An increasing number of computer systems are being configured or are configurable for wireless communications. For example, such computer systems generally comprise a radio or wireless module and an antenna for transmitting and receiving radio frequency (RF) signals. The RF spectrum used by such wireless communication systems is strictly regulated (e.g., by the Federal Communication Commission) at least because of unknown health concerns associated with particular untested RF frequencies and/or because different RF bandwidths are reserved for different services or applications (e.g., military, aviation and commercial broadcasts). However, because of the wireless configurability of such computer systems, a consumer-configured, or even manufacturer-configured, computer system having wireless communication capabilities may violate the RF spectrum regulations, especially when the antenna is not an integral part of the wireless module.
For a more complete understanding of the present invention and the advantages thereof, reference is now made to the following descriptions taken in connection with the accompanying drawings in which:
The preferred embodiments of the present invention and the advantages thereof are best understood by referring to
In the embodiment illustrated in
Identification data 52 comprises information associated with an identity of wireless module 24 and an identity of antenna 26. For example, in the embodiment illustrated in
In operation, BIOS 30 interfaces with wireless module 24 to obtain and/or otherwise acquire information as to an identity of wireless module 24. For example, in some embodiments of the present invention, BIOS 30 performs an enumeration operation to identify wireless module 24. In response to obtaining identification information associated with wireless module 24, BIOS 30 and/or validation module 50 stores the identification information associated with wireless module 24 as wireless module identification data 56.
GPIO system 32 interfaces with antenna 26 and BIOS 30 to obtain and/or otherwise provide identification information of antenna 26. For example, in the embodiment illustrated in
In operation, validation module 50 uses validation data 60 to verify and/or otherwise validate permissible use of the identified antenna 26 with the identified wireless module 24. For example, as described above, validation data 60 comprises relational information identifying permissible combinations of antennas and wireless modules. Thus, wireless module identification data 56 and antenna identification data 58 are compared with the relational validation data 60 to verify and/or authenticate permissible use of the particular identified antenna 26 with the particular identified wireless module 24. In some embodiments of the present invention, if validation module 50 determines that the identified antenna 26 and the identified wireless module 24 is an impermissible wireless combination (e.g., in violation of FCC regulations), BIOS 30 is configured to disable wireless communications of computer system 12. BIOS 30 may be configured to disable wireless communications of computer system 12 using a variety of methods such as, but not limited to, initiating and/or otherwise transmitting a disable signal to wireless module 24, preventing operation of wireless module 24, or preventing control of wireless module 24 by an operating system of computer system 12 (e.g., not handing control over wireless module 24 to the operating system). In yet other embodiments of the present invention, if validation module 50 is unable to identify a particular antenna and/or wireless module (e.g., unknown GPIO signal combination, unable to access or communicate with the antenna or wireless module, etc.), BIOS 30 is configured to disable wireless communications of computer system 12. In the embodiment illustrated in
In operation, I2C module 80 applies a current to antenna 26 and measures a voltage response signal associated with antenna 26. I2C module 80 communicates the voltage response signal associated with antenna 26 over I2C bus 86 to I2C module 82. I2C module 82 interfaces with BIOS 30 to provide information associated with the voltage response signal to validation module 50. Based on the voltage response signal associated with antenna 26, validation module 50 identifies antenna 26. For example, in some embodiments of the present invention, different types, models, etc., of antennas have different voltage response characteristics in response to a particular and/or predetermined current being applied thereto such that, based on the voltage response signal, an identification of the particular antenna is obtained. Thus, in response to obtaining and/or otherwise acquiring voltage response signal information associated with antenna 26, validation module 50 determines an identity of antenna 26 and stores information associated with the identity of antenna 26 as antenna identification data 58. As described above, BIOS 30 performs an enumeration operation to interface with wireless module 24 to identify wireless module 24, and stores identification information associated with the wireless module 24 as wireless module identification data 56.
Thus, in operation, in response to identifying both antenna 26 and wireless module 24, validation module 50 compares wireless module identification data 56 associated with wireless module 24 and antenna identification data 58 associated with antenna 26 with validation data 60 to verify and/or otherwise validate permissible use of the identified antenna 26 with the identified wireless module 24. In some embodiments of the present invention, in response to determining that the identification of antenna 26 and wireless module 24 indicates an impermissible combination, BIOS 30 is configured to disable wireless communications of computer system 12. Further, in some embodiments of the present invention, if validation module 50 is unable to identify the particular antenna and/or wireless module (e.g., unknown voltage response signal, unable to access and/or communicate with the antenna or the wireless module, etc.), BIOS 30 is configured to disable wireless communications of computer system 12.
Thus, embodiments of the present invention validate the use of a particular antenna with a particular wireless module. For example, because of the configurability of computer systems, a user of the computer system may modify, upgrade and/or otherwise configure and/or re-configure the computer system to incorporate wireless functionality, provide additional wireless functionality and/or modify a particular wireless configuration (e.g., adding an antenna, adding a wireless module, adding both an antenna and a wireless module, changing the wireless module while retaining a particular antenna, etc.). Embodiments of the present invention automatically identify the particular antenna(s) and the particular wireless module(s) in the computer system 12 and automatically validate the use of the particular antenna(s) with the particular wireless module(s). It should be understood that in the described method, certain functionality may be omitted, accomplished in a sequence different from that depicted in
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