KR101923592B1 - Device and method for controlling power in mobile telephone - Google Patents

Abstract

An apparatus for controlling communication power of a portable terminal, comprising: a memory having an antenna set to an optimized state and a power control table composed of transmission power control data for each distance satisfying an electromagnetic wave absorptance standard in a state in which antenna efficiency is optimized; A controller for receiving distance data spaced from the sensor and outputting power control data corresponding to the distance with reference to the power control table; And a power amplifier for controlling the transmission power of the output signal of the transmitter by the power control data and outputting the power to the antenna.

Description

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention [0001] The present invention relates to a communication power control apparatus,

The present invention relates to an apparatus and method for controlling a communication power of a portable terminal, and more particularly, to an apparatus and method for controlling a transmission power according to a distance between a portable terminal and a user to satisfy an electromagnetic wave absorption rate specification.

Generally, a portable terminal uses a handset near a user's ear and mouth. In this case, electromagnetic waves generated in the portable terminal at the time of a call may affect the health of the user, so each country defines a specific absorption rate (hereinafter referred to as SAR) have. The SAR standard uses different standards in different bands for each region. For example, for European bands (eg GSM900, DCS, W900, W2100, etc.), SAR specifications are 2.0W / kg (10g average), while Latin and South American bands (eg GSM850, PCS, W850, ), The SAR standard is 1.6 W / KG (1 g average) and the SAR specification is further enhanced.

In order to satisfy the SAR standard, a method of controlling the antenna performance has been used. In this case, even if the antenna performance of the free space can be sufficiently enhanced, there is a problem that the performance of the antenna can not be optimized in order to satisfy the SAR international standard (avoidance of fail or margin shortage). For example, in case of simultaneous global launching, if the mobile terminal such as the Central and South America is developed after optimizing to the European antenna performance, It may be necessary to lower the antenna performance so that the band meets the SAR standard (avoidance of fail or margin shortage).

Therefore, even when the antenna performance of the free space can be sufficiently increased in the conventional portable terminal, the antenna performance can not be optimized in order to satisfy the SAR international standard, and the antenna performance is lowered to the free space transmission / reception ratio. This leads to inefficient costs such as development delays, new antenna code generation and management maintenance costs, and inventory costs, if antennas for mobile terminals (European and Latin American mobile terminals) using different SAR standards are separately operated Causing problems.

Accordingly, it is an object of the present invention to provide a device capable of reducing the total radiated power (hereinafter referred to as " TRP ") of a whole or a specific band when a portable terminal is used while having excellent antenna performance in a free space of a portable terminal and a wireless communication device, Method. To this end, in the embodiment of the present invention, the distance between the user and the portable terminal is measured using the sensor (proximity sensor) in the portable terminal, and the transmission power is controlled according to the measured result, free space Maximizes the antenna performance and optimizes the transmission / reception ratio.

The apparatus for controlling communication power of a portable terminal according to an embodiment of the present invention includes an antenna set to an optimized state and a power control unit configured to transmit power control data for each distance satisfying an electromagnetic wave absorption rate standard A sensor for sensing a distance between the portable terminal and a user; a distance control unit for receiving distance data spaced from the sensor and outputting power control data corresponding to the distance with reference to the power control table; And a power amplifier connected between the transmitter and the antenna for controlling transmission power of the output signal of the transmitter by the power control data and outputting the power to the antenna.

A method for controlling communication power of a portable terminal according to an embodiment of the present invention includes a power control table configured by distance-based transmission power control data satisfying an electromagnetic wave absorptance specification in an antenna efficiency optimized state, The method comprising the steps of: reading power control data corresponding to the separation distance from the power control table if the separation distance is within a predetermined distance; and controlling power amplification of a transmission signal by the power control data And outputting a transmission signal.

Therefore, the portable terminal according to the embodiment of the present invention is advantageous in that it can maximize the free space antenna performance without being constrained by the SAR (human head SAR) and optimize the transmission / reception ratio. This makes it possible to apply antennas of different SAR standards (for example, mobile phones for Europe and the Americas / Central and South America) with the same material, thereby reducing the development period and cost of the portable terminal .

