Patent Publication Number: US-2012034888-A1

Title: Method and System for Utilizing a Touchscreen Interface as an Antenna

Description:
CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS/INCORPORATION BY REFERENCE 
     This application makes reference to, claims the benefit from, and claims priority to U.S. Provisional Application Ser. No. 61/371,042 filed on Aug. 5, 2010 
     This application also makes reference to U.S. patent application Ser. No. 12/797,254 filed on Jun. 9, 2010. 
     Each of the above stated applications is hereby incorporated herein by reference in its entirety. 
    
    
     FEDERALLY SPONSORED RESEARCH OR DEVELOPMENT 
     [Not Applicable] 
     MICROFICHE/COPYRIGHT REFERENCE 
     [Not Applicable] 
     FIELD OF THE INVENTION 
     Certain embodiments of the invention relate to wireless communication. More specifically, certain embodiments of the invention relate to a method and system for utilizing a touchscreen interface as an antenna. 
     BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
     Mobile communications have changed the way people communicate and mobile phones have been transformed from a luxury item to an essential part of every day life. The use of mobile phones is today dictated by social situations, rather than hampered by location or technology. While voice connections fulfill the basic need to communicate, and mobile voice connections continue to filter even further into the fabric of every day life, the mobile Internet is the next step in the mobile communication revolution. The mobile Internet is poised to become a common source of everyday information, and easy, versatile mobile access to this data will be taken for granted. 
     Touchscreen user interfaces have become nearly ubiquitous in wireless devices. They allow the entry of complex user commands without the need of a keyboard or other mechanical input devices. Touchscreens typically comprise conductive material embedded in insulating material for sensing a user&#39;s touch through electrical or mechanical means, for example. 
     Further limitations and disadvantages of conventional and traditional approaches will become apparent to one of skill in the art, through comparison of such systems with the present invention as set forth in the remainder of the present application with reference to the drawings. 
     BRIEF SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
     A system and/or method for utilizing a touchscreen interface as an antenna as shown in and/or described in connection with at least one of the figures, as set forth more completely in the claims. 
     Various advantages, aspects and novel features of the present invention, as well as details of an illustrated embodiment thereof, will be more fully understood from the following description and drawings. 
    
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF SEVERAL VIEWS OF THE DRAWINGS 
         FIG. 1  is a block diagram of an exemplary wireless system with a touchscreen interface utilized as an antenna, which may be utilized in accordance with an embodiment of the invention. 
         FIG. 2  is a block diagram illustrating an exemplary touchscreen interface with configurable antennas, in accordance with an embodiment of the invention. 
         FIG. 3  is a block diagram illustrating an exemplary grid touchscreen interface with a configured serpentine antenna, in accordance with an embodiment of the invention. 
         FIG. 4  is a block diagram illustrating exemplary steps for communicating via antennas integrated in a touchscreen interface, in accordance with an embodiment of the invention. 
     
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION 
     Certain aspects of the invention may be found in a method and system for utilizing a touchscreen interface as an antenna. Exemplary aspects of the invention may comprise configuring one or more antennas in the touchscreen interface by capacitively-coupling conductive layers in the touchscreen interface. RF signals may be communicated utilizing the one or more configured antennas in the touchscreen interface. The coupled conductive layers may comprise a grid of conductive traces or an array of conductive patches. The conductive layers may comprise transparent materials. FM signals may be communicated utilizing one or more of the configured antennas. The conductive layers may be capacitively coupled utilizing CMOS switches. Touch control commands and/or gestures may be sensed by the touchscreen interface utilizing capacitance, inductance resistance, and/or thermal measurements. Blocker signals may be nulled utilizing configured antennas in the touchscreen interface. 
       FIG. 1  is a block diagram of an exemplary wireless system with a touchscreen interface utilized as an antenna, which may be utilized in accordance with an embodiment of the invention. Referring to  FIG. 1 , the wireless device  150  may comprise an antenna  151 , a transceiver  152 , a baseband processor  154 , a processor  156 , a system memory  158 , a logic block  160 , a chip  162 , switches  165 , an external headset port  166 , and an integrated circuit package  167 . The wireless device  150  may also comprise an analog microphone  168 , integrated hands-free (IHF) stereo speakers  170 , a printed circuit board  171 , a hearing aid compatible (HAC) coil  174 , a dual digital microphone  176 , a vibration transducer  178 , a touchscreen interface  180 , and a display  182 . 
