Determination of antenna noise temperature for handheld wireless devices

• US 7,894,775 B2
• Filed: 03/27/2009
• Issued: 02/22/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 07/01/2005
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Blackberry Limited
• Original Assignee: Research In Motion Limited (Blackberry Limited)
• Inventors: Qi, Yihong, Jarmuszewski, Perry
• Primary Examiner(s): Pan; Yuwen
• Assistant Examiner(s): Nguyen; Hai V
• Application Number:
  US12/412,899
• Publication Number:
  US 20090186589A1
• Time in Patent Office: 697 Days
• Field of Search: 455/226.1, 455/63.1
• US Class Current: 455/63.1
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 1/1027 assessing signal quality or detecting noise/interference for the received signal

Abstract

Antenna noise temperature is determined for a handheld wireless communication device which typically includes a radio, e.g. having a wireless transceiver and associated circuitry connected thereto, and an antenna connected to the radio. The method includes measuring an antenna thermal noise component, measuring a radio noise component, measuring an environmental background noise component, and determining the antenna noise temperature based upon the measured antenna thermal noise, radio noise, and environmental background noise components. The method may include measuring antenna efficiency, and determining further includes weighting at least one of the measured antenna thermal noise, radio noise and environmental background noise components based upon the measured antenna efficiency.

Claims

1. A method of determining a receive sensitivity for a handheld wireless communication device comprising a radio and an antenna connected thereto, the method comprising:

determining an antenna noise temperature based upon an antenna thermal noise component, a radio noise component, an environmental background noise component, and an antenna efficiency;

determining an antenna gain pattern; and

determining the receive sensitivity for the handheld wireless communication device based upon the antenna noise temperature and the antenna gain pattern.

2. The method according to claim 1 wherein determining the antenna noise temperature is performed independently from determining the antenna gain pattern.

3. The method according to claim 1 wherein determining the antenna noise temperature further comprises weighting at least one of the antenna thermal noise component, the radio noise component, and the environmental background noise component based upon the antenna efficiency.

4. The method according to claim 1 wherein the antenna noise temperature T_t is defined as

T_t=η

T_A+(1−

2η

)T_P+η

T_R

where η

is the antenna efficiency, T_A is the environmental background noise component, T_P is the antenna thermal noise component, and T_R is the radio noise component.

5. The method according to claim 1 wherein the antenna thermal noise component is based upon a measured conductive sensitivity.

6. The method according to claim 1 wherein the antenna thermal noise component T_p is defined as

7. The method according to claim 1 wherein the radio noise component is based upon a measured radiated sensitivity of the handheld wireless communication device in an anechoic chamber at room temperature.

8. The method according to claim 1 wherein the radio noise component T_R is defined as

9. The method according to claim 1 wherein the environmental background noise component is based upon measured radiated sensitivity of the wireless handheld communication device in an operating environment including a plurality of noise sources.

10. The method according to claim 1 wherein the environmental background noise component T_A is defined as

11. The method according to claim 1 wherein determining the antenna noise temperature comprises:

measuring the antenna thermal noise component;

measuring the radio noise component generated by the radio of the wireless handheld communication device; and

measuring the environmental background noise component.

12. The method according to claim 1 wherein the radio comprises a wireless transceiver and associated circuitry connected thereto.

13. A method of determining a receive sensitivity for a handheld wireless communication device comprising a radio and an antenna connected thereto, the method comprising:

determining an antenna noise temperature;

measuring an antenna gain pattern independently from determining the antenna noise temperature; and

determining the receive sensitivity for the handheld wireless communication device based upon the antenna noise temperature and the antenna gain pattern.

14. The method according to claim 13 further comprising measuring antenna efficiency;

and wherein determining the antenna noise temperature is based upon the measured antenna efficiency.

15. The method according to claim 13 wherein the antenna noise temperature T_t is defined as

T_t=η

T_A+(1−

2η

)T_P+η

T_R

where η

is measured antenna efficiency, T_A is a measured environmental background noise component, T_P is a measured antenna thermal noise component, and T_R is a measured radio noise component.

16. The method according to claim 15 wherein the measured antenna thermal noise component T_p is defined as

17. The method according to claim 15 wherein the measured radio noise component T_R is defined as

18. The method according to claim 15 wherein the measured environmental background noise component T_A is defined as

19. A method of determining a receive sensitivity for a handheld wireless communication device comprising a radio and an antenna connected thereto, the method comprising:

determining an antenna noise temperature based upon weighting each of an antenna thermal noise component, a radio noise component, an environmental background noise component with an antenna efficiency;

determining an antenna gain pattern independently of determining the antenna noise temperature; and

determining the receive sensitivity for the handheld wireless communication device based upon the antenna noise temperature and the antenna gain pattern.

20. The method according to claim 19 wherein the antenna thermal noise component is based upon a measured conductive sensitivity.

21. The method according to claim 19 wherein the radio noise component is based upon a measured radiated sensitivity of the handheld wireless communication device in an anechoic chamber at room temperature.

22. The method according to claim 19 wherein the environmental background noise component is based upon measured radiated sensitivity of the wireless handheld communication device in an operating environment including a plurality of noise sources.