1 is a view showing the configuration of a portable terminal according to an embodiment of the present invention;
2 is a diagram for explaining a procedure for controlling SAR of a mobile terminal according to an embodiment of the present invention;

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS Hereinafter, preferred embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings. It should be noted that the same configurations of the drawings denote the same reference numerals as possible whenever possible.

In the following description, specific details regarding the bands, SAR specifications, and the like of the portable terminal for the European band and the Central and South America are shown. However, the present invention is provided for better understanding of the present invention. Will be apparent to those skilled in the art. In the following description of the present invention, detailed description of known functions and configurations incorporated herein will be omitted when it may make the subject matter of the present invention rather unclear.

The portable terminal according to the embodiment of the present invention optimizes the performance of the antenna and includes a sensor (proximity sensor) to check the interval between the portable terminal and the user, and then controls the transmission signal power to satisfy the SAR standard. Therefore, the portable terminal according to the embodiment of the present invention can automatically control the TRP of the antenna according to the distance between the user and the portable terminal while having the best antenna performance, and thereby, the SAR specification can be actively satisfied.

1 is a diagram illustrating a configuration of a mobile terminal according to an embodiment of the present invention.

1, a duplexer 150 transmits a signal received through an antenna 170 to a receiver 160, and performs a transmission / reception separation function of an RF signal for outputting a signal output from the power amplifier 140 through an antenna 170 . The receiving unit 160 RF-converts and down-converts the signal received through the duplexer 160 into a baseband signal. The receiving unit 160 may include a demodulator and a decoder. In this case, the receiving unit 160 performs a function of demodulating and decoding a baseband signal.

The sensor 120 detects the distance between the portable terminal and the user. The sensor 120 may be a proximity sensor, and the proximity sensor is a sensor used to determine whether an object is proximate to another object. The proximity sensor can be classified into a high-frequency oscillation type, a capacitance type, a magnetic type, a photoelectric type, and an ultrasonic type according to a detection principle. Here, the sensor 120 may use an optical proximity sensor or an ultrasonic proximity sensor. At this time, when the sensor 120 is an optical proximity sensor, the sensor 120 includes a light emitting portion and a light receiving portion.

In addition, the sensor 120 may include a sensing unit for measuring a distance between the portable terminal and the user. At this time, the sensing unit may be configured in two forms. The first type of sensing unit senses whether a light source emitting light from the sensor 120 is received through the light receiving unit. In this case, when the light source generated through the light emitting unit of the sensor 120 is received through the light receiving unit, the sensing unit generates a sensing signal indicating that the portable terminal is close to the user. If the sensing unit fails to receive the light source through the light receiving unit, And generates a sensing signal indicating that the sensor is spaced apart. The sensing unit may further include a function of calculating a distance between the user and the portable terminal by calculating the difference between the light emitting time and the light receiving time when the light receiving unit receives the light source generated from the light emitting unit. That is, the sensing unit for sensing the distance does not generate a sensing signal when the light receiving unit fails to receive the light source, and calculates the difference between the sensing signal and the light emitting and receiving signals when receiving the light source, Can be output together. In the embodiment of the present invention, it is assumed that the sensing unit includes the distance sensing function. However, the same effect can be obtained by using the first sensing unit.

The memory 10 includes a program memory for storing a program for controlling the operation of the portable terminal, a data table for executing the program, and a data memory for temporarily storing data generated during the execution of the program. According to an embodiment of the present invention, the data memory includes a power control table for controlling transmission power according to the distance between the portable terminal and the user of the portable terminal.

The controller 100 controls the overall operation of the portable terminal according to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention. In addition, the controller 100 may further include the sensing unit when the sensor 120 does not include a sensing unit. If the receiving unit 160 and the receiving unit 130 do not have a modem and a codec function, the control unit 100 may further include a data processing unit for modulating and encoding / decoding transmission / reception data with the modem and the codec configuration. Also, the controller 100 analyzes the sensing signal received from the sensor 120 and generates a power control signal for controlling the transmission power if the distance between the user and the portable terminal is within a set distance.

The transmitter 130 performs frequency up conversion on the transmission signal generated from the controller 100 or a transmitter, not shown, or an external interface. Here, the transmitter 130 may include a coder for coding a signal and a modulator for modulating the coded signal.