     The transceiver  152  may comprise suitable logic, circuitry, interface(s), and/or code that may be enabled to modulate and upconvert baseband signals to RF signals for transmission by one or more antennas, which may be represented generically by the antenna  151 . The transceiver  152  may also be enabled to downconvert and demodulate received RF signals to baseband signals. The RF signals may be received by one or more antennas, which may be represented generically by the antenna  151 , or by one or more antennas configured within the touchscreen interface  180 . Different wireless systems may use different antennas for transmission and reception. The transceiver  152  may be enabled to execute other functions, for example, filtering the baseband and/or RF signals, and/or amplifying the baseband and/or RF signals. 
     Although a single transceiver  152  is shown, the invention is not so limited. Accordingly, the transceiver  152  may be implemented as a separate transmitter and a separate receiver. In addition, there may be a plurality of transceivers, transmitters and/or receivers. In this regard, the plurality of transceivers, transmitters and/or receivers may enable the wireless device  150  to handle a plurality of wireless protocols and/or standards including cellular, WLAN and PAN. Wireless technologies handled by the wireless device  150  may comprise FM, GSM, CDMA, CDMA2000, WCDMA, GMS, GPRS, EDGE, WIMAX, WLAN, 3GPP, UMTS, BLUETOOTH, and ZigBee, for example. 
     The baseband processor  154  may comprise suitable logic, circuitry, interface(s), and/or code that may be enabled to process baseband signals for transmission via the transceiver  152  and/or the baseband signals received from the transceiver  152 . The processor  156  may be any suitable processor or controller such as a CPU, DSP, ARM, or any type of integrated circuit processor. The processor  156  may comprise suitable logic, circuitry, and/or code that may be enabled to control the operations of the transceiver  152  and/or the baseband processor  154 . For example, the processor  156  may be utilized to update and/or modify programmable parameters and/or values in a plurality of components, devices, and/or processing elements in the transceiver  152  and/or the baseband processor  154 . At least a portion of the programmable parameters may be stored in the system memory  158 . 
     Control and/or data information, which may comprise the programmable parameters, may be transferred from other portions of the wireless device  150 , not shown in  FIG. 1 , to the processor  156 . Similarly, the processor  156  may be enabled to transfer control and/or data information, which may include the programmable parameters, to other portions of the wireless device  150 , not shown in  FIG. 1 , which may be part of the wireless device  150 . 
     The processor  156  may utilize the received control and/or data information, which may comprise the programmable parameters, to determine an operating mode of the transceiver  152 . For example, the processor  156  may be utilized to select a specific frequency for a local oscillator, a specific gain for a variable gain amplifier, configure the local oscillator and/or configure the variable gain amplifier for operation in accordance with various embodiments of the invention. Moreover, the specific frequency selected and/or parameters needed to calculate the specific frequency, and/or the specific gain value and/or the parameters, which may be utilized to calculate the specific gain, may be stored in the system memory  158  via the processor  156 , for example. The information stored in system memory  158  may be transferred to the transceiver  152  from the system memory  158  via the processor  156 . 
     The system memory  158  may comprise suitable logic, circuitry, interface(s), and/or code that may be enabled to store a plurality of control and/or data information, including parameters needed to calculate frequencies and/or gain, and/or the frequency value and/or gain value. The system memory  158  may store at least a portion of the programmable parameters that may be manipulated by the processor  156 . 
     The logic block  160  may comprise suitable logic, circuitry, interface(s), and/or code that may enable controlling of various functionalities of the wireless device  150 . For example, the logic block  160  may comprise one or more state machines that may generate signals to control the transceiver  152  and/or the baseband processor  154 . The logic block  160  may also comprise registers that may hold data for controlling, for example, the transceiver  152  and/or the baseband processor  154 . The logic block  160  may also generate and/or store status information that may be read by, for example, the processor  156 . Amplifier gains and/or filtering characteristics, for example, may be controlled by the logic block  160 . 
