Communication System

Abstract

A communication system includes: a plurality of communication devices that communicate with each other by using RF resources; a resource controller configured to control the RF resources; and an interference detector configured to detect an interferer and provide information describing the interferer to the resource controller, wherein the resource controller controls the RF resources of the plurality of communication devices in consideration of the information describing the interferer.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] Embodiments of the present invention relate to communication systems, in particular, communication systems including an interference detector and / or a communication system including a resource controller. Further embodiments relate to corresponding methods for controlling resources to corresponding resource controllers for the communication system. According to further embodiments, a user equipment or a base station is part of or includes a controller. Some embodiments utilize the so-called ISM frequency band. Background Art

[0002] Communications in the ISM band (e.g., IEEE 802.11; IEEE 802.14, IEEE 802.15) address and avoid packet reception errors caused by duplicate packets, blacklisting channels with high interference, frequency hopping, listen-before-talk, and reliance on higher-level protocols (TCP) for data consistency.

[0003] Communication systems operating in licensed bands (e.g., 3GPP LTE, 5G) are typically centrally coordinated and, assuming a clean band free of interference, focus on optimizing coordinated resources to achieve error-free communication using minimal transmit power to limit overflow and waste. To this end, strong and long forward error correction (FEC) codes (e.g., LDPC, Turbo) are employed, along with retransmission schemes such as hybrid ARQ. Crucially, these systems are multi-base station systems, coordinating the connection between user equipment (UE) and base stations (BS) to achieve the best match between UE and BS.

[0004] The purpose of the listen-before-talk algorithm is to avoid collisions of data packets transmitted within the used RF resources. The problem to be solved by the embodiments / aspects of the present invention is the degradation of wireless communication systems due to the presence of high interference power or the limitation of transmission power due to regulations. Summary of the Invention

[0005] Therefore, an object to be solved by embodiments / aspects is to enable communication between at least two communication devices to provide a good trade-off between latency, reliability and efficiency.

[0006] This object is solved by the subject-matter of the independent claims.

[0007] Embodiments of the present invention provide a communication system including multiple communication devices that communicate with each other using RF resources. According to aspect 1, the communication system includes a resource controller and an interference detector. The resource controller is configured to control RF resources. The interference detector is configured to detect interferers, such as high interference power or limited transmission power, and provide information describing the interferers to the resource controller. Based on the information describing the interference, the resource controller controls the RF resources of the multiple communication devices.

[0008] According to an embodiment, control of RF resources is performed so that no conflict occurs between the RF resources used by the interferer and the RF resources controlled by the resource controller (used by communication devices of the communication system); alternatively or additionally, this may have the purpose of minimizing the impact of the interferer on the communication between multiple communication devices.

[0009] According to an embodiment, the interference detector is implemented as a shared interference detector, i.e., uses at least two transceivers of multiple communication devices for measurement. Additionally or alternatively, the interference detector implemented as a shared interference detector uses at least two transceivers of multiple communication devices for measurement, wherein the information is shared between the multiple communication devices to implement a shared interference detector. Additionally and alternatively, control information for controlling the measurements performed by the transceivers for detecting interferers is exchanged. For example, the control information is used to coordinate the scanning performed by the transceivers with respect to the scanned resources (e.g., frequency bands, time slots, etc.).

[0010] According to an embodiment, the resource controller is implemented as a shared controller.

[0011] Embodiments of this aspect of the invention are able to detect and locate sources of interfering power with respect to location and / or communication resources (time, frequency, space). It is assumed that the system consists of one or more base stations and a plurality of devices. The base stations and the devices have means for detecting RF power. This detection is then used to control resources, for example, the time slots and / or frequency bands to be used. This makes it possible to advantageously predict impairment events in wireless communication systems so that timely responses can be made. This significantly improves the performance of real-time communication systems because the chances of successful transmission are greatly increased. In addition, the detection / location and characterization of interference sources are very helpful for every wireless communication system. This can serve as the basis for general coexistence management functions, or as the basis for interference detection devices, i.e. mobile devices of the system that guide users to the source of interference.

[0012] According to an embodiment, the interference detector is configured to distinguish between an interferer that adds RF power to all devices and a jamming event in which the interferer affects at least one of the plurality of communication devices. For example, an interferer that adds RF power is determined when all of the plurality of communication devices (simultaneously) receive the interferer within the used frequency band or another frequency band; or a jamming event is determined when the RF signal received by at least one device is reduced in strength and / or quality compared to the RF signals received by the other communication devices.

