Apparatus for transmitting and/or receiving radio frequency signals and method of operating such apparatus

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-2021028540-A1
Application number	US-202016928181-A
Country	US
Kind code	A1
Filing date	Jul 14, 2020
Priority date	Jul 22, 2019
Publication date	Jan 28, 2021
Grant date	—

Abstract

Apparatus for transmitting and/or receiving radio frequency, RF, signals, particularly for a mobile radio device for a wireless communications system, particularly a cellular communications system, said apparatus comprising a primary antenna module having a first radiation pattern, at least one secondary antenna module having a second radiation pattern, which is different from said first radiation pattern, and a control unit configured to selectively activate and/or deactivate said primary antenna module and/or said at least one secondary antenna module.

First claim

1 . An apparatus for transmitting and receiving radio frequency, RF, signals (RFS), particularly for a mobile radio device for a wireless communications system, particularly a cellular communications system, said apparatus comprising a primary antenna module having a first radiation pattern (RP 1 ), at least one secondary antenna module having a second radiation pattern (RP 2 ), which is different from said first radiation pattern of said primary antenna module, and a control unit configured to selectively activate and deactivate said primary antenna module and said at least one secondary antenna module.

2 . The apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein said first radiation pattern (RP 1 ) is an omnidirectional radiation pattern, and wherein said second radiation pattern (RP 2 ) is a non-omnidirectional radiation pattern.

3 . The apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein said primary antenna module comprises a monopole antenna, preferably a quarter-wavelength monopole antenna.

4 . The apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein said at least one secondary antenna module comprises at least one linear antenna array having at least two more antenna elements, wherein preferably said at least two more antenna elements are patch antenna elements.

5 . The apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein said primary antenna module and said at least one secondary antenna module are arranged on a common carrier element (C).

6 . The apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein said control unit is configured to determine at least one of the following received power parameters (PPRX): a) a received power (P_RX_ 1 ) of a received RF signal associated with said primary antenna module, b) a received power (P_RX_ 2 ) of a received RF signal associated with said at least one secondary antenna module, and to selectively activate and deactivate said primary antenna module and said at least one secondary antenna module depending on at least one of said received power parameters (PPRX).

7 . The apparatus according to claim 6 , wherein said control unit is configured to: determine whether said received power (P_RX_ 2 ) of a received RF signal associated with said at least one secondary antenna module is less than a predetermined first threshold (T 1 ), and, if said received power (P_RX_ 2 ) of said received RF signal associated with said at least one secondary antenna module is less than said predetermined first threshold (T 1 ), activate said primary antenna module, wherein preferably, said control unit is configured to, if said received power (P_RX_ 2 ) of said received RF signal associated with said at least one secondary antenna module is greater than said predetermined first threshold (T 1 ), deactivate said primary antenna module.

8 . The apparatus according to claim 6 , wherein said apparatus comprises at least two secondary antenna modules, wherein said control unit is configured to: determine whether a received power (P_RX_ 2 ′) of a received RF signal associated with one of said secondary antenna modules is greater than a predetermined second threshold (T 2 ), and, if said received power (P_RX_ 2 ′) of said received RF signal associated with said one of said secondary antenna modules is greater than said predetermined second threshold (T 2 ), deactivate a) at least one further secondary antenna module of said at least two secondary antenna modules and b) said primary antenna module, wherein preferably, said control unit is configured to, if said received power (P_RX_ 2 ′) of said received RF signal associated with said one of said secondary antenna modules is less than said predetermined second threshold (T 2 ), activate A) at least one further secondary antenna module of said at least two secondary antenna modules and B) said primary antenna module.

9 . The apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein said control unit is configured to control an electric energy supply to said primary antenna module and to said at least one secondary antenna module.

10 . A mobile radio device for a wireless communications system, particularly a cellular communications system, comprising at least one apparatus for transmitting and receiving radio frequency, RF, signals (RFS), particularly for a mobile radio device for a wireless communications system, particularly a cellular communications system, said apparatus comprising a primary antenna module having a first radiation pattern (RP 1 ), at least one secondary antenna module having a second radiation pattern (RP 2 ), which is different from said first radiation pattern of said primary antenna module, and a control unit configured to selectively activate and deactivate said primary antenna module and said at least one secondary antenna module.

11 . The mobile radio device according to claim 10 , wherein said radio device is configured to at least temporarily operate according to the standard 3GPP TS 38.331, V15.4.0, 2018-12, and to at least temporarily use at least said primary antenna module for a target cell search depending on synchronization signal blocks, SSB, according to the standard 3GPP TS 38.331, V15.4.0, 2018-12.

12 . A method of operating an apparatus for transmitting and receiving radio frequency, RF, signals (RFS), particularly for a mobile radio device for a wireless communications system, particularly a cellular communications system, said apparatus comprising a primary antenna module having a first radiation pattern (RP 1 ), at least one secondary antenna module having a second radiation pattern (RP 2 ), which is different from said first radiation pattern of said primary antenna module, and a control unit, wherein said method comprises: selectively activating and deactivating, by means of said control unit, said primary antenna module and said at least one secondary antenna module.

13 . The method according to claim 12 , further comprising: determining, by means of said control unit, at least one of the following received power parameters (PPRX): a) a received power (P_RX_ 1 ) of a received RF signal associated with said primary antenna module, b) a received power (P_RX_ 2 ) of a received RF signal associated with said at least one secondary antenna module, and selectively activating and deactivating said primary antenna module and said at least one secondary antenna module depending on at least one of said received power parameters (PPRX).

14 . The method according to claim 13 , wherein said method further comprises: determining, by means of said control unit, whether said received power (P_RX_ 2 ) of a received RF signal associated with said at least one secondary antenna module is less than a predetermined first threshold (T 1 ), and, if said received power (P_RX_ 2 ) of said received RF signal associated with said at least one secondary antenna module is less than to said predetermined first threshold (T 1 ), activating said primary antenna module, wherein preferably, said method further comprises deactivating, by means of said control unit, said primary antenna module, if said received power (P_RX_ 2 ) of said received RF signal associated with said at least one secondary antenna module is greater than said predetermined first threshold (T 1 ).

15 . The method according to claim 13 , wherein said apparatus comprises at least two secondary antenna modules, wherein said control unit determines whether a received power (P_RX_ 2 ′) of a received RF signal associated with one of said secondary antenna modules is greater than a predetermined second threshold (T 2 ), and, if said received power (P_RX_ 2 ′) of said received RF signal associated with said one of said secondary antenna modules is greater than said prede

Assignees

• Nokia Technologies Oy

Inventors

• Rom Christian
• Vejlgaard Benny
• Svendsen Simon
• Caporal Del Barrio Samantha
• Fernandes Filipa
• Harrebek Johannes

Classifications

• H04B1/401

  for selecting or indicating operating mode · CPC title

• H04B1/0082

  with a common local oscillator for more than one band · CPC title

• H04B1/40 Primary

  Circuits · CPC title

• H04B1/0067

  with one or more circuit blocks in common for different bands · CPC title

• H04B7/0608

  Antenna selection according to transmission parameters · CPC title