WO2013018590A1

WO2013018590A1 - Wireless communication apparatus

Info

Publication number: WO2013018590A1
Application number: PCT/JP2012/068739
Authority: WO
Inventors: 彰一設楽
Original assignee: シャープ株式会社
Priority date: 2011-07-29
Filing date: 2012-07-24
Publication date: 2013-02-07
Also published as: JP2013031135A

Abstract

A wireless communication apparatus (1) is provided with: a first wireless communication unit (11) and a second wireless communication unit (13), which perform wireless communication at one time; and a third wireless communication unit (15), which performs wireless communication. The third wireless communication unit (15) and the first wireless communication unit (11) share an antenna (111) and/or a part of a wireless communication circuit that processes wireless communication signals to be transmitted from and received by the antenna (111).

Description

Wireless communication equipment

The present invention relates to a wireless communication device that performs communication at a plurality of frequencies and has a small wireless communication circuit.

In recent years, carrier aggregation (see Carrier Aggregation, Non-Patent Document 1) is used as a technique for performing simultaneous communication at a plurality of frequencies.

For example, Patent Document 1 describes a wireless communication device that distributes data to a plurality of transmission units respectively corresponding to a plurality of frequencies, and matches the timing of transmitting the distributed data for each predetermined period.

Japanese Patent Publication “Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 2010-41687 (published on Feb. 18, 2010)”

However, in the conventional technology as described above, in a wireless communication device that supports three or more frequencies, there is a possibility that the scale of a circuit configured in the wireless communication device increases.

For example, when you are in an area that does not support carrier aggregation, such as when you are in an area that does not communicate at the same time and does not support any of the multiple frequencies that the wireless communication device supports, When the frequency used for carrier aggregation is different from the frequency supported by the wireless communication device, or when any frequency is congested and communication is not possible, the frequency that can be used in the area is set. A corresponding communication circuit is further required.

This can be explained with reference to the drawings as follows. FIG. 7 is a block diagram illustrating an example of the configuration of the wireless communication device 10 that supports carrier aggregation. The wireless communication device 10 illustrated in FIG. 7 performs communication simultaneously at two different frequencies (frequency f0 and frequency f1). In order to perform communication at the frequency f0, the wireless communication device 10 includes an S / P conversion unit 102a, an IFFT unit 103a, a CP insertion unit 104a, a D / A conversion unit 105a, a frequency conversion unit 106a, and an antenna 107a. And. Further, in order to perform communication at the frequency f1, the wireless communication device 10 includes an S / P conversion unit 102b, an IFFT unit 103b, a CP insertion unit 104b, a D / A conversion unit 105b, a frequency conversion unit 106b, And an antenna 107b.

When it is attempted to add a configuration for performing communication at a frequency different from the above two frequencies to the wireless communication device 10, an S / P conversion unit, an IFFT unit, a CP insertion unit, a D / A corresponding to the different frequencies. Communication circuits such as a conversion unit, a frequency conversion unit, and an antenna are further required.

Thus, according to the prior art, a radio communication circuit corresponding to each frequency for communication is configured in the radio communication device (wireless communication device). For this reason, the scale of the wireless communication circuit configured in the wireless communication apparatus corresponding to a plurality of frequencies is increased, and the conventional technology has problems such as an increase in the size of the wireless communication apparatus and an increase in cost.

The present invention has been made in view of the above problems, and a main object thereof is to realize a wireless communication device that supports a plurality of frequencies and has a small size of a wireless communication circuit.

In order to solve the above problems, the present invention provides a first and second wireless communication means for simultaneously performing wireless communication at different frequencies, and a frequency different from that of the first and second wireless communication means. A third wireless communication means for performing wireless communication, wherein the third wireless communication means and the first wireless communication means include an antenna provided in the first wireless communication means, and It is characterized in that at least a part of a wireless communication circuit that processes a wireless communication signal transmitted and received by an antenna is shared.

If you are using wireless communication devices that can communicate at different frequencies at the same time and you do not communicate at the same time (for example, you are in an area where you cannot communicate with the first wireless communication means) Since the first wireless communication means constituting such a wireless communication device does not perform communication, it becomes an unnecessary circuit or antenna.

According to the above configuration, when the first wireless communication unit does not perform communication, communication can be performed with an additional number of frequencies different from the plurality of frequencies. Further, the third wireless communication means includes a first wireless communication means that becomes unnecessary when the first wireless communication means does not perform communication, and a member that constitutes the first wireless communication means. Since at least one is shared, unnecessary circuits can be reduced.

Therefore, in order to configure the third wireless communication means, no additional members or antennas constituting the wireless communication circuit are added, so that low cost and space saving can be realized.

According to the wireless communication device of the present invention, the first and second wireless communication means for simultaneously performing wireless communication at mutually different frequencies, and wireless communication at a frequency different from the first and second wireless communication means. The third wireless communication means, the third wireless communication means, the first wireless communication means, the antenna provided in the first wireless communication means, and the antenna By sharing at least a part of the wireless communication circuit that processes wireless communication signals to be transmitted and received, unnecessary circuits can be reduced, and the effect of realizing low cost and space saving can be achieved.

