Methods and devices for reducing radio frequency interference

• US 8,965,319 B2
• Filed: 03/03/2014
• Issued: 02/24/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 10/14/2010
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Archaius, Inc.
• Original Assignee: Physical Devices, LLC
• Inventors: Wilkerson, Jonathan Ryan, Vosburgh, Frederick
• Primary Examiner(s): Trinh, Sonny
• Application Number:
  US14/194,924
• Publication Number:
  US 20140235190A1
• Time in Patent Office: 358 Days
• Field of Search: 455/63.1, 455/278.1, 455/296, 455/307, 455/303, 455/340, 455/562.1
• 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;

at least one stage connected to said plurality of antennae, said stage being one of a field nulling stage and a signal cancelling stage;

a signal detector;

a processing unit; and

a signal modifier;

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 and wherein said at least one stage comprises a field nulling stage and wherein said field nulling stage comprises;

a receiving antenna;

a transmitting antenna;

a returning signal receiving circuit; and

a communications antenna signal delay element.

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 said signal canceling stage comprises:

a first antenna of a first type;

a second antenna of a second type; and

a signal combiner.

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 1, wherein said signal modifier comprises at least one of:

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

5. The device for reducing interference in wireless signals according to claim 1, wherein said return signal receiving circuit is connected to said processing unit.

6. The device for reducing interference in wireless signals according to claim 1, wherein said return signal receiving circuit comprises at least one of:

a hardwires connection and a through-space signal receiver.

7. The device for reducing interference in wireless signals according to claim 1, 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.

8. 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.

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

a plurality of antennae;

at least one stage connected to said plurality of antennae, said stage being one of a field nulling stage and a signal cancelling stage;

a signal detector;

a processing unit; and

a signal modifier;

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;

wherein said signal modifier comprises at least one of an amplitude equalizer, a phase shifter, and a group delayer, and wherein said signal modifier further comprises a first channel and a second channel; and

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

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 and signal cancelling with respect to said at least one received RFI burdened signal; and

producing a signal-to-noise-ratio enhanced signal and wherein said step of providing at least one of field nulling and signal canceling comprises signal cancelling 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.

11. 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.

12. 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 and signal cancelling with respect to said at least one received RFI burdened signal; and

producing a signal-to-noise-ratio enhanced signal, wherein said step of providing at least one of field nulling and signal canceling comprises field nulling 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.

13. 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 and signal cancelling with respect to said at least one received RFI burdened signal; and

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

14. 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 and signal cancelling with respect to said at least one received RFI burdened signal; and

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

15. 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 and signal cancelling with respect to said at least one received RFI burdened signal; and

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

16. 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 and signal cancelling with respect to said at least one received RFI burdened signal; and

producing a signal-to-noise-ratio enhanced signal and further comprising the step of determining an RFI state, wherein said RFI state is at least one of;

present, not present, weak and strong.

17. The method for reducing interference in wireless signals according to claim 16 further comprising the step of selecting interference between antenna signals based on a determined RFI state.

18. 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 signals;

providing at least one of field nulling and signal cancelling with respect to said at least one received RFI burdened signal; and

producing a signal-to-noise-ratio enhanced signal, wherein said step of providing at least one of field nulling and signal canceling comprises field nulling followed by signal cancelling.