Terminal having a variable duplex capability

• US 8,462,671 B2
• Filed: 04/07/2005
• Issued: 06/11/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 04/07/2005
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Nokia Technologies Oy (Nokia Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Nokia Corporation
• Inventors: Rinne, Mika P., Seppinen, Pauli
• Primary Examiner(s): Ngo, Ricky
• Assistant Examiner(s): Gidado, Rasheed
• Application Number:
  US11/887,088
• Publication Number:
  US 20090213765A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,987 Days
• Field of Search: 455/83, 455/101, 455/562.1, 370/278, 370/280, 370/335
• US Class Current: 370/278
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 1/44 Transmit/receive switching
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 1/56 with provision for simultaneous communication in two directions
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 1/0025 Transmission of mode-switching indication
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 1/0026 Transmission of channel quality indication
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 88/06 adapted for operation in multiple networks or having at least two operational modes, e.g. multi-mode terminals

Abstract

A cellular telecommunications terminal having a full-duplex mode of operation and a half-duplex mode of operation, including a first cellular transmitter and a first cellular receiver operable, when the terminal is in the full-duplex mode, to transmit and receive at the same time and operable, when the terminal is in the half-duplex mode, to transmit and receive at different times and not at the same time; and a switching control for changing the mode of operation of the terminal while operating in the full-duplex mode from the full-duplex mode to the half-duplex mode.

Claims

1. An apparatus, comprising:

a first cellular transmitter configured to operate with at least one carrier frequency, and

a first cellular receiver, wherein the first cellular transmitter and the first cellular receiver are configured, when the apparatus is in a full-duplex mode, to transmit and receive at the same time and configured, when the apparatus is in a half-duplex mode, to transmit and receive at different times and not at the same time;

a signalling control configured to control the first cellular transmitter to transmit a capability information message to a cellular telecommunications network using a radio frequency signal, the capability information message comprising information identifying to the cellular telecommunications network whether full-duplex mode operation or half-duplex mode operation of the apparatus is available for the at least one carrier frequency; and

a switching control configured to change the mode of operation of the apparatus, from operating in the full-duplex mode to operating in the half-duplex mode or from operating in the half-duplex mode to operating in the full-duplex mode in response to at least one trigger condition,

wherein the at least one trigger condition comprises receiving a signal from the cellular telecommunications network; and

wherein the switching control is responsive to interference detected at the first cellular receiver, and a change in operational mode to half-duplex mode occurs when the detected interference exceeds a threshold.

2. The apparatus as claimed in claim 1, wherein the first cellular transmitter uses a first antenna and first cellular receiver uses the same first antenna.

3. The apparatus as claimed in claim 1, wherein the switching control configured to be responsive to a power output of the first cellular transmitter, and configured to change the operational mode of the apparatus, from the full-duplex mode to the half-duplex mode, when the power output exceeds a power threshold.

4. The apparatus as claimed in claim 3, further comprising a duplexer joining the first cellular transmitter and first cellular receiver to the first antenna element, wherein isolation is provided by the duplexer between the first cellular transmitter and first cellular receiver, wherein the isolation is adequate while the power output of the first transmitter does not exceed the power threshold, and the isolation is inadequate when the power output of the first cellular transmitter exceeds the power threshold.

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

a second cellular transmitter, suitable for use in a mobile cellular telecommunications terminal, and a second cellular receiver, suitable for use in a mobile telecommunications terminal.

6. The apparatus as claimed in claim 5, wherein the switching control is configured to be responsive to interference detected using the second cellular receiver, and configured to change the operational mode of the apparatus, from the full-duplex mode to the half-duplex mode, when the detected interference exceeds a threshold.

7. The apparatus as claimed in claim 5, wherein the switching control is configured to be responsive to a power output of the second cellular transmitter, and configured to change the operational mode of the apparatus, from the full-duplex mode to the half-duplex mode, when the power output of the second cellular transmitter exceeds a threshold.

8. The apparatus as claimed in claim 5, wherein the half-duplex mode is one of:

a) transmission from a single antenna without simultaneous reception at the single antenna;

b) simultaneous transmissions from a first antenna and a second antenna without simultaneous reception at the first or second antenna; and

c) simultaneous reception at a first antenna and a second antenna without simultaneous transmission from the first or second antenna.

9. The apparatus as claimed in claim 5, wherein the full duplex mode is one of:

a) transmission from a single antenna with simultaneous reception at the single antenna;

b) simultaneous transmissions from a first antenna and a second antenna with simultaneous reception at the first or second antenna;

c) simultaneous receptions at a first antenna and a second antenna with simultaneous transmission from the first or second antenna; and

d) simultaneous receptions at a first antenna and a second antenna with simultaneous transmissions from the first and second antennas.

10. The apparatus as claimed in claim 5, comprising a switching element joining the second cellular transmitter and second cellular receiver to a second antenna element, and wherein the full-duplex mode is one of:

a) transmission from the first antenna element with simultaneous reception at the first antenna element;

b) simultaneous transmissions from the first antenna element and the second antenna element with simultaneous reception at the first antenna element but hot at the second antenna element; and

c) simultaneous reception at the first antenna element and the second antenna element with simultaneous transmission from the first antenna element but not from the second antenna element.

