Automated analysis of RF effects on electronic devices through the use of device unintended emissions

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9772363-B2
Application number	US-201514632471-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Feb 26, 2015
Priority date	Feb 26, 2014
Publication date	Sep 26, 2017
Grant date	Sep 26, 2017

Abstract

An apparatus, configured and operable to determine a state and/or an operation of a powered electrical device, comprises one or more antennas, a receiver operable to receive emission(s) of electromagnetic energy from the electrical device; an illumination device operable to illuminate the electrical device with a pulse of electromagnetic energy; a controller including: one or more processors, a non-transitory computer readable medium comprising executable instructions that, when executed by the one or more processors, cause the one or more processors to perform the steps of selecting a spectral frequency target component of the emission(s), iteratively controlling the illumination device, measuring, at each iteration, a change in characteristic(s) of the spectral frequency target component of the emission(s), assigning a score value to each measurement, and iteratively effecting optimized parameter(s) of the pulse based on the score value until a final score value indicates a desired state, operation of the electrical device.

First claim

What is claim is:

1. An apparatus configured and operable to determine a state and/or an operation of a powered electrical device, said apparatus comprising:
one or more antennas;
a receiver coupled to said one or more antennas and operable to receive emission(s) of electromagnetic energy from the electrical device;
an illumination device coupled to said one or more antennas so as to illuminate the electrical device with a pulse of electromagnetic energy;
a controller including:
one or more processors,
a non-transitory computer readable medium comprising executable instructions that, when executed by said one or more processors, cause said one or more processors to perform the steps of:
selecting a spectral frequency target component of said emission(s),
iteratively controlling said illumination device to illuminate the electrical device with said pulse,
measuring, at each iteration, a change in characteristic(s) of said spectral frequency target component of said emission(s),
assigning a score value to each measurement, and
iteratively effecting optimized parameter(s) of said pulse based on said score value until a final score value indicates a desired state and/or an operation of the electrical device.

2. The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein said characteristic(s) of said component includes amplitude value(s).

3. The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein said characteristic(s) of said component includes amplitude difference(s) in relationship to a noise threshold level.

4. The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein said characteristic(s) of said component includes a frequency range thereof.

5. The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein said optimized parameters include one or more of a pulse frequency, a pulse width, a pulse duty cycle, a pulse repetition rate, a pulse amplitude, a pulse duration, a pulse repetition pattern, a pulse amplitude envelope and a pulse frequency envelope.

6. The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein said optimized parameters includes any one of change in pulse duration, change in pulse amplitude, change in pulse train separation time between pulses, and change in pulse frequency.

7. The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein said score value is one of a peak amplitude, a peak signal to noise floor ratio, a change in a frequency zone width around the peak, the number of intermodulation peaks counted above a noise floor and within frequency zone, a total number of peaks observed when the target device is powered on and any combination thereof.

8. The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein said one or more antennas include a first antenna coupled to said receiver and a second antenna coupled to said illumination device.

9. The apparatus of claim 1 , further comprising an auxiliary device operable to control and/or change operation and/or operating environment of the electrical device.

10. The apparatus of claim 9 , wherein said auxiliary device is connected to said controller in at least one of a direct and wireless manner.

11. The apparatus of claim 1 , further comprising a sensor positioned to sense a change in an operating parameter of the electrical device.

12. The apparatus of claim 11 , wherein said sensor is connected to said controller in at least one of a direct and wireless manner.

13. The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein said non-transitory computer readable medium includes a spectrum characterization module, a spectrum scoring module and an illumination control module.

14. A method of at least one of affecting determining and characterizing a state and/or an operation of an electrical device, said method comprising the steps of:
(a) selecting a spectral frequency target within a frequency spectrum of a received emission of electromagnetic energy emitted by an electrical device, said spectral frequency target characterized by an amplitude being greater than amplitudes of neighboring frequencies within said frequency spectrum;
(b) tuning a radio frequency (RF) signal based on said amplitude of said spectral target frequency component;
(c) coupling said tuned RF signal to said electrical device;
(d) measuring a change in a parameter of said spectral frequency target in a response to said coupled tuned signal; and
(e) repeating steps (b) through (d) until said change in said parameter of said spectral frequency target is within a predetermined range.

15. The method of claim 14 , wherein each of said steps (a) and (d) includes the step of collecting, with an antenna and a receiver coupled to said antenna, an emission of electromagnetic energy from said electrical device.

16. The method of claim 14 , wherein said step (e) includes the step of correlating, with said processor, said change measured in step (d) with said at least one of said state and said operation of said electrical device.

17. The method, according to claim 14 , further comprising the step of temporarily or permanently disabling operability of said electrical device.

18. The method, according to claim 14 , further comprising the step of controlling and, with said tuned signal, a level of said state and/or said operation of said electrical device.

19. The method, according to claim 14 , further comprising the step of measuring, with a probe, a power level of said electrical device and the step of determining and/or controlling, with said power level, at least one of a neutralization, a disruption, a disablement, and a functional state.

Assignees

• Nokomis Inc

Inventors

• Canne Karen Heike Spieler
• Keller Walter John
• Chornenky Todd Eric

Classifications

• G01R29/0814

  Field measurements related to measuring influence on or from apparatus, components or humans (EMC, EMI and similar testing in general G01R31/001), e.g. in ESD, EMI, EMC, EMP testing, measuring radiation leakage; detecting presence of micro- or radiowave emitters; dosimetry; testing shielding; measurements related to lightning · CPC title

• G01R31/002 Primary

  where the device under test is an electronic circuit · CPC title

• H04W24/00

  Supervisory, monitoring or testing arrangements · CPC title

• H04B17/00

  Monitoring; Testing (of line transmission systems H04B3/46; arrangements for monitoring or testing transmission systems employing electromagnetic waves other than radio waves H04B10/07) · CPC title