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Oct 1, 2018
Priority date	Dec 14, 2015
Publication date	Mar 24, 2020
Grant date	Mar 24, 2020

Abstract

In one embodiment, a terminal of a first wireless communication network determines a protection zone for each of a plurality of unintended receivers of a second wireless communication network, where a protection zone defines a geographical area where transmission by the terminal might interfere with operation of a corresponding unintended receive. At the time of an attempted transmission, the terminal determines its current location, and whether the current location is within any protection zone of the plurality of unintended receivers. If not within any protection zone of the plurality of unintended receivers, the terminal performs the transmission, but if so, then the terminal may then perform a local assessment of interference to the one or more unintended receivers. Once concluding that there would be no interference with any of the one or more unintended receivers, the terminal may then perform the transmission. Otherwise, the terminal prevents the transmission.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A method, comprising:
determining, by a device of a first wireless communication network, that an initial transmission power for a communication from a terminal in the first wireless communication network to an intended receiver in the first wireless communication network would result in an unintended receiver receiving the communication at a received power above a threshold that would interfere with the unintended receiver;
in response, determining, by the device, a reduced transmission power that would result in the unintended receiver receiving the communication at a received power below the threshold that would interfere with the unintended receiver and also would result in the communication satisfying a receiver sensitivity of the intended receiver; and
causing, by the device, the terminal to use the reduced transmission power to transmit the communication.

2. The method as in claim 1 , wherein the device is one of either the terminal or a computing device locally associated with the terminal, and wherein causing comprises transmitting the communication through as the terminal.

3. The method as in claim 2 , further comprising:
marking the communication as being transmitted at the reduced transmission power for server verification.

4. The method as in claim 1 , wherein the initial transmission power is a nominal transmission power.

5. The method as in claim 1 , wherein the intended receiver is a receiver at a satellite of a satellite communication network.

6. The method as in claim 5 , wherein the unintended receiver is a receiver at another satellite of another satellite communication network.

7. The method as in claim 1 , wherein the unintended receiver is a point-to-point receiver (PtPR) of a second wireless communication network.

8. The method as in claim 1 , further comprising:
determining to also adjust an aim of an antenna of the terminal in addition to the reduced transmission power that would, in combination reduced transmission power, result in the unintended receiver receiving the communication at the received power below the threshold that would interfere with the unintended receiver and also would result in the communication satisfying a receiver sensitivity of the intended receiver;
causing the terminal to use the reduced transmission power to transmit the communication and at the adjusted aim of the antenna; and
preventing transmission by the terminal unless the terminal is aimed correctly.

9. The method as in claim 8 , further comprising:
providing instructions to a user to re-orient a physical orientation of the terminal according to the adjusted aim of the antenna of the terminal.

10. The method as in claim 8 , wherein preventing further comprises:
accounting for deviations in aim caused by one or both of i) inaccuracy of one or more sensors of the terminal to determine the aim of the antenna, and ii) shaking of the terminal.

11. The method as in claim 8 , wherein the aim of the antenna corresponds to an aimed direction of the terminal.

12. The method as in claim 1 , wherein the device determines whether the receiver sensitivity is satisfied at the intended receiver based on feedback indicating actual received power at the intended receiver.

13. The method as in claim 1 , wherein the terminal and device comprise a configuration selected from a group consisting of: a standalone device integrated with the terminal; a terminal physically attached to a personal mobile device; a terminal that is communicatively paired to a personal mobile device; a terminal paired with an Internet of Things (IoT) device; a terminal associated with an unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) as the device; and a device application operating on a personal mobile device associated with the terminal.

14. The method as in claim 1 , wherein the interfering threshold level is based on one or both of a receiver sensitivity of the unintended receiver and a noise floor of the unintended receiver.

15. An apparatus, comprising:
one or more network interfaces to communicate as a device of at least a first wireless communication network;
a processor coupled to the network interfaces and adapted to execute one or more processes; and
a memory configured to store a process executable by the processor, the process when executed operable to:
determine that an initial transmission power for a communication from a terminal in the first wireless communication network to an intended receiver in the first wireless communication network would result in an unintended receiver receiving the communication at a received power above a threshold that would interfere with the unintended receiver;
in response, determine a reduced transmission power that would result in the unintended receiver receiving the communication at a received power below the threshold that would interfere with the unintended receiver and also would result in the communication satisfying a receiver sensitivity of the intended receiver; and
cause the terminal to use the reduced transmission power to transmit the communication.

16. The apparatus as in claim 15 , wherein the apparatus is one of either the terminal or a computing device locally associated with the terminal, and wherein causing comprises transmitting the communication through the terminal.

17. The apparatus as in claim 15 , wherein the process when executed is further operable to:
determine to also adjust an aim of an antenna of the terminal in addition to the reduced transmission power that would, in combination reduced transmission power, result in the unintended receiver receiving the communication at the received power below the threshold that would interfere with the unintended receiver and also would result in the communication satisfying a receiver sensitivity of the intended receiver;
cause the terminal to use the reduced transmission power to transmit the communication and at the adjusted aim of the antenna; and
prevent transmission by the terminal unless the terminal is aimed correctly.

18. A tangible, non-transitory, computer-readable medium having computer-executable instructions stored thereon that, when executed by a processor on a computer of a device of a first wireless communication network, cause the computer to perform a method comprising:
determining that an initial transmission power for a communication from a terminal in the first wireless communication network to an intended receiver in the first wireless communication network would result in an unintended receiver receiving the communication at a received power above a threshold that would interfere with the unintended receiver;
in response, determining a reduced transmission power that would result in the unintended receiver receiving the communication at a received power below the threshold that would interfere with the unintended receiver and also would result in the communication satisfying a receiver sensitivity of the intended receiver; and
causing the terminal to use the reduced transmission power to transmit the communication.

19. The computer-readable medium as in claim 18 , wherein the device is selected from a group consisting of: the terminal; a computing device locally associated with the terminal; and a server of the first wireless communication network.

20. The computer-readable medium as in claim 18 , wherein the performed method further comprises:
determining to also adjust an aim of an antenna of the terminal in addition to the reduced transmission power that would, in combination reduced

Assignees

• Higher Ground Llc

Inventors

• Reis Robert S
• Russell Mark E
• Hansen Paul Christopher

Classifications

• H04W64/00

  Locating users or terminals {or network equipment} for network management purposes, e.g. mobility management · CPC title

• H04W74/08

  Non-scheduled access, e.g. ALOHA (hybrid access H04W74/02) · CPC title

• H04W16/14

  Spectrum sharing arrangements {between different networks} · CPC title

• H04W4/021

  Services related to particular areas, e.g. point of interest [POI] services, venue services or geofences · CPC title

• H04W16/24 Primary

  Cell structures · CPC title