Electronic device with antenna for wireless communication

• US 7,486,955 B2
• Filed: 09/27/2004
• Issued: 02/03/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 01/30/2004
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Toshiba Client Solutions CO., Ltd. (Hon Hai Precision Industry Co., Ltd.)
• Original Assignee: Kabushiki Kaisha Toshiba (Toshiba Corporation)
• Inventors: Fukushima, Kazuya
• Primary Examiner(s): Nguyen; Duc
• Assistant Examiner(s): Perez; Julio R
• Application Number:
  US10/950,894
• Publication Number:
  US 20050170862A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,590 Days
• Field of Search: 455/556.1, 455/272, 455/277.1, 455/272.2, 455/275, 455/552.1, 455/132, 455/140, 455/562.1, 455/575.7, 455/41.2, 343/702, 343/700, 343/848, 343/879, 370/338, 370/341
• US Class Current: 455/452.1
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/1616 with folding flat displays, e.g. laptop computers or notebooks having a clamshell configuration, with body parts pivoting to an open position around an axis parallel to the plane they define in closed position
• 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: H01Q 1/2258 used with computer equipment
• CPC Class Codes: H01Q 1/2266 disposed inside the computer
• CPC Class Codes: H01Q 1/241 used in mobile communications, e.g. GSM H01Q1/247, H01Q1/248 take precedence
• 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 23/00 Antennas with active circuits or circuit elements integrated within them or attached to them
• CPC Class Codes: H01Q 5/00 Arrangements for simultaneous operation of antennas on two or more different wavebands, e.g. dual-band or multi-band arrangements combinations of separate active antenna units operating in different wavebands and connected to a common feeder system H01Q21/30
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 7/0822 according to predefined selection scheme
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 7/0825 with main and with auxiliary or diversity antennas

Abstract

An electronic device comprises an antenna, a first wireless communication module coupled to the antenna, which is complied with a first communication protocol, a second wireless communication module coupled to the antenna, which is complied with a second communication protocol, and a filter coupled to the antenna, the first wireless communication module, and the second wireless communication module. The filter distributes a signal received by the antenna to one of the first wireless communication module and the second wireless communication module in accordance with frequency of the signal.

Claims

1. An electronic device, comprising:

a first antenna;

a second antenna;

a first wireless communication module coupled to the first antenna and the second antenna and operating in accordance with a first communication protocol;

a second wireless communication module coupled to the second antenna and operating in accordance with a second communication protocol; and

a filter coupled to the second antenna, the first wireless communication module, and the second wireless communication module, the filter distributing a signal received by the second antenna to one of the first wireless communication module and the second wireless communication module in accordance with a frequency of the signal allowing the first wireless communication module to operate concurrently with the second wireless communication module, and

wherein the first wireless communication module makes communication without using the second antenna when the second wireless communication module makes communication in a second frequency bandwidth overlapping with a first frequency bandwidth available to the first wireless communication module.

2. The electronic device according to claim 1, wherein the first wireless communication module uses the first frequency bandwidth, and the second wireless communication module uses the second frequency bandwidth different than the first frequency bandwidth.

3. The electric device according to claim 2, wherein the first wireless communication module and the second wireless communication module concurrently transmit signals through the first antenna and the second antenna and the filter distributes the signal with the first frequency bandwidth of up to 5 gigahertz to the first wireless communication module and the signal with the second frequency bandwidth of up to 2.4 gigahertz to the second wireless communication module.

4. The electric device according to claim 1, wherein the first communication protocol is in accordance with one of IEEE 802.11a, IEEE 802.11b, and IEEE 802.11g standard, and the second communication protocol is BLUETOOTH™

.

5. The wireless communication method according to claim 1, wherein the second frequency bandwidth is less than one-half of the first frequency bandwidth.

6. A wireless communication method, comprising:

transmitting a signal in compliance with a first communication protocol through a first antenna;

receiving a signal in compliance with the first communication protocol through the first antenna and a second antenna, the signal received by the second antenna being used for the first communication protocol when the frequency of the signal is in accordance with that of the first communication protocol;

transmitting a signal in compliance with a second communication protocol through the second antenna; and

receiving a signal complied with the second communication protocol through the second antenna, the signal received by the second antenna being used for the second communication protocol when the frequency of the signal is in accordance with that of the second communication protocol,

wherein the second antenna is coupled to a filter coupling to a first wireless communication module operating in accordance with the first communication protocol and a second wireless communication module operating in accordance with the second communication protocol and concurrently with the first wireless communication module, and distributing a signal received by the second antenna to one of the first wireless communication module and the second wireless communication module in accordance with a frequency of the signal.

7. The wireless communication method according to claim 6, wherein the transmitting of the signal in compliance with the first communication protocol is conducted by the first wireless communication module and concurrently with the transmitting of the signal in compliance with the second communication protocol by the second wireless communication module.