Patent ID: 7822441
Filing Date: 2010-10-26
Classification: H04B

Abstract:
1. An access point providing a wireless local area network operable to connect a terminal device to a wide area network, the access point comprising: (a) an information processing unit operable to process a digital signal based on a communication protocol for communicating via the wireless local area network; (b) a sending antenna case that includes: (i) a sending antenna and (ii) a sending signal conversion unit, without a function for receiving a radio frequency signal from the terminal device, wherein the sending signal conversion unit is operable to convert a digital signal from the information processing unit to a radio frequency signal for the wireless local area network, and the sending antenna is operable to send the converted radio frequency signal to the terminal device; (c) a plurality of receiving antenna cases spaced apart from the sending antenna case in a service area around the sending antenna case, wherein each one of the plurality of receiving antenna cases includes: (iii) a receiving antenna and (iv) a receiving signal conversion unit, without a function for sending a radio frequency signal to the terminal device, wherein each one of the receiving antennas is operable to receive a radio frequency signal from the terminal device when the terminal device is located between the sending antenna case and the receiving antenna case, and wherein the receiving signal conversion unit is operable to convert the radio frequency signal received from the terminal device to a digital signal for the information processing unit; (d) a main unit case that is separated from the sending antenna case and the plurality of receiving antenna cases, and includes the information processing unit and a receiving synthesis unit, wherein the receiving synthesis unit is operable to perform diversity receiving with respect to the received radio frequency signals from the plurality of receiving antennas; (e) a sending wire cable that connects the main unit case to the sending antenna case to transmit the digital signal from the information processing unit to the sending signal conversion unit; and (f) a plurality of receiving wire cables operable to transmit the digital signal from the plurality of receiving signal conversion units to the receiving synthesis unit, wherein each one of the plurality of receiving wire cables connects a respective one of the plurality of receiving antenna cases to the main unit case.