1 is a block diagram showing an outline of a wireless communication device in Embodiment 1. FIG. FIG. 6 is a block diagram illustrating an outline of a wireless communication device according to a second embodiment. FIG. 10 is a block diagram illustrating an outline of a wireless communication device according to a third embodiment. FIG. 10 is a block diagram illustrating an outline of a wireless communication device according to a fourth embodiment. It is the flowchart which showed the flow of the cell search which the radio | wireless communication apparatus in this invention performs. 5 is a flowchart showing a flow of handover during carrier aggregation in the wireless communication device according to the present invention. It is the block diagram which showed an example of the structure of the radio | wireless communication apparatus corresponding to a carrier aggregation.

Embodiment 1
Hereinafter, it will be as follows if one Embodiment (Embodiment 1) of this invention is described with reference to FIG.

(Outline of wireless communication device 1)
FIG. 1 is a block diagram illustrating an outline of a wireless communication device 1 according to the present embodiment. As illustrated in FIG. 1, the wireless communication device 1 includes a first wireless communication unit (first wireless communication unit) 11, a second wireless communication unit (second wireless communication unit) 13, and a third wireless communication. Section (third wireless communication means) 15, modulation / demodulation processing section 16 and CPU section 17.

The first wireless communication unit 11 includes a circuit (wireless communication circuit) for processing to perform communication at a frequency of 2 GHz band and an antenna, and is indicated by a broken line in FIG. The second wireless communication unit 13 includes a circuit (wireless communication circuit) for processing to perform communication at a frequency of 850 MHz band and an antenna, and is indicated by a dotted line in FIG. The third wireless communication unit 15 includes a circuit (wireless communication circuit) for processing that performs communication at a frequency of 1.7 GHz band and an antenna, and is indicated by a one-dot chain line in FIG. Details of each wireless communication unit (high frequency unit) will be described later.

The modulation / demodulation processing unit 16 performs signal processing such as filtering, modulation / demodulation processing, and encoding / decoding processing. The CPU unit 17 controls the entire wireless communication device 1.

Note that the wireless communication device 1 performs communication at the same time using the 2 GHz band frequency used by the first wireless communication unit 11 and the 850 MHz band frequency used by the second wireless communication unit 13.

(Configuration of the first wireless communication unit 11)
As shown in FIG. 1, the first wireless communication unit 11 includes an antenna 111, a duplexer 112, a power amplifier (power amplifier) 113, a mixer (frequency converter) 114, a local transmitter (frequency converter) 115, a D / A. Converter (signal converter) 116, low noise amplifier (low noise amplifier, LNA) 117, mixer (frequency converter) 118, local transmitter (frequency converter) 119, A / D converter (signal converter) 120 , A power monitor (power measuring device) 121, a switch (switching means) 123, and a switch (switching means) 124.

The D / A conversion unit 116 performs digital / analog conversion on the signal modulated by the modulation / demodulation processing unit 16. The local transmitter 115 generates a local frequency signal Lo. The mixer 114 multiplies the local frequency signal Lo by the signal digital-analog converted by the D / A converter 116. The power amplifier 113 amplifies the output signal of the mixer 114. The amplified transmission signal is transmitted from the antenna 111 via the duplexer 112.

Also, the received signal received from the antenna 111 is input to the low noise amplifier 117 via the duplexer 112. The low noise amplifier 117 amplifies the received signal. The local transmitter 119 generates a local frequency signal Lo. The mixer 118 multiplies the local frequency signal Lo by the reception signal amplified by the low noise amplifier 117. The A / D conversion unit 120 converts the output signal of the mixer 118 from analog to digital, and transmits the converted signal to the modulation / demodulation processing unit 16.

The power monitor 121 measures the transmission power from the power amplifier 113 and notifies the modulation / demodulation processing unit 16 of it.

The switch 123 and the switch 124 are for switching between the first wireless communication unit 11 and the third wireless communication unit 15.

(Configuration of second wireless communication unit 13)
As shown in FIG. 1, the second wireless communication unit 13 includes an antenna 131, a duplexer 132, a power amplifier 133, a mixer 134, a local transmitter 135, a D / A conversion unit 136, a low noise amplifier 137, a mixer 138, and local transmission. Machine 139, A / D converter 140 and power monitor 141.

Since each member constituting the second wireless communication unit 13 performs the same operation as each member constituting the first wireless communication unit 11, description thereof is omitted.

(Configuration of third wireless communication unit 15)
As shown in FIG. 1, the third wireless communication unit 15 includes an antenna 111, a mixer 114, a local transmitter 115, a D / A converter 116, a mixer 118, a local transmitter 119, an A / D converter 120, and a power monitor. 121, a switch 123, a switch 124, a duplexer 151, a power amplifier 152, and a low noise amplifier 153.

The duplexer 151, power amplifier 152, and low noise amplifier 153 perform the same operations as the duplexer 112, power amplifier 113, and low noise amplifier 117. As shown in FIG. 1, the third wireless communication unit 15 includes the first wireless communication unit 11, an antenna 111, a mixer 114, a local transmitter 115, a D / A conversion unit 116, a mixer 118, and a local transmission. Machine 119, A / D converter 120 and power monitor 121 are shared.