[0013] According to an embodiment, the interference detector is configured to detect and / or locate the interferer. For example, the information includes information about the interferer's location and / or communication resources, time resources, frequency resources, spatial resources, duty cycle, and / or transmit power. According to an embodiment, the interference detector is configured to determine the interferer's trajectory and / or movement based on a determination of multiple frames.

[0014] According to an embodiment, the communication system comprises an ad hoc network, such as a sensor network. Here, all communication devices may be user equipment, or, alternatively, at least one communication device may be a base station. Note that the devices may be aware of their location, such as based on a preconfigured or determined / calculated location.

[0015] According to another embodiment of the second aspect (Aspect 2), a communication system is provided that includes multiple communication devices and a resource controller. The resource controller is configured to control RF resources and synchronize and adapt at least two of the multiple communication devices with respect to their transmit signals so that the transmit signals are superimposed on each other and / or form a superimposed transmit signal. According to an embodiment, the transmit signals output by the at least two communication devices are superimposed to increase the total transmit power and / or total signal-to-noise ratio of the superimposed transmit signal.

[0016] Embodiments of this aspect of the present invention can generate a high transmit power for transmitting a signal, such as a data packet, where the transmit power of each transmitter can be low, for example, below a threshold defined by the heuristic. In other words, this means that the power of multiple devices can be combined to increase the received power in a power-limited system without violating legal regulations. For example, legal regulations define the use of LBT (Listen Before Talk) procedures.

[0017] According to an embodiment, at least two communication devices transmit signals without listen-before-talk, using a reduced transmit power level below a listen-before-talk threshold power level. Here, the communication devices communicate within a frequency band defined for the listen-before-talk procedure. According to an embodiment, at least one of the multiple communication devices is configured to perform listen-before-talk, for example, while transmitting at a reduced transmit power (below a listen-before-talk threshold power level). Upon successful completion of the listen-before-talk procedure, such a communication device can increase its transmit power. Applying the listen-before-talk procedure in a real-time system allows for at least a temporary increase in transmission power, thereby improving overall system performance. For example, according to further embodiments, the modulation and coding scheme can be changed. According to an embodiment, this procedure can be used by the entire communication system or a portion thereof. This means, for example, that a device performs LbT and, upon successful LbT completion (no further transmitters found), notifies surrounding devices (within a predetermined radius) so that the surrounding devices (part of the communication system) can increase their transmit power. In other words, this means that LbT is performed by one entity to multiple entities, so that at least one of the multiple communication devices performs a listen-before-talk process and notifies another one of the multiple communication devices (within a close radius) to increase the transmission power of the other one when the listen-before-talk process is successfully completed.

[0018] It should be noted that, depending on the embodiment, the at least two communication devices may consist of, for example, one communication device and another communication device that want to transmit a signal, or at least one other communication device. Thus, depending on the embodiment, if one of the communication devices transmits a signal to at least one other of the communication devices, the signal will be transmitted simultaneously by at least two of the communication devices. For example, the LbT algorithm can be used by a device that currently listens only in the LbT band.

[0019] According to an embodiment, the resource controller may be configured to force channel acquisition for impulse interference, for example by potentially ignoring LBT timeout rules, such as in the case of LBT operation.

[0020] According to an embodiment, the communication system comprises an interference detector configured to detect interference and provide information describing the interferer to a resource controller.The resource controller controls the RF resources taking this information into account.

[0021] Both aspects lead to improvements in SNR that is degraded due to system transmission power limitations, especially for communication systems with real-time requirements. In addition, using mobile devices with detection and positioning capabilities, such interference sources can be discovered, analyzed, and removed.

[0022] An example of this problem is

[0023] - A person walks through the factory hall carrying an RF device that is not in tune with the local system. When the person passes by the device or base station, the SNR of the communication system drops, which may cause communication loss in the system.

[0024] - Devices operating in bands that enforce a listen-before-talk (LBT) scheme operate only at low transmit power to circumvent LBT regulations. This results in low power margin to compensate for shadowing or blocking events (such as a person standing between the base station and the device), which can lead to erroneous data transmissions.

[0025] - The communication system is intentionally disturbed by a nearby source by sending malicious interference (jam). Such an attack may result in a severe degradation of the SNR at the receiver and the loss of the communication system.

[0026] Another embodiment provides a method for a resource controller according to aspect 1 within the described communication system. The method comprises the following steps:

[0027] Detect disruptors and provide information describing them; and

[0028] Consider profiling the interferer and controlling the RF resources of multiple communicating devices.

