Transmission and reception antenna system for space diversity reception

• US 6,826,391 B2
• Filed: 03/15/2002
• Issued: 11/30/2004
• Est. Priority Date: 03/15/2002
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Nokia Technologies Oy (Nokia Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Nokia Corporation
• Inventors: Leinonen, Marko E., Kangasvieri, Tomi
• Primary Examiner(s): Nguyen, Simon
• Application Number:
  US10/100,275
• Publication Number:
  US 20030176176A1
• Time in Patent Office: 991 Days
• Field of Search: 455/77-78, 455/101, 455/121, 455/193.1, 455/277.1, 455/552.1, 455/553.1, 455/562.1, 455/575.7
• US Class Current: 455/277.1
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 7/0802 using antenna selection H04B7/0868 takes precedence; antenna beam directivity switching H01Q3/24
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 7/0837 using pre-detection combining H04B7/0868 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 7/12 Frequency diversity

Abstract

A method and device for achieving space diversity reception in a system that has a first antenna and a second antenna disposed apart from each other over a quarter wavelength of the operating frequency, wherein the first antenna is optimally tuned to a first frequency for receiving signals in an operating mode. In its first function, the second antenna is optimally tuned to a second frequency for transmitting signals in the same mode or for receiving signals in a different mode. In its second function, the second antenna can be tuned to the first frequency so that it also receives signals in the first frequency in the same mode as the first antenna. The signals in the first frequency received by the second antenna are combined with the signals received by the first antenna.

Claims

1. A radio frequency antenna system (1e) capable of operating in a transmission mode and a reception mode, said system comprising:

a first antenna (12) optimally tuned for receiving signals in a first frequency band;

a second antenna (10) optimally tuned for transmitting signals in a second frequency band different from the first frequency band when the system is operating in the transmission mode; and

means (20), operatively connected to the second antenna (10), for tuning the second antenna (10) to a third frequency band substantially equal to the first frequency band when the system is operating in the reception mode so that the second antenna (10) also receives the signals in the first frequency band.

2. The antenna system of claim 1, further comprising

means (30), operatively connected to the first antenna (12) and the second antenna (10) when the system is operating in the reception mode, for combining the signals in the first frequency band received by the second antenna (10) and the signals received by the first antenna (12).

3. The antenna system of claim 2, wherein the combining means comprises a signal processor (94) for combining the signals in a digital form.

4. The antenna system of claim 3, wherein the signal processor (94) is operatively connected to the tuning means (20) for providing a control signal (109) to the tuning means (20) for effecting said tuning.

5. The antenna system of claim 1, wherein the first antenna (12) is disposed apart from the second antenna (10) by a distance substantially equal to or exceeding a quarter wavelength of the first frequency band.

6. The antenna system of claim 1, wherein the second antenna is capable of operating in a TDMA mode.

7. The antenna system of claim 1, wherein the first antenna is capable of operating in a TDMA mode.

8. A method of transmitting and receiving radio frequency signals in a telecommunications device (150), said device having

a first antenna (12) optimally tuned for receiving signals in a first frequency band;

and

a second antenna (10) operable in a transmission mode and a reception mode, wherein the second antenna is optimally tuned for transmitting signals in a second frequency band different from the first frequency band when the second antenna is operating in the transmission mode, said method comprising the step of

tuning the second antenna to a third frequency band substantially equal to the first frequency band when the second antenna is operating in the reception mode so that the second antenna also receives the signals in the first frequency band.

9. The method of claim 8, wherein the first antenna is disposed apart from the second antenna by a distance substantially equal to or exceeding a quarter wavelength of the first frequency band.

10. The method of claim 8, further comprising the step of combining the signals in the first frequency received by the second antenna and the signals received by the first antenna.

11. A radio receiver system (1d) operable at a first mode and a second mode, the system having a first subsystem (134) and a second subsystem (124), wherein the first subsystem (134) includes a first receiver (62) and a first antenna (13) capable of receiving signals in the first mode in a first frequency range for providing the received signals to the first receiver (62), and the second subsystem (124) includes a second receiver (50) and a second antenna capable of receiving signals in the second mode in a second frequency range different from the first frequency range for providing the received signals to the second receiver (50), said system comprising:

a first means (22), operatively connected to the first antenna (13), for tuning the first antenna to a reception frequency in the second frequency range when the system is operating in the second mode, such that the first antenna (13) also receives the signals in the second mode in the second frequency range; and

a second means (32), operatively connected to the first antenna (13) and the second receiver (50), for routing the signals received by the first antenna (13) in the second mode to the second receiver (50).

