Tunable dual-antenna system for multiple frequency band operation

• US 20070049213A1
• Filed: 08/26/2005
• Published: 03/01/2007
• Est. Priority Date: 08/26/2005
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Qualcomm, Inc.
• Original Assignee: Qualcomm, Inc.
• Inventors: Tran, Allen
• Granted Patent: US 7,801,556 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 455/78
• CPC Class Codes: H01Q 21/28 Combinations of substantially independent non-interacting antenna units or systems multiple beam H01Q25/00
• CPC Class Codes: H01Q 21/30 Combinations of separate antenna units operating in different wavebands and connected to a common feeder system
• CPC Class Codes: H01Q 9/145 by varying the electrical length

Abstract

A tunable dual-antenna system for multiple frequency band operation is disclosed, which allows a device to switch between multiple frequencies and/or multiple modes, such as CDMA and GSM. The system may comprise a tunable transmit antenna and a tunable receive antenna. One configuration may comprise multiple transmit antennas and multiple receive antennas.

Claims

1. A wireless communication device comprising:

a transmit antenna with a first tunable element to change a first transmit frequency band associated with a first communication mode to a second transmit frequency band associated with the first communication mode or a second communication mode; and

a receive antenna with a second tunable element to change a first receive frequency band associated with the first communication mode to a second receive frequency band associated with the first communication mode or the second communication mode.

2. The device of claim 1, wherein the frequency bands comprise at least two of Code Division Multiple Access (CDMA) 450 MHz, CDMA 800 MHz, Extended Global System for Mobile communications (EGSM) 900 MHz, Global Positioning System (GPS) 1575 MHz, CDMA1800 MHz, CDMA1900 MHz, Digital Cellular System (DCS) 1700 MHz, and Universal Mobile Telecommunications System (UMTS) 1900 MHz.

3. The device of claim 1, wherein the first transmit frequency band is at least 100 MHz higher than the second transmit frequency band.

4. The device of claim 1, wherein the first and second communication modes comprise at least two of CDMA, GSM, Wideband CDMA (WCDMA), Time-Division Synchronous CDMA (TD-SCDMA), Orthogonal Frequency Division Multiplexing (OFDM), and WiMAX.

5. The device of claim 1, wherein first and second tunable elements comprise voltage-variable micro-electro mechanical systems (MEMS).

6. The device of claim 1, wherein first and second tunable elements comprise voltage-variable Ferro-Electric capacitors.

7. The device of claim 1, wherein the first transmit frequency band and the first receive frequency band are substantially isolated from each other.

8. The device of claim 1, wherein the transmit antenna is orthogonally positioned to the receive antenna.

9. The device of claim 1, further comprising a second receive antenna with a third tunable element to provide receive diversity.

10. The device of claim 1, further comprising a second transmit antenna with a third tunable element to provide transmit diversity.

11. A wireless communication device comprising:

a transmitting means with a first tuning means to change a first transmit frequency band associated with a first communication mode to a second transmit frequency band associated with the first communication mode or a second communication mode; and

a receiving means with a second tuning means to change a first receive frequency band associated with the first communication mode to a second receive frequency band associated with the first communication mode or the second communication mode.

12. A wireless communication device comprising:

a transmit antenna with a first tunable element to change a first transmit frequency set of channels associated with a first communication mode to a second transmit frequency set of channels associated with the first communication mode or a second communication mode; and

a receive antenna with a second tunable element to change a first receive frequency set of channels associated with the first communication mode to a second receive frequency set of channels associated with the first communication mode or the second communication mode.

13. A method for wireless communications, the method comprising:

transmitting signals with a first antenna and receiving signals with a second antenna using a first frequency range associated with a first wireless communication mode;

tuning the transmit and receive antennas to a second frequency range associated with the first communication mode or a second wireless communication mode; and

transmitting signals with the first antenna and receiving signals with the second antenna using the second frequency range.

14. The method of claim 13, further comprising determining whether the second wireless communication mode provides better communication than the first wireless communication mode.

15. The method of claim 13, wherein the frequency ranges comprise at least two of Code Division Multiple Access (CDMA) 450 MHz, CDMA 800 MHz, Extended Global System for Mobile communications (EGSM) 900 MHz, Global Positioning System (GPS) 1575 MHz, CDMA1800 MHz, CDMA1900 MHz, Digital Cellular System (DCS) 1700 MHz, and Universal Mobile Telecommunications System (UMTS) 1900 MHz.

16. The method of claim 13, wherein the first frequency range is at least 100 MHz higher than the second frequency range.

17. The method of claim 13, wherein the first and second communication modes comprise at least two of CDMA, GSM, Wideband CDMA (WCDMA), Time-Division Synchronous CDMA (TD-SCDMA), Orthogonal Frequency Division Multiplexing (OFDM), and WiMAX.

18. The method of claim 13, wherein the first antenna and second antenna use frequency bands that are substantially isolated from each other.

19. The method of claim 13, further comprising receiving signals with a third antenna to provide receive diversity.

20. The method of claim 13, further comprising transmitting signals with a third antenna to provide transmit diversity.

21. A method for wireless communications, the method comprising:

transmitting signals with a first antenna and receiving signals with a second antenna using a first frequency set of channels associated with a first wireless communication mode;

tuning the transmit and receive antennas to a second frequency set of channels associated with the first communication mode or a second wireless communication mode; and

transmitting signals with the first antenna and receiving signals with the second antenna using the second frequency set of channels.