[0029] Another embodiment provides another method for performing resource control according to aspect 1 in the communication system as described above. The method includes synchronizing at least two communication devices among a plurality of communication devices with respect to their transmission signals so that the transmission signals overlap with each other and / or form a superimposed transmission signal.

[0030] According to an embodiment, the method may be computer-implemented.

[0031] Another embodiment provides a resource controller for aspect 1. Another embodiment provides a resource controller for aspect 2. The implementation of these resource controllers has been discussed in the context of communication systems.

[0032] According to an embodiment, the controller may be part of a user equipment or may be shared by multiple user equipments. This means that an embodiment provides a user equipment that is part of a controller according to aspect 1 or aspect 2 or includes a controller according to aspect 1 or aspect 2. According to another embodiment, the base station may be part of a (shared controller) or include a controller according to aspect 1 or aspect 2.

[0033] Another embodiment provides a communication device configured to transmit a transmit signal without listen-before-talk by using a reduced transmit power level (below a listen-before-talk threshold level), perform listen-before-talk when transmitting, and increase the reduced transmit power level upon successful completion of the listen-before-talk process. According to another embodiment, a method for communication is provided. The method includes:

[0034] - transmitting the transmit signal without the listen-before-talk procedure using a reduced transmit power level below the listen-before-talk threshold power level;

[0035] - implement a listen-before-talk process when sending; and

[0036] - Increase or decrease the transmit power level when the listen-before-talk process is successfully completed. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0037] The embodiments will be discussed below with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which

[0038] Figure 1 A schematic block diagram providing a general overview of a communication system consisting of a base station, a device, and a passing interfering device is shown to illustrate an embodiment according to aspect 1;

[0039] Figure 2a 、 2b A schematic block diagram illustrating the difference in received power of a device (DS) and a base station (BS) having a blocking object and an interference source (IS) is shown to illustrate an embodiment of aspect 1;

[0040] Figure 3a 、3b A schematic block diagram illustrating synchronous retransmission of information is shown to illustrate an embodiment according to aspect 2;

[0041] Figure 4a 、 4b A schematic diagram of a real-time communication system using an LBT mechanism to increase allowed transmission power according to an embodiment (aspect 2) is shown;

[0042] Figure 5a 、 Figure 5b 、 Figure 5c Figure 2 shows a diagram for explaining the forced acquisition of LBT channels to prevent the LBT system from being affected by power (P i ) is a schematic diagram of a predicted interference pulse to illustrate the embodiment.

[0043] Figure 6 A principle block diagram of a wireless system for positioning with coexistence management is shown. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0044] Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be discussed with reference to the accompanying drawings, wherein objects having the same or similar functions are provided with the same reference numerals and their descriptions are therefore mutually applicable and interchangeable.

[0045] Figure 1 A communication system 10 is shown that includes a base station 12 and a plurality of devices 14a-14n. Alternatively, the communication system 10 may include only the plurality of devices 14a-14n.

[0046] Devices 14a-14n communicate with base station 12 using RF resources 20, with signals output by antennas 21 of base station 12 and / or devices 14a-14n. Note that each device 14a-14n and base station 12 may optionally include multiple antennas 21.

[0047] Regarding the communication system 10, it should be noted that, according to an embodiment, the system 10 can be a so-called power-limited transmission system. Here, the individual devices 12, 14a-14n use limited transmit power to avoid a listen-before-talk (LBT) procedure. To reduce latency, the power can be limited during a first period of time before successfully executing the listen-before-talk procedure. In other words, this means that the individual devices 12, 14a-14n successfully acquire a channel that follows the listen-before-talk procedure. Furthermore, it is assumed that the base station 12 and the communication devices 14a-14n are highly synchronized.

[0048] In this case, the interference source 16 is temporarily positioned to interfere with the RF resources 20. For example, the interference source 16 may move along a motion trajectory 16 extending between the devices 14a-14n and the base station. For example, the interference source 16 may perform its own communication using its antenna 21, wherein the RF resources 22 output by the interference source 16 may conflict with the resources 20, for example, with respect to the frequency band used or the time slot used. This may cause problems, for example, in terms of the signal-to-noise ratio (SNR) of the communication 20 between the base station 12 and the devices 14a-14n.

[0049] This paper discusses solutions for improving the signal-to-noise ratio of a transmission power-limited system 10 with or without real-time capabilities. The solution according to aspect 1 provides a special method of resource management based on the identification of interferers 16.

