Patent Application
20120225630
The present disclosure generally relates to systems and methods for antenna tuning in mobile devices.
In recent years, mobile devices such as smartphones and tablets have become widespread, and accessories are very common among individuals with mobile devices. Aside from the practical aspect of protecting a mobile device from damage, accessories such as cell phone covers offer a popular means of accessorizing or personalizing mobile devices. As such, accessories such as covers are readily available in a wide range of colors, shapes, materials, and sizes. In some cases, however, accessories such as cell phone covers may affect the transmission and/or reception performance of the phone antenna. With the rapid development in communication technology, smartphones and tablets have become an integral part of many people's lives given the portability of mobile devices, the convenient access to the Internet, and the growing number of applications available on such mobile devices. As such, it is important that mobile devices provide optimum performance, even when encased in a cover, as cellular reception is essential.
Briefly described, one embodiment, among others, is a system for tuning an antenna in a mobile device. The system comprises a detection module configured to interface with an accessory and identify the accessory. The system further comprises a tuner configured to retrieve one or more parameters according to the identified accessory. The tuner is further configured to tune the antenna according to the one or more parameters, where the one or more parameters are based on previously-derived information regarding tuning impairment characteristics of the accessory.
Another embodiment is a method for tuning an antenna in a mobile device. The method comprises detecting, by a detection module in the mobile device, that an accessory has been attached to the mobile device. In response to detecting the accessory, the accessory is identified. The method further comprises retrieving one or more parameters according to the identified accessory and retuning, by a tuner in the mobile device, the antenna according to the one or more parameters. In accordance with such embodiments, the one or more parameters are based on previously-derived information regarding tuning impairment characteristics of the accessory.
Another embodiment is a system that comprises a detection module configured to interface with an accessory and identify the accessory according to an identifier stored in the accessory. The system further comprises a tuner configured to retrieve one or more parameters stored in a memory of the mobile device according to the identified accessory. The tuner is further configured to tune the antenna according to the one or more parameters, where the one or more parameters are based on previously-derived information regarding tuning impairment characteristics of the accessory. The system further comprises an update checker configured to query a server for updates relating to accessories, the update checker being further configured to store updates in the memory of the mobile device.
Other systems, methods, features, and advantages of the present disclosure will be or become apparent to one with skill in the art upon examination of the following drawings and detailed description. It is intended that all such additional systems, methods, features, and advantages be included within this description, be within the scope of the present disclosure, and be protected by the accompanying claims.
Many aspects of the disclosure can be better understood with reference to the following drawings. The components in the drawings are not necessarily to scale, emphasis instead being placed upon clearly illustrating the principles of the present disclosure. Moreover, in the drawings, like reference numerals designate corresponding parts throughout the several views.
Having summarized various aspects of the present disclosure, reference will now be made in detail to the description of the disclosure as illustrated in the drawings. While the disclosure will be described in connection with these drawings, there is no intent to limit it to the embodiment or embodiments disclosed herein. On the contrary, the intent is to cover all alternatives, modifications and equivalents included within the spirit and scope of the disclosure as defined by the appended claims.
In small mobile devices, the antenna design is optimized to maximize radiated performance across several different bands. The resultant frequency response tends to be reasonably flat within desired bands and then to fall off steeply at the band edges. In general, protective covers have a tendency to “detune” the device antenna, where the frequency response of the antenna is effectively shifted. In some cases, this detuning can push the response into the steep fall-off portion and result in many decibels (dB) of detuning of the antenna. This detuning means that the radiated power may be decreased, received sensitivity may be decreased, and overall radio frequency (RF) quality may be reduced.
Embodiments are described for allowing an accessory to be attached to a mobile device where the mobile device maintains optimum performance while encased or attached to the accessory. Reference is made to
In accordance with exemplary embodiments, the mobile device 102 is configured to identify the accessory 141 to be coupled or attached to the mobile device 102. With reference to
A description of a system for retuning the antenna in a mobile device 102 is now described followed by a discussion of the operation of the components within the system.
