Systems and methods for evaluating electromagnetic interference

• US 20070236207A1
• Filed: 05/31/2007
• Published: 10/11/2007
• Est. Priority Date: 12/20/2004
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Dell Products LP (Dell Technologies Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Dell Products LP (Dell Technologies Inc.)
• Inventors: Thomason, Gary
• Granted Patent: US 7,550,961 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 324/96
• CPC Class Codes: G01R 31/002 where the device under test is an electronic circuit

Abstract

Systems and methods for evaluating electromagnetic interference that may be employed, for among other things, to evaluate electronic system immunity to radiated electromagnetic fields and/or to identify particular electronic system areas that are susceptible to electromagnetic radiation.

Claims

1. A method of evaluating electromagnetic interference with operation of an electronic device, comprising:

producing an electromagnetic transmit signal;

supplying said electromagnetic transmit signal to a test wand antenna to cause said test wand antenna to emit electromagnetic radiation;

sweeping said test wand antenna in close proximity to one or more internal electronic components of said electronic device at the same time said test antenna is emitting said electromagnetic radiation;

exercising said one or more electronic components of said electronic device while said electronic components are exposed to the near field of said electromagnetic radiation emitted by said test antenna; and

monitoring the function of said one or more electronic components of said electronic device during said step of sweeping.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein said electromagnetic transmit signal comprises a radio frequency (“

RF”

) transmit signal; and

further comprising performing said method a plurality of times, a frequency of said RF transmit signal being different for each of said plurality of times.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein said electronic device comprises an information handling system, and wherein said electromagnetic transmit signal comprises a RF transmit signal.

4. The method of claim 3, wherein said method is performed to evaluate interference with said electronic device by electromagnetic radiation generated by a given type of wireless device;

and wherein said electromagnetic transmit signal is selected to match the frequency, field level, and modulation characteristics of electromagnetic radiation generated by said given type of wireless device.

5. The method of claim 4, wherein said test wand antenna is tuned to a wavelength for the frequency band of said wireless device.

6. The method of claim 4, wherein said electronic device comprises an information handling system;

and wherein said given type of wireless device comprises a GSM wireless card for said information handling system.

7. The method of claim 6, further comprising sweeping said test wand antenna at the same time said test antenna is emitting said electromagnetic radiation at a distance from said one or more internal electronic components of said information handling system that is substantially equivalent to the distance that said GSM wireless card is operatively disposed from said one or more internal electronic components during operation of said information handling system.

8. The method of claim 4, further comprising generating an electromagnetic signal from an electromagnetic signal source;

adjusting said electromagnetic signal generated by said electromagnetic signal source to produce said electromagnetic transmit signal in a manner to match the frequency, field level, and modulation characteristics of electromagnetic radiation generated by said given type of wireless device; and

supplying said electromagnetic transmit signal to said test wand antenna via a wire.

9. A method of evaluating electromagnetic interference with operation of an electronic device, comprising:

producing an electromagnetic transmit signal;

supplying said electromagnetic transmit signal to a localized field probe to cause said localized field probe to emit a localized field of electromagnetic radiation;

holding said localized field probe with a human hand in close proximity to at least one electronic component of an electronic device at the same time said localized field probe is emitting said localized field of electromagnetic radiation;

exercising said at least one electronic component of said electronic device while said at least one electronic component is exposed to the near field of said localized field of electromagnetic radiation emitted by said localized field probe; and

monitoring a functionality of said electronic device while said at least one electronic component is exposed to said near field of said localized field of electromagnetic radiation emitted by said localized field probe.

10. The method of claim 9, wherein said electronic device comprises an information handling system, and wherein said electromagnetic transmit signal comprises a radio frequency (“

RF”

) transmit signal.

11. The method of claim 10, wherein said method is performed to evaluate interference with said electronic device by electromagnetic radiation generated by a given type of wireless device;

and wherein said electromagnetic transmit signal is selected to match the frequency, field level, and modulation characteristics of electromagnetic radiation generated by said given type of wireless device.