The switch 123 and the switch 124 are for switching between the first wireless communication unit 11 and the third wireless communication unit 15. For example, when the frequency at which communication can be performed is a 2 GHz band, the switch 123 and the switch 124 switch the connection destination to use the first wireless communication unit 11. When the frequency at which communication can be performed is in the 1.7 GHz band, the switch 123 and the switch 124 switch the connection destination so that the third wireless communication unit 15 is used. Thus, the switch 123 and the switch 124 can switch between the first wireless communication unit 11 and the third wireless communication unit 15 depending on the frequency used.

Thus, the wireless communication device 1 includes the first wireless communication unit 11 and the second wireless communication unit 13 which are separate systems, and can simultaneously perform wireless communication in different frequency bands. Thereby, for example, it is also possible to perform wireless communication in a wide band by performing carrier aggregation communication. In the present embodiment, the wireless communication device 1 has been described as an example including the first wireless communication unit 11 and the second wireless communication unit 13 that perform communication at two different frequencies. However, the wireless communication device 1 is not limited to this. The wireless communication device 1 only needs to include a plurality of wireless communication circuits for processing to perform simultaneous communication at a plurality of different frequencies, and may include three or more wireless communication units capable of simultaneous communication.

Further, it is explained that the frequencies at which the wireless communication device 1 communicates at the same time are the 2 GHz band frequency used by the first wireless communication unit 11 and the 850 MHz band frequency used by the second wireless communication unit 13. However, the frequency with which the wireless communication device 1 performs communication at the same time is not limited to this. The wireless communication device 1 may perform simultaneous communication using the 1.7 GHz band frequency used by the third wireless communication unit 15 and the 850 MHz band frequency used by the second wireless communication unit 13.

Moreover, the frequency with which the wireless communication device 1 communicates is not limited to the 2 GHz band, the 1.7 GHz band, and the 850 MHz band. These numerical values are examples, and other frequencies may be used.

The third wireless communication unit 15 includes the first wireless communication unit 11, the antenna 111, the mixer 114, the local transmitter 115, the D / A conversion unit 116, the mixer 118, the local transmitter 119, and the A / D conversion. Although the description has been given taking the example in which the unit 120 and the power monitor 121 are shared, the member shared by the third wireless communication unit 15 and the first wireless communication unit 11 is not limited to this. The third wireless communication unit 15 may be configured to share at least one of the above members, or may be configured to share each in combination.

As described above, according to the present embodiment, the first wireless communication unit 11 and the second wireless communication unit 13 for processing for performing simultaneous communication at a plurality of frequencies are different from the plurality of frequencies. In the wireless communication device 1 including the third wireless communication unit 15 that performs communication at a frequency (additional frequency), the third wireless communication unit 15 and the first wireless communication unit 11 are the first wireless communication unit 11. Is shared by at least one of members (members constituting the third wireless communication unit 15).

Here, even when using a wireless communication device capable of simultaneous communication at a plurality of frequencies, when communication is not performed at the same time (for example, in a region where communication cannot be performed simultaneously) There is. In such a case, a plurality of wireless communication circuits constituting such a wireless communication device do not perform communication, and thus become unnecessary circuits.

According to the above configuration, when communication is not performed at the plurality of frequencies, communication can be performed at the additional frequency. In addition, the third wireless communication unit 15 shares at least one of the members constituting the circuit with the wireless communication unit that becomes unnecessary when communication is not performed at the plurality of frequencies. Can be reduced.

Therefore, an extra member constituting the wireless communication circuit is not added, so that low cost and space saving can be realized.

(About frequency)
As described above, the first wireless communication unit 11 performs communication at a frequency of 2 GHz band, and the second wireless communication unit 13 performs communication at a frequency of 850 MHz band. When the frequency of the 1.7 GHz band with which the third wireless communication unit 15 performs communication is compared with the difference between the above frequencies, the frequency of the 2 GHz band used by the first wireless communication unit 11 becomes smaller.

As described above, the third wireless communication unit 15 has a difference between the frequency used by the first wireless communication unit 11 and the second wireless communication unit 13 and the frequency used by the third wireless communication unit 15. It is preferable to share at least one of the members constituting the first wireless communication unit 11 and the first wireless communication unit 11 that performs communication at a smaller frequency.

In general, when one device (for example, the first wireless communication unit 11 and the third wireless communication unit 15 including the antenna 111) widens the frequency band that can be used in order to support a plurality of frequencies, it corresponds. In many cases, it is better to create a device for each frequency band. However, a wireless communication device provided with a device corresponding to each frequency band has a problem that it is difficult to reduce the size because the number of components increases. In addition, when the frequency band of the device is wide, the uniformity of the device performance within the frequency band may be deteriorated.

Also, power amplifiers, mixers, and the like, as the usable frequencies differ, the deviation from the optimum impedance increases, and the uniformity of the gain performance of the device deteriorates or the distortion characteristics deteriorate. Furthermore, in order to improve this, there exists a problem that the area, power consumption, cost, etc. of a radio | wireless communication circuit will increase.

In addition, when a plurality of antennas having frequencies that can be used for wireless communication devices are provided close to each other, there is a problem that antenna characteristics deteriorate due to coupling between antennas.

