Patent Description:
Carrier aggregation (CA) is a representative technique used in long-term evolution advanced (LTE-A) systems. CA refers to a method in which an electronic device uses a plurality of uplink carriers and/or a plurality of downlink carriers. For example, an electronic device supporting an LTE-A system may use up to five carriers for an uplink and/or a downlink in order to increase data transmission and reception efficiency. In CA, one carrier refers to a carrier frequency band having a <NUM> bandwidth.

CA may be divided into three types depending on the position of carriers to be used. For example, CA may be divided into an intra-band contiguous CA type using continuous carriers in the same frequency band, an intra-band non-contiguous CA type using non-continuous carriers in the same frequency band, and an inter-band non-contiguous CA type using non-continuous carriers in different frequency bands.

<CIT> discusses an apparatus which includes a first plurality of low noise amplifiers and a cascaded switch configured to route outputs of the first plurality of low noise amplifiers to a second plurality of low noise amplifiers. <CIT> discusses a receiver architecture for carrier aggregation. <CIT> discusses reconfiguring a transceiver design using a plurality of frequency synthesizers and a plurality of carrier aggregation receiver and transmitter chains.

Electronic devices require a plurality of local oscillators in order to support CA using a plurality of carriers. For example, an electronic device needs to have N downlink local oscillators that supply a reference frequency to each of N carriers in order to support N downlink carriers. However, as the number of local oscillators included in an electronic device increases, the production costs and design complexity of the electronic device may increase.

Each country and/or each mobile network operator holds a different frequency band and has different requirements for carrier aggregation, and accordingly, electronic devices may be designed to satisfy various requirements of countries and mobile network operators. For example, electronic devices may be designed to support downlink 3CA and uplink 2CA in order to meet a downlink 3CA requirement of a first mobile network operator and downlink 2CA and uplink 2CA requirements of a second mobile network operator. In this case, an electronic device using only a communication network of the first mobile network operator does not use uplink CA, which may result in unnecessary costs and complexity for such a design.

However, when a radio frequency (RF) communication circuit is simplified in an electronic device for cost saving, the electronic device cannot support inter-band non-contiguous CA even though it includes a plurality of local oscillators. The present disclosure has been made to address at least the disadvantages described above and to provide at least the advantages described below.

Therefore, an aspect of present disclosure is to provide an electronic device including a wireless communication circuit that performs CA using a plurality of carrier frequencies using a switch in the electronic device and an operating method thereof.

The scope of protection of the present invention is defined by the appended independent claim.

It includes various specific details to assist in that understanding, but these are to be regarded as merely examples.

<FIG> illustrates an electronic device in a network environment according to an embodiment.

Referring to <FIG>, an electronic device <NUM> in a network environment <NUM> may communicate with an electronic device <NUM> via a first network <NUM> (e.g., a short-range wireless communication network), or an electronic device <NUM> and/or a server <NUM> via a second network <NUM> (e.g., a long-range wireless communication network). The electronic device <NUM> may communicate with the electronic device <NUM> via the server <NUM>.

The electronic device <NUM> includes a processor <NUM>, memory <NUM>, an input device <NUM>, a sound output device <NUM>, a display device <NUM>, an audio module <NUM>, a sensor module <NUM>, an interface <NUM>, a haptic module <NUM>, a camera module <NUM>, a power management module <NUM>, a battery <NUM>, a communication module <NUM>, a subscriber identification module (SIM) <NUM>, and an antenna module <NUM>. Alternatively, at least one (e.g., the display device <NUM> or the camera module <NUM>) of the components may be omitted from the electronic device <NUM>, and/or one or more other components may be added in the electronic device <NUM>.

Some of the components may be implemented as single integrated circuitry.

The processor <NUM> may execute software (e.g., a program <NUM>) to control at least one other component (e.g., a hardware or software component) of the electronic device <NUM> coupled with the processor <NUM>, and may perform various data processing or computation.

The processor <NUM> includes a main processor <NUM> (e.g., a central processing unit (CPU) and an application processor (AP)), and an auxiliary processor <NUM> (e.g., a graphics processing unit (GPU), an image signal processor (ISP), a sensor hub processor, or a communication processor (CP)) that is operable independently from, or in conjunction with, the main processor <NUM>.

The various data may include software (e.g., the program <NUM>) and input data or output data for a command related thereto. The memory <NUM> includes the volatile memory <NUM> and the non-volatile memory <NUM>.

The program <NUM> may be stored in the memory <NUM> as software, and includes, for example, an operating system (OS) <NUM>, middleware <NUM>, and an application <NUM>.

The input device <NUM> may include a microphone, a mouse, a keyboard, or a digital pen (e.g., a stylus pen).

The sound output device <NUM> may include a speaker and/or a receiver. The receiver may be implemented as separate from, or as part of the speaker.

The display device <NUM> may include a display, a hologram device, or a projector and control circuitry to control a corresponding one of the display, hologram device, and projector.

The sensor module <NUM> may include a gesture sensor, a gyro sensor, an atmospheric pressure sensor, a magnetic sensor, an acceleration sensor, a grip sensor, a proximity sensor, a color sensor, an infrared (IR) sensor, a biometric sensor, a temperature sensor, a humidity sensor, or an illuminance sensor.

The interface <NUM> may include a high definition multimedia interface (HDMI), a universal serial bus (USB) interface, a secure digital (SD) card interface, or an audio interface.

The connecting terminal <NUM> may include, for example, a HDMI connector, a USB connector, a SD card connector, or an audio connector (e.g., a headphone connector).

The haptic module <NUM> may include a motor, a piezoelectric element, or an electric stimulator.

The power management module <NUM> may be implemented as at least part of a power management integrated circuit (PMIC).

The battery <NUM> may include a primary cell which is not rechargeable, a secondary cell which is rechargeable, or a fuel cell.

