HK1138123B - A method and system for processing communication signal - Google Patents

Description

Communication signal processing method and system

Technical Field

The present invention relates to signal processing in communication systems, and more particularly, to a method and system for processing communication signals shared by high-frequency and low-frequency antennas.

Background

Electronic communication technology has developed rapidly and has become increasingly popular over the past decade. Electronic communication technology was originally limited to desktop operations, but recent electronic communication technology can realize communication, media and internet transmission on any equipment at any time and any place. Existing mobile devices, such as cell phones or Personal Digital Assistants (PDAs), have a number of communication technologies and ancillary software embedded therein. Such as full-featured browsers, email clients, MP3 players, instant messaging software, and mobile voice over internet protocol (VoIP), are all present on recent devices.

In order to support a plurality of different communication standards and data formats, signal processing techniques operating in different transceiving frequency bands are generally required.

Further limitations and disadvantages of conventional and traditional approaches will become apparent to one of skill in the art, through comparison of such systems with some aspects of the present invention as set forth in the remainder of the present application with reference to the drawings.

Disclosure of Invention

A method and/or system for processing communication signals shared by high and low frequency antennas, substantially as shown in and/or described in connection with at least one of the figures, as set forth more completely in the claims.

A method of communication signal processing, comprising:

configuring a multi-frequency antenna system by connecting a plurality of antennas, wherein the plurality of antennas can communicate with each other through one or more frequency-dependent connecting components; and the number of the first and second electrodes,

and receiving and/or transmitting one or more radio frequency wireless signals through the configured multi-frequency antenna system.

Preferably, the one or more frequency dependent connection assemblies are frequency adjustable.

Preferably, the one or more frequency-dependent connecting components comprise: microstrip and/or transmission line.

Preferably, the one or more frequency-dependent connection components are RLC circuits.

Preferably, the method further comprises: configuring the multi-frequency antenna system to operate in parallel or in a time division duplex mode of operation during the transmitting and/or receiving.

Preferably, the one or more radio frequencies operate in parallel or time division duplex.

Preferably, the method further comprises: wireless signals are generated for transmission at one or more radio frequency front ends.

Preferably, the method further comprises: demodulating the received wireless signals at one or more radio frequency front ends.

Preferably, the method further comprises: converting a received Radio Frequency (RF) signal into an Intermediate Frequency (IF) signal in the demodulation process.

Preferably, the method further comprises: converting a received Radio Frequency (RF) signal to a baseband signal in the demodulation process.

A communication signal processing system, comprising:

one or more circuits for configuring a multi-frequency antenna system by connecting a plurality of antennas, the plurality of antennas being capable of communicating with each other via one or more frequency-dependent connecting components; and, the one or more circuits receive and/or transmit one or more radio frequency wireless signals through the configured multi-frequency antenna system.

Preferably, the one or more frequency dependent connection assemblies are frequency adjustable.

Preferably, the one or more frequency-dependent connecting components comprise: microstrip and/or transmission line.

Preferably, the one or more frequency-dependent connection components are RLC circuits.

Preferably, the one or more circuits configure the multi-frequency antenna system to operate in parallel or in a time division duplex mode of operation during the transmitting and/or receiving.

Preferably, the one or more radio frequencies operate in parallel or time division duplex.

Preferably, the one or more circuits generate wireless signals for transmission at one or more radio frequency front ends.

Preferably, the one or more circuits demodulate the received wireless signals at one or more radio frequency front ends.

Preferably, the one or more circuits convert a received Radio Frequency (RF) signal to an Intermediate Frequency (IF) signal in the demodulation process.

Preferably, the one or more circuits convert a received Radio Frequency (RF) signal to a baseband signal during the demodulation process.

Various advantages, aspects and novel features of the invention, as well as details of an illustrated embodiment thereof, will be more fully described with reference to the following description and drawings.

Drawings

The invention will be further described with reference to the accompanying drawings and examples, in which:

FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram of a wireless communication system for high or low frequencies in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 2 is a schematic diagram of an antenna connection system in an embodiment of the present invention;

fig. 3 is a flow chart of a multi-frequency antenna system in an embodiment of the invention.

