Patent ID: 7302024

Claim:
A method of detecting impulsive noise in a stream of sets of signal samples in a radio receiver, wherein each of said sets comprises at least one of said samples, said method comprising the steps of: (a) comparing a value based on an amplitude of said at least one sample of each said set with each of a number J of thresholds T j , where J is greater than zero; (b) determining each number n j of said sets in each N j consecutive ones of said sets for which said value is greater than T j for each value of j such that 1≦j≦j; and (c) indicating a noise impulse when each said number n j is greater than a respective first number X j ; wherein: said step (a) is performed for each said set of samples, Si in turn in order of arrival with a first threshold, where i indicates order of arrival; said step (b) compromises determining each said n j from each said N j consecutive sets, of which a most recent is Si; said step (c) compromises indicating a start of said noise impulse when every said n j rises above said respective first number X j and indicating an end of said noise impulse when every said n j falls below a respective number Y j ; and each said second number Y j is smaller than said respective first number X j .