# US 11,115,093 B2 · Electronic device supporting thermal mitigating and a control method of thereof > Agents: this data is available as JSON from the patentgrep API and MCP server — see https://patentgrep.com/llms.txt - Number: US 11,115,093 B2 - Document ID: US11115093B2 - Status: Granted - Kind: B2 - Application number: 16/935,379 - Filed: 2020-07-22 - Published: 2021-08-12 - Granted: 2021-09-07 - Earliest claimed: 2020-02-07 - Assignees: LG Electronics Inc. - Applicants: LG Electronics Inc. - Inventors: Seungman Pyen; Jaehyeong Son; Eunsoo Na - Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US11115093B2 ## CPC - G06F 1/203: {for portable computers, e.g. for laptops} - H04B 7/061: {using feedback from receiving side} - G01K 3/14: in respect of space - G06F 1/206: {comprising thermal management} - H01Q 1/002: {Protection against seismic waves, thermal radiation or other disturbances, e.g. nuclear explosion; Arrangements for improving the power handling capability of an antenna} - H01Q 1/02: Arrangements for de-icing; Arrangements for drying-out {; Arrangements for cooling; Arrangements for preventing corrosion} - H01Q 21/28: Combinations of substantially independent non-interacting antenna units or systems {(multiple beam H01Q25/00)} - H04B 7/0602: {using antenna switching (H04B7/0686 takes precedence; antenna beam directivity switching H01Q3/24)} - H04B 7/0604: {with predefined switching scheme} - H04B 7/0817: {with multiple receivers and antenna path selection} - H04B 7/082: {selecting best antenna path} - H04B 7/0825: {with main and with auxiliary or diversity antennas} - G01K 13/00: Thermometers specially adapted for specific purposes - H01Q 1/243: {with built-in antennas} - H04B 7/0404: the mobile station comprising multiple antennas, e.g. to provide uplink diversity - G06F: ELECTRIC DIGITAL DATA PROCESSING (computer systems based on specific computational models G06N) - H04B: TRANSMISSION - G01K: MEASURING TEMPERATURE; MEASURING QUANTITY OF HEAT; THERMALLY-SENSITIVE ELEMENTS NOT OTHERWISE PROVIDED FOR (radiation pyrometry G01J5/00) - H01Q: ANTENNAS, i.e. RADIO AERIALS (radiators or antennas for microwave heating H05B6/72) ## Abstract An electronic device including a plurality of antenna modules configured to wireless communicate with a base station according to a first communication scheme; a plurality of temperature sensors respectively provided in the plurality of antenna modules and configured to detect a temperature of each antenna module; and a modem configured to detect a temperature difference between a highest temperature antenna module and a lowest temperature antenna module among the plurality of antenna modules, and switch from using a first antenna module performing wireless communication with the base station to a second antenna module among the plurality of antenna modules to perform the wireless communication with the base station based on the detected temperature difference being above a preset temperature difference. ## Claims ### Claim 1 An electronic device, comprising: a plurality of antenna modules configured to wireless communicate with a base station according to a first communication scheme; a plurality of temperature sensors respectively provided in the plurality of antenna modules and configured to detect a temperature of each antenna module; and a modem configured to: detect a temperature difference between a highest temperature antenna module and a lowest temperature antenna module among the plurality of antenna modules, and switch from using a first antenna module performing wireless communication with the base station to a second antenna module among the plurality of antenna modules to perform the wireless communication with the base station based on the detected temperature difference being above a preset temperature difference. ### Claim 2 (depends on 1) The electronic device of claim 1, wherein the modem is further configured to: detect an electric field state of a signal communicated between the electronic device and the base station according to the first communication scheme prior to detecting the temperature difference, and deactivate at least one antenna module in the plurality of antenna modules when the electric field state is above a preset level as a result of the detected electric field state. ### Claim 3 (depends on 2) The electronic device of claim 2, wherein the modem is further configured to: determine whether the electric field state of the signal according to the first communication scheme is above the preset level based on a reference signal received power (RSRP) or a bit error rate (BER) detected from the signal according to the first communication scheme. ### Claim 4 (depends on 1) The electronic device of claim 1, wherein the preset temperature difference varies depending on a surface temperature of the electronic device. ### Claim 5 (depends on 4) The electronic device of claim 4, wherein the preset temperature difference decreases as the surface temperature of the electronic device increases. ### Claim 6 (depends on 4) The electronic device of claim 4, further comprising: an application processor (AP) configured to control the modem, wherein the surface temperature of the electronic device is determined according to a temperature of the AP or a temperature of a circuit board disposed with the AP. ### Claim 7 (depends on 1) The electronic device of claim 1, wherein heat dissipation characteristics of the plurality of antenna modules varies depending on at least one of a placement position of each antenna module, characteristics of a heat dissipation member connected to each antenna module, a structure of each antenna module connected to the heat dissipation member, a material of another member adjacent to each antenna module, and a shape of an inner space in which each antenna module is disposed. ### Claim 