The power amplifier 140 amplifies the power of the signal output from the transmitter 130 and transmits the amplified signal to the duplexer 150. At this time, the power amplifier 140 controls the power of a transmission signal output from the transmitter 130 according to a power control signal output from the controller 100.

The power control table stored in the memory 110 is composed of data for controlling the transmission power so as to satisfy the SAR specification in a state where the antenna gain is optimized (i.e., the antenna efficiency is set to the maximum). Assuming that the maximum transmission power is 33dBm, the antenna optimization is 0dBi, and the SAR is 1.6W / kg, the transmission power (Tx power) varies according to the detected distance while having the best antenna performance. . In this case, since only the transmission power is controlled according to the distance between the portable terminal and the user, the receiving efficiency of the receiving side can be improved while satisfying the SAR standard.

First, the control unit 100 checks the type of the terminal (for example, WCDMA850, WCDMA 1900, etc.) at the time of system initialization (for example, power on), confirms the SAR specification according to the confirmed terminal type, The power control table is determined. Here, the power control table is stored in the memory 110, and the power control table is a look-up table storing information for controlling the transmission power of the terminal according to the distance between the terminal and the user. And Tx power control data corresponding thereto.

In such a state, the controller 100 checks the distance between the portable terminal and the user from the output of the sensor 120. [ Then, the controller 100 checks transmission power control data corresponding to the identified separation distance in the power control table of the memory 110, and outputs the transmission power control data to the power amplifier 140 as power control data. In this case, the power amplifier 140 determines the signal transmission power based on the power control data, and amplifies the signal output from the transmission unit 130 with the determined transmission power.

Accordingly, the mobile terminal confirms whether the user is in a state of talking on the portable terminal to the ear during a call through the sensor 120, and if so, checks the distance to control the transmission power of the signal. At this time, the power control data output from the controller 100 may be a control signal for lowering the output of the power amplifier 140 to a size that can satisfy the SAR standard according to the detected distance. Thus, without changing the performance of the antenna, . At this time, since the receiving unit 160 receives a signal in a state in which the antenna has the best performance, even if the transmission power is lowered, the received power is maintained as it is. Therefore, .

2 is a flowchart illustrating a procedure for controlling power of a wireless terminal according to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention.

Referring to FIG. 2, the controller 100 reads the output of the sensor 120 in step 211. Here, the sensor 120 may be a proximity sensor. The controller 100 calculates a distance between the portable terminal and a human ear from the output of the sensor 120 to be read. At this time, the sensing unit for calculating the separation distance may be included in the sensor 120, between the sensor 120 and the control unit 100, or may be formed inside the control unit 100. In step 213, the controller 100 refers to the power control table of the memory 110 to check whether the sensed distance is within a preset distance. The set distance may refer to a reference distance at which the signal can be transmitted at the maximum transmission power of the power amplifier 140 without controlling the transmission power. Accordingly, if it is determined that the mobile terminal and the user are separated from each other by a distance exceeding the predetermined distance, the controller 100 controls the power amplifier 140 to transmit power control data for amplifying a signal at a maximum transmission power in step 219 Output. Then, the transmission signal output from the transmitter 130 is amplified to the maximum transmission power in the power amplifier 140, and then output through the duplexer 150. A signal received through the duplexer 150 is processed through a receiver 160.

However, if it is determined in step 213 that the distance between the portable terminal and the user is within a set distance, the controller 100 refers to the power control table of the memory 110 in step 215 and transmits power control data corresponding to the sensed distance, And outputs the read power control data to the power amplifier 140 in step 217. At this time, the power control data is data for lowering the transmission power so that the antenna performance is optimized and the SAR specification is satisfied. This may be power control in a state where the portable terminal is in contact with or close to the user's ear. In this case, the controller 100 performs a control operation to lower the transmission power so as to satisfy the SAR standard. At this time, by satisfying the SAR specification while lowering the transmission power, the received signal is not affected.

As described above, by performing the operation of lowering the transmission power according to the proximity state between the user and the portable terminal while optimizing the antenna performance at the time of free space in the portable terminal and the wireless communication device, It can be seen that the operation can be efficiently controlled.