According to the above configuration, the frequency band that can be used by one device can be narrowed (for example, in the case of the first wireless communication unit 11 and the third wireless communication unit 15, 1.5 GHz band to 2 GHz band) ), It is possible to prevent deterioration in uniformity of the gain performance of the device. In addition, with such a configuration, the design of the wireless communication circuit can be facilitated, so that the area of the wireless communication circuit can be reduced and downsizing can be realized.

In addition, since wireless communication circuits having similar usable frequencies share the members constituting the wireless communication circuit, each member (for example, an antenna, a local transmitter, a power amplifier, etc.) can be easily designed. Moreover, power consumption, cost, etc. can be reduced.

In addition, since the antenna is shared between the radio communication units having the frequencies close to each other, a plurality of antennas having the frequencies close to each other are not provided, and deterioration of antenna characteristics due to coupling between the antennas can be suppressed.

[Embodiment 2]
In the first embodiment, the case where one of a plurality of wireless communication units that perform simultaneous communication shares at least one of the additional wireless communication unit and the members constituting the wireless communication unit has been described as an example. However, the wireless communication units sharing the above members are not limited to one set. That is, a plurality of sets of wireless communication units may share the members constituting each unit.

Hereinafter, another embodiment (embodiment 2) of the present invention will be described with reference to FIG. For convenience of explanation, members having the same functions as those in the drawings described in the first embodiment are denoted by the same reference numerals and description thereof is omitted.

(Outline of wireless communication device 2)
FIG. 2 is a block diagram showing an outline of the wireless communication device 2 in the present embodiment. As shown in FIG. 2, the wireless communication device 2 includes a first wireless communication unit 11, a third wireless communication unit 15, a modulation / demodulation processing unit 16, a CPU unit 17, a second wireless communication unit (second wireless communication unit). Means) 21 and a fourth wireless communication unit (fourth wireless communication means) 23.

Here, the first wireless communication unit 11 is composed of a circuit and an antenna for processing to communicate at a frequency of 2 GHz band, and is indicated by a broken line in FIG. The third wireless communication unit 15 includes a circuit and an antenna for processing that performs communication at a frequency of 1.7 GHz, and is indicated by a one-dot chain line in FIG. The second wireless communication unit 21 includes a circuit and an antenna for processing to perform communication at a frequency of 850 MHz band, and is indicated by a dotted line in FIG. The fourth wireless communication unit 23 includes a circuit and an antenna for processing for performing communication at a frequency of 700 MHz, and is indicated by a two-dot chain line in FIG.

Note that the wireless communication device 2 communicates simultaneously with the frequency of the 2 GHz band used by the first wireless communication unit 11 and the frequency of the 850 MHz band used by the second wireless communication unit 21.

(Configuration of the second wireless communication unit 21)
As shown in FIG. 2, the second wireless communication unit 21 includes an antenna 211, a duplexer 212, a power amplifier 213, a mixer 214, a local transmitter 215, a D / A conversion unit 216, a low noise amplifier 217, a mixer 218, and a local transmission. Machine 219, A / D converter 220, power monitor 221, switch 223, and switch 224.

Since each member constituting the second wireless communication unit 21 performs the same operation as each of the members constituting the first wireless communication unit 11 described above, description thereof is omitted.

(Configuration of the fourth wireless communication unit 23)
As shown in FIG. 2, the fourth wireless communication unit 23 includes an antenna 211, a mixer 214, a local transmitter 215, a D / A converter 216, a mixer 218, a local transmitter 219, an A / D converter 220, and a power monitor. 221, a switch 223, a switch 224, a duplexer 231, a power amplifier 232, and a low noise amplifier 233.

The duplexer 231, the power amplifier 232, and the low noise amplifier 233 perform the same operations as the duplexer 112, the power amplifier 113, and the low noise amplifier 117. As shown in FIG. 2, the fourth wireless communication unit 23 includes the second wireless communication unit 21, the antenna 211, the mixer 214, the local transmitter 215, the D / A conversion unit 216, the mixer 218, and the local transmission. Machine 219, A / D converter 220 and power monitor 221 are shared.

The switch 223 and the switch 224 are for switching between the second wireless communication unit 21 and the fourth wireless communication unit 23. For example, when the frequency at which communication can be performed is in the 850 MHz band, the switch 223 and the switch 224 switch the connection destination so that the second wireless communication unit 21 is used. In addition, when the frequency at which communication is possible is in the 700 MHz band, the switch 223 and the switch 224 switch the connection destination so that the fourth wireless communication unit 23 is used. In this way, the switch 223 and the switch 224 can switch between the second wireless communication unit 21 and the fourth wireless communication unit 23 depending on the frequency used.

Note that, in the present embodiment, the wireless communication device 2 has been described as an example in which the wireless communication device 2 includes the first wireless communication unit 11 and the second wireless communication unit 21 that perform communication at two different frequencies at the same time. The wireless communication device 2 is not limited to this. The wireless communication device 2 can include a plurality of wireless communication units for processing to simultaneously perform communication at a plurality of different frequencies.

In addition, each of a plurality of wireless communication units for performing simultaneous communication at a plurality of frequencies and two wireless communication units sharing a member constituting the wireless communication unit (the third wireless communication unit in FIG. 2) 15 and the fourth wireless communication unit 23) have been described as an example, but the number of such wireless communication units is not limited.

