Mobile wireless device for a motor vehicle, and method for operating the mobile wireless device

• US 10,181,865 B2
• Filed: 06/26/2013
• Issued: 01/15/2019
• Est. Priority Date: 07/21/2012
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Audi AG (Volkswagen AG)
• Original Assignee: Audi AG (Volkswagen AG)
• Inventors: Ehrentraut, Herbert
• Primary Examiner(s): Bataille, Frantz
• Application Number:
  US14/416,129
• Publication Number:
  US 20150200691A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,029 Days
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 1/006 using switches for selecting the desired band H04B1/0057 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 1/0064 with separate antennas for the more than one band H04B1/0053 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/12 specially adapted for proprietary or special-purpose networking environments, e.g. medical networks, sensor networks, networks in vehicles or remote metering networks

Abstract

A mobile radio apparatus for a motor vehicle has a first mobile radio module and a second mobile radio module. Furthermore, a first antenna and a second antenna are provided for transmitting mobile radio signals. To provide robust voice telephony for the motor vehicle that can be implemented with little circuit complexity, a switching device is connected to the antennas and to a respective signal connection of the mobile radio modules and that is designed to take a switching signal as a basis for changing over between a first switching state, in which the first signal connection is coupled to the first antenna and the second signal connection is coupled to the second antenna, and a second switching state, in which the first signal connection is coupled to the second antenna and the second signal connection is coupled to the first antenna.

Claims

1. A mobile radio apparatus for a motor vehicle, comprising:

one or more processors to implement;

a first mobile radio module to interchange a first mobile radio signal with a first external mobile radio station via a first signal connector of the first mobile radio module, the first mobile radio signal being based on at least one first mobile radio standard; and

a second mobile radio module to interchange a second mobile radio signal with a second external mobile radio station via a second signal connector of the second mobile radio module, the second mobile radio signal being based on a second mobile radio standard, the second mobile radio standard being different from the first mobile radio standard;

first and second antennas to selectively transmit the first and second mobile radio signals; and

a switch connected to the first and second antennas and to the first and second signal connectors, to change over, based on a switching signal, between a first switching state, in which the first signal connector is coupled to the first antenna and the second signal connector is coupled to the second antenna, and a second switching state, in which the first signal connector is coupled to the second antenna and the second signal connector is coupled to the first antenna, wherein

the switching signal is produced so as to switch the switch to the second switching state at a beginning of a voice transmission and to maintain the switch in the second switching state during voice telephony.

2. The mobile radio apparatus as claimed in claim 1, wherein

the first mobile radio module interchanges as the first mobile radio signal, digital user data that are different from voice data, and

the second mobile radio module interchanges a voice telephony signal as the second mobile radio signal.

3. The mobile radio apparatus as claimed in claim 2, wherein the switching signal is produced in the second mobile radio module.

4. The mobile radio apparatus as claimed in claim 1, wherein

the switching signal is produced in the second mobile radio module,

the second radio module has a control output to output the switching signal, and

the control output of the second radio module is coupled to a control input of the switch.

5. The mobile radio apparatus as claimed in claim 1, wherein the second mobile radio module is a Global System for Mobile Communications (GSM) module.

6. The mobile radio apparatus as claimed in claim 5, further comprising a protection unit to protect the first mobile radio module from a GSM transmission pulse generated by the second module.

7. The mobile radio apparatus as claimed in claim 1, wherein the first mobile radio signal is based on at least one mobile radio standard selected from the group consisting of a Long Term Evolution (LTE) standard, a High Speed Packet Access (HSPA) standard, and a Universal Mobile Telecommunications System (UMTS) standard.

8. The mobile radio apparatus as claimed in claim 1, wherein the first mobile radio module has a signal communication unit that continuously connects the first mobile radio signal to the second antenna regardless of the switching state of the switch.

9. The mobile radio apparatus as claimed in claim 8, wherein

the signal communication unit of the first mobile radio module is connected to the second antenna via a switch,

the second mobile radio module is a Global System for Mobile Communications (GSM) module, and

the switch disconnects the first mobile radio module from the second antenna if a GSM transmission pulse is generated by the second module.

