JP2011018988A - Wireless communication device and antenna control method - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide antenna control which, based on user's viewpoint, obtains a required reception sensitivity when the user requires it, and reduces power consumption when the user does not require it.SOLUTION: In a wireless communication system including a plurality of antennas 11a, 11b, 11c, and 11d, a control part for selecting the number of antennas for use out of the plurality of antennas, and an input means 14 for accepting user's setting, the control part 13 is configured so as to select the number of antennas for use out of the plurality of antennas on the basis of user's setting. With respect to user's setting, a reception sensitivity priority mode, a power consumption priority mode, and a reception sensitivity-power consumption balance mode are provided, and the system changes the number of antennas for use on a moment-to-moment basis in accordance with this setting.

Description

  The present invention relates to a radio communication apparatus and a control method therefor, and more particularly to a radio communication apparatus and a reception antenna control method that include a plurality of receive antennas and switch the number of receive antennas to be used from time to time according to circumstances and needs.

  In a wireless communication device, a plurality of reception antennas may be mounted on the reception device in order to improve reception performance. In this configuration, each antenna is connected to the power feeding circuit, and only the antenna to which power is supplied from the power feeding circuit can receive a signal. Use of multiple antennas increases reception sensitivity, but has the disadvantage of increasing power consumption.

  As an approach for suppressing the power consumption of such a multi-antenna receiving apparatus, there is a control to switch the number of receiving antennas used according to the receiving sensitivity. In other words, if the reception sensitivity is good, the number of antennas to be used is reduced, and if the reception sensitivity is deteriorated, the number of antennas to be used is increased, so that unnecessary power consumption is suppressed while maintaining the reception sensitivity (for example, patents) References 1 to 3).

  The technique of Patent Document 1 includes a plurality of reception antennas, and reduces the number of antennas according to reception quality. In the technique of Patent Document 2, the number of transmission / reception antennas is controlled based on the propagation path state of a radio signal and the nature of transmitted information. The nature of this information includes various types of information such as binary data, images (moving images), audio, and streaming data that distributes information to a large number of people, and information obtained by adding priority set for each user to these information. Is described. In the technique of Patent Document 3, many antennas are connected to a wireless communication unit that performs communication at a high communication rate, and few antennas are connected to a wireless communication unit that performs communication at a low communication rate.

JP 2002-77010 A (particularly paragraph 0031) Japanese Patent Laying-Open No. 2003-332956 (particularly paragraphs 0019 and 0036) JP 2006-54710 A (particularly paragraphs 0022 and 0030)

  However, each of the above techniques switches the number of receiving antennas according to the receiving sensitivity, and the receiving sensitivity is controlled regardless of the actual user's intention and the usage status of the apparatus. For this reason, there has been a problem that redundant control is performed to increase the reception sensitivity even when the user does not want it or is not necessary. That is, for example, in a situation where the mobile phone is less charged and cannot be charged immediately, the user may want to give priority to the longer remaining battery power even if the reception sensitivity is poor. Further, for example, when the user is sleeping or for some reason, the mobile phone may be left unattended, and during that time there is no intention to perform data communication such as downloading. Even in such a situation, increasing the reception sensitivity using many antennas may cause unnecessary power consumption.

  In order to solve the above-described problems, an object of the present invention is to provide antenna control that obtains necessary reception sensitivity when a user needs it and suppresses power consumption when it is not necessary, from the viewpoint of the user. Therefore, the device judges the usage situation of the user and the operation mode desired by the user, and performs switching control of the number of receiving antennas according to the user's needs, realizing power saving of the receiving device more suited to the actual situation It is characterized by doing.

  The wireless communication apparatus of the present invention includes a plurality of antennas, a control unit that selects the number of antennas to be used among the plurality of antennas, and an input unit that receives a user setting, and the control unit includes the user The most important feature is that the number of antennas to be used is selected based on the setting of.

  In this wireless communication apparatus, the setting of the user includes at least a reception sensitivity priority mode and a power saving priority mode, and the control unit operates in the reception sensitivity priority mode when operating in the power saving priority mode. It is desirable to select the number of antennas equal to or less than the number selected in the case.

  It is preferable that the control unit further determines the number of antennas to be used among the plurality of antennas based on an operating state of the wireless communication device.

