Abstract:
A wireless communication apparatus including: an antenna; a signal processor which processes and converts a radio frequency (RF) signal received from the antenna into a baseband signal; an antenna connector which interconnects the antenna and the signal processor; a connection check part which checks whether the antenna is connected properly to output a connection check signal; and a system part which receives the connection check signal and executes a predetermined routine according to whether the antenna is connected. Accordingly, an aspect of the present invention provides a wireless communication module capable of accurately detecting connection of an antenna without suffering influence of a test environment.

Description:
CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION  
       [0001]     This application claims the benefit of Korean Patent Application No. 2005-90012, filed on Sep. 27, 2005, in the Korean Intellectual Property Office, the disclosure of which is incorporated herein by reference.  
       BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION  
       [0002]     1. Field of the Invention  
         [0003]     Aspects of the present invention relate to a wireless communication module, a wireless communication apparatus having the wireless communication module, and a control method thereof, and more particularly, to a wireless communication module which checks whether an antenna is normally connected, a wireless communication apparatus having the wireless communication module, and a control method thereof.  
         [0004]     2. Description of the Related Art  
         [0005]     A typical wireless communication module embedded in a wireless communication apparatus employs an internal antenna of a Planar Inverted-F Antenna (PIFA) type. Whether the antenna is normally connected is checked in an assembly phase of the wireless communication apparatus or in follow-up services.  
         [0006]     A typical connection check between the conventional wireless communication apparatus and the antenna in a portable computer is now described with reference to  FIGS. 1A and 1B .  
         [0007]     As shown in  FIG. 1A , a communication module embedded in a portable computer includes an antenna  1 , a radio frequency (RF) circuit  2  coupled to the antenna  1 , and a baseband media access control (MAC) circuit  3 . The antenna  1  transmits or receives an RF signal over the air. The RF circuit  2  transmits to the antenna  1  and receives from the antenna  1  the RF signal. The baseband MAC circuit  4  processes data in association with the RF circuit  2 . The processed signals are provided to a system  4  via a host interface.  
         [0008]     The communication module of the related art checks whether the antenna  1  is normally connected by checking the signal intensity against a reference value. To this end, the RF circuit  2  measures the intensity of the signal received over the antenna  1  from an access point  5  which periodically transmits an RF signal from outside the system  4 , and the baseband MAC circuit  3  transmits the information about the signal intensity to the system  4  via the host interface.  
         [0009]     Since the RF signal is transmitted along paths in unspecified directions, the RF signal transmitted from the access point  5  arrives at the antenna  1  through scattering, diffraction, reflection, absorption and the like. Hence, the received signal varies in real-time and is considerably affected by environment.  
         [0010]     Additionally, as the signal characteristic changes according to a reception location of the antenna  1 , accurately measuring the signal intensity requires securely installing a transmitter and a receiver at fixed locations within an anechoic chamber.  
         [0011]     However, it is difficult to apply such a test environment to portable computers one-by-one at the manufacturing phase of a mass production. Thus, as shown in  FIG. 1B , the signal intensity is measured using the embedded wireless module while portable computers are arranged on racks (A) or on a conveyor belt (B).  
         [0012]     For example, where the reference value is SNR 20 dB, the normal connection of the antenna  1  is determined when the measured signal intensity is greater than 20 dB. When the measured signal intensity is less than 20 dB, the abnormal connection of the antenna  1  is determined.  
         [0013]     Yet, the related art cannot ensure reliability of the connection check of the antenna  1  because the intensity of the received signal varies as time passes by, even when the test is conducted at the same location. Moreover, if the same reference value is applied while locations of test samples are different from one another, the test reliability is further degraded.  
       SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION  
       [0014]     Accordingly, it is an aspect of the present invention to provide a wireless communication module capable of accurately detecting a connection of an antenna without suffering the influence of a test environment.  
         [0015]     Additional aspects and/or advantages of the invention will be set forth in part in the description which follows and, in part, will be obvious from the description, or may be learned by practice of the invention  
         [0016]     According to an aspect of the present invention, there is provided a wireless communication apparatus comprising: an antenna; a signal processor which processes and converts a radio frequency (RF) signal received from the antenna into a baseband signal; an antenna connector which interconnects the antenna and the signal processor; a connection check part which checks whether the antenna is connected properly and outputs a connection check signal; and a system part which receives the connection check signal and executes a predetermined routine according to whether the antenna is connected properly.  