[0050] The illustrated system 10 includes a plurality of devices 14a-14n, for example, three or more. This enables the position of individual members 14a-14n to be measured directly. Otherwise, the starting position of the device can be provided manually. Thus, the system acts as a distributed positioning system. In addition, the system as a whole is configured to detect interferers 16 and determine information describing the interferers, such as power, time, frequency, and space. To this end, the system 10 may include an interference detector, for example, formed as a shared interference detector by a plurality of devices 14a-14n configured to determine interferers and output information.

[0051] For example, the base station 12 or a computer of an interference detector that can be located within the base station 12 can calculate the position and trajectory 16t of the interferer 16 and its channel and channel changes over time. This knowledge allows adaptive resource allocation in time, frequency and space, thereby minimizing the impact of the interferer 16 on the transmission system 10. This resource adaptation can be performed by a resource controller, which can also be located within the base station. Preferably, this function has a sufficiently high update rate for the exchange of interference information between the devices 14a-14n and the base station 12. For example, the communication system 10, such as the UWIN communication system, provides an update rate of 125μs (ranging between 50-250μs or 25-500μs), which allows a position update rate of up to 8000 positions per second. This corresponds to an update rate of every millimeter assuming an interference speed of 30km / h. The system 10 can be used only for the purpose of detecting interference, but typically it also transmits communication information.

[0052] According to an embodiment, information describing interferers or information including measurements performed by individual devices 14a-14n is exchanged via resources 20. For exchanging such control information / measurement information, a portion of resources 20 may be used, wherein another portion may be available for data transmission.

[0053] In the above embodiments, it is assumed that the interference determiner (computing entity) and the resource controller (processor) may be included in the base station 12. However, the entities may be implemented as shared entities. For example, since the interference determiner uses measurements from multiple devices 14a-14n and measurements from the base station 12, it is clear that this entity is implemented as a shared entity. In other words, this means that each of the multiple devices 14a-14n, or at least one device, and the base station 12 detect the received power in the used frequency band and, optionally, in other frequency bands as well (see 22). This detection can be accomplished by analyzing known transmission gaps within the system 10 and / or by directly analyzing fluctuations in received power when the system is active. Information is shared with the system 10 via the established communication link. Similarly, the resource controller may be implemented as a shared entity. To this end, information for controlling measurements, information for transmitting measurement results, and information for controlling resources may be exchanged. In addition to device locations, the system may also exchange channel information between its members 14a-14n to determine the link quality between each individual device 14a-14n and the base station 12. It should be noted that, depending on the embodiment, the base station 12 need not be used. For example, the communication system 10 may be an ad hoc network, such as an ad hoc sensor network without a dedicated base station.With this understanding, it is clear that the resource controller is implemented as a shared controller.

[0054] Distributed analysis is used to distinguish between interferers 16 that synchronously increase the received power of all devices 14a-14n and blocking events that are sources of SNR degradation that typically do not affect all devices 14a-14n. Figure 2a and 2b Description, where Figure 2a A blocking object 16b is shown as a signal attenuator, Figure 2b A interferer 16 is shown adding power to the received signals of all devices 14a-14d.

[0055] 14a and 14b receive and transmit power P t Basically similar power P l (See base station 12), where the received power P of device 14c r This is shown by the received power P r and transmit power P t In other words, this means that the interferer 16b does not necessarily affect all devices 14a to 14c at the same time with the same power. However, the interferer is usually measurable from all devices 14a and 14c and may move, which results in strong interference at all devices for a period of time. The impact on all devices 14a and 14c is shown in Figure 1. Figure 2bAs shown in FIG. 1 , the interferer 16a adds additional power to the transmitted signal. Here, it is assumed that only the interferer 16a adds power, which can be received by the three devices 14a to 14c and the base station 12. All entities receive the signal. For example, this measurement can be made during a transmit burst of the base station 12 or when the base station 12 uses a different frequency band. If simultaneous transmissions by the interferer 16a and the base station 12 occur within the same frequency band, the power level will be different from the expected power level or the power level of the base station 12. Figure 3a Compared to the power levels shown, devices 14a to 14c will receive a significantly increased power level P r .

[0056] To allow this type of coordinated search for interference sources 16a, 16b, a common profile for interference detection is used independently in devices 14a-14c and BS 12, but can also be centrally coordinated by BS 12 or requested by another device 14a-14c.

