WIRELESS COMMUNICATION APPARATUS

• US 20070129104A1
• Filed: 11/15/2006
• Published: 06/07/2007
• Est. Priority Date: 11/16/2005
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Sony Corporation (Sony Group Corp.)
• Original Assignee: Sony Corporation (Sony Group Corp.)
• Inventors: Fujita, Hiroyuki, Sano, Eiichi
• Granted Patent: US 8,005,504 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 455/553.100
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 7/0602 using antenna switching H04B7/0686 takes precedence; antenna beam directivity switching H01Q3/24
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 7/0805 with single receiver and antenna switching H04B7/0822 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 7/0825 with main and with auxiliary or diversity antennas
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2250/02 including a Bluetooth interface
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2250/06 including a wireless LAN interface
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 52/42 in systems with time, space, frequency or polarisation diversity

Abstract

A wireless communication apparatus is provided. The wireless communication apparatus includes wireless communication functions conforming to incompatible first and second communication standards. The wireless communication apparatus includes a first transceiver that performs a wireless communication operation conforming to the first communication standard and includes a first transmission/reception port, a second transceiver that performs a wireless communication operation conforming to the second communication standard and includes a second transmission/reception port, a shared antenna shared by the first and the second transceivers, an antenna connecting unit that connects the shared antenna and the first and the second transmission/reception ports, and a control unit that controls the communication operations in the first and the second transceivers.

Claims

1. A wireless communication apparatus having wireless communication functions conforming to incompatible first and second communication standards, the wireless communication apparatus comprising:

a first transceiver that performs a wireless communication operation conforming to the first communication standard and that includes a first transmission/reception port for inputting and outputting transmission and reception signals;

a second transceiver that performs a wireless communication operation conforming to the second communication standard and that includes a second transmission/reception port for inputting and outputting transmission and reception signals;

a shared antenna shared by the first and the second transceivers for transmission and reception;

an antenna connecting unit that connects the shared antenna and the first and the second transmission/reception ports; and

a control unit that controls the communication operations in the first and the second transceivers, wherein

the antenna connecting unit substantially equally distributes reception power in the shared antenna to the first and the second transmission/reception ports, substantially equally distributes transmission power from the first transmission/reception port to the shared antenna and the second transmission/reception port and, then, cancels the power distributed to the second transmission/reception port, and substantially equally distributes transmission power from the second transmission/reception port to the shared antenna and the first transmission/reception port and, then, cancels the power distributed to the first transmission/reception port.

2. A wireless communication apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the control unit switches, during a period in which one transceiver is performing a transmission, the other transceiver to a reception operation.

3. A wireless communication apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the first communication standard is IEEE802.11 and the second communication standard is Bluetooth communication.

4. A wireless communication apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the antenna connecting unit includes a power divider/combiner of a Wilkinson type.

5. A wireless communication apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the antenna connecting unit includes a directional coupler.

6. A wireless communication apparatus according to claim 1, wherein

the first transceiver includes a first antenna for selective diversity reception connected through a first reception port and is capable of performing a selective diversity reception operation using the first antenna for selective diversity reception and the shared antenna, and

the second transceiver includes a second antenna for selective diversity reception connected through a second reception port and is capable of performing a selective diversity reception operation using the second antenna for selective diversity reception and the shared antenna.

7. A wireless communication apparatus according to claim 6, wherein the control unit sets, when one transceiver is performing a transmission operation using the shared antenna, the antenna for selective diversity reception of one transceiver as the shared antenna.

8. A wireless communication apparatus having wireless communication functions conforming to incompatible first and second communication standards and that performs diversity transmission and reception, the wireless communication apparatus comprising:

first and second shared antennas;

a first transceiver that performs a wireless communication operation conforming to the first communication standard, that includes two transmission/reception ports for inputting and outputting transmission and reception signals to and from the first and the second shared antennas, respectively, and that is capable of performing the diversity transmission and reception operation;

a second transceiver that performs a wireless communication operation conforming to the second communication standard, that includes two transmission/reception ports for inputting and outputting transmission and reception signals to and from the first and the second shared antennas, respectively, and that is capable of performing the diversity transmission and reception operation;

first and second antenna connecting units that connect the first and the second shared antennas and the first and the second transmission/reception ports, respectively; and

a control unit that controls the communication operations in the first and the second transceivers, wherein

the respective antenna connecting units substantially equally distribute reception power in the shared antennas to the first and the second transmission/reception ports of the first and the second transceivers corresponding to the shared antennas, substantially equally distribute transmission power from the first transceiver side to the shared antennas and the transmission/reception ports of the second transceiver corresponding to the shared antennas and, then, cancel the power distributed to the second transceiver side, and substantially equally distribute transmission power from the second transceiver side to the shared antennas and the transmission/reception ports of the first transceiver corresponding to the shared antennas and, then, cancel the power distributed to the first transceiver side.

9. A wireless communication apparatus according to claim 8, wherein the control unit switches, during a period in which one transceiver is performing transmission using one shared antenna, the other transceiver to a reception operation in which the other shared antenna is used.

10. A wireless communication apparatus according to claim 8, wherein the first communication standard is IEEE802.11 and the second communication standard is Bluetooth communication.

11. A wireless communication apparatus according to claim 8, wherein the first and the second antenna connecting units include power divider/combiners of a Wilkinson type.

12. A wireless communication apparatus according to claim 8, wherein the first and the second antenna connecting units include directional couplers.