The communication module <NUM> may include one or more communication processors that are operable independently from the processor <NUM> (e.g., the AP) and supports a direct (e.g., wired) communication or a wireless communication. The communication module <NUM> may include a wireless communication module <NUM> (e.g., a cellular communication module, a short-range wireless communication module, or a global navigation satellite system (GNSS) communication module) or a wired communication module <NUM> (e.g., a local area network (LAN) communication module or a power line communication (PLC) module). A corresponding one of these communication modules may communicate with the external electronic device via the first network <NUM> (e.g., a short-range communication network, such as Bluetooth™, Wi-Fi direct, or Infrared Data Association (IrDA)), or the second network <NUM> (e.g., a long-range communication network, such as a cellular network, the Internet, or a computer network (e.g., LAN or wide area network (WAN)).

The antenna module <NUM> may include an antenna including a radiating element composed of a conductive material or a conductive pattern formed in or on a substrate (e.g., PCB). The antenna module <NUM> may include a plurality of antennas. In such a case, at least one antenna appropriate for a communication scheme used in the communication network, such as the first network <NUM> or the second network <NUM>, may be selected, for example, by the communication module <NUM> (e.g., the wireless communication module <NUM>), from the plurality of antennas. Another component (e.g., a radio frequency integrated circuit (RFIC)), other than the radiating element, may be additionally formed as part of the antenna module <NUM>.

<FIG> illustrates an electronic device processing a carrier signal according to an embodiment. The electronic device of <FIG> may be the electronic device <NUM> of <FIG>.

Referring to <FIG>, the electronic device <NUM> includes an antenna <NUM>, a control circuit <NUM>, a switch <NUM>, a communication circuit <NUM>, and a local oscillator (LO) module <NUM>. Alternatively, the electronic device <NUM> may include at least one other component.

The antenna <NUM> (e.g., the antenna module <NUM> of <FIG>) may be electrically connected to the switch <NUM> and the communication circuit <NUM>. The antenna <NUM> may be electrically connected to at least one input port (or input terminal) of the switch <NUM> and a plurality of input ports (signal terminals) included in the communication circuit <NUM>. For example, the antenna <NUM> may be electrically connected to a first input port configured for communication using a first carrier frequency band included in a first frequency band, a second input port configured for communication using a second carrier frequency band included in the first frequency band, a fourth input port configured for communication using a first carrier frequency band included in a second frequency band, and a fifth input port configured for communication using a second carrier frequency band included in the second frequency band among the input ports included in the communication circuit <NUM>. This connection between the antenna <NUM> and the communication circuit <NUM> is provided for illustrative purposes, and various embodiments are not limited thereto.

The switch <NUM> is disposed between the antenna <NUM> (or a duplexer connected to the antenna <NUM>) and the communication circuit <NUM> and may deliver a signal of at least one downlink carrier received from the antenna <NUM> to the communication circuit <NUM>. The switch <NUM> may be an SPDT switch or a DPDT switch. The switch <NUM> may receive a signal of a downlink carrier corresponding to at least one of a primary component carriers (PCC) or secondary component carriers (SCCs) through the antenna <NUM>, and may provide the received signal to any one input port included in the communication circuit <NUM> by performing a switching operation based on a control signal provided from the control circuit <NUM>. For example, output ports of the switch <NUM> may be electrically connected to a third input port configured for communication using a third carrier frequency band included in the first frequency band and a sixth input port configured for communication using a third carrier frequency band included in the second frequency band among the input ports included in the communication circuit <NUM>. The switch <NUM> may provide the received signal to either the third input port of the communication circuit <NUM> or the sixth input port of the communication circuit <NUM> under the control of the control circuit <NUM>. This connection between the switch <NUM> and the communication circuit <NUM> is provided for illustrative purposes, and various embodiments are not limited thereto.

The communication circuit <NUM> may receive a downlink carrier signal through the antenna <NUM> and/or the switch <NUM>, may perform low-noise amplification of the received downlink carrier signal, and may downconvert the signal. The communication circuit <NUM> may include a plurality of input ports configured for communication using carrier frequency bands included in different frequency bands. For example, the communication circuit <NUM> may include the first input port configured for communication using the first carrier frequency band included in a first frequency band, the second input port configured for communication using the second carrier frequency band included in the first frequency band, the third input port configured for communication using the third carrier frequency band included in the first frequency band, the fourth input port configured for communication using the first carrier frequency band included in the second frequency band, the fifth input port configured for communication using the second carrier frequency band included in the second frequency band, and the sixth input port configured for communication using the third carrier frequency band included in the second frequency band. These input ports are provided for illustrative purposes, and various embodiments are not limited thereto. For example, the communication circuit <NUM> may further include a plurality of input ports configured for communication using a carrier frequency band corresponding to a third frequency band other than the first frequency band and the second frequency band.

The first frequency band may be about <NUM> to <NUM>, the second frequency band may be about <NUM> to <NUM>, and the third frequency band may be about <NUM> to <NUM>. These frequency bands are provided for illustrative purposes, and various embodiments are not limited thereto. For example, the first, second, and third frequency bands may be changed by an operator and/or a designer.

The communication circuit <NUM> may receive a signal of the third carrier frequency band corresponding to the first frequency band through the third input port or the sixth input port according to the switching operation of the switch <NUM>. The communication circuit <NUM> may receive a signal of the third carrier frequency band corresponding to the second frequency band through the third input port or the sixth input port according to the switching operation of the switch <NUM>. The communication circuit <NUM> may include a plurality of low-noise amplifiers and a plurality of downconversion mixers and may perform low-noise amplification and downconversion of a downlink carrier signal inputted through each input port.

The local oscillator module <NUM> includes a plurality of local oscillators (first to Nth LOs) <NUM>, <NUM>, and <NUM>. Each of the plurality of local oscillators <NUM>, <NUM>, and <NUM> may provide a reference frequency signal to the communication circuit <NUM> under the control of the control circuit <NUM>. At least one of the plurality of local oscillators <NUM>, <NUM>, and <NUM> operates in a receive mode under the control of the control circuit <NUM>, and the at least one local oscillator operating in the receive mode may provide a reference frequency signal to the communication circuit <NUM>.