[0057] Detected interference sources 16a, 16b can be characterized by, for example, power, location, speed, cycle time, duty cycle, etc. Using this characterization, the BS can coordinate resources across time, frequency, and space to avoid the effects of the interference. This is accomplished by predicting the behavior of the interferer and rearranging resources for optimal performance. Adaptive resource allocation is particularly important in the case of pulsed interference, as its brief and intense power generation cannot be compensated for without prediction. As a benefit, the system provides the location of interference sources that may not be known in advance. This enables spatial avoidance of these sources.

[0058] According to an embodiment, interferer determination is performed by evaluating the signal strength of the signal power received by devices 14a-14c and 12, wherein the difference between the signals enables position determination based on triangulation. According to a further embodiment, motion detection is also possible when evaluating the signal strength, and in particular the variation of the signal strength over time (i.e., over multiple frames).

[0059] The same applies to the detection of blockage 16b, which is characterized by channel / attenuation, location, speed, cycle time, duty cycle, etc. The BS can coordinate system resources in time, frequency, and space to avoid the effects of blockage. The behavior of blocking events can be predicted so that resources can be rearranged for optimal performance.

[0060] about Figure 3a and 3b , an embodiment according to aspect 2 will be discussed.

[0061] Figure 3a and 3bMultiple transmissions are shown for transmitting a data packet from base station 12 to device 14c. The signal transmitted by base station 12 is received by all devices 14a, 14b, and 14c, wherein device 14c receives the signal and is activated, as shown in FIG. r The power level is shown. The reason is that the object 16b is blocked. Here, it should be noted that, for example, communication can be carried out without LBT, so the sending power level P t is limited, for example, by the so-called LBT threshold, so that the received signal P at the device 14c cannot be improved by increasing the power r . Therefore, another approach is to Figure 3b discussed in the context of .

[0062] Figure 3b 14a, 14b and 14c. t superimposed on each other, so that the received power P at device 14c r High enough, as shown in the figure P r This is without increasing the signal transmission power P t In the case of completion, from the base station P in Figure 3 t and Figure 3b P of devices 14a, 14b and 12 t It can be seen from the comparison. It should be noted that Figure 3b It can be explained in Figure 3a The situation at the time point after the time point of the situation.

[0063] In other words, this means that this principle uses the synchronicity of the system 10 to overcome power and SNR limitations. The information / data shown is sent to a configured number of devices, here 14a and 14b (see Figure 3a and base station 12). These devices 14a, 14b and 12 then retransmit the information synchronously. The transmission can take into account propagation delays due to location, channel or ADC and achieve a constructive superposition of power at the target receiver. In addition, this power combining can be enhanced by using FEC coding with hybrid HARQ and incremental redundancy. This allows compensating for the attenuation effects due to the blocker 16b, overcoming the power of the interferer and generally improving the received signal-to-noise ratio under power limitations, for example, by LBT schemes. In addition, this method can be used to combine power at interfering LBT devices to prevent LBT acquisition of the channel. Moreover, it follows the LBT regulations and this approach provides significant benefits in non-public corporate locations.

[0064] It should be noted that in Figure 3a and Figure 3b Aspect 2 discussed in the context of Figure 1 、 Figure 2a and Figure 2b This is combined with aspect 1 discussed above. The background is that, according to an embodiment, the location of interferers / blockers is used to determine which devices are used for synchronization transmission. Furthermore, the location of the signaling device can be used to determine the delay or other parameters to be applied.

[0065] In the case of LBT scheme, another aspect according to another embodiment is proposed. The real-time system considered follows the power limit of LBT and the transmission is below the LBT threshold. The LBT threshold LBTT is as follows Figure 4b shown.

[0066] Figure 4a shows the transmissions of the LBT system, here transmission 1 and transmission 2, and Figure 4b The transmission of the real-time transmission system is shown. This real-time transmission system uses different power levels depending on the current LBT situation, which will be discussed below.

[0067] Figure 4a It is shown that the LBT system transmission is performed in the first and fifth frames (see FR1 and FR5). During these frames FR1 and FR5, the transmission of the other system is performed at low power, that is, power lower than LBTT. During frame 2, that is, after LBT system transmission 1, the other system can perform LBT channel acquisition, thereby performing high-power real-time transmission in frame 3. Thereafter, the channel is acquired for LBT system transmission 2 during FR4. Therefore, the other system can use low power during frames FR4 and FR5, as shown in FIG. Figure 4b Note that during frames FR1 and FR5 (low power frames), other systems can use high power which is not limited by the protocol used.

[0068] This means that the system according to aspect 2, also referred to as a real-time system, can perform the following communication method.