For example, where the accessory 141 comprises an active device that is battery-powered, the accessory 141 may be configured to transmit an identifier to the detection module 112 through a Bluetooth connection. Based on the identification of the accessory 141, a tuner 114 in the mobile device 102 retunes the antenna within the mobile device 102 as needed. Specifically, the tuner 114 utilizes parameters/coefficients derived based on known characteristics associated with the identified accessory 141 to optimize the radiated antenna performance while the accessory 141 is attached to the mobile device 102. The detection module 112 is also configured to determine when the accessory 141 is removed from the mobile device 102 and communicate this to the tuner 114, which then retunes the radiated antenna performance. For some embodiments, this retuning process may comprise simply resetting one or more antenna settings back to factory default settings.
For some embodiments, the tuner 114 may be configured to access memory 116 within the mobile device 102 and retrieve parameters or coefficients from a look-up table 117 or other data structure containing optimal antenna settings specific to various accessories. Using the identifier extracted by the detection module 112, the tuner 114 accesses the look-up table 117 to retrieve parameters/coefficients, which the tuner 114 then utilizes to retune the antenna of the mobile device 102. For some embodiments, the parameters/coefficients allow the mobile device 102 to “favor” certain frequency bands. For example, an accessory 141 offered by one particular carrier or wireless company may have associated parameters/coefficients that improve or maximize performance in the frequency bands used by that carrier.
In accordance with some embodiments, the mobile device 102 may also interface with a remote server 336 to retrieve the parameters/coefficients as an alternative (or in conjunction) to retrieving parameters/coefficients from local memory 116. As shown in
The server 336 provides a centralized means for storing information on a wide variety of accessories 141. In accordance with some embodiments, a look-up table 117 may be stored on both the mobile device 102 and at a centralized server 336 in the event that cellular reception is not available. Note that while look-up tables are described in connection with the embodiments above, those skilled in the art will appreciate that other data structures may be utilized as well. For some embodiments, the mobile device 102 further comprises an update checker 119 configured to query the server 336 for updates to be applied to the look-up table 117 stored locally in the mobile device 102. The update checker 119 may be configured to query the server 336 on a periodic schedule. In other embodiments, the server 336 may transmit an indicator to the update checker 119 that an update is available, at which time the update checker 119 receives the update. The update checker 119 may also be configured to check for updates based on the occurrence of such key events as power on of the mobile device 102 and initiation of a network connection involving the mobile device 102. Updates may comprise parameters/coefficients relating to existing or newly-added accessories.
Reference is made to
The processing device 202 may include any custom made or commercially available processor, a central processing unit (CPU) or an auxiliary processor among several processors associated with the mobile device 102, a semiconductor based microprocessor (in the form of a microchip), a macroprocessor, one or more application specific integrated circuits (ASICs), a plurality of suitably configured digital logic gates, and other well known electrical configurations comprising discrete elements both individually and in various combinations to coordinate the overall operation of the computing system.
The memory 214 can include any one of a combination of volatile memory elements (e.g., random-access memory (RAM, such as DRAM, and SRAM, etc.)) and nonvolatile memory elements. The memory 214 typically comprises a native operating system 216, one or more native applications, emulation systems, or emulated applications for any of a variety of operating systems and/or emulated hardware platforms, emulated operating systems, etc. For example, the applications may include application specific software which may comprise some or all the components of the mobile device 102 depicted in
The touchscreen interface 207 is configured to receive input from a user via a display 106 and provides such functionality as on-screen buttons, menus, keyboards, etc. that allow users to navigate user interfaces by touch. One of ordinary skill in the art will appreciate that the memory 214 can, and typically will, comprise other components which have been omitted for purposes of brevity. As described earlier, voice command\control functions may be used to input information relating to a particular accessory. The microphone 208 shown in
Reference is now made to
Although the flowchart 700 of
It should be emphasized that the above-described embodiments are merely examples of possible implementations. Many variations and modifications may be made to the above-described embodiments without departing from the principles of the present disclosure. All such modifications and variations are intended to be included herein within the scope of this disclosure and protected by the following claims.
