Methods and devices for reducing radio frequency interference

• US 8,666,347 B2
• Filed: 10/12/2011
• Issued: 03/04/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 10/14/2010
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Archaius, Inc.
• Original Assignee: Physical Devices, LLC
• Inventors: Wilkerson, Jonathan Ryan, Vosburgh, Frederick
• Primary Examiner(s): Trinh, Sonny
• Application Number:
  US13/271,420
• Publication Number:
  US 20120252392A1
• Time in Patent Office: 874 Days
• Field of Search: 455/296, 455/307, 455/303, 455/340, 455/278.1, 455/63.1
• US Class Current: 455/296
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 1/10 Means associated with receiver for limiting or suppressing noise or interference
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 1/109 by improving strong signal performance of the receiver when strong unwanted signals are present at the receiver input
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 7/0894 using different delays between antennas

Abstract

Devices and methods for selectively reducing interference in wireless signals through field nulling and signal cancelling by signal agnostic, intrinsically stable, analytic means.

Claims

1. A device for reducing interference in wireless signals comprising:

a plurality of antennae;

a signal detector;

a processing unit;

a signal modifier; and

at least one stage connected to said plurality of antennae, said at least one stage being at least one of;

a field nulling stage connected to said plurality of antennae, wherein one of the plurality of antennae is a receiving antenna, wherein another of the plurality of antennae is a transmitting antenna, and wherein said field nulling stage comprises a return signal receiving circuit and a communications antenna signal delay element; and

a signal cancelling stage connected to said plurality of antennae, and wherein said signal cancelling stage comprises a signal combiner for combining a first antenna signal modified with respect to at least one of amplitude and phase and a second antenna signal modified with respect to at least one group delay,

wherein said at least one stage, said signal detector, said processing unit and said signal modifier provide a signal-to-noise-ratio enhanced signal to a receiver.

2. The device for reducing interference in wireless signals according to claim 1, wherein said at least one stage comprises a signal cancelling stage and wherein one of the plurality of antennae is of a first type and another of the plurality of antennae is of a second type.

3. The device for reducing interference in wireless signals according to claim 1, wherein said signal modifier comprises at least one of an amplitude equalizer, a phase shifter, and a group delayer.

4. The device for reducing interference in wireless signals according to claim 3, wherein said signal modifier further comprises a first channel and a second channel;

wherein said first channel comprises an amplitude equalizer and phase shifter and said second channel comprises a delay element.

5. The device for reducing interference in wireless signals according to claim 1, wherein said signal modifier comprises at least one of:

a variable amplifier, a vector modulator, an active inductor and a frequency selection filter.

6. The device for reducing interference in wireless signals according to claim 1, wherein said at least one stage comprises a field nulling stage and wherein said return signal receiving circuit is connected to said processing unit.

7. The device for reducing interference in wireless signals according to claim 1, wherein said at least one stage comprises a field nulling stage and wherein said return signal receiving circuit comprises at least one of:

a hardwired connection and a through-space signal receiver.

8. The device for reducing interference in wireless signals according to claim 1, wherein said at least one stage comprises a field nulling stage and wherein said communications antenna delay element comprises at least one of:

an active delay element, a passive delay element, a variable delay element, a fixed delay element, and a selectable delay element.

9. The device for reducing interference in wireless signals according to claim 1, wherein said wireless signals comprise any type of desirably transmitted data and compromising any frequency of electromagnetic radiation.

10. A method for reducing interference in wireless signals comprising the steps of:

receiving a plurality of RFI burdened signals;

modifying at least one received RFI burdened signal;

providing at least one of;

field nulling with respect to said at least one received RFI burdened signal conducted by transmitting a receiving antenna signal that has been modified with respect to at least one of amplitude and phase to establish a nulling field proximate a communications antenna, which nulling field is substantially amplitude equivalent to and anti-phase with respect to RFI content of a second field generated proximate communications antenna by an RFI burdened signal; and

signal cancelling with respect to said at least one received RFI burdened signal conducted by combining a first antenna signal modified with respect to at least one of amplitude and phase and a second antenna signal modified with respect to at least one group delay; and

producing a signal-to-noise-ratio enhanced signal.

11. The method for reducing interference in wireless signals according to claim 10 wherein said step of modifying at least one received RFI burdened signal comprises at least one of:

amplitude equalizing, employing amplitude detecting and phase shifting, and determining a phase shift from a change in a combined signal amplitude resulting from a test phase shift.

12. The method for reducing interference in wireless signals according to claim 10 wherein said step of modifying at least one received RFI burdened signal comprises determining an enhanced phase shift from a change in a combined signal amplitude resulting from a test phase shift.

13. The method for reducing interference in wireless signals according to claim 10 wherein said step of modifying at least one received RFI burdened signal comprises at least one of:

amplitude updating, phase shift updating, and delay updating.

14. The method for reducing interference in wireless signals according to claim 10 further comprising the step of determining an RFI state, wherein said RFI state is at least one of:

present, not present, weak and strong.

15. The method for reducing interference in wireless signals according to claim 14 further comprising the step of selecting interference between antenna signals based on a determined RFI state.

16. The method for reducing interference in wireless signals according to claim 10 wherein said step of providing at least one of field nulling and signal canceling comprises field nulling followed by signal cancelling.

17. The method for reducing interference in wireless signals according to claim 10 wherein said wireless signals comprise any type of desirable transmitted information and any frequency of electromagnetic radiation.