[0069] The real-time system considered adheres to the LBT power limits and transmits below the LBT threshold. However, at the same time, the use of the LBT system is analyzed and, where possible, the LBT process is applied to access the LBT channel. Once the LBT guard band is acquired, the transmit power is increased as permitted by regulations. This occurs only within the permitted channel acquisition time, after which the power is reduced again to enable other systems to acquire the channel. This increase in transmit power can further enhance range or data rate.

[0070] According to a further embodiment, a real-time system with high temporal resolution is able to detect the presence of impulse interference (see aspect 1). Figure 5a 、 5b and 5c. Figure 5ashows the transmission of the LBT system, Figure 5b for transmission of said real-time system with an early acquisition phase, wherein Figure 5c A single pulse within frame FR3 is shown.

[0071] If temporal characterization is achieved and its behavior is successfully predicted, the system will be able to notify interferers to devices whose predictions were unsuccessful. Furthermore, in the case of LBT operation, the system can potentially ignore LBT timeout rules to force channel acquisition before a pulse interference. The result is twofold. On the one hand, the real-time system reliably acquires the channel and continues transmitting while processing the pulse. On the other hand, the LBT system is prevented from entering the interfered channel, which could result in retransmissions. This process can be extended to externally controlled coordination of the LBT system. Note that, as mentioned above, ignoring LBT regulations is justifiable in a non-public network on corporate premises.

[0072] like Figure 6 As shown, all considered aspects can be solved by the resource controller.

[0073] Figure 6 A controller 15 is shown, for example, implemented in a base station 12 or device 14. The controller 15 includes a positioning determiner configured to determine interference and detect its location. In this positioning, the entity is marked with reference numeral 52 (also referred to as interference detector 52). In addition, the resource controller includes a coexistence management controller marked with reference numeral 54. This coexistence management controller uses the methods discussed in the context of FIG. 2, whether with or without LBT aspects, or uses information from the positioning entity 52 to determine resources.

[0074] The system can consist of multiple nodes, which can act as base stations or devices. The node's resource controller contains a positioning unit that processes all location-related information. It uses the RX signal to determine the location and channel characteristics of other nodes and provides information to be transmitted to other nodes in the system. For example, this information includes local synchronization deviation, sampling offset, local time, processing delay, and / or network information such as known (or calculated) position / channel information or control / status information for distributed positioning calculations.

[0075] The resource controller also contains a coexistence management unit, which analyzes the received signal and noise about other wireless communication systems, such as IEEE 802.11, such as impulse noise generated by microwave ovens, arc welding, etc. It characterizes the type of system and provides information on how to react accordingly. In the case of a detected LBT system, it provides methods for (modified) channel acquisition, as described above. At the same time, the coexistence management unit performs interference prediction. The resource controller uses this knowledge to adjust the resources for coding, modulation, time, space and frequency. In addition, it also processes the relay capabilities of other nodes and allocates local capacity to optimize data transmission within the system.

[0076] In summary, according to various aspects of the present invention, an interference detector can be used to perform a listen-before-talk process while transmitting at a reduced power. Subsequently, after successful LBT channel acquisition, the transmit power can be increased. According to another aspect, the interference detector can determine, track, and predict the location of the interferer and adjust resources, such as power, accordingly. For example, power can be reduced or simultaneous transmissions with the interferer can be avoided. Because the system can predict the interferer and its movement, the described behavior can continue even if the interferer is unexpectedly turned off. According to another aspect, if the system uses power combining, this can cause an increase in power at the receiver, thereby causing the signal-to-noise ratio (SNR) at the receiver to exceed the limits of what is possible with a single device transmitting. According to another aspect, due to the listen-before-talk algorithm, the system power can fluctuate based on further activity. For example, a listen-before-talk process can be performed to increase power, and then reduced again if the listen-before-talk algorithm identifies another entity, i.e., another device or very high interfering power. If the system identifies a pulsed interferer, the system can synchronize its transmit power by avoiding pulses or by surrounding pulses. The latter may mean higher transmit power, alternative modulation coding, or scheduling data transmissions around the time of the interference (e.g., avoiding transmitting during the interference).

[0077] Potential use cases for the above aspects are:

[0078] Overall: Ultra-reliable communication system for real-time applications.

[0079] Automated guided vehicles (AGVs) with robots installed in the factory. This means that all fixed devices can be considered as mobile interference.

[0080] A troubleshooting system to eliminate interference in wireless communication setups.

[0081] Cable replacement and more flexible installation, for example at production sites.

