Wireless antenna switching system

• US 20020137472A1
• Filed: 01/23/2001
• Published: 09/26/2002
• Est. Priority Date: 01/23/2001
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Dell Products LP (Dell Technologies Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Dell Products LP (Dell Technologies Inc.)
• Inventors: Quinn, Liam B., Sicher, Alan Eric
• Application Number:
  US09/768,072
• Publication Number:
  US 20020137472A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 455/553.1
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 1/005 adapting radio receivers, transmitters andtransceivers for operation on two or more bands, i.e. frequency ranges
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 1/406 with more than one transmission mode, e.g. analog and digital modes
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 69/18 Multiprotocol handlers, e.g. single devices capable of handling multiple protocols
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 9/40 Network security protocols

Abstract

A switching system to multiple transceivers in a mobile computing system allows communication through various technologies, namely belonging to WWAN, WLAN, and WPAN space. A common antenna or antennas is shared by the transceivers. The switching system connects the proper transceiver to the antenna system and communication priority to and from the computer system is given to the chosen transceiver. The transceivers are placed on a Mini PCI card or similar factor form and interface directly to the computing system. Transceiver priority may be chosen by a particular application or when communication is being sent to the system, the proper transceiver may be chosen to receive the communicated signals.

Claims

1. A portable computing system with selectable transceiver switching comprising:

a set of one or more transceivers, each of the transceivers with a unique communication protocol;

a switch capable of differentiating communication signals and determining and choosing an appropriate transceiver from the set of transceivers to communicate for the computing system; and

a multi-band antenna capable of receiving and transmitting varying frequency signals to the chosen transceiver.

2. The portable computing system of claim 1 wherein the switch is a zener diode that differentiates upon power transmission.

3. The portable computer system of claim 1 wherein the switch is an active power sensor device.

4. The portable computer system of claim 1 wherein the switch is a current limiter device.

5. The portable computer system of claim 1 further comprising:

a lookup table that associates transmission power with each of the transceivers, whereby the switch selects a transceiver from the set of transceivers when a certain power state in the lookup table is detected.

6. The portable computer system of claim 5 wherein the switch selects a transceiver based on a transmitted power.

7. The portable computer system of claim 5 wherein the switch selects a transceiver based on a received power.

8. The portable computer system of claim 1 further comprising:

a software driver that interfaces to the transceiver and interfaces to an operating system of the portable computer system, whereby the software driver receives instructions as to which transceiver of the set of transceivers to select.

9. The portable computer system of claim 8 wherein the software driver receives instructions from a higher level protocol stack of the portable computer system.

10. The portable computer system of claim 8 wherein the software driver receives instructions from a set of software applications of the portable computer system.

11. The portable computer system of claim 1 wherein the set of transceivers and the switch are integrated into a circuit card.

12. The portable computer system of claim 7 wherein the circuit card connects to a system board of the portable computer system.

13. The portable computer system of claim 7 wherein the circuit card is a Mini PCI card.

16. The method of switching between a set of one or more transceivers within a portable computing system of claim 14 wherein:

selection of a transceiver is performed by a software driver.

17. The method of switching between a set of one or more transceivers within a portable computing system of claim 16 wherein:

the software driver is instructed by a higher level protocol stack.

18. The method of switching between a set of one or more transceivers within a portable computing system of claim 14 wherein:

the software driver is instructed by a set of software applications of the portable computer system.

19. The method of switching between a set of one or more transceivers within a portable computing system of claim 15 wherein:

selection of a transceiver is performed by a software driver.

20. The method of switching between a set of one or more transceivers within a portable computing system of claim 19 wherein:

the software driver is instructed by a higher level protocol stack.

21. The method of switching between a set of one or more transceivers within a portable computing system of claim 19 wherein:

the software driver is instructed by a set of software applications of the portable computer system.

14. A method of switching between a set of one or more transceivers within a portable computing system comprising:

looking up in a state table corresponding power and frequency values;

comparing the power and frequency of a received signal to the corresponding power and frequency value; and

selecting a transceiver board capable of processing the received signal.

15. A method of switching between a set of one or more transceivers within a portable computing system comprising:

looking up in a state table corresponding power and frequency values;

comparing the power and frequency of a transmitted signal to the corresponding power and frequency value; and

selecting a transceiver board capable of processing the received signal.