Configurable antenna for mixed wireless networks
Methods and apparatus to reconfigure an antenna for use with mixed wireless networks are described. In one embodiment, a switch is coupled between a first portion and a second portion of an antenna to cause the antenna to tune to a plurality of radio frequency bands. Other embodiments are also described.
1. An apparatus comprising:
an antenna having a first portion and a second portion;
a switch coupled between the first portion and the second portion to cause the antenna to tune to a plurality of radio frequency bands and
a diversity switch network coupled to the antenna to route a radio signal from a radio module to the antenna, wherein the diversity switch network is to operate in accordance with an identity matrix transformation.
2. The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the switch comprises one or more of: a pin diode, a field effect transistor, or a micro-electromechanical systems (MEMS) element.
3. The apparatus of claim 1 , further comprising a processor to cause the switch to modify its state.
4. The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the first portion or the second portion are constructed with a material comprising one or more of: Aluminum, Copper, Gold, or combinations thereof.
5. The apparatus of claim 1 , further comprising a switching control unit to control a state of the switch.
6. The apparatus of claim 1 , further comprising a substrate to mechanically support the antenna and switch.
7. The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the antenna is one of: a monopole antenna, a planar inverted F antenna (PIFA), a slot antenna, a micro-strip patch antenna, or a fractal antenna.
8. The apparatus of claim 1 , further comprising one or more of a processor, a memory, or a transceiver that are coupled to the antenna.
9. A method comprising:
determining whether an antenna is to be reconfigured;
modifying a state of one or more switches to cause the antenna to be tuned to a select radio frequency band; and
storing one or more instructions on computer-readable to cause performance of one or more of the determining or the modifying operations.
10. The method of claim 9 , further comprising generating one or more signals to control the state of the one or more switches.
11. The method of claim 9 , wherein modifying the state of the one or more switches comprises electrically coupling a plurality of portions of the antenna via the one or more switches.
12. The method of claim 9 , wherein modifying the state of the one or more switches comprises electrically decoupling a plurality of portions of the antenna via the one or more switches.