Wireless communication apparatus for simultaneously performing multiple wireless communications

• US 8,155,599 B2
• Filed: 09/11/2007
• Issued: 04/10/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 09/11/2006
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Panasonic Intellectual Property Corporation of America (Panasonic Holdings Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Panasonic Corporation (Panasonic Holdings Corporation)
• Inventors: Kato, Akira, Iwai, Hiroshi, Yamamoto, Atsushi
• Primary Examiner(s): Aminzay, Shaima Q
• Application Number:
  US12/439,103
• Publication Number:
  US 20100022197A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,673 Days
• Field of Search: 455/75, 455/11.1, 455/15, 455/17, 455 20- 22, 455/73, 455/101, 455/150.1, 455/192.1, 455/193.1, 348/725, 348/726, 348/731, 348/732, 348/E5.108, 375/295, 375/316, 725/81, 725/64, 725/67, 725/68
• US Class Current: 455/75
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 1/005 adapting radio receivers, transmitters andtransceivers for operation on two or more bands, i.e. frequency ranges
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 1/3805 with built-in auxiliary receivers

Abstract

A portable wireless communication apparatus is provided with antenna elements; a mobile phone signal processing circuit; a DTV tuner for receiving DTV low-band frequency signals and DTV high-band frequency signals; impedance matching circuits for the mobile phone signal processing circuit; and impedance matching circuits for the DTV tuner for receiving the DTV low-band frequency signals and DTV high-band frequency signals. A switch is changed to select either the DTV low-band frequency signals or the DTV high-band frequency signals, and output the selected signals to the DTV tuner. A tuner controller controls the switch to select the DTV high-band frequency signals by using the antenna element for transmission from the mobile phone signal processing circuit.

Claims

1. A wireless communication apparatus, comprising:

a first antenna element (101) for transmitting a first radio signal in a first frequency band (B1) used for a first communication system, and receiving a second radio signal in the first frequency band (B1);

a second antenna element (102) for receiving the second radio signal;

a transmitter circuit (151a) for generating the first radio signal and transmitting the first radio signal from the first antenna element (101) through a first filter (121) and a first matching circuit (111);

a first receiver circuit (151b, 151c) for performing at least one of receiving processes including a first receiving process of receiving the second radio signal received by the first antenna element (101), through the first matching circuit (111) and the first filter (121), and a second receiving process of receiving the second radio signal received by the second antenna element (102), through a second matching circuit (113, 113A) and a second filter (123, 123A); and

a second receiver circuit (152) for receiving a third radio signal in a second frequency band (B2H) used for a second communication system and close to the first frequency band (B1), and receiving a fourth radio signal in a third frequency band (B2L) used for the second communication system and far from the first frequency band (B1) and different from the second frequency band (B2H),

wherein the first matching circuit (111) matches an impedance of the first antenna element (101) to an impedance of the first filter (121) in the first frequency band (B1), the first filter (121) passing a radio signal in the first frequency band (B1),

wherein the second matching circuit (113, 113A) matches an impedance of the second antenna element (102) to an impedance of the second filter (123, 123A) in the first frequency band (B1), the second filter (123, 123A) passing a radio signal in the first frequency band (B1), and

wherein the wireless communication apparatus further comprises;

a third matching circuit (112, 112A, 112B) for matching an impedance of the first antenna element (101) to an impedance of a third filter (122, 122A, 128) in the third frequency band (B2L), the third filter (122, 122A, 128) passing a radio signal in the third frequency band (B2L);

a fourth matching circuit (114, 114A, 114B) for matching an impedance of the second antenna element to an impedance of a fourth filter (124, 124A, 129) in the second frequency band (B2H), the fourth filter (124, 124A, 129) passing a radio signal in the second frequency band (B2H); and

a controller (160, 160B, 160C, 160D, 160H) for controlling a first switch (141, 145) to connect the second receiver circuit (152) receiving the third radio signal, to the second antenna element (102) not transmitting the first radio signal, through the fourth filter (124, 124A, 129) and the fourth matching circuit (114, 114A, 114B), when the transmitter circuit (151a) transmits the first radio signal.

