Antenna sharing techniques

• US 7,873,385 B2
• Filed: 04/05/2006
• Issued: 01/18/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 04/05/2006
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Qualcomm, Inc.
• Original Assignee: Palm, Inc. (TCL Technology Group Corp.)
• Inventors: Gupta, Parag, Kopleman, Avi, Townsend, Karl, Fertelmeister, Alexander, Boireau, Olivier, Brown, Robert, Tu, Jerome C., Krishnan, Suresh
• Primary Examiner(s): Anderson; Matthew D
• Assistant Examiner(s): GONZALES, APRIL GUZMAN
• Application Number:
  US11/399,004
• Publication Number:
  US 20070238483A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,749 Days
• Field of Search: 455/41.2, 455/41.1, 455/63.1, 455/63.3, 455/67.11, 455/67.13, 455/114.2, 455/552.1, 455/90.2, 455/422.1, 455/73, 455/422, 370/328, 370/338, 370/401, 370/341, 370/347, 370/441, 370/442, 370/464, 370/335, 370/342, 370/344, 370/296, 370/465, 375/133, 375/141
• US Class Current: 455/553.1
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 1/0057 using diplexing or multiplexing filters for selecting the desired band
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 1/525 with means for reducing leakage of transmitter signal into the receiver
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2250/02 including a Bluetooth interface
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2250/06 including a wireless LAN interface
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2250/22 including a touch pad, a touch sensor or a touch detector digitizers for touch screens G06F3/041
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 52/0274 by switching on or off the equipment or parts thereof
• CPC Class Codes: Y02D 30/70 in wireless communication networks

Abstract

Antenna sharing techniques are described. A mobile computing device may comprise an antenna, a switch to couple to the antenna, and multiple transceivers to couple to the switch. The mobile computing device may also comprise an antenna management module to couple to the switch and the transceivers. The antenna management module may control the switch to electrically connect one of the transceivers to the antenna. Other embodiments may be described and claimed.

Claims

1. A mobile computing device, comprising:

an antenna;

a switch to couple to said antenna;

multiple transceivers to couple to said switch via a power amplifier and a balanced-unbalanced converter, said transceivers to include coexistence interfaces to communicate information in accordance with a multiple transceiver coexistence protocol, said information indicating frequency channels used by at least one of said transceivers to proactively avoid frequency channels used by another transceiver to enable substantially simultaneous operation of the transceivers; and

an antenna management module to couple to said switch and said transceivers, said antenna management module to control said switch to electrically connect one of said transceivers to said antenna.

2. The mobile computing device of claim 1, comprising a filter to couple to said switch, said filter to perform channel filtering for said multiple transceivers.

3. The mobile computing device of claim 1, said transceivers to include an 802.11x transceiver and a Bluetooth transceiver.

4. The mobile computing device of claim 1, said antenna management module to control transmit and receive operations for said multiple transceivers.

5. A mobile computing device, comprising:

an antenna;

a radio sub-system to couple to said antenna, said radio sub-system comprising;

a switch to couple to said antenna;

multiple transceivers to couple to said switch via a power amplifier and a balanced-unbalanced converter, said transceivers to include coexistence interfaces to communicate information in accordance with a multiple transceiver coexistence protocol, said information indicating frequency channels used by at least one of said transceivers to proactively avoid frequency channels used by another transceiver to enable substantially simultaneous operation of the transceivers;

an antenna management module to couple to said switch and said transceivers, said antenna management module to control said switch to electrically connect one of said transceivers to said antenna; and

a processing sub-system coupled to said radio sub-system, said processing sub-system to include a processor and memory.

6. The mobile computing device of claim 5, comprising a filter to couple to said switch, said filter to perform channel filtering for said multiple transceivers.

7. The mobile computing device of claim 5, said transceivers to include an 802.11x transceiver and a Bluetooth transceiver.

8. The mobile computing device of claim 5, said transceivers to include an 802.11x transceiver, a Bluetooth transceiver, and a cellular radiotelephone system transceiver.

9. The mobile computing device of claim 5, comprising a touch screen display to couple to said processing sub-system, said touch screen display to input a user command to said processing sub-system.

10. A method, comprising:

forming a first connection between a first transceiver and an antenna;

forming a second connection between a second transceiver and said antenna;

forming a third connection between said first transceiver and said second transceiver to communicate coexistence signals between said first transceiver and said second transceiver, the coexistence signals indicating frequency channels used by said first transceiver to cause said second transceiver to proactively avoid frequency channels used by said first transceiver to enable substantially simultaneous operation of the transceivers; and

switching between said first connection and said second connection via a power amplifier and a balanced-unbalanced converter.

11. The method of claim 10, comprising:

determining whether said first transceiver is scheduled to transmit or receive information; and

switching from said second connection to said first connection in accordance with said determination.

12. The method of claim 10, comprising:

determining whether said second transceiver is scheduled to transmit or receive information; and

switching from said first connection to said second connection in accordance with said determination.

13. The method of claim 10, comprising performing channel filtering for said first connection and said second connection.

14. An article comprising a machine-readable storage medium containing instructions that if executed enable a system to form a first connection between a first transceiver and an antenna, form a second connection between a second transceiver and said antenna, form a third connection between said first transceiver and said second transceiver to communicate coexistence signals between said first transceiver and said second transceiver, the coexistence signals indicating frequency channels used by said first transceiver to cause said second transceiver to proactively avoid frequency channels used by said first transceiver to enable substantially simultaneous operation of the transceivers, and switch between said first connection and said second connection via a power amplifier and a balanced-unbalanced converter.

15. The article of claim 14, further comprising instructions that if executed enable the system to determine whether said first transceiver is scheduled to transmit or receive information, and switch from said second connection to said first connection in accordance with said determination.

16. The article of claim 14, further comprising instructions that if executed enable the system to determine whether said second transceiver is scheduled to transmit or receive information, and switch from said first connection to said second connection in accordance with said determination.

17. The article of claim 14, further comprising instructions that if executed enable the system to perform channel filtering for said first connection and said second connection.