Wired connector and antenna

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9761924-B2
Application number	US-201213689565-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Nov 29, 2012
Priority date	Nov 29, 2012
Publication date	Sep 12, 2017
Grant date	Sep 12, 2017

Abstract

An antenna can be in a computing device. A connector can be in the computing device and adjacent to the antenna for a wired connection. In one implementation the antenna is connector to a controller to monitor the antenna for wireless signal degradation and compensate for the wireless signal degradation.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A computing device comprising:
an antenna connected to a wireless module to create a wireless network connection;
a wired connector for a wired network connection and directly touching a surface of the antenna, wherein the antenna at least partially surrounds the wired connector with no component(s) between the antenna and the wired connector, and the antenna comprises an electrically conductive ink printed on a surface of the wired connector; and
a controller to:
monitor for signal degradation of the wireless module;
in response to detecting the signal degradation, determine whether the wired connector is connected to another device;
in response to determining that the wired connector is not connected to the another device, compensate for the signal degradation in a first mode by adjusting a wireless setting of wireless communication using the antenna to change from performing wireless communication using a first wireless setting to performing wireless communication using a second wireless setting different from the first wireless setting; and
in response to determining that the wired connector is connected to the another device, not attempt to compensate for the signal degradation in a second mode.

2. The computing device of claim 1 , further comprising a housing comprising the wired connector and the antenna.

3. The computing device of claim 1 , wherein the controller is to disable the wireless module in response to determining that the wired connector is connected to the another device.

4. The computing device of claim 1 , further comprising a speed monitor to determine if a last known speed of the wireless network connection before the wired network connection was established is greater than a speed of the wired network connection, and wherein the controller is to disable the wired network connection in response to the last known speed of the wireless network connection being greater than the speed of the wired network connection.

5. The computing device of claim 1 , wherein the adjusting of the wireless setting comprises adjusting a frequency of wireless communication from a first frequency to a second frequency different from the first frequency.

6. The computing device of claim 1 , wherein the adjusting of the wireless setting comprises boosting a power of transmission by the antenna.

7. The computing device of claim 1 , wherein the controller is to disable the wired network connection in response to determining that the signal degradation exceeds a specified threshold.

8. The computing device of claim 1 , wherein the controller is to reduce a speed of the wired network connection from a first non-zero speed to a second non-zero speed, in response to determining that the signal degradation exceeds a specified threshold.

9. A computing device comprising:
a chassis comprising a side;
a wired connector adjacent to the side of the chassis for a wired network connection;
an antenna within the chassis adjacent to the side and adjacent to and directly touching a surface of the wired connector with no component(s) between the antenna and the surface of the wired connector, wherein the antenna at least partially surrounds the wired connector, and the antenna comprises an electrically conductive ink printed on the surface of the wired connector.

10. The computing device of claim 9 , further comprising a controller to:
monitor for wireless signal degradation of wireless communication using the antenna; and
disable or throttle the wired network connection in response to determining that the wireless signal degradation exceeds a specified threshold.

11. The device of claim 9 , further comprising a controller to:
compare a connection speed of the wired network connection to a connection speed of a wireless network connection established with the antenna; and
disable, based on the comparing, a slower one of the wired network connection and the wireless network connection.

12. The computing device of claim 9 , further comprising a controller to:
monitor for wireless signal degradation of wireless communication using the antenna;
in response to detecting the wireless signal degradation, determine whether the wired connector is connected to another device;
in response to determining that the wired connector is not connected to the another device, compensate for the wireless signal degradation by adjusting a wireless setting of wireless communication using the antenna to change from performing wireless communication using a first wireless setting to performing wireless communication using a second wireless setting different from the first wireless setting; and
in response to determining that the wired connector is connected to the another device, not attempt to compensate for the wireless signal degradation.

13. The computing device of claim 12 , wherein the adjusting of the wireless setting comprises adjusting a frequency of wireless communication from a first frequency to a second frequency different from the first frequency.

14. The computing device of claim 12 , wherein the adjusting of the wireless setting comprises boosting a power of transmission by the antenna.

15. A method of controlling interference for a computing device, comprising:
monitoring for wireless signal degradation of an antenna mounted adjacent to and directly touching a surface of a wired connector, wherein the antenna at least partially surrounds a side of the wired connector, and the antenna comprises an electrically conductive ink printed on the surface of the wired connector;
in response to detecting the wireless signal degradation, determining, by a controller in the computing device, whether the wired connector is connected to another device;
in response to determining that the wired connector is not connected to the another device, changing, by the controller, wireless settings to compensate for the wireless signal degradation, wherein changing the wireless settings causes the computing device to change from performing wireless communication using a first wireless setting to performing wireless communication using a second wireless setting different from the first wireless setting; and
in response to determining that the wired connector is connected to the another device, stopping the monitoring.

16. The method of claim 15 , wherein changing the wireless settings comprises adjusting a frequency of wireless communication using the antenna from a first frequency to a second frequency different from the first frequency.

17. The method of claim 15 , wherein changing the wireless settings comprises boosting a power of transmission by the antenna.

Assignees

• Hewlett Packard Development Co Lp

Inventors

• Lagnado Isaac
• Neill Timothy

Classifications

• G06F11/3485

  for I/O devices · CPC title

• H01Q1/2266 Primary

  disposed inside the computer · CPC title

• H01Q1/44

  using equipment having another main function to serve additionally as an antenna {, e.g. means for giving an antenna an aesthetic aspect}(H01Q1/27 - H01Q1/34 take precedence) · CPC title