Dynamic noise floors in a wireless device

• US 20050130687A1
• Filed: 04/11/2003
• Published: 06/16/2005
• Est. Priority Date: 04/26/2002
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Qualcomm, Inc.
• Original Assignee: Qualcomm, Inc.
• Inventors: Korb, Clark, Filipovic, Daniel F.
• Granted Patent: US 8,103,301 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 455/522
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 7/005 Control of transmission; Equalising

Abstract

A wireless device configured to support a wireless networking protocol may utilize signal processing techniques that can mitigate the effects of jammer signals. For example, when a measured power associated with a digital sample of a received wireless signal is greater than a threshold, the wireless device may determine if the wireless signal corresponds to a wireless networking packet to be demodulated. If the wireless signal does not correspond to a wireless networking packet to be demodulated, the wireless device may adjust the threshold so that the power associated with the digital sample is less than the threshold. In other words, if the signal is a jammer signal, the wireless device may adjust its noise floor upward so that continuous reception of the same jammer signal does not trigger demodulation a second time.

Claims

1. A method comprising:

receiving a wireless signal;

determining if the wireless signal corresponds to a wireless networking packet to be demodulated when a measured power associated with the wireless signal is greater than a threshold; and

adjusting the threshold so that the power associated with the wireless signal is less than the threshold if the wireless signal does not correspond to a wireless networking packet to be demodulated.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

determining if the wireless signal corresponds to a wireless networking packet to be demodulated when a measured power associated with a digital sample of the wireless signal is greater than a threshold; and

adjusting the threshold so that the power associated with the digital sample of the wireless signal is less than the threshold if the wireless signal does not correspond to a wireless networking packet to be demodulated.

3. The method of claim 2, further comprising determining if the wireless signal corresponds to a wireless networking packet to be demodulated when a measured power associated with another digital sample of the wireless signal is greater than the adjusted threshold.

4. The method of claim 1, further comprising demodulating the wireless signal if the wireless signal corresponds to a wireless networking packet to be demodulated.

5. The method of claim 4, further comprising:

resetting the threshold following demodulation of the wireless signal; and

receiving another wireless signal.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein adjusting the threshold comprises adjusting the threshold when the wireless signal is a jammer signal.

7. The method of claim 1, further comprising continuously adjusting the threshold relative to an average power associated with the received signal.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein the threshold is a upper threshold, the method further comprising continuously adjusting the upper threshold and a lower threshold relative to an average power associated with digital samples of the received signal.

9. The method of claim 8, the method further comprising resetting the upper and lower thresholds when a measured power associated with a digital sample of the wireless signal is less than the adjusted lower threshold.

10. The method of claim 1, wherein determining if the wireless signal corresponds to a wireless networking packet to be demodulated includes processing the wireless signal in one of a plurality of gain states and performing a peak detection algorithm on the wireless signal.

11. The method of claim 10, wherein processing the wireless signal in one of a plurality of gain states comprises adjusting from a first gain state to a second gain state.

12. The method of claim 11, wherein processing the wireless signal in one of a plurality of gain states further comprises adjusting from the second gain state to a third gain state.

13. A method comprising:

receiving a wireless signal;

processing the wireless signal in one of a plurality of gain states;

measuring an average power level associated with a number of digital samples of the wireless signal;

defining upper and lower thresholds relative to the average power level;

determining if the wireless signal is a wireless networking packet to be demodulated when a power level associated with one sample exceeds the upper threshold; and

adjusting the upper threshold so that the power associated with the one sample is less than the upper threshold if the wireless signal does not correspond to a wireless networking packet to be demodulated.

14. The method of claim 14, further comprising resetting the upper and lower thresholds when the power level associated with one sample is less than the lower threshold.

15. The method of claim 14, further comprising continuously defining upper and lower thresholds about an average power level associated with a sliding window of digital samples of the wireless signal.

16. A wireless device comprising:

a receiver that receives a wireless signal; and

a control unit that determines if the wireless signal corresponds to a wireless networking packet to be demodulated when a measured power associated with the wireless signal is greater than a threshold, and adjusts the threshold so that the power associated with the wireless signal is less than the threshold if the wireless signal does not correspond to a wireless networking packet to be demodulated.