In addition, the wireless communication device 2 includes a plurality of switches in order to switch between using each of the plurality of wireless communication units for performing simultaneous communication at a plurality of frequencies and each of the other wireless communication units. You may have. Thereby, it is possible to switch between using each of the plurality of wireless communication units and each of the other wireless communication units depending on the frequency to be used.

In addition, it is explained that the frequencies at which the wireless communication device 2 communicates simultaneously are the 2 GHz band frequency used by the first wireless communication unit 11 and the 850 MHz band frequency used by the second wireless communication unit 21. However, the frequency with which the wireless communication device 2 communicates simultaneously is not limited to this. The wireless communication device 2 may perform simultaneous communication using the 1.7 GHz band frequency used by the third wireless communication unit 15 and the 850 MHz band frequency used by the second wireless communication unit 21. In addition, the wireless communication device 2 may perform simultaneous communication using the 2 GHz band frequency used by the first wireless communication unit 11 and the 700 MHz band frequency used by the fourth wireless communication unit 23. Further, the wireless communication device 2 may perform simultaneous communication using the 1.7 GHz band frequency used by the third wireless communication unit 15 and the 700 MHz band frequency used by the fourth wireless communication unit 23.

Further, the frequency at which the wireless communication device 2 communicates is not limited to the 2 GHz band, the 1.7 GHz band, the 850 MHz band, and the 700 MHz band. These numerical values are examples, and other frequencies may be used.

The fourth wireless communication unit 23 includes the second wireless communication unit 21, the antenna 211, the mixer 214, the local transmitter 215, the D / A conversion unit 216, the mixer 218, the local transmitter 219, and the A / D conversion. Although description has been given by taking an example in which the unit 220 and the power monitor 221 are shared, the member shared by the fourth wireless communication unit 23 and the second wireless communication unit 21 is not limited to this. The fourth wireless communication unit 23 may be configured to share at least one of the above members, or may be configured to share each in combination.

As described above, according to the present embodiment, the third wireless communication unit 15 and the fourth wireless communication unit 15 perform communication at frequencies different from the plurality of frequencies used by the first wireless communication unit 11 and the second wireless communication unit 21. In the wireless communication device 2 including the wireless communication unit 23, the third wireless communication unit 15 and the fourth wireless communication unit 23 are respectively connected to the first wireless communication unit 11 and the second wireless communication unit 21, respectively. The wireless communication units different from each other share at least one of the members constituting the wireless communication unit.

As described above, since there are a plurality of additional wireless communication units that share each of the plurality of wireless communication units and the members constituting each of the wireless communication units, the size and cost of the wireless communication device 2 are greatly increased. The frequency that can be used by the wireless communication device 2 can be increased without increasing the frequency.

Further, as described above, the fourth wireless communication unit 23 is configured so that the frequency used by the first wireless communication unit 11 and the second wireless communication unit 21 and the frequency used by the fourth wireless communication unit 23 are the same. It is preferable to share at least one of the members constituting the second wireless communication unit 21 and the second wireless communication unit 21 that performs communication at a frequency at which the difference becomes small.

[Embodiment 3]
In the first embodiment, the antenna 111, the mixer 114, the local transmitter 115, the D / A converter 116, the mixer 118, the local transmitter 119, the A / D converter 120, and the power monitor 121 are members shared by the wireless communication unit. However, the shared member is not limited to this.

Hereinafter, another embodiment (Embodiment 3) of the present invention will be described with reference to FIG. For convenience of explanation, members having the same functions as those in the drawings described in the first embodiment are denoted by the same reference numerals and description thereof is omitted.

(Outline of wireless communication device 3)
FIG. 3 is a block diagram showing an outline of the wireless communication device 3 in the present embodiment. As illustrated in FIG. 3, the wireless communication device 3 includes a first wireless communication unit 11, a second wireless communication unit 13, a modulation / demodulation processing unit 16, a CPU unit 17, and a third wireless communication unit 31.

Here, the first wireless communication unit 11 is composed of a circuit and an antenna for processing to perform communication at a frequency of 2 GHz band, and is indicated by a broken line in FIG. The second wireless communication unit 13 includes a circuit and an antenna for processing that performs communication at a frequency of 850 MHz, and is indicated by a dotted line in FIG. The third wireless communication unit 31 includes a circuit and an antenna for processing that performs communication at a frequency of 1.7 GHz, and is indicated by a one-dot chain line in FIG.

Note that the wireless communication device 3 performs simultaneous communication using the 2 GHz band frequency used by the first wireless communication unit 11 and the 850 MHz band frequency used by the second wireless communication unit 13.

(Configuration of third wireless communication unit 31)
As shown in FIG. 3, the third wireless communication unit 31 includes an antenna 111, a power amplifier 113, a mixer 114, a local transmitter 115, a D / A conversion unit 116, a mixer 118, a local transmitter 119, and an A / D conversion unit. 120, a power monitor 121, a switch 123, a switch 125, a switch 126, a duplexer 311 and a low noise amplifier 312.

