Coexistence Manager for WLAN and Cellular Interference Mitigation
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Solution Overview
Problem
Communication devices face performance degradation due to interference between wireless local area network (WLAN) signals and harmonics of cellular radio signals like LTE/GSM, which existing technologies fail to effectively mitigate.
Innovation Solution
A system and method within a communication device that detects interference between WLAN and cellular signals, using generalized coexistence interfaces to exchange signal parameters and apply notch filters or whitening filters to remove interference, thereby enhancing signal quality.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Adaptability or versatility
If multiple wireless protocols (WLAN and cellular) operate simultaneously in a device, then communication versatility is improved, but signal interference increases causing performance degradation
Solution Approach 1:
A coexistence manager acts as an intermediary between the WLAN radio and cellular radio, receiving signal parameters from both protocols and coordinating their operation to minimize interference. The coexistence manager processes information from both radios and generates control signals that adjust timing and frequency allocation, serving as a mediator that enables both protocols to coexist without severe degradation
Solution Approach 2:
The system dynamically adjusts operating parameters of wireless protocols based on real-time signal conditions. The coexistence manager continuously receives updated signal parameters from both WLAN and cellular radios, and modifies timing advance values and frequency allocations adaptively to maintain optimal performance as interference conditions change
2Reliability
If notch filters are applied to remove cellular harmonics interference, then WLAN signal quality is improved, but device complexity increases due to additional filtering mechanisms
Solution Approach 1:
The system changes operational parameters (timing advance, frequency allocation) to avoid interference conditions rather than relying solely on filtering. By adjusting the timing advance value based on received signal parameters, the system shifts the WLAN transmission timing to avoid overlapping with cellular harmonics, thereby improving signal quality through parameter optimization rather than complex filtering
3Object-affected harmful factors
If signal parameters are exchanged between WLAN and cellular radios via coexistence interfaces, then interference mitigation is improved, but communication overhead increases
Solution Approach 1:
The system exchanges only the essential signal parameters needed for interference mitigation (such as timing, frequency, and power levels) rather than complete signal information. The coexistence manager processes a subset of relevant parameters from both radios to generate control decisions, performing partial information exchange that achieves interference mitigation without excessive overhead
Data Source
AI summary
A device includes circuitry configured to determine characteristics of jammer signals associated with a first wireless protocol of another device. An amount of interference between the jammer signals and a first received signal at the device associated with a second wireless protocol is determined, and the jammer signals are filtered from the second received signal when the amount of interference between the jammer signals and the first received signal is greater than a first predetermined threshold.