Gain control method, module, and wireless signal receiver using the same

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9667212-B2
Application number	US-201414447321-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Jul 30, 2014
Priority date	Apr 16, 2014
Publication date	May 30, 2017
Grant date	May 30, 2017

Abstract

An exemplary embodiment of a method illustrates a gain control method executed in a wireless signal receiver. The gain control method has the following steps. A wideband channel is continuously monitored to check whether an interference signal exists in a wireless signal. When the interference signal exists in the wireless signal, an interference received signal strength indicator is obtained. A front end gain of the wireless signal receiver is controlled according to the interference received signal strength indicator. When the interference signal exists in the wireless signal, the wireless signal receiver is prohibited from using a maximum front end gain.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A gain control method, executed in a wireless signal receiver, comprising:
continuously monitoring a wideband channel to check whether an interference signal exists in a wireless signal;
obtaining an interference received signal strength indicator (RSSI) when the interference signal exists in the wireless signal; and
controlling a front end gain of the wireless signal receiver according to the interference RSSI;
wherein:
the wireless signal receiver is prohibited from using a maximum front end gain when the interference signal exists in the wireless signal;
an interference score is updated according to the interference RSSI;
the front end gain of the wireless signal receiver is determined by the interference score; and
the interference score is increased by 1 when the interference signal exists in the wireless signal, and the interference score is decreased by 1 when the interference signal does not exist in the wireless signal, wherein a lowest interference score is equal to 0, and the wireless signal receiver is prohibited from using the maximum front end gain when the interference score is not equal to 0.

2. The gain control method according to claim 1 , wherein the wideband channel is still continuously monitored to check whether the interference signal exists in the wireless signal when the interference signal does not exist in the wireless signal.

3. The gain control method according to claim 1 , wherein the wireless signal receiver is designed to receive a short range wireless communication packet, and the interference signal is a wireless local area network interference.

4. A gain control module, comprising:
an amplifier configured to amplify a wireless signal;
a wideband radio frequency (RF) impulse detector, electrically connected to the amplifier, configured to continuously monitor whether an interference signal exists in the wireless signal;
an analog-digital converter (ADC), electrically connected to the wideband RF impulse detector, configured to perform analog-digital conversion on the interference signal to generate an interference RSSI; and
a base band/digital signal processing (BB/DSP) circuit, electrically connected to the ADC, configured to control a front end gain of a wireless signal receiver according to the interference RSSI;
wherein the BB/DSP circuit is configured to:
prohibit the wireless signal receiver to from using a maximum front end gain when the interference signal exists in the wireless signal;
update an interference score according to the interference RSSI;
determine the front end gain of the wireless signal receiver according to the interference score; and
add 1 to the interference score with when the interference signal exists in the wireless signal;
subtract 1 from the interference score when the interference signal does not exist in the wireless signal; and
prohibit the wireless signal receiver from using the maximum front end gain when the interference score is not equal to 0, wherein a lowest interference score is equal to 0.

5. The gain control module according to claim 4 , further comprising:
a transducer, electrically connected between the amplifier and the wideband RF impulse detector, configured to convert the wireless signal to a current signal to the wideband RF impulse detector.

6. The gain control module according to claim 4 , wherein the wireless signal receiver is configured to receive a short range wireless communication packet, and the interference signal is a wireless local area network interference.

7. A wireless signal receiver, comprising:
a signal receiving circuit, configured to receive receiving a wireless signal, and perform front end amplification, mixing, band-pass filtering, analog-digital conversion, and digital signal processing on the wireless signal; and
a gain control circuit, electrically connected to the signal receiving circuit, configured to continuously monitor a wideband to check whether an interference signal exists in the wireless signal, and control a front end gain of the wireless signal receiver accordingly;
wherein the gain control circuit is configured to:
prohibit the wireless signal receiver from using a maximum front end gain when the interference signal exists in the wireless signal;
update an interference score according to the interference RSSI;
determine the front end gain of the wireless signal receiver according to the interference score; and
add 1 to the interference score with when the interference signal exists in the wireless signal;
subtract 1 from the interference score when the interference signal does not exist in the wireless signal; and
prohibit the wireless signal receiver from using the maximum front end gain when the interference score is not equal to 0, wherein a lowest interference score is equal to 0.

8. The wireless signal receiver according to claim 7 , wherein the gain control circuit comprises:
an amplifier, configured to amplify the wireless signal;
a wideband RF impulse detector, electrically connected to the amplifier, configured to continuously monitor whether the interference signal exists in the wireless signal;
an ADC, electrically connected to the wideband RF impulse detector, configured to perform the analog-digital conversion on the interference signal to generate an interference RSSI; and
a BB/DSP circuit, electrically connected to the ADC, configured to control the front end gain of the wireless signal receiver according to the interference RSSI;
wherein the BB/DSP circuit is configured to:
prohibit the wireless signal receiver from using the maximum front end gain when the interference signal exists in the wireless signal.

9. The wireless signal receiver according to claim 8 , wherein the gain control circuit further comprises:
a transducer, electrically connected between the amplifier and the wideband RF impulse detector, configured to convert the wireless signal to a current signal to the wideband RF impulse detector.

10. The wireless signal receiver according to claim 7 , wherein the wireless signal receiver is configured to receive a short range wireless communication packet, and the interference signal is a wireless local area network interference.

Assignees

• Issc Tech Corp
• Microchip Tech Inc

Inventors

• Chen Peng-Sen

Classifications

• H04B1/126 Primary

  having multiple inputs, e.g. auxiliary antenna for receiving interfering signal (aerials in general H01Q) · CPC title

• H03G3/20 Primary

  Automatic control ({H03G3/005 takes precedence;} combined with volume compression or expansion H03G7/00) · CPC title

• H03G3/3078

  Circuits generating control signals for digitally modulated signals · CPC title