17. The wireless device of claim 16, wherein the control unit comprises a modem, the apparatus further comprising an analog-to-digital converter to convert the wireless signal to digital samples, wherein the modem determines if the wireless signal corresponds to a wireless networking packet to be demodulated when a measured power associated with a digital sample of the wireless signal is greater than a threshold, and adjusts the threshold so that the power associated with the digital sample of the wireless signal is less than the threshold if the wireless signal does not correspond to a wireless networking packet to be demodulated.

18. The wireless device of claim 17, wherein the modem determines if the wireless signal corresponds to a wireless networking packet to be demodulated when a measured power associated with another digital sample the wireless signal is greater than the adjusted threshold.

19. The wireless device of claim 16, wherein the control unit demodulates the wireless signal if the wireless signal corresponds to a wireless networking packet to be demodulated.

20. The wireless device of claim 19, wherein the control unit resets the threshold following demodulation of the wireless signal.

21. The wireless device of claim 16, wherein the control unit continuously adjusts the threshold relative to an average power associated with the received signal.

22. The wireless device of claim 16, wherein the threshold is a upper threshold and the control unit continuously adjusts the upper threshold and a lower threshold relative to an average power associated with digital samples of the received signal.

23. The wireless device of claim 22, where the control unit resets the upper and lower thresholds when a measured power associated with a digital sample of the wireless signal is less than the adjusted lower threshold.

24. The wireless device of claim 16, wherein the control unit determines if the wireless signal corresponds to a wireless networking packet to be demodulated by processing the wireless signal in one of a plurality of gain states and performing a peak detection algorithm on the wireless signal.

25. The wireless device of claim 24, wherein the control unit processes the wireless signal in one of a plurality of gain states by adjusting from a first gain state to a second gain state.

26. A wireless device comprising:

a receiver to receive a wireless signal and process the wireless signal in one of a plurality of gain states;

an analog-to-digital converter to convert the wireless signal to digital samples; and

;

a modem to measure an average power level associated with a number of digital samples of the wireless signal, define upper and lower thresholds relative to the average power level, determine if the wireless signal is a wireless networking packet to be demodulated when a power level associated with one sample exceeds the upper threshold, and adjust the upper threshold so that the power associated with the one sample is less than the upper threshold if the wireless signal does not correspond to a wireless networking packet to be demodulated.

27. The wireless device of claim 26, wherein the modem resets the upper and lower thresholds when the power level associated with one sample is less than the lower threshold.

28. The wireless device of claim 26, wherein the modem continuously defines upper and lower thresholds about an average power level associated with a sliding window of digital samples of the wireless signal.

29. A modem comprising:

a power detector to measure an average power level associated with a number of digital samples of the wireless signal and defines upper and lower thresholds relative to the average power level, and

a demodulation unit to determine whether the wireless signal is a wireless networking packet to be demodulated when a power level associated with one sample exceeds the upper threshold, and to demodulate the wireless signal if the wireless signal is a wireless networking packet to be demodulated.

30. The modem of claim 29, wherein the power detector includes a plurality of power detection modules.

31. The modem of claim 29 wherein the modem resets the upper and lower thresholds when the power level associated with one sample is less than the lower threshold.

32. The wireless device of claim 29, wherein the modem continuously defines upper and lower thresholds about an average power level associated with a sliding window of digital samples of the wireless signal.

33. A computer readable medium comprising program code that when executed in a wireless device cause the wireless device to:

determine if a received wireless signal corresponds to a wireless networking packet to be demodulated when a measured power associated with the wireless signal is greater than a threshold; and

adjust the threshold so that the power associated with the wireless signal is less than the threshold if the wireless signal does not correspond to a wireless networking packet to be demodulated.

34. The computer readable medium of claim 33, wherein the program code when executed causes the wireless device to:

determine if the wireless signal corresponds to a wireless networking packet to be demodulated when a measured power associated with a digital sample of the wireless signal is greater than a threshold; and

adjust the threshold so that the power associated with the digital sample of the wireless signal is less than the threshold if the wireless signal does not correspond to a wireless networking packet to be demodulated.

35. An apparatus comprising:

means for determining if a received wireless signal corresponds to a wireless networking packet to be demodulated when a measured power associated with the wireless signal is greater than a threshold; and

means for adjusting the threshold so that the power associated with the wireless signal is less than the threshold if the wireless signal does not correspond to a wireless networking packet to be demodulated.

36. The apparatus of claim 35, further comprising means for receiving the wireless signal.