Method and Apparatus for Determining a Receiver Beam in a Co-existence Cognitive Radio

In any communication system that involves multiple users sharing the same channel, interference is a major challenge. It can degrade signal integrity and also limit the capacity of the system. The need to develop innovative solutions to mitigate interference while optimizing performance is a key requirement in the communications field. Currently, dealing with multi-user interference is often inefficient and problematic. Existing solutions may not account for signal direction or potential obstructions and may not effectively suppress the interference from multiple users, resulting in a loss of data integrity and transmission quality. Hence, there is a pressing need for an efficient, reliable approach to handling interference in multi-user communication environments.

Technology Description

This technology is a method to mitigate interference in a communication channel populated by multiple users. The method determines a starting angle based on the direction of a desired signal of interest (SOI). It then steers a beam away from this starting angle in opposite directions on an iterative basis, calculating a grade for each new orientation of the beam. The beam at the grade-assessed angle is chosen as the receiving beam, which then receives the signal. Finally, the SOI is decoded from the one or more interfering signals using a technique known as successive interference cancellation multi-user detection (SIC MUD). The distinguishing feature of this technology is its novel approach in handling channel interference. By iteratively steering a beam and employing SIC MUD, the technology offers efficient interference mitigation. This approach ensures that beam steering is not locked into a single, potentially obstructed direction, thereby optimizing signal reception. The application of SIC MUD as a final decoding step enhances the overall multi-user interference mitigation, making this method a novel solution to interference.