[0082] Wireless control system

[0083] Although some aspects are described in the context of an apparatus, it is clear that these aspects also represent descriptions of corresponding methods, where blocks or devices correspond to method steps or features of method steps. Similarly, aspects described in the context of method steps also represent descriptions of corresponding blocks or items or features of corresponding apparatus. Some or all of the method steps can be performed by (or using) hardware devices, such as microprocessors, programmable computers, or electronic circuits. In some embodiments, one or more of the most important method steps can be performed by such devices.

[0084] Depending on certain implementation requirements, embodiments of the present invention may be implemented in hardware or software. The implementation may be performed using a digital storage medium, such as a floppy disk, DVD, Blu-ray, CD, ROM, PROM, EPROM, EEPROM, or flash memory, which has electronically readable control signals stored thereon that cooperate (or are capable of cooperating) with a programmable computer system to perform the corresponding method. Thus, the digital storage medium may be computer-readable.

[0085] Some embodiments according to the invention comprise a data carrier having electronically readable control signals, which are capable of cooperating with a programmable computer system, such that one of the methods described herein is performed.

[0086] Generally, embodiments of the present invention can be implemented as a computer program product with a program code, the program code being operative for performing one of the methods when the computer program product runs on a computer.The program code may, for example, be stored on a machine-readable carrier.

[0087] Other embodiments comprise the computer program for performing one of the methods described herein, stored on a machine readable carrier.

[0088] In other words, an embodiment of the inventive method is, therefore, a computer program having a program code for performing one of the methods described herein, when the computer program runs on a computer.

[0089] A further embodiment of the inventive method is, therefore, a data carrier (or a digital storage medium, or a computer-readable medium) comprising, recorded thereon, the computer program for performing one of the methods described herein. The data carrier, digital storage medium or recorded medium is typically tangible and / or non-transitory.

[0090] A further embodiment of the inventive method is, therefore, a data stream or a sequence of signals representing the computer program for performing one of the methods described herein.The data stream or the sequence of signals may, for example, be configured to be transmitted via a data communication connection, for example via the Internet.

[0091] A further embodiment comprises a processing means, for example a computer or a programmable logic device, configured to or adapted to perform one of the methods described herein.

[0092] A further embodiment comprises a computer having installed thereon the computer program for performing one of the methods described herein.

[0093] A further embodiment according to the invention comprises an apparatus or system configured to transfer (for example, electronically or optically) a computer program for performing one of the methods described herein to a receiver. For example, the receiver may be a computer, a mobile device, a memory device, etc. The apparatus or system may, for example, comprise a file server for transferring the computer program to the receiver.

[0094] In some embodiments, a programmable logic device (e.g., a field programmable gate array) can be used to perform some or all of the functions of the methods described herein. In some embodiments, the field programmable gate array can collaborate with a microprocessor to perform one of the methods described herein. Generally, the methods are preferably performed by any hardware device.

[0095] The embodiments described above are merely illustrative of the principles of the present invention. It should be understood that modifications and variations of the arrangements and details described herein will be apparent to those skilled in the art. Accordingly, it is intended that the present invention be limited only by the scope of the appended claims and not by the specific details provided by way of description and explanation of the embodiments herein.

Claims

1. A communication system comprising: a plurality of communication devices (12, 14a, 14b, 14c, 14n) communicating with each other by using RF resources; A resource controller (50) configured to control RF resources; as well as an interference detector (52) configured to detect an interferer and provide information describing the interferer to a resource controller (50), wherein the information includes information about the interferer's location and / or communication resources, time resources, frequency resources, spatial resources, duty cycle, and / or transmit power; wherein the resource controller (50) controls RF resources of the plurality of communication devices (12, 14a, 14b, 14c, 14n) taking into account the information describing the interferer; wherein the jammer detector (52) is configured to distinguish between a jammer that superimposes RF power on all devices (12, 14a, 14b, 14c, 14n) and a jamming event that affects at least one of the plurality of communicating devices (12, 14a, 14b, 14c, 14n), and / or wherein the jammer detector (52) is configured to determine a trajectory and / or movement of the jammer based on the determination over one or more frames.

2. The communication system according to claim 1, wherein the control of RF resources is performed so that there is no conflict between the RF resources used by the interferer and the RF resources controlled by the resource controller (50) and / or the impact of the interferer on the communication between the plurality of communication devices (12, 14a, 14b, 14c, 14n) is minimized.

