Systems and methods of dynamic MIMO antenna configuration and/or reconfiguration for portable information handling systems

• US 9,496,932 B1
• Filed: 05/20/2015
• Issued: 11/15/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 05/20/2015
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Dell Products LP (Dell Technologies Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Dell Products LP (Dell Technologies Inc.)
• Inventors: Prendergast, Liam, Bologna, Benny
• Primary Examiner(s): Washburn, Daniel
• Assistant Examiner(s): Tadese, Berhanu
• Application Number:
  US14/717,469
• Publication Number:
  US 20160344456A1
• Time in Patent Office: 545 Days
• Field of Search: 375/267
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 7/0413 MIMO systems
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 7/0417 Feedback systems
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 7/0691 using subgroups of transmit antennas
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 72/0453 Resources in frequency domain, e.g. a carrier in FDMA
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 72/541 using the level of interference

Abstract

Systems and methods may be implemented with MIMO antenna architectures (e.g., such as 2×2, 3×3, 4×4, etc.) of a given mobile information handling system to selectively use dynamic MIMO configuration and/or reconfiguration to select only a subset of the available multiple antenna elements or all of the available multiple antenna elements for receive and/or transmit operation based on the interference characteristics of the given mobile information handling system and/or based on the current radio frequency (RF) band currently being used for wireless communications by the mobile information handling system.

Claims

1. A mobile information handling system, comprising:

a host processing device;

at least two available multiple input, multiple output (MIMO) antenna elements; and

at least one radio module coupled between the host processing device and each of the available MIMO antenna elements, the radio module including at least one processing device and being configured to at least one of;

process and combine separate RF signals received in at least a common first frequency band from each of the available MIMO antenna elements to produce incoming data provided to the host processing device, or process outgoing data provided from the host processing device to produce and transmit separate RF signals in the common first frequency band from each of the available MIMO antenna elements, or a combination thereof;

where the processing device of the radio module is configured to determine an identity of a system chassis configuration of the mobile information handling system, and to then respond in real time to this determined identity by at least one of;

dynamically configuring, dynamically reconfiguring, or dynamically configuring and reconfiguring a subset of the available MIMO antenna elements that are actively utilized to receive separate RF signals in the common first frequency band based on the determined identity of the system chassis configuration and based on the identity of the common first RF frequency band to achieve a reduction in the amount of RF interference imparted to RF signals of the common first frequency band that are received by the subset of available MIMO antenna elements as compared to the amount of RF interference imparted to RF signals of the common first frequency band when the RF signals of the common first frequency band are received by all of the available MIMO antenna elements;

or

dynamically configuring, dynamically reconfiguring, or dynamically configuring and reconfiguring a subset of the available MIMO antenna elements that are actively utilized to transmit separate RF signals in the common first frequency band based on the determined identity of the system chassis configuration and based on the identity of the common first RF frequency band to achieve a reduction in the amount of RF interference imparted to RF signals of the common first frequency band that are transmitted by the subset of available MIMO antenna elements as compared to the amount of RF interference imparted to RF signals of the common first frequency band when the RF signals of the common first frequency band are transmitted by all of the available MIMO antenna elements;

or

a combination thereof.

2. The mobile information handling system of claim 1, further comprising at least one RF noise source;

where each of the multiple MIMO antenna elements is positioned at a different distance from the RF noise source such that the RF noise source is positioned closer to a first one of the multiple MIMO antenna elements than to any other of the multiple MIMO antenna elements;

where the RF noise source has a configuration that produces RF noise in the common first frequency band when the mobile information handling system is operating;

where the system has a system chassis configuration that has given radio frequency (RF) interference characteristics associated with the identity of the system chassis configuration for the common first frequency band, the given RF interference characteristics for the common first frequency band including the position of the RF noise source for the common first frequency band relative to the first MIMO antenna element and where the processing device of the radio module is configured to;

dynamically configure, dynamically reconfigure, or dynamically configure and reconfigure a subset of the available MIMO antenna elements that are utilized to receive separate RF signals in the common first frequency band based on the interference characteristics of the system chassis configuration for the common first frequency band and based on the identity of the common first RF frequency band to achieve a reduction in the amount of RF interference imparted to RF signals of the common first frequency band that are received by the subset of available MIMO antenna elements as compared to the amount of RF interference imparted to RF signals of the common first frequency band when the RF signals of the common first frequency band are received by all of the available MIMO antenna elements;