The duplexer 311 and the low noise amplifier 312 perform the same operations as the duplexer 112 and the low noise amplifier 117. As shown in FIG. 3, the third wireless communication unit 31 includes the first wireless communication unit 11, an antenna 111, a power amplifier 113, a mixer 114, a local transmitter 115, a D / A conversion unit 116, and a mixer. 118, the local transmitter 119, the A / D converter 120, and the power monitor 121 are shared.

Further, it is explained that the frequencies at which the wireless communication device 3 communicates at the same time are the 2 GHz band frequency used by the first wireless communication unit 11 and the 850 MHz band frequency used by the second wireless communication unit 13. However, the frequency with which the wireless communication device 3 communicates simultaneously is not limited to this. The wireless communication device 3 may perform simultaneous communication using the 1.7 GHz band frequency used by the third wireless communication unit 31 and the 850 MHz band frequency used by the second wireless communication unit 13.

Moreover, the frequency with which the wireless communication device 3 communicates is not limited to the 2 GHz band, the 1.7 GHz band, and the 850 MHz band. These numerical values are examples, and other frequencies may be used.

Thus, according to the present embodiment, the third wireless communication unit 31 includes the first wireless communication unit 11 and the antenna 111, the mixer 114, the local transmitter 115, the D / A conversion unit 116, the mixer 118, the local In addition to the transmitter 119, the A / D converter 120, and the power monitor 121, the power amplifier 113 can be shared. Thereby, further cost reduction and space saving can be realized.

In the present embodiment, the wireless communication unit sharing the power amplifier is described as an example of the first wireless communication unit 11 performing communication at a frequency of 2 GHz band. However, the circuit sharing the power amplifier is described. Is not limited to this. For example, the second wireless communication unit 21 and the fourth wireless communication unit 23 in FIG. 2 may share the power amplifier.

[Embodiment 4]
In the first to third embodiments, a circuit using a duplexer has been described as an example. However, the wireless communication unit in the present invention is not limited to this.

Hereinafter, another embodiment (embodiment 4) of the present invention will be described with reference to FIG. For convenience of explanation, members having the same functions as those in the drawings described in the first embodiment are denoted by the same reference numerals and description thereof is omitted.

(Outline of wireless communication device 4)
FIG. 4 is a block diagram showing an outline of the wireless communication device 4 in the present embodiment. As shown in FIG. 4, the wireless communication device 4 includes a first wireless communication unit 11, a second wireless communication unit 13, a modulation / demodulation processing unit 16, a CPU unit 17, and a third wireless communication unit 41.

Suppose that the third wireless communication unit 41 performs communication using a TDD (Time Division Duplexing) method.

Here, the first wireless communication unit 11 is a circuit for processing to perform communication at a frequency of 2 GHz band, and is indicated by a broken line in FIG. The second wireless communication unit 13 is a circuit for processing to perform communication at a frequency of 850 MHz band, and is indicated by a dotted line in FIG. The third wireless communication unit 41 is a circuit for processing to perform communication at a frequency of 1.5 GHz band, and is indicated by a one-dot chain line in FIG.

Note that the wireless communication device 4 performs simultaneous communication using the 2 GHz band frequency used by the first wireless communication unit 11 and the 850 MHz band frequency used by the second wireless communication unit 13.

(Configuration of third wireless communication unit 41)
As shown in FIG. 4, the third wireless communication unit 41 includes an antenna 111, a mixer 114, a local transmitter 115, a D / A converter 116, a mixer 118, a local transmitter 119, an A / D converter 120, and a power monitor. 121, a switch 127, a switch 128, a power amplifier 411, and a low noise amplifier 412.

The power amplifier 411 and the low noise amplifier 412 perform the same operations as the power amplifier 113 and the low noise amplifier 117. As shown in FIG. 4, the third wireless communication unit 41 includes the first wireless communication unit 11, the antenna 111, the mixer 114, the local transmitter 115, the D / A conversion unit 116, the mixer 118, and the local transmission. Machine 119, A / D converter 120 and power monitor 121 are shared.

In addition, it is explained that the frequencies at which the wireless communication device 4 communicates at the same time are the 2 GHz band frequency used by the first wireless communication unit 11 and the 850 MHz band frequency used by the second wireless communication unit 13. However, the frequency with which the wireless communication device 4 communicates simultaneously is not limited to this. The wireless communication device 4 may perform simultaneous communication using the 1.5 GHz band frequency used by the third wireless communication unit 41 and the 850 MHz band frequency used by the second wireless communication unit 13.

Moreover, the frequency with which the wireless communication device 4 communicates is not limited to the 2 GHz band, 1.5 GHz band, and 850 MHz band. These numerical values are examples, and other frequencies may be used.

As described above, even in the third wireless communication unit 41 that performs communication using the TDD method, the first wireless communication unit 11 and at least one member constituting the first wireless communication unit 11 may be shared. it can.

Further, in the present embodiment, the wireless communication unit that performs communication by the TDD method has been described as an example of the third wireless communication unit 41 that performs communication at a frequency of 1.5 GHz band. The wireless communication unit that performs communication with is not limited to this. For example, the fourth wireless communication unit 23 in FIG. 2 may perform communication using the TDD method.