     The BT radio/processor  163  may comprise suitable circuitry, logic, interface(s), and/or code that may enable transmission and reception of Bluetooth signals. The BT radio/processor  163  may enable processing and/or handling of BT baseband signals. In this regard, the BT radio/processor  163  may process or handle BT signals received and/or BT signals transmitted via a wireless communication medium. The BT radio/processor  163  may also provide control and/or feedback information to/from the baseband processor  154  and/or the processor  156 , based on information from the processed BT signals. The BT radio/processor  163  may communicate information and/or data from the processed BT signals to the processor  156  and/or to the system memory  158 . Moreover, the BT radio/processor  163  may receive information from the processor  156  and/or the system memory  158 , which may be processed and transmitted via the wireless communication medium a Bluetooth headset, for example. 
     The CODEC  172  may comprise suitable circuitry, logic, interface(s), and/or code that may process audio signals received from and/or communicated to input/output devices. The input devices may be within or communicatively coupled to the wireless device  150 , and may comprise the analog microphone  168 , the stereo speakers  170 , the hearing aid compatible (HAC) coil  174 , the dual digital microphone  176 , and the vibration transducer  178 , for example. The CODEC  172  may be operable to up-convert and/or down-convert signal frequencies to desired frequencies for processing and/or transmission via an output device. The CODEC  172  may enable utilizing a plurality of digital audio inputs, such as 16 or 18-bit inputs, for example. The CODEC  172  may also enable utilizing a plurality of data sampling rate inputs. For example, the CODEC  172  may accept digital audio signals at sampling rates such as 8 kHz, 11.025 kHz, 12 kHz, 16 kHz, 22.05 kHz, 24 kHz, 32 kHz, 44.1 kHz, and/or 48 kHz. The CODEC  172  may also support mixing of a plurality of audio sources. For example, the CODEC  172  may support audio sources such as general audio, polyphonic ringer, I 2 S FM audio, vibration driving signals, and voice. In this regard, the general audio and polyphonic ringer sources may support the plurality of sampling rates that the audio CODEC  172  is enabled to accept, while the voice source may support a portion of the plurality of sampling rates, such as 8 kHz and 16 kHz, for example. 
     The chip  162  may comprise an integrated circuit with multiple functional blocks integrated within, such as the transceiver  152 , the processor  156 , the baseband processor  154 , the BT radio/processor  163 , and the CODEC  172 . The number of functional blocks integrated in the chip  162  is not limited to the number shown in  FIG. 1 . Accordingly, any number of blocks may be integrated on the chip  162  depending on chip space and wireless device  150  requirements, for example. The chip  162  may be flip-chip bonded, for example, to the package  167 . 
     The touchscreen interface  180  may comprise a multi-layer structure of insulating and conducting material that may be operable to control operation of the wireless device  180  by sensing the touch of one or more fingers to the surface of the touchscreen interface  180 . For example, a grid of conductive traces may be embedded in insulating material for sensing charge and/or capacitance differences generated by the presence of one or more fingers on the surface. In another exemplary embodiment of the invention, the touchscreen interface  180  may comprise one or more conductive layers with a grid of contact points, with each point individually addressable, thereby enabling multi-touch sensing capability. Additionally, one or more antennas may be configured in the touchscreen interface  180  by capacitive coupling of the conductive traces such that signals for transmission may be well above that of the normal operational frequencies of the touchscreen interface  180 . In this manner, various antennas may be dynamically configured based on the wireless needs of the wireless device  150  and/or the wireless environment. 
     The switches  165  may comprise switches such as CMOS or MEMS switches that may be operable to couple elements in the touchscreen interface  180  to the transceiver  152  via capacitors and/or other impedances. In this manner, one or more antennas in the touchscreen interface  180  may be coupled to appropriate amplifiers in the transceiver  152  for transmission of wireless signals while also providing impedance matching. Accordingly, capacitors may be coupled to the touchscreen interface  180 , thereby providing AC-coupling for wireless signals to be communicated, while also providing DC blocking for lower frequency control signals generated from touchscreen commands. 
     The external headset port  166  may comprise a physical connection for an external headset to be communicatively coupled to the wireless device  150 . The analog microphone  168  may comprise suitable circuitry, logic, interface(s), and/or code that may detect sound waves and convert them to electrical signals via a piezoelectric effect, for example. The electrical signals generated by the analog microphone  168  may comprise analog signals that may require analog to digital conversion before processing. 
