Communication apparatus equipped with switchable antenna

• US 9,380,640 B2
• Filed: 11/18/2012
• Issued: 06/28/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 09/04/2012
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Shenzhen China Star Optoelectronics Technology Co., Ltd. (TCL Technology Group Corp.)
• Original Assignee: Shenzhen China Star Optoelectronics Technology Co., Ltd. (TCL Technology Group Corp.)
• Inventors: Chen, Shih-Chieh, Hsieh, Shih-Wei, Lin, Cho-Yi
• Primary Examiner(s): Nguyen, Simon
• Application Number:
  US13/680,101
• Publication Number:
  US 20140063345A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,318 Days
• Field of Search: 455 78- 83, 4555521-5531, 455/103, 455/132
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: H01Q 5/50 Feeding or matching arrangements for broad-band or multi-band operation
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 1/006 using switches for selecting the desired band H04B1/0057 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 1/18 Input circuits, e.g. for coupling to an antenna or a transmission line coupling networks between antennas or lines and receivers independent of the nature of the receiver H03H
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 7/0805 with single receiver and antenna switching H04B7/0822 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/42638 involving a hybrid front-end, e.g. analog and digital tuners
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 7/142 Constructional details of the terminal equipment, e.g. arrangements of the camera and the display
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 88/02 Terminal devices

Abstract

A communication apparatus equipped with switchable antenna mechanism is provided, where the communication apparatus includes at least a portion of a portable electronic device, which includes a plurality of wireless communication functions respectively corresponding to different communication standards, and the wireless communication functions include a mobile phone function and at least one other wireless communication function. The communication apparatus includes: an antenna; a processing circuit; a plurality of processing modules arranged to provide the portable electronic device with a plurality of functions, respectively, where the functions include at least a portion of the wireless communication functions; and a switching unit. It is an advantage that, by utilizing the switching unit, different portions of the communication apparatus can share the antenna to achieve the best beneficial result through the limited area of a printed circuit board (PCB).

Claims

1. A communication apparatus equipped with a switchable antenna mechanism, the communication apparatus comprising at least a portion of a portable electronic device, the portable electronic device including a plurality of wireless communication functions corresponding to different communication standards, respectively, the wireless communication functions comprising a mobile phone function and at least one other wireless communication function, the communication apparatus comprising:

a processing circuit, arranged to control operations of the portable electronic device;

a plurality of processing modules, arranged to provide the portable electronic device with a plurality of modulation functions, respectively, wherein at least a portion of the modulation functions conforms to wireless communication protocols;

an antenna, arranged to receive and transmit wireless signals;

a first switching unit, arranged between the antenna and the processing modules, and having a first terminal and a plurality of second terminals, wherein the first terminal of the first switching unit is electrically connected to the antenna, and the second terminals of the first switching unit are electrically connected to the processing modules, respectively;

a plurality of antenna matching circuits coupled between the processing modules and the second terminals respectively, the antenna matching circuits arranged to perform antenna matching for the processing modules respectively, wherein each antenna matching circuit is coupled between one of the processing modules and one of the second terminals;

a buffer, arranged to perform buffering; and

a second switching unit, arranged between the processing modules and the buffer, and having a first terminal and a plurality of second terminals, wherein the first terminal of the second switching unit is electrically connected to the buffer, and the second terminals of the second switching unit are electrically connected to the processing modules, respectively;

wherein the processing circuit is electrically connected to the first switching unit and the second switching unit, and further executes a program code to control the first switching unit and the second switching unit to switch dynamically, such that at least one processing module and another processing module of the plurality of processing modules operate simultaneously.

2. The communication apparatus of claim 1, wherein the antenna matching circuits comprise at least a resistor, at least a capacitor, and/or at least an inductor.

3. The communication apparatus of claim 1, wherein the antenna matching circuits are different from each other.

4. The communication apparatus of claim 1, wherein the another processing module is a television receiver.

5. The communication apparatus of claim 1, wherein the another processing module is a broadcasting receiver.

6. The communication apparatus of claim 1, wherein the processing modules comprise at least one of an analog television receiver and a digital television receiver.

7. The communication apparatus of claim 1, wherein the processing modules comprise at least a broadcasting receiver.

8. The communication apparatus of claim 1, wherein the wireless communication protocols further comprise a Bluetooth, a wireless fidelity and a Global Positioning System and/or a Worldwide Interoperability for Microwave Access.

9. The communication apparatus of claim 1, wherein at least one of the antenna matching circuits comprises:

a first impedance component, a second impedance component and a third impedance component;

wherein the first impedance component and the third impedance component are electrically connected in series, and a terminal of the second impedance component is electrically connected to a node between the first impedance component and the third impedance component, and another terminal of the second impedance component is electrically connected to a ground, such that the first impedance component, the second impedance component and the first impedance component form a T-type matching network.

10. The communication apparatus of claim 1, wherein at least one of the antenna matching circuits comprises:

a first impedance component, a second impedance component, a third impedance component;

wherein a terminal of the first impedance component is electrically connected to a terminal of the second impedance component, another terminal of the first impedance component is electrically connected to a ground;

another terminal of the second impedance component is electrically connected to a terminal of the third impedance component, and another terminal of the third impedance component is electrically connected to the ground, such that the first impedance component, the second impedance component and the third impedance component form a Π

-type matching network.