Abstract:
A mobile communication terminal and a control method thereof are provided, where a plurality of antennas receives signals from systems having different frequency bands and a plurality of system modems communicates with the systems having the different frequency bands, respectively. A switching unit positioned between the plurality of antennas and the plurality of system modems selectively connects the plurality of antennas with the plurality of system modems. In a handover between the systems having the different frequency bands, a controller controls the switching unit to connect the system modem of a handed-over system to a predetermined one of the plurality of antennas.

Description:
CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION  
       [0001]     This application claims the benefits under 35 U.S.C. § 119(a) of a Korean Patent Application entitled “MOBILE COMMUNICATION TERMINAL AND CONTROL METHOD THEREOF”, filed in the Korean Intellectual Property Office on Oct. 1, 2004 and assigned Serial No. 2004-0078478, the entire content of which is hereby incorporated by reference.  
       BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION  
       [0002]     1. Field of the Invention  
         [0003]     The present invention relates to a mobile communication terminal and a control method thereof. More specifically, the present invention relates to a mobile communication terminal and a control method thereof in which a plurality of antennas are installed onto a mobile terminal capable of communicating with an international mobile telecommunication-2000 (IMT-2000) type wideband code division multiple access (WCDMA) network and a second generation (2G) code division multiple access (CDMA) network to control such that an antenna having excellent reception performance among the plurality of antennas is switched to a handed-over system modem within the terminal in handover between networks.  
         [0004]     2. Description of the Related Art  
         [0005]     In general, due to the economic burden of commercializing a WCDMA network, it is expected that WCDMA network systems providing WCDMA service in respective service areas will not be installed all at once but rather gradually beginning with certain principle areas.  
         [0006]     Such a network installation plan has the drawback of service unavailability when a WCDMA terminal is outside of a service area. Accordingly, until WCDMA service is available nationwide, WCDMA terminals outside of a service area have to transition to an established mobile communication network to receive service. This is called a handover between the WCDMA network and a CMDA network.  
         [0007]     Such a handover has the following requirements.  
         [0008]     First, the terminal must be capable of connecting to and communicating with both a WCDMA system and a CDMA system simultaneously. The type of terminal is called a multi-mode multi-band (MMMB) terminal. A structure of the MMMB terminal is shown in  FIG. 1  and will be described below.  
         [0009]     As shown in  FIG. 1 , the MMMB terminal comprises a WCDMA modem and a CDMA modem.  
         [0010]     Second, the terminal or system must be able to detect when the terminal is located at a WCDMA service area boundary.  
         [0011]     Third, when at the WCDMA service area boundary, the terminal must be able to perform a handover according to a WCDMA-to-CDMA handover procedure in order to continue to receive stable service.  
         [0012]     Fourth, the mobile communication network must be able to quickly transmit a paging message and connect a call with the terminal regardless of what system the terminal is operating in.  
         [0013]     Hereinafter, a structure of a conventional mobile communication terminal capable of performing a WCDMA-to-CDMA handover will be described with reference to  FIG. 1 .  
         [0014]      FIG. 1  is schematic diagram illustrating the conventional mobile communication terminal for concurrently communicating WCDMA and CDMA signals.  
         [0015]     As shown in  FIG. 1 , the terminal comprises an external antenna (ANT), a diplexer  1 , duplexers  2  and  3 , a CDMA modem  4 , a WCDMA modem  5 , a dual port random access memory (DPRAM)  6 , and a multimedia processor  7 .  
         [0016]     The diplexer  1  receives signals through the external antenna (ANT), separates the received signals into a WCDMA band and a CDMA band, and respectively provides the signals to the CDMA modem  4  and the WCDMA modem  5  through the duplexers  2  and  3 , respectively.  
         [0017]     The CDMA and WCDMA modems  4  and  5  receive the signals through the duplexers  2  and  3  respectively and process the received signals corresponding to their own respective frequencies under the control of the multimedia processor  7 .  
