Method of monitoring cellular radio channels to avoid adjacent and co-channel interference

Abstract

A method to enhance the quality of cellular radio service is disclosed. Only those channels that have a reduced likelihood of co-channel or adjacent channel interference are allocated. This technique, in addition, allows information to be provided to the operating company of drawbacks with the currently engineered RF environment. In particular, the base station will scan for RSSI readings on its channel and channels adjacent to it. If a RSSI measurement above a predetermined threshold is detected, it is assumed that the base station is intercepting a signal from a mobile that is presently being served by another voice channel on an adjacent cell. If this base station were selected to process a call, it may interfere with the call that is already in progress on the current channel or a call that is in progress on an adjacent channel. The base station will inform the controller when it detects a RSSI reading above the predefined threshold indicating that the possibility for co-channel and adjacent interference exists. It will also inform the controller when the detected RSSI reading has gone back below the predefined threshold indicating that the possibility for co-channel and adjacent interference has ceased. If an idle voice channel reports the possibility of co-channel or adjacent interference, it will not be chosen to process a call until all other voice channels that are not reporting interference are in use. When the voice channel reports that the possibility for co-channel or adjacent channel interference has ceased, it will be returned to its normal priority level to be selected to process a call.

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.