Wireless docking link efficiency improvement system

• US 9,559,754 B2
• Filed: 10/03/2012
• Issued: 01/31/2017
• Est. Priority Date: 10/10/2011
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Koninklijke Philips Electronics N.V. (Koninklijke Philips N.V.)
• Original Assignee: Koninklijke Philips N.V.
• Inventors: Holtman, Koen Johanna Guillaume, Draaijer, Maurice Herman Johan
• Primary Examiner(s): GONZALES, APRIL GUZMAN
• Application Number:
  US14/350,406
• Publication Number:
  US 20140242911A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,581 Days
• Field of Search: 455/41.1, 455/41.2, 455/575.5, 455/575.7, 455/562.1
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/1632 External expansion units, e.g. docking stations
• CPC Class Codes: H01Q 1/243 with built-in antennas
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 5/72 for local intradevice communication

Abstract

A wireless docking system in a shared radio spectrum environment including: a docking station (320) configured with a radio (322) connected to an antenna (324); a dockee (310) configured with a radio (312) connected to an antenna (314) and using a radio standard with a carrier sensing mechanism for communication with the docking station; and an antenna efficiency reduction device (328) that reduces the sensitivity of the carrier sense mechanism in the dockee when the dockee is physically docked with the docking station.

Claims

1. A docking station for wireless docking, comprising:

a first radio connected to a first antenna for communicating with a dockee via a carrier sensing mechanism in a shared radio spectrum environment, the dockee including a second radio connected to a second antenna; and

an antenna efficiency reduction device that reduces, in the dockee, sensitivity of the carrier sense mechanism to radio signals transmitted by other devices in the shared radio spectrum environment when the dockee is physically docked with the docking station, such that the dockee is unable to detect the radio signals or ignores the radio signals below a predetermined threshold from the other devices.

2. The docking station according to claim 1, wherein the antenna efficiency reduction device shifts a natural resonant frequency of the second antenna.

3. The docking station according to claim 2, wherein the antenna efficiency reduction device comprises a conducting metal that couples with the second antenna.

4. The docking station according to claim 2, further comprising a plurality of conducting metal strips that couple with the second antenna in the dockee.

5. The docking station according to claim 2, further comprising a plurality of conducting metal elements that are connected to each other via at least one resistor, and wherein the at least one resistor dissipates electromagnetic field power flowing through the plurality of conducting metal elements.

6. The docking station according to claim 5, wherein a connection to the at least one resistor is made via a switch.

7. The docking station according to claim 1, wherein the antenna efficiency reduction device attenuates the radio signals received by the dockee from the other devices.

8. The docking station according to claim 1, wherein the antenna efficiency reduction device makes the second antenna less efficient by creating an electromagnetic coupling between different elements of the second antenna that are designed to be electrically isolated from each other.

9. The docking station according to claim 1, wherein the antenna efficiency reduction device can be switched on or off.

10. The docking station according to claim 1, wherein the first radio in the docking station is connected to a plurality of antennas, and wherein each of the plurality of antennas is positioned such that a link budget is optimized for a particular type of dockee.

11. The docking station according to claim 1, wherein the docking station further comprises an alignment structure for aligning the dockee, such that the second antenna is aligned in a predefined configuration with the antenna efficiency reduction device in the docking station.

12. The docking station according to claim 11, wherein the alignment structure comprises a particular shape for the docking station to allow the dockee be placed into or onto the docking station only in a specific position.

13. The docking station according to claim 11, wherein the alignment structure comprises a moving part on which the first antenna is mounted, such that the moving part can be moved to a location where the first antenna is aligned with the second antenna.

14. A docking station for wireless docking, comprising:

a central unit having a first radio;

an antenna module connected to the first radio for communicating with a dockee via a carrier sensing mechanism in a shared radio spectrum environment, the dockee including a second radio connected to an antenna; and

an antenna efficiency reduction module for reducing efficiency of the antenna in the dockee by reducing sensitivity of the carrier sense mechanism to radio signals transmitted by other devices in the shared radio spectrum environment when the dockee is physically docked with the docking station, such that the dockee is unable to detect the radio signals or ignores the radio signals below a predetermined threshold from the other devices, wherein the central unit has an interface for plugging into the antenna module and the antenna efficiency reduction module.

15. A method of providing a docking station, the method comprising:

providing a first radio connected to a first antenna for communication with a dockee via a carrier sensing mechanism in a shared radio spectrum environment, the dockee including a second radio connected to a second antenna; and

providing an antenna efficiency reduction device that reduces, in the dockee, sensitivity of the carrier sense mechanism to radio signals transmitted by other devices in the shared radio spectrum environment when the dockee is physically docked with the docking station, such that the dockee is unable to detect the radio signals or ignores the radio signals below a predetermined threshold from the other drives.