Usage mode-based antenna selection

• US 20060276221A1
• Filed: 06/03/2005
• Published: 12/07/2006
• Est. Priority Date: 06/03/2005
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Hewlett-Packard Development Company, L.P. (HP Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Hewlett-Packard Development Company, L.P. (HP Inc.)
• Inventors: Malalasekera, Ravindra P., Lagnado, Isaac, Neill, Timothy
• Granted Patent: US 8,532,587 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 455/552.100
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/162 changing, e.g. reversing, the face orientation of the screen with a two degrees of freedom mechanism, e.g. for folding into tablet PC like position or orienting towards the direction opposite to the user to show to a second user
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/1626 with a single-body enclosure integrating a flat display, e.g. Personal Digital Assistants [PDAs]
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/1643 the display being associated to a digitizer, e.g. laptops that can be used as penpads details related to the relative motion of the display enclosure with respect to the body enclosure, e.g. to move between laptop and tablet PC configuration G06F1/1615
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/1698 the I/O peripheral being a sending/receiving arrangement to establish a cordless communication link, e.g. radio or infrared link, integrated cellular phone details of antennas disposed inside a computer H01Q1/2266
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2200/1614 Image rotation following screen orientation, e.g. switching from landscape to portrait mode
• CPC Class Codes: H01Q 1/2258 used with computer equipment
• CPC Class Codes: H01Q 21/29 Combinations of different interacting antenna units for giving a desired directional characteristic H01Q25/00 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 7/0602 using antenna switching H04B7/0686 takes precedence; antenna beam directivity switching H01Q3/24
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 7/0617 for beam forming
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 7/0802 using antenna selection H04B7/0868 takes precedence; antenna beam directivity switching H01Q3/24
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/724 User interfaces specially adapted for cordless or mobile telephones
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/72403 with means for local support of applications that increase the functionality
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/72469 for operating the device by selecting functions from two or more displayed items, e.g. menus or icons
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 52/42 in systems with time, space, frequency or polarisation diversity

Abstract

Embodiments of devices and methods employ usage mode based antenna selection. One disclosed method embodiment comprises determining a usage mode of a device, and selecting a subset of the available antennas in the device. The subset that is selected corresponds to the usage mode.

Claims

1. A method of configuring a device, the method comprising:

determining a usage mode of the device; and

selecting a subset of a plurality of antennas, the subset corresponding to the usage mode.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein determining the usage mode comprises identifying a mode in a usage mode set, the set comprising at least one usage mode for each orientation of a display.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein the subset for each usage mode comprises those antennas expected to be near an edge of the device most distal from a user when the device is used with the display having the orientation for that usage mode.

4. The method of claim 2, wherein the subset for each usage mode comprises those antennas expected to be near an uppermost edge of the device when the device is used with the display having the orientation for that usage mode.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein determining the usage mode comprises sensing whether a keyboard is deployed, and if so, identifying a usage mode corresponding to a device configuration with an extended keyboard.

6. The method of claim 1, further comprising selecting another subset of the plurality of antennas when the usage mode changes.

7. A portable computing device that comprises:

a plurality of antennas;

a wireless module;

at least one switch that selectively couples a subset of the plurality of antennas to the wireless module, wherein the at least one switch is set in accordance with a usage mode of the device.

8. The device of claim 7, further comprising a processor configured to determine the usage mode of the device and further configured to accordingly set the at least one switch.

9. The device of claim 7, further comprising a display, wherein the usage mode is determined at least in part by a orientation of the display.

10. The device of claim 7, further comprising a deployable keyboard, wherein the usage mode is determined at least in part on whether the keyboard is deployed.

11. The device of claim 7, further comprising a substantially rectangular surface having a display screen, wherein the plurality of antennas comprises an antenna near each corner of the substantially rectangular surface.

12. The device of claim 11, wherein the at least one switch comprises a first switch that couples two of said corner antennas to the wireless module, and wherein the device further comprises a second switch that couples another two of said corner antennas to the wireless module.

13. The device of claim 11, wherein the corner antennas coupled to the wireless module by the first switch are near diagonally opposite corners of the substantially rectangular surface.

14. An information carrier medium for providing software to a portable computing device, wherein the software configures the portable computing device to:

couple a subset of multiple antennas to a wireless communications module when the device is configured for a first usage mode; and

couple a different subset of multiple antennas to the wireless communications module when the device is configured for a second, different usage mode.

15. The medium of claim 14, wherein the first and second usage modes are from a set of usage modes corresponding to orientations of a display screen.

16. The medium of claim 14, wherein the first and second usage modes are from a set of usage modes that correspond to deployment states of a keyboard.

17. The medium of claim 14, wherein the subsets coupled to the wireless communications module comprise those antennas expected to be most distal from a user when the device is configured in the corresponding usage mode.

18. The medium of claim 14, wherein the subsets coupled to the wireless communications module comprise those antennas expected to be most elevated when the device is configured in the corresponding usage mode.

19. A portable computing apparatus that comprises:

a plurality of antenna means for coupling the apparatus to a wireless link;

a communication means for generating and receiving wireless communication signals; and

a switching means for coupling a subset of the plurality of antenna means to the communication means, said switching means operating in accordance with a usage mode of the portable computing apparatus.

20. The apparatus of claim 19, further comprising:

a processing means for determining the usage mode and responsively configuring the switching means.