         [0018]     Stepwise operations of the above-described terminal in the WCDMA-to-CDMA handover will be described in greater detail with reference to  FIG. 2 .  
         [0019]     As shown in  FIG. 2 , first, during a call by using the WCDMA modem of the terminal at step S 101 , when the WCDMA modem  5  detects (recognizes) a boundary between the WCDMA network and the CDMA network at step S 102 , the WCDMA modem  5  provides a WCDMA boundary recognition message, in other words, a message for requesting handover to the CDMA network, to a system, such as a network system comprising a base station, a base station controller, and the like, at step S 103 .  
         [0020]     Further, the WCDMA modem  5  provides a signal for enabling the CDMA modem  4  to the CDMA modem  4  through the multimedia processor  7  and enables the CDMA modem  4  at steps S 104  and S 105 . Accordingly, the CDMA modem  4  searches for the best cell and then enters an idle state at step S 106 .  
         [0021]     Meanwhile, if the system transmits a handover command message to the WCDMA modem  5  at step S 107 , the WCDMA modem  5  receives the handover command message from the system at step S 108 , transmits it to the CDMA modem  4  at step S 109 , and is disenabled at step S 110 .  
         [0022]     After the CDMA modem  4  receives the handover command message and establishes a traffic channel with the system at step S 111 , it transmits a handover completion message to the system at step S 112 , thereby transferring the call to the traffic channel between the system and the CDMA modem  4  while maintaining the call connection at step S 113 .  
         [0023]     As a result, in the WCDMA-to-CDMA handover, if the terminal is at the WCDMA service area boundary, the CDMA modem  4  is enabled and located in a cell where a signal of at least a suitable intensity is generated. Subsequently, in response to a system handover command, the CDMA modem  4  is connected with the cell, the call is switched to the CDMA modem  4 , and the WCDMA modem  5  is disenabled.  
         [0024]     As shown in  FIG. 2 , in a concurrent communication period, the WCDMA modem  5  and the CDMA modem  4  of the terminal are connected to and communicate with the WCDMA system and the CDMA system, respectively.  
         [0025]     The terminal shown in  FIG. 2  divides the received signal based on system frequency using the diplexer. As the frequencies to be separated are distant from each other, the diplexer has excellent performance.  
         [0026]     For example, since SK Telecom Co., Ltd., a telecommunication service provider uses a frequency band around 800 MHz in CDMA and a frequency band around 2 GHz in WCDMA, the diplexer can separate the frequencies and the terminal having the structure shown in  FIG. 2  can be used to concurrently communicate WCDMA and CDMA signals. However, KTF Co., Ltd., another telecommunication service provider, uses a frequency band around 1.8 GHz in CDMA and a frequency band around 2 GHz in WCDMA, and there is no diplexer capable of separating these two frequency bands. Further, even if a new component is developed, its thickness will be approximately 1 cm, which will enlarge the size of terminal and decrease its marketability.  
       SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION  
       [0027]     Accordingly, an object of the present invention is to provide a mobile communication terminal capable of simultaneously receiving Wideband Code Division Multiple Access (WCDMA) and Code Division Multiple Access (CDMA) signals using an internal antenna and an external antenna.  
         [0028]     Another object of the present invention is to provide a mobile communication terminal and a control method thereof for preventing deterioration of the reception performance of an internal antenna by switching between internal/external antennas in a WCDMA-to-CDMA handover.  
         [0029]     According to an aspect of an exemplary embodiment of the present invention, a mobile communication terminal is provided. The terminal comprises a plurality of antennas for receiving signals from systems having different frequency bands, a plurality of system modems for communicating with the systems having the different frequency bands, respectively, a switching unit positioned between the plurality of antennas and the plurality of system modems, and selectively connecting the plurality of antennas with the plurality of system modems, and a controller for, in a handover between the systems having the different frequency bands, controlling the switching unit to connect the system modem of a handed-over system to a predetermined one of the plurality of antennas.  
