JP2007089226A - Mobile terminal - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To solve a problem that a switching means is not considered in the case that a receiving circuit and an antenna for space diversity are added, whereby the antenna cannot be connected optimally to the receiving circuit for the space diversity. <P>SOLUTION: The mobile terminal is provided with a first antenna for effecting wireless communication, a transceiving circuit for effecting signal communication between base stations through the first antenna, and a GPS receiving circuit for receiving signals from a GPS satellite through the first antenna. In such a mobile terminal, the receiving circuit for receiving signals from the base stations, a second antenna different from the first antenna, and the switching means for switching the connection of the receiving circuit with the first antenna, the second antenna, the transceiving circuit, and the GPS receiving circuit according to an operation mode are provided. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2007,JPO&INPIT

Description

  The present invention relates to a mobile terminal, and more particularly to a technique for switching connection between an antenna, a transmission / reception circuit, and each reception circuit.

  In current mobile phones, the switch means switches between the transmission / reception circuit, the GPS reception circuit, the antenna, and the monitor external terminal. In the prior art of such a switch means, four ON / OFF switches are used, the antenna and the transmission / reception circuit are connected at the time of transmission / reception, the antenna and the GPS reception circuit are connected at the time of GPS reception, and an external antenna connection or At the time of evaluation of each transmission / reception circuit, the switch configuration was such that the external terminal for monitoring and each transmission / reception circuit were connected. (For example, see Non-Patent Document 1)

“Example of GaAs MMIC application circuit” cdma one, [online], date of publication, New Japan Radio Co., Ltd., [searched on September 9, 2003], Internet <URL: http://www.njr.co. jp / add / j / 08_09.html, http://njr.co.jp./j08/sgi_02.htm>

  Recently, a camera function is mounted on a portable terminal, and the captured image data is transmitted to friends and enjoyed together. Image data has a large amount of data, and transmission / reception takes time. For this reason, it is desired to increase the transmission / reception transmission rate.

  Further, in order to improve reception performance and achieve stable reception even when the situation of received radio waves deteriorates due to surrounding conditions, two antennas are provided to improve reception performance. In the space diversity system which is one of the techniques, two antennas and two receiving circuits are provided, and received signals are combined after detection to achieve stable reception. Further, in the case of the CDMA system, there is an effect that the transmission rate can be increased by combining the signals after detection.

  As described above, in order to increase the transmission rate and achieve stable reception strong against radio wave conditions, a transmission / reception circuit, a GPS reception circuit, a space diversity reception circuit, two antennas, and an external monitor terminal are connected. Switch means are required.

  However, in the prior art described in Non-Patent Document 1, no consideration is given to the switch means when the space diversity receiving circuit and the antenna are added, and the antenna is optimally connected to the space diversity receiving circuit. There was a problem that I could not.

  Further, there is a problem that it is not possible to optimally connect one monitor external terminal, a transmission / reception circuit, a GPS reception circuit, and the space diversity reception circuit.

  Further, since the mobile phone is driven by a battery, it is important to reduce power consumption. Here, in the case of data communication, since there is a large amount of information, it is necessary to always use two receiving circuits in order to increase the transmission rate. However, since the amount of information is small during a voice call, there is only one receiving circuit. Correspondence is possible. However, the conventional technique described in Non-Patent Document 1 does not consider controlling the power supply of one of the receiving circuits, so that there is a problem that power saving cannot be achieved and the usable time is shortened.

  An object of the present invention is to appropriately connect a main antenna, an external terminal for monitoring, a transmission / reception circuit, a GPS reception circuit, and a reception circuit and an antenna newly added for space diversity in a GPS-compatible portable terminal depending on an operation mode. It is to provide a portable terminal that can be switched to.

  In order to solve the above problems, the present invention provides a first antenna that performs wireless communication, a transmission / reception circuit that performs signal communication with a base station via the first antenna, and the first antenna. In a portable terminal provided with a GPS receiving circuit for receiving a signal from a GPS satellite via a receiving circuit, a receiving circuit for receiving a signal from a base station, a second antenna different from the first antenna, and the first Switch means for switching connection between the antenna, the second antenna, the transmission / reception circuit, the GPS reception circuit, and the reception circuit in accordance with an operation mode.

