Device for reducing wireless interference

• US 20080160920A1
• Filed: 12/28/2006
• Published: 07/03/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 12/28/2006
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Intel Corporation
• Original Assignee: Intel Corporation
• Inventors: Shah, Setul, Tsui, Ernest T.
• Application Number:
  US11/647,940
• Publication Number:
  US 20080160920A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 455/67.13
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 1/1027 assessing signal quality or detecting noise/interference for the received signal

Abstract

A method, apparatus, and system in which a receiver circuit includes an RF power detector, a suppression filter having a band rejection frequency range targeted to suppress interference between a transmitter and the receiver circuit when enabled, and a filter logic to enable and disable the suppression filter while the device is in operation based on a signal strength of a received RF signal. Other embodiments are described.

Claims

1. A device, comprising:

an RF power detector;

a suppression filter having a band rejection frequency range to suppress interference between a transmitter and a receiver circuit when enabled; and

a filter logic to enable and disable the suppression filter while the device is in operation based on a signal strength of a received RF signal.

2. The device of claim 1, further including:

the receiver circuit further includes a communication error detector, and

the filter logic is configured to enable and disable the suppression filter based on the signal strength of the received RF signal in combination with one or more communication errors indicated by the communication error detector.

3. The device of claim 2, wherein the receiver circuit further includes a standard channel filter having a bandpass range targeted to a frequency band for the received RF signal, and additional suppression filters, wherein the suppression filter and each of the additional suppression filters suppress different regulated RF frequency bands;

and the filter logic is further configured to switch between the standard channel filter, the suppression filter and the additional suppression filters based on the signal strength of the received RF signal in combination with the one or more communication errors indicated by the communication error detector.

4. The device of claim 2, wherein the filter logic is configured to enable the suppression filter when interference from an adjacent regulated RF frequency band to the frequency band for the received RF signal is present, wherein the adjacent regulated RF frequency band interference is identified by the communication error detector.

5. The device of claim 1, wherein the receiver circuit has a received signal communication path with a switch that can be activated in order to bypass the suppression filter, wherein the received signal communication path is in parallel to the suppression filter and the filter logic couples to the switch.

6. The device of claim 1, wherein the filter logic is further configured to enable the suppression filter when the RF power detector detects a first RF signal having a signal strength above a preset threshold, wherein the suppression filter suppresses a power level of the first RF signal.

7. The device of claim 6, wherein the filter logic is further configured to enable the suppression filter when a second RF signal detected by the signal detector is of sufficient strength to tolerate filtering out adjacent RF frequency bands without suppressing the received RF signal below a minimum detected level by the RF power detector, the second RF signal having a frequency band that is adjacent to a frequency band of the first RF signal.

8. The device of claim 7, further comprising:

at least one communication error detector having logic to identify whether the second RF signal is of sufficient strength to tolerate filtering out adjacent RF frequency bands.

9. The device of claim 1, wherein the suppression filter is a notch filter with a power level suppression equal to or higher than 10 dB.

10. A method, comprising:

detecting RF signals received in a portable device powered by a direct current power source;

detecting signal strengths for the RF signals;

filtering the RF signals with a first filter mechanism;

beginning filtering of one or more regulated RF frequency bands with an additional filter mechanism when a first RF signal from the detected RF signals having at least a threshold signal strength is detected; and

stopping filtering of the one or more regulated RF frequency bands with the additional filter mechanism when no RF signal having at least the threshold signal strength is detected.

11. The method of claim 10, further comprising:

suppressing a saturation of a receiver circuit when filtering the one or more regulated RF frequency bands with the additional filter mechanism.

12. The method of claim 10, further comprising:

detecting communication errors from the group consisting of a bit rate error above a set threshold, a constellation variance above a set threshold, and a signal to noise ratio below a set threshold; and

beginning filtering of the one or more regulated RF frequency bands when the RF signal having at least the threshold signal strength is detected and when communication errors are present.

13. The method of claim 10, wherein:

the additional filter mechanism includes at least one suppression filter.

14. The method of claim 13, wherein the at least one suppression filter includes a plurality of suppression filters, comprising:

switching between the plurality of suppression filters;

detecting communication errors when each of the suppression filters is separately active; and

determining a suppression filter for which a minimum of communication errors are detected.

15. A system, comprising:

a receiver circuit, having an RF power detector, a suppression filter having a band rejection frequency range targeted to suppress interference between a transmitter and the receiver circuit when enabled, and a filter logic to enable and disable the suppression filter while the device is in operation based on a signal strength of a received RF signal; and

a DC power source, that powers the RF power detector, the suppression filter, and the filter logic.

16. The system of claim 15, further including:

the receiver circuit further includes a communication error detector, and

the filter logic is configured to enable and disable the suppression filter based on the signal strength of the received RF signal in combination with one or more communication errors detected by the communication error detector.

17. The system of claim 16, wherein the receiver circuit further includes a standard channel filter having a bandpass range targeted to a frequency band for the received RF signal, and additional suppression filters, wherein the suppression filter and each of the additional suppression filters suppress different regulated RF frequency bands;

and the filter logic is further configured to switch between the standard channel filter, the suppression filter and the additional suppression filters based on the signal strength of the received RF signal in combination with the one or more communication errors detected by the communication error detector.

18. The system of claim 15, further comprising:

a transceiver circuit that transmits additional regulated RF frequency signals; and

the suppression filter further configured to suppress interference caused by the additional regulated RF frequency signals.

19. The system of claim 15, wherein:

the receiver circuit has a received signal communication path with a switch that can be activated in order to bypass the suppression filter, wherein the received signal communication path is in parallel to the suppression filter and the filter logic couples to the switch.

20. The system of claim 15, further comprising:

a digital TV module that includes the receiver circuit.