         [0030]     The switching unit may comprise a crossbar switch comprising an on/off switch, and the plurality of system modems may comprise a WCDMA modem for communicating with a WCDMA network system and a CDMA modem for communicating with a CDMA network system.  
         [0031]     When the WCDMA modem detects a WCDMA service boundary area during a WCDMA communication, it may transmit a handover request message to the WCDMA network system and a modem-on message to the CDMA modem so that, upon receipt of a handover command message from the WCDMA network system, the WCDMA modem transmits the received handover command message to the CDMA modem and then is disenabled.  
         [0032]     After the CDMA modem receives the modem-on message from the WCDMA modem and is enabled to search for the best cell and wait in an idle state, it may establish a traffic channel with the CDMA network system through a network in response to the handover command message provided from the WCDMA modem and communicate with the CDMA system through the network.  
         [0033]     The plurality of antennas may have the same or different reception performance and be installed inside and outside of the mobile communication terminal.  
         [0034]     The predetermined antenna may be an external antenna.  
         [0035]     According to another aspect of an exemplary embodiment of the present invention, a mobile communication terminal is provided. The mobile communication terminal comprises system modems for communicating with respective systems having different frequency bands, and a plurality of antennas respectively connected to the system modems for receiving a signal of a corresponding frequency band and providing the received signal to a corresponding modem.  
         [0036]     The plurality of antennas may be installed inside and outside of a terminal case.  
         [0037]     Each of the system modems having the different frequency bands may comprise a WCDMA modem for communicating with a system having a WCDMA frequency band, and a CDMA modem for communicating with a system having a CDMA frequency band.  
         [0038]     The WCDMA modem may be connected with an external antenna, and the CDMA modem may be connected with an internal antenna.  
         [0039]     The terminal may further comprise a controller for connecting the WCDMA modem with the internal antenna and connecting the CDMA modem with the external antenna in a handover from the system having the WCDMA frequency band to the system having the CDMA frequency band.  
         [0040]     According to yet another aspect of an exemplary embodiment of the present invention, a method is provided for controlling antenna switching in a mobile communication terminal having a plurality of antennas. The method comprises when the terminal enters a service area of a second mobile communication system having a different frequency band while it communicates with a first mobile communication system by using a first communication modem, enabling a second communication modem for communicating with the second mobile communication system and establishing a traffic channel with the second mobile communication system, and controlling antenna switching so that a first antenna having superior reception performance among the plurality of antennas is connected to the enabled second communication modem, and a second antenna having a lower reception performance than the first antenna is connected to the first communication modem.  
         [0041]     The first modem may be a WCDMA modem and the second modem a CDMA modem, and the first mobile communication system may be a WCDMA system and the second mobile communication system a CDMA system.  
         [0042]     The switching between the first and second antennas may be performed by using a crossbar switch which comprises a plurality of on/off switches.  
         [0043]     The plurality of antennas may have the same or different reception performance and be installed inside and outside of the mobile communication terminal.  
         [0044]     According to yet another aspect of an exemplary embodiment of the present invention, a method is provided for controlling antenna switching in a mobile communication terminal having a plurality of system modems for communicating with respective systems having different frequency bands, and a plurality of antennas for receiving different frequency band signals and providing the received frequency band signals to the respective system modems. The method comprises, when a first system modem undergoing communication determines that a current location of the terminal is in a boundary area of a service frequency band of a first mobile communication system, transmitting a handover request message to the first mobile communication system and transmitting a modem-on message to a second system modem through a network, and in the second system modem, receiving the modem-on message, searching for a best cell, establishing a traffic channel with the second mobile communication system through a network in response to a handover command provided from the first mobile communication system, and controlling antenna switching so that an established first antenna having superior reception performance among the plurality of antennas is switched to the second system modem.  
         [0045]     In controlling the antenna switching, a second antenna having a lower reception performance than the first antenna may be switched to the first system modem. 
