Mobile terminal

• US 7,555,324 B2
• Filed: 07/19/2004
• Issued: 06/30/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 09/19/2003
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Maxell, Ltd.
• Original Assignee: Hitachi, Ltd.
• Inventors: Chiba, Yutaka, Uotsu, Shinichi, Kumekawa, Masanobu
• Primary Examiner(s): Urban; Edward
• Assistant Examiner(s): Alam; Fayyaz
• Application Number:
  US10/893,545
• Publication Number:
  US 20050064903A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,807 Days
• Field of Search: 455/556.1, 455/575.7, 455/67.11, 455/557, 455/522, 455/553.1, 4553431-3436, 455/572, 455/574, 455/140, 455/552.1
• US Class Current: 455/575.7
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 1/3805 with built-in auxiliary receivers
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 1/44 Transmit/receive switching
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 7/0814 based on current reception conditions, e.g. switching to different antenna when signal level is below threshold
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2250/10 including a GPS signal receiver
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 52/0274 by switching on or off the equipment or parts thereof
• CPC Class Codes: Y02D 30/70 in wireless communication networks

Abstract

In a cell phone, no consideration is given to a switch unit when a reception circuit for space diversity is added, and consequently an antenna can be optimally connected to the reception circuit for space diversity. The cell phone comprises a first antenna for radio communication, a transmission-reception circuit to exchange signals with a base station through the first antenna, and a GPS reception circuit to receive signals from the GPS satellite through the first antenna. The reception circuit receives a signal from the base station, a second antenna different from the first antenna is provided, and the switch unit changes over connections between the first antenna and the second antenna, and the transmission-reception circuit, the GPS reception circuit and the reception circuit according to operation modes.

Claims

1. A mobile terminal comprising:

a first antenna for radio communication;

a second antenna for an operation different from the first antenna;

a transmission-reception circuit configured to transmit and receive signals to and from a base station through the first antenna;

a GPS reception circuit configured to receive signals from a GPS satellite through the first antenna or the second antenna;

a diversity reception circuit for receiving the signals from the base station through the second antenna;

an external terminal for connecting an external antenna thereto;

a power supply control unit for turning off power supply to the diversity reception circuit; and

a switch unit configured to selectively switch each of the first antenna and the second antenna, between the transmission-reception circuit, the GPS reception circuit, and the diversity reception circuit according to an operation mode of the mobile terminal including a communication mode and a GPS reception mode,

wherein;

the switch unit switches the transmission-reception circuit to couple to the first antenna and switches the diversity reception circuit to couple to the second antenna when the communication mode is set to communicate with the base station,

the switch unit switches the GPS reception circuit to couple to the first antenna or to the second antenna when the GPS reception mode is set to receive signals from the GPS satellite,

the communication mode includes a data communication mode and a voice communication mode, and

the power supply control unit turns off the power supply to the diversity reception circuit when the communication mode is set to the voice communication mode;

the transmission-reception circuit, the GPS reception circuit and the diversity reception circuit concurrently exist in the terminal at the same time;

when the external antenna is connected to the external terminal, the switch unit switches the transmission-reception circuit to couple to the external antenna instead of the first antenna during the communication mode, and switches the GPS reception circuit to couple to the external antenna instead of the first antenna or the second antenna during the GPS reception mode; and

when the external antenna is connected to the external terminal, a performance of the transmission-reception circuit is evaluated by using the signals transmitted to and received from the base station by the transmission-reception circuit, and a performance of the GPS reception circuit is evaluated by using the signals received from the GPS satellite by the GPS reception circuit.