  The operation state of the wireless communication device includes at least an input operation from the input unit and a state without the input operation, and the control unit is configured to operate when the operation state is a state without the input operation. It is desirable to select a smaller number of antennas than the state in which the operation state is the input operation.

  In one embodiment of the present invention, the control unit may switch the control to the power saving priority mode when a remaining battery level of the device becomes a predetermined level or less.

  According to the present invention, the number of antennas to be used is changed based on information set by the user. Therefore, it is possible to realize an operation that meets the user's needs according to the circumstances at that time.

  In addition, if the user can set the operation mode of the device to at least the reception sensitivity priority mode or the power saving priority mode, the reception sensitivity priority mode increases the number of antennas to ensure high reception sensitivity, and the power saving priority mode The battery driving time can be prolonged by reducing the number of antennas as much as possible.

  Furthermore, if the operating state of the wireless communication device is used as a parameter for selecting the number of antennas, it is not necessary to increase the reception sensitivity, for example, when the user is leaving the wireless communication device while sleeping or taking a bath. Under circumstances, it is possible to avoid a situation where the number of antennas is increased redundantly.

  For example, if the number of antennas is increased or decreased depending on whether or not an input operation is performed on the wireless communication device, unnecessary power consumption can be reduced by reducing the number of antennas when the wireless communication device is left and there is no input operation. Can be reduced.

  Furthermore, when the remaining battery level is equal to or lower than a predetermined level, if the mode is automatically switched to the power saving priority mode, the apparatus can be used for a long time without being interrupted in a situation where the remaining battery level is low.

It is the schematic which shows the structure of one Embodiment of the radio | wireless communication apparatus concerning this invention. 3 is a flowchart for explaining an embodiment of the operation of the wireless communication apparatus shown in FIG. 1. 3 is a flowchart for explaining an embodiment of the operation of the wireless communication apparatus shown in FIG. 1. It is a figure which shows one Embodiment of a user setting screen.

  EMBODIMENT OF THE INVENTION The form for implementing this invention is demonstrated in detail below, referring an accompanying drawing. FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram showing the configuration of an embodiment of a wireless communication apparatus according to the present invention. As shown in FIG. 1, the wireless communication device 1 includes four antennas 11a-11d, a communication control unit 12 that controls the operation of these antennas 11a-11d, and an antenna switching control unit that switches the number of antennas used. 13 and user input means 14. The wireless communication apparatus 1 may be, for example, a mobile phone, a personal computer or a communication device that is a related part thereof, a PDA, or any other apparatus that performs wireless communication. In order to facilitate understanding of the description, FIG. 1 shows only components that are characteristic portions of the present invention. However, in addition to these components, the wireless communication device 1 is necessary for the device to function. Various known elements.

  The antennas 11a to 11d are respectively connected to a power feeding circuit (not shown), and only the antenna that is supplied with power from the power feeding circuit under the control of the communication control unit 12 can receive signals. Here, the antennas 11a to 11d may be either transmission antennas or reception antennas, but in the description of the present embodiment, the antennas 11a to 11d are described as being reception antennas. Using multiple reception antennas increases reception sensitivity but also increases power consumption. According to the present invention, the number of antennas to be used is switched based on information set by the user, and an operation closer to the user's needs is realized.

  The communication control unit 12 receives control information from the antenna switching control unit 13 and connects / disconnects each receiving antenna 11a-11d and a power feeding circuit (not shown). Further, the communication control unit 12 determines the reception sensitivity at each time from the reception data obtained from the antennas 11 a to 11 d and reports it to the antenna switching control unit 13. Further, when the wireless communication device 1 performs high-speed / low-speed data communication, the information is also notified from the communication control unit 12 to the antenna switching control unit 13. The user input means 14 is not limited, but may be any of various known input means such as an input key, a touch panel, and various computer mice. When there is an input operation, the information is notified to the antenna switching control unit 13. Is done. As will be described later, these pieces of information are considered when the antenna switching control unit 13 determines the number of antennas to be used as the “operating state” of the wireless communication device 1.

