Apparatus and method for efficiently using antennas in a mobile communication terminal having Bluetooth and wireless local area network modules

• US 7,636,560 B2
• Filed: 01/17/2006
• Issued: 12/22/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 01/17/2005
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd.
• Original Assignee: Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd.
• Inventors: Ku, Hyun-Chul
• Primary Examiner(s): NGUYEN, THUAN T
• Application Number:
  US11/333,380
• Publication Number:
  US 20060160563A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,435 Days
• Field of Search: 455/422, 455/403, 455/41.2, 455/41.3, 455/550.1, 455/552.1, 455/560, 375/142, 375/144
• US Class Current: 455/272
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 1/406 with more than one transmission mode, e.g. analog and digital modes
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 7/0602 using antenna switching H04B7/0686 takes precedence; antenna beam directivity switching H01Q3/24
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 84/12 WLAN [Wireless Local Area Networks]
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 84/18 Self-organising networks, e.g. ad-hoc networks or sensor networks
• 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 Wireless Local Area Network (WLAN) module and a Bluetooth module for a mobile communication terminal. A baseband unit for WLAN and Bluetooth, generates a signal indicating whether WLAN and Bluetooth services are in progress. A switch switches the at least two antennas to the Bluetooth module if only the Bluetooth service is in progress and switches the at least two antennas to the WLAN module if only the WLAN service is in progress. Therefore, antenna diversity is achieved if only one of the WLAN and Bluetooth services is in progress.

Claims

1. An apparatus for achieving antenna diversity in a mobile communication terminal having a plurality of communication modules operating at the same frequency, comprising:

at least two antennas;

a baseband unit for generating a predetermined signal indicating whether communications is in progress in the plurality of communication modules; and

a switch for switching the at least two antennas to a first communication module if the predetermined signal indicates that communication is in progress only in a first communication mode, and switching the at least two antennas in a second communication module if the predetermined signal indicates that communication is in progress only in a second communication mode, and switching at least one of the at least two antennas to each of the communication modules, respectively, if the first and second communication modes are in progress simultaneously,

thereby achieving antenna diversity if all the communication modules are not in use for communication.

2. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the switch is configured according to the number of the communication modules.

3. An apparatus for achieving antenna diversity in a mobile communication terminal having a wireless local area network (WLAN) module and a Bluetooth module using the same frequency, comprising:

at least two antennas;

a baseband unit for WLAN and Bluetooth, for generating a signal indicating whether WLAN and Bluetooth services are in progress;

a switch for switching the at least two antennas to the Bluetooth module if only the Bluetooth service is in progress and switching the at least two antennas to the WLAN module if only the WLAN service is in progress, and switching at least one of the at least two antennas to each of the WLAN and Bluetooth modules, respectively, if the WLAN and Bluetooth services are in progress simultaneously,

thereby achieving antenna diversity if only one of the WLAN and Bluetooth services is in progress.

4. The apparatus of claim 3, wherein the switch is one of a single 4×

2 switch and two 2×

1 switches.

5. The apparatus of claim 3, wherein the operating frequency used by the Bluetooth module and the WLAN module is a 2.4 GHz industrial scientific medical (ISM) band.

6. A method of achieving antenna diversity in a mobile communication terminal having a plurality of communication modules operating at the same frequency, comprising the steps of:

switching at least two antennas to a first communication module if communication is in progress only in a first communication mode;

switching the at least two antennas to a second communication module if communication is in progress only in a second communication mode; and

switching at least one of the at least two antennas to each of the communication modules, respectively, if the first and second communication modes are in progress simultaneously,

thereby achieving antenna diversity if all of the communication modules are not in use for communication.

7. A method of achieving antenna diversity in a mobile communication terminal having a wireless local area network (WLAN) module and a Bluetooth module using the same frequency, comprising the steps of:

connecting a WLAN antenna to a first WLAN radio frequency (RF) path and connecting a Bluetooth antenna to a second WLAN RF path, if only the WLAN module is in use for communication;

connecting the WLAN antenna to a second Bluetooth RF path and connecting the Bluetooth antenna to a first Bluetooth RF path, if only the Bluetooth module is in use for communication; and

connecting the WLAN antenna to the first WLAN RF path and connecting the Bluetooth antenna to the first Bluetooth RF path, if the WLAN and Bluetooth modules are in use for communication simultaneously,

thereby achieving antenna diversity if only one of the WLAN and Bluetooth modules is in use for communication.