  Accordingly, the two antennas, the transmission / reception circuit, the GPS reception circuit, and the space diversity reception circuit can be optimally connected in accordance with the operation mode.

  The transmission / reception circuit, the monitor external terminal, and a connection detection means for detecting that a connector is connected to the monitor external terminal are provided. When the external terminal mode is set by operation, the switch means switches the connection between the monitor external terminal and the transmission / reception circuit, the GPS reception circuit, and the reception circuit in accordance with the operation mode.

  Thereby, it is possible to optimally connect one monitor external terminal, the transmission / reception circuit, the GPS reception circuit, and the space diversity reception circuit.

  Further, power control means for turning off the power of the receiving circuit is provided, and when the operation mode is voice communication, the power of the receiving circuit is turned off by the power control means.

  As a result, power saving can be achieved by turning off the power of the receiving circuit for space diversity during a voice call with a small amount of information.

  According to the present invention, in the GPS compatible portable terminal, a switching means for switching the connection between the main antenna, the monitor external terminal, the transmission / reception circuit, the GPS reception circuit, and the reception circuit and the antenna newly added for space diversity is provided. By switching according to the operation mode, the connection can be optimized. Furthermore, power saving can be achieved by turning off the power of the receiving circuit in the voice call mode.

  ADVANTAGE OF THE INVENTION According to this invention, the portable terminal which optimized connection can be provided.

  Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to FIGS. In the following embodiments, a CDMA mobile phone will be described as an example, but the present invention is not limited to this. The communication system may be a TDMA system other than the CDMA system, or any other mobile terminal capable of making a call other than a mobile phone. However, the following embodiments are particularly suitable for a portable terminal that performs both a voice call mode with a relatively small data capacity and a data communication mode in which the data capacity may increase.

  A first embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to FIGS.

  First, a form of a CDMA mobile phone according to the present invention will be described with reference to FIG. FIG. 1A is an external view of a CDMA mobile phone (hereinafter referred to as a mobile phone) according to the present invention as viewed from the front, and FIG. 1B is an external view of the mobile phone according to the present invention as viewed from the side. An example is shown. A casing 2 having a display unit 1 and a casing 4 having operation buttons 3 each formed of a liquid crystal panel can be opened and closed by a hinge unit 5. An antenna A6, which is a main antenna for transmitting / receiving CDMA signals and receiving GPS signals, is disposed on the hinge 5 side of the housing 4 so as to be extendable and retractable. And an antenna B7, which is a sub-antenna for receiving GPS signals, and a monitor for connecting an external antenna to the side surface of the housing 4 and evaluating the performance of each transmission / reception circuit that is an internal circuit An external terminal 8 is disposed. In the state shown in FIG. 1, the user usually uses the operation button 3 to transmit / receive data or make a call. In addition, when an external antenna is connected to the monitor external terminal 8 to transmit / receive, or when evaluating the performance of each transmitter / receiver circuit as an internal circuit, a signal used for each wireless communication is transmitted from the monitor external terminal 8 or You can receive and evaluate the performance.

  Next, the configuration and signal flow of the mobile phone according to the present invention will be described with reference to FIG. FIG. 2 shows an embodiment of a block diagram of a mobile phone reception block according to the present invention. Reference numeral 6 denotes an antenna A which is a main antenna for transmission / reception of CDMA signals and reception of GPS signals, 7 is an antenna B which is a sub-antenna for reception of CDMA signals and reception of GPS signals, and 8 is an external antenna , A monitor external terminal for evaluating the performance of a CDMA transmission / reception circuit, a GPS reception circuit, and a space diversity reception circuit, 9 is an antenna A6, B7 and a monitor external terminal 8 and a GPS reception described later. Switch circuit for switching connection between the circuit, transmission / reception circuit and reception circuit B in accordance with the operation mode, 10 is a GPS reception circuit for receiving signals from GPS satellites, and 11 is for transmitting / receiving CDMA signals Transmitting and receiving circuit, 12 is a receiving circuit B for space diversity, and 13 is a power source for the receiving circuit B12. Because of the power control unit, 14 is a connection detection means for detecting that the connector is connected to a monitor external terminal 8. The transmission / reception circuit 11 includes a duplexer 15 that guides a transmission / reception signal from the antenna A6 to the reception circuit A16 and guides a signal from the transmission circuit 17 to the antenna A6.

