Method and apparatus for reducing interference effects caused by microwave sources

• US 6,711,380 B1
• Filed: 05/25/2000
• Issued: 03/23/2004
• Est. Priority Date: 05/25/2000
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Google Technology Holdings LLC (Alphabet Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Motorola, Inc. (Motorola Solutions, Inc.)
• Inventors: Callaway, Edgar Herbert Jr.
• Primary Examiner(s): Chin, Vivian
• Assistant Examiner(s): Persino, Raymond B
• Application Number:
  US09/578,186
• Time in Patent Office: 1,398 Days
• Field of Search: 455/39, 455/73, 455/88, 455/92, 455/63.1, 455/66.1, 455/67.11, 455/67.15, 455/114.2, 455/115.1, 455/151.1, 455/296, 455/41.2, 455/403, 455/500, 455/501, 455/502, 455/507, 455/509, 455/522, 455/550.1, 455/556.1, 219/678, 219/679, 219/702, 219/714, 219/715, 219/716, 219/719, 219/720, 370/347, 370/368, 370/470, 375/346, 375/356, 375/357
• US Class Current: 455/41.2
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 1/1027 assessing signal quality or detecting noise/interference for the received signal
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 16/14 Spectrum sharing arrangements between different networks
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 84/18 Self-organising networks, e.g. ad-hoc networks or sensor networks
• CPC Class Codes: H05B 6/688 for thawing

Abstract

A microwave appliance (10) designed to communicate with a plurality of communication devices (11,13, & 15) within a piconet (30) includes a transmitter (24) for communicating with the plurality of communication devices within the piconet; and a processor (22). The processor is programmed to communicate (102) to a master within the piconet about operating information of the microwave appliance, delay bias (104) to a microwave source within the microwave appliance for a predetermined time upon a user request for microwave appliance operation and then return (108) to a normal operating condition.

Claims

1. A method of microwave source control within an appliance to limit signal interference among a plurality of devices communicating in a piconet, comprising the steps of:

delaying bias to a microwave source within the appliance for a predetermined time; and

communicating with a member of the piconet about operating information of the microwave source upon a request for activation of the microwave source.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the plurality of devices communicating in the piconet operate as master and slaves.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the method further comprises the step of returning the microwave source to a normal operating condition.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the step of delaying bias to the microwave source comprises delaying bias to the microwave source until the microwave source completes communication to the master about its operating information.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the step of communicating further comprises the step of communicating information selected from the group comprising a length of time or times the microwave source is programmed to be active, when the microwave source will begin operation, or the phase of an alternating current cycle the microwave source is operating on.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein the method further comprises the step of communicating with the master of a new status if the appliance is turned off prematurely.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein if the appliance operates as a master of the piconet, then the method further comprises the step of re-organizing the plurality of devices communicating on the piconet by the appliance.

8. The method of claim 7, wherein the step of re-organizing comprises the step of rescheduling communication among the plurality of devices such that communication among the plurality of devices is not scheduled during a noisy half-cycle of operation of the appliance.

9. The method of claim 7, wherein the step of re-organizing comprises the step of placing inactive slaves among the plurality of devices into a hold, park, or sniff mode.

10. The method of claim 1, wherein if the appliance operates as a slave of the piconet, then the method further comprises the step of placing the appliance in a hold, park, or sniff mode while the microwave source is in operation.

11. The method of claim 1, wherein if an appliance having the microwave source operates as a slave of the piconet, then the method further comprises the step of making a request to the master for a change in mode by the appliance and subsequently placing the appliance in a hold, park or sniff mode while the microwave source is operating during a noisy half-cycle.

12. The method of claim 1, wherein the step of communicating operating information of the microwave source comprises the step of detecting phase information applied to a magnetron directly acting as the microwave source.

13. A method of operating a communication device within a piconet that is subject to interference from signals emitted by a microwave oven designed to communicate with the communication device, comprising the steps of:

receiving information from the microwave oven concerning the microwave oven'"'"'s operating parameters; and

adjusting the operation of the communication device based on the information received from the microwave oven to mitigate interference effects.

14. The method of claim 13, wherein the step of receiving information from the microwave oven comprises the step of receiving information selected from the group comprising a length of time the microwave oven is programmed to run, when the microwave oven will begin operation, or the phase of an alternating current cycle the microwave oven is operating on.

15. The method of claim 13, wherein the step of adjusting the operation of the communication device is selected from the group of steps comprising increasing the transmit power of the communication device, synchronizing the piconet operation with the quiet half cycle, operating the communication device only during the quiet half cycle, or placing unneeded devices in the piconet in a low-power mode during a period of quiet half cycle detection.

16. A microwave appliance designed to communicate with a plurality of communication devices within a piconet, comprises:

a transmitter for communicating with the plurality of communication devices within the piconet; and

a processor programmed to;

communicate to a master within the piconet about operating information of the microwave appliance;

delay bias to a microwave source within the microwave appliance for a predetermined time upon a user request for microwave appliance operation; and

return the microwave appliance to a normal operating condition.

17. The microwave appliance of claim 16, wherein the microwave source is selected from the group consisting of a magnetron, a backward wave oscillator, a traveling wave tube, or a klystron.

18. The microwave appliance of claim 16, wherein the microwave appliance further comprises a receiver coupled to the processor.