Antenna placement

• US 8,654,030 B1
• Filed: 10/19/2012
• Issued: 02/18/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 10/16/2012
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Microsoft Technology Licensing LLC (Microsoft Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Microsoft Corporation
• Inventors: Mercer, Sean Russell
• Primary Examiner(s): Duong, Dieu H
• Application Number:
  US13/656,520
• Time in Patent Office: 487 Days
• Field of Search: 343/725, 343/824, 343/872, 343/873, 343/893, 343/702, 343/876
• US Class Current: 343/876
• CPC Class Codes: H01Q 1/2266 disposed inside the computer
• CPC Class Codes: H01Q 1/2291 used in bluetooth or WI-FI devices of Wireless Local Area Networks [WLAN] H01Q1/241 takes precedence; WLAN in general H04W
• CPC Class Codes: H01Q 21/28 Combinations of substantially independent non-interacting antenna units or systems multiple beam H01Q25/00
• CPC Class Codes: H01Q 3/24 varying the orientation by switching energy from one active radiating element to another, e.g. for beam switching
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 1/3833 Hand-held transceivers
• 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

Antenna placement techniques are described. In one or more embodiments, a computing device includes an antenna suite having multiple different kinds of antennas. An antenna zone for the antenna suite may be established along a particular edge of the computing device. Non-interfering materials (e.g., RF transparent material) may be used within the antenna zone and other materials (e.g., metal) may be employed for other regions of the device. The multiple different kinds of antennas in the antenna suite may then be disposed within the established antenna zone. The antennas may be placed to minimize interference between antennas and/or achieve performance objective for the suite of antennas. In one approach, a suite of five antennas may be placed along a top edge of a computing device in a landscape orientation.

Claims

1. A method comprising:

establishing an antenna zone for a computing device that is associated with a single edge of the computing device;

placing multiple antennas for the computing device within the antenna zone to provide multiple different types of wireless functionality, the multiple antennas including at least a pair of antennas that provide the same type of wireless functionality placed along the single edge; and

selectively switching between operation of antennas within the antenna zone and operation of antennas placed in locations outside of the antenna zone in response to rotation of an accessory device connected to the computing device into different orientations relative to the computing device.

2. A method as described in claim 1, wherein the single edge is a top edge of the computing device in a landscape orientation.

3. A method as described in claim 1, wherein the computing device is a tablet device.

4. A method as described in claim 1, wherein the multiple different types of wireless functionality include functionality for at least cellular communications, Wi-Fi communications, and global navigation.

5. A method as described in claim 1, wherein the multiple different types of wireless functionality include functionality for Wi-Fi communications and at least one other type of wireless functionality.

6. A method as described in claim 1, wherein the multiple different types of wireless functionality include functionality for cellular communications and at least one other type of wireless functionality.

7. A method as described in claim 1, wherein the multiple different types of wireless functionality include functionality for global navigation and at least one other type of wireless functionality.

8. A method as described in claim 1, wherein the multiple antennas include dual two-by-two multiple input multiple output (MIMO) antennas for Wi-Fi communications placed along the single edge.

9. A method as described in claim 1, wherein the multiple antennas include a pair of cellular antennas for cellular communications placed at opposite corners of the device along the single edge.

10. A computing device comprising:

an antenna zone established for the computing device along a single, designated edge of the computing device to contain each of multiple antennas provided for the computing device;

an antenna suite having each of the multiple antennas placed within the antenna zone along the single, designated edge to provide functionality for cellular communications and at least one other type of wireless functionality; and

an interface connectable to an accessory device such that the accessory device is configured to rotate into different orientations relative to the computing device, the computing device configured to selectively switch one or more of the multiple antennas on and off responsive to manipulation of the accessory device into the different orientations.

11. The computing device as described in claim 10, wherein the designated edge is a top edge of the computing device in a landscape orientation.

12. The computing device as described in claim 10, wherein the functionality for cellular communications is provided by a pair of cellular antennas placed at opposite corners of the device along the designated edge and the at least one other type of wireless functionality is provided by one or more antennas placed between the pair of cellular antennas along the designated edge.

13. The computing device described in claim 10, wherein the antenna zone comprises a pair of Wi-Fi antennas placed at opposite corners of the device along the designated edge to provide Wi-Fi communication functionality and one or more cellular antennas placed between the pair of Wi-Fi antennas to provide the cellular communications.

14. The computing device described in claim 10, further comprising multiple antennas zones including the antenna zone along multiple edges of the computing device.

15. The computing device described in claim 10, wherein the multiple antennas include one or more cellular antennas to provide the cellular communications and one or more Wi-Fi, near field communication (NFC), global navigation satellite system (GNSS), or Bluetooth antennas to provide the at least one other type of wireless functionality.

16. A tablet device comprising:

a processing system;

an antenna zone established for the tablet device along a top edge of the tablet device in a landscape orientation;

an antenna suite of multiple antennas located within the antenna zone along the top edge, the multiple antennas including a pair of cellular antennas to provide cellular communications, a pair of Wi-Fi antennas for Wi-Fi communications, and a global navigation satellite system (GNSS) antenna to provide global navigation functionality;

an interface connectable to an accessory device having another antenna zone including at least one antenna to duplicate functionality provided by one or more of the multiple antennas in the antenna zone along the top edge, the tablet device configured to switch between using antennas in the antenna zone along the top edge and antennas include in the antenna zone of the accessory device based on orientation of the accessory device relative to the tablet device.

17. A tablet device as recited in claim 16, wherein the pair of cellular antennas is located at opposite corners of the tablet device along the top edge.

18. A tablet device as recited in claim 17, wherein the pair of Wi-Fi antennas and the GNSS antenna are located between the pair of cellular antennas along the top edge.

19. A tablet device as recited in claim 18, wherein the GNSS antenna is located substantially at the center of the top edge and the pair of Wi-Fi antennas is located in spaces on either side of the GNSS antenna between the GNSS antenna and the pair of cellular antennas placed at the corners.

20. A tablet device as recited in claim 16, wherein the antenna suite of multiple antennas further comprises at least one of a near field communication (NFC) antenna or a Bluetooth antenna.