  It should be noted that the switch circuit 9, the GPS receiving circuit 10, the transmission / reception circuit 11, the receiving circuit B12, the power supply control means 13, the connection detection means 14, control of the operation mode, and control means for controlling the entire mobile phone (not shown). There is).

  Here, the connection and signal flow according to the operation mode will be described.

  First, when the voice / data communication mode by the CDMA system is set by a predetermined operation such as pressing a call button, the antenna A6 is connected to the transmission / reception circuit 11, and the transmission signal from the transmission circuit 17 is transmitted using the antenna A6. At the same time, the reception circuit A16 receives a CDMA reception signal. At the same time, the antenna B7 is connected to the reception circuit B12. The reception signal of the CDMA system is received by the reception circuit B12 using the antenna B7, and the signal of the reception circuit A16 is combined after detection to increase the stable reception and transmission rate. I am trying. Here, during a voice call, the power supply control means 13 turns off the power supply of the receiving circuit B12 to save power.

  Next, when the GPS reception mode for receiving a GPS signal from a GPS satellite is used for position information acquisition by an operation for searching for a position, the antenna A6 is connected to the GPS receiving circuit 10 and the antenna B7 is used. The GPS signal is received. Here, in this embodiment, the antenna B7 can be connected to the GPS receiver circuit 10, and means for detecting the radio field intensity of the antenna A6 and the antenna B7 are provided (not shown), and the antenna A6 and the antenna are detected based on the radio field intensity. By switching to B7, a stable reception operation can be achieved. Here, when the GPS signal is received only from the antenna A6 without securing the GPS reception frequency band for the antenna B7, the antenna B7 can be miniaturized, and the cellular phone can be miniaturized. It becomes possible.

  Next, a case where an external antenna is connected to the monitor external terminal 8 for transmission / reception will be described. To use the external antenna, the external terminal mode is set by connecting a connector connected to the external antenna to the monitor external terminal 8. Here, when the voice / data communication mode by the CDMA system is set by a predetermined operation, the monitor external terminal 8 is connected to the transmission / reception circuit 11 and transmits the signal from the transmission circuit 17 using the external antenna as the main antenna. At the same time, the reception circuit A16 receives the CDMA reception signal, and at the same time, the antenna B7 is connected to the reception circuit B12. The antenna B7 is used to receive the CDMA signal by the reception circuit B12. Are combined after detection to increase the stable reception and transmission rate. When the GPS reception mode for receiving a GPS signal from a GPS satellite by a predetermined operation is set, the monitor external terminal 8 is connected to the GPS receiving circuit 10 and the external antenna is used as a main antenna to perform GPS. A signal is being received.

  Next, a description will be given of the evaluation of the internal circuit using the monitor external terminal 8. The procedure for setting the evaluation state is that the user first connects the connector to the monitor external terminal 8 and then selects the external terminal mode and the evaluation circuit from the menu, whereby the evaluation mode of each transmission / reception circuit which is an internal circuit is selected. It becomes. When the GPS receiver circuit 10 is evaluated, the GPS signal input from the monitor external terminal 8 is received by the GPS receiver circuit 10 and the reception result is obtained to evaluate the performance. At the time of evaluation of the transmission / reception circuit 11, the reception circuit A16 receives a CDMA signal input from the monitor external terminal 8, and takes out the transmission signal from the transmission circuit 17 from the monitor external terminal 8 to obtain the respective results. To evaluate the performance. When evaluating the receiving circuit B12, the receiving circuit B12 receives a CDMA signal input from the monitor external terminal 8 and obtains a reception result to evaluate the performance.