[Operation of wireless communication equipment]
Next, operations of the wireless communication devices 1 to 4 described in the first to fourth embodiments will be described with reference to FIG. 5 and FIG. FIG. 5 is a flowchart showing a cell search flow executed by the wireless communication devices 1 to 4. Here, the cell search is to select a cell that minimizes the propagation loss between the base station and the wireless communication device. In FIG. 5, the wireless communication device 2 is described as an example, but the wireless communication device that performs cell search is not limited to this.

As shown in FIG. 5, the wireless communication device 2 is turned on (step S51, hereinafter simply referred to as S51), and the first wireless communication unit 11 and the third wireless communication unit 15 (referred to as group (1)). The cell search is sequentially executed at each of the frequencies (bands) used by S (S52). At the same time, the cell search is sequentially executed at each of the frequencies used by the second radio communication unit 21 and the fourth radio communication unit 23 (referred to as group (2)) (S53).

Next, the wireless communication device determines the frequency to be connected from the reception quality of each frequency of S52 and S53 (S54). Thereafter, the wireless communication device connects to the base station at each of the selected frequencies (S55).

FIG. 6 illustrates handover during simultaneous communication (during carrier aggregation) at a plurality of frequencies in a wireless communication device. FIG. 6 is a flowchart showing a flow of handover during carrier aggregation in the wireless communication device.

As shown in FIG. 6, the wireless communication device stops carrier aggregation before executing the handover (S61). Thereafter, a search is made for neighboring base stations in each band of the hand group performing the handover (S62). Thereafter, the wireless communication device determines a handover destination base station from the search result of S62 (S63).

Then, the wireless communication device performs handover to the base station determined in S63 (S64), and starts carrier aggregation again (S65).

In one embodiment, the wireless communication devices 1 to 4 may execute cell search and handover according to such a flow.

The present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiments, and various modifications are possible within the scope shown in the claims, and embodiments obtained by appropriately combining technical means disclosed in different embodiments. Is also included in the technical scope of the present invention.

[Key points of the invention]
As described above, according to the present invention, the first and second wireless communication means for simultaneously performing wireless communication at mutually different frequencies and the wireless communication at different frequencies from the first and second wireless communication means. A third wireless communication means for the first wireless communication means, and the third wireless communication means and the first wireless communication means transmit and receive the antenna provided in the first wireless communication means and the antenna. It is characterized in that at least a part of a wireless communication circuit that processes a wireless communication signal is shared.

In the wireless communication device according to the present invention, it is preferable that the first wireless communication unit has a frequency at which wireless communication is performed closest to the third wireless communication unit.

In general, when the frequency band that can be used to support multiple frequencies is widened with one device (for example, multiple wireless communication circuits sharing one antenna), a device is created for each corresponding frequency band. In many cases, the performance is better. However, a wireless communication device provided with a device corresponding to each frequency band has a problem that it is difficult to reduce the size because the number of components increases. In addition, when the frequency band of the device is wide, the uniformity of the device performance within the frequency band may be deteriorated.

According to the above configuration, since the frequency band that can be used by one device can be narrowed, it is possible to prevent deterioration in uniformity of the gain performance of the device. In addition, with such a configuration, the design of the wireless communication unit can be facilitated, so that the area of the wireless communication unit can be reduced and downsizing can be realized.

In addition, if the members composing the wireless communication circuit are shared between the wireless communication circuits having similar usable frequencies, the design of each member becomes easy. Moreover, power consumption, cost, etc. can be reduced.

Also, if an antenna is shared between wireless communication means having close frequencies to be used, a plurality of antennas having close frequencies are not provided, and deterioration of antenna characteristics due to coupling between antennas can be suppressed.

The third wireless communication unit and the first wireless communication unit may share the antenna. The wireless communication circuit includes a signal converter that converts the wireless communication signal from digital to analog, and the third wireless communication unit and the first wireless communication unit share the signal converter. It may be. The wireless communication circuit includes a frequency converter that generates a local frequency signal and multiplies the generated local frequency signal by the wireless communication signal, and the third wireless communication unit and the first wireless communication circuit are provided. The communication means may share the frequency converter. The wireless communication circuit includes a power measuring device that measures the power of the wireless communication signal, and the third wireless communication unit and the first wireless communication unit share the power measuring device. It may be. The wireless communication circuit includes a power amplifier that amplifies the power of the wireless communication signal, and the third wireless communication unit and the first wireless communication unit share the power amplifier. Also good.

In addition, the wireless communication device in the present invention may perform carrier aggregation communication by the first and second wireless communication means.

According to the above configuration, carrier aggregation communication can be performed by effectively using the first and second wireless communication means.

In addition, the wireless communication device according to the present invention may perform wireless communication by a TDD (Time Division Duplexing) method using the third wireless communication unit.

According to the above configuration, even the third wireless communication unit that performs communication by the TDD method shares at least one of the first wireless communication unit and the members constituting the first wireless communication unit. can do.

The wireless communication device according to the present invention may include switching means for switching which of the first wireless communication means and the third wireless communication means is used.

According to the above configuration, the switching unit switches between using each of the first and second wireless communication units and each of the plurality of third wireless communication units depending on the frequency to be used. Can do.

