Electronic devices with antenna sensors

• US 7,773,038 B2
• Filed: 04/02/2008
• Issued: 08/10/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 04/02/2008
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Apple Inc.
• Original Assignee: Apple Inc.
• Inventors: Gojenola, Paul Andrew, Degner, Brett William, Ligtenberg, Chris, Kough, Douglas Blake
• Primary Examiner(s): Ho; Tan
• Application Number:
  US12/061,210
• Publication Number:
  US 20090251374A1
• Time in Patent Office: 860 Days
• Field of Search: 343/702, 343/760, 343/894, 455/90.3
• US Class Current: 343/702
• CPC Class Codes: H01Q 1/103 Latching means; ensuring extension or retraction thereof
• CPC Class Codes: H01Q 1/244 extendable from a housing along a given path

Abstract

Electronic devices may be provided with sensors for determining the presence and position of extendable and removable antennas. The antennas may extend by rotating about an axis, by reciprocating along their length, or by flexing from a retracted position to an extended position. The electronic device may determine when a removable antenna is attached or detached using signals from the sensors. The electronic device may determine the extent to which an antenna has been extended using signals from the sensors. The electronic device may control the operation of a radio-frequency transceiver that is coupled to the antenna based on signals from the sensors. The electronic device may turn the transceiver off when the antenna is retracted or removed. When the antenna is partially extended, the electronic device may place the transceiver in a low-power mode or place a dual-band transceiver into a single-band mode.

Claims

1. An electronic device comprising:

an electronic device housing for the electronic device;

a break-away antenna that couples to the electronic device housing;

a radio-frequency transceiver in the electronic device housing;

a communications path;

at least one sensor that generates position signals on the communications path that indicate the position of the extendable break-away antenna relative to the electronic device housing; and

control circuitry that receives the position signals over the communications path, wherein the control circuitry disables the radio-frequency transceiver when the position signals indicate that the break-away antenna is not coupled to the electronic device housing.

2. The electronic device defined in claim 1 wherein the break-away antenna comprises an extendable break-away antenna that retracts by rotating about an axis from an extended position away from the electronic device housing to a retracted position adjacent to the electronic device housing, wherein the at least one sensor comprises a sensor that determines when the extendable break-away antenna is coupled to the electronic device housing and that determines the position of the extendable break-away antenna relative to the electronic device housing, and wherein the control circuitry disables the radio-frequency transceiver when the position signals indicate that the extendable break-away antenna is in the retracted position.

3. The electronic device defined in claim 1 wherein the break-away antenna comprises an extendable break-away antenna that retracts by rotating about a rotational axis from an extended position to a retracted position, wherein the at least one sensor comprises a first sensor that determines when the extendable break-away antenna is coupled to the electronic device housing and a second sensor that determines the position of the extendable break-away antenna about the rotational axis, and wherein the control circuitry is configured to disable the radio-frequency transceiver when the position signals indicate that the extendable break-away antenna is in the retracted position.

4. The electronic device defined in claim 1, wherein the break-away antenna comprises an extendable break-away antenna that reciprocates along its length between an extended and a retracted position, wherein the at least one sensor comprises a first sensor that senses when the extendable break-away antenna is coupled to the electronic device housing and a second sensor that senses when the extendable break-away antenna is in the retracted position, and wherein the control circuitry is configured to disable the radio-frequency transceiver when the position signals indicate that the extendable break-away antenna is coupled to the electronic device housing and in the retracted position.

5. The electronic device defined in claim 1 wherein the break-away antenna comprises a magnet and wherein the at least one sensor comprises a Hall effect sensor that senses the magnet in the break-away antenna.

6. The electronic device defined in claim 1 wherein the at least one sensor comprises a mechanical switch and wherein the break-away antenna presses against the mechanical switch when the break-away antenna is coupled to the electronic device housing.