The control circuit <NUM> may be a controller of a communications processor, an application processor, or a communications circuit. The control circuit <NUM> may control the switch <NUM> based on a frequency band used for communication with an external electronic device.

Alternatively, the control circuit <NUM> may control the operation of the switch <NUM> based on whether three or more carrier frequency bands included in one frequency band are used for communication with an external electronic device. For example, when three or more carrier frequency bands included in the first frequency band are used for communication with an external electronic device, the control circuit <NUM> may control the input port of the switch <NUM> to be connected to an output port connected to the sixth input port so that a signal of the third carrier frequency band included in the first frequency band is provided to the sixth input port of the communication circuit <NUM>. In another example, when three or more carrier frequency bands included in the second frequency band are used for communication with an external electronic device, the control circuit <NUM> may control the input port of the switch <NUM> to be connected to an output port connected to the third input port so that a signal of the third carrier frequency band included in the second frequency band is provided to the third input port of the communication circuit <NUM>.

<FIG> illustrates a wireless communication module according to an embodiment. Referring to <FIG>, a wireless communication module <NUM> includes a switching unit <NUM> and an RFIC <NUM>. Alternatively, the wireless communication module <NUM> may further include at least one other component.

The switching unit <NUM> include at least one switch <NUM>. The at least one switch <NUM> may include at least one SPDT switch and/or at least one DPDT switch. The switching unit <NUM> is disposed between an antenna <NUM> and the RFIC <NUM> (or between a duplexer and the RFIC <NUM>) and may deliver a signal of at least one downlink carrier received from the antenna to the RFIC <NUM>. For example, the switching unit <NUM> may receive a signal of a downlink carrier corresponding to at least one of a PCC or SCCs through the antenna, and may provide the received signal to at least one of a first Rx processing module <NUM>, a second Rx processing module <NUM>, or a third Rx processing module <NUM> included in an Rx module <NUM> of the RFIC <NUM> by performing a switching operation based on a control signal provided from a processor.

When the at least one switch <NUM> includes at least one SPDT switch, an input port of the SPDT switch may be connected to receive a signal in a specified frequency band received via an antenna, and two output ports of the SPDT switch may be connected to different Rx processing modules. Different examples of such a scenario are described below with reference to <FIG>.

<FIG> illustrates an electronic device switching a port for a signal of at least one carrier frequency band using an SPDT switch according to an embodiment.

Referring to <FIG>, a first input port of a first SPDT switch <NUM> included in the switching unit <NUM> may be connected to receive a signal in a first carrier frequency band, a first output port may be connected to one specified input port among a plurality of input ports included in a first Rx processing module <NUM>, and a second output port may be connected to one specified input port among a plurality of input ports included in a second Rx processing module <NUM>. The switching unit <NUM> may control the switching operation of the first SPDT switch <NUM> based on a control signal provided from a processor, thereby providing the signal in the first carrier frequency band to either the first Rx processing module <NUM> or the second Rx processing module <NUM>.

Referring to <FIG>, an input port of a second SPDT switch <NUM> included in the switching unit <NUM> may be connected to receive a signal in a second frequency band, a first output port may be connected to one specified input port among a plurality of input ports included in a first Rx processing module <NUM>, and a second output port may be connected to one specified input port among a plurality of input ports included in a third Rx processing module <NUM>. The switching unit <NUM> may control the switching operation of the second SPDT switch <NUM> based on a control signal provided from the processor, thereby providing the signal in the second carrier frequency band to either the first Rx processing module <NUM> or the third Rx processing module <NUM>.

Referring to <FIG>, an input port of a third SPDT switch <NUM> included in the switching unit <NUM> may be connected to receive a signal in a third frequency band, a first output port may be connected to one specified input port among a plurality of input ports included in a second Rx processing module <NUM>, and a second output port may be connected to one specified input port among a plurality of input ports included in a third Rx processing module <NUM>. The switching unit <NUM> may control the switching operation of the third SPDT switch <NUM> based on a control signal provided from a processor, thereby providing the signal in the third carrier frequency band to either the second Rx processing module <NUM> or the third Rx processing module <NUM>.

Referring again to <FIG>, when the at least one switch <NUM> includes at least one DPDT switch, two input ports of the DPDT switch may be connected to receive signals in different carrier frequency bands received via an antenna, and two output ports of the DPDT switch may be connected to different Rx processing modules. Different examples of such a scenario are described below with reference to <FIG>.

<FIG> illustrates an electronic device switching (or swapping) ports for signals of two carrier frequency bands using a DPDT switch according to an embodiment.

Referring to <FIG>, a first input port of a first DPDT switch <NUM> included in the switching unit <NUM> may be connected to receive a signal in a first carrier frequency band, a second input port may be connected to receive a signal in a second carrier frequency band, a first output port may be connected to one specified input port among a plurality of input ports included in a first Rx processing module <NUM>, and a second output port may be connected to one specified input port among a plurality of input ports included in a second Rx processing module <NUM>. The switching unit <NUM> may control the switching operation (or swapping operation) of the first DPDT switch <NUM> based on a control signal provided from a processor, thereby providing the signal in the first carrier frequency band to the first Rx processing module <NUM> and providing the signal in the second carrier frequency band to the second Rx processing module <NUM>, or providing the signal in the first carrier frequency band to the second Rx processing module <NUM> and providing the signal in the second carrier frequency band to the first Rx processing module <NUM>.

Referring to <FIG>, a first input port of a second DPDT switch <NUM> included in the switching unit <NUM> may be connected to receive a signal in a first carrier frequency band, a second input port may be connected to receive a signal in a second carrier frequency band, a first output port may be connected to one specified input port among a plurality of input ports included in a first Rx processing module <NUM>, and a second output port may be connected to one specified input port among a plurality of input ports included in a third Rx processing module <NUM>. The switching unit <NUM> may control the switching operation (or swapping operation) of the second DPDT switch <NUM> based on a control signal provided from a processor, thereby providing the signal in the first carrier frequency band to the first Rx processing module <NUM> and providing the signal in the second carrier frequency band to the third Rx processing module <NUM>, or providing the signal in the first carrier frequency band to the third Rx processing module <NUM> and providing the signal in the second carrier frequency band to the first Rx processing module <NUM>.