         [0017]     The connection check part may, although not necessarily, be connected to an RF signal line through which the RF signal received at the antenna is transmitted to the signal processor, and the connection check part outputs the connection check signal according to an opening or a grounding of the RF signal line.  
         [0018]     The system part may, although not necessarily, comprise a display part and a controller which controls to display a message informing whether the antenna is connected properly on the display part according to the predetermined routine.  
         [0019]     The wireless communication apparatus may, although not necessarily, further comprise an interface which communicates data between the signal processor and the system part, wherein the connection check signal is provided to the system part through the interface by way of the signal processor.  
         [0020]     The connection check signal may, although not necessarily, be provided to the system part through a signal output pin.  
         [0021]     The signal processor may, although not necessarily, comprise an RF circuit which is connected with the antenna and transmits and receives the RF signal, and a baseband MAC circuit which processes and converts the RF signal received from the RF circuit into the baseband signal.  
         [0022]     The connection check part may, although not necessarily, output the connection check signal to at least one of the baseband MAC circuit or a predetermined output pin connected to the system part.  
         [0023]     According to another aspect of the present invention, there is provided a wireless communication apparatus comprising: a wireless communication module which comprises an antenna, a signal processor which processes and converts a radio frequency (RF) signal received from the antenna into a baseband signal, an antenna connector which interconnects the antenna and the signal processor, and a connection check part which checks whether the antenna is connected properly and outputs a connection check signal; and a system part which receives the connection check signal and executes a predetermined routine according to whether the antenna is connected properly.  
         [0024]     The connection check part may, although not necessarily, be connected to an RF signal line through which the RF signal received at the antenna is transmitted to the signal processor, and the connection check part outputs the connection check signal according to an opening or a grounding of the RF signal.  
         [0025]     The system part may, although not necessarily, comprise a display part and a controller which controls to display a message informing whether the antennal is connected properly on the display part according to the predetermined routine.  
         [0026]     The wireless communication apparatus may, although not necessarily, further comprise an interface which communicates data between the signal processor and the system part, wherein the signal processor comprises: an RF circuit which is connected with the antenna and transmits and receives the RF signal; and a baseband MAC circuit which processes to convert the RF signal received from the RF circuit into the baseband signal.  
         [0027]     The connection check part may, although not necessarily, output the connection check signal to at least one of the baseband MAC circuit or a predetermined output pin connected to the system part, and the baseband MAC circuit transmits the connection check signal to the system part through the interface.  
         [0028]     According to yet another aspect of the present invention, there is provided a wireless communication module comprising: an antenna; a signal processor which processes and converts a radio frequency (RF) signal received from the antenna into a baseband signal; an antenna connector which interconnects the antenna and the signal processor; and a connection check part which checks whether the antenna is connected properly and outputs a connection check signal.  
         [0029]     The connection check part may, although not necessarily, be connected to an RF signal line through which the RF signal received at the antenna is transmitted to the signal processor, and the connection check part outputs the connection check signal according to an opening or a grounding of the RF signal line.  
         [0030]     The signal processor may, although not necessarily, comprise an RF circuit which is connected to the antenna and transmits and receives the RF signal, and a baseband MAC circuit which processes and converts the RF signal received from the RF circuit into the baseband signal.  
         [0031]     The wireless communication module may, although not necessarily, further comprise an interface which communicates data with an external host, wherein the connection check part outputs the connection check signal to at least one of the baseband MAC circuit or a predetermined output pin connected to the external host, and the baseband MAC circuit transmits the connection check signal to the external host through the interface.  
         [0032]     According to another aspect of the present invention, there is provided a method of controlling a wireless communication apparatus which comprises an antenna, a signal processor processing and converting a radio frequency (RF) signal received from the antenna into a baseband signal, an antenna connector interconnecting the antenna and the signal processor, and a system part receiving and processing the baseband signal, the method comprising: outputting a connection check signal with respect to the antenna according to an opening or a grounding of an RF signal line through which the RF signal received at the antenna is transmitted to the signal processor; and receiving, by the system part, the connection check signal and executing a predetermined routine according to whether the antenna is connected properly.  
         [0033]     The system part may, although not necessarily, comprise a display part, and the executing of the predetermined routine comprises controlling to display a message informing whether the antenna is connected properly on the display part. 