or

dynamically configure, dynamically reconfigure, or dynamically configure and reconfigure a subset of the available MIMO antenna elements that are utilized to transmit separate RF signals in a common first frequency band based on the interference characteristics of the system chassis configuration for the common first frequency band and based on the identity of the common first RF frequency band to achieve a reduction in the amount of RF interference imparted to RF signals of the common first frequency band that are transmitted by the subset of available MIMO antenna elements as compared to the amount of RF interference imparted to RF signals of the common first frequency band when the RF signals of the common first frequency band are transmitted by all of the available MIMO antenna elements;

or

a combination thereof.

3. The mobile information handling system of claim 2, where the RF noise source has a configuration that produces substantially no RF noise in a different common second frequency band when the mobile information handling system is operating such that the system chassis configuration has different radio frequency (RF) interference characteristics associated with the identity of the system chassis configuration for the common second frequency band, the RF interference characteristics for the common second frequency band including no RF noise source for the common second frequency band positioned relative to any of the MIMO antenna elements;

and where the processing device of the radio module is configured to;

dynamically configure, dynamically reconfigure, or dynamically configure and reconfigure all of the available MIMO antenna elements to be actively utilized to receive separate RF signals in the common second frequency band based on the interference characteristics of the system chassis configuration for the common second frequency band and based on the identity of the common second RF frequency band to achieve substantially the same amount of RF interference imparted to RF signals of the common second frequency band that are received by all of the available MIMO antenna elements as compared to the amount of RF interference imparted to RF signals of the common second frequency band when the RF signals of the common second frequency band are received by any subset of the available MIMO antenna elements;

or

dynamically configure, dynamically reconfigure, or dynamically configure and reconfigure all of the available MIMO antenna elements to be actively utilized to transmit separate RF signals in the common second frequency band based on the interference characteristics of the system chassis configuration for the common second frequency band and based on the identity of the common second RF frequency band to achieve substantially the same amount of RF interference imparted to RF signals of the common second frequency band that are transmitted by all of the available MIMO antenna elements as compared to the amount of RF interference imparted to RF signals of the common second frequency band when the RF signals of the common second frequency band are transmitted by any subset of the available MIMO antenna elements;

or

a combination thereof.

4. The mobile information handling system of claim 3, where the common first frequency band is 2.4 GHz Wi-Fi band;

and where the common second frequency band is 5 GHz Wi-Fi band.

5. The mobile information handling system of claim 1, where the at least one processing device of the radio module is further configured to:

process and combine separate RF signals received in a different common second frequency band from each of the available MIMO antenna elements to at least one of;

produce incoming data provided to the host processing device, or process outgoing data provided from the host processing device to produce and transmit separate RF signals in the common second frequency band from each of the available MIMO antenna elements, or a combination thereof; and

respond in real time to the determined identity of the system chassis configuration by;

dynamically configuring, dynamically reconfiguring, or dynamically configuring and reconfiguring all of the available MIMO antenna elements to be actively utilized to receive separate RF signals in the common second frequency band based on the determined identity of the system chassis configuration and based on the identity of the common second RF frequency band;

or

dynamically configuring, dynamically reconfiguring, or dynamically configuring and reconfiguring all of the available MIMO antenna elements to be actively utilized to transmit separate RF signals in the common second frequency band based on the determined identity of the system chassis configuration and based on the identity of the common second RF frequency band;

or

a combination thereof.

6. The mobile information handling system of claim 5, where the common first frequency band is 2.4 GHz Wi-Fi band;

and where the common second frequency band is 5 GHz Wi-Fi band.

7. The mobile information handling system of claim 5, where the amount of RF interference imparted to RF signals of the common second frequency band when received by any subset of the available MIMO antenna elements is substantially the same as the amount of RF interference imparted to RF signals of the common first frequency band when the RF signals of the common first frequency band are received by all of the available MIMO antenna elements;

or where the amount of RF interference imparted to RF signals of the common second frequency band when transmitted by any subset of the available MIMO antenna elements is substantially the same as the amount of RF interference imparted to RF signals of the common second frequency band when the RF signals of the common first frequency band are transmitted by all of the available MIMO antenna elements;

or a combination thereof.