11. The apparatus as claimed in claim 5, further comprising the signalling control configured to control the sending of a capability message indicating a reduced-duplex-capability of the apparatus.

12. The apparatus as claimed in claim 1, wherein the capability message indicates the duplex capability of multiple antennas.

13. The apparatus as claimed in claim 1, wherein the first cellular transmitter and the first cellular receiver are configured to use a first communication protocol while the apparatus is in the full-duplex mode, and configured to continue to use the first communication protocol after the switching control has changed the apparatus from being in the full-duplex mode to being the half-duplex mode.

14. The apparatus as claimed in claim 1, wherein the at least one trigger condition is one of a self-interference detection level at the apparatus, a transmit power level of the first cellular transmitter, a transition in antenna configuration or a change of connection state of the apparatus to another apparatus.

15. An apparatus comprising:

a plurality of cellular transmitters and receivers, where each cellular transmitter is configured to operate with at least one carrier frequency;

a controller configured to control at least one of the cellular transmitters to transmit a capability message to a cellular telecommunications network using a radio frequency signal, the capability message comprising information indicating to a cellular telecommunications network whether full-duplex mode operation or half-duplex mode operation of the apparatus is available for at least one carrier frequency; and

a switching control configured to change the mode of operation of the apparatus, from operating in the full-duplex mode to operating in the half-duplex mode or from operating in the half-duplex mode to operating in the full-duplex mode in response to at least one trigger condition;

wherein the switching control is responsive to interference detected by at least one of the cellular receivers, and a change in operational mode to half-duplex mode occurs when the detected interference exceeds a threshold.

16. The apparatus as claimed in claim 15, wherein a duplex capability of an antenna may change and wherein the controller is configured to control at least one of the transmitters to transmit an updated capability message in response to such a change.

17. The apparatus as claimed in claim 16, wherein the duplex capability of an antenna changes as a result of high self-interference measurements.

18. The apparatus as claimed in claim 16, wherein the duplex capability of an antenna changes as a result of high transmission power measurements.

19. An apparatus, comprising:

a controller configured to;

use a capability message received as a radio frequency signal from a mobile cellular telecommunications terminal, wherein the capability message indicates whether full-duplex mode operation or half-duplex mode operation of the mobile cellular telecommunications terminal is available for at least one carrier frequency that can be transmitted by the mobile cellular telecommunications terminal;

allocate resources in the cellular telecommunications network according to the received capability message; and

change the mode of operation of the apparatus, from operating in the full-duplex mode to operating in the half-duplex mode or from operating in the half-duplex mode to operating in the full-duplex mode in response to at least one trigger condition;

wherein the controller is responsive to interference detected by the mobile cellular telecommunications terminal, and a change in operational mode to half-duplex mode occurs when the detected interference exceeds a threshold.

20. An apparatus comprising:

at least one cellular transmitter and at least one cellular receiver, said at least one cellular transmitter configured to operate with at least one carrier frequency; and

a controller configured to transmit a capability message to a cellular telecommunications network using a radio frequency signal, the capability message comprising at least one information element contained within the capability message that indicates to the cellular telecommunications network whether one of full-duplex mode operation or half-duplex mode operation of the apparatus is available for at least one carrier frequency;

the controller also configured to change the mode of operation of the apparatus from operating in the full-duplex mode to operating in the half-duplex mode or from operating in the half-duplex mode to operating in the full-duplex mode in response to at least one trigger condition;

wherein the controller is responsive to interference detected by the at least one cellular receiver, and a change in operational mode to half-duplex mode occurs when the detected interference exceeds a threshold.

21. An apparatus, comprising:

a controller configured to use a capability message received as a radio frequency signal from a mobile cellular telecommunications terminal, the capability message comprising at least one information element that indicates whether one of full-duplex mode operation or half-duplex mode operation of the mobile cellular telecommunications terminal is available for at least one carrier frequency that can be transmitted by-the mobile cellular telecommunications terminal; and

allocate resources in the network according to the received capability message;

wherein the controller is configured to change the mode of operation of the apparatus, from operating in the full-duplex mode to operating in the half-duplex mode or from operating in the half-duplex mode to operating in the full-duplex mode in response to at least one trigger condition;

wherein the controller is responsive to interference detected by the mobile cellular telecommunications terminal, and a change in operational mode to half-duplex mode occurs when the detected interference exceeds a threshold.

22. A method, comprising:

controlling an apparatus comprising a plurality of cellular transmitters and receivers, where each cellular transmitter is configured to operate with at least one carrier frequency and where said apparatus is configurable to operate in one of at least a single input, single output (SISO) mode or a multiple input, multiple output (MIMO) mode;

transmitting a capability message to a cellular telecommunications network, the capability message comprising at least one information element that indicates whether one of full-duplex mode operation or half-duplex mode operation is available for at least one carrier frequency; and

responsive to interference detected by at least one receiver of the plurality of cellular transmitters and receivers, a change in operational mode to half-duplex mode occurs when the detected interference exceeds a threshold.