Systems and methods for evaluating electromagnetic interference

• US 7,242,176 B2
• Filed: 12/20/2004
• Issued: 07/10/2007
• 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 S.
• Primary Examiner(s): Nguyen; Ha Tran
• Assistant Examiner(s): Chan; Emily Y.
• Application Number:
  US11/017,296
• Publication Number:
  US 20060132117A1
• Time in Patent Office: 932 Days
• Field of Search: 324/96, 324/501, 324627-628, 324/629
• 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;

wherein said method further comprises 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.

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

RF”

) transmit signal; and

further comprising performing said steps of producing, supplying, sweeping, exercising and monitoring 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 steps of producing, supplying, sweeping, exercising and monitoring are 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 1, further comprising performing a direct injection probe test on at least one circuit of said identified electronic component that is susceptible to said electromagnetic radiation to identify at least one electronic circuit of said identified electronic component that is susceptible to said electromagnetic radiation.

7. The method of claim 6, wherein said electronic device comprises an information handling system, and wherein said electromagnetic radiation comprises RF radiation.

8. 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;

wherein said method further comprises performing a wand test to identify at least one functionality of said electronic device that is susceptible to said electromagnetic radiation; and

then performing said steps of producing, supplying, placing, exercising and monitoring to identify at least one electronic component of said electronic device that is susceptible to said electromagnetic radiation.

9. The method of claim 8, wherein said electronic device comprises an information handling system, and wherein said electromagnetic transmit signal comprises a radio frequency (“

RF”

) transmit signal.

10. The method of claim 9, wherein said steps of producing, supplying, placing, exercising and monitoring are 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.

11. The method of claim 8, further comprising performing the following steps on two or more electronic components associated with said at least one identified functionality of said electronic device:

placing said localized field probe in close proximity to a first one of said two or more electronic components associated with said at least one identified functionality of said electronic device at the same time said localized field probe is emitting said localized field of electromagnetic radiation, said first one of said two or more electronic components being exposed to the near field of said localized field of electromagnetic radiation emitted by said localized field probe while a second one of said two or more electronic components associated with said at least one identified functionality of said electronic device is not exposed to the near field of said localized field of electromagnetic radiation emitted by said localized field probe;

exercising said two or more electronic components of said electronic device associated with said identified functionality; and

monitoring said identified functionality of said electronic device while said first electronic component is exposed to said near field of said localized field of electromagnetic radiation emitted by said test antenna to determine that said first one of said two or more electronic components associated with said at least one identified functionality is susceptible to said electromagnetic radiation.

12. 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;

wherein said method further comprises performing said steps of producing, supplying, placing, exercising and monitoring to identify at least one electronic component of said electronic device that is susceptible to said electromagnetic radiation; and

wherein said method further comprises performing a direct injection probe test on at least one circuit of said identified electronic component that is susceptible to said electromagnetic radiation to identify at least one electronic circuit of said identified electronic component that is susceptible to said electromagnetic radiation.

13. 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;

wherein said method further comprises performing a localized field probe test to identify at least one electronic component of said electronic device that is susceptible to said electromagnetic radiation; and

then performing said steps of producing, supplying, contacting, exercising and monitoring to identify at least one individual circuit of said electronic device that is susceptible to said electromagnetic radiation.

14. The method of claim 13, wherein said electronic device comprises an information handling system, and wherein said electromagnetic transmit signal comprises a radio frequency (“

RF”

) transmit signal.

15. The method of claim 14, wherein said steps of producing, supplying, contacting, exercising and monitoring are 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.

16. The method of claim 13, further comprising performing the following steps on two or more electronic circuits associated with said at least one identified electronic component of said electronic device:

contacting said direct injection field probe with a first circuit of said two or more electronic circuits associated with said at least one identified electronic component of said electronic device to directly inject an electromagnetic transmit signal into said at least one circuit of said electronic device;

exercising said two or more electronic circuits associated with said at least one identified electronic component of said electronic device; and

monitoring a functionality of said electronic device while directly injecting said electromagnetic transmit signal into said first circuit to determine that said first circuit of said two or more electronic circuits associated with said at least one identified electronic component of said electronic device is susceptible to said electromagnetic radiation.

17. 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.

18. The method of claim 17, further comprising performing a direct injection probe test on at least one circuit of said identified electronic component that is susceptible to said electromagnetic radiation to identify at least one electronic circuit of said identified electronic component that is susceptible to said electromagnetic radiation.

19. The method of claim 18 wherein said electronic device comprises an information handling system, and wherein said electromagnetic radiation comprises RF radiation.

20. 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;

placing said localized field probe 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;

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; and

further performing a wand test to identify at least one functionality of said electronic device that is susceptible to said electromagnetic radiation; and

then performing said steps of producing, supplying, placing, exercising and monitoring to identify at least one electronic component of said electronic device that is susceptible to said electromagnetic radiation.

21. The method of claim 20, further comprising performing the following steps on two or more electronic components associated with said at least one identified functionality of said electronic device:

placing said localized field probe in close proximity to a first one of said two or more electronic components associated with said at least one identified functionality of said electronic device at the same time said localized field probe is emitting said localized field of electromagnetic radiation, said first one of said two or more electronic components being exposed to the near field of said localized field of electromagnetic radiation emitted by said localized field probe while a second one of said two or more electronic components associated with said at least one identified functionality of said electronic device is not exposed to the near field of said localized field of electromagnetic radiation emitted by said localized field probe;

exercising said two or more electronic components of said electronic device associated with said identified functionality; and

monitoring said identified functionality of said electronic device while said first electronic component is exposed to said near field of said localized field of electromagnetic radiation emitted by said test antenna to determine that said first one of said two or more electronic components associated with said at least one identified functionality is susceptible to said electromagnetic radiation.

22. 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;

placing said localized field probe 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;

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;

performing said steps of producing, supplying, placing, exercising and monitoring to identify at least one electronic component of said electronic device that is susceptible to said electromagnetic radiation; and

performing a direct injection probe test on at least one circuit of said identified electronic component that is susceptible to said electromagnetic radiation to identify at least one electronic circuit of said identified electronic component that is susceptible to said electromagnetic radiation.