Referring to <FIG>, a first input port of a third DPDT switch <NUM> included in the switching unit <NUM> may be connected to receive a signal in a first carrier frequency band, a second input port may be connected to receive a signal in a second carrier frequency band, a first output port may be connected to one specified input port among a plurality of input ports included in a second Rx processing module <NUM>, and a second output port may be connected to one specified input port among a plurality of input ports included in a third Rx processing module <NUM>. The switching unit <NUM> may control the switching operation (or swapping operation) of the third DPDT switch <NUM> based on a control signal provided from a processor, thereby providing the signal in the first carrier frequency band to the second Rx processing module <NUM> and providing the signal in the second carrier frequency band to the third Rx processing module <NUM>, or providing the signal in the first carrier frequency band to the third Rx processing module <NUM> and providing the signal in the second carrier frequency band to the second Rx processing module <NUM>.

The type of a switch included in the switching unit <NUM>, the number of switches, and a structure for connecting a switch to an RFIC may be preset based on at least one of a frequency band held by a country and/or a mobile network operator, the number of carriers to be used for communication, a frequency band combination of carriers to be used for communication, whether Rx processing module have a spare port, the number of spare ports of Rx processing modules, the number of local oscillator supporting ports of Rx processing modules, or the type of a low-noise amplifier included in an Rx processing module. For example, when the number of local oscillator supporting ports of Rx processing modules is less than the number of carriers to be used and the Rx processing modules have a spare port, the switching unit <NUM> may be designed to include at least one SPDT.

As another example, when the number of local oscillator supporting ports of Rx processing modules is less than the number of carriers to be used and the Rx processing modules have no spare port, the switching unit <NUM> may be designed to include at least one DPDT. As another example, the connection structure of an SPDT switch or a DPDT switch may be determined based on whether a low-noise amplifier included in each Rx processing module is a type that can support all of a low band, a middle band, and a high band, a type that can support only two of the low band, the middle band, and the high band, or a type that can support only one of the low band, the middle band, and the high band. The number of local oscillator supporting ports of Rx processing modules may indicate the number of carrier frequency bands that the Rx processing modules can process.

Referring again to <FIG>, the RFIC <NUM> includes an Rx module <NUM>, a Tx module <NUM>, and a local oscillator module <NUM>. The RFIC <NUM> may perform low-noise amplification of a radio frequency reception signal and may downconvert the signal into an intermediate-frequency signal using the Rx module <NUM> and the local oscillator (LO) module <NUM>, and may upconvert an intermediate-frequency signal into a high-frequency signal using the Tx module <NUM> and the local oscillator module <NUM>.

The Rx module <NUM> includes a plurality of Rx processing modules <NUM>, <NUM>, and <NUM>. The plurality of Rx processing modules <NUM>, <NUM>, and <NUM> may process signals in different carrier frequency bands, respectively. For example, the first Rx processing module <NUM> may process a signal in a carrier frequency band corresponding to a low band (e.g., about <NUM> to <NUM>), the second Rx processing module <NUM> may process a signal in a carrier frequency band corresponding to a middle band (e.g., about <NUM> to <NUM>), and the third Rx processing module <NUM> may process a signal in a carrier frequency band corresponding to a high band (e.g., about <NUM> to <NUM>). Each of the Rx processing modules <NUM>, <NUM>, <NUM> may include a plurality of input ports and may receive a signal in at least one carrier frequency band through the plurality of input ports. For example, the first Rx processing module <NUM> may include a first input port (or a signal terminal) configured for communication using a first carrier frequency band corresponding to the low band, a second input port configured for communication using a second carrier frequency band corresponding to the low band, and a third input port configured for communication using a third carrier frequency band corresponding to the low band. The second Rx processing module <NUM> may include a fourth input port configured for communication using a first carrier frequency band corresponding to the middle band, a fifth input port configured for communication using a second carrier frequency band corresponding to the middle band, and a sixth input port configured for communication using a third carrier frequency band corresponding to the middle band. The third Rx processing module <NUM> may include a seventh input port configured for communication using a first carrier frequency band corresponding to the high band, an eighth input port configured for communication using a second carrier frequency band corresponding to the high band, and a ninth input port configured for communication using a third carrier frequency band corresponding to the high band.

At least one of the plurality of input ports included in each of the plurality of Rx processing modules <NUM>, <NUM>, and <NUM> may be connected to an output port of the at least one switch <NUM> included in the switching unit <NUM>. For example, the third input port included in the first Rx processing module <NUM> may be connected to a first output port of the at least one switch <NUM>, and the sixth input port included in the second Rx processing module <NUM> may be connected to a second output port of the at least one switch <NUM>.

At least one other input port of the plurality of input ports included in each of the plurality of Rx processing modules <NUM>, <NUM>, and <NUM> may be electrically connected to the antenna <NUM>. For example, the first and second input ports included in the first Rx processing module <NUM> and the fourth and fifth input ports included in the second Rx processing module <NUM> may be electrically connected to the antenna <NUM>.

<FIG> illustrates an Rx processing module according to an embodiment.