     
    
     BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS  
       [0034]     These and/or other aspects and advantages of the invention will become apparent and more readily appreciated from the following description of the embodiments, taken in conjunction with the accompany drawings, of which:  
         [0035]      FIG. 1A  is a block diagram of a portable computer of the related art;  
         [0036]      FIG. 1B  is a diagram to illustrate a test method of the portable computer of the related art;  
         [0037]      FIG. 2  is a block diagram of a portable computer according to an embodiment of the present invention;  
         [0038]      FIGS. 3A and 3B  are detailed diagrams of the portable computer and a connection check part according to an embodiment of the present invention; and  
         [0039]      FIG. 4  is a flow chart to explain control operations of the portable computer according to an embodiment of the present invention. 
     
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE EMBODIMENTS  
       [0040]     Reference will now be made in detail to the embodiments of the present invention, examples of which are illustrated in the accompanying drawings, wherein like reference numerals refer to like elements throughout. The embodiments are described below in order to explain the present invention by referring to the figures.  
         [0041]     Descriptions are now provided of a wireless communication module and a portable computer having the wireless communication module according to an embodiment of the present invention with reference to  FIG. 2 .  
         [0042]     The portable computer, as shown in  FIG. 2 , includes a wireless communication module  10  and a system part  20 . The wireless communication module  10  receives and processes an RF signal to transmit the RF signal to the system part  20 . The system part  20  processes the RF signal received from the wireless communication module  10  and displays the processed signal onto a screen or emits the processed signal in another way, such as by producing audio. The wireless communication module  10  and the system part  20  may, although not necessarily, communicate with each other via Peripheral Component Interconnect (PCI), PCI Express, and/or Universal Serial Bus (USB) interface.  
         [0043]     The wireless communication module  10  includes an antenna  11 , an RF circuit  13 , and a baseband MAC circuit  14 . The antenna  11  transmits or receives an RF signal over the air. The RF circuit  13  is coupled to the antenna  11 , and transmits or receives the RF signal. The baseband MAC circuit  14  processes the signal output from the RF circuit  13 . The signal processed by the baseband MAC circuit  14  is transmitted to the system part  20  via the PCI, the PCI Express, and/or the USB interface, as mentioned above.  
         [0044]     In the embodiment of the present invention, the antenna  11  connects to an antenna connector  12 , and the RF signal received at the antenna  11  is transmitted to the RF circuit  13  through the coaxial cable comprising an RF signal line and a ground line. In doing so, the antenna  11  embedded in the wireless communication module  10  serves as the antenna  11  at a high frequency to transmit and receive the RF signal, whereas the antenna  11  is shorted in a DC circuit, as a radiator of the antenna  11  and the ground are linked as one conductor.  
         [0045]     In the embodiment of the present invention, the wireless communication module  10  further includes a connection check part  15 . The connection check part  15  checks whether the antenna  11  is normally connected through the antenna connector  12 . The connection check part  15  may be implemented as a circuit including a switching element.  
         [0046]     The connection check part  15  is connected to the RF signal line, through which the RF signal is transmitted from the antenna  11 . The connection check part  15  generates and outputs a connection check signal relating to the continuity of the antenna  11  by examining opening or short-circuiting in the DC circuit. The connection check signal output from the connection check part  15  may, although not necessarily, be transmitted to the system part  20  by way of the baseband MAC circuit  14  by a host interface and/or by allocating a separate output pin to the wireless communication module  10 .  
         [0047]     The connection check signal output from the connection check part  15  is transmitted to the system part  20 . The system part  20  includes a controller  22  to receive the connection check signal of the antenna  11  and to execute a predetermined routine, and a display part  21  to display on a screen a message, generated by the controller  22 , indicative of the connection of the antenna  11 .  
         [0048]     The controller  22  may, although not necessarily, be implemented using a microcontroller or a central processing unit (CPU) to control a graphic card to generate a connection check message based on the connection check signal according to a certain algorithm.  
         [0049]     Further detailed descriptions are now made of the wireless communication module and the method of the connection check on the antenna of the portable computer with reference to  FIGS. 3A and 3B .  
         [0050]      FIG. 3A  is a block diagram of the portable computer and the connection check part  15  according to an embodiment of the present invention.  
         [0051]     Referring to  FIG. 3A , a radiator contact point A and a ground contact point B of the antenna  11  are shorted by the coaxial cable comprising the RF signal line and the ground line. When the RF signal line from the antenna  11  is not connected to the RF circuit  13  because the antenna connector  12  is not normally coupled, the RF signal line is opened.  
         [0052]     As shown in  FIG. 3B , the connection check part  15  may include a switching element. In this case, when the RF signal line is opened, the connection check part  15  is turned on by a pull-up resistor, and then a resultant signal, i.e., the connection check signal, is output at a low level.  