Next, details of the changeover switch in the switch circuit 9 according to the first embodiment of the present invention and changeover control for the operation mode will be described in detail with reference to FIGS. FIG. 3 is a detailed circuit diagram of the changeover switch of the switch circuit 9 according to the first embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 4 is a switch control table showing the state of the changeover switch control according to the operation mode according to the first embodiment of the present invention. An embodiment will be shown. Switching is performed by switching 8 switches and 4 control lines so that SW1, SW2 and SW3 and SW4 are in reverse relation, and SW5, SW6 and SW7 and SW8 are also in reverse relation. In order to control the system, the system can be shared, and it can be shared with and without connection, so that four types of switch ON / OFF states can be realized. Since this configuration can be realized by using two general-purpose DPDT (Dual Pole Double Throw) switches, 2-bit control is possible, and space saving and control processing load reduction are possible.
First, the normal use state in which the connection detection unit 14 has not detected the connector connection will be described. In the GPS reception mode, when GPS is received from a GPS satellite (antenna A), SW3 and SW4 of the antenna switch A18 are ON, so that the GPS signal received by the antenna A6 is sent to the GPS receiving circuit 10 via SW3. Supplied. During GPS reception (antenna B), SW1 and SW2 of antenna switch A18 and SW7 and SW8 of antenna switch B19 are ON, so that the GPS signal received by antenna B7 is sent to GPS reception circuit 10 via SW8 and SW2. Supplied. During voice and data communication, SW1 and SW2 of the antenna switch A18 are ON, so that the CDMA signal received by the antenna A6 is supplied to the transmission / reception circuit 11 via SW1 and at the same time the SW5 of the antenna switch B19. Since SW6 is ON, the CDMA signal received by the antenna B7 is supplied to the receiving circuit B12 via SW6. Here, during a voice call, the power supply control means 13 turns off the power supply of the receiving circuit B12 to save power.

  Next, the state of the external connection mode in which the connection detection unit 14 detects the connection of the connector will be described. First, transmission / reception when an external antenna is connected will be described. When the voice / data communication mode by the CDMA system is selected, the operation mode of the transmission / reception circuit monitor is set, and the SW3 and SW4 of the antenna switch A18 and the SW5 and SW6 of the antenna switch B19 are ON. The CDMA signal is supplied to the receiving circuit A16 via SW5 and SW4, and the transmission signal from the transmitting circuit 17 is supplied to the monitor external terminal 8 via SW4 and SW5, and at the same time, the CDMA input from the antenna B7. The system signal is supplied to the receiving circuit B12 via SW6. Further, when the GPS reception mode is set, the operation mode of the GPS reception circuit monitor is set, and SW1 and SW2 of the antenna switch A18 and SW5 and SW6 of the antenna switch B19 are turned on, so that the signals are input from the monitor external terminal 8. The GPS signal is supplied to the GPS receiving circuit 10 via SW5 and SW2.

  Next, the evaluation time of the transmission / reception circuit which is an internal circuit will be described. At the time of monitoring the receiving circuit B12, SW7 and SW8 of the antenna switch B19 are ON, so the CDMA signal input from the monitoring external terminal 8 is supplied to the receiving circuit B12 via SW7. When the transmission / reception circuit 11 is monitored, SW3 and SW4 of the antenna switch A18 and SW5 and SW6 of the antenna switch B19 are ON, so that a CDMA signal input from the monitor external terminal 8 is received by the reception circuit A16 via SW5 and SW4. The transmission signal from the transmission circuit 17 is supplied to the monitor external terminal 8 via SW4 and SW5. When the GPS receiving circuit 10 is monitored, SW1 and SW2 of the antenna switch A18 and SW5 and SW6 of the antenna switch B19 are ON, so that the GPS signal input from the monitor external terminal 8 is transmitted to the GPS receiving circuit via SW5 and SW2. 10 is supplied.

  As described above, by adopting the circuit configuration of the switch circuit 9 shown in the first embodiment, the eight switches are not the eight control lines but the four control lines are reversed by SW1, SW2, SW3, and SW4. Further, SW5, SW6 and SW7, SW8 are also reversed, so that it can be realized with substantially 2 bits and space can be saved. Further, eight kinds of operation modes can be realized with four kinds of switch ON / OFF states, and the processing of the control means can be lightened. Since this configuration can be realized by using two general-purpose DPDT switches, 2-bit control is possible, and space saving and control processing load reduction are possible. As described above, the antenna A6, the antenna B7, the monitor external terminal 8, the GPS reception circuit 10, the transmission / reception circuit 11, and the reception circuit B12 can be optimally connected in accordance with the operation mode. Further, during a voice call, power can be saved by turning off the power of the receiving circuit B12.

