Apparatus and methods for antenna sharing in a mobile device

• US 9,425,852 B2
• Filed: 02/26/2016
• Issued: 08/23/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 05/11/2012
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Skyworks Solutions Incorporated
• Original Assignee: Skyworks Solutions Incorporated
• Inventors: Lam, Lui, Vaillancourt, William Gerard
• Primary Examiner(s): Kim, Wesley
• Assistant Examiner(s): CHAKRABORTY, RAJARSHI
• Application Number:
  US15/054,748
• Publication Number:
  US 20160182118A1
• Time in Patent Office: 179 Days
• Field of Search: 455/78
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: H03H 2/005 Coupling circuits between transmission lines or antennas and transmitters, receivers or amplifiers
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 1/44 Transmit/receive switching
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 1/48 in circuits for connecting transmitter and receiver to a common transmission path, e.g. by energy of transmitter H04B1/46 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 7/04 using two or more spaced independent antennas
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/80 Services using short range communication, e.g. near-field communication [NFC], radio-frequency identification [RFID] or low energy communication
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 84/12 WLAN [Wireless Local Area Networks]

Abstract

Disclosed herein are apparatus and methods for antenna sharing in a mobile device. In certain configurations, a mobile device includes a switching circuit that controls access of a plurality of transceivers to a plurality of antennas. The switching circuit includes a multi-pole multi-throw switch and a single-pole multi-throw switch, and has a first mode in which the switching circuit electrically connects a WiFi transceiver to a first antenna via a first transmit signal pathway through the multi-pole multi-throw switch. The switching circuit also has a second mode in which the switching circuit electrically connects the WiFi transceiver to a second antenna via a second transmit signal pathway through both the multi-pole multi-throw switch and the single-pole multi-throw switch. The multi-pole multi-throw switch includes an insertion loss component along the first transmit signal pathway to substantially match a total insertion loss of the first and second transmit signal pathways.

Claims

1. A mobile device comprising:

a plurality of antennas including a first antenna and a second antenna;

a plurality of transceivers including a WiFi transceiver; and

a switching circuit configured to control access of the plurality of transceivers to the plurality of antennas, the switching circuit including a multi-pole multi-throw switch and a single-pole multi-throw switch, the switching circuit having a first mode in which the switching circuit electrically connects the WiFi transceiver to the first antenna via a first transmit signal pathway through the multi-pole multi-throw switch, and a second mode in which the switching circuit electrically connects the WiFi transceiver to the second antenna via a second transmit signal pathway through both the multi-pole multi-throw switch and the single-pole multi-throw switch, the multi-pole multi-throw switch including an insertion loss component along the first transmit signal pathway to substantially match a total insertion loss of the first transmit signal pathway and a total insertion loss of the second transmit signal pathway.

2. The mobile device of claim 1 wherein the single-pole multi-throw switch includes a switch component along the second transmit signal pathway, the insertion loss component implemented as a copy of the switch component.

3. The mobile device of claim 2 wherein the multi-pole multi-throw switch includes a first switch component along the first transmit signal pathway and a second switch component along the second transmit signal pathway, the first switch component implemented as a copy of the second switch component.

4. The mobile device of claim 3 wherein the insertion loss of the first transmit signal pathway and the insertion loss of the second transmit signal pathway substantially track one another in at least one of process, voltage, or temperature.

5. The mobile device of claim 1 wherein the plurality of transceivers further includes a Bluetooth transceiver.

6. The mobile device of claim 5 wherein the switching circuit is implemented to electrically connect the Bluetooth transceiver to the second antenna through the single-pole multi-throw switch in the first mode.

7. The mobile device of claim 5 wherein the switching circuit further has a third mode in which the switching circuit electrically connects the WiFi transceiver to the first antenna via a first receive signal pathway through the multi-pole multi-throw switch.

8. The mobile device of claim 7 wherein the switching circuit is implemented to electrically connect the Bluetooth transceiver to the second antenna through the single-pole multi-throw switch in the third mode.

9. The mobile device of claim 7 wherein the switching circuit further has a fourth mode in which the switching circuit electrically connects the WiFi transceiver to the second antenna via a second receive signal pathway through both the multi-pole multi-throw switch and the single-pole multi-throw switch.

10. The mobile device of claim 1 wherein the single-pole multi-throw switch is implemented as a single-pole double-throw (SPDT) switch.

11. The mobile device of claim 1 wherein the multi-pole multi-throw switch is implemented as a double-pole double-throw (DPDT) switch.

12. The mobile device of claim 1 wherein the first and second antennas are implemented with orthogonal polarizations.

13. A method of antenna sharing in a mobile device, the method comprising:

controlling access of a WiFi transceiver to a first antenna and a second antenna using a switching circuit that includes a multi-pole multi-throw switch and a single-pole multi-throw switch;

electrically connecting the WiFi transceiver to the first antenna via a first transmit signal pathway through the multi-pole multi-throw switch in a first mode of the switching circuit;

electrically connecting the WiFi transceiver to the second antenna via a second transmit signal pathway through both the multi-pole multi-throw switch and the single-pole multi-throw switch in a second mode of the switching circuit; and

substantially matching a total insertion loss of the first transmit signal pathway and a total insertion loss of the second transmit signal pathway using an insertion loss component of the multi-pole multi-throw switch.

14. The method of claim 13 further comprising controlling access of a Bluetooth transceiver to the second antenna using the single-pole multi-throw switch.

15. A die comprising:

a substrate;

a WiFi transmit terminal;

a plurality of antenna terminals including a first antenna terminal and a second antenna terminal; and

a switching circuit formed on the semiconductor substrate and including a multi-pole multi-throw switch and a single-pole multi-throw switch, the switching circuit having a first mode in which the switching circuit electrically connects the WiFi transmit terminal to the first antenna terminal via a first transmit signal pathway through the multi-pole multi-throw switch, and a second mode in which the switching circuit electrically connects the WiFi transmit terminal to the second antenna terminal via a second transmit signal pathway through both the multi-pole multi-throw switch and the single-pole multi-throw switch, the multi-pole multi-throw switch including an insertion loss component along the first transmit signal pathway to substantially match a total insertion loss of the first transmit signal pathway and a total insertion loss of the second transmit signal pathway.

16. The die of claim 15 wherein the substrate is a silicon-on-insulator (SOI) substrate.

17. The die of claim 15 wherein the single-pole multi-throw switch includes a switch component along the second transmit signal pathway, the insertion loss component implemented as a copy of the switch component.

18. The die of claim 17 wherein the multi-pole multi-throw switch includes a first switch component along the first transmit signal pathway and a second switch component along the second transmit signal pathway, the first switch component implemented as a copy of the second switch component.

19. The die of claim 18 wherein the insertion loss of the first transmit signal pathway and the insertion loss of the second transmit signal pathway substantially track one another in at least one of process, voltage, or temperature.

20. The die of claim 15 further comprising a Bluetooth terminal, the switching circuit further implemented to electrically connect the Bluetooth terminal to the second antenna terminal through the single-pole multi-throw switch in the first mode.