Ambient field level monitor device for radio mobile terminal

• US 6,556,559 B1
• Filed: 09/23/1999
• Issued: 04/29/2003
• Est. Priority Date: 11/10/1998
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Fujitsu Limited
• Original Assignee: Fujitsu Limited
• Inventors: Takahashi, Hiroki, Mitsume, Hiroyuki
• Primary Examiner(s): Le, Thanh Cong
• Assistant Examiner(s): Tran, Pablo N
• Application Number:
  US09/401,926
• Time in Patent Office: 1,314 Days
• Field of Search: 455/266.2, 455/250.1, 455/249.1, 455/115-116, 455/126-127, 455/484, 455/561, 455/232.1, 455/234.1, 455/234.2, 455/245.1, 455/226.1, 455/226.2, 370/493, 370/337, 370/347, 370/336, 370/395, 370/300, 370/324, 370/516, 370/517, 370/519, 375/355, 375/356
• US Class Current: 370/350
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 17/318 Received signal strength

Abstract

The present invention relates to an ambient field level monitor device for a radio mobile terminal, comprising a reception unit for receiving a radio signal arriving at the radio mobile terminal to output a reception signal originating from the received radio signal and further to output an ambient field level signal, a synchronization decision section for receiving the reception signal from the reception unit to judge whether or not the reception unit is in synchronism with the received radio signal, and a time constant variable type ambient field level monitoring unit for receiving the ambient field level signal from the reception unit. If the synchronization decision section judges that the reception unit is out of synchronism with the received radio signal, the ambient field level monitoring unit increases its time constant so that the time constant exceeds its time constant to be taken for when the synchronization decision section judges that the reception unit is in synchronism with the received radio signal and if the synchronization decision section judges that the reception unit is synchronism with the radio signal, the ambient field level monitoring unit decreases the time constant. This reduces the measurement error caused by the difference between sampling timings, thereby enabling stable RSSI value detection irrespective of a phase synchronization condition of a mobile station to improve the detection accuracy.

Claims

1. An ambient field level monitor device for a radio mobile terminal, comprising:

a reception section for receiving a radio signal arriving at said radio mobile terminal to output a reception signal originating from the received radio signal and further to output an ambient field level signal;

a synchronization decision section for receiving said reception signal from said reception section to judge whether or not said reception section is in synchronism with the received radio signal; and

a time constant variable type ambient field level monitoring section for receiving said ambient field level signal from said reception section,

wherein, if said synchronization decision section judges that said reception section is out of synchronism with the received radio signal, said ambient field level monitoring section increases its time constant so that the time constant exceeds its time constant to be taken for when said synchronization decision section judges that said reception section is in synchronism with the received radio signal and if said synchronization decision section judges that the reception section is synchronism with the radio signal, said ambient field level monitoring section decreases the time constant.

2. An ambient field level monitor device for a radio mobile terminal as defined in claim 1, wherein said time constant variable type level monitoring section is constructed by a combination of a capacitor and a resistor, and constructed in the form of an analog integrating circuit in which one of said capacitor and said resistor is made such that its impedance value is variable.

3. An ambient field level monitor device for a radio mobile terminal as defined in claim 1, wherein said time constant variable type ambient field level monitoring section includes:

an analog/digital converter for performing an analog-to-digital conversion of said ambient field level signal forming an analog signal from said reception section;

a digital integrating circuit for integrating a digital signal from said analog/digital converter, said digital integrating circuit being made such that its integrating state is variable; and

a digital/analog converter for conducting a digital-to-analog conversion of a digital signal from said digital integrating circuit.

4. An ambient field level monitor device for a radio mobile terminal as defined in claim 1, wherein said ambient field level monitoring section is made to switch at least one of its time constant, a digital sampling data extracting interval and a digital sampling data extracting mode for a predetermined period of time from receiving a channel switching signal through the use of the channel switching signal.

5. A radio mobile terminal having an ambient field level monitor device, comprising:

a reception section for receiving a radio signal arriving at said radio mobile terminal to output a reception signal originating from the received radio signal and further to output an ambient field level signal;

a synchronization decision section for receiving said reception signal from said reception section to judge whether or not said reception section is in synchronism with the received radio signal; and

a time constant variable type ambient field level monitoring section for receiving said ambient field level signal from said reception section,

wherein, if said synchronization decision section judges that said reception section is out of synchronism with the received radio signal, said ambient field level monitoring section increases its time constant so that the time constant exceeds its time constant to be taken for when said synchronization decision section judges that said reception section is in synchronism with the received radio signal and if said synchronization decision section judges that the reception section is synchronism with the radio signal, said ambient field level monitoring section decreases the time constant.