Abstract:
A system for antenna extension and a method adapted for antenna extension operation under a specific communication protocol are provided. The antenna extension system combines a handheld communication device with a base device, and determines if the total antenna number of the handheld communication device and the base device matches the standard antenna number of the specific communication protocol. If the total antenna number of the handheld communication device and the base device matches the standard antenna number of the specific communication protocol, the antenna extension system enables the antenna extension operation.

Description:
CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION 
     This application claims the priority benefit of Taiwan application serial no. 100133235, filed on Sep. 15, 2011. The entirety of the above-mentioned patent application is hereby incorporated by reference herein and made a part of this specification. 
     BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
     1. Field of the Invention 
     The invention relates to a system for antenna extension and a method thereof, and in particular relates to a system, which carries out antenna extension by combining a handheld device with a base device, and a method thereof. 
     2. Description of Related Art 
     Wireless communication system is developing and advancing rapidly. In the process of development, the technology of Multiple Input Multiple Output (MIMO) is gradually applied to the new communication system. According to the 3 rd  Generation Partnership Project (3GPP) standard, MIMO has been included as a system requirement in Evolved High Speed Packet Access (HSPA+) and Long Term Evolution (LTE) standards. According to Long Term Evolution-Advanced (LTE-Advanced) standard which is about to be established completely, not only the receiving terminal needs to incorporate MIMO technology, the transmission of the user equipment (UE) also needs to provide multiple-output function. In addition, the LTE-Advanced standard may very likely evolve to support 4T8R. As a result, the antenna space configuration for user equipment and the fabrication thereof will become more difficult. 
     The currently-adopted solution for MIMO is to configure all the antennae in the handheld device, but there are some limitations and disadvantages. First, due to the limited space, the radiation efficiency of the antennae would be worse. In addition, antennae configured into limited space may influence each other and quite often cannot meet the system requirements, resulting in low system transmission efficiency. According to LTE standard which is the mainstream, a mobile phone system can support multiple antennae of 1T2R (one transmitting antenna and two receiving antennae) or 1T4R (one transmitting antenna and four receiving antennae) at maximum. However, the design of two receiving antennae is difficult to realize in a handheld device due to the limited space. And, it will be even more challenging to configure four receiving antennae. Therefore, how to dispose multiple antennae into the limited space of the current handheld devices has become an important issue. 
     SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
     Considering the above, the invention provides an antenna extension system and a method thereof, which combine a handheld device with a base device, to solve the problem of limited space. 
     The invention provides an antenna extension system, adapted for an antenna extension operation under a communication protocol. The communication protocol requires P sets of transmitting antennae and Q sets of receiving antennae, wherein P and Q are positive integers respectively. The antenna extension system includes a handheld communication device and a base device. The handheld communication device comprises M sets of transmitting antennae, N sets of receiving antennae, and a first extension connector, wherein M and N are positive integers respectively. The base device comprises J sets of transmitting antennae, K sets of receiving antennae, and a second extension connector, wherein J and K are positive integers respectively. When the handheld communication device detects the connection between the first extension connector and the second extension connector, the handheld communication device determines whether J is equal to P-M and whether K is equal to Q-N. When the handheld communication device determines that J is equal to P-M and K is equal to Q-N, the handheld communication device activates the M sets of transmitting antennae and the N sets of receiving antennae and sends an enabling command to the base device to enable the J sets of transmitting antennae and the K sets of receiving antennae of the base device. 
     In one embodiment of the invention, the handheld communication device includes a first detection module and a first control module, wherein the first control module is coupled to the first detection module. The first detection module is coupled to the first extension connector and detects if the first extension connector is connected with the second extension connector. When the first extension connector and the second extension connector are connected, the first control module determines whether J is equal to P-M and whether K is equal to Q-N. When the first control module determines that J is equal to P-M and K is equal to Q-N, the first control module enables the M sets of transmitting antennae and the N sets of receiving antennae and sends an enabling command to the base device to enable the J sets of transmitting antennae and the K sets of receiving antennae of the base device. 
