System and method for providing a multiband antenna

• US 20030186667A1
• Filed: 03/26/2002
• Published: 10/02/2003
• Est. Priority Date: 03/26/2002
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Kyocera Corporation
• Original Assignee: Kyocera Wireless Corporation (Kyocera Corporation)
• Inventors: Wallace, Ray
• Granted Patent: US 7,515,894 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 455/284
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 19/36 relating to the receiver frond end
• 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 1/006 using switches for selecting the desired band H04B1/0057 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 1/18 Input circuits, e.g. for coupling to an antenna or a transmission line coupling networks between antennas or lines and receivers independent of the nature of the receiver H03H

Abstract

A system and a method for wireless communications includes an antenna, a GPS circuit with a GPS matching circuit that is coupled to the antenna, a communications circuit with a communications matching circuit that is coupled to the antenna. The communications matching circuit is adapted to switch between different impedances, for example, to match the communications circuit with the antenna for a particular communications band or to isolate the communications circuit from the antenna. The communications matching circuit or the GPS matching circuit may be actively adapted.

Claims

1. A wireless communications device, comprising:

an antenna;

GPS circuitry including a GPS matching circuit, the GPS matching circuit being coupled to the antenna and structured to match the GPS circuitry to the antenna; and

communications circuit including a communications matching circuit, the communications matching circuit being coupled to the antenna and structured to match the communications circuit to the antenna.

2. The wireless communications device according to claim 1,

wherein the communications circuit includes a cellular communications band circuit and a personal communications services (PCS) communications band circuit,

wherein the communications matching circuit includes a cellular band matching circuit, the cellular band matching circuit being structured to match the cellular communications band circuit to the antenna, and

wherein the communications matching circuit includes a PCS band matching circuit, the PCS matching circuit being structured to match the PCS communications band circuit to the antenna.

3. The wireless communications device according to claim 1, wherein the communications matching circuit is structured to be switched between different matching impedances.

4. The wireless communications device according to claim 3, wherein the communications matching circuit is structured to be switched between a first matching impedance for a cellular communications band circuit and a second matching impedance for a PCS communications band circuit.

5. The wireless communications device according to claim 1, wherein the communications matching circuit is structured to isolate the communications circuit from the antenna.

6. The wireless communications device according to claim 1, wherein the communications matching circuit is structured not to interfere with the GPS matching circuit.

7. The wireless communications device according to claim 1, wherein the communications matching circuit is structured to improve reception characteristics of a GPS band by the GPS circuit.

8. The wireless communications device according to claim 1, wherein the communications matching circuit is structured to provide a substantially open circuit impedance.

9. A wireless communications device, comprising:

an antenna;

a GPS receiver module coupled to the antenna;

a communications transceiver module coupled to the antenna via an impedance unit; and

a switch coupled to a node between the impedance unit and the communications transceiver, the switch also being coupled to an electrical ground.

10. The wireless communications device according to claim 9, wherein the impedance unit and the switch are structured such that when the switch is closed, the impedance unit becomes an open circuit.

11. The wireless communications device according to claim 9, wherein the impedance unit and the switch are structured such that when the switch is closed, the communications transceiver module is isolated from the antenna.

12. The wireless communications device according to claim 9, wherein the impedance unit includes a quarter wave transformer.

13. The wireless communications device according to claim 9, wherein the impedance unit and the switch are structured to enhance GPS reception by the GPS receiver module when the switch is closed.

14. The wireless communications device according to claim 9, wherein the impedance unit and the switch are structured to match the communications transceiver module with the antenna when the switch is open.

15. A wireless communications device, comprising:

a single antenna;

means for receiving GPS signals via the single antenna;

means for receiving communications band signals via the single antenna;

means for adaptively matching the means for receiving communications band signals with the single antenna.

16. The wireless communications device according to claim 15, wherein the adaptively matching means includes means for isolating communications circuitry from the single antenna.

17. A method for handheld wireless communications over a single antenna, comprising the steps of:

receiving GPS signals via a GPS circuit;

matching the GPS circuit with the single antenna via a GPS matching circuit;

receiving communications signals via a communications circuit; and

matching the communications circuit with the single antenna via a communications matching circuit.

18. The method according to claim 17, further comprising the step of:

actively adapting the communications matching circuit so that the communications matching circuit is matched with the single antenna for a particular communications band.

19. The method according to claim 17, further comprising the step of:

switching the communications matching circuit between a first matching impedance for a first communications band or a second matching impedance for a second communications band.

20. The method according to claim 17, further comprising the step of:

grounding part of the communications matching circuit with a switch such that the communications circuit is isolated from the single antenna.

21. The method according to claim 17, further comprising the step of:

improving the reception of GPS signals by the GPS circuit by grounding part of the communications matching circuit via a switch.