8. The mobile information handling system of claim 1, where a system chassis configuration of the mobile information handling system comprises:

a lid component hingeably coupled to a base component by one or more hinges at a hinge line, a hinge cavity defined in at least one of the base component or lid component;

where each of the MIMO antenna elements and each of the hinges are contained in the hinge cavity, the MIMO antenna elements being disposed in spaced relationship relative to each other within the hinge cavity.

9. The mobile information handling system of claim 8, where the radio module and host processing device are contained within the base component;

where the lid component includes an integral display component coupled to the host processing device by an embedded display port (eDP) component that is contained within the hinge cavity;

where each of the multiple MIMO antenna elements is positioned at a different distance from the eDP component such that eDP component is positioned closer to a first one of the multiple MIMO antenna elements than to any other of the multiple MIMO antenna elements where the eDP component having has a configuration that produces RF noise in the common first frequency band when the mobile information handling system is operating to transmit signals across the eDP component; and

where the processing device of the radio module is configured to determine the identity of the system chassis configuration of the mobile information handling system, and to then respond in real time to this determined identity by at least one of;

dynamically configuring, dynamically reconfiguring, or dynamically configuring and reconfiguring a subset of the available MIMO antenna elements that does not include the first MIMO antenna element to receive separate RF signals in the common first frequency band based on the determined identity of the system chassis configuration and based on the identity of the common first RF frequency band;

or

dynamically configuring, dynamically reconfiguring, or dynamically configuring and reconfiguring a subset of the available MIMO antenna elements that does not include the first MIMO antenna element to transmit separate RF signals in the common first frequency band based on the determined identity of the system chassis configuration and based on the identity of the common first RF frequency band;

or

a combination thereof.

10. The mobile information handling system of claim 9, where the eDP component having a configuration that produces substantially no RF noise in a different common second frequency band when the mobile information handling system is operating to transmit signals across the eDP component;

and where the processing device of the radio module is configured to determine the identity of the system chassis configuration of the mobile information handling system, and to then respond in real time to this determined identity by at least one of;

dynamically configuring, dynamically reconfiguring, or dynamically configuring and reconfiguring all of the available MIMO antenna elements including the MIMO antenna element that is positioned closest to the eDP component to be actively utilized to receive separate RF signals in the common second frequency band based on the determined identity of the system chassis configuration and based on the identity of the common first RF frequency band;

or

dynamically configuring, dynamically reconfiguring, or dynamically configuring and reconfiguring all of the available MIMO antenna elements to be actively utilized to transmit separate RF signals in the common second frequency band based on the interference characteristics of the system chassis configuration for the common second frequency band and based on the identity of the common second RF frequency band;

or

a combination thereof.

11. The mobile information handling system of claim 10, where the common first frequency band is 2.4 GHz Wi-Fi band;

where the common second frequency band is 5 GHz Wi-Fi band;

where the mobile information handling system comprises at least three MIMO antennas within the hinge cavity.

12. A method of operating a mobile information handling system, comprising using at least one processing device of a radio module of the information handling system to:

process and combine separate RF signals received in at least a common first frequency band from each of at least two available multiple input, multiple output (MIMO) antenna elements to at least one of;

produce incoming data provided to a host processing device of the information handling system, or process outgoing data provided from the host processing device to produce and transmit separate RF signals in the common first frequency band from each of the available MIMO antenna elements, or a combination thereof;

determine an identity of a system chassis configuration of the mobile information handling system; and

then respond in real time to the determined identity by at least one of;

dynamically configuring, dynamically reconfiguring, or dynamically configuring and reconfiguring a subset of the available MIMO antenna elements that are actively utilized to receive separate RF signals in the common first frequency band based on the determined identity of the system chassis configuration and based on the identity of the common first RF frequency band to achieve a reduction in the amount of RF interference imparted to RF signals of the common first frequency band that are received by the subset of available MIMO antenna elements as compared to the amount of RF interference imparted to RF signals of the common first frequency band when the RF signals of the common first frequency band are received by all of the available MIMO antenna elements;