     In one embodiment of the invention, the handheld communication device further includes a first display module. The first display module is coupled to the first control module. When the first control module determines that J is equal to P-M and K is equal to Q-N, the first control module controls the first display module to display a first enabling message. 
     In one embodiment of the invention, when the first control module determines that J is unequal to P-M or K is unequal to Q-N, the first control module controls the first display module to display a first disabling message, and the first control module sends a disabling command to the base device. 
     In one embodiment of the invention, the base device further comprises a second display module, a second detection module, and a second control module. The second detection module is coupled to the second extension connector and detects if the enabling command or the disabling command is received. The second control module is coupled to the second display module and the second detection module. When the second detection module receives the enabling command, the second control module activates the J sets of transmitting antennae and the K sets of receiving antennae and controls the second display module to display a second enabling message. When the second detection module receives the disabling command, the second control module controls the second display module to display a second disabling message. 
     In one embodiment of the invention, the aforesaid communication protocol comprises 3GPP LTE standard, 3GPP LTE-Advanced standard, Evolved High Speed Packet Access (HSPA+) standard, and Wide Fidelity (WiFi) standard. 
     The invention further provides an antenna extension method, adapted for enabling an antenna extension operation in a communication protocol by combining a handheld communication device with a base device, wherein the communication protocol requires P sets of transmitting antennae and Q sets of receiving antennae; wherein the handheld communication device includes M sets of transmitting antennae, N sets of receiving antennae, and a first extension connector; wherein the base device includes J sets of transmitting antennae, K sets of receiving antennae, and a second extension connector, and wherein P, Q, M, N, J, and K are positive integers respectively. The antenna extension method includes: detecting whether the first extension connector and the second extension connector are connected and determining whether J is equal to P-M and whether K is equal to Q-N. When the handheld communication device determines that J is equal to P-M and K is equal to Q-N, the handheld communication device activates the M sets of transmitting antennae and the N sets of receiving antennae and sends an enabling command to the base device to enable the J sets of transmitting antennae and the K sets of receiving antennae. 
     Based on the above, the invention is directed to the problem that a communication system may not provide sufficient space for antenna and optimized system transmission efficiency. The problem of insufficient space can be solved by combining the handheld communication device with the base device. 
     In order to make the aforementioned and other features and advantages of the invention more comprehensible, embodiments accompanying figures are described in detail below. 
    
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
       The accompanying drawings constituting a part of this specification are incorporated herein to provide a further understanding of the invention. Here, the drawings illustrate embodiments of the invention and, together with the description, serve to explain the principles of the invention. 
         FIG. 1A  is a block diagram showing an antenna extension system according to an embodiment of the invention. 
         FIG. 1B  is a block diagram showing an antenna extension system according to another embodiment of the invention. 
         FIG. 1C  is a block diagram showing an antenna extension system according to another embodiment of the invention. 
         FIG. 2A  illustrates an antenna extension system according to an embodiment of the invention. 
         FIG. 2B  illustrates an antenna extension system according to another embodiment of the invention. 
         FIG. 2C  is a diagram illustrating a handheld communication device of an antenna extension system according to an embodiment of the invention. 
         FIG. 2D  illustrates an antenna extension system according to an embodiment of the invention. 
         FIG. 2E  is a diagram depicting an antenna extension system according to an embodiment of the invention. 
         FIG. 3A  is a flowchart showing an antenna extension method according to an embodiment of the invention. 
         FIG. 3B  is a flowchart showing an antenna extension method according to another embodiment of the invention. 
     
    
    
     DESCRIPTION OF EMBODIMENTS 
       FIG. 1A  is a block diagram showing an antenna extension system according to an embodiment of the invention. An antenna extension system  100  is adapted for an antenna extension operation under a communication protocol. The communication protocol can be 3GPP LTE standard, 3GPP LTE-Advanced standard, Evolved High Speed Packet Access (HSPA+) standard, Wide Fidelity (WiFi), etc., but is not limited to the foregoing. In one embodiment of the invention, the communication protocol requires P sets of transmitting antennae and Q sets of receiving antennae, wherein P and Q are positive integers respectively. 