10. The mobile radio apparatus as claimed in claim 8, wherein the second antenna is connected via a splitter to the switch and to the signal communication unit of the first radio module.

11. The mobile radio apparatus as claimed in claim 1, wherein the first and second mobile radio modules are arranged on a common plug-in card.

12. The mobile radio apparatus as claimed in claim 1, wherein the switching signal and the switch minimize antenna losses for the second mobile radio module through the use of only a single switch in the event of a telephone call.

13. The mobile radio apparatus as claimed in claim 1, wherein the first and second external mobile radio stations are provided in a single mobile radio facility.

14. The mobile radio apparatus as claimed in claim 1, wherein a base station serves as at least the second external mobile radio station.

21. The mobile radio apparatus as claimed in claim 1, wherein the first and second switching states enable simultaneous use of the first and second mobile radio modules.

15. A motor vehicle comprising:

first and second antennas; and

a mobile radio apparatus comprising;

one or more processors to implement;

a first mobile radio module to interchange a first mobile radio signal with a first external mobile radio station via a first signal connector of the first mobile radio module and via at least one of the first and second antennas, the first mobile radio signal being based on at least one first mobile radio standard; and

a second mobile radio module to interchange a second mobile radio signal with a second external mobile radio station via a second signal connector of the second mobile radio module and via at least one of the first and second antennas, the second mobile radio signal being based on a second mobile radio standard, the second mobile radio standard being different from the first mobile radio standard; and

a switch connected to the first and second antennas and to the first and second signal connectors, to change over, based on a switching signal, between a first switching state, in which the first signal connector is coupled to the first antenna and the second signal connector is coupled to the second antenna, and a second switching state, in which the first signal connector is coupled to the second antenna and the second signal connector is coupled to the first antenna, wherein

the switching signal is produced so as to switch the switch to the second switching state at a beginning of a voice transmission and to maintain the switch in the second switching state during voice telephony.

16. The motor vehicle as claimed in claim 15, wherein the first antenna has lower directivity than the second antenna.

17. The motor vehicle as claimed in claim 15, wherein the first antenna is arranged on a roof of the motor vehicle.

22. The motor vehicle as claimed in claim 15, wherein the first and second switching states enable simultaneous use of the first and second mobile radio modules.

18. A method for operating a mobile radio apparatus of a motor vehicle, the mobile radio apparatus comprising:

one or more processors to implement;

a first mobile radio module to interchange a first mobile radio signal with a first external mobile radio station via a first signal connector of the first mobile radio module, the first mobile radio signal being based on at least one first mobile radio standard; and

a second mobile radio module to interchange a second mobile radio signal with a second external mobile radio station via a second signal connector of the second mobile radio module, the second mobile radio signal being based on a second mobile radio standard, the second mobile radio standard being different from the first mobile radio standard;

first and second antennas to selectively transmit the first and second mobile radio signals;

a switch connected to the first and second antennas and to the first and second signal connectors, to change over, based on a switching signal, between a first switching state, in which the first signal connector is coupled to the first antenna and the second signal connector is coupled to the second antenna, and a second switching state, in which the first signal connector is coupled to the second antenna and the second signal connector is coupled to the first antenna,

the method comprising;

keeping the switch in the second switching state during voice telephony; and

keeping the switch in the first switching state when the voice telephony signal is not being transmitted.

19. The method as claimed in claim 18, wherein an incoming call from outside the motor vehicle prompts the switch to be changed over from the first switching state to the second switching state by virtue of the switching signal.

20. The method as claimed in claim 18, wherein

the second mobile radio module interchanges a voice telephony signal as the second mobile radio signal, and

call setup for a voice connection by the second mobile radio module prompts the switch to be changed over from the first to the second switching state by virtue of the switching signal.

23. The method as claimed in claim 18, wherein the first and second switching states enable simultaneous use of the first and second mobile radio modules.