US-12618942-B2 - Jammer detection

US12618942B2US 12618942 B2US12618942 B2US 12618942B2US-12618942-B2

Abstract

An apparatus is disclosed for jammer detection. In example aspects, the apparatus includes a wireless transceiver configured to be connected to one or more antennas. The wireless transceiver is configured to translate a received signal from a first frequency to a second frequency using a reference signal to produce a translated received signal, with the reference signal including at least one frequency having an association with one or more targeted frequencies of a potential jamming signal. The wireless transceiver is also configured to convert at least a version of the translated received signal in the analog domain into a converted received signal in the digital domain. The wireless transceiver is further configured to detect that the converted received signal comprises a jamming signal based on the association and using at least one threshold and determine a jamming frequency of the jamming signal based on the frequency of the reference signal.

Inventors

Udara Fernando
Ajay Devadatta KANETKAR
Shrenik Patel
Kyle Alexander Douglas

Assignees

QUALCOMM INCORPORATED

Dates

Publication Date: 20260505
Application Date: 20230623

Claims (20)

1 . An apparatus comprising: a wireless transceiver configured to be connected to one or more antennas, the wireless transceiver comprising: at least one mixer configured to translate a received signal from a first frequency to a second frequency using a reference signal to produce a translated received signal, the reference signal including at least one frequency having a frequency association with one or more targeted frequencies of a potential jamming signal, wherein a range of frequencies of the reference signal does not overlap a range of the one or more targeted frequencies of a potential jamming signal; a converter configured to convert at least a version of the translated received signal in an analog domain into a converted received signal in a digital domain; and a jammer detection module configured to detect that the converted received signal comprises a jamming signal based on the frequency association and using at least one threshold, wherein the jammer detection module includes a jammer frequency determiner configured to determine a jamming frequency of the jamming signal based on the at least one frequency of the reference signal and the frequency association.
2 . The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the frequency association comprises a selected difference between the at least one frequency of the reference signal and the one or more targeted frequencies of the potential jamming signal.
3 . The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the frequency association comprises a relationship among the at least one frequency of the reference signal, the one or more targeted frequencies of the potential jamming signal, and a frequency of a local oscillator of an intermediate frequency portion of the wireless transceiver.
4 . The apparatus of claim 3 , wherein the frequency association relates (i) a difference between the at least one frequency of the reference signal and the one or more targeted frequencies of the potential jamming signal to (ii) the frequency of the local oscillator of the intermediate frequency portion of the wireless transceiver.
5 . The apparatus of claim 3 , wherein the wireless transceiver comprises: a first mixer configured to translate the received signal from the first frequency to the second frequency using the reference signal to produce the translated received signal; and a second mixer configured to translate the translated received signal from the second frequency to a third frequency to produce another translated received signal using a signal from the local oscillator having the frequency of the intermediate frequency portion of the wireless transceiver.
6 . The apparatus of claim 3 , wherein: the first frequency corresponds to a radio frequency; the second frequency corresponds to the frequency of the intermediate frequency portion of the wireless transceiver; and the third frequency corresponds to a baseband frequency of the wireless transceiver.
7 . The apparatus of claim 5 , wherein the version of the translated received signal that is converted into the converted received signal comprises the other translated received signal produced by the second mixer.
8 . The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the wireless transceiver is configured to: detect that a sample of multiple samples of the converted received signal is part of the jamming signal, the sample corresponding to a time stamp; and map the time stamp of the sample to a time index of the reference signal, the time index linked to the at least one frequency of the reference signal.
9 . The apparatus of claim 8 , wherein the wireless transceiver is configured to: determine the jamming frequency of the jamming signal based on a frequency of a local oscillator signal of the wireless transceiver and the at least one frequency of the reference signal corresponding to the time index.
10 . The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein: the converted received signal comprises multiple samples corresponding to multiple time stamps; the at least one frequency of the reference signal corresponds to a time index of the reference signal; and the wireless transceiver is configured to determine the jamming frequency of the jamming signal using the multiple time stamps of the multiple samples and the time index of the reference signal.
11 . The apparatus of claim 10 , wherein each sample of the multiple samples comprises at least one of: a sample that is produced based on a low-pass filter that smooths the converted received signal; or a sample that is produced based on a moving average of three or more samples.
12 . The apparatus of claim 10 , wherein the wireless transceiver is configured to detect that the converted received signal comprises the jamming signal by: comparing a magnitude of a sample of the multiple samples to the at least one threshold, the sample corresponding to a time stamp of the multiple time stamps that aligns with the time index of the reference signal.
13 . The apparatus of claim 10 , wherein the wireless transceiver is configured to: align the multiple samples of the converted received signal with the reference signal using the multiple time stamps of the converted received signal and multiple time indices of the reference signal, the multiple time indices comprising the time index; map a time stamp of a sample that is detected to be part of the jamming signal to the time index of the reference signal; link the time index of the reference signal to the at least one frequency of the reference signal; and determine the jamming frequency of the jamming signal based on the at least one frequency of the reference signal responsive to the linking of the time index.
14 . The apparatus of claim 13 , wherein the wireless transceiver is configured to: determine the jamming frequency of the jamming signal based on the at least one frequency of the reference signal and an intermediate frequency of the wireless transceiver.
15 . The apparatus of claim 13 , wherein the wireless transceiver comprises: a modem configured to perform the detection, the alignment, the mapping, the linking, and the determination.
16 . The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the reference signal has an ascertainable linkage between the at least one frequency and multiple time indices of the reference signal.
17 . The apparatus of claim 16 , wherein: the multiple time indices span a time period over which the reference signal has multiple frequencies including the at least one frequency; the multiple frequencies comprise a frequency range; and the one or more targeted frequencies of the potential jamming signal substantially comprise the frequency range.
18 . The apparatus of claim 16 , wherein the wireless transceiver comprises: a mixer configured to be coupled between at least one antenna of the one or more antennas and a modem; and a signal generator coupled to the mixer and configured to: generate the reference signal; and couple the reference signal to the mixer to facilitate frequency translation.
19 . The apparatus of claim 18 , wherein the signal generator comprises: an oscillator circuit comprising: a selection circuit; a frequency-varying local oscillator coupled to the selection circuit and configured to generate the reference signal for proximity detection or jammer detection; and a local oscillator coupled to the selection circuit and configured to generate a local oscillator signal for wireless communication.
20 . The apparatus of claim 19 , wherein the wireless transceiver is configured to: transmit a radar transmit signal using the at least one antenna of the one or more antennas; receive a radar receive signal via at least one other antenna of the one or more antennas, the radar receive signal associated with the radar transmit signal and comprising a reflection signal component; frequency translate the radar receive signal using the reference signal generated by the frequency-varying local oscillator to produce a down-converted radar receive signal, the reference signal comprising a frequency-modulated signal; and detect the reflection signal component from the down-converted radar receive signal.