  Details of the changeover switch in the switch circuit 9 according to the second embodiment of the present invention and switching control for the operation mode will be described in detail with reference to FIGS. FIG. 5 is a detailed circuit diagram of the changeover switch of the switch circuit 9 according to the second embodiment of the present invention, and FIG. 4 is a switch control table showing the state of the changeover switch control according to the operation mode according to the second embodiment of the present invention. An embodiment will be shown. In this embodiment, it is assumed that the antenna B7 is reduced in size corresponding to the signal band used in the CDMA system. Switching is performed by controlling six switches with six control lines, so that the connection can be made common with and without, and three types of switch ON / OFF states can be realized.

  First, the normal use state in which the connection detection unit 14 has not detected the connector connection will be described. At the time of voice and data communication, SW11, SW12, and SW13 are ON, so that the CDMA signal received by the antenna A6 is supplied to the transmission / reception circuit 11 via the SW11 and at the same time the signal received by the antenna B7. Is supplied to the receiving circuit B12 via SW13. At the time of GPS reception from a GPS satellite (antenna A), SW13, SW14, and SW15 are ON, so that the GPS signal received by antenna A6 is supplied to the GPS receiving circuit 10 via SW14.

  Next, the state of the external connection mode in which the connection detection unit 14 detects the connection of the connector will be described. First, transmission / reception when an external antenna is connected will be described. In the case of data transmission / reception or voice call by the CDMA system, the operation mode of the transmission / reception circuit monitor is set, and SW13, SW14, and SW15 are ON, so the CDMA system signal input from the monitor external terminal 8 is sent via SW15. While being supplied to the receiving circuit A16, the signal from the transmitting circuit 17 is supplied to the monitoring external terminal 8 via SW15, and at the same time, the CDMA signal input from the antenna B7 is supplied to the receiving circuit B12 via SW13. Is done. When the GPS reception mode is set, the operation mode of the GPS reception circuit monitor is set, and SW11, SW12, and SW13 are ON, so that the GPS signal input from the monitor external terminal 8 is transmitted to the GPS reception circuit via the SW12. 10 is supplied.

  Next, the evaluation time of the transmission / reception circuit which is an internal circuit will be described. When the GPS receiver circuit 10 is monitored, SW11, SW12, and SW13 are ON, so that the GPS signal input from the monitor external terminal 8 is supplied to the GPS receiver circuit 10 via SW12. When the transmission / reception circuit 11 is monitored, SW13, SW14, and SW15 are ON, so that the CDMA signal input from the monitor external terminal 8 is supplied to the reception circuit A16 via SW15 and the signal from the transmission circuit 17 is It is supplied to the monitor external terminal 8 via SW15. When receiving circuit B12 is monitored, SW11 and SW16 are ON, so the CDMA signal input from monitor external terminal 8 is supplied to receiving circuit B12 via SW16.

  As described above, the circuit configuration of the switch circuit 9 shown in the second embodiment realizes space saving with six switching switches and realizes six types of operation modes with three types of switch ON / OFF states. The processing of the control means can be lightened. In this way, in conjunction with the miniaturization of the antenna B7, the connection can be optimized and realized with various kinds of switch ON / OFF states, and the processing of the control means can be lightened. The mobile phone can be reduced in size and cost.