     
    
     BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS  
       [0046]     A more complete appreciation of the invention, and many of the attendant advantages thereof, will be readily apparent as the same becomes better understood by reference to the following detailed description when considered in conjunction with the accompanying drawings:  
         [0047]      FIG. 1  is a schematic diagram illustrating a conventional terminal capable of simultaneously communicating Wideband Code Division Multiple Access (WCDMA) and Code Division Multiple Access (CDMA) signals;  
         [0048]      FIG. 2  is a flowchart illustrating operation of the terminal in a handover from a WCDMA network to a CDMA network;  
         [0049]      FIG. 3  is schematic diagram illustrating a structure of a mobile communication terminal according to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention;  
         [0050]      FIG. 4  is a schematic diagram illustrating a structure of a mobile communication terminal according to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention;  
         [0051]      FIG. 5  is a diagram illustrating a structure of a crossbar switch according to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention; and  
         [0052]      FIG. 6  is a flowchart illustrating internal operation in a handover of a mobile communication terminal according to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention.  
         [0053]     Throughout the drawings, like reference numerals will be understood to refer to like parts, components and structures. 
     
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF EXEMPLARY EMBODIMENTS  
       [0054]     The present invention will now be described in greater detail with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which exemplary embodiments of the invention are shown. This invention may, however, be embodied in different forms and should not be construed as limited to the embodiments set forth herein. Rather, these embodiments are provided so that this disclosure will be thorough and complete, and will fully convey the scope of the invention to those skilled in the art. In the drawings, as noted above, whenever the same element reappears in a subsequent drawing, it is denoted by the same reference numeral.  
         [0055]      FIG. 3  is a schematic diagram illustrating a structure of a mobile communication terminal according to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention.  
         [0056]     As shown in  FIG. 3 , the mobile communication terminal comprises an internal antenna, an external antenna, duplexers  10  and  11 , a code division multiple access (CDMA) modem  12 , a wideband code division multiple access (WCDMA) modem  13 , a dual port random access memory (DPRAM)  14  and a multimedia processor  15 .  
         [0057]     The internal antenna is installed inside of a terminal case so that it cannot be seen from the outside, and the external antenna is constructed to protrude outward such as a conventional terminal antenna. The internal and external antennas can be constructed in position and structure to minimize signal interference between them.  
         [0058]     In other words, the internal antenna is connected to the CDMA modem  12  through the duplexer  10  and receives and provides a CDMA network frequency band signal to the CDMA modem  12  through the duplexer  10 .  
         [0059]     The external antenna is connected to the WCDMA modem  13  through the duplexer  11  and receives and provides a WCDMA network frequency band signal to the WCDMA modem  13  through the duplexer  11 .  
         [0060]     The mobile communication terminal according to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention receives the CDMA frequency band signal and the WCDMA frequency band signal through the different antennas and thus has better reception performance than the conventional mobile communication terminal of  FIG. 1 .  
         [0061]     The duplexers  10  and  11 , the CDMA/WCDMA modems  12  and  13 , the DPRAM  14 , and the multimedia processor  15  each operate similar to that as in the conventional terminal of  FIG. 1 , and the terminal performs a handover from WCDMA to CDMA in a similar fashion as shown in  FIG. 2 .  
         [0062]     However, in a terminal, as shown for example in  FIG. 3 , poor internal antenna performance can be a problem. That is, since the reception performance of the internal antenna is worse than that of the external antenna, the terminal shown in  FIG. 3  may have inferior reception performance in CDMA communication compared to the conventional terminal. To overcome this drawback, a mobile communication terminal according to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention, as shown in  FIG. 4 , is provided.  
         [0063]      FIG. 4  is a schematic diagram illustrating a structure of a mobile communication terminal according to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention.  
         [0064]     As shown in  FIG. 4 , the mobile communication terminal comprises an internal antenna, an external antenna, a crossbar switch  20 , duplexers  21  and  22 , a CDMA modem  23 , a WCDMA modem  24 , a DPRAM  25  and a multimedia processor  26 .  