Description

TECHNICAL FIELD This disclosure relates generally to wireless transceivers and, more specifically, to detecting a jamming signal. BACKGROUND Electronic devices include traditional computing devices such as desktop computers, notebook computers, smartphones, wearable devices like a smartwatch, internet servers, and so forth. Electronic devices also include other types of computing devices such as personal voice assistants (e.g., smart speakers), wireless access points or routers, thermostats and other automated controllers, robotics, automotive electronics, devices embedded in other machines like refrigerators and industrial tools, Internet of Things (IoT) devices, medical devices, and so forth. These various electronic devices provide services relating to productivity, communication, social interaction, security, health and safety, remote management, entertainment, transportation, and information dissemination. Thus, electronic devices play crucial roles in modern society. Many of the services provided by electronic devices in today's interconnected world depend at least partly on electronic communications. Electronic communications can include, for example, those exchanged between two or more electronic devices using wireless or wired signals that are transmitted over one or more networks, such as the Internet, a Wi-Fi® network, or a cellular network. Electronic communications can therefore include wireless or wired transmissions and receptions. To transmit and receive communications, an electronic device can use a transceiver, such as a wireless transceiver that is designed for wireless communications. Electronic communications can therefore be realized by propagating signals between two wireless transceivers at two different electronic devices. For example, using a wireless transmitter, a smartphone can transmit a wireless signal to a base station over the air as part of an uplink communication to support mobile services. Using a wireless receiver, the smartphone can receive a wireless signal that is transmitted from the base station via the air medium as part of a downlink communication to enable mobile services. With a smartphone, mobile services can include making voice and video calls, participating in social media interactions, sending messages, watching movies, sharing videos, and performing searches. Other mobile services can include using map information or navigational instructions, finding friends, engaging in location-based services generally, transferring money, obtaining another service like a car ride, and so forth. Many of these mobile services depend at least partly on the transmission or reception of wireless signals between two or more electronic devices. Consequently, researchers, electrical engineers, and designers of electronic devices strive to develop wireless transceivers that can use wireless signals effectively to provide these and other mobile services. SUMMARY A computing device with a transceiver may receive a jamming signal that interferes with desired performance. If a jamming signal is detected, however, the computing device can act to avoid the jamming signal or at least reduce the negative effects thereof. This document describes apparatuses and techniques to enable a computing device to detect a jamming signal and determine at least one frequency thereof to facilitate applying a countermeasure or taking another action. In example implementations, a reference signal can be generated that has one or more known frequencies at corresponding time indices. In a receive chain, the reference signal can be mixed with a received signal to convert the received signal at a radio frequency (RF) to a lower frequency, such as an intermediate frequency (IF). As described herein, one or more frequencies of the reference signal may be selected based on the IF of the transceiver and one or more targeted frequencies of a potential jamming signal. This can establish a frequency relationship between the reference signal and the targeted frequencies of interest for a potential jamming signal. The IF version of the received signal can be mixed with a local oscillator signal having the intermediate frequency to down convert the IF received signal to a baseband version of the received signal. The baseband received signal can then be processed to detect a jamming signal and determine a frequency thereof. To do so, the computing device can convert an analog version of the baseband received signal to a digital version of the baseband received signal by taking multiple samples thereof at respective time stamps, which need not correspond to a clock or absolute time. A processor can use the time stamps to temporally align the multiple samples of the baseband received signal with the reference signal that is indexed by time to thereby utilize a temporal relationship between the reference signal and a down-converted version of the received signal. The processor can obtain correspondences between the rec