Method and system for sharing multiple antennas in mobile devices

• US 8,744,375 B2
• Filed: 12/19/2011
• Issued: 06/03/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 02/20/2008
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Avago Technologies International Sales Pte Limited (Broadcom, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Broadcom Corporation (Broadcom, Inc.)
• Inventors: Raghuraman, Shankara
• Primary Examiner(s): Nguyen, Lee
• Application Number:
  US13/330,202
• Publication Number:
  US 20130023304A1
• Time in Patent Office: 897 Days
• Field of Search: 455/41.2, 455/101, 455/103, 455/132, 455/137, 455/272, 455/277.1, 455/277.2, 455/552.1, 455/553.1, 375/267, 375/347
• US Class Current: 455/101
• CPC Class Codes: H01Q 1/242 specially adapted for hand-held use
• CPC Class Codes: H01Q 21/28 Combinations of substantially independent non-interacting antenna units or systems multiple beam H01Q25/00
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 1/0064 with separate antennas for the more than one band H04B1/0053 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 7/0691 using subgroups of transmit antennas
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 7/0857 using maximum ratio combining techniques, e.g. signal-to- interference ratio [SIR], received signal strenght indication [RSS]
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 7/0874 using subgroups of receive antennas

Abstract

A wireless device may comprise a plurality of antennas that may be utilized during communications via various wireless interfaces. The wireless interfaces may comprise mobile interfaces, wireless personal area network (WPAN) interfaces, and/or wireless local area network (WLAN). The plurality of antennas may be utilized during a communication via a wireless interface in the mobile device. The mobile device may switch among antennas in the plurality of antennas utilizing one or more RF switches to enable utilizing best path for transmitted and/or received RF signals during the wireless communication. The mobile device may also perform signal combining of RF signals received via the plurality of antenna, and to enable a receiving end to perform signal combining of RF signals transmitted via the mobile device. A multiple-input-multiple-output (MIMO) combiner may be utilized to perform signal combing; the MIMO combiner may utilize maximal ratio combining to perform signal combining and equalization.

Claims

1. A method for selecting an antenna configuration in a wireless device, the method comprising:

determining a first reception performance of a particular antenna of a plurality of antennas of the wireless device, wherein each antenna of the plurality of antennas is uniquely suited for transmission and reception utilizing a wireless protocol of a plurality of different wireless protocols;

performing antenna gain adjustment on at least two antennas of the plurality of antennas based on a wireless protocol of the plurality of different wireless protocols corresponding to the particular antenna;

determining a second reception performance of an antenna configuration comprising the at least two antennas of the plurality of antennas based on reception of signals according to the wireless protocol of the plurality of different wireless protocols corresponding, to the particular antenna; and

selecting an antenna configuration for wireless communication based on the first reception performance and the second reception performance.

2. The method according to claim 1, wherein the plurality of different wireless protocols comprises mobile interfaces, wireless personal area network (WPAN) interfaces, and/or wireless local area network (WLAN) interfaces.

3. The method according to claim 2, wherein the mobile interfaces comprise CDMA, WCDMA, CDMA2000, HSDPA, GSM, GPRS, EDGE, and/or UMTS interfaces.

4. The method according to claim 2, wherein the WPAN interfaces comprise Bluetooth and/or ZigBee.

5. The method according to claim 2, wherein the WLAN interfaces comprise WiFi and/or WiMAX.

6. The method according to claim 2, further comprising:

selecting the at least two antennas for the determination of the second reception performance based on a proximity of frequency bands corresponding to wireless protocols of the plurality of different wireless protocols corresponding to each of the at least two antennas.

7. The method according to claim 1, further comprising configuring the wireless device to perform transmission and/or reception of signals via the selected antenna configuration.

8. The method according to claim 1, wherein determining the second reception performance comprises performing spatial diversity signal combining on the signals received from the at least two antennas.

9. The method according to claim 8, comprising utilizing Maximal Ratio Combining (MRC) to perform the spatial diversity combining.

10. A wireless device for wireless communication comprising:

a plurality of antennas, wherein each antenna of the plurality of antennas is uniquely suited for transmission and reception utilizing a wireless protocol of a plurality, of different wireless protocols; and

one or more circuits configured to;

determine a first reception performance of a particular antenna of the plurality of antennas;

performing antenna gain adjustment on at least two antennas of the plurality of antennas based on a wireless protocol of the plurality of different wireless protocols corresponding to the particular antenna;

determine a second reception performance of an antenna configuration comprising the at least two antennas of the plurality of antennas based on reception of signals according to the wireless protocol of the plurality of different wireless protocols corresponding to the particular antenna; and

select an antenna configuration for wireless communication based on the first reception performance and the second reception performance.

11. The wireless device of claim 10, wherein the plurality of different wireless protocols comprises mobile interfaces, wireless personal area network (WPAN) interfaces, and/or wireless local area network (WLAN) interfaces.

12. The wireless device of claim 11, wherein the one or more circuits are further configured to select the at least two antennas for the determination of the second reception performance based on a proximity of frequency bands corresponding to wireless protocols of the plurality of different wireless protocols corresponding to each of the at least two antennas.

13. The wireless device of claim 10, wherein each antenna of the plurality of antennas is uniquely suited for transmission and reception utilizing one of CDMA, WCDMA, CDMA2000, HSDPA, GSM, GPRS, EDGE, UMTS, Bluetooth, ZigBee, WiFi, and WiMAX wireless protocols.

14. The wireless device of claim 13, wherein the one or more circuits are further configured to select the at least two antennas for the determination of the second reception performance based on a proximity of frequency bands corresponding to wireless protocols of the plurality of different wireless protocols corresponding to each of the at least two antennas.

15. The wireless device of claim 10, wherein the one or more circuits are further configured to configure the wireless device to perform transmission and/or reception of signals via the selected antenna configuration.

16. The system according to claim 10, wherein the one or more circuits are further configured to determine the second reception performance based on spatial diversity combining.

17. The system according to claim 16, wherein the one or more circuits comprise a Maximal Ratio Combining (MRC) equalizer for performing the spatial diversity combining.

18. A method for selecting an antenna configuration in a wireless device, the method comprising:

determining a first reception performance of a particular antenna of a plurality of antennas of the wireless device, wherein each antenna of the plurality of antennas comprises unique characteristics suited for transmission and reception utilizing a wireless protocol of a plurality of different wireless protocols;

determining a second reception performance of an antenna configuration comprising at least two antennas of the plurality of antennas based on reception of signals according to a wireless protocol of the plurality of different wireless protocols corresponding to the particular antenna, wherein the at least two antennas of the plurality of antennas are selected based on a proximity of frequency bands corresponding to wireless protocols of the plurality of different wireless protocols corresponding to each of the at least two antennas and the particular antenna; and

selecting an antenna configuration for wireless communication based on the first reception performance and the second reception performance.

19. A wireless device for wireless communication comprising:

a plurality of antennas wherein each antenna of the plurality of antennas comprises unique characteristics suited for transmission and reception utilizing a wireless protocol of a plurality of different wireless protocols; and

one or more circuits configured to;

determine a first reception performance of a particular antenna of the plurality of antennas;

determine a second reception performance of an antenna configuration comprising at least two antennas of the plurality of antennas based on reception of signals according to a wireless protocol of the plurality of different wireless protocols corresponding to the particular antenna, wherein the at least two antennas of the plurality of antennas are selected based on a proximity of frequency bands corresponding to wireless protocols of the plurality of different wireless protocols corresponding to each of the at least two antennas and the particular antenna; and

select an antenna configuration for wireless communication based on the first reception performance and the second reception performance.