TETHERED ANTENNA HAVING SERVICED DEVICE COMMUNICATIONS INTERFACE
An antenna system includes a wired communications interface, an antenna, and antenna system control circuitry. The wired communications interface is operable to couple to a serviced host device and includes a control interface and an antenna interface. The antenna couples to the antenna interface and has configurable antenna characteristics. The antenna system control circuitry couples to the control interface and to the antenna and is operable to communicate the configurable antenna characteristics to the host device and to configure the antenna based upon communication with the host device. In other constructs the antenna may not be configurable and the antenna characteristics communicated are fixed. The antenna system may further include Radio Frequency (RF) transmit circuitry and/or RF transmit circuitry. Such RF transmit circuitry and RF receive circuitry may be configurable or fixed in its operations.
1 . An antenna system comprising:
a wired communications interface operable to couple to a serviced host device, the wired communications interface including:
a control interface; and
an antenna interface;
an antenna coupled to the antenna interface, the antenna having configurable antenna characteristics; and
antenna system control circuitry coupled to the control interface and to the antenna and that is operable to:
communicate the configurable antenna characteristics to the host device; and
configure the antenna based upon communication with the host device.
2 . The antenna system of claim 1 , wherein:
the antenna comprises a plurality of antenna elements and a plurality of switches that are operable to inter couple the plurality of antenna elements into a plurality of differing configurations; and
the antenna system control circuitry is operable to control the plurality of switches to configure the antenna.
3 . The antenna system of claim 2 , wherein the antenna control circuitry configures the antenna based upon at least one frequency band of a plurality of information signal frequency bands supported by the host device.
4 . The antenna system of claim 3 , wherein the plurality of information signal frequency bands are selected from the group consisting of:
at least one Wireless Local Area Network (WLAN) frequency band;
at least one Wireless Personal Area Network (WPAN) frequency band;
at least one cellular frequency band;
at least one millimeter wave frequency band; and
at least one Global Positioning System (GPS) frequency band.
5 . The antenna system of claim 1 , wherein:
the antenna interface further comprises a switch; and
the antenna system control circuitry is operable to control the switch to selectively couple the antenna to the antenna interface.
6 . The antenna system of claim 1 , further comprising an amplifier operable to amplify a transmit signal received at the antenna interface.
7 . The antenna system of claim 1 , further comprising an amplifier operable to amplify a signal received by the antenna.
8 . The antenna system of claim 1 , wherein the antenna is constructed to be:
installed in the structure of a vehicle;
installed in the structure of a building; or
worn by a person.
9 . The antenna system of claim 1 , wherein the antenna interface comprises a wave guide.
10 . An antenna system comprising:
a wired communications interface operable to couple to a serviced host device, the wired communications interface including:
a control interface; and
an antenna interface;
an antenna coupled to the antenna interface, the antenna having antenna characteristics; and
antenna system control circuitry coupled to the control interface that is operable to communicate the antenna characteristics to the host device via the control interface.
11 . The antenna system of claim 10 , wherein the antenna characteristics comprise frequency/gain characteristics of the antenna.
12 . The antenna system of claim 10 , further comprising an amplifier operable to amplify a transmit signal received at the antenna interface.
13 . The antenna system of claim 10 , further comprising an amplifier operable to amplify a signal received by the antenna.
14 . The antenna system of claim 10 , wherein the antenna system supports communications in a plurality of information signal frequency bands that are selected from the group consisting of:
at least one Wireless Local Area Network (WLAN) frequency band;
at least one Wireless Personal Area Network (WPAN) frequency band;
at least one cellular frequency band;
at least one millimeter wave frequency band; and
at least one Global Positioning System (GPS) frequency band.
15 . The antenna system of claim 10 , wherein the antenna is constructed to be:
installed in the structure of a vehicle;
installed in the structure of a building; or
worn by a person.
16 . The antenna system of claim 10 , wherein the antenna interface comprises a wave guide.
17 . An antenna system comprising:
a wired communications interface operable to couple to a serviced host device, the wired communications interface including:
a control interface; and
an antenna interface;
an antenna;
Radio Frequency (RF) front end circuitry coupled to the antenna interface and to the antenna and operable to convert baseband/low IF signals to RF signals and to convert RF signals to baseband/low IF signals; and
antenna system control circuitry coupled to the control interface that is operable to:
communicate with the host device to report antenna system operational capabilities;
communicate with the host device to receive antenna system operational settings;
configure the RF front end circuitry based upon the antenna system operational settings.
18 . The antenna system of claim 17 , wherein the RF front end circuitry operates in each of an enabled mode and a disabled mode.
19 . The antenna system of claim 17 , wherein the antenna system supports communications in a plurality of information signal frequency bands that are selected from the group consisting of:
at least one Wireless Local Area Network (WLAN) frequency band;
at least one Wireless Personal Area Network (WPAN) frequency band;
at least one cellular frequency band;
at least one millimeter wave frequency band; and
at least one Global Positioning System (GPS) frequency band.
20 . The antenna system of claim 17 , the antenna system control circuitry further operable to:
communicate configurable antenna characteristics to the host device; and
configure the antenna based upon communication with the host device.
21 . The antenna system of claim 20 , wherein:
the antenna comprises a plurality of antenna elements and a plurality of switches that are operable to inter couple the plurality of antenna elements; and
the antenna system control circuitry is operable to control the plurality of switches to configure the antenna.
22 . The antenna system of claim 20 , wherein the antenna control circuitry configures the antenna based upon at least one frequency band of a plurality of information signal frequency bands supported by the host device.
23 . The antenna system of claim 17 , wherein:
the antenna interface further comprises a switch; and
the antenna system control circuitry is operable to control the switch to selectively couple the antenna to the antenna interface.
24 . The antenna system of claim 17 , wherein the antenna is constructed to be:
installed in the structure of a vehicle;
installed in the structure of a building; or
worn by a person.
25 . The antenna system of claim 17 , wherein the antenna interface comprises a wave guide.