     The antenna extension system  100  includes a handheld communication device  110  and a base device  150 . The handheld communication device  110  can be a mobile phone, a smart phone, etc. According to one exemplary embodiment of the invention, the handheld communication device  110  comprises M sets of transmitting antennae, N sets of receiving antennae, and a first extension connector  120 , wherein M and N are positive integers respectively. In one of the exemplary embodiments, the base device  150  is an electronic device that only includes multiple transmitting/receiving antennae but without a central processor. In other embodiments, however, the base device  150  can be a tablet computer, a laptop, etc., which also includes a central processor, an input device, and a display. In one exemplary embodiment of the invention, the base device  150  comprises J sets of transmitting antennae, K sets of receiving antennae and a second extension connector  160 , wherein J and K are positive integers respectively. The first extension connector  120  and the second extension connector  160  include terminal pins that correspond to each other. 
     The antenna extension system  100  of the invention combines the transmitting/receiving antennae of the handheld communication device  110  with the transmitting/receiving antennae of the base device  150  to meet the number required by the communication protocol, thereby solving the problem that the handheld communication device  110  may not have sufficient space for disposing antennae therein.  FIGS. 2A˜2B  illustrate an antenna extension system according to an exemplary embodiment of the invention.  FIG. 2C  depicts an antenna extension system in a handheld communication device according to another exemplary embodiment of the invention. According to the embodiment of  FIG. 2A , the handheld communication device  110  is a mobile phone, and the base device  150  is a tablet computer. In the embodiment of  FIG. 2B , the handheld communication device  110  is a mobile phone, and the base device  150  is a laptop.  FIG. 2C  provides a front schematic view and a rear schematic view of the handheld communication device  110 , wherein MIMO transmitting/receiving antennae are disposed in an antenna configuration region  210  and an antenna configuration region  220 , which is for example an antenna module in accordance with 3GPP LTE standard. In an antenna configuration region  230 , transmitting/receiving antennae of other communication protocols are disposed, such as an antenna module in accordance with Wide Fidelity (WiFi) or an antenna module for Global Positioning System (GPS). It should be noted that  FIG. 2C  is only one of the embodiments of the invention. The arrangement of the antenna configuration regions of the invention is not limited to the disclosure of  FIG. 2C . 
     In the embodiment of  FIG. 2D , the communication protocol prescribes a communication mode of a user equipment (UE) to be 1T4R (one transmitting antenna and four receiving antennae). In this exemplary embodiment, the handheld communication device  110  includes a transmitting/receiving antenna set  242  and a receiving antenna set  244 , and the base device  150  includes a receiving antenna set  246  and a receiving antenna set  248 . That is, through combining the transmitting/receiving antenna sets of the handheld communication device  110  and the base device  150 , the antenna extension system  100  as a whole can conform to the communication mode of 1T4R, as prescribed by the communication protocol. 
     In the embodiment of  FIG. 2E , the communication protocol prescribes the communication mode of the UE to be 4T4R (four transmitting antennae and four receiving antennae). In this exemplary embodiment, the handheld communication device  110  includes the transmitting/receiving antenna set  242  and the receiving antenna set  244 , and the base device  150  includes a transmitting/receiving antenna set  252 , a transmitting/receiving antenna set  254 , and a transmitting antenna set  256 . In other words, through combining the transmitting/receiving antenna sets of the handheld communication device  110  and the base device  150 , the antenna extension system  100  as a whole can conform to the communication mode of 4T4R, as prescribed by the communication protocol. 
       FIG. 1B  is a block diagram showing an antenna extension system according to another embodiment of the invention. The handheld communication device  110  comprises the first extension connector  120 , a first detection module  112 , and a first control module  114 . Specifically, the first detection module  112  is coupled to the first extension connector  120 , and the first detection module  112  is a circuit element that detects whether the first extension connector  120  and the second extension connector  160  are connected. The first control module  114  is coupled to the first detection module  112 . The first control module  114  is a hardware circuit, software, or firmware that can execute the functions of a processor, but is not limited to the foregoing. 