         [0053]     At this time, the connection check signal output from the connection check part  15  may, although not necessarily, be transmitted to the system part  20  by way of the baseband MAC circuit  14  through the host interface and/or the separate output pin of the wireless communication module  10 . Accordingly, the system part  20  receiving the connection check signal outputs on the screen a message informing the abnormal connection of the antenna  11  according to a certain algorithm.  
         [0054]     In contrast, when the antenna connector  12  is normally coupled and the RF signal line from the antenna  11  is connected to the RF circuit  13 , the RF signal line is grounded. Specifically, as the low level signal is output from the RF signal line, the connection check part  15  is turned off and thus outputs a resultant signal, i.e., the connection check signal, at a high level.  
         [0055]     Accordingly, the system part  20  receiving the connection check signal outputs on the screen a message indicating the normal connection of the antenna  11  according to a certain algorithm.  
         [0056]     The connection check part  15  is a circuit affecting DC components which are opened or grounded by a simple low pass filter even when a signal is input to the RF signal line because the antenna  11  is short-circuited by the RF signal line and the ground line. The connection check part  15  is not limited to the description with reference to  FIGS. 3A and 3B , and the connection check part may be variously implemented.  
         [0057]     As such, the wireless communication module and the portable computer having the wireless communication module check whether the antenna is connected in the DC circuit using the characteristic of the antenna  11 . Thus, it is possible to detect the antenna connection without influence of the test environment, and external test equipment, such as an access point, are unnecessary. In addition, since the antenna connection check method according to an embodiment of the present invention takes advantage of the electrical characteristics, the connection can be accurately detected even when it is difficult to confirm damage of the connector with the naked eye.  
         [0058]     A control flow of the portable computer according to an embodiment of the present invention is explained below with reference to  FIG. 4 .  
         [0059]     The connection check part  15  is connected to the RF signal line, through which the RF signal is transmitted from the antenna  11 , and checks the connection of the antenna  11  by determining whether the RF signal line is opened or short-circuited in the DC circuit at operation  100 .  
         [0060]     More particularly, opening or short-circuiting of the RF signal line, to which both the antenna  11  and the RF circuit  13  are connected, is determined at operation  101 . When the RF signal is opened, the connection check part  15  is turned on by the pull-up resistor and outputs the connection check signal at a low level at operation  102 . When the antenna connector  12  is normally coupled, the RF signal line is grounded and thus the connection check part  15  is turned off and outputs the connection check signal at a high level at operation  103 .  
         [0061]     The system part  20  receives the connection check signal output from the connection check part  15  via the baseband MAC circuit  14  or a separate input pin at operation  104  or  105 , and determines the connection of the antenna  11  based on the received connection check signal.  
         [0062]     When the antenna  11  is not normally connected, the display part  21  may, although not necessarily, display a message informing the abnormal connection of the antenna  11  at operation  106 . When the antenna  11  is normally connected, the display part  21  may, although not necessarily, display a message informing the normal connection of the antenna  11  at operation  107 .  
         [0063]     As such, the wireless communication apparatus of the present invention can test the connection of the antenna using the characteristic of the antenna at the assembly manufacturing phase or in follow-up services. Furthermore, the wireless communication apparatus can help to enhance the efficiency and the accuracy of the auto detection in a multi-antenna technique such as Multiple Input Multiple Output (MIMO), which is a next-generation wireless technology.  
         [0064]     Although a portable computer is exemplified for better understanding, the present invention is also applicable to, but not limited to, IEEE 802.11 a/b/g, Bluetooth, and UWB wireless communication modules and wireless communication apparatuses using an antenna of which the radiator and the ground are short-circuited in the DC circuit. Although it has been explained that the connection check signal of the connection check part is provided to the system part via the baseband MAC circuit and/or a separate output pin, the connection check signal may, although not necessarily, be input to the RF circuit. The system part can inform the user of the antenna connection in manners other than displaying a message on the display part.  
         [0065]     In view of the foregoing as set forth above, the wireless communication module, the wireless communication apparatus having the wireless communication module, and the control method thereof can accurately detect the antenna connection free from the effect of the test environment.  
         [0066]     Although a few embodiments of the present invention have been shown and described, it will be appreciated by those skilled in the art that changes may be made in this embodiment without departing from the principles and spirit of the invention, the scope of which is defined in the claims and their equivalents.