Method and apparatus for determining signal transmission quality levels of a transmitted signal
AssigneeMotorola, Inc.
InventorsPatrick J. Marry, David C. Schuster, Adam F. Gould
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
An apparatus, and associated method, for determining signal transmission quality levels of a discretely-encoded information signal received by a receiver. The signal strength of the received signal is calculated, and the levels of interference introduced upon the information signal is determined. The value of the signal strength is weighted by the amount of interference introduced upon the information signal. The resultant weighted signal forms the signal transmission quality level. The value of the signal transmission quality level is displayed to provide a user with a quantitative indication of the signal transmission quality level of the signal received by the receiver.
Claims17
An apparatus for calculating and displaying signal transmission quality level of a wireless information bearing communications signal comprised of sequences of encoded data transmitted between a transmitter and a receiver, said apparatus comprising:
- means for measuring signal level magnitudes of the signal transmitted between the transmitter and the receiver to form a received-signal strength value;
- means for determining bit errors introduced upon the communications signal transmitted between the transmitter and the receiver to form an interference level value;
- means, when the levels of interference indicate no bit errors, for scaling the received-signal strength value formed by said means for measuring by a scale factor to provide a signal transmission quality level value representative of quality levels of the signal transmission between the transmitter and the receiver and, when the levels of interference indicate bit errors, for mutiplying the received-signal strength value by an interference number less than one to produce a product and scaling the product by a scale factor to provide the signal transmission quality level value;
- and
- a display element having display portions operatively coupled to the means for multiplying and scaling for displaying in human perceptible form the signal transmission quality level value formed by said means for multiplying to cause various portions of the display element to turn on responsive to the signal transmission quality level value.
A radio receiver operative to receive modulated signals formed of information bearing communications signals modulated upon a wireless carrier wave and transmitted thereto by a transmitter, said radio receiver comprising:
- means for detecting the modulated signal transmitted by the transmitter and for generating an electrical signal indicative of the modulated signal;
- means for measuring signal level magnitudes of the electrical signal indicative of the modulated signal detected by said means for detecting to form a received-signal strength value;
- means for determining bit errors introduced upon the modulated signal during transmission thereto to form an interference level value;
- means for, when the levels of interference indicate no bit errors, scaling the received-signal strength value formed by the means for measuring by a scale factor to provide a signal transmission quality level value representative of quality levels of signal transmission of the modulated signal transmitted by the transmitter and, when the levels of interference indicate bit errors, for mutiplying the received-signal strength value by an interference number less than one to produce a producer and scaling the product by a scale factor to provide the signal transmission quality level value;
- and
- a display element operatively coupled to the means for multiplying and scaling for displaying in human perceptible form the signal transmission quality level value formed by said means for multiplying and scaling.
In a radio transceiver having transmitter circuitry and receiver circuitry, the receiver circuitry being operative to receive a wireless information bearing communications signal transmitted thereto by a remotely-positioned transmitter, a combination with the receiver circuitry of apparatus for determining transmission quality levels of the communications signal transmitted by the remotely-positioned transmitter, said apparatus comprising:
- means for measuring signal level magnitudes of the signal transmitted by the remotely-positioned transmitter and the receiver circuitry to form a received-signal strength value;
- means for determining bit errors introduced upon the communications signal transmitted by the remotely-positioned transmitter to the receiver circuitry to form an interference level value;
- means for, when the levels of interference indicate no bit errors, scaling the received-signal strength value formed by said means for measuring by a scale factor to provide a signal transmission quality level value representative of quality levels of the signal transmission between the remotely-positioned transmitter and the receiver circuitry and, when the levels of interference indicate bit errors, for mutiplying the received-signal strength value by an interference number less than one to produce a product and scaling the product by a scale factor to provide the signal transmission quality level value;
- and
- a display element operatively coupled to the means for multiplying and scaling for displaying in human perceptible form the signal transmission quality level value formed by said means for multiplying and scaling.
A method for determining signal transmission quality levels of a wireless information bearing communications signal comprised of sequences of encoded data transmitted between a transmitter and a receiver, said method comprising the steps of:
- (a) measuring signal level magnitudes of the communications signal transmitted between the transmitter and the receiver to form a received-signal strength value;
- (b) determining levels of interference introduced upon the communications signal transmitted between the transmitter and the receiver to form an interference level value;
- (c) when the levels of interference indicate no bit errors, scaling the received-signal strength value formed during said step (a) of measuring by a scale factor to provide a signal transmission quality level value representative of quality levels of the signal transmission between the transmitter and the receiver;
- (d) when the levels of interference indicate bit errors, mutiplying the received signal strength value by an interference number less than one to produce a product and scaling the product by a scale factor to provide the signal transmission quality level value;
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- (e) displaying in human perceptible form using a display element the signal transmission quality level value.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.