RF Interference & Wireless Coexistence Design
Wireless designs are an essential enabler of digital innovation. Not only do they provide more flexibility and ease of use, in practice they can also co-exist with many other wireless systems. In trying to create a working RF wireless design, you face a number of challenges when it comes to the wireless performance:
1. Which parameters in the end-user environment influence the performance of your wireless design?
You want these parameters (like multipath, wireless coexistence and RF interference) to be identified and included in your requirements as well as verified along the design path in order to understand and predict the performance rather than follow a trial and error approach.
2. Why is the wireless design of your product not functioning satisfactorily after integration of the antenna?
Your antenna selection was presumably based on datasheet information including the antenna properties measured in free-space. Integrated into the product, such free-space conditions no longer seem valid because the material properties close to the integrated antenna have changed the important parameters like matching, directivity and efficiency. As a consequence, you want to know why the wireless design is not functioning satisfactorily.
3. What are the country-specific regulatory requirements or international standards for my wireless design?
When you start the design of a wireless connected product, you want to know all regulatory requirements regarding RF interference and wireless coexistence from country-specific or international standards. For example:
- Radio and EMC (Electromagnetic Compatibility) standards (e.g., IEC, ETSI, FCC, CCC.);
- Wireless coexistence standard (ANSI C 63.27.);
- Medical product standards and regulations as medical products require risk analyses (IEC 60601-1-2);
- The FDA (Food and Drug Administration) has also defined specific aspects for wireless connected medical products, just like the IEC (International Electro technical Commission).
Key area of expertise
Your benefit
Philips Engineering Solutions help you optimize the performance of your wireless design, for example, by providing insight into the parameters that determine the wireless and RF performance of your product. We are your wireless development and testing partner for a reliable wireless design. We assist you in all phases or just a single step of your development process:
We deliver
We have many years of experience and our highly qualified technicians have extended knowledge of key subjects when it comes to a reliable wireless design. Our knowledge and experience relate to:
- Wireless device product development & certification
- Wireless risk management
- Wireless (coexistence and interference) device testing (pre-compliance)
- Wireless device product optimization
- Wireless device problem solving and review
- Wireless system integration and installation (e.g. in hospitals)
- Test plan creation required for ANSI C63.27:2017 certification
Our approach
When developing your wireless RF design, our technicians support you during all phases, or just during a single step, creating or optimizing your wireless design. We offer a proven design for wireless reliability methodology for your wireless product. Find the phases below or download the information sheet with more detailed information.
1. System specification and RF architecture
- Building block selection: (radio modules/ chips selection)
- Communication protocol selection
- Antenna selection
- Frequency band selection
- Wireless technology selection
- Mapping the wireless related risks: (safety (FDA) and performance risks.)
2. Design & Prototyping
- Modeling and simulation
- Electronic Radio Frequency (RF) design
3. Verification
- Design verification
- System level verification
- Wireless propagation range tests (free-space or multipath)
- Wireless coexistence and interference wireless performance test configuration (based on ANSI C 63.27)
- Regulatory EMC pre-compliance tests
- Regulatory Radio/RF pre-compliance tests
- Risk management and evaluation
4. Certification
5. Review of your existing design
6. Small series production
Interested how Philips Engineering Solutions can support your wireless development project? Please contact one of our interference and wireless coexistence design experts, for more information about these topics.
RF Interference & Wireless Coexistence Design in detail
Wireless coexistence is the ability of a product to operate according to predefined acceptance criteria in its user-environment, where other wireless communication systems are operating at the same time. Wireless coexistence between two or more wireless communication systems of the same type (e.g. Wi-Fi) is also called interoperability. The ANSI C 63.27 standard describes approaches to test the wireless coexistence and we offer these coexistence tests. Coexistence is also a risk aspect defined by the FDA regarding wireless medical products. Besides the coexistence tests, we also offer RF interference tests to investigate the robustness of the wireless design.
Using wireless communication in buildings or urban environments means that the waves will be reflected due to walls, ceilings, floors, objects or buildings. The transmitted signal arrives at the receiver from multiple reflected paths, or multipath. This multipath property of real-life environments has an impact on the wireless performance. We offer multipath range tests so the range and the performance of your wireless design is tested in real-life conditions. We can also combine multipath and wireless coexistence tests.
Electronic products can generate unwanted interference, which can disturb RF wireless connections. Therefore EMC regulations are applicable. We offer a design for EMX approach that includes EMC reviews, EMC risk analyses, wireless coexistence and RF interference tests and pre-compliance EMC tests.
The FDA and the 4th edition of the IEC 60601-1-2 require electromagnetic risk management. This also includes the wireless functionality of the product. The FDA has defined a list of aspects related to wireless functionality in medical products (like coexistence and EMC) which need to be covered adequately in the risk analysis. We offer support to execute or to review the risk management of a wireless design.
How can an antenna be integrated in your new or existing product and what will be the influence of the nearby materials of the product on the antenna? We offer 3D simulation service and reviews of the RF design to enable the optimal integration of an antenna in the wireless product. We combine this with dedicated antenna and system level RF testing capabilities.
We develop an RF wireless design with a defined and predictable quality and lifetime that comply with requirements and country-specific regulations. For example, the medical IEC 60601-1-2 standard and FDA requirements for wireless healthcare products. Identifying and mitigating wireless related risks (performance, coexistence and RF interference) is our key expertise.
We cut development and production costs or try, whenever possible, to replace components or optimize the wireless design without compromising quality.
High-class testing
Besides knowledge, Philips Engineering Solutions offers you high-class testing environments for your wireless and RF design. We offer the following tests:
- Wireless/RF range tests (in free-space or representative house/office/clinical room multipath conditions)
- Wireless coexistence and interference tests (according to ANSI C 63.27 and IEC 60601-1-2)
- Roaming tests
- Performance/RF tests of the antenna design (matching, antenna pattern, efficiency)
- Electromagnetic and RF risk management (FDA, IEC 60601)
- Pre-compliance EMC testing according to IEC 60601-1-2 (including risk management).
- Pre-compliance radio/RF testing ETSI EN 300 328
- Pre-compliance EMC and radio/RF testing FCC 15 Subpart C: 15.209 and 15.247
What our partners value
RF Interference & Wireless Coexistence Design cases
Philips BU PCMS Connected Sensing Venture – We verified the robustness of a Bluetooth (BLE) RF design for patient monitoring sensors against wireless coexistence (Wi-Fi.)
Philips Connected Health Solutions – We verified the robustness of a Bluetooth (BLE) RF design of an ear thermometer against wireless coexistence (Wi-Fi.)
Philips Research & Personal Health Solutions – We designed an efficient integrated antenna in a body worn health watch with a Bluetooth (BLE) wireless connection.
Philips Home Monitoring – We designed an efficient antenna in a body-worn product.
RF Interference & Wireless Coexistence Design in the spotlight
Wireless performance tests for multipath and coexistence testing of the robustness of a wireless communication link. Read the paper from our expert Nico van Dijk
We offer a proven design for wireless reliability methodology for your wireless product. Our technicians support you with creating or optimizing your wireless design.
Companies with wireless ambitions need to be prepared to execute additional development activities related to risk management, preventive design measurement and RF interference…
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