3. The communication system of claim 1 , wherein the interference detector ( 52 ) is implemented as a shared interference detector ( 52 ) that uses at least two transceivers of the plurality of communication devices ( 12 , 14 a , 14 b , 14 c , 14 n ) for measurement; or in, The interference detector (52) is implemented as a shared interference detector (52) using at least two transceivers of a plurality of communication devices (12, 14a, 14b, 14c, 14n) for measurements, wherein information is shared between the plurality of communication devices (12, 14a, 14b, 14c, 14n) to implement the shared interference detector (52), and / or wherein control information for controlling measurements performed by the transceivers for detecting interferers is exchanged.

4. The communication system according to claim 1, wherein: The superimposed RF power of an interferer is determined when all of the plurality of communication devices (12, 14a, 14b, 14c, 14n) receive the interferer within the used frequency band or another frequency band; or wherein a blocking event is determined when the RF signal received by at least one device (12, 14a, 14b, 14c, 14n) is reduced in strength and / or quality compared to the RF signals received by the other communication devices (12, 14a, 14b, 14c, 14n). The communication system according to claim 1 , wherein the resource control is implemented as a shared controller.

6. The communication system according to claim 1, wherein the communication system comprises an ad hoc network and / or an ad hoc sensor network.

7. The communication system according to claim 1, wherein at least one communication device (14a, 14b, 14c, 14n) is formed by a base station (12) of the communication system.

8. The communication system of claim 1, wherein the jammer detector (52) is configured to detect and / or locate a jammer.

9. The communication system of claim 1 , wherein each or at least two of the communication devices ( 12 , 14 a , 14 b , 14 c , 14 n ) transmits a transmit signal without following the listen-before-talk procedure by using a reduced transmit power level that is below a listen-before-talk threshold power level.

10. The communication system according to claim 1, wherein: A plurality of communication devices (12, 14a, 14b, 14c, 14n) communicate within a frequency band that requires a listen-before-talk procedure to acquire a channel.

11. The communication system of claim 1 , wherein at least one of the plurality of communication devices ( 12 , 14 a , 14 b , 14 c , 14 n ) is configured to perform a listen-before-talk procedure when transmitting and / or to increase transmit power upon successful completion of the listen-before-talk procedure; or in, At least one of the plurality of communication devices (12, 14a, 14b, 14c, 14n) is configured to perform a listen-before-talk procedure and notify another device of the plurality of communication devices (12, 14a, 14b, 14c, 14n) to increase the transmission power of the other device when the listen-before-talk procedure is successfully completed.

12. The communication system according to claim 1, wherein: The resource controller (50) is configured to force channel acquisition to prevent impulse interference.

13. The communication system according to claim 1, wherein: The resource controller (50) comprises a HARQ or HRQ controller.

14. A method for resource control in a communication system comprising a plurality of communication devices (12, 14a, 14b, 14c, 14n) communicating with each other by using RF resources, the method comprising the steps of: Detecting disruptors and providing information describing the disruptors; and controlling RF resources of a plurality of communication devices (12, 14a, 14b, 14c, 14n) taking into account information describing an interferer; wherein the information includes information about the interferer's location and / or communication resources, time resources, frequency resources, spatial resources, duty cycle, and / or transmit power; Distinguishing between a jammer that superimposes RF power for all devices (12, 14a, 14b, 14c, 14n) and a jamming event that affects at least one of the plurality of communicating devices (12, 14a, 14b, 14c, 14n) and / or determining a trajectory and / or movement of the jammer based on the determination over one or more frames.

15. A resource controller (50) for a communication system comprising a plurality of communication devices (12, 14a, 14b, 14c, 14n) communicating with each other using RF resources, the resource controller comprising: a resource controller (50) configured to control RF resources and an interference detector (52) configured to detect an interferer and provide information describing the interferer to the resource controller (50), wherein the resource controller (50) controls resources of the plurality of devices (12, 14a, 14b, 14c, 14n) taking into account the information describing the interferer; wherein the information includes information about the location of the interferer and / or communication resources, time resources, frequency resources, spatial resources, duty cycle, and / or transmit power; wherein the jammer detector (52) is configured to distinguish between a jammer that superimposes RF power on all devices (12, 14a, 14b, 14c, 14n) and a jamming event that affects at least one of the plurality of communicating devices (12, 14a, 14b, 14c, 14n), and / or wherein the jammer detector (52) is configured to determine a trajectory and / or movement of the jammer based on the determination over one or more frames.

16. A user equipment (14) comprising a resource controller according to claim 15.

17. A base station (12) comprising a resource controller according to claim 15.

18. A computer-readable storage medium having stored thereon a program for executing the method according to claim 14 when run on a computer.

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