Detailed Description

Embodiments of the present invention relate to methods and systems for high and low frequency antenna sharing. Specific aspects of the present invention for a method and system for high and low frequency antenna sharing include: a multi-frequency antenna system is configured by connecting a plurality of antennas capable of communicating with each other via one or more frequency-dependent connecting members, and receiving and/or transmitting wireless signals at one or more radio frequencies via the configured multi-frequency antenna system. The one or more frequency dependent connection assemblies are frequency tunable and include microstrips, transmission lines, and/or RLC circuits. In the transmitting and/or receiving process, the multi-frequency antenna system is configured to operate in parallel or in a time division duplex mode of operation, and one or more radio frequencies operate in parallel or in a time division duplex mode. Wireless signals for transmission are generated at one or more radio frequency front ends, and received wireless signals are demodulated at the radio frequency front ends. A received Radio Frequency (RF) signal is converted into an Intermediate Frequency (IF) signal and/or a baseband signal.

Fig. 1 is a schematic diagram of a wireless communication system for high or low frequencies according to an embodiment of the present invention. As shown in fig. 1, access point 112b, computer 110a, headset 114a, router 130, internet 132, and web server 134 are shown. The computer or master device 110a may include: a wireless transmitter 111a, a short-range wireless transmitter 111b, a main processor 111c, and a main memory 111 d. The figure also comprises: a wireless connection between the wireless transmitter 111a and the access point 112b, and a short-range wireless connection between the short-range wireless transmitter 111b and the earpiece 114 a.

The access point 112b may comprise suitable circuitry, logic and/or code that may enable transmitting and receiving radio frequency signals in data communication, such as with the wireless transmitter 111 a. The access point 112b may communicate over a wired network, such as through a router 130. The wireless transmitter 111a may comprise suitable circuitry, logic and/or code that may enable communication with one or more other wireless communication devices based on radio frequency signals. The wireless transmitter 111a and the access point 112b conform to one or more mobile communication standards, such as GSM, UMTS, or CDMA 2000. The short-range wireless transmitter 111b may comprise suitable circuitry, logic and/or code that may enable communication with other communication devices based on radio frequency signals, such as the headset 114 a. The short-range wireless transmitter 111b and/or the headset 114a conform to a wireless industry standard, such as bluetooth, or IEEE 802.11 wireless local area network. The main processor 111c may comprise suitable circuitry, logic and/or code that may enable the generation and processing of data. The main memory 111d may comprise suitable circuitry, logic and/or code that may enable storage and retrieval of various components and functional data of the computer 110 a. The router 130 may comprise suitable circuitry, logic and/or code that may enable intercommunication between devices communicatively coupled thereto, such as the access point 112b or the internet 132. The internet 132 may comprise suitable circuitry, logic and/or code that may enable connections and data exchange between multiple communication devices. The network server 134 may comprise suitable circuitry, logic and/or code that may enable intercommunication between devices communicatively coupled thereto, such as the internet 132.

In general, computing and communication devices may include corresponding hardware and software that are capable of communicating with each other using a variety of wireless communication standards and/or protocols. There are also situations where the wireless transmitter 111a and the short-range wireless transmitter 111b are simultaneously active. For example, a user of a computer or master device 110a may wish to access the Internet 132 to obtain a content stream from a web server 134. Thus, the user establishes a wireless connection between the computer 110a and the access point 112 b. Once the connection is established, the computer or master device 110a may receive and use the content stream through the router 130, the access point 112b, and the wireless connection.

The user of computer 110a may also wish to be able to listen to the audio portion of the content stream through headphones 114 a. Thus, the user of the computer 110a establishes a short-range wireless connection with the headset 114 a. Once the short-range wireless connection is established and the computer is properly configured, the audio portion of the content stream may be received by the headset 114 a. When the advanced communication system is integrated or built-in to the master device 110a, the generation of the Radio Frequency (RF) signal may support a fast handoff function that is capable of supporting multiple communication standards and/or advanced broadband systems, such as ultra-wideband (UWB) wireless technology. The different communication standards employed in the master device 110a operate in different frequency bands and in some cases require the use of different RF circuits in order to be able to deliver the best performance of each communication standard.

