Method circuit and system for adapting a receiver receive chain based on detected background noise

1. A receiver for receiving a communication channel modulated on one or more carrier frequencies, said receiver comprising:

a gain adjustable radio frequency amplifier coupled to an antenna and adapted to amplify signals within a band of frequencies which band includes the one or more carrier frequencies;

a wideband signal power measurement circuit adapted to characterize a total signal strength of signals in a spectral band corresponding with the band of frequencies amplified by said amplifier;

an adjustable frequency mixing circuit block adapted to use a first mixing signal to down-convert to baseband the communication channel modulated on one or more carrier frequencies and further, during an interference estimation phase, to use a second mixing signal to down-convert to baseband potentially interfering signal frequencies different from the one or more carrier frequencies;

a baseband signal power measurement circuit adapted to measure power of basebands down-converted by said frequency mixing circuit block; and

control logic adapted to use outputs of said wideband and said baseband measurement circuits to classify interfering signals based on: (1) a characterization of signal strength performed by said wideband signal measurement circuit, (2) power measurements performed by said baseband signal power measurement circuit, and (3) a spectral proximity of an interfering signal to the one or more channel carrier frequencies, wherein said control logic is further adapted to adjust the gain of said radio frequency amplifier and to adjust the second mixing signal based on the classifications of interfering signals.

2. The receiver according to claim 1 , wherein said wideband signal power measurement circuit is adapted to measure a collective signal power of a given communication channel combined with other signals in a spectral band around the given channel and to output a parameter corresponding to the measured collective signal power.

3. The receiver according to claim 2 , wherein the parameter corresponding to the measured collective signal power is input to said control logic as a metric of far channel interference.

4. The receiver according to claim 3 , further adapted to down convert and amplify one or more channels in spectral proximity with the given channel in addition to down converting the given channel.

5. The receiver according to claim 4 , wherein said baseband signal power measurement circuit determines a parameter corresponding to a characterized signal power of the channels in spectral proximity with the given channel in addition to a parameter corresponding to a measured collective signal power of the given channel.

6. The receiver according to claim 5 , wherein the parameter corresponding to the measured collective signal power of the given channel is input to said control logic as a metric of given channel signal strength.

7. The receiver according to claim 6 , wherein the parameter corresponding to the characterized signal power of the channels in spectral proximity with the given channel is input to said control logic as a metric of near channel interference.

8. The receiver according to claim 7 , wherein said control logic is further adapted to classify interfering signals by being adapted to choose from a plurality of preset classifications.

9. The receiver according to claim 8 , wherein said control logic is further adapted to classify the interfering signals as functionally negligible interference when the metric of given channel signal strength is stronger or not significantly weaker than the metric of near channel interference and stronger or not significantly weaker than the metric of far channel interference.

10. The receiver according to claim 9 , wherein said control logic is further adapted to adjust the gain of said radio frequency amplifier in proportion to the given channel signal strength.

11. The receiver according to claim 8 , wherein said control logic is further adapted to classify the interfering signals as near channel interference when the metric of near channel interference is significantly stronger than the metric of given channel signal strength.

12. The receiver according to claim 11 , wherein said control logic is further adapted to adjust the gain of said radio frequency amplifier until distortion due to non-linearity becomes functionally negligible.

13. The receiver according to claim 8 , wherein said control logic is further adapted to classify the interfering signals as far channel interference when the metric of given channel signal strength is stronger or not significantly weaker than the metric of near channel interference and significantly weaker than the metric of far channel interference.

14. The receiver according to claim 13 , wherein said control logic is further adapted to adjust the gain of said radio frequency amplifier allowing some distortion.

15. The receiver according to claim 5 , further adapted to down convert and measure the power of the channels in spectral proximity with the given channel in between bursts of a signal centered at the given channel.

16. The receiver according to claim 5 , further adapted to down convert and measure the power of the channels in spectral proximity with the given channel during bursts of a signal centered at a given channel when the signal contains redundant data.

17. The receiver according to claim 4 , wherein said channels in spectral proximity with the given channel are the channels within a four channel range from said given channel.

18. The receiver according to claim 1 , further adapted to be functionally associated with a mobile device.