Interference mitigation by adjustment of interconnect transmission characteristics

• US 20070141992A1
• Filed: 02/13/2007
• Published: 06/21/2007
• Est. Priority Date: 07/30/2003
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Alan Waltho, Andrew Martwick, David Xu, Ravid Shmuel, Seh Kwa
• Original Assignee: Alan Waltho, Andrew Martwick, David Xu, Ravid Shmuel, Seh Kwa
• Inventors: Xu, David, Shmuel, Ravid, Kwa, Seh, Waltho, Alan, Martwick, Andrew
• Granted Patent: US 7,801,488 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 455/63.100
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 15/02 Reducing interference from electric apparatus by means located at or near the interfering apparatus
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 2215/067 by modulation dispersion

Abstract

Interference within a wireless apparatus is mitigated by adjusting one or more transmission characteristics associated with an interconnect of the apparatus. In at least one embodiment, the interconnect is a PCI Express interconnect.

Claims

1. An apparatus comprising:

a wireless transceiver;

an interconnect coupling at least a first component and a second component; and

a controller to;

determine whether interference mitigation should be performed to reduce interference generated by said interconnect that is affecting operation of said wireless transceiver; and

change a data rate of said interconnect from a first rate to a second rate in response to a determination that interference mitigation should be performed and change said data rate from said second rate back to said first rate a predetermined time period later.

2. The apparatus of claim 1, further comprising:

an input node to carry a first data signal having a first frequency;

a frequency divider coupled to said input node to generate a second data signal having a frequency that is a fraction of said first frequency;

a multiplexer having a first input coupled to said input node and a second input coupled to an output of said frequency divider to controllably connect either said first data signal or said second data signal to said interconnect in response to a control signal from said controller.

3. The apparatus of claim 1, further comprising:

at least one dipole antenna coupled to said wireless transceiver.

4. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein:

said controller also adjusts a slew rate of said interconnect in response to said determination.

5. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein:

said controller determines that interference mitigation should be performed based on a wireless application presently being executed.

6. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein:

said controller determines that interference mitigation should be performed based on detection of interference energy that exceeds a predetermined level.

7. An apparatus comprising:

a wireless transceiver;

a PCI Express bus; and

a controller to;

determine whether interference mitigation should be performed to reduce interference affecting operation of said wireless transceiver that is generated by said PCI Express bus; and

adjust a data rate associated with said PCI Express bus in response to a determination to perform interference mitigation, said controller to extract a data rate identifier from a PCI Express training sequence received via said PCI Express bus and use said data rate identifier to determine a new data rate for said PCI Express bus.

8. The apparatus of claim 7, further comprising:

at least one dipole antenna coupled to said wireless transceiver.

9. The apparatus of claim 7, wherein:

said controller is to also adjust a slew rate of said PCI Express bus in response to a determination to perform interference mitigation.

10. The apparatus of claim 7, wherein:

said controller is to determine from said data rate identifier whether a source of said PCI Express training sequence supports a wireless extension data rate and use said wireless extension data rate on said PCI Express interconnect when said source of said PCI Express training sequence and a recipient of said PCI Express training sequence both support said wireless extension data rate.

11. The apparatus of claim 10, wherein:

said controller is to identify a highest data rate supported by both said source and said recipient of said PCI Express training sequence when said source does not support said wireless extension data rate.

12. An apparatus comprising:

a wireless transceiver;

a PCI Express bus; and

a controller to;

determine whether interference mitigation should be performed for said wireless transceiver to reduce interference generated by said PCI Express bus; and

send a handshake message on said PCI Express bus requesting a new data rate, using a PCI Express messaging protocol, when a determination to perform interference mitigation has been made.

13. The apparatus of claim 12, further comprising:

at least one dipole antenna coupled to said wireless transceiver.

14. The apparatus of claim 12, wherein:

said controller is to send another handshake message requesting a different new data rate, using said PCI Express messaging protocol, when a negative response is received to a previous handshake message.