Fig. 2 is a schematic diagram of an antenna connection system in an embodiment of the invention. As shown in fig. 2, a plurality of antennas 202a, 202b, 202c, and 202d, a plurality of antenna couplers 204a, 204b, and 204c, a plurality of switches 206a, 206b, 206c, and 206d, and a radio frequency front end 208 are shown.

The plurality of antennas 202a, 202b, 202c, and 202d may comprise suitable circuitry, logic, and/or code that may enable transmission and reception of radio frequency signals in the vicinity of a central frequency range to which the antennas are tuned. According to various embodiments of the invention, the plurality of antennas may include any number of antennas having any antenna configuration. For example, the plurality of antennas 202a, 202b, 202c, and 202d may be linearly arranged as shown in fig. 2. In other embodiments of the present invention, the antennas may be arranged circumferentially. The plurality of antennas 202a, 202b, 202c, and 202d may include any type of antenna. For example, the plurality of antennas 202a, 202b, 202c, and 202d may include dual-stage antennas or loop antennas, which may be discrete components and/or integrated components integrated in a semiconductor product. The above-described antenna types for the plurality of antennas 202a, 202b, 202c, and 202d are for illustration only and are not limiting. One or more antennas 202a, 202b, 202c, and 202d are communicatively coupled to the rf front end 208 via switches 206a, 206b, 206c, and 206 d.

The radio frequency front end 208 may comprise suitable circuitry, logic and/or code that may enable the generation of an RF signal for transmission and the processing of a received RF signal. RF signals received at the RF front end 208 through the antennas 202a, 202b, 202c, and 202d are modulated into intermediate frequency signals and/or baseband signals for further processing. In a transmit mode, the radio frequency front end 208 may generate RF signals from baseband signals and/or intermediate frequency signals that can be transmitted through the antennas 202a, 202b, 202c, and 202 d.

The switches 206a, 206b, 206c, and 206d may comprise suitable logic, circuitry, and/or code that may enable or disable the antenna from the rf front end 208. In some cases, the plurality of switches 206a, 206b, 206c, and 206d may be frequency selective circuits, that is, switched on or off according to frequency. In some cases, switches 206a, 206b, 206c, and 206d may be microstrips.

The plurality of antennas may be communicatively coupled to other antennas via antenna couplers. For example, antenna 202a may be communicatively coupled to antenna 202b via antenna coupler 204 a. The antenna coupler 204a may comprise suitable circuitry, logic and/or code that may enable operation of a frequency dependent switch. The frequency dependent switches are closed for signals of certain frequencies and open for signals of other frequencies. Antenna couplers 204b and 204c are similar to antenna coupler 204 a. For example, antenna couplers 204a, 204b, and 204c are closed for certain frequency inputs and open for other different frequency inputs. In various embodiments of the present invention, antenna couplers 204 a-204 c may be microstrip, transmission line, or RLC circuits. According to other embodiments of the present invention, antenna couplers 204a, 204b, and 204c are frequency variable and adjustable.

As shown in fig. 2, a plurality of antennas 202a, 202b, 202c, and 202d are communicatively connected to each other by antenna couplers 204a, 204b, and 204 c. Since the antenna couplers 204a, 204b, and 204c are essentially frequency dependent switches, an electrical connection is made between the antennas when the antenna couplers are closed. For example, according to an embodiment of the present invention, antenna couplers 204a, 204b, and 204c are closed for frequency inputs near frequency fI. Thus, in this case, electrical connections, e.g., parallel connections, are made between the antennas 202a, 202b, 202c, and 202 d. Since the effective electrical length at this time varies from one antenna to another, it is considered that a more effective antenna is provided at this time. The antenna combination is tuned as a single antenna to a different frequency value depending on the frequency to which each antenna may be tuned.