8 (depends on 1) The electronic device of claim 1, wherein the second antenna module has a lowest temperature among the plurality of antenna modules. ### Claim 9 (depends on 1) The electronic device of claim 1, wherein the second antenna module includes any one of remaining antenna modules except for the highest temperature antenna module and at least one antenna module satisfying a preset condition determined according to a temperature difference between a preset temperature and the lowest temperature antenna module. ### Claim 10 (depends on 9) The electronic device of claim 9, wherein when switching to the second antenna module, the modem is further configured to deactivate together the highest temperature antenna module and the at least one antenna module satisfying the preset condition. ### Claim 11 (depends on 1) The electronic device of claim 1, further comprising: an antenna module configured to transmit and receive a signal according to a second communication scheme different from the first communication scheme, wherein the modem is further configured to: determine a surface temperature of the electronic device, and change the first communication scheme to the second communication scheme, perform the wireless communication through the antenna module according to the second communication scheme when all temperatures detected from the plurality of antenna modules or the determined surface temperature of the electronic device are above a preset communication scheme switching temperature. ### Claim 12 (depends on 11) The electronic device of claim 11, wherein the first communication scheme is a 5G communication scheme using a millimeter wave (mmWave) frequency band, and wherein the second communication scheme is either one of a 5G communication scheme using a sub-6 frequency band and a 4G communication scheme. ### Claim 13 (depends on 11) The electronic device of claim 11, wherein when the first communication scheme is changed to the second communication scheme, the modem is further configured to change the second communication scheme back to the first communication scheme based on whether all temperatures detected from the plurality of antenna modules or the determined surface temperature of the electronic device are below a preset fs communication scheme allowable temperature. ### Claim 14 (depends on 1) The electronic device of claim 1, wherein the modem is further configured to: detect a temperature difference between the highest temperature antenna module and the lowest temperature antenna module according to a preset period, and perform antenna module switching according to a result of detecting the temperature difference. ### Claim 15 (depends on 14) The electronic device of claim 14, wherein when the preset period expires, the modem is further configured to: detect whether there is an antenna module that has been switched to an inactive state by the antenna module switching among the plurality of antenna modules, and change the preset period according to a result of detecting whether there is the antenna module that has been switched to the inactive state. ### Claim 16 A method of controlling an electronic device, the method comprising: performing wireless communication according to a first communication scheme through any one of a plurality of antenna modules provided in the electronic device; detecting an antenna module exceeding a preset first temperature among the plurality of antenna modules; detecting a temperature difference between a highest temperature antenna module and a lowest temperature antenna module among the plurality of antenna modules when the antenna module exceeding the first temperature is not detected; determining a threshold temperature difference according to a surface temperature of the electronic device; and switching from using a first antenna module performing wireless communication with a base station to a second antenna module among the plurality of antenna modules to perform the wireless communication with the base station according to a result of comparing the temperature difference and the threshold temperature difference. ### Claim 17 (depends on 16) The method of claim 16, wherein the performing wireless communication according to the first communication scheme comprises: detecting an electric field state between the base station and the electronic device; and deactivating at least one antenna in the plurality of antenna modules based on the detected electric field state. ### Claim 18 (depends on 16) The method of claim 16, further comprising: detecting an antenna module exceeding a preset second temperature among the plurality of antenna modules except for the highest temperature antenna module; detecting a second temperature difference between the antenna module exceeding the second temperature and the lowest temperature antenna module; detecting whether the second temperature difference is above the threshold temperature difference; and switching the first antenna module to any one of remaining antenna modules except for the highest temperature antenna module and the antenna module exceeding the second temperature when the second temperature difference is above the threshold temperature difference. ### Claim 19 (depends on 16) The method of claim 16, wherein the second antenna module includes any one of remaining antenna modules except for the highest temperature antenna module and at least one antenna module satisfying a preset condition determined according to a temperature difference between a preset temperature and the lowest temperature antenna module. ### Claim 20 (depends on 19) The method of claim 19, wherein when switching to the second antenna module, the method further comprises deactivating together the highest temperature antenna module and the at least one antenna module that satisfies the preset condition.