Systems and methods for detecting satellite-based communication interference

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-11374668-B2
Application number	US-202117160657-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Jan 28, 2021
Priority date	Apr 12, 2018
Publication date	Jun 28, 2022
Grant date	Jun 28, 2022

Abstract

Systems and methods for detecting and reducing signal interference affecting wireless communication with a mobile vehicle includes generating an interference signature based on a correlation multiple signal-quality characteristics of a desired target-signal that is received at an antenna assembly attached to the mobile vehicle, and adjusting the orientation of the antenna assembly based on a change or degradation in the interference signature to thereby improve wireless communication with the vehicle.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A method of reducing degradation in wireless communication during normal operation of a communication system including a signal source and a mobile vehicle having a coupled antenna assembly, the method comprising:
adjusting, via the one or more processors, a receive (RX) aperture of the antenna assembly to a particular orientation with respect to the signal source based on an interference signature associated with a wireless target-signal generated by the signal source and received at the antenna assembly, the interference signature including a correlation of an attained first signal-quality characteristic of the received wireless target-signal and an attained second signal-quality characteristic of the received wireless target-signal, and the first and second signal-quality characteristics being different types of signal-quality characteristics and having different functional dependencies on a combination of signal and noise associated with the received wireless target-signal.

2. The method of claim 1 , wherein the attained first signal-quality characteristic is one of: a signal-to-noise ratio (SNR), a received signal strength (RSS), a signal-plus-noise-to-noise ratio ((S+N)/N), or a signal-to-interference-noise ratio (SNIR), and the attained second signal-quality characteristic is another one of the SNR, the RSS, the (S+N)/N, or the SNIR.

3. The method of claim 1 ,
further comprising identifying signal interference based on the interference signature while the RX aperture of the antenna assembly is at a first orientation different from the particular orientation; and
wherein adjusting the RX aperture of the antenna assembly to the particular orientation is responsive to the identified signal interference.

4. The method of claim 3 , wherein identifying the signal interference based on the interference signature includes identifying the signal interference based on one or more of:
a change to or degradation of the correlation of the attained first signal-quality characteristic and the attained second signal-quality characteristic associated with the first orientation of the RX aperture of the antenna assembly with respect to a threshold level;
a change to or degradation of the correlation of the attained first signal-quality characteristic and the attained second signal-quality characteristic associated with the first orientation of RX aperture of the antenna assembly over a period of time; or
a comparison of respective correlations of the attained first signal-quality characteristic and the second signal-quality characteristic associated with different orientations of the RX aperture of the antenna assembly.

5. The method of claim 1 , further comprising at least one of: attaining the first signal-quality characteristic of the received wireless target-signal or attaining the second signal-quality characteristic of the received wireless target-signal.

6. The method of claim 5 , wherein at least one of:
attaining the first signal-quality characteristic of the received wireless target-signal comprises attaining the first signal-quality characteristic of the received wireless target-signal at each orientation of a plurality of scanned orientations of the antenna assembly, the plurality of scanned orientations directed toward a signal environment including the signal source; or
attaining the second signal-quality characteristic of the received wireless target-signal comprises attaining the second signal-quality characteristic of the received wireless target-signal at each orientation of the plurality of scanned orientations.

7. The method of claim 1 , further comprising generating the interference signature based on different weightings of the attained first signal-quality characteristic and the attained second signal-quality characteristic.

8. The method of claim 7 , further comprising at least one of: storing the interference signature in a memory accessible to the mobile vehicle, or inserting the interference signature into a satellite network map.

9. The method of claim 1 , wherein adjusting the RX aperture of the antenna assembly to the particular orientation with respect to the signal source comprises adjusting the RX aperture of the antenna assembly to the particular orientation with respect to the signal source while the antenna assembly is operating in a mode of operation in which the orientation of the RX aperture of the antenna assembly is controlled independently of an orientation of a transmit (TX) aperture of the antenna assembly.

10. The method of claim 1 , further comprising, in conjunction with the adjusting of the RX aperture to the particular orientation, initiating a mode of operation of the antenna assembly in which the orientation of the RX aperture of the antenna assembly is controlled independently of an orientation of a transmit (TX) aperture of the antenna assembly.

11. A system for reducing degradation in wireless communication during normal operation of a communication system including a signal source and a mobile vehicle, the system comprising:
one or more processors coupled to the mobile vehicle;
one or more memories coupled to the one or more processors;
an antenna assembly coupled to the one or more processors and attached to the mobile vehicle, the antenna assembly including a receive (RX) aperture and a transmit (TX) aperture; and
a set of computer-executable instructions stored on the one or more memories which, when executed by the one or more processors, causes the system to:
adjust the receive (RX) aperture of the antenna assembly to a particular orientation with respect to the signal source based on an interference signature associated with a wireless target-signal generated by the signal source and received at the antenna assembly, the interference signature including a correlation of an attained first signal-quality characteristic of the received wireless target-signal and an attained second signal-quality characteristic of the received wireless target-signal, and the first and second signal-quality characteristics being different types of signal-quality characteristics and having different functional dependencies on a combination of signal and noise associated with the received wireless target-signal.

12. The system of claim 11 , wherein the attained first signal-quality characteristic is one of: a signal-to-noise ratio (SNR), a received signal strength (RSS), a signal-plus-noise-to-noise ratio ((S+N)/N), or a signal-to-interference-noise ratio (SNIR), and the attained second signal-quality characteristic is another one of the SNR, the RSS, the (S+N)/N, or the SNIR.

13. The system of claim 11 , wherein:
the set of computer-executable instructions, when executed by the one or more processors, causes the system further to identify signal interference based on the interference signature while the RX aperture of the antenna assembly is at a first orientation different from the particular orientation; and
the adjustment of the RX aperture of the antenna assembly to the particular orientation is responsive to the identified signal interference.

14. The system of claim 13 , wherein the system identifies the signal interference based on one or more of:
a change to or degradation of the correlation of the attained first signal-quality characteristic and the attained second signal-quality characteristic associated with the first orientation of the RX aperture of the antenna assembly with respect to a threshold level;
a change to or degradation of the correlation of the attained first signal-quality characteristic and the attained second signal-quality characteristic associated wi

Assignees

• Gogo Business Aviation Llc

Inventors

• Cordone Sean S

Classifications

• H04B17/318

  Received signal strength · CPC title

• H04B17/12

  of transmit antennas, e.g. of the amplitude or phase · CPC title

• H01Q3/10

  to produce a conical or spiral scan · CPC title

• H01Q3/242

  Circumferential scanning · CPC title

• H04B7/1853

  Satellite systems for providing telephony service to a mobile station, i.e. mobile satellite service (for selecting H04W) · CPC title