SHARED ANTENNA ARCHITECTURE FOR MULTIPLE CO-LOCATED RADIO MODULES

• US 20090170447A1
• Filed: 03/09/2009
• Published: 07/02/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 10/31/2006
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Qualcomm, Inc.
• Original Assignee: Palm, Inc. (TCL Technology Group Corp.)
• Inventors: Tu, Jerome, Hendin, Neil, Beninghaus, James, Marlett, Jeff
• Granted Patent: US 8,260,214 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 455/82
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 1/0053 with common antenna for more than one band
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2250/02 including a Bluetooth interface
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2250/06 including a wireless LAN interface
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 88/06 adapted for operation in multiple networks or having at least two operational modes, e.g. multi-mode terminals

Abstract

A shared antenna architecture for multiple co-located radio modules is disclosed. For example, an apparatus may include an antenna, a first transceiver to communicate wirelessly across a first link, a second transceiver to communicate wirelessly across a second link, and a shared antenna structure communicatively coupled to the first transceiver, the second transceiver and the antenna. The shared antenna structure may comprise a combiner and at least one switch arranged to allow the first transceiver and the second transceiver to share the antenna for simultaneous operations or mutually-exclusive operations. Other embodiments are disclosed and claimed.

Claims

1. An apparatus, comprising:

an antenna;

a first transceiver to communicate wirelessly across a first link;

a second transceiver to communicate wirelessly across a second link; and

a shared antenna structure communicatively coupled to the first transceiver, the second transceiver and the antenna, the shared antenna structure comprising a combiner and at least one switch arranged to allow the first transceiver and the second transceiver to share the antenna for simultaneous operations or mutually-exclusive operations.

2. The apparatus of claim 1, the shared antenna structure comprising a first switch communicatively coupled to the first transceiver, a second switch communicatively coupled to the second transceiver, a combiner communicatively coupled to the first and second switches, and a third switch communicatively coupled to the first switch, the second switch and the combiner.

3. The apparatus of claim 1, the shared antenna structure comprising a first switch communicatively coupled to the first transceiver, a combiner communicatively coupled to the first switch and the second transceiver, and a second switch communicatively coupled to the first switch and the combiner.

4. The apparatus of claim 1, comprising an antenna control module communicatively coupled to the shared antenna structure, the antenna control module operative to receive information representing activity for the first and second transceivers, and arrange the shared antenna structure for simultaneous operations or mutually-exclusive operations.

5. The apparatus of claim 1, comprising an antenna control module communicatively coupled to the shared antenna structure, the antenna control module operative to receive information representing activity for the first and second transceivers, and arrange the shared antenna structure for simultaneous operations when both transceivers have a level of activity above a set of defined thresholds.

6. The apparatus of claim 1, comprising an antenna control module communicatively coupled to the shared antenna structure, the antenna control module operative to receive information representing activity for the first and second transceivers, and arrange the shared antenna structure for mutually-exclusive operations when one of the first and second transceivers have a level of activity above a defined threshold, and another of the first and second transceivers have a level of activity below a defined threshold.

7. The apparatus of claim 1, comprising a first communications controller communicatively coupled to the first transceiver, a second communications controller communicatively coupled to the second transceiver.

8. The apparatus of claim 7, the first and second communications controllers operative to exchange information regarding operation of the first and second transceivers, and schedule operations for the first and second transceivers based on the exchanged information.

9. The apparatus of claim 7, comprising a coordination module communicatively coupled to the first and second communications controllers, the coordination module operative to receive information regarding operation of the first and second transceivers, and schedule operations for the first and second transceivers based on the received information.

10. The apparatus of claim 1, comprising an antenna control module and a coordination module, the antenna control module operative to control operations for the shared antenna structure, the coordination module operative to control operations for the first and second transceivers, the antenna control module and the coordination module to exchange information to reduce insertion loss caused by the antenna control module.

11. A method, comprising:

receiving activity information for a first transceiver;

receiving activity information for a second transceiver; and

sending configuration information to a shared antenna structure for the first and second transceivers, the configuration information to arrange a combiner and at least one switch for the shared antenna structure for simultaneous operations or mutually-exclusive operations by the shared antenna structure.

12. The method of claim 11, comprising arranging the combiner and the at least one switch for the shared antenna structure for simultaneous operations when activity information for both transceivers indicate a level of activity above a set of defined thresholds.

13. The method of claim 11, comprising arranging the combiner and the at least one switch for the shared antenna structure for mutually-exclusive operations when activity information for one of the first and second transceivers have a level of activity above a defined threshold, and activity information for another of the first and second transceivers have a level of activity below a defined threshold.

14. The method of claim 11, comprising receiving the activity information for the first and second transceivers from first and second communications controllers for the respective first and second transceivers.

15. The method of claim 11, comprising exchanging information between an antenna control module and a coordination module to reduce insertion loss caused by the antenna control module.

16. An article comprising a storage medium containing instructions that if executed enable a system to:

receive activity information for a first transceiver;

receive activity information for a second transceiver; and

send configuration information to a shared antenna structure for the first and second transceivers, the configuration information to arrange a combiner and at least one switch for the shared antenna structure for simultaneous operations or mutually-exclusive operations by the shared antenna structure.

17. The article of claim 16, further comprising instructions to arrange the combiner and the at least one switch for the shared antenna structure for simultaneous operations when activity information for both transceivers indicate a level of activity above a set of defined thresholds.

18. The article of claim 16, further comprising instructions to arrange the combiner and the at least one switch for the shared antenna structure for mutually-exclusive operations when activity information for one of the first and second transceivers have a level of activity above a defined threshold, and activity information for another of the first and second transceivers have a level of activity below a defined threshold.

19. The article of claim 16, further comprising instructions to receive the activity information for the first and second transceivers from first and second communications controllers for the respective first and second transceivers.

20. The article of claim 16, further comprising instructions to send information from an antenna control module to a coordination module to reduce insertion loss caused by the antenna control module.