Methods and apparatus for mitigating interference between co-located collaborating radios

#The present disclosure relates generally to wireless communication base stations and mobile devices, and more particularly to a method and apparatus for mitigating interference between geographically co-located and spectrally distinct wireless transceivers.

#Hurricanes, tornadoes, floods, and other natural disasters, as well as other life-threatening emergencies, underscore the need for a robust communications infrastructure for use by local, state, and federal emergency response teams. Police departments, fire departments, “911” call centers and other law enforcement personnel increasingly rely upon mobile wireless communication devices (also referred to herein as “user equipment” or “UE”, or radios), typically dash-mounted or hand-held, to coordinate first response and “on scene” rescue efforts with citizens, dispatchers, and fellow public safety organizations.

#The proliferation of cellular telephones and other broadband communication devices oftentimes interfere with radios allocated for public safety applications. For example, digital data transmissions over wired and wireless channels sometimes may be corrupted, for instance, by noise in the link or channel, caused by interference from other transmissions. In order to solve this problem, many communication systems employ error-correction techniques to aid in communication. However, even with error-correction techniques, it may often be impossible to adequately mitigate interference between geographically co-located and spectrally distinct wireless transceivers. Therefore a need exists for a method and apparatus for methods and apparatus for mitigating interference between geographically co-located and spectrally distinct (e.g., operating on different frequencies) wireless transceivers.

#The accompanying figures, where like reference numerals refer to identical or functionally similar elements throughout the separate views, together with the detailed description below, are incorporated in and form part of the specification, and serve to further illustrate embodiments of concepts that include the claimed invention, and explain various principles and advantages of those embodiments.

#FIG. 1 illustrates a portion of the electromagnetic spectrum including bandwidths allocated to public safety applications in accordance with some embodiments.

#FIG. 2 illustrates an exemplary emergency response vehicle and associated base station in accordance with some embodiments.

#Skilled artisans will appreciate that elements in the figures are illustrated for simplicity and clarity and have not necessarily been drawn to scale. For example, the dimensions of some of the elements in the figures may be exaggerated relative to other elements to help to improve understanding of embodiments of the present invention.

#The apparatus and method components have been represented where appropriate by conventional symbols in the drawings, showing only those specific details that are pertinent to understanding the embodiments of the present invention so as not to obscure the disclosure with details that will be readily apparent to those of ordinary skill in the art having the benefit of the description herein.

#In order to address the above-mentioned need, a method and apparatus for mitigating interference between geographically co-located and spectrally distinct wireless transceivers are provided herein. During operation, a wireless radio will determine potential interferers and their scheduling and transmission frequency characteristics. Preferably, these interferers comprise geographically co-located and spectrally distinct wireless transceivers. The wireless transceivers may be co-located user equipment or may reside within the same device. Once potential interferers are determined, a channel quality indicator (CQI) report, comprised of sub-band or wideband components, will be adjusted accordingly to accommodate for any potential interference impacting some or all of the wireless radio's receive band. Because the CQI report will take into effect the identified potential interference, transmissions to the wireless radio will be received more reliably.