or

dynamically configuring, dynamically reconfiguring, or dynamically configuring and reconfiguring a subset of the available MIMO antenna elements that are actively utilized to transmit separate RF signals in the common first frequency band based on the determined identity of the system chassis configuration and based on the identity of the common first RF frequency band to achieve a reduction in the amount of RF interference imparted to RF signals of the common first frequency band that are transmitted by the subset of available MIMO antenna elements as compared to the amount of RF interference imparted to RF signals of the common first frequency band when the RF signals of the common first frequency band are transmitted by all of the available MIMO antenna elements;

or

a combination thereof.

13. The method of claim 12, where the information handling system further comprises at least one RF noise source;

where each of the multiple MIMO antenna elements is positioned at a different distance from the RF noise source such that the RF noise source is positioned closer to a first one of the multiple MIMO antenna elements than to any other of the multiple MIMO antenna elements;

where the RF noise source has configuration that produces RF noise in the common first frequency band when the mobile information handling system is operating;

where the system has a system chassis configuration that has radio frequency (RF) interference characteristics associated with the identity of the system chassis configuration for the common first frequency band, the RF interference characteristics for the common first frequency band including the position of the RF noise source for the common first frequency band relative to the first MIMO antenna element; and

where the method further comprises;

operating the mobile information handling system to cause the noise source to produce noise in the common first frequency band; and

using the processing device of the radio module to;

dynamically configure, dynamically reconfigure, or dynamically configure and reconfigure a subset of the available MIMO antenna elements to receive separate RF signals in the common first frequency band based on the interference characteristics of the system chassis configuration for the common first frequency band and based on the identity of the common first RF frequency band to achieve a reduction in the amount of RF interference imparted to RF signals of the common first frequency band that are received by the subset of available MIMO antenna elements as compared to the amount of RF interference imparted to RF signals of the common first frequency band when the RF signals of the common first frequency band are received by all of the available MIMO antenna elements;

or

dynamically configure, dynamically reconfigure, or dynamically configure and reconfigure a subset of the available MIMO antenna elements to transmit separate RF signals in a common first frequency band based on the interference characteristics of the system chassis configuration for the common first frequency band and based on the identity of the common first RF frequency band to achieve a reduction in the amount of RF interference imparted to RF signals of the common first frequency band that are transmitted by the subset of available MIMO antenna elements as compared to the amount of RF interference imparted to RF signals of the common first frequency band when the RF signals of the common first frequency band are transmitted by all of the available MIMO antenna elements;

or

a combination thereof.

14. The method of claim 13, where the RF noise source has a configuration that produces substantially no RF noise in a different common second frequency band when the mobile information handling system is operating such that the system chassis configuration has different radio frequency (RF) interference characteristics associated with the identity of the system chassis configuration for the common second frequency band, the RF interference characteristics for the common second frequency band including no RF noise source for the common second frequency band positioned relative to any of the MIMO antenna elements;

and where the method further comprises operating the processing device of the radio module to;

dynamically configure, dynamically reconfigure, or dynamically configure and reconfigure all of the available MIMO antenna elements to receive separate RF signals in the common second frequency band based on the interference characteristics of the system chassis configuration for the common second frequency band and based on the identity of the common second RF frequency band to achieve substantially the same amount of RF interference imparted to RF signals of the common second frequency band that are received by all of the available MIMO antenna elements as compared to the amount of RF interference imparted to RF signals of the common second frequency band when the RF signals of the common second frequency band are received by any subset of the available MIMO antenna elements;

or

dynamically configure, dynamically reconfigure, or dynamically configure and reconfigure all of the available MIMO antenna elements to transmit separate RF signals in the common second frequency band based on the interference characteristics of the system chassis configuration for the common second frequency band and based on the identity of the common second RF frequency band to achieve substantially the same amount of RF interference imparted to RF signals of the common second frequency band that are transmitted by all of the available MIMO antenna elements as compared to the amount of RF interference imparted to RF signals of the common second frequency band when the RF signals of the common second frequency band are transmitted by any subset of the available MIMO antenna elements;

or

a combination thereof.