Referring to <FIG>, an Rx processing module <NUM>, e.g., each of the Rx processing modules <NUM>, <NUM>, and <NUM> in <FIG>, includes a plurality of low-noise amplifiers <NUM>-<NUM>, <NUM>-<NUM>,. , <NUM>-N-<NUM>, and <NUM>-N and a plurality of downconversion mixers <NUM>-<NUM>, <NUM>-<NUM>,. , and <NUM>-M. Each of the plurality of low-noise amplifiers <NUM>-<NUM>, <NUM>-<NUM>,. , <NUM>-N-<NUM>, and <NUM>-N may perform low-noise amplification of a signal in a carrier frequency band input through a specified input port among the plurality of input ports included in the Rx processing module <NUM> and may output the amplified signal. Each of the plurality of downconversion mixers <NUM>-<NUM>, <NUM>-<NUM>,. , and <NUM>-M may downconvert an amplified signal provided from any one of the plurality of low-noise amplifiers <NUM>-<NUM>, <NUM>-<NUM>,. , <NUM>-N-<NUM>, and <NUM>-N using a reference frequency signal provided from at least one local oscillator operating in a reception mode in a local oscillator module.

Referring again to <FIG>, the number of carrier frequency bands that can be processed by each of the Rx processing modules <NUM>, <NUM>, and <NUM> may be less than the number of downlink carriers used by the electronic device <NUM>. For example, the number of ports configured in each of the Rx processing modules <NUM>, <NUM>, and <NUM> to receive a reference frequency signal from the local oscillator module <NUM> may be less than the number of downlink carriers used by the electronic device <NUM>. For example, when the electronic device <NUM> operates in a mode using downlink 3CA, each of the Rx processing modules <NUM>, <NUM>, and <NUM> may receive a reference frequency signal from two local oscillators using two ports, thus processing only signals in two downlink carrier frequency bands.

The Tx module <NUM> includes a plurality of Tx processing modules <NUM>-<NUM> to <NUM>-N. Each of the plurality of Tx processing modules <NUM>-<NUM> to <NUM>-N may upconvert an intermediate-frequency signal into a high-frequency signal in a specified band and may amplify the upconverted signal with high power. For example, each of the plurality of Tx processing modules <NUM>-<NUM> to <NUM>-N may convert an intermediate-frequency signal into a carrier signal corresponding to a low band in a high-frequency band, a carrier signal corresponding to a middle band, or a carrier signal corresponding to a high band using a reference frequency signal provided from the local oscillator module <NUM>.

<FIG> illustrates a Tx processing module according to an embodiment.

Referring to <FIG>, a Tx module <NUM>, e.g., each of the Tx processing modules <NUM>-<NUM> to <NUM>-N of <FIG>, includes an upconversion mixer <NUM>, a band-pass filter <NUM>, a power amplifier <NUM>, and a switching unit <NUM>. The upconversion mixer <NUM> may upconvert an intermediate-frequency signal into a high-frequency signal in a specified band using a reference frequency signal provided from any one local oscillator in the local oscillator modules <NUM>. The band-pass filter <NUM> may filter and output a frequency in the specified band. The power amplifier <NUM> may amplify and output a signal provided from the band-pass filter with high power. The switching unit <NUM> may control at least one of a plurality of switches <NUM>-<NUM> to <NUM>-N, <NUM>-<NUM> to <NUM>-N, and <NUM>-<NUM> to <NUM>-N under the control of a processor <NUM>, thereby outputting the signal from the power amplifier <NUM> to an antenna (or a duplexer).

Referring again to <FIG>, the local oscillator module <NUM> includes a plurality of local oscillators <NUM>, <NUM>, and <NUM>. Each of the local oscillators <NUM>, <NUM>, and <NUM> may generate a reference frequency signal and may provide the generated reference frequency signal to the Rx module <NUM> or the Tx module <NUM>. Each of the local oscillators <NUM>, <NUM>, and <NUM> may be an Rx local oscillator, a Tx local oscillator, or an Rx-Tx local oscillator. The Rx local oscillator is a local oscillator operating in a reception mode regardless of the number of carriers used by the electronic device <NUM> and may provide a reference frequency signal to any one of the Rx processing modules <NUM>, <NUM>, and <NUM> included in the Rx module <NUM> under the control of the processor <NUM>. The Tx local oscillator is a local oscillator operating in a transmission mode regardless of the number of carriers used by the electronic device and may provide a reference frequency signal to any one of the Tx processing modules <NUM>-<NUM> to <NUM>-N included in the Tx module <NUM> under the control of the processor. The Rx-Tx local oscillator is a local oscillator operating in either the reception mode or the transmission mode based on the number of carriers used by the electronic device <NUM>. The Rx-Tx local oscillator may operate in the transmission mode under the control of the processor <NUM>, and may provide a reference frequency signal to any one of the Tx processing modules <NUM>-<NUM> to <NUM>-N included in the Tx module <NUM> while operating in the transmission mode. The Rx-Tx local oscillator may operate in the reception mode under the control of the processor <NUM>, and may provide a reference frequency signal to any one of the Rx processing modules <NUM>, <NUM>, and <NUM> included in the Rx module <NUM> while operating in the reception mode.

<FIG> illustrates a configuration of local oscillators according to an embodiment.

Referring to <FIG>, a local oscillator module, e.g., the local oscillator module <NUM>, may include two Rx local oscillators <NUM> and <NUM>, one Rx-Tx local oscillator <NUM>, and one Tx local oscillator <NUM>.

<FIG> illustrates a configuration of local oscillators according to an embodiment. Referring to <FIG>, a local oscillator module, e.g., the local oscillator module <NUM>, may include five Rx-Tx local oscillators <NUM>, <NUM>, <NUM>, <NUM>, and <NUM>. These configurations of the local oscillator module <NUM> are provided for illustrative purposes, and the embodiments described herein are not limited thereto. For example, the number of Rx local oscillators included in the local oscillator module <NUM>, the number of Rx-Tx local oscillators included therein, or the number of Tx local oscillators included therein may be variously set and/or changed by a designer.

Referring again to <FIG>, a processor (e.g., the processor <NUM> in <FIG> or the control circuit <NUM> in <FIG>) may determine frequency bands of downlink carriers to be used for communication based on the operation mode of the electronic device. For example, the processor may determine frequency bands of downlink carriers to be used for downlink communication of the electronic device. The processor <NUM> may control the switching operation of the switching unit <NUM> based on the determined frequency bands of the downlink carriers and a specified condition.