In a multi-frequency, multi-standard system, each antenna, antennas 202a, 202b, 202c and 202d, needs to be tuned to a high frequency, such as 60GHz, in accordance with embodiments of the present invention. By combining multiple antennas by one or more antenna couplers 204 a-204 c, the resulting combined antenna functions effectively as a low frequency antenna, e.g., 5 GHz. Further, at frequencies where the couplers 204a, 204b, 204c, and 204d may operate or run like closed switches, for example, the switches 206b, 206c, and 206d may be in an open state. When antennas 202a, 202b, 202c, and 202d operate as a single antenna at a given frequency, only a single input/output from rf front end 208 need be utilized. In some cases, it is desirable to operate the antenna in multiple frequency bands. In some cases, the transmitting and receiving may operate in a parallel mode or a time division duplex mode. For example, antenna couplers 204a, 204b, and 204c are open for 60GHz frequencies and closed for 5GHz frequencies. Conversely, switches 206a, 206b, 206c, and 206d may be frequency dependent switches and open for a frequency of 5GHz and closed for a frequency of 60GHz, according to embodiments of the invention. The switch 206 may be used at frequencies of 5GHz as well as 60 GHz. According to an embodiment of the present invention, the above configuration method may communicatively couple the rf front end 208 to the antennas 202a, 202b, 202c, and 202d via the switches 206a, 206b, 206c, and 206d at a frequency of 60GHz, respectively. Meanwhile, a 5GHz signal from the rf front end 208 may be communicatively coupled to the antenna formed by the parallel connection of the antennas 202a, 202b, 202c, and 202d via the switch 206 a. Thus, for a 60GHz signal, the rf front end 208 may use multiple independent antennas and be individually controlled, e.g., beamformed. For a frequency of 5GHz, antennas 202a, 202b, 202c, and 202d may be connected in parallel to generate an antenna configuration for a 5GHz signal. For a 5GHz signal, the rf output from the rf front end 208 through the switch 206a is sufficient since the antenna now operates as a single antenna.

Fig. 3 is a flow chart of a multi-frequency antenna system in an embodiment of the invention. The flow begins at step 302 where an operating frequency is selected. All antennas, such as antennas 202a, 202b, 202c, and 202d, are tuned to the operating frequency value. The adjustment of the antennas 202a, 202b, 202c and 202d is achieved by adjustment of their electrical lengths. According to an embodiment of the invention, the above-mentioned change of the electrical length is achieved by communicatively connecting the antenna, for example, by means of an RLC circuit, a transmission line or a multi-tap antenna, to adjust the antenna. Alternatively, the operating frequency may be selected to be suitable for the antenna 202a, 202b, 202c, and 202d to be combined by an antenna coupler, such as the frequency dependent coupler 204a, 204b, and 204c, so that the combined antenna can perform better. In step 306, the rf chain generated at the rf front end, e.g., rf front end 208, may be enabled or disabled via switches 206a, 206b, 206c, and 206 d. When a multi-frequency system is established, as shown in fig. 2, RF signals are received and/or transmitted in step 308.

According to one embodiment of the invention, a method and system for sharing high and low frequency antennas comprises: the multi-frequency antenna system is configured with a plurality of antennas, e.g., antennas 202a, 202b, 202c and 202d, communicatively connected through a frequency-dependent connection component, antenna couplers 204a, 204b and 204c, as shown in fig. 2, and receives and/or transmits wireless signals of one or more wireless frequency bands through the configured multi-frequency antenna system. The one or more frequency dependent connection components, e.g., 204a, 204b, and 204c, are frequency tunable and include microstrip, transmission line, and/or RLC circuitry. As shown in fig. 2, during the transmitting and/or receiving process, the multi-frequency antenna system is configured to operate in parallel or in a time division duplex mode, and one or more wireless frequency bands operate in parallel or in a time division duplex mode. Wireless signals for transmission are generated at one or more radio frequency front ends, and received wireless signals are demodulated at the radio frequency front ends. A received Radio Frequency (RF) signal is converted into an Intermediate Frequency (IF) signal and/or a baseband signal.