  The power saving control in the data communication mode according to the third embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to FIG. FIG. 7 shows an example of a flowchart of a processing flow of power saving control in the data communication mode according to the third embodiment of the present invention. When the data communication mode is set by a predetermined operation (step 71), the state of the radio wave intensity or the like is monitored and compared with a predetermined value to determine whether the radio wave condition is good (step 72). When the radio wave condition is good, it is determined that the desired transmission rate is secured by the signal from the antenna A6 which is the main antenna, and the power supply control means 13 turns off the power of the receiving circuit B12 to save power. If the radio wave condition is poor in step 72, it is determined that the desired transmission rate cannot be secured only by the main antenna, and the power supply of the receiving circuit B12 is turned on (step 74). Thereafter, in step 75, it is determined whether or not the data communication mode has ended. If the data communication mode has not ended, the process returns to step 72 to monitor the radio wave condition, and repeats switching the power control of the receiving circuit B12. With such processing, when the radio wave condition is good even in the data communication mode and a high transmission rate can be ensured, power can be saved by turning off the power of the receiving circuit B12.

  Here, the predetermined value used as the determination criterion in step 72 is determined as follows. In the CDMA 2000 1xEV-DO system, a high transmission rate is ensured when the radio field intensity is high, and the transmission rate decreases as the radio field intensity decreases. For this reason, when the radio field intensity is low, the transmission rate is increased by combining the signal from the main antenna using the received signal from the sub-antenna. Since there is a correlation between the radio field intensity of the main antenna and the transmission rate, the radio field intensity required to secure the transmission rate desired by the user is determined, and the value is set as a predetermined value that is a determination criterion in step 72. The desired transmission rate may be set by the user with the operation button 3. Further, it may be calculated based on the data amount of data to be transmitted / received.

  In this embodiment, the determination criterion in step 72 is the radio wave condition, but other determination criteria may be used. For example, the power supply of the receiving circuit B12 may be turned off when the remaining amount of the battery is low based on the remaining amount of the battery. Thereby, when the battery remaining amount is low, the power consumption can be reduced and the operation time can be extended.

  Further, ON / OFF of the receiving circuit B may be set by a user operation. As a result, a user who does not use much data communication can always turn off the receiving circuit B12, so that the usage time can be extended due to power saving.

1 is an external view of a CDMA mobile phone according to an embodiment. FIG. The block diagram of the receiving block of the mobile telephone by an Example. The detailed circuit diagram of the changeover switch in the switch circuit 9 which is the 1st Embodiment by this invention. The switch control table which shows the state of the changeover switch control by the operation mode which is 1st Embodiment by this invention. The detailed circuit diagram of the changeover switch in the switch circuit 9 which is the 2nd Embodiment by this invention. The switch control table which shows the state of the changeover switch control by the operation mode which is the 2nd Embodiment by this invention. Flowchart of processing flow of power saving control in data communication mode according to the third embodiment of the present invention

Explanation of symbols

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 ... Display part, 2 ... Case with display part, 3 ... Operation button, 4 ... Case with operation button,
5 ... hinge part, 6 ... antenna A (main), 7 ... antenna B (sub),
8 ... external terminal for monitoring, 9 ... switch circuit, 10 ... GPS receiving circuit, 11 ... transmission / reception circuit, 12 ... receiving circuit B, 13 ... power supply control means, 14 ... connection detection means, 15 ... duplexer,
16 ... receiving circuit A, 17 ... transmitting circuit, 18 ... antenna switch A,
19 ... Antenna switch B

Claims (3)

A first antenna that performs radio communication, a transmission / reception circuit that performs signal communication with a base station via the first antenna, and a GPS that receives a signal from a GPS satellite via the first antenna In a mobile terminal equipped with a receiving circuit,
A receiving circuit for receiving a signal from the base station;
A second antenna different from the first antenna;
A portable terminal comprising switch means for switching connection between the first antenna, the second antenna, the transmission / reception circuit, the GPS reception circuit, and the reception circuit in accordance with an operation mode. The mobile terminal according to claim 1, wherein
A monitor external terminal, and a connection detection means for detecting that a connector is connected to the monitor external terminal;
When it is detected that the connector is connected by the connection connection means and the external terminal mode is set by a predetermined operation, the switch means connects the external terminal for monitoring, the transmission / reception circuit, the GPS reception circuit, and the reception circuit. A portable terminal characterized by switching in accordance with the operation mode. The portable terminal according to claim 1 or 2,
Providing a power control means for turning off the power of the receiving circuit;
When the operation mode is voice communication, the power supply control means turns off the power supply of the receiving circuit.

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