The specified condition may be set based on at least one of the number of downlink carriers to be used by the electronic device and the number of carrier frequency bands that can be processed by each of the Rx processing modules <NUM>, <NUM>, and <NUM>. For example, when the number of downlink carriers to be used by the electronic device is less than the number of carrier frequency bands that can be processed by each of the Rx processing modules <NUM>, <NUM>, and <NUM>, a condition for a frequency band of the downlink carriers to be used may be specified and/or set. As one example, when the number of carrier frequency bands that can be processed by each of the Rx processing modules <NUM>, <NUM>, and <NUM> is two and the number of downlink carriers to be used by the electronic device <NUM> is three or more, a condition specified for the three or more downlink carriers may be set to L-L-L, M-M-M, and/or H-H-H. L-L-L indicates that a frequency band of at least three downlink carriers among the downlink carriers to be used corresponds to a low band. M-M-M indicates that a frequency band of at least three downlink carriers among the downlink carriers to be used corresponds to a middle band. H-H-H indicates that a frequency band of at least three downlink carriers among the downlink carriers to be used corresponds to a high band.

As another example, when the number of carrier frequency bands that can be processed by each of the Rx processing modules <NUM>, <NUM>, and <NUM> is three and the number of downlink carriers to be used by the electronic device <NUM> is four or more, a condition specified for the four or more downlink carriers may be set to L-L-L-L, M-M-M-M, and/or H-H-H-H. L-L-L-L indicates that frequency bands of at least four downlink carriers among the downlink carriers to be used correspond to a low band. M-M-M-M indicates that frequency bands of at least four downlink carriers among the downlink carriers to be used correspond to a middle band. H-H-H-H indicates that frequency bands of at least four downlink carriers among the downlink carriers to be used correspond to a high band.

When the frequency bands of the downlink carriers to be used by the electronic device do not satisfy the specified condition, the processor may control the switching operation of the switching unit <NUM> according to a preset default setting value. For example, when the frequency bands of the at least three downlink carriers among the downlink carriers to be used do not satisfy L-L-L, M-M-M, or H-H-H, the processor may provide, to the switching unit <NUM>, a control signal to perform the switching operation according to the preset default setting value. For example, the processor may control the switching unit <NUM> so that each of the downlink carriers to be used is provided to an Rx processing module configured to process a carrier signal in a corresponding frequency band.

As one example, when frequency bands of three downlink carriers to be used are Band <NUM> and Band <NUM>, which correspond to the middle band, and Band <NUM>, which corresponds to the high band, the processor may control the switching unit <NUM> so that carrier signals corresponding to Band <NUM> and Band <NUM> are provided to the second Rx processing module <NUM> configured to process a carrier signal in the middle band and a carrier signal corresponding to Band <NUM> is provided to the third Rx processing module <NUM> configured to process a carrier signal in the high band.

When the frequency bands of the downlink carriers to be used by the electronic device for communication satisfy the specified condition, the processor may control the switching operation of the switching unit <NUM> based on at least one of the number of carrier frequency bands that can be processed by each of the Rx processing modules <NUM>, <NUM>, and <NUM> and the type of an LNA included in each of the Rx processing modules <NUM>, <NUM>, and <NUM>.

The processor may control the switching operation of the switching unit <NUM> such that the number of carrier signals provided to one Rx processing module is less than or equal to the number of carrier frequency bands that can be processed by each of the Rx processing modules <NUM>, <NUM>, and <NUM>. The processor may identify a frequency band that can be processed by each of the Rx processing modules <NUM>, <NUM>, and <NUM> based on the type of low-noise amplifiers (e.g., the low-noise amplifiers <NUM>-<NUM>, <NUM>-<NUM>,. , <NUM>-N-<NUM>, and <NUM>-N in <FIG>) included in the respective Rx processing modules <NUM>, <NUM>, and <NUM>, and may control the switching operation of the switching unit <NUM> so that a carrier signal in a frequency band that can be processed by each of the Rx processing modules <NUM>, <NUM>, and <NUM> is provided to the correct module.

As one example, when frequency bands of three downlink carriers to be used by the electronic device correspond to M-M-M and the number of carrier frequency bands that can be processed by the second Rx processing module <NUM> configured to process a carrier signal in the middle band is two, the processor may control the switching operation of the switching unit <NUM> so that signals of only two downlink carriers among the three downlink carriers are provided to the second Rx processing module <NUM> and a signal of the remaining one downlink carrier is provided to the first Rx processing module <NUM> or the third Rx processing module <NUM>, which is configured to process a carrier signal in the low band or the high band but is capable of processing a carrier signal in the middle band. For example, when the frequency bands of the three downlink carriers to be used are Band <NUM>, Band <NUM>, and Band <NUM>, which correspond to the middle band, the processor may control the switching unit <NUM> so that carrier signals corresponding to Band <NUM> and Band <NUM> are provided to the second Rx processing module <NUM> configured to process a carrier signal in the middle band and a carrier signal corresponding to Band <NUM> is provided to the third Rx processing module <NUM>, which is configured to process a carrier signal in the high band, but is capable of processing a carrier signal in the middle band, or to the first Rx processing module <NUM>, which is configured to process a carrier signal in the low band, but is capable of processing a carrier signal in the middle band.

As another example, when frequency bands of three downlink carriers among four downlink carriers to be used by the electronic device correspond to M-M-M and the number of carrier frequency bands that can be processed by the second Rx processing module <NUM> configured to process a carrier signal in the middle band is two, the processor may control the switching operation of the switching unit <NUM> so that signals of only two downlink carriers among the three downlink carriers corresponding to the middle band are provided to the second Rx processing module <NUM> and a signal of the remaining one downlink carrier is processed by the first Rx processing module <NUM> or the third Rx processing module <NUM>. For example, when the frequency bands of the four downlink carriers to be used are Band <NUM>, Band <NUM>, and Band <NUM>, which correspond to the middle band, and Band <NUM>, which corresponds to the high band, the processor may control the switching unit <NUM> so that carrier signals corresponding to Band <NUM> and Band <NUM> among Band <NUM>, Band <NUM>, and Band <NUM> are provided to the second Rx processing module <NUM> configured to process a carrier signal in the middle band, a carrier signal corresponding to Band <NUM> is provided to the third Rx processing module <NUM>, which is configured to process a carrier signal in the high band, but is capable of processing a carrier signal in the middle band, or to the first Rx processing module <NUM>, which is configured to process a carrier signal in the low band, but is capable of processing a carrier signal in the middle band, and a carrier signal corresponding to Band <NUM> is provided to the third Rx processing module <NUM>, which is configured to process a carrier signal in the high band.