The embodiments of the present invention disclosed in the present specification and drawings are merely illustrative of specific embodiments of the present invention and are not intended to limit the scope of the present invention in order to facilitate understanding of the present invention. It will be apparent to those skilled in the art that other modifications based on the technical idea of the present invention are possible in addition to the embodiments disclosed herein.

Claims (20)

In an electronic device,
An antenna for transmitting and receiving signals;
A sensor for sensing a distance between the user and the electronic device;
A memory for storing a power control table configured by power control data for each distance between the user and the electronic device; And
A processor operatively coupled to the antenna,
The processor comprising:
Receiving a received signal through the antenna, transmitting a transmission signal using the first power,
Acquiring power control data corresponding to the distance from the power control table based at least in part on the distance, adjusting the first power based on the obtained power control data to generate a second power,
When the distance is detected within a specific range, transmits the transmission signal through the antenna using the second power,
The processor comprising:
And decreasing or increasing the second power as the distance decreases or increases. The method according to claim 1,
Wherein the sensor comprises a proximity sensor,
The processor comprising:
And the proximity sensor senses the distance between the user and the electronic device. The method according to claim 1,
The processor comprising:
And selects the power control table from a plurality of power control tables based at least in part on the location of the electronic device. The method of claim 3,
Wherein the plurality of power control tables include a first power control table and a second power control table, wherein the first power control table includes first transmission power control data corresponding to a first country or a first region, And the second power control table includes second transmit power control data corresponding to a second country or a second region. delete The method according to claim 1,
The processor comprising:
And selects as the second power a power that meets the Specific Absorption Rate (SAR) standard of the country or region in which the electronic device is located. The method according to claim 1,
And an amplifier for amplifying the transmission signal using the first power or the second power. 8. The method of claim 7,
The processor comprising:
And transmits the transmission signal through the antenna using the first power if the distance is not detected within the predetermined range. The method according to claim 1,
The processor comprising:
And receives the received signal through the antenna using a received power different from the first power or the second power. 10. The method of claim 9,
The processor comprising:
And maintains reception efficiency while receiving the received signal. The method according to claim 1,
The processor comprising:
And to sense the distance in a call mode of the electronic device. In an electronic device,
An antenna for transmitting a signal using a transmission power;
A sensor for sensing a distance between the user and the electronic device;
A memory for storing a power control table configured by power control data for each distance between the user and the electronic device; And
A processor operatively coupled to the antenna,
The processor comprising:
If the distance is detected to be within the first specified range, based on at least a part of the distance being determined to be within a predetermined distance, the first power control data corresponding to the distance sensed within the first specified range obtained from the power control table Adjusts the transmission power to the first transmission power,
Adjusts the transmission power to a second transmission power according to second power control data corresponding to a distance sensed within the second specific range obtained from the power control table when the distance is detected within a second specific range,
Transmitting a signal through the antenna using the adjusted first transmission power and the second transmission power,
The processor comprising:
And decreases or increases the transmit power as the distance decreases or increases. 13. The method of claim 12,
The processor comprising:
And receives a reception signal via the antenna using a reception power different from the transmission power. 14. The method of claim 13,
The processor comprising:
And maintains reception efficiency while receiving the received signal. 13. The method of claim 12,
The processor comprising:
And selects the power control table from a plurality of power control tables based at least in part on the location of the electronic device. 16. The method of claim 15,
Wherein the plurality of power control tables include a first power control table and a second power control table, wherein the first power control table includes first transmission power control data corresponding to a first region or a first region, And the second power control table includes second transmission power control data corresponding to the second region or the second region. delete 13. The method of claim 12,
The processor comprising:
And selects, as the transmission power, a power satisfying a SAR standard of an area or an area where the electronic device is located. 13. The method of claim 12,
Further comprising an amplifier,
The processor comprising:
And controls the amplifier to amplify the signal using the adjusted transmission power of the first transmission power and the second transmission power. 20. The method of claim 19,
The processor comprising:
And transmits the signal via the antenna using the unadjusted transmit power if the distance is not detected within a certain range.

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