2. The wireless communication apparatus as claimed in claim 1,

wherein when the transmitter circuit (151a) does not transmit the first radio signal, the controller (160, 160H) controls the first switch (141) to connect the second receiver circuit (152) to the first antenna element (101) through the third filter (122, 122A) and the third matching circuit (112, 112A), or to connect the second receiver circuit (152) to the second antenna element (102) through the fourth filter (124, 124A) and the fourth matching circuit (114, 114A).

3. The wireless communication apparatus as claimed in claim 2,

wherein the third matching circuit (112A) further matches an impedance of the first antenna element (101) to an impedance of the third filter (122A) in the second frequency band (B2H), the third filter (122A) further passes a radio signal in the second frequency band (B2H),

wherein the fourth matching circuit (114A) further matches an impedance of the second antenna element (102) to an impedance of the fourth filter (124A) in the third frequency band (B2L), the fourth filter (124A) further passing a radio signal in the third frequency band (B2L), and

wherein in the case that the first switch (141) connects the second receiver circuit (152) to the first antenna element (101) through the third filter (122A) and the third matching circuit (112A), when a signal level of the third radio signal or the fourth radio signal received by the second receiver circuit (152) becomes lower than a predetermined threshold value, the controller (160H) controls the first switch (141) to connect the second receiver circuit (152) to the second antenna element (102) through the fourth filter (124A) and the fourth matching circuit (114A).

4. The wireless communication apparatus as claimed in claim 2,

wherein the third matching circuit (112A) further matches an impedance of the first antenna element (101) to an impedance of the third filter (122A) in the second frequency band (B2H), the third filter (122A) further passes a radio signal in the second frequency band (B2H),

wherein the fourth matching circuit (114A) further matches an impedance of the second antenna element (102) to an impedance of the fourth filter (124A) in the third frequency band (B2L), the fourth filter (124A) further passing a radio signal in the third frequency band (B2L), and

wherein in the case that the first switch (141) connects the second receiver circuit (152) to the second antenna element (102) through the fourth filter (124A) and the fourth matching circuit (114A), when a signal level of the third radio signal or the fourth radio signal received by the second receiver circuit (152) becomes lower than a predetermined threshold value, the controller (160H) controls the first switch (141) to connect the second receiver circuit (152) to the first antenna element (101) through the third filter (122A) and the third matching circuit (112A).

5. The wireless communication apparatus as claimed in claim 1, further comprising:

a second switch (144) inserted between the transmitter circuit (151a) and the first filter (121) and between the transmitter circuit (151a) and the second filter (123A), and for selectively changing between a first case in which the first radio signal from the transmitter circuit (151a) is outputted to the first antenna element (101) through the first filter (121) and the first matching circuit (111), and a second case in which the first radio signal from the transmitter circuit (151a) is outputted to the second antenna element (102) through the second filter (123A) and the second matching circuit (113A),

wherein the third matching circuit (112A) further matches an impedance of the first antenna element (101) to an impedance of the third filter (122A) in the second frequency band (B2H), the third filter (122A) further passes a radio signal in the second frequency band (B2H),

wherein the fourth matching circuit (114A) further matches an impedance of the second antenna element (102) to an impedance of the fourth filter (124A) in the third frequency band (B2L), the fourth filter (124A) further passing a radio signal in the third frequency band (B2L), and

wherein the controller (160B, 160C) controls the first switch (141) in the first case to connect the second receiver circuit (152) receiving the third radio signal to the second antenna element (102) through the fourth filter (124A) and the fourth matching circuit (114A), and controls the first switch (141) in the second case to connect the second receiver circuit (152) receiving the third radio signal to the first antenna element (101) through the third filter (122A) and the third matching circuit (112A).