The wireless communication device according to the present invention further includes fourth wireless communication means for performing wireless communication at a frequency different from that of the first, second, and third wireless communication means. The wireless communication means share at least a part of the wireless communication means different from the first and second wireless communication means, and the antenna and the wireless communication circuit included in the wireless communication means. May be.

According to the above configuration, the first or second wireless communication unit shares the member with the fourth wireless communication unit, and further, without significantly increasing the size, cost, etc. of the wireless communication device, The frequency that can be used by the wireless communication device can be increased.

The present invention can be suitably used in the field of manufacturing wireless communication devices that perform communication at a plurality of frequencies.

1, 2, 3, 4 Wireless communication device 11 First wireless communication unit (first wireless communication means)
111 Antenna 112 Duplexer 113 Power Amplifier (Power Amplifier)
114 Mixer (frequency converter)
115 Local transmitter (frequency converter)
116 D / A converter (signal converter)
117 Low noise amplifier (low noise amplifier)
118 Mixer (frequency converter)
119 Local transmitter (frequency converter)
120 A / D converter (signal converter)
121 Power monitor
123 switch (switching means)
124 switch (switching means)
125 switch (switching means)
126 switch (switching means)
127 switch (switching means)
128 switches (switching means)
13, 21 Second wireless communication unit (second wireless communication means)
131, 211

Antenna

132, 212

Duplexer

133, 213 Power amplifier (power amplifier)
134, 214 Mixer (frequency converter)
135, 215 Local transmitter (frequency converter)
136, 216 D / A converter (signal converter)
137, 217 Low noise amplifier (Low noise amplifier)
138, 218 mixer (frequency converter)
139, 219 Local transmitter (frequency converter)
140, 220 A / D converter (signal converter)
141, 221 Power Monitor (Power Measuring Device)
15 Third wireless communication unit (third wireless communication means)
151 Duplexer 152 Power Amplifier (Power Amplifier)
153 Low noise amplifier (low noise amplifier)
16 Modulation / demodulation processing unit 17 CPU unit 223 Switch (switching means)
224 switch (switching means)
23 Fourth wireless communication unit (fourth wireless communication means)
231 Duplexer 232 Power Amplifier (Power Amplifier)
233 Low noise amplifier
31 3rd wireless communication part (3rd wireless communication means)
311 Duplexer 312 Low Noise Amplifier (Low Noise Amplifier)
41 3rd wireless communication part (3rd wireless communication means)
411 Power amplifier
412 Low noise amplifier (low noise amplifier)

Claims

First and second wireless communication means for performing wireless communication at different frequencies at the same time;
A third wireless communication means for performing wireless communication at a different frequency from the first and second wireless communication means,
The third wireless communication unit and the first wireless communication unit include at least a part of an antenna included in the first wireless communication unit and a wireless communication circuit that processes a wireless communication signal transmitted and received by the antenna. A wireless communication device characterized by sharing
2. The wireless communication according to claim 1, wherein the first wireless communication unit has a frequency for performing wireless communication closest to that of the third wireless communication unit. machine.
The wireless communication device according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the third wireless communication means and the first wireless communication means share the antenna.
The wireless communication circuit includes a signal converter that converts the wireless communication signal from digital to analog,
4. The wireless communication device according to claim 1, wherein the third wireless communication unit and the first wireless communication unit share the signal converter. 5.
The wireless communication circuit includes a frequency converter that generates a local frequency signal and multiplies the generated local frequency signal by the wireless communication signal.
5. The wireless communication device according to claim 1, wherein the third wireless communication unit and the first wireless communication unit share the frequency converter. 6.
The wireless communication circuit includes a power measuring device for measuring the power of the wireless communication signal,
6. The wireless communication device according to claim 1, wherein the third wireless communication unit and the first wireless communication unit share the power measuring device.
The wireless communication circuit includes a power amplifier that amplifies the power of the wireless communication signal,
The wireless communication device according to any one of claims 1 to 6, wherein the third wireless communication unit and the first wireless communication unit share the power amplifier.
The wireless communication device according to any one of claims 1 to 7, wherein carrier aggregation communication is performed by the first and second wireless communication means.
The wireless communication apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 8, wherein the third wireless communication means performs wireless communication by a TDD (Time Division Duplexing) method.
The switching means for switching which of the first wireless communication means and the third wireless communication means is used is provided. 10. Wireless communication equipment.
A fourth wireless communication means for performing wireless communication at a frequency different from the first, second and third wireless communication means;
The third and fourth wireless communication means respectively include at least one of the first and second wireless communication means different from each other, and an antenna and a wireless communication circuit provided in the wireless communication means. The wireless communication device according to claim 1, wherein a part of the wireless communication device is shared.
First and second wireless communication means for performing wireless communication at different frequencies at the same time;
A third wireless communication means for performing wireless communication at a different frequency from the first and second wireless communication means,
The third wireless communication unit and the first wireless communication unit include at least a part of an antenna included in the first wireless communication unit and a wireless communication circuit that processes a wireless communication signal transmitted and received by the antenna. Share
The first wireless communication means has a frequency for performing wireless communication closest to the third wireless communication means in the wireless communication means,
The wireless communication device, wherein the third wireless communication means and the first wireless communication means share the antenna.