     The package  167  may comprise a ceramic package, a printed circuit board, or other support structure for the chip  162  and other components of the wireless device  150 . In this regard, the chip  162  may be bonded to the package  167 . The package  167  may comprise insulating and conductive material, for example, and may provide isolation between electrical components mounted on the package  167 . 
     The stereo speakers  170  may comprise a pair of speakers that may be operable to generate audio signals from electrical signals received from the CODEC  172 . The HAC coil  174  may comprise suitable circuitry, logic, and/or code that may enable communication between the wireless device  150  and a T-coil in a hearing aid, for example. In this manner, electrical audio signals may be communicated to a user that utilizes a hearing aid, without the need for generating sound signals via a speaker, such as the stereo speakers  170 , and converting the generated sound signals back to electrical signals in a hearing aid, and subsequently back into amplified sound signals in the user&#39;s ear, for example. 
     The dual digital microphone  176  may comprise suitable circuitry, logic, interface(s), and/or code that may be operable to detect sound waves and convert them to electrical signals. The electrical signals generated by the dual digital microphone  176  may comprise digital signals, and thus may not require analog to digital conversion prior to digital processing in the CODEC  172 . The dual digital microphone  176  may enable beamforming capabilities, for example. 
     The vibration transducer  178  may comprise suitable circuitry, logic, interface(s), and/or code that may enable notification of an incoming call, alerts and/or message to the wireless device  150  without the use of sound. The vibration transducer may generate vibrations that may be in synch with, for example, audio signals such as speech or music. 
     In operation, control and/or data information, which may comprise the programmable parameters, may be transferred from other portions of the wireless device  150 , not shown in  FIG. 1 , to the processor  156 . Similarly, the processor  156  may be enabled to transfer control and/or data information, which may include the programmable parameters, to other portions of the wireless device  150 , not shown in  FIG. 1 , which may be part of the wireless device  150 . 
     The processor  156  may utilize the received control and/or data information, which may comprise the programmable parameters, to determine an operating mode of the transceiver  152 . For example, the processor  156  may be utilized to select a specific frequency for a local oscillator, a specific gain for a variable gain amplifier, configure the local oscillator and/or configure the variable gain amplifier for operation in accordance with various embodiments of the invention. Moreover, the specific frequency selected and/or parameters needed to calculate the specific frequency, and/or the specific gain value and/or the parameters, which may be utilized to calculate the specific gain, may be stored in the system memory  158  via the processor  156 , for example. The information stored in system memory  158  may be transferred to the transceiver  152  from the system memory  158  via the processor  156 . 
     The CODEC  172  in the wireless device  150  may communicate with the processor  156  in order to transfer audio data and control signals. Control registers for the CODEC  172  may reside within the processor  156 . The processor  156  may exchange audio signals and control information via the system memory  158 . The CODEC  172  may up-convert and/or down-convert the frequencies of multiple audio sources for processing at a desired sampling rate. 
     One or more antennas may be configured in conductive traces in the touchscreen interface  180  and may be operable to communicate high frequency signals to and/or from the surface of the touchscreen interface  180 . Since the normal operations of the touchscreen, sensing fingertips, swiping, and expanding images, for example, are at a much lower frequency, such as the multi-kHz range, the configuration of high frequency antennas in the touchscreen interface  180  may not affect these normal operations. 
     Different frequency signals may be transmitted and/or received by antennas by selectively coupling the transceiver  152  to antennas with different lengths in the touchscreen interface  180 . For example, a serpentine antenna may be configured utilizing much of the surface of the touchscreen interface  180 , and may be operable to communicate FM signals. In another exemplary embodiment, a plurality of antennas may be configured in the touchscreen interface  180  for antenna diversity and/or beam-forming, for example. 
       FIG. 2  is a block diagram illustrating an exemplary touchscreen interface with configurable antennas, in accordance with an embodiment of the invention. Referring to  FIG. 2 , there is shown the touchscreen interface  180  comprising an array of conductive patches that may be operable to sense touch via resistive, capacitive, thermal, and/or pressure changes, for example, at each of the patches. The conductive patches, not shown to scale, may be embedded in insulating material, such as glass, for example, or may be exposed for direct contact with a user&#39;s fingers, and may comprise a transparent conductive material, such as indium-tin-oxide (ITO). 