7. Apparatus comprising:

an electronic device having an antenna receptacle;

a resilient antenna that elastically flexes into a stowed position in the antenna receptacle, wherein;

the resilient antenna has a natural unbiased position;

when the resilient antenna is in the stowed position, the resilient antenna is elastically bent out of the natural unbiased position; and

when the resilient antenna is in the stowed position, the antenna receptacle exerts a force on the resilient antenna that maintains the resilient antenna elastically flexed in the stowed position and that prevents the resilient antenna from elastically returning to the natural unbiased position;

a radio-frequency transceiver that transmits radio-frequency signals using the resilient antenna;

a sensor that determines the position of the resilient antenna, wherein the sensor generates position signals that indicate when the resilient antenna is in the stowed position;

a communications path; and

control circuitry that receives the position signals over the communications path from the sensor, wherein the control circuitry disables the radio-frequency transceiver when the signals indicate that the resilient antenna is in the stowed position.

8. The apparatus defined in claim 7 wherein the resilient antenna comprises an elastically flexible wire.

9. The apparatus defined in claim 8 wherein the resilient antenna comprises a magnet and wherein the sensor comprises a Hall effect sensor that senses the presence of the magnet when the resilient antenna is in the stowed position.

10. A method of using an electronic device that has at least one antenna sensor, a break-away antenna that couples to the electronic device, and a radio-frequency transceiver that is electrically coupled to the break-away antenna, the method comprising:

determining whether the break-away antenna is coupled to the electronic device by generating position signals with the antenna sensor that indicate whether the break-away antenna is coupled to the electronic device; and

in response to determining that the break-away antenna is not coupled to the electronic device, operating the electronic device with the radio-frequency transceiver disabled.

11. The method defined in claim 10 further comprising:

in response to determining that the break-away antenna is not coupled to the electronic device, displaying an alert for a user of the electronic device that indicates that the break-away antenna is not coupled to the electronic device.

12. The method defined in claim 10 further comprising:

in response to determining that the break-away antenna is coupled to the electronic device, operating the electronic device with the radio-frequency transceiver enabled.

13. The method defined in claim 10 further comprising:

extending and retracting the break-away antenna relative to the electronic device;

determining whether the extendable break-away antenna is in the extended or retracted position by generating position signals with the antenna sensor;

disabling the radio-frequency transceiver when it is determined that the extendable break-away antenna is in the retracted position.

14. The method defined in claim 13 further comprising:

when it is determined that the extendable break-away antenna is in the retracted position, displaying an alert for a user of the electronic device that indicates that the extendable break-away antenna is in the retracted position.

15. The method defined in claim 13 further comprising:

disabling the radio-frequency transceiver when the position signals indicate that the antenna is in a partially extended position between the extended position and the retracted position.

16. The method defined in claim 15 further comprising:

when it is determined that the extendable break-away antenna is in the extended position, displaying an alert for a user of the electronic device that indicates that the extendable break-away antenna is in a fully extended position.

17. The method defined in claim 13 further comprising:

determining from the position signals that the extendable break-away antenna is in a partially extended position between the extended position and the retracted position and disabling the radio-frequency transceiver in response.

18. The method defined in claim 13 further comprising:

determining from the position signals that the extendable break-away antenna is in a partially extended position between the extended position and the retracted position and placing the radio-frequency transceiver in a low-power mode in response; and

when it is determined from the position signals that the extendable break-away antenna is in the extended position, operating the electronic device with the radio-frequency transceiver in a full-power mode.

19. The method defined in claim 18 further comprising:

when it is determined that the extendable break-away antenna is in the partially extended position, displaying an alert for a user of the electronic device that indicates that the electronic device is operating with the radio-frequency transceiver in the low-power mode.

20. The method defined in claim 13 further comprising:

determining from the position signals that the extendable break-away antenna is in a partially extended position between the extended position and the retracted position and placing the radio-frequency transceiver in a single-band mode in response; and

when it is determined from the position signals that the extendable break-away antenna is in the extended position, operating the electronic device with the radio-frequency transceiver in a dual-band mode.

21. The method defined in claim 20 further comprising when it is determined that the extendable break-away antenna is in the extended position, displaying an alert for a user of the electronic device that indicates that the electronic device is operating with the radio-frequency transceiver in the dual-band mode.