         [0065]     The internal and external antennas are each connected to the crossbar switch  20 , which is connected to each of the duplexers  21  and  22 .  
         [0066]     The crossbar switch  20  can be switched in response to a switching control signal provided from the multimedia processor  26  to connect the external antenna to a modem for transmitting a call traffic signal to a system through a network, such as the CDMA modem  23  or the WCDMA modem  24 , and can receive the traffic signal from the CDMA modem  23  or the WCDMA modem  24 . Meanwhile, the crossbar switch  20  can also be switched to connect the internal antenna with a modem for receiving the signal. Thus, since the external antenna has better reception performance than the internal antenna, the external antenna can be switched to the modem for currently transmitting the call traffic signal to provide better reception performance. According to an exemplary implementation, the internal and external antennas, which are otherwise the same, have different reception performance owing only to their different installation positions.  
         [0067]     The multimedia processor  26  determines the modem for currently transmitting the traffic signal, and provides the switching control signal to the crossbar switch  20  to enable the crossbar switch  20  so that the external antenna is connected to the modem for transmitting the traffic signal, such as the WCDMA modem  24 . In response to switching of the crossbar switch  20 , the external antenna is connected with the WCDMA modem  24  through the duplexer  22 , and the internal antenna is connected to the CDMA modem  23  through the duplexer  21 .  
         [0068]     Further, when the WCDMA modem  24  detects a WCDMA service boundary during a call, the handover to the CDMA network is performed, and the multimedia processor  26  transmits the switching control signal to the crossbar switch  20  and switches the external antenna to the CDMA modem  23  to enable the CDMA modem  23  in response to a system handover command.  
         [0069]     The crossbar switch  20  can have various designs as long as a path to the CDMA modem  23  and a path to the WCDMA modem  24  are maintained separately. However, in an exemplary embodiment of the present invention illustrated in  FIG. 5 , the crossbar switch  20  may comprise four on/off switches  20   a  through  20   d.    
         [0070]     As shown in  FIG. 5 , the crossbar switch  20  may comprise four on/off switches  20   a  through  20   d . When the on/off switch  20   a  is turned on and the on/off switch  20   b  is turned off in response to the control signal provided from the multimedia processor  26 , the on/off switch  20   c  is turned off and the on/off switch  20   d  is turned on to connect the external antenna to the CDMA modem  23  through the duplexer  21  and connect the internal antenna to the WCDMA modem  24  through the duplexer  22 .  
         [0071]     On the other hand, when the on/off switch  20   a  is turned off and the on/off switch  20   b  is turned on depending on the control signal provided from the multimedia processor  26 , the on/off switch  20   c  is turned on and the on/off switch  20   d  is turned off to connect the external antenna to the WCDMA modem  24  through the duplexer  22  and connect the internal antenna to the CDMA modem  23  through the duplexer  21 .  
         [0072]     As a result, a basic state of the crossbar switch  20  in which the external and internal antennas are connected to the WCDMA modem  24  and the CDMA modem  23  in response to the control signal of the multimedia processor  26  changes in response to the control signal of the multimedia processor  26  when the terminal crosses a WCDMA boundary and is handed over to the CDMA network. In other words, in the WCDMA-to-CDMA handover, the multimedia processor  26  controls the crossbar switch  20  to connect the external antenna to the CDMA modem  23  and the internal antenna to the WCDMA modem  24 .  
         [0073]     A control operation of the crossbar switch  20  of the above-described mobile communication terminal according to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention in a handover process will be described in detail.  
         [0074]     First, when the WCDMA modem  24  detects that the terminal is in a WCDMA service boundary area during a call using the WCDMA modem  24 , it transmits a handover request message to the system and simultaneously provides a message for enabling the CDMA modem  23  to the CDMA modem  23 .  