Alternatively, the processor may control the switching operation of the switching unit <NUM> based on a preset table. For example, the processor may obtain Table <NUM> from a memory (e.g., the memory <NUM> in <FIG>) and may control the switching operation of the switching unit <NUM> based on Table <NUM>.

Table <NUM> below shows the switching mode of the switching unit <NUM> according to a frequency band (the coverage of a band) that each of the Rx processing modules <NUM>, <NUM>, and <NUM> can process when the frequency bands of the downlink carriers to be used by the electronic device satisfy the specified conditions.

Table <NUM> is provided for illustrative purposes, and the embodiments described herein are not limited thereto. The processor may control the switching operation of the at least one switch <NUM> included in the switching unit <NUM> in view of the switching mode shown in Table <NUM>.

The processor may determine a carrier frequency band to be used for downlink communication in view of a frequency band that each of the Rx processing modules <NUM>, <NUM>, and <NUM> can process based on Table <NUM>, in order to avoid a case where the carrier frequency band is not supported by the wireless communication module <NUM>. For example, when the first Rx processing module <NUM> covers only the low band, and the second Rx processing module <NUM> and the third Rx processing module <NUM> cover the middle band and the high band, the processor may determine downlink carrier frequency bands to be used for communication that do not satisfy the condition L-L-L. As another example, when the first Rx processing module <NUM> covers only the low band, the second Rx processing module <NUM> covers only the middle band, and the third Rx processing module <NUM> covers only the high band, the processor may determine downlink carrier frequency bands to be used for communication that do not satisfy the conditions L-L-L, M-M-M, and H-H-H.

The processor may operate at least one local oscillator based on at least one of the number of uplink carriers and the number of downlink carriers according to the operation mode of the electronic device.

The operation mode of the electronic device may include a transmission mode for communication using at least one uplink carrier, a reception mode for communication using at least one downlink carrier, or a transceiving mode for communication using both at least one uplink carrier and at least one downlink carrier. For example, an electronic device supporting time division duplex (TDD) may operate in the transmission mode in which the electronic device performs uplink communication using at least one uplink carrier during a first time interval and may operate in the reception mode in which the electronic device performs downlink communication using at least one downlink carrier during a second time interval.

As another example, an electronic device supporting frequency division duplex (FDD) may operate in the transceiving mode, in which the electronic device performs downlink communication using at least one downlink carrier while performing uplink communication using at least one uplink carrier, during a third time interval. The operation mode of the electronic device may be classified according to the number of uplink carriers and the number of downlink carriers used by the electronic device for communication. For example, when an electronic device uses 'a' uplink carriers and 'b' downlink carriers, the operation mode of the electronic device may be referred to as an uplink aCA mode and downlink bCA mode.

The processor 120may determine the operation mode of at least one local oscillator based on at least one of the number of uplink carriers and the number of downlink carrier according to the operation mode of the electronic device <NUM> and may operate at least one local oscillator based on the determined operation mode.

The processor 120may determine the number of local oscillators to operate in a reception mode and the number of local oscillators to operate in a transmission mode based on at least one of the number of uplink carriers and the number of downlink carrier for the electronic device <NUM>. The processor <NUM> may determine the operation mode of at least one local oscillator included in the local oscillator module <NUM> based on the number of local oscillators to operate in the reception mode and the number of local oscillators to operate in the transmission mode.

The processor <NUM> may output a control signal to the local oscillator module <NUM> based on the determined operation mode of the at least one local oscillator. For example, the processor <NUM> may provide, to the local oscillator module <NUM>, a control signal to cause at least one local oscillator to operate in the transmission mode, to operate in the reception mode, or to operate alternately in the transmission mode and the reception mode. As an example, when the electronic device <NUM> uses one carrier for an uplink and three carriers for a downlink, the processor <NUM> may output, to the local oscillator module <NUM>, a control signal that causes one local oscillator among the local oscillators <NUM>, <NUM>, and <NUM> included in the local oscillator module <NUM> to operate in the transmission mode and causes three local oscillators to operate in the reception mode.

As another example, when the electronic device <NUM> uses two carriers for the uplink and three carriers for the downlink, the processor <NUM> may output, to the local oscillator module <NUM>, a control signal that causes two local oscillators among the local oscillators <NUM>, <NUM>, and <NUM> included in the local oscillator module <NUM> to operate in the transmission mode and causes three local oscillators to operate in the reception mode.

As another example, when the electronic device <NUM> supports TDD and uses two carriers for the uplink and three carriers the downlink and the total number of local oscillators <NUM>, <NUM>, and <NUM> included in the local oscillator module <NUM> is four, the processor 120may output, to the local oscillator module <NUM>, a control signal to change the operation mode of at least one local oscillator included in the local oscillator module <NUM> according to the operation mode of the electronic device. The processor <NUM> may control two of the four local oscillators included in the local oscillator module to operate regularly in the reception mode, one local oscillator to operate regularly in the transmission mode, and one local oscillator to dynamically switch and operate either in the transmission mode or in the reception mode depending on the operation mode of the electronic device.

The foregoing examples are provided for illustrative purposes, and the embodiments described herein are not limited thereto.

At least one operation performed by the processor <NUM> described above with reference to <FIG> may be performed by a communication processor included in the communication module <NUM> or a controller included in the wireless communication module <NUM> instead.

