Interoperation techniques for WWAN and WLAN receive chains

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10159070-B2
Application number	US-201414560635-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Dec 4, 2014
Priority date	Dec 4, 2014
Publication date	Dec 18, 2018
Grant date	Dec 18, 2018

Abstract

A user equipment (UE) may receive a wireless wide area network (WWAN) signal on a first antenna. The UE may process the WWAN signal with a portion of a WWAN receive chain of a WWAN module of the UE. The WWAN signal may be routed from the WWAN receive chain to a wireless local area network (WLAN) receive chain of a WLAN module of the UE. The UE may then process the WWAN signal with a portion of the WLAN receive chain.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A method for wireless communication, comprising:
receiving a wireless wide area network (WWAN) signal on a wireless local area network (WLAN) antenna associated with a WLAN module of a user equipment (UE), the WLAN module comprising a WLAN receive chain;
routing the WWAN signal from the WLAN module to a WWAN receive chain of a WWAN module, the WWAN receive chain comprising a front-end portion and a back-end portion, wherein the WWAN module is distinct from the WLAN module:
processing the WWAN signal with the front-end portion of the WWAN receive chain of the WWAN module of the UE;
routing the WWAN signal from the WWAN receive chain to the WLAN receive chain of the WLAN module of the UE using a switch positioned between the front-end portion of the WWAN receive chain and the back-end portion of the WWAN receive chain, wherein the back-end portion comprises a WWAN low noise amplifier, a WWAN down-converter, and a WWAN receive filter and wherein the WWAN module comprises the switch: and
processing the WWAN signal with a portion of the WLAN receive chain.

2. The method of claim 1 , wherein routing the WWAN signal from the WLAN module to the WWAN receive chain comprises:
routing the WWAN signal from the WLAN module to the WWAN receive chain using a second switch positioned between the WLAN antenna and the WLAN receive chain.

3. The method of claim 1 , wherein the front-end portion of the WWAN receive chain comprises a bandpass filter of the WWAN module.

4. The method of claim 3 , wherein routing the WWAN signal from the WWAN receive chain to the WLAN receive chain comprises:
routing the WWAN signal after the bandpass filter of the WWAN module.

5. The method of claim 1 , wherein the portion of the WLAN receive chain comprises an amplifier of the WLAN module.

6. The method of claim 1 , wherein the WWAN signal comprises a WWAN search measurement.

7. The method of claim 1 , further comprising:
receiving a second WWAN signal on a second antenna of the UE, the second WWAN signal comprising an active downlink signal.

8. An apparatus for wireless communication,
comprising:
means for receiving a wireless wide area network (WWAN) signal on a wireless local area network (WLAN) antenna associated with a WLAN module of a user equipment (UE), the WLAN module comprising a WLAN receive chain;
means for routing the WWAN signal from the WLAN module to a WWAN receive chain of a WWAN module, the WWAN receive chain comprising a front-end portion and a back-end portion, wherein the WWAN module is distinct from the WLAN module:
means for processing the WWAN signal with the front-end portion of the WWAN receive chain of the WWAN module of the UE;
means for routing the WWAN signal from the WWAN receive chain to the WLAN receive chain of a WLAN module of the UE using a switch positioned between the front-end portion and the back-end portion of the WWAN receive chain, wherein the back-end portion comprises a WWAN low noise amplifier, a WWAN down-converter and a WWAN receive filter, and wherein the WWAN module comprises the switch: and
means for processing the WWAN signal with a portion of the WLAN receive chain.

9. The apparatus of claim 8 , wherein the routing the WWAN signal from the WLAN module to the WWAN receive chain comprises:
routing the WWAN signal from the WLAN module to the WWAN receive chain using a second switch positioned between the WLAN antenna and the WLAN receive chain.

10. The apparatus of claim 8 , wherein the front-end portion of the WWAN receive chain comprises a bandpass filter of the WWAN module.

11. The apparatus of claim 10 , wherein the means for routing the WWAN signal from the WWAN receive chain to the WLAN receive chain comprises:
means for routing the WWAN signal after the bandpass filter of the WWAN module.

12. The apparatus of claim 8 , wherein the portion of the WLAN receive chain comprises an amplifier of the WLAN module.

13. The apparatus of claim 8 , wherein the WWAN signal comprises a WWAN search measurement.

14. The apparatus of claim 8 , further comprising:
means for receiving a second WWAN signal on a second antenna of the UE, the second WWAN signal comprising an active downlink signal.

15. An apparatus for wireless communication,
comprising:
a processor;
memory in electronic communication with the processor; and instructions stored in the memory, the instructions being executable by the processor to:
route the WWAN signal from the WLAN module to a WWAN receive chain of a WWAN module, the WWAN receive chain comprising a front-end portion and a back-end portion, wherein the WWAN module is distinct from the WLAN module:
process the WWAN signal with the front-end of the WWAN receive chain of the WWAN module of the UE;
route the WWAN signal from the WWAN receive chain to the WLAN receive chain of the WLAN module of the UE using a switch positioned between the front-end portion and the back-end portion of the WWAN receive chain, wherein the back-end portion comprises a WWAN low noise amplifier, a WWAN down-converter and a WWAN receive filter, and wherein the WWAN module comprises the switch; and
process the WWAN signal with a portion of the WLAN receive chain.

16. The apparatus of claim 15 , wherein the instructions for routing the WWAN signal from the WLAN module to the WWAN receive chain include instructions executable by the processor to:
route the WWAN signal from the WLAN module to the WWAN receive chain using a second switch positioned between the WLAN antenna and the WLAN receive chain.

17. The apparatus of claim 15 , wherein the front-end portion of the WWAN receive chain comprises a bandpass filter of the WWAN module.

18. A non-transitory computer-readable medium storing computer-executable code for wireless communication, the code executable by a processor to:
receive a wireless wide area network (WWAN) signal on a wireless local area network (WLAN) antenna associated with a WLAN module of a user equipment (UE), the WLAN module comprising a WLAN receive chain;
route the WWAN signal from the WLAN module to a WWAN receive chain of a WWAN module, the WWAN receive chain comprising a front-end portion and a back-end portion, wherein the WWAN module is distinct from the WLAN module:
process the WWAN signal with the front-end portion of the WWAN receive chain of the WWAN module of the UE;
route the WWAN signal from the WWAN receive chain to the WLAN receive chain of the WLAN module of the UE using a switch positioned between the front-end portion and the back-end portion of the WWAN receive chain, wherein the back-end portion comprises a WWAN low noise amplifier, a WWAN down-converter and a WWAN receive filter, and wherein the WWAN module comprises the switch; and
process the WWAN signal with a portion of the WLAN receive chain.

Assignees

• Qualcomm Inc
• Qualcomm Inc

Inventors

• Awoniyi-Oteri Olufunmilola
• Soliman Samir Salib
• Song Bongyong
• Kohlmann Michael

Classifications

• H04W72/23 Primary

  in the downlink direction of a wireless link, i.e. towards a terminal · CPC title

• H04B1/0064 Primary

  with separate antennas for the more than one band (H04B1/0053 takes precedence) · CPC title

• H04W84/12

  WLAN [Wireless Local Area Networks] · CPC title

• H04W84/04

  Large scale networks; Deep hierarchical networks · CPC title

• H04W48/16

  Discovering, processing access restriction or access information · CPC title