Radio card having independent antenna interface supporting antenna diversity

• US 7,953,444 B2
• Filed: 12/23/2008
• Issued: 05/31/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 04/27/1993
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Avago Technologies International Sales Pte Limited (Broadcom, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Broadcom Corporation (Broadcom, Inc.)
• Inventors: Kinney, Patrick W., Mahany, Ronald L., West, Guy J.
• Primary Examiner(s): Ramakrishnaiah; Melur
• Application Number:
  US12/342,681
• Publication Number:
  US 20090167618A1
• Time in Patent Office: 889 Days
• Field of Search: 235/492, 235/472.02, 455/558, 455/575.1, 455/90.3, 455/556.1, 455/556.2, 455/557, 455/559, 455/550.1, 455/344, 455/347, 455/899, 455/235, 455/472.02, 455/462.46
• US Class Current: 455/558
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/1626 with a single-body enclosure integrating a flat display, e.g. Personal Digital Assistants [PDAs]
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/1632 External expansion units, e.g. docking stations
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/1656 Details related to functional adaptations of the enclosure, e.g. to provide protection against EMI, shock, water, or to host detachable peripherals like a mouse or removable expansions units like PCMCIA cards, or to provide access to internal components for maintenance or to removable storage supports like CDs or DVDs, or to mechanically mount accessories mounting of accessories to a computer display G06F1/1607; display hoods G06F1/1603; cooling arrangements for portable computers G06F1/203
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/1698 the I/O peripheral being a sending/receiving arrangement to establish a cordless communication link, e.g. radio or infrared link, integrated cellular phone details of antennas disposed inside a computer H01Q1/2266
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 15/0225 User interface arrangements, e.g. keyboard, display; Interfaces to other computer systems
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2200/1632 Pen holder integrated in the computer
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2200/1633 Protecting arrangement for the entire housing of the computer
• CPC Class Codes: G06K 7/1098 the scanning arrangement having a modular construction
• CPC Class Codes: H01Q 1/007 specially adapted for indoor communication
• CPC Class Codes: H01Q 1/2275 associated to expansion card or bus, e.g. in PCMCIA, PC cards, Wireless USB
• CPC Class Codes: H01Q 1/241 used in mobile communications, e.g. GSM H01Q1/247, H01Q1/248 take precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H01Q 21/24 Combinations of antenna units polarised in different directions for transmitting or receiving circularly and elliptically polarised waves or waves linearly polarised in any direction circularly polarised patch antennas H01Q9/0428; circularly polarised horns H01Q13/0241; cross-polarised horns H01Q13/0258; polarisation converters H01Q15/242; cross-polarised rear feeds H01Q19/136; crossed polarisation dual antenna H01Q25/001
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 1/38 Transceivers, i.e. devices in which transmitter and receiver form a structural unit and in which at least one part is used for functions of transmitting and receiving
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 1/3816 Mechanical arrangements for accommodating identification devices, e.g. cards or chips; with connectors for programming identification devices
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 1/3833 Hand-held transceivers
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 1/3877 Arrangements for enabling portable transceivers to be used in a fixed position, e.g. cradles or boosters
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 69/32 Architecture of open systems interconnection [OSI] 7-layer type protocol stacks, e.g. the interfaces between the data link level and the physical level
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 69/324 in the data link layer [OSI layer 2], e.g. HDLC
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 69/325 in the network layer [OSI layer 3], e.g. X.25 H04L69/16 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 69/326 in the transport layer [OSI layer 4] H04L69/16 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 9/40 : Network security protocols
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 88/06 : adapted for operation in multiple networks or having at least two operational modes, e.g. multi-mode terminals

Abstract

A radio card, such as a PCMCIA card, received by an electronic device has a first interface coupling radio circuitry within the radio card to the electronic device. The radio card also has a second interface, independent of the first interface, that couples with an antenna disposed within the electronic device upon receipt of the radio card by the electronic device. The second interface may comprise a plurality of antenna contacts located along tracks of the electronic device used to aid reception of the radio card. A second and possibly external antenna may also automatically couple with the second interface upon insertion. By selective placement of the antenna contacts on the radio card, a specific one of the antennas may be selected. Otherwise, internal switching circuitry supports antenna diversity or simultaneous use of a plurality of antennas.

Claims

1. A handheld wireless communications system, comprising:

a computing device comprising a processor, a first antenna and a device housing, wherein the device housing includes a receiving slot; and

a removable device comprising a radio transceiver, a second antenna and a third antenna, wherein the removable device is removably insertable into the receiving slot to form an interface between the removable device and the processor,

wherein the handheld wireless communications system is configured to communicate over at least two frequency bands.

2. The handheld wireless communications system according to claim 1, wherein the device housing is configured to support wired access to a network.

3. The handheld wireless communications system according to claim 2, wherein the network supports telephone traffic.

4. The handheld wireless communications system according to claim 1, wherein the receiving slot is covered by a slot cover when the removable device is not removably inserted into the receiving slot.

5. The handheld wireless communications system according to claim 1, wherein the computing device is portable.

6. The handheld wireless communications system according to claim 1, wherein the computing device is a computer terminal.

7. The handheld wireless communications system according to claim 1, wherein the at least two frequency bands comprise a 900 MHz frequency band and a 2.4 GHz frequency band.

8. The handheld wireless communications system according to claim 1, wherein at least one of the computing device and the removable device supports wireless local area network communications.

9. The handheld wireless communications system according to claim 1, wherein at least one of the computing device and the removable device supports spread spectrum communications.

10. The handheld wireless communications system according to claim 1, wherein at least one of the computing device and the removable device supports frequency hopping.

11. The handheld wireless communications system according to claim 1, wherein the computing device comprises a cellular phone.

12. The handheld wireless communications system according to claim 1, wherein at least two of the first antenna, the second antenna and the third antenna are configured to support wireless communications at 2.4 GHz.

13. The handheld wireless communications system according to claim 1, wherein at least two of the first antenna, the second antenna and the third antenna are configured to support spatial diversity.

14. The handheld wireless communications system according to claim 1, wherein at least two of the first antenna, the second antenna and the third antenna are configured to support polarization diversity.

15. The handheld wireless communications system according to claim 1, wherein the first antenna, the second antenna and the third antenna are configured to support polarization diversity and the spatial diversity.

16. The handheld wireless communications system according to claim 1, wherein the first antenna, the second antenna and the third antenna are used to transmit and to receive radio frequency signals.

17. The handheld wireless communications system according to claim 1, wherein at least two of the first antenna, the second antenna and the third antenna are used in an antenna diversity scheme.

18. The handheld wireless communications system according to claim 1, wherein at least one of the first antenna, the second antenna and the third antenna is rated at an impedance of fifty ohms.

19. The handheld wireless communications system according to claim 1, wherein the computing device comprises keys and a display.

20. The handheld wireless communications system according to claim 1, wherein the computing device is a laptop computer.

21. The handheld wireless communications system according to claim 1, wherein handheld wireless communications system supports wireless communications over additional frequency bands.

22. The handheld wireless communications system according to claim 1, wherein the removable device determines which of the first antenna, the second antenna and the third antenna to use for wireless communications.

23. The hand held wireless communications system according to claim 1, wherein the removable device comprises a removable radio card.