Electronic device including plurality of antennas and operating method thereof

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-2022345557-A1
Application number	US-202117422001-A
Country	US
Kind code	A1
Filing date	Jun 29, 2021
Priority date	Jul 23, 2020
Publication date	Oct 27, 2022
Grant date	—

Abstract

An electronic device is provided. The electronic device includes a housing, a plurality of first antennas, at least one second antenna, at least one sensor, and at least one processor. The at least one processor is configured to perform a multi input multi output (MIMO) operation by using the plurality of first antennas in first status, detect that the electronic device in the first status is changed to be in second status, by folding or sliding of at least one of the first housing or the second housing, and disable at least one, which is adjacent to the at least one second antenna, of the plurality of first antennas and perform a single input single output (SISO) operation by using remaining antennas of the plurality of first antennas, when a frequency band or a channel of a signal transmitted by the plurality of first antennas is adjacent to or partially overlapped with that of a signal received by the at least one second antenna.

First claim

1 . An electronic device comprising:
a housing including a first housing and a second housing; at least one first antenna disposed in the first housing; at least one second antenna disposed in the second housing; at least one sensor; and at least one processor, wherein the at least one processor is configured to:
perform communication by using the at least one first antenna and the at least one second antenna in a first status of the electronic device,
detect, through the at least one sensor, that the electronic device in the first status is changed to be in a second status, by folding or sliding of at least one of the first housing or the second housing, and
back-off a power of a signal transmitted by at least one first antenna adjacent to the at least one second antenna, when a frequency band or a channel of the signal transmitted by the at least one first antenna is adjacent to or at least partially overlapped with a frequency band or a channel of a signal received by the at least one second antenna,
wherein the at least one first antenna is spaced apart from the at least one second antenna by a first distance, in the first status, and wherein the at least one first antenna adjacent to the at least one second antenna is spaced apart from the at least one second antenna by a second distance shorter than the first distance, in the second status.

2 . The electronic device of claim 1 , wherein the at least one processor is further configured to:
when the electronic device is in the second status, and when the frequency band or the channel of the signal transmitted by the at least one first antenna is adjacent to or at least partially overlapped with the frequency band or the channel of the signal received by the at least one second antenna, hand over the frequency band or the channel of the signal transmitted by the at least one first antenna to another frequency band or another channel which is not adjacent to the frequency band or the channel of the signal received by the at least one second antenna, and restrict use of the at least one first antenna for the frequency band or the channel which is adjacent to the frequency band or the channel of the signal received by the at least one second antenna.

3 . The electronic device of claim 1 ,
wherein the at least one first antenna supports a first communication protocol, and wherein the at least one second antenna supports a second communication protocol different from the first communication protocol.

4 . The electronic device of claim 1 ,
wherein the first housing is a foldable housing which is folded along at least one axis, and wherein, when the electronic device is folded, a relative distance between the first housing and the second housing is changed.

5 . The electronic device of claim 1 , further comprising:
a flexible display including a first display area and a second display area visually exposed to correspond to a sliding of the second housing, wherein the second housing is sliding while being coupled with the first housing.

6 . The electronic device of claim 1 , wherein the at least one processor is further configured to restore power of the signal transmitted by the at least one first antenna, when detecting, through the at least one sensor, that the electronic device in the first status is changed to be in the second status, by unfolding or sliding of at least one of the first housing or the second housing.

7 . The electronic device of claim 1 ,
wherein the at least one processor is further configured to:
when the electronic device is in the second status and a multiple component of the signal transmitted by the at least one first antenna is adjacent to or at least partially overlapped with the frequency band or the channel of the signal received by the at least one second antenna, back-off the power of the signal transmitted by the at least one first antenna adjacent to the at least one second antenna, and
hand over the frequency band or the channel, which is used by the at least one first antenna, to another frequency band or another channel, and
wherein the another frequency band or the another channel is a frequency band or a channel to prevent the multiple component of the signal transmitted by the at least one first antenna from being adjacent to or being partially overlapped with the frequency band or the channel of the signal received by the at least one second antenna.

8 . The electronic device of claim 1 , wherein the at least one processor is further configured to:
perform a MIMO operation by using the at least one first antenna and the at least one second antenna when the electronic device is in the first status, when the electronic device is in the second status, and when the frequency band or the channel of the signal transmitted by the at least one first antenna is adjacent to or at least partially overlapped with the frequency band or the channel of the signal received by the at least one second antenna, disable an antenna, which represents weaker signal power, by comparing power of the signal transmitted by the at least one first antenna with power of a signal transmitted by the at least one second antenna, and perform a single input single output (SISO) operation by using an antenna representing strong signal power.

9 . The electronic device of claim 1 , wherein the at least one processor is further configured to:
perform a sound reference surrounding (SRS) operation by using the at least one first antenna, when the electronic device is in the first status, disable a part of the at least one first antenna, which is adjacent to the at least one second antenna, and perform the SRS operation by using a remaining of the at least one first antenna, when the electronic device is in the second status, and when the frequency band or the channel of the signal transmitted by the at least one first antenna is adjacent to or at least partially overlapped with the frequency band or the channel of the signal received by the at least one second antenna.

10 . The electronic device of claim 1 , wherein the at least one processor is further configured to:
perform a MIMO operation by using the at least one first antennas in the first status of the electronic device, when the electronic device is in the second status, and when the frequency band or the channel of a signal transmitted by the at least one first antennas is adjacent to or partially overlapped with the frequency band or the channel of a signal received by the at least one second antenna, disable at least one, which is adjacent to the at least one second antenna, of the at least one first antennas, and perform a SISO operation by using remaining antennas of the at least one first antennas.

11 . The electronic device of claim 10 , wherein the at least one processor is further configured to:
when detecting, through the at least one sensor, that the electronic device in the second status is changed to be in the first status, by unfolding or sliding of at least one of the first housing or the second housing, activate the disabled antenna, and perform the MIMO operation by using the at least one first antennas.

12 . The electronic device of claim 10 , wherein the at least one processor is further configured to:
when the frequency band or the channel of the signal transmitted by the at least one first antennas is handed over to another frequency band or another channel which is not adjacent to the frequency band or the channel of the signal received by the at least one second antenna, activate the disabled antenna, and perform the MIMO operation by using the at least one first antennas.

Assignees

• Samsung Electronics Co Ltd

Inventors

• Lee Taeyun
• Nam Janghyun
• Na Hyoseok
• Lee Hanyeop

Classifications

• H04W52/42

  in systems with time, space, frequency or polarisation diversity · CPC title

• H04M1/0235

  Slidable or telescopic telephones, i.e. with a relative translation movement of the body parts; Telephones using a combination of translation and other relative motions of the body parts · CPC title

• H04B17/345

  Interference values ({signal-to-interference ratio [SIR] or carrier-to-interference ratio [CIR]} H04B17/336) · CPC title

• H04M1/0214 Primary

  Foldable telephones, i.e. with body parts pivoting to an open position around an axis parallel to the plane they define in closed position (combined with translation movement H04M1/0235) · CPC title

• H04M1/0241

  using relative motion of the body parts to change the operational status of the telephone set, e.g. switching on/off, answering incoming call · CPC title