15. The method of claim 14, where the common first frequency band is 2.4 GHz Wi-Fi band;

and where the common second frequency band is 5 GHz Wi-Fi band.

16. The method of claim 12, further comprising using the at least one processing device of the radio module to:

process and combine separate RF signals received in a different common second frequency band from each of the available MIMO antenna elements to at least one of;

produce incoming data provided to the host processing device, or process outgoing data provided from the host processing device to produce and transmit separate RF signals in the common second frequency band from each of the available MIMO antenna elements, or a combination thereof; and

respond in real time to the determined identity of the system chassis configuration by;

dynamically configuring, dynamically reconfiguring, or dynamically configuring and reconfiguring all of the available MIMO antenna elements to be actively utilized to receive separate RF signals in the common second frequency band based on the determined identity of the system chassis configuration and based on the identity of the common second RF frequency band;

or

dynamically configuring, dynamically reconfiguring, or dynamically configuring and reconfiguring all of the available MIMO antenna elements to be actively utilized to transmit separate RF signals in the common second frequency band based on the determined identity of the system chassis configuration and based on the identity of the common second RF frequency band;

or

a combination thereof.

17. The method of claim 16, where the common first frequency band is 2.4 GHz Wi-Fi band;

and where the common second frequency band is 5 GHz Wi-Fi band.

18. The method of claim 12, where a system chassis configuration of the mobile information handling system comprises:

a lid component hingeably coupled to a base component by one or more hinges at a hinge line, a hinge cavity defined in at least one of the base component or lid component;

where each of the MIMO antenna elements and each of the hinges are contained in the hinge cavity, the MIMO antenna elements being disposed in spaced relationship relative to each other within the hinge cavity;

where the radio module and host processing device are contained within the base component;

where the lid component includes an integral display component coupled to the host processing device by an embedded display port (eDP) component that is contained within the hinge cavity;

where each of the multiple MIMO antenna elements is positioned at a different distance from the eDP component such that eDP component is positioned closer to a first one of the multiple MIMO antenna elements than to any other of the multiple MIMO antenna elements; and

where the method further comprises transmitting signals across the eDP component to produce RF noise in the common first frequency band while the mobile information handling system is operating;

using the processing device of the radio module to determine the identity of the system chassis configuration of the mobile information handling system; and

then using the processing device of the radio module to then respond in real time to this determined identity by at least one of;

dynamically configuring, dynamically reconfiguring, or dynamically configuring and reconfiguring a subset of the available MIMO antenna elements that does not include the first MIMO antenna element to receive separate RF signals in the common first frequency band based on the determined identity of the system chassis configuration and based on the identity of the common first RF frequency band;

or

dynamically configuring, dynamically reconfiguring, or dynamically configuring and reconfiguring a subset of the available MIMO antenna elements that does not include the first MIMO antenna element to transmit separate RF signals in the common first frequency band based on the determined identity of the system chassis configuration and based on the identity of the common first RF frequency band;

or

a combination thereof.

19. The method of claim 18, further comprising transmitting signals across the eDP component to produce substantially no RF noise in a different common second frequency band;

using the processing device of the radio module to determine the identity of the system chassis configuration of the mobile information handling system; and

then using the processing device of the radio module to respond in real time to this determined identity by at least one of;

dynamically configuring, dynamically reconfiguring, or dynamically configuring and reconfiguring all of the available MIMO antenna elements including the MIMO antenna element that is positioned closest to the eDP component to be actively utilized to receive separate RF signals in the common second frequency band based on the determined identity of the system chassis configuration and based on the identity of the common first RF frequency band;

or

dynamically configuring, dynamically reconfiguring, or dynamically configuring and reconfiguring all of the available MIMO antenna elements to be actively utilized to transmit separate RF signals in the common second frequency band based on the interference characteristics of the system chassis configuration for the common second frequency band and based on the identity of the common second RF frequency band;

or

a combination thereof.

20. The method of claim 19, where the common first frequency band is 2.4 GHz Wi-Fi band;

where the common second frequency band is 5 GHz Wi-Fi band;

where the mobile information handling system comprises at least three MIMO antennas within the hinge cavity.