12. The method of claim 11, wherein said electronic device comprises an information handling system;

and wherein said given type of wireless device comprises a GSM wireless card for said information handling system.

13. The method of claim 11, further comprising generating an electromagnetic signal from an electromagnetic signal source;

adjusting said electromagnetic signal generated by said electromagnetic signal source to produce said electromagnetic transmit signal in a manner to match the frequency, field level, and modulation characteristics of electromagnetic radiation generated by said given type of wireless device; and

supplying said electromagnetic transmit signal to said localized field probe via a wire.

14. A method of evaluating electromagnetic interference with operation of an electronic device, comprising:

producing an electromagnetic transmit signal;

supplying said electromagnetic transmit signal to a direct injection field probe;

contacting said direct injection field probe with at least one circuit of said electronic device to directly inject said electromagnetic transmit signal into said at least one circuit of said electronic device;

exercising said at least one circuit of said electronic device while directly injecting said electromagnetic transmit signal into said at least one circuit of said electronic device; and

monitoring a functionality of said electronic device while directly injecting said electromagnetic transmit signal into said at least one circuit of said electronic device.

15. The method of claim 14, wherein said electronic device comprises an information handling system, and wherein said electromagnetic transmit signal comprises a radio frequency (“

RF”

) transmit signal.

16. The method of claim 15, wherein said method is performed to evaluate interference with said electronic device by electromagnetic radiation generated by a given type of wireless device;

and wherein said electromagnetic transmit signal is selected to match the frequency, field level, and modulation characteristics of electromagnetic radiation generated by said given type of wireless device.

17. The method of claim 16, wherein said electronic device comprises an information handling system;

and wherein said given type of wireless device comprises a GSM wireless card for said information handling system.

18. The method of claim 16, further comprising generating an electromagnetic signal from an electromagnetic signal source;

adjusting said electromagnetic signal generated by said electromagnetic signal source to produce said electromagnetic transmit signal in a manner to match the frequency, field level, and modulation characteristics of electromagnetic radiation generated by said given type of wireless device; and

supplying said electromagnetic transmit signal to said direct injection field probe via a wire.

19. An electromagnetic interference test system, comprising:

an electromagnetic signal source; and

a hand held test antenna, said hand held test antenna comprising at least one of a test wand antenna, a localized field probe, or a direct injection field probe.

20. The system of claim 19, wherein said electromagnetic signal source is coupled to said hand held test antenna via a wire;

and wherein said electromagnetic signal source is configured to supply an electromagnetic transmit signal to said localized field probe via said wire.

21. The system of claim 20, wherein said electromagnetic transmit signal comprises a radio frequency (“

RF”

) transmit signal; and

wherein said electromagnetic transmit signal is selected to match the frequency, field level, and modulation characteristics of electromagnetic radiation generated by a given type of wireless device.

22. The system of claim 21, wherein said given type of wireless device comprises a GSM wireless card for an information handling system.

23. A method of evaluating electromagnetic interference with operation of an electronic device, comprising:

producing an electromagnetic transmit signal;

supplying said electromagnetic transmit signal to a test wand antenna to cause said test wand antenna to emit electromagnetic radiation;

moving said test wand antenna in close proximity to one or more internal electronic components of said electronic device at the same time said test antenna is emitting said electromagnetic radiation;

exercising said one or more electronic components of said electronic device while said electronic components are exposed to the near field of said electromagnetic radiation emitted by said test antenna;

monitoring the function of said one or more electronic components of said electronic device during said step of moving; and

further comprising monitoring the function of said one or more electronic components of said electronic device to identify at least one functionality of said electronic device that is susceptible to said electromagnetic radiation, and then performing a localized field probe test on at least one electronic component associated with said at least one identified functionality of said electronic device to identify at least one electronic component that is susceptible to said electromagnetic radiation.