Method of controlling a plurality of internal antennas in a mobile communication device

• US 7,627,296 B2
• Filed: 10/17/2005
• Issued: 12/01/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 10/18/2004
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Blackberry Limited
• Original Assignee: Blackberry Limited
• Inventors: Qi, Yihong, Kezys, Vytautas Robertas
• Primary Examiner(s): Trinh; Sonny
• Application Number:
  US11/252,319
• Publication Number:
  US 20060084395A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,506 Days
• Field of Search: 455/101, 455/106, 455/132, 455/133, 455/134, 455/135, 455/140, 455/575.1, 455/575.5, 455/277.1, 455/575.7, 343/702, 343/724, 343/853
• US Class Current: 455/140
• CPC Class Codes: H01Q 1/243 with built-in antennas
• CPC Class Codes: H01Q 1/245 with means for shaping the antenna pattern, e.g. in order to protect user against rf exposure
• CPC Class Codes: H01Q 21/28 Combinations of substantially independent non-interacting antenna units or systems multiple beam H01Q25/00
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 7/0608 Antenna selection according to transmission parameters
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 7/0615 of weighted versions of same signal
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 7/0808 comparing all antennas before reception
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 7/0814 based on current reception conditions, e.g. switching to different antenna when signal level is below threshold
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 7/0848 Joint weighting
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 16/28 using beam steering

Abstract

By using multiple antennas in a diversity arrangement, a mobile communication device is operable to automatically optimize the best antenna or antenna combination in reaction to the device'"'"'s immediate environment. The individual antenna designs can be optimized to provide high antenna system efficiency for a number of likely device environments.

Claims

1. A method of operating a mobile communications device having a housing, a wireless transceiver and a plurality of antennas connected to a wireless transceiver, the method comprising the steps of:

receiving a first received signal via a first antenna disposed substantially in a plane and having a first polarity;

receiving a second received signal via a second antenna disposed substantially in the plane and adjacent to the first antenna and having a second polarity orthogonal to the first polarity; and

generating a resultant received signal from the first received signal and second received signal using a signal transformation technique operable to manipulate the first and second received signals.

2. The method of claim 1 wherein the signal transformation technique is operable to vary the content of the resultant received signal according to the input received from at least one sensor.

3. The method of claim 2 wherein the signal transformation technique is operable to vary the content of the resultant received signal according to the input received from at least two sensors, and wherein each sensor is associated with one of the first and second antennas.

4. The method of claim 1 wherein the signal transformation technique is operable to attenuate at least one of the first and second received signals.

5. The method of claim 1 wherein the signal transformation technique is operable to amplify at least one of the first and second received signals.

6. The method of claim 1 wherein the signal transformation technique is operable to generate the resultant received signal from only one of the first and second received signals.

7. The method of claim 1 wherein the resultant received signal is identical to one of the first and second received signals.

8. A method of operating a mobile communications device having a housing, a first antenna, having a first polarity, disposed substantially in a plane and a second antenna, having a second polarity orthogonal to the first polarity, disposed substantially in the plane and adjacent to the first antenna, the method comprising the steps of:

generating, from a raw outgoing signal, first and second transformed outgoing signals for the first and second antennas according to a signal transformation technique responsive to at least a condition associated with the first and second antennas; and

transmitting the first and second transformed outgoing signals via the first and second antennas.

9. The method of claim 8 wherein the signal transformation technique is operable to vary the content of the first and second transformed outgoing signals according to the input received from at least one sensor.

10. The method of claim 9 wherein the signal transformation technique is operable to vary the content of the first and second transformed outgoing signals according to the input received from at least two sensors, and wherein each sensor is associated with one of the first and second antennas.

11. The method of claim 9 wherein the sensor is operable to determine whether an antenna is obstructed.

12. The method of claim 8 wherein the signal transformation technique is operable to generate a first transformed outgoing signal and second transformed outgoing signal derived from the raw outgoing signal.

13. The method of claim 8 wherein the signal transformation technique is operable to switch one of the first and second antennas on and to switch the other one of the first and second antennas off.

14. The method of claim 8 wherein the raw outgoing signal is identical to one of the first and second transformed outgoing signals.

15. A method of operating a mobile communication device comprising the steps of:

providing at least a first antenna and second antenna operable within the mobile communication device, the first antenna having a first polarity and being disposed substantially in a plane and the second antenna having a second polarity orthogonal to the first polarity and being disposed substantially in the plane and adjacent to the first antenna;

determining which of the antennas are optimal for operation of the mobile communication device; and

selecting at least one of the first and second antennas for operation of the mobile communication device according to which of the first and second antennas is optimal for operation of the mobile communication device.

16. The method of claim 15 wherein the step of determining which of the antennas are optimal for operation of the mobile communication device further comprises receiving an input from at least one sensor.

17. The method of claim 16 wherein the step of determining which of the antennas are optimal for operation of the mobile communication device further comprises receiving an input from at least two sensors, and wherein each sensor is associated with at least one antenna.

18. The method of claim 16 wherein the sensor is operable to determine whether an antenna is obstructed.

19. The method of claim 16 wherein a sensor associated with a first antenna is operable to determine whether the first antenna is obstructed, and wherein the step of determining which of the antennas are optimal for operation of the mobile communication device comprises selecting the first antenna if the first antenna is not obstructed, and selecting a second antenna if the first antenna is obstructed.

20. A mobile communication device comprising:

a plurality of antennas operable in at least one frequency band, including at least a first antenna, having a first polarity, disposed substantially in a plane and a second antenna, having a second polarity orthogonal to the first polarity, disposed substantially in the plane and adjacent to the first antenna;

a logic structure for determining which of the antennas are optimal for operation of the mobile communication device; and

a logic structure for selecting at least one of the first and second antennas for operation of the mobile communication device according to which of the first and second antennas is optimal for operation of the mobile communication device.