Wireless communication device interconnectivity

• US 7,623,831 B2
• Filed: 08/31/2006
• Issued: 11/24/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 11/21/2001
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: ThinkLogix, LLC (Ascend Innovation Management, LLC)
• Original Assignee: Mineral Lassen LLC (Intellectual Ventures LLC)
• Inventors: Horrell, Peter Robert George, Forster, Ian J
• Primary Examiner(s): Anderson; Matthew D
• Assistant Examiner(s): Bilodeau; David
• Application Number:
  US11/514,753
• Publication Number:
  US 20070001843A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,181 Days
• Field of Search: 455/552, 455/20, 455 901- 3, 455/83, 455/557, 455/41.1, 455/41.2, 375/219, 342/42, 342/360
• US Class Current: 455/77
• CPC Class Codes: G06K 19/0723 the record carrier comprising an arrangement for non-contact communication, e.g. wireless communication circuits on transponder cards, non-contact smart cards or RFIDs
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/72412 using two-way short-range wireless interfaces

Abstract

A wireless communication device that is attached or included in an electronic object, such as a portable computer, having its own separate communication system. The separate communication system has an antenna for receiving and transmitting wireless communications, and is powered by a power supply included in the object. Since the separate communication system can only communicate when powered, a separate passive wireless communication device is provided for wireless communication that does not require power from the power supply to communicate. The wireless communication device is interfaced with the existing antenna of the separate communication system so that the wireless communication device and separate communication system share a common antenna to reduce cost. The antenna may also be interconnected to a controller associated with the object so that the controller can directly communicate to the wireless communication device.

Claims

1. A wireless communication system, comprising:

a transceiver configured to transmit and receive communication signals at a first operating frequency;

a passive radio-frequency identification device separate from the transceiver and configured to transmit and receive communication signals at a second operating frequency different from the first operating frequency;

an antenna coupled directly to the transceiver, wherein the antenna is configured to receive communication signals at the first operating frequency for processing by the transceiver, and wherein the antenna is further configured to receive communication signals at the second operating frequency for processing by the passive radio-frequency identification device; and

a network coupled between the passive radio-frequency identification device and the antenna, wherein the network is configured to match the impedance of the passive radio-frequency identification device to the impedance of the antenna at the second operating frequency so that a communication signal at the second operating frequency is propagated to the passive radio-frequency identification device via the network for processing.

2. The system of claim 1, wherein said transceiver and the antenna are incorporated in a mobile phone.

3. The system of claim 1, wherein the first operating frequency is 920 MHz and the second operating frequency is 869 MHz.

5. The wireless communication system of claim 1, wherein the network is further configured so that the passive radio-frequency identification device does not receive communication signals at the first operating frequency.

6. The wireless communication system of claim 1, wherein the network is further configured to change the impedance of the passive radio-frequency identification device so that the passive radio-frequency identification device does not interfere with the transmission or receipt of communication signals at the first operating frequency.

7. The wireless communication system of claim 1, wherein the network is further configured to isolate a matching impedance of the transceiver and the antenna when both are operating at the first operating frequency so that the transceiver can receive the communication signals from the antenna for processing at the first operating frequency and wherein the network is further configured to increase an impedance of the passive radio-frequency identification device to a higher impedance than the matching impedance of the transceiver and the antenna so that the passive radio-frequency identification device does not affect an electrical connection between the transceiver and the antenna.

8. The wireless communication system of claim 1, wherein the transceiver and the antenna form an integral communication system separate from the passive radio-frequency identification device and wherein the passive radio-frequency identification device does not have its own antenna.

4. A method of sharing a common antenna for communications in a wireless communication system comprising a transceiver, the common antenna coupled directly to the transceiver, a passive radio-frequency identification device that is separate from the transceiver, and a network coupled between the passive radio-frequency identification device and the common antenna, the method comprising:

transmitting and receiving communication signals at a first operating frequency and at a second operating frequency different from the first operating frequency using the common antenna, wherein the common antenna is configured to transmit and receive communication signals at the first and second operating frequencies; and

adjusting the impedance between the passive radio-frequency identification device and the common antenna so that communication signals at the second operating frequency are propagated to the passive radio-frequency identification device via the network for processing and so that communication signals at the first operating frequency are not propagated to the passive radio-frequency identification device via the network.

14. The method of claim 4, wherein said adjusting the impedance comprises increasing the impedance difference between the passive radio-frequency identification device and the common antenna so that the passive radio-frequency identification device does not receive the communication signals at the first operating frequency.

15. The method of claim 4, wherein said adjusting the impedance comprises matching the impedance between the passive radio-frequency identification device and the common antenna so that the passive radio-frequency identification device can receive the communication signals at the second operating frequency.

9. A wireless communication system comprising:

a transceiver configured to transmit and receive communication signals at a first operating frequency;

a passive radio-frequency identification device that is separate from the transceiver and configured to transmit and receive communication signals at a second operating frequency different from the first operating frequency;

an antenna coupled directly to the transceiver and the passive radio-frequency identification device, wherein the antenna is configured to transmit and receive communication signals at the first and second operating frequencies; and

a network coupled between the passive radio-frequency identification device and the antenna, wherein the network is configured so that communication signals received by the antenna and having the second operating frequency are directed to the passive radio-frequency identification device and communication signals received by the antenna and having the first operating frequency are directed away from the passive radio-frequency identification device.

10. The wireless communication system of claim 9, wherein the network is further configured to increase the impedance difference between the antenna and the passive radio-frequency identification device to direct the communication signals having the first operating frequency away from the passive radio-frequency identification device.

11. The wireless communication system of claim 9, wherein the network is further configured to match the impedance between the antenna and the passive radio-frequency identification device to direct the communication signals having the second operating frequency to the passive radio-frequency identification device.

12. The wireless communication system of claim 9, wherein the network is further configured to isolate a matching impedance of the transceiver and the antenna when both are operating at the first operating frequency so that the transceiver can receive the communication signals from the antenna for processing at the first operating frequency and wherein the network is further configured to increase the impedance of the passive radio-frequency identification device to a higher impedance than the matching impedance of the transceiver and the antenna so that the passive radio-frequency identification device does not affect an electrical connection between the transceiver and the antenna.

13. The wireless communication system of claim 9, wherein the transceiver and the antenna form an integral communication system separate from the passive radio-frequency identification device and wherein the passive radio-frequency identification device does not have its own antenna.

16. A method of sharing a common antenna for communications, the method comprising:

transmitting or receiving a communication signal using the common antenna, wherein the common antenna is configured to transmit and receive communication signals at a first operating frequency and at a second operating frequency different from the first operating frequency;

increasing the impedance difference between a passive radio-frequency identification device and the common antenna when the common antenna transmits or receives a communication signal at the first operating frequency so that the passive radio-frequency identification device does not affect an electrical connection between the antenna and a transceiver operating at the first frequency, wherein the passive radio-frequency identification device is separate from the transceiver and wherein the antenna is coupled directly to the transceiver; and

matching the impedance between the passive radio-frequency identification device and the common antenna when the common antenna transmits or receives a communication signal at the second operating frequency.

17. The method of claim 16, wherein said increasing the impedance difference comprises increasing the impedance of the passive radio-frequency identification device to an impedance higher than the impedance of the antenna and the transceiver operating at the first frequency.