Electronic device for performing beamforming in wireless communication system and method therefor

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-11088742-B2
Application number	US-201815733189-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Jul 27, 2018
Priority date	Dec 6, 2017
Publication date	Aug 10, 2021
Grant date	Aug 10, 2021

Abstract

Disclosed is an electronic device comprising: a touch screen display; a battery; a plurality of antenna elements arranged in order to perform beamforming for directional wireless communication; a first wireless communication circuit configured to provide, through the antenna elements, first wireless communication having a first coverage; a second wireless communication circuit configured to provide second wireless communication having a second coverage greater than the first coverage; and a processor connected to the display, the battery, the first wireless communication circuit, and the second wireless communication circuit, wherein the processor stores instructions for determining whether an external device is close to the electronic device by using the first wireless communication circuit, enabling at least one antenna element, rather than all the antenna elements, among the plurality of antenna elements, and transmitting data to the external device by using the second wireless communication circuit and the enabled at least one antenna element.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. An electronic device comprising:
a housing;
a wireless communication circuit including a non-directional first wireless communication circuit having a first frequency and a first coverage and a directional second wireless communication circuit having a second frequency higher than the first frequency and a second coverage larger than the first coverage, the wireless communication circuit being at least one wireless communication circuit located inside the housing or connected to the housing;
at least one processor operatively connected to the wireless communication circuit; and
a memory operatively connected to the processor,
wherein the memory stores instructions that, when executed, cause the processor to:
acquire an event associated with the first wireless communication circuit,
set a beam pattern based on the event, and
perform a second wireless communication connection with an external device through the second wireless communication circuit and fixedly use the set beam pattern in the second wireless communication connection.

2. The electronic device of claim 1 , further comprising:
at least one antenna associated with the second wireless communication circuit,
wherein, when executed, the instructions cause the processor to determine parameters related to the at least one antenna based on the event.

3. The electronic device of claim 2 , wherein the parameters related to the antenna includes at least one of: a number of active antennas of the at least one antenna, an active antenna, a sector identifier or antenna transmit power.

4. The electronic device of claim 3 , wherein the instructions, when executed, cause the processor to:
perform a first wireless communication connection through the external device and the first wireless communication circuit, and
acquire information on the external device through the first wireless communication circuit.

5. The electronic device of claim 4 , wherein the instructions, when executed, cause the processor to determine parameters related to the antenna based on the information on the external device.

6. The electronic device of claim 4 , wherein the information on the external device includes a hardware identifier of the external device.

7. The electronic device of claim 1 , wherein the first wireless communication circuit supports magnetic secure transmission (MST), near field communication (NFC) or wireless charging.

8. The electronic device of claim 1 , wherein the event includes NFC tagging or recognition of wireless charging.

9. The electronic device of claim 1 , wherein the instructions, when executed, cause the processor to perform a sector level sweep (SLS) operation for the second wireless communication connection with the external device.

10. The electronic device of claim 9 , wherein the instructions, when executed, cause the processor to fixedly use the beam pattern during the SLS operation.

11. The electronic device of claim 10 , wherein the beam pattern which is used is one beam pattern.

12. The electronic device of claim 11 , wherein the one beam pattern corresponds to one sector.

13. An electronic device comprising:
a housing;
a touch screen display exposed through the housing;
a battery;
a plurality of antenna elements arranged for beamforming for directional wireless communication;
a first wireless communication circuit configured to provide first wireless communication with a first coverage through the antenna elements;
a second wireless communication circuit configured to provide second wireless communication with a second coverage larger than the first coverage;
a processor disposed inside the housing and operatively connected to the touch screen display, the battery, the first wireless communication circuit and the second wireless communication circuit; and
a memory disposed inside the housing and operatively connected to the processor,
wherein the memory stores instructions that, when executed, cause the processor to:
determine whether an external device is in proximity to the electronic device using the first wireless communication circuit,
enable at least one antenna element which is not all of the plurality of antenna elements, and
transmit data to the external device using the second wireless communication circuit and the enabled at least one antenna element.

14. The electronic device of claim 13 , wherein the at least one enabled antenna element provides directional- or non-directional wireless communication.

15. The electronic device of claim 13 , wherein the second wireless communication circuit is configured to provide a signal of a frequency from 25 GHz to 100 GHz.

Assignees

• Samsung Electronics Co Ltd

Inventors

• Min Hyun Kee
• Lee Sun Key
• Lee Jung Hun
• Lim Tae Hun
• Hong Min Whoa
• Nam Choun Jong
• Lee Sung Hee

Classifications

• H04B7/0617 Primary

  for beam forming · CPC title

• H04B5/79 Primary

  for data transfer in combination with power transfer · CPC title

• H04B5/266

  One coil at each side, e.g. with primary and secondary coils · CPC title

• H04B5/43

  Antennas · CPC title

• H04B7/0491

  using two or more sectors, i.e. sector diversity · CPC title