     There is also shown the coupling capacitors C 1 -C 6 , that may be operable to provide AC-coupling of RF signals to and/or between the conductive patches in the touchscreen interface  180 . The capacitors C 1 -C 6  may effectively block lower frequency signals, such as from normal touchscreen function commands, which may operate in the multi-kHz frequency range, while coupling higher frequency RF signals. Thus, RF signals may be communicated to and from the conductive patches in the touchscreen interface  180  without significant interference with the normal operation of the touchscreen functions. 
     In operation, the capacitors C 1 -C 6  may be coupled to conductive patches in the touchscreen interface  180  via switches such as the switches  165  described with respect to  FIG. 1 . In the exemplary embodiment shown, a linear array of conductive patches may be coupled by the capacitors C 1 -C 6 , thereby providing a configured antenna  200  that may be operable to communicate RF signals. The invention is not limited to the linear array shown in  FIG. 2 . Accordingly, any shape and size of antenna may be configured, depending on the number of conductive patches, the number of coupling capacitors and switches, and the desired RF frequency, for example. 
     In another embodiment of the invention, the configured antenna  200  may not only be used to transmit and/or receive signals, but may also be utilized to null interference in a specific direction. For example, in a BT connection the pattern of radiation may be shaped utilizing different conductive patches in the touchscreen interface  180  such that a blocker signal from another device and/or link may be nulled and thereby maximize the reception. For example, in instances where a blocker signal is present, and equal magnitude but opposite phase signal may be transmitted by one or more antennas configured in the touchscreen interface  180 . 
       FIG. 3  is a block diagram illustrating an exemplary grid touchscreen interface with a configured serpentine antenna, in accordance with an embodiment of the invention. Referring to  FIG. 3 , there is shown the touchscreen interface  180  comprising an array of conductive traces comprising the metal layers  303 A and  303 B, and the ground plane  301 . The metal layers  303 A and  303 B may be utilized to sense touch via resistive, capacitive, thermal, and/or pressure changes measured at grid intersections. The metal layers  303 A and  303 B, and the ground plane  301  may be embedded in insulating material, such as the glass  305 , for example, and may comprise a transparent conductive material, such as indium-tin-oxide (ITO). 
     There is also shown the coupling capacitors C 1 -C 11 , that may be operable to provide AC-coupling of RF signals to and/or between the metal layers  303 A and  303 B in the touchscreen interface  180 . The capacitors C 1 -C 11  may effectively block lower frequency signals, such as from normal touchscreen function commands, which may operate in the multi-kHz frequency range, while coupling higher frequency RF signals. Thus, RF signals may be communicated to and from desired traces in the metal layers  303 A and  303 B in the touchscreen interface  180  without significant interference with the normal operation of the touchscreen functions. 
     In operation, the capacitors C 1 -C 11  may be coupled to and/or between the metal layers  303 A and  303 B in the touchscreen interface  180  via switches such as the switches  165  described with respect to  FIG. 1 . For example the capacitors C 1 , C 3 , C 4 , C 6 , C 7 , C 9 , and C 10  may be operable to couple traces in the metal layer  303 A to traces in the metal layer  303 B, whereas the capacitors C 2 , C 5 , C 8 , and C 11  may be operable to provide coupling between traces within the metal layer  303 A. 
     In the exemplary embodiment shown, a serpentine structure may thus be configured, thereby providing a configured serpentine antenna  300  that may be operable to communicate RF signals. By configuring an antenna over much of the surface of the touchscreen interface  180 , an FM antenna may be configured without requiring large discrete antennas in the wireless device  150 . The invention is not limited to the serpentine structure shown in  FIG. 3 . Accordingly, any shape and size of antenna may be configured, depending on the number of traces in the metal layers  303 A and  303 B, the number of coupling capacitors and switches, and the desired RF frequency, for example. 