One embodiment of the invention includes a machine-readable storage having stored thereon a computer program. The program includes at least a code segment for execution by a machine to enable the machine to perform the method steps described in the method and system for high and low frequency antenna sharing of the present application.

Accordingly, the present invention may be implemented in hardware, software, firmware, or various combinations thereof. The present invention can be realized in a centralized fashion in at least one computer system, or in a distributed fashion where different elements are spread across several interconnected computer systems. Any kind of computer system or other apparatus adapted for carrying out the methods described herein is suited. A typical combination of hardware, software and firmware may be a general purpose computer system with a computer program that, when being loaded and executed, controls the computer system such that it carries out the methods described herein.

The present invention can also be embedded in a computer program product, which comprises all the features enabling the implementation of the methods described herein, and which when loaded in a computer system is able to carry out these methods. The computer program in this document refers to: any expression, in any programming language, code or notation, of a set of instructions intended to cause a system having an information processing capability to perform a particular function either directly or after either or both of the following: a) conversion to other languages, codes or symbols; b) reproduced in a different format. However, other meanings of computer program that can be understood by those skilled in the art are also encompassed by the present invention.

While the invention has been described with reference to several particular embodiments, it will be understood by those skilled in the art that various changes may be made and equivalents may be substituted without departing from the scope of the invention. In addition, many modifications may be made to adapt a particular situation or material to the teachings of the invention without departing from its scope. Therefore, it is intended that the invention not be limited to the particular embodiment disclosed, but that the invention will include all embodiments falling within the scope of the appended claims.

Claims (10)

1. A method for processing a communication signal, the method comprising:

configuring a multi-frequency antenna system by connecting a plurality of antennas, wherein the plurality of antennas can communicate with each other through one or more frequency-dependent connecting components, and one or more radio-frequency wireless signals are received and/or transmitted through the configured multi-frequency antenna system; wherein the content of the first and second substances,

the antennas are respectively in communication connection with the radio frequency front end through the switches corresponding to the switches;

the one or more frequency-dependent connecting components are frequency-dependent switches which are switched on or off according to the frequency; the switches are frequency dependent switches and are switched on or off according to frequency;

the one or more frequency-dependent connection components and the plurality of switches are respectively switched on or off according to the frequency of the signal from the radio frequency front end, so that the plurality of antennas are respectively configured to independently communicate as a single antenna, or are combined to communicate as an antenna adjusted to a different frequency value.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the one or more frequency-dependent connection components are frequency-tunable.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the one or more frequency-dependent connection components comprise: microstrip and/or transmission line.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the one or more frequency-dependent connection components are RLC circuits.

5. The method of claim 1, further comprising: configuring the multi-frequency antenna system to operate in parallel or in a time division duplex mode of operation during the transmitting and/or receiving.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein the one or more radio frequencies operate in parallel or time division duplex.

7. The method of claim 1, further comprising: wireless signals are generated for transmission at one or more radio frequency front ends.

8. A communication signal processing system, the system comprising:

one or more circuits configured to configure a multi-frequency antenna system by connecting a plurality of antennas, the plurality of antennas being capable of communicating with each other through one or more frequency-dependent connecting components, and the one or more circuits receiving and/or transmitting one or more radio-frequency wireless signals through the configured multi-frequency antenna system;

the antennas are respectively in communication connection with the radio frequency front end through the switches corresponding to the switches;

the one or more frequency-dependent connecting components are frequency-dependent switches which are switched on or off according to the frequency; the switches are frequency dependent switches and are switched on or off according to frequency;

the one or more frequency-dependent connection components and the plurality of switches are respectively switched on or off according to the frequency of the signal from the radio frequency front end, so that the plurality of antennas are respectively configured to independently communicate as a single antenna, or are combined to communicate as an antenna adjusted to a different frequency value.

9. The system of claim 8, wherein the one or more frequency-dependent connection components are frequency-tunable.

10. The system of claim 8, wherein the one or more frequency-dependent coupling components comprise: microstrip and/or transmission line.