       FIG. 3A  is a flowchart showing an antenna extension method according to an embodiment of the invention. First, the first detection module  112  detects whether the first extension connector  120  and the second extension connector  160  are connected (Step S 310 ). If it is determined in Step S 310  that the first extension connector  120  is connected with the second extension connector  160 , the first control module  114  further determines whether the number J of the transmitting antennae of the base device  150  is equal to the number P of the transmitting antennae prescribed by the communication protocol subtracted by the number M of the transmitting antennae of the handheld communication device  110 , and determines whether the number K of the receiving antennae of the base device  150  is equal to the number Q of the receiving antennae prescribed by the communication protocol subtracted by the number N of the receiving antennae of the handheld communication device  110  (Step S 320 ). In other words, the first control module  114  determines whether J is equal to P-M and whether K is equal to Q-N. If the determination of Step S 320  is YES, the first control module  114  of the handheld communication device  110  activates the M sets of transmitting antennae and the N sets of receiving antennae, and sends an enabling command to the base device  150  to enable the J sets of transmitting antennae and the K sets of receiving antennae (Step S 330 ). 
       FIG. 1C  is a block diagram showing an antenna extension system according to another embodiment of the invention. In the exemplary embodiment of  FIG. 1C , the handheld communication device  110  further comprises a first display module  116  in addition to the first extension connector  120 , the first detection module  112 , and the first control module  114 , wherein the first display module  116  can be a display screen of a mobile phone or smart phone. In this embodiment, the base device  150  comprises: the second extension connector  160 , a second detection module  152 , a second control module  154 , and a second display module  156 . The second detection module  152  is coupled to the second extension connector  160 , and the second detection module  152  is a circuit element that can detect the receipt of an enabling command or a disabling command. The second control module  154  is coupled to the second display module  156  and the second detection module  152 . The second control module  154  is a hardware circuit, software, or firmware that can execute the functions of a processor, but not limited thereto. The second display module  156  can be a display screen of a laptop or tablet computer. 
     Please refer to  FIG. 1C  and  FIG. 3B .  FIG. 3B  is a flowchart showing an antenna extension method according to the embodiment of  FIG. 1C . In the embodiment of  FIG. 3B , if the determination of Step S 320  is YES, the first control module  114  of the handheld communication device  110  activates the M sets of transmitting antennae and the N sets of receiving antennae and sends an enabling command to the base device  150  to enable the J sets of transmitting antennae and the K sets of receiving antennae (Step S 330 ). Furthermore, the first control module  114  controls the first display module  116  to display a first enabling message (Step S 340 ), e.g. “executing antenna extension operation,” to remind the user. When the second detection module  152  receives the enabling command sent from the handheld communication device  110 , the second control module  154  activates the J sets of transmitting antennae and the K sets of receiving antennae of the base device  150 , and controls the second display module  156  to display a second enabling message, e.g. “executing antenna extension operation,” to remind the user (Step S 350 ). 
     If the determination of Step S 320  is NO, the first control module  114  sends a disabling command to the base device  150  and controls the first display module  116  to display a first disabling message (Step S 360 ), e.g. “this base device does not conform to antenna extension operation,” to remind the user. Then, when the second detection module  152  receives the disabling command sent from the handheld communication device  110 , the second control module  154  controls the second display module  156  to display a second disabling message (Step S 370 ), e.g. “this base device does not conform to antenna extension operation,” to remind the user. 
     In sum of the above, the antenna extension system and method of the invention are directed to the problem of insufficient space for antenna in communication system and optimized system transmission efficiency. A handheld communication device of small size may not accommodate many transmitting and receiving antennae. The antenna extension method of the invention utilizes a combination of the handheld communication device and the base device to greatly increase the extensibility of the handheld communication device, so as to overcome the problem that the handheld communication device may not have sufficient space for disposing antennae. 
     Although the invention has been described with reference to the above embodiments, it will be apparent to one of the ordinary skill in the art that modifications to the described embodiment may be made without departing from the spirit of the invention. Accordingly, the scope of the invention will be defined by the attached claims not by the above detailed descriptions.