  The antenna switching control unit 13 executes a preset operation program (not shown) and selects the number of antennas to be used at that time. During normal control, antenna control is performed according to reception sensitivity. That is, in this example in which the number of antennas is four, the reception sensitivity range is divided into four stages in advance (that is, three threshold values are set). Then, all four antennas are used in the fourth stage where the reception sensitivity reported from the communication control unit 12 is the lowest, and three antennas are used in the third stage, and two antennas are received in the second stage. In the first stage with the highest sensitivity, only one antenna is used. In this manner, when the reception sensitivity is high, good communication can be realized even with a small number of antennas, so that power consumption can be suppressed by reducing the number of antennas. The control method at the time of the normal control is a conventionally known technique, and detailed description such as setting of a threshold for dividing each stage is omitted in this specification. The feature of the present invention is not the normal control but the point that the number of antennas is switched based on the information set by the user and the operation is performed more in line with the user's needs.

  Further, the antenna switching control unit 13 accepts the input setting of the operation mode from the user input unit 14 and stores it in the memory 15 as the current operation mode. Although not shown, the wireless communication apparatus 1 includes output means such as a liquid crystal display that presents the user with operation mode options, and accepts user setting input via the user input means 14.

  Next, information that can be set by the user in the wireless communication apparatus of the present invention and an example of control by the antenna switching control unit 13 based on the information will be described in detail with reference to FIGS. FIG. 2-3 is a flowchart for explaining an embodiment of the antenna switching control method of the present invention, and FIG. 4 is an example of a terminal screen corresponding to this embodiment. In the wireless communication apparatus of the present embodiment, the user selects (A) power saving priority mode, (B) power / reception sensitivity balance mode, (C) reception sensitivity priority mode on the setting screen shown in FIG. Can be set to either. This selection can be easily realized by the user through means such as a radio button or a pull-down menu via the input means 14. The antenna switching control unit 13 stores this information in the memory 15.

  As shown in FIG. 2, when the reception sensitivity priority mode is set by the user (step S1: Yes), the antenna switching control unit 13 is the maximum number of reception antennas that can be used, “level 4 (four in this example). ) ”Is sent to the communication control unit 12. As a result, the communication control unit 12 can connect all four antennas to the power feeding circuit and obtain the best reception sensitivity.

  On the other hand, when the power saving priority mode is selected by the user (step S2: Yes), information on the operation state of the apparatus is acquired from the communication control unit 12 or the user input unit 14. The information on the apparatus operating state is not limited, but the information obtained in the present embodiment is, for example, (a) data communication has failed a plurality of times or out of service area, (b) during high speed data communication, (c) low speed During data communication, (d) no input from the input means is set.

  As a result, the antenna switching control unit 13 sets “level 4 (4)”, which is the maximum number of receiving antennas that can be used, when the data communication in (a) has failed / out of service multiple times (step S3: Yes). Select to enable even a little data communication. When the high-speed data communication in (b) is being performed (step S4: Yes), the number of antennas to be used is selected as “level 3 (three in this example)”. When the low-speed data communication in (c) is being performed (step S5: Yes), the number of antennas to be used is selected as “level 2 (two in this example)”. As a result, it is possible to obtain power saving by reducing the number of antennas used while ensuring the sensitivity required for high-speed / low-speed data communication. Further, when the device is not operated by the user (d) in the no-input state (step S6: Yes), for example, it can be assumed that the user is sleeping and the terminal is left unattended. The number is selected as “level 1 (1 in this example)” so as to minimize power consumption. When neither of the above states is satisfied, the above-described normal control, that is, control for determining the number of antennas to be used according to the reception sensitivity is performed (step S10).

  In addition, when the power / reception sensitivity balance mode is selected by the user (step S2: No), the antenna switching control unit 13 acquires apparatus operating state information in the same manner as described above. As a result, if (a) data communication is failing multiple times or out of service area, or (b) high-speed data communication is in progress (step S7: Yes), “Level 4 ( 4) ”. If the low-speed data communication in (c) is being performed (step S8: Yes), the number of antennas to be used is selected as “level 3 (3)”. In addition, (d) when there is no input state (step S9: Yes), the number of antennas to be used is selected as “level 1 (one)” to suppress power consumption as much as possible. If it is not in any of these states, normal control is performed in which the number of antennas to be used is determined according to reception sensitivity (step S10).

  In determining whether or not high-speed / low-speed data communication is in progress or no input state (steps S4-S6, S8-S9), a predetermined period (for example, 30 seconds to 30 seconds or more) after the last data communication or input operation is performed Before a few minutes), it is handled as data communication or with input. Even when packet communication or input button pressing is not instantaneously performed at the moment of determination, there is a high possibility that communication / input is resumed within a predetermined period from the last communication / input. Even in such a case, the antenna switching control unit 13 maintains the antenna sensitivity without reducing the number of antennas by giving a time width to the data communication or the input operation and making the determination.