         [0075]     At this time, the multimedia processor  26  provides the switching control signal to the crossbar switch  20  to connect the external antenna to the WCDMA modem  24  and connect the internal antenna to the CDMA modem  23 . In other words, in a WCDMA service area, the basic state can be maintained to always connect the external antenna to the WCDMA modem  24 , and the multimedia processor  26  turns off the on/off switches  20   a  and  20   d  of the crossbar switch  20  and turns on the on/off switches  20   b  and  20   c  using the WCDMA modem  24  during the call so that the external antenna is connected with the WCDMA modem  24  and the internal antenna is connected to the CDMA modem  23 .  
         [0076]     The CDMA modem  23  is enabled in response to a modem-on message provided to the WCDMA modem  24 , searches for the best cell, and enters an idle state.  
         [0077]     Upon receipt of a handover command message from the system, the WCDMA modem  24  provides the received handover command message to the CDMA modem  23 .  
         [0078]     Accordingly, the CDMA modem  23  establishes a traffic channel with the system in response to the handover command message received from the WCDMA modem  24 , and transmits a handover completion message to the system.  
         [0079]     At this time, the multimedia processor  26  controls the crossbar switch  20  to connect the external antenna to the CDMA modem  23  and connect the internal antenna to the WCDMA modem  24 .  
         [0080]     In detail, the multimedia processor  26  turns on the on/off switches  20   a  and  20   d and turns off the on/off switches  20   b  and  20   c , thereby connecting the external antenna with the CDMA modem  23  and connecting the internal antenna with the WCDMA modem  24 .  
         [0081]     As a result, in an initial state in a WCDMA system, the crossbar switch  20  is enabled so that the external antenna is connected to the WCDMA modem  24  and the internal antenna is connected to the CDMA modem  23 .  
         [0082]     When there is a handover to the CDMA network, the WCDMA modem  24  is disenabled and the CDMA modem  23  is in a traffic state, thereby enabling communication of a voice traffic signal. The CDMA modem  23  transmits an internal state change message to the multimedia processor  26  which receives the internal message and provides the switching control signal to the crossbar switch  20  to connect the external antenna to the CDMA modem  23 , thereby communicating the CDMA frequency band signal through the external antenna.  
         [0083]     An exemplary control method of the crossbar switch based on an exemplary implementation of a handover process corresponding to the above exemplary operation according to an embodiment of the present invention will be described step by step with reference to  FIG. 6 .  
         [0084]      FIG. 6  is a flowchart illustrating internal operation of the mobile communication terminal according to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention in the handover.  
         [0085]     As shown in  FIG. 6 , first, when the WCDMA modem  24  detects that the terminal is located in the WCDMA service boundary area during a call using the WCDMA modem  24  at steps S 201  and S 202 , it transmits the handover request message to the system and simultaneously provides a message for enabling the CDMA modem  23  to the CDMA modem  23  at steps S 203  and S 204 .  
         [0086]     At this time, the multimedia processor  26  provides the switching control signal to the crossbar switch  20 , and controls the switching to connect the external antenna to the WCDMA modem  24  and connect the internal antenna to the CDMA modem  23  at steps S 206  and S 207 . In other words, in a WCDMA service area, the basic state in which the external antenna is connected to the WCDMA modem  24  can be maintained.  
         [0087]     Consequently, the CDMA modem  23  is enabled in response to the modem-on message provided to the WCDMA modem  24 , searches for the best cell, and enters an idle state at steps S 205  and S 208 .  
         [0088]     Upon receipt of the handover command message from the system, the WCDMA modem  24  provides the received handover command message to the CDMA modem  23  at steps S 209 , S 210  and S 211 .  
         [0089]     Accordingly, after the CDMA modem  23  establishes the traffic channel with the system in response to the handover command message received from the WCDMA modem  24 , and transmits a handover completion message to the system, it provides a message reporting a state change of the crossbar switch  20  to the multimedia processor  26  at steps S 213 , S 216  and S 214 .  
