RADIO-FREQUENCY PROCESSING CIRCUIT AND RELATED WIRELESS COMMUNICATION DEVICE

• US 20150188617A1
• Filed: 08/03/2012
• Published: 07/02/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 08/03/2012
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: MediaTek, Inc.
• Original Assignee: MediaTek, Inc.
• Inventors: Kuo, Cheng-Hao, Lo, Shao-Chin
• Granted Patent: US 9,413,444 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 7/0602 using antenna switching H04B7/0686 takes precedence; antenna beam directivity switching H01Q3/24
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 7/0608 Antenna selection according to transmission parameters
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 7/10 Polarisation diversity; Directional diversity

Abstract

A radio frequency (RF) processing circuit used in a wireless communication device for processing a 10 plurality of wireless signals is disclosed. The RF processing circuit comprises an RF front-end circuit, coupled to a plurality of antennas and a plurality of communication modules for switching connections between the plurality of antennas and the plurality of communication modules according to a control signal; and a control unit, coupled to the RF front-end circuit for generating the control signal according to a frequency band and operation conditions of each communication module; wherein the control unit controls the RF front-end circuit to connect each communication module and one of the plurality of antennas, and the wireless communication modules which are connected to a same antenna correspond to different frequency bands.

Claims

1. A radio frequency (RF) processing circuit used in a wireless communication device, comprising:

an RF front-end circuit, coupled to a plurality of antennas and a plurality of communication modules for switching connections between the plurality of antennas and the plurality of communication modules according to a control signal; and

a control unit, coupled to the RF front-end circuit for generating the control signal according to a frequency band and operation conditions of each communication module;

wherein the wireless communication modules connected to a same antenna correspond to different frequency bands.

2. The RF processing circuit of claim 1, wherein the control unit generates the control signal according to channel qualities of each communication module corresponding to each antenna.

3. The RF processing circuit of claim 1, wherein the RF front-end circuit comprises:

a frequency multiplexing module, comprising a plurality of input terminals and coupled to the plurality of antennas for exchanging signals between the plurality of input terminals and the plurality of antennas; and

a switch module, coupled to the plurality of communication modules and the frequency multiplexing module for switching connections between the plurality of communication module and the plurality of input terminals according to the control signal;

wherein the input terminals coupled to a same frequency multiplexing module correspond to different frequency bands.

4. The RF processing circuit of claim 3, wherein the switch module comprises:

a plurality of primary switch units, each of the primary switch units couples to one of the plurality of communication modules and the frequency multiplexing module for switching connections between the one of the plurality of communication module and the plurality of input terminals according to the control signal.

5. The RF processing circuit of claim 3, wherein the switch module comprises:

a plurality of primary switch units, each of the primary switch units couples to one of the plurality of communication modules for switching connections between the one of the plurality of communication module and a plurality of primary output terminals according to the control signal; and

a plurality of secondary switch units, each of secondary switch units couples to the frequency multiplexing module and the plurality of primary switch units for switching the connection between the plurality of primary output terminals and the plurality of input terminals;

wherein the primary output terminals of each of the plurality of primary switch units respectively correspond to each of the plurality of antennas and the primary output terminals coupled to the same secondary switch unit correspond to the same frequency band.

6. The RF processing circuit of claim 3, wherein the switch module comprises:

a plurality of primary switch units, each of the primary switch units couples to communication modules corresponding to the same frequency band for switching connections between the wireless communication modules corresponding to the same frequency band and a plurality of primary output terminals according to the control signal; and

a plurality of secondary switch units, each of secondary switch units couples to the frequency multiplexing module and one of the plurality of primary switch units for switching the connection between the plurality of primary output terminals and the plurality of input terminals;

wherein the input terminals coupled to the same secondary switch unit correspond to a group of antennas.

7. The RF processing circuit of claim 1, wherein one of the antennas is a multi band antenna.

8. A wireless communication device, comprising:

a plurality of communication modules;

a plurality of antennas, for transmitting or receiving wireless signals of the plurality of communication modules; and

a radio-frequency (RF) processing circuit, comprising;

a radio-frequency (RF) processing circuit, coupled to the plurality of antennas and the plurality of communication modules for switching connections between the plurality of antennas and the plurality of communication modules according to a control signal; and

a control unit, coupled to plurality of communication modules and the RF processing circuit for generating the control signal according to the operation conditions of each of the plurality of communication modules;

wherein the wireless communication modules connected to a same antenna correspond to different frequency bands.

9. The wireless communication device of claim 8, wherein the control unit generates the control signal according to channel qualities of each communication module corresponding to each antenna.

10. The wireless communication device of claim 8, wherein the RF front-end circuit comprises:

a frequency multiplexing module, comprising a plurality of input terminals and coupled to the plurality of antennas for multiplexing signals between the plurality of input terminals and the plurality of antennas; and

a switch module, coupled to the plurality of communication modules and the frequency multiplexing module for switching connections between the plurality of communication module and the plurality of input terminals according to the control signal;

wherein the input terminals coupled to a same frequency multiplexing module correspond to different frequency bands.

11. The RF processing circuit of claim 10, wherein the switch module comprises:

a plurality of primary switch units, each of the primary switch units couples to one of the plurality of communication modules and the frequency multiplexing module for switching connections between the one of the plurality of communication module and the plurality of input terminals according to the control signal.

12. The wireless communication device of claim 10, wherein the switch module comprises:

a plurality of primary switch units, each of the primary switch units couples to one of the plurality of communication modules for switching connections between the one of the plurality of communication module and a plurality of primary output terminals according to the control signal; and

a plurality of secondary switch units, each of secondary switch units couples to the frequency multiplexing module and the plurality of primary switch units for switching the connection between the plurality of primary output terminals and the plurality of input terminals;

wherein the primary output terminals of each of the plurality of primary switch units respectively correspond to each of the plurality of antennas and the primary output terminals coupled to the same secondary switch unit correspond to the same frequency band.

13. The wireless communication device of claim 10, wherein the switch module comprises:

a plurality of primary switch units, each of the primary switch units couples to communication modules corresponding to the same frequency band for switching connections between the wireless communication modules corresponding to the same frequency band and a plurality of primary output terminals according to the control signal; and

a plurality of secondary switch units, each of secondary switch units couples to the frequency multiplexing module and one of the plurality of primary switch units for switching the connection between the plurality of primary output terminals and the plurality of input terminals;

wherein the input terminals coupled to the same secondary switch unit correspond to a group of antennas.

14. The RF processing circuit of claim 8, wherein one of the antennas is a multi band antenna.