  As described above, according to the intention of the user, power consumption increases in the reception sensitivity priority mode, but the best reception sensitivity is always obtained. In the power saving priority mode, when other conditions are the same, the number of antennas to be used is set to be equal to or less than that in the reception sensitivity priority mode, and the power consumption is suppressed as much as possible although the reception sensitivity is slightly lowered. In the reception sensitivity / power saving balance mode, when other conditions are the same, the number of antennas to be used is equal to or less than the reception sensitivity priority mode and higher than the power saving priority mode. Specifically, in the embodiment of FIG. 2, (a) all modes are equivalent at level 4 when data communication is failed multiple times or out of service area, and (b) reception sensitivity is prioritized during high-speed data communication. Mode: Level 4 ≧ Balance mode: Level 4 ≧ Power saving priority mode: Level 3 (c) During low-speed data communication, reception sensitivity priority mode: Level 4 ≧ Balance mode: Level 3 ≧ Power saving priority mode: Level (D) In the no-input state, the reception sensitivity priority mode: level 4 ≧ balance mode: level 1 ≧ power saving priority mode: level 1 is satisfied. This makes it possible to operate the apparatus in accordance with the user's occasional needs, for example, a desire to have a longer remaining battery level, or to obtain the highest reception sensitivity for important data communication.

  This determination and switching of the number of antennas is performed periodically. Further, when the operation mode is switched by the user, the user setting can be reflected immediately.

  In the above embodiment, the radio communication apparatus having four antennas has been described. However, the number of antennas may be three or less or five or more. In this case, the number of antennas to be used is set in advance for each level (however, the number of antennas of level 4 ≧ the number of antennas of level 3 ≧ the number of antennas of level 2 ≧ the number of antennas of level 1) and the selected level The number of antennas corresponding to each is selected. Further, as described above, the control target of the present invention may be a transmission antenna as well as a reception antenna.

  In the above embodiment, it is determined whether or not the device is in the no-input state in steps S6 and S9, and the number of antennas used in the case of no-input is reduced to the lowest level 1, but instead the device is physically It is also possible to use a criterion such as whether the user is moving. For example, when the wireless communication device is a mobile communication terminal equipped with an acceleration sensor (not shown), if any displacement is detected, it is determined that the user is carrying and the reception sensitivity is set to a predetermined level. If the displacement is not detected for a predetermined period, the reception sensitivity may be controlled to the lowest level by determining that the terminal is left unattended. In addition, it is possible to determine whether or not the terminal is moving by using the position detecting means of the mobile communication terminal (by communication with GPS or base station) and switch the number of antennas to be used.

  Furthermore, in the above embodiment, the switching control of the number of antennas to be used is performed based on the operation mode selected by the user. Alternatively or additionally, the number of antennas can be determined depending on the remaining battery level of the wireless communication device. You may comprise so that control may be performed. That is, a threshold for switching control is set in advance in the remaining battery level, and when the remaining battery level is sufficient, control is performed in the reception sensitivity priority mode or the mode set by the user, and the remaining battery level is low. The terminal is controlled by switching to the power saving priority mode. Further, when the remaining battery level is not less than the first threshold and not more than the second threshold, the operation may be performed in the reception sensitivity / power saving balance mode. In such an embodiment, the user may be able to specify in advance the remaining battery level at which the mode is switched.

  Furthermore, the user may directly configure the number of antennas to be used by operating the wireless communication device. For example, when the user selects any one of 1-4 antennas on the screen of the wireless communication device, the wireless communication device performs a transmission / reception operation using the designated number of antennas.

  Further, when not all antennas are used, for example, when the number of antennas is level 1-3 in the embodiment shown in FIG. 2, antenna control that additionally takes reception sensitivity into account may be performed. . That is, in the state where the number of antennas determined according to the flowchart of FIG. 2 is 1-3, the antenna switching control unit 13 acquires information on reception sensitivity from the communication control unit 12, and the reception sensitivity is equal to or higher than a predetermined level. Decide to further reduce the number of antennas used by one or more. And / or it is determined that the number of antennas to be used is further increased by one or more when the reception sensitivity is below a predetermined level. In this way, in addition to information designated by the user, control may be performed in consideration of reception sensitivity.

