NETWORK INTERFACE DEVICE WITH SHARED ANTENNA

• US 20090262669A1
• Filed: 04/18/2008
• Published: 10/22/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 04/18/2008
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Sony Corporation (Sony Group Corp.)
• Original Assignee: Sony Ericsson Mobile Communications USA Incorporated (Sony Group Corp.)
• Inventors: Sanders, Stuart B.
• Granted Patent: US 7,907,585 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 370/278
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 1/006 using switches for selecting the desired band H04B1/0057 takes precedence

Abstract

An improved network interface device includes at least two wireless network transceivers where the transceivers share at least one antenna. In one embodiment, one of the transceivers is a 2×2 MIMO WiFi N transceiver and the other of the transceivers is a 2×1 MIMO WiMAX transceiver. A priority selector and lockout control circuit is used to control which transceiver has access to the shared antenna. The control circuit of one embodiment is arranged so the WiMAX transceiver is given priority access to the shared antenna.

Claims

1. A wireless network interface device, comprising:

a first wireless network transceiver;

a second wireless network transceiver;

an antenna that is shared between the first and second transceivers; and

a control circuit that, during an active state of the second transceiver, locks out a transmission path of the first transceiver that uses the shared antenna.

2. The wireless network interface device of claim 1, further comprising a radio frequency mode switch that is controlled by the control circuit to switch a receive path input of the second transceiver to the shared antenna during a receive mode of the second transceiver and to a transmit and receive path of the first transceiver during a transmission mode of the second transceiver.

3. The wireless network interface device of claim 2, wherein the switch is part of a front end module for the second transceiver.

4. The wireless network interface device of claim 2, wherein during the transmission mode of the second transceiver, the first transceiver receives signals compatible with an interface standard of the first transceiver over the shared antenna.

5. The wireless network interface device of claim 2, wherein during the active state of the second transceiver, the control circuit controls the position of the switch using a transmit/receive baseband signal of the second transceiver.

6. The wireless network interface device of claim 1, wherein the lockout is achieved by turning off a power amplifier in the transmission pathway from the first transceiver to the shared antenna.

7. The wireless network interface device of claim 6, wherein the power amplifier is part of a front end module for the first transceiver.

8. The wireless network interface device of claim 1, wherein, during in a non-active state of the second transceiver, a power amplifier in the transmission pathway from the first transceiver to the shared antenna is controlled by the control circuit using a transmit enable baseband signal of the first transceiver.

9. The wireless network interface device of claim 1, wherein the first transceiver is a WiFi transceiver and the second transceiver is a WiMAX transceiver.

10. The wireless network interface device of claim 1, wherein:

the first transceiver has a first transmit/receive path that transmits and receives using an antenna dedicated to the first transceiver and a second transmit/receive path that uses the shared antenna; and

the second transceiver has a transmit/receive path that transmits and receives using an antenna dedicated to the second transceiver and a second receive path that uses the shared antenna.

11. The wireless network interface device of claim 10, wherein the first transceiver is a 2×

2 multiple-input multiple-output WiFi transceiver and the second transceiver is a 2×

1 multiple-input multiple-output WiMAX transceiver.

12. The wireless network interface device of claim 1, wherein the first transceiver carries out wireless communication with a wireless access point of a first network and the second transceiver carries out wireless communication with a wireless access point of a second network simultaneously with the wireless communication carried out by the first transceiver.

13. The wireless network interface device of claim 1, wherein the wireless network interface device is part of a removable network interface accessory for an electronic device.

14. The wireless network interface device of claim 1, wherein the wireless network interface device is part of an electronic device.

15. The wireless network interface device of claim 14, wherein the electronic device is a mobile telephone.

16. A method of conducting wireless communications simultaneously with a first wireless network and a second wireless network, comprising:

establishing a network interface between a first wireless network transceiver and the first network;

establishing a network interface between a second wireless network transceiver and the second network; and

sharing an antenna between the first and second transceivers during the wireless communications by locking out a transmission path of the first transceiver that uses the shared antenna during an active state of the second transceiver.

17. The method of claim 16, wherein the sharing includes switching a radio frequency mode switch to couple a receive path input of the second transceiver to the shared antenna during a receive mode of the second transceiver and to a transmit and receive path of the first transceiver during a transmission mode of the second transceiver so that during the transmission mode of the second transceiver, the first transceiver receives signals compatible with an interface standard of the first transceiver over the shared antenna.

18. The method of claim 16, wherein the lockout is achieved by turning off a power amplifier in the transmission pathway from the first transceiver to the shared antenna.

19. The method of claim 16, wherein the first transceiver is a WiFi transceiver and the second transceiver is a WiMAX transceiver.

20. The method of claim 16, wherein:

the first transceiver has a first transmit/receive path that transmits and receives using an antenna dedicated to the first transceiver and a second transmit/receive path that uses the shared antenna; and

the second transceiver has a transmit/receive path that transmits and receives using an antenna dedicated to the second transceiver and a second receive path that uses the shared antenna.