         [0090]     At this time, the multimedia processor  26  provides the switching control signal to the crossbar switch  20  in response to the state change message provided from the CDMA modem  23 , and changes the state of the crossbar switch  20  at steps S 215  and S 217 . The multimedia processor  26  also disables WCDMA modem  24  at step S 212 . In other words, the multimedia processor  26  controls the crossbar switch  20  to connect the external antenna to the CDMA modem  23  and connect the internal antenna to the is WCDMA modem  24 .  
         [0091]     In detail, the multimedia processor  26  controls the on/off switches  20   a  and  20   d  to be turned on and the on/off switches  20   b  and  20   c  to be turned off, and thereby connects the external antenna with the CDMA modem  23  and connecting the internal antenna with the WCDMA modem  24 .  
         [0092]     If the state of the crossbar switch  20  is changed as above, the CDMA modem  23  takes over the call by communicating with the system through the network over the established traffic channel at step S 218 .  
         [0093]     Consequently, in the exemplary implementation of a mobile communication terminal and the control method thereof according to the present invention, the mobile communication terminal comprises the internal and external antennas to connect with an initial WCDMA network so that during the call, the external antenna is connected to the WCDMA modem  24 , thereby improving the reception performance. And, in the handover from the WCDMA network to the CDMA network, the crossbar switch  20  is controlled to switch the external antenna to the CDMA modem  23 , thereby improving the reception performance in CDMA communication.  
         [0094]     In the above exemplary embodiments, antennas are installed inside and outside of the terminal as an example that is not intended to limit the scope of the present invention. It should be understood that a plurality of antennas having different reception performances can be installed inside or outside, and in a handover between network systems having different frequency bands, the handed-over system modem can be switched to an antenna having superior reception performance. In other words, the reception performance of the antenna can be determined in consideration of a type, a reception gain, and the like of the antenna, and an antenna having superior reception performance is previously established in the multimedia processor  26  of  FIG. 4  so that when a handover occurs, the micro processor  26  can control the crossbar switch  26  to switch the handed-over system modem to the established antenna.  
         [0095]     Further, while the above exemplary embodiments pertain to a multi-mode multi-band (MMMB) terminal comprising the WCDMA and CDMA communication modems having the different frequency bands, it will be understood by those skilled in the art that the present invention is also applicable to a terminal comprising other communication modems having different frequency bands. Accordingly, the scope of the present invention is determined by the following claims.  
         [0096]     As described above, in the exemplary implementation of a mobile communication terminal and control method thereof according to the present invention, the mobile communication terminal comprises the internal and external antennas and controls the crossbar switch so that the external antenna is connected to the WCDMA modem and the internal antenna is connected to the CDMA modem in an initial state in a WCDMA system. When there is a handover to the CDMA network, the WCDMA modem is disenabled and the CDMA modem enters the traffic state to enable communication of the voice traffic signal. At this time, the CDMA modem transmits the internal message about the state change to the multimedia processor. The multimedia processor receives the internal message, and provides the switching control signal to the crossbar switch to connect the external antenna to the CDMA modem, thereby communicating the CDMA frequency band signal through the external antenna.  
         [0097]     Accordingly, if the exemplary implementations of the present invention employ the MMMB terminal, even when the CDMA and WCDMA frequency bands are close, simultaneous communication with the WCDMA and CDMA systems can be achieved, thereby implementing the WCDMA-to-CDMA handover with a low call drop and a high success rate.  
         [0098]     Further, the external and internal antennas are used together, thereby improving the terminal&#39;s appearance and improving marketability.  
         [0099]     Furthermore, the internal antenna having inferior reception performance can be used for a short time and then switched to the external antenna to prevent communication quality deterioration regardless of what system is connected to.  
         [0100]     Additionally, since it does not matter if the reception performance of the internal antenna is somewhat low, the size of the antenna can be reduced to facilitate overall terminal size reduction.  
         [0101]     While the present invention has been described with reference to exemplary embodiments thereof, it will be understood by those skilled in the art that various changes in form and detail may be made therein without departing from the spirit and scope of the present invention as defined by the following claims.