12. The system of claim 11, wherein the second means (32) comprises a switch.

13. The system of claim 11, wherein the second means (32) comprises a circulator.

14. The system of claim 11, wherein the second means (32) comprises a switchplexer.

15. The system of claim 11, wherein the first subsystem (134) further includes a first transmitter (70) and a third antenna (15) capable of transmitting signals in the first mode provided by the first transmitter (70).

16. The system of claim 11, further comprising:

a third means (20), operatively connected to the second antenna (12), for tuning the second antenna (12) to a reception frequency in the first frequency range when the system is operating in the first mode, such that the second antenna (12) also receives the signals in the first mode in the first frequency range; and

a fourth means (30), operatively connected to the second antenna (12) and the first receiver (62), for routing the signals received by the second antenna (12) in the first mode to the first receiver (62).

17. The system of claim 16, wherein the first subsystem (134) further includes a first transmitter (70) and a third antenna (15) capable of transmitting signals in the first mode provided by the first transmitter (70).

18. The system of claim 17, wherein the second subsystem further includes a second transmitter (40) and a fourth antenna (10) capable of transmitting signals in the second mode provided by the second transmitter (40).

19. A radio communication system (1e) including a first subsystem (150) and a second subsystem (140), wherein the first subsystem (150) includes a receiver (54) operating at a first frequency range, and the second subsystem (140) includes a transmitter (44) operating at a second frequency range different from the first frequency range, said system comprising:

a first antenna (12) operatively connected to the receiver (54) and optimally tuned for receiving signals in the first frequency range and conveying the received signals to the receiver (54) when the system is used for reception;

a second antenna (10) operatively connected to the transmitter (44) and optimally tuned to the second frequency for transmitting signals from the transmitter (44) when the system is used for transmission;

a tuning mechanism (20), operatively connected to the second antenna (10) for tuning the second antenna (10) to a third frequency range substantially equal to the first frequency range when the system is used for reception, so that the second antenna also receives signals in the first frequency range; and

means (30, 34), operatively connected to the second antenna (10) and the receiver (54), for conveying the signals in the first frequency range received by the second antenna (10) to the receiver when the system is used for reception.

20. The system of claim 19, wherein the first subsystem (150) further comprises means (94), operatively connected to the tuning mechanism (20), for providing a control signal (109) to the tuning mechanism (20) to effect said tuning of the second antenna (10) to the third frequency range.

21. The radio communication system of claim 19, wherein the first subsystem (150) is operable in a first mode (W19) and in a different second mode (G19), and the receiver (54) is operable in a first mode (W19), and wherein the first subsystem (150) further includes:

a further receiver (56) operable in the second mode (G19), and

a switching means (34), operatively connected to the receiver (54), the further receiver (56) and the first antenna (12), for conveying the signals received by the first antenna (12) to the receiver (54) when the first subsystem is operating in a first mode (W19), and for conveying the signals received from the second antenna (10) to the further receiver (G19) when the first subsystem is operating in the second mode (G19).

22. The system of claim 21, wherein the second subsystem (140) is operable in the first mode (W19) and in the second mode (G19), and the transmitter (94) is operable in the first mode (W19), and wherein the second subsystem (140) further includes:

a further transmitter (46) operable in the second mode (G19), and

a further switching means (30), operatively connected to the transmitter (44), the further transmitter (46) and the second antenna (12), for conveying the signals received by the second antenna (12) to the transmitter (44) when the second subsystem is operating in the first mode (W19), and conveying the signals received by the second antenna (12) to the further transmitter (46) when the second subsystem (140) is operating in the second mode (G19).

23. A method of radio telecommunications in a telecommunications device (1f) operable in a first mode (G850) in a first frequency range and a second mode (G19) in a second frequency range different from the first frequency range, the device (1f) including:

a first antenna (12) capable of receiving signals in the first frequency range and conveying the received signals in the first frequency range to a first receiver (53), when the device is operating in the first mode (G850); and

a second antenna (13) capable of receiving signals in the second frequency range and conveying the received signals in the second frequency range to a second receiver (56), when the device is operating in the second mode (G19), said method comprising the steps of;

tuning the first antenna to a reception frequency in the second frequency range (1900) when the device is operating in the second mode (G19), such that the first antenna (12) also receives the signals in the second frequency range; and

providing the signals received in the second frequency range by the first antenna (12) to the second receiver (56).

24. The method of claim 23, further comprising the steps of:

tuning the second antenna (13) to a reception frequency in the first frequency range when the device is operating in the first mode, such that the second antenna (13) also receives the signals in the first frequency range; and

providing the signals received in the first frequency range by the second antenna (13) to the first receiver (53).