6. The wireless communication apparatus as claimed in claim 1, further comprising:

a second switch (144) inserted between the transmitter circuit (151a) and the first filter (121) and between the transmitter circuit (151a) and the second filter (123A), and for selectively changing between a first case in which the first radio signal from the transmitter circuit (151a) is outputted to the first antenna element (101) through the first filter (121) and the first matching circuit (111), and a second case in which the first radio signal from the transmitter circuit (151a) is outputted to the second antenna element (102) through the second filter (123A) and the second matching circuit (113A),

wherein the third matching circuit (112B) further matches an impedance of the first antenna element (101) to an impedance of the fourth filter (129) in the second frequency band (B2H),

wherein the fourth matching circuit (114B) further matches an impedance of the second antenna element (102) to an impedance of the third filter (128) in the third frequency band (B2L), and

wherein the second receiver circuit includes a first receiving unit (152B) for receiving the third radio signal in the second frequency band (B2H), and a second receiving unit (152A) for receiving the fourth radio signal in the third frequency band (B2L), and

wherein the controller (160D) controls the first switch (145) in the first case to connect the first receiving unit (152B) to the second antenna element (102) through the third filter (129) and the fourth matching circuit (114B), and controls the first switch (145) in the second case to connect the first receiving unit (152B) to the first antenna element (101) through the third filter (129) and the third matching circuit (112B).

7. A wireless communication apparatus, comprising:

first and second antenna elements (101 and 102) for transmitting a first radio signal in a first frequency band (B1) used for a first communication system and receiving a second radio signal in the first frequency band (B1), receiving a third radio signal in a second frequency band (B2H) used for a second communication system and close to the first frequency band (B1), and receiving a fourth radio signal in a third frequency band (B2L) used for the second communication system and far from the first frequency band (B1) and different from the second frequency band (B2H);

a first switch (146) for connecting one of the first antenna element (101) and the second antenna element (102);

a second switch (144);

a transmitter circuit (151a) for generating the first radio signal, and when the second switch (144) is in a first case, transmitting the first radio signal from the first antenna element (101) through the second switch (144), a first filter (321), and a first matching circuit (311), and when the second switch (144) is in a second case, transmitting the first radio signal from the second antenna element (102) through the second switch (144), a second filter (323), and a second matching circuit (313);

a first receiver circuit (151b) for performing at least one of receiving processes including a first receiving process of receiving the second radio signal received by the first antenna element (101), through the first matching circuit (311) and the first filter (321), and a second receiving process of receiving the second radio signal received by the second antenna element (102), through the second matching circuit (313) and the second filter (323); and

a second receiver circuit (152) for receiving the third radio signal in the second frequency band (B2H), and the fourth radio signal in the third frequency band (B2L),

wherein the first matching circuit (311) matches an impedance of the first antenna element (101) to an impedance of the first filter (321) in the first frequency band (B1), the first filter (321) passing a radio signal in the first frequency band (B1),

wherein the second matching circuit (313) matches an impedance of the second antenna element (102) to an impedance of the second filter (323) in the first frequency band (B1), the second filter (323) passing a radio signal in the first frequency band (B1), and

wherein the wireless communication apparatus further comprises;

a third matching circuit (312) for matching an impedance of the first or second antenna element (101 or 102) to an impedance of a third filter (322) in the second and third frequency bands (B2L and B2H), the third filter (322) passing radio signals in the second and third frequency bands (B2L and B2H); and

a controller (160E, 160F) for controlling the first switch (146) such that the third radio signal received by the second antenna element (102) is received by the second receiver circuit (152) through the first switch (146), the third matching circuit (312), and the third filter (322), when the second switch (144) connects the transmitter circuit (151a) to the first antenna element (101) through the first filter (321) and the first matching circuit (311) and the transmitter circuit (151a) transmits the first radio signal using the first antenna element (101), and controlling the first switch (146) such that the third radio signal received by the first antenna element (101) is received by the second receiver circuit (152) through the first switch (146), the third matching circuit (312), and the third filter (322), when the second switch (144) connects the transmitter circuit (151a) to the second antenna element (102) through the second filter (323) and the second matching circuit (313) and the transmitter circuit (151a) transmits the first radio signal using the second antenna element (102).