  In the above embodiment, the operation mode is controlled in three stages. For example, the operation mode may be controlled in two stages without a balance mode, or finer control in four or more stages may be performed.

  The present invention can be used in the wireless communication industry, and is particularly applicable to wireless communication terminals such as mobile phones.

1 Radio communication terminals 11a, 11b, 11c, 11d Antenna 12 Communication control unit 13 Antenna switching control unit 14 User input means 15 Memory

Claims (16)

  A plurality of antennas; a control unit that selects the number of antennas to be used from among the plurality of antennas; and an input unit that receives a user setting, wherein the control unit is used based on the user setting. A wireless communication apparatus, wherein the number of antennas is selected.   2. The wireless communication apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the user setting includes at least a reception sensitivity priority mode and a power saving priority mode, and the control unit operates in the power saving priority mode. A wireless communication apparatus, wherein the number of antennas equal to or less than the number selected when operating in the priority mode is selected.   3. The wireless communication device according to claim 1, wherein the control unit further determines the number of antennas to be used among the plurality of antennas based on an operating state of the wireless communication device. apparatus.   4. The wireless communication device according to claim 3, wherein the operation state of the wireless communication device includes at least an input operation from the input unit and a state without the input operation, and the switching control unit includes the operation. When the state is a state without the input operation, the wireless communication device is characterized in that the number of antennas selected for the operation state is smaller than the state with the input operation.   5. The wireless communication device according to claim 2, wherein the control unit switches the control to the power saving priority mode when a remaining battery level of the device becomes a predetermined level or less. A wireless communication device.   A plurality of antennas; a control unit that selects the number of antennas to be used among the plurality of antennas; and a battery that drives the device, wherein the control unit uses the battery according to a remaining battery level. A wireless communication apparatus, wherein the number of antennas is selected.   A method for controlling an antenna in a wireless communication device comprising a plurality of antennas and an input means for accepting user settings, wherein the number of antennas to be used is selected from the plurality of antennas based on the user settings. A characteristic antenna control method.   8. The antenna control method according to claim 7, wherein the setting of the user includes at least a reception sensitivity priority mode and a power saving priority mode, and the method is performed when the wireless communication apparatus operates in a power saving priority mode. An antenna control method comprising: selecting the number of antennas equal to or less than the number selected when operating in the reception sensitivity priority mode.   9. The antenna control method according to claim 7, further comprising selecting a number of antennas to be used among the plurality of antennas based on an operation state of the wireless communication apparatus.   10. The antenna control method according to claim 9, wherein an operation state of the wireless communication device includes at least a state in which an input operation is performed from the input unit and a state in which the input operation is not performed. An antenna control method characterized by selecting a smaller number of antennas in the operation state than in the state with the input operation when there is no input operation.   The antenna control method according to any one of claims 8 to 10, further comprising switching control to the power saving priority mode when a remaining battery level of the device becomes a predetermined level or less. Method.   A program for controlling a wireless communication apparatus comprising a plurality of antennas and an input means for accepting user settings, the step of selecting the number of antennas to be used from among the plurality of antennas based on the user settings. A program executed by the wireless communication apparatus.   13. The program according to claim 12, wherein the user setting includes at least a reception sensitivity priority mode and a power saving priority mode, and the program receives the reception when the wireless communication apparatus operates in the power saving priority mode. A program that causes the wireless communication apparatus to execute a step of selecting the number of antennas equal to or less than the number of antennas selected when operating in the sensitivity priority mode.   The program according to claim 12 or 13, further comprising causing the wireless communication device to execute a step of selecting the number of antennas to be used among the plurality of antennas based on an operation state of the wireless communication device. Program to do.   15. The program according to claim 14, wherein the operation state of the wireless communication device includes at least a state in which an input operation from the input unit is present and a state in which the input operation is not present, and the program has the operation state as the input state. When there is no operation, the program causes the wireless communication device to execute a step of selecting a smaller number of antennas than the state in which the input operation is in the operation state. The program according to any one of claims 13 to 15, further causing the wireless communication device to execute a step of switching control to the power saving priority mode when a remaining battery level of the device becomes a predetermined level or less. A program characterized by that.

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