     In another embodiment of the invention, the configured serpentine antenna  300  may not only be used to transmit and/or receive signals, but may also be utilized to null interference in a specific direction. For example, in a BT connection the pattern of radiation may be shaped utilizing different conductive patches in the touchscreen interface  180  such that a blocker signal from another device and/or link may be nulled and thereby maximize the reception. For example, in instances where a blocker signal is present, and equal magnitude but opposite phase signal may be transmitted by one or more antennas configured in the touchscreen interface  180 . 
       FIG. 4  is a block diagram illustrating exemplary steps for communicating via antennas integrated in a touchscreen interface, in accordance with an embodiment of the invention. Referring to  FIG. 4 , in step  403  after start step  401 , one or more antennas in the touchscreen interface may be configured utilizing coupling capacitors. In step  405 , the touchscreen interface may be configured for sensing of touch control signals from the user. In step  407 , user touch control signals may be received by the touchscreen while communicating RF signals via the capacitively-coupled antennas in the touchscreen interface. In step  409 , in instances where the wireless device  150  is to be powered down, the exemplary steps may proceed to end step  411 . In step  409 , in instances where the wireless device  150  is not to be powered down, the exemplary steps may proceed to step  403  to configure one or more antennas in the touchscreen interface. 
     In an embodiment of the invention, a method and system are disclosed for configuring one or more antennas in the touchscreen interface  180  by capacitively-coupling conductive layers  301 ,  303 A, and/or  303 B in the touchscreen interface  180 . RF signals may be communicated utilizing the one or more configured antennas  200 ,  300  in the touchscreen interface  180 . The coupled conductive layers  301 ,  303 A, and/or  303 B may comprise a grid of conductive traces or an array of conductive patches. The conductive layers may comprise transparent materials. FM signals may be communicated utilizing the configured one or more antennas  200 ,  300 . The conductive layers  301 ,  303 A, and/or  303 B may be capacitively coupled utilizing CMOS switches  165 . Touch control commands may be sensed by the touchscreen interface  180  utilizing capacitance, inductance resistance, and/or thermal measurements. Blocker signals may be nulled utilizing configured antennas  200 ,  300  in the touchscreen interface  180 . 
     Other embodiments of the invention may provide a non-transitory computer readable medium and/or storage medium, and/or a non-transitory machine readable medium and/or storage medium, having stored thereon, a machine code and/or a computer program having at least one code section executable by a machine and/or a computer, thereby causing the machine and/or computer to perform the steps as described herein for utilizing a touchscreen interface as an antenna. 
     Accordingly, aspects of the invention may be realized in hardware, software, firmware or a combination thereof. The invention may be realized in a centralized fashion in at least one computer system or in a distributed fashion where different elements are spread across several interconnected computer systems. Any kind of computer system or other apparatus adapted for carrying out the methods described herein is suited. A typical combination of hardware, software and firmware may be a general-purpose computer system with a computer program that, when being loaded and executed, controls the computer system such that it carries out the methods described herein. 
     One embodiment of the present invention may be implemented as a board level product, as a single chip, application specific integrated circuit (ASIC), or with varying levels integrated on a single chip with other portions of the system as separate components. The degree of integration of the system will primarily be determined by speed and cost considerations. Because of the sophisticated nature of modern processors, it is possible to utilize a commercially available processor, which may be implemented external to an ASIC implementation of the present system. Alternatively, if the processor is available as an ASIC core or logic block, then the commercially available processor may be implemented as part of an ASIC device with various functions implemented as firmware. 
     The present invention may also be embedded in a computer program product, which comprises all the features enabling the implementation of the methods described herein, and which when loaded in a computer system is able to carry out these methods. Computer program in the present context may mean, for example, any expression, in any language, code or notation, of a set of instructions intended to cause a system having an information processing capability to perform a particular function either directly or after either or both of the following: a) conversion to another language, code or notation; b) reproduction in a different material form. However, other meanings of computer program within the understanding of those skilled in the art are also contemplated by the present invention. 
     While the invention has been described with reference to certain embodiments, it will be understood by those skilled in the art that various changes may be made and equivalents may be substituted without departing from the scope of the present invention. In addition, many modifications may be made to adapt a particular situation or material to the teachings of the present invention without departing from its scope. Therefore, it is intended that the present invention not be limited to the particular embodiments disclosed, but that the present invention will include all embodiments falling within the scope of the appended claims.