According to an embodiment, an electronic device may include a first oscillator; a second oscillator; a third oscillator; a communication circuit configured to be electrically connected to the first oscillator, the second oscillator, and the third oscillator and to include a first signal terminal configured for communication using a first carrier frequency band included in a first frequency band, a second signal terminal configured for communication using a second carrier frequency band included in the first frequency band, a third signal terminal configured for communication using a third carrier frequency band included in the first frequency band, a fourth signal terminal configured for communication using a first carrier frequency band included in a second frequency band, a fifth signal terminal configured for communication using a second carrier frequency band included in the second frequency band, and a sixth signal terminal configured for communication using a third carrier frequency band included in the second frequency band; a switch configured to include a first terminal, a second terminal electronically connected to the third signal terminal, and a third terminal electrically connected to the sixth signal terminal and to selectively connect the first terminal to the second terminal or the third terminal; at least one antenna configured to be electrically connected to the first signal terminal, the second signal terminal, the fourth signal terminal, the fifth signal terminal, and the first terminal; and a control circuit, wherein, when communication with an external electronic device is needed using two or less carrier frequency bands in one of the first frequency band and the second frequency band, the control circuit may be configured to communicate with the external electronic device using the first carrier frequency band or the second carrier frequency band included in the one frequency band; and when communication with the external electronic device is needed using three or more carrier frequency bands in one of the first frequency band and the second frequency band, the control circuit may be configured to connect the first terminal to either the second terminal or the third terminal using the switch and to communicate with the external electronic device using the first carrier frequency band, the second carrier frequency band, and the third carrier frequency band included in the one frequency band.

When communication with the external electronic device is needed using three or more carrier frequency bands corresponding to the first frequency band, the control circuit may be configured to connect the first terminal with the third terminal using the switch so that at least one carrier frequency band among the three or more carrier frequency bands corresponding to the first frequency band is provided to the sixth signal terminal; and when communication with the external electronic device is needed using three or more carrier frequency bands corresponding to the second frequency band, the control circuit may be configured to connect the first terminal with the second terminal using the switch so that at least one carrier frequency band among the three or more carrier frequency bands corresponding to the second frequency band is provided to the third signal terminal.

The switch may be an SPDT switch or a DPDT switch.

The communication circuit may include a first reception circuit configured to receive a signal in at least one carrier frequency band through at least one of the first signal terminal, the second signal terminal, or the third signal terminal; and a second reception circuit configured to receive a signal in at least one carrier frequency band through at least one of the fourth signal terminal, the fifth signal terminal, or the sixth signal terminal, and each of the first reception circuit and the second reception circuit may include at least one of a plurality of low-noise amplifiers or a plurality of down-conversion mixers.

The control circuit may be configured to control at least one of the first oscillator, the second oscillator, or the third oscillator so that a reference frequency signal is provided to at least one of the first reception circuit or the second reception circuit.

The control circuit may be configured to control an operation of at least one of the first oscillator, the second oscillator, or the third oscillator based on at least one of a number of carriers used for downlink communication and a number of carriers used for uplink communication.

According to an embodiment, an electronic device may include a plurality of communication circuits configured to process carrier signals in different frequency bands; at least one switch configured to be connected to two communication circuits among the plurality of communication circuits and to provide a reception carrier signal to one of the two communication circuits based on a switching operation; and at least one processor, wherein the processor may be configured to determine frequency bands of a plurality of carriers to be used for communication, to control the switching operation based on the frequency bands of the plurality of carriers and a specified condition, and to process signals of the plurality of carriers using at least one communication circuit among the plurality of communication circuits.

The processor may be configured to determine whether frequency bands of at least some carriers among the plurality of carriers satisfy the specified condition; select a first frequency band from among the frequency bands of the at least some carriers satisfying the specified condition when the frequency bands of the at least some carriers satisfy the specified condition; and control the switching operation so that a carrier signal in the selected first frequency band is provided to a first communication circuit configured to process a carrier signal in a different frequency among the plurality of communication circuits and a carrier signal in a second frequency band among the frequency bands of the at least some carriers is provided to a second communication circuit configured to process the carrier signal in the second frequency band among the plurality of communication circuits.

When the frequency bands of the at least some carriers do not satisfy the specified condition, the processor may be configured to control the switching operation so that a signal of each of the plurality of carriers is provided to a communication circuit configured to process a signal in a corresponding frequency band.

The processor may be configured to determine a frequency band that is processable by each of the plurality of communication circuits at least based on a type of at least one low-noise amplifier included in each of the plurality of communication circuits; determine at least one communication circuit to process a signal of at least one carrier satisfying the specified condition among the plurality of carriers at least based on the frequency band that is processable by each of the plurality of communication circuits; and control the switching operation so that the signal of the at least one carrier is provided to the at least one determined communication circuit, and each of the plurality of communication circuits may be configured to process a carrier signal in at least part of the frequency band that is processable.

The at least one switch may include at least one of an SPDT switch or a DPDT switch.

Each of the plurality of communication circuits may include at least one of a plurality of low-noise amplifiers and a plurality of downconversion mixers, a plurality of low-noise amplifiers and a plurality of downconversion mixers.

The specified condition may include a condition for a frequency band of at least some carriers among the plurality of carriers and may be set based on at least one of the number of the plurality of carriers and the number of carrier frequency bands processable by each of the plurality of communication circuits.

The electronic device may further include a plurality of local oscillators, wherein the processor may be configured to determine an operation mode of at least one local oscillator among the plurality of local oscillators based on at least one of the number of downlink carriers and the number of uplink carriers.

At least one local oscillator operating in a reception mode may provide a reference frequency signal to the at least one communication circuit among the plurality of communication circuits based on the determined operation mode.

The processor may be configured to control the at least one local oscillator to alternately operate in a transmission mode and the reception mode based on an operation mode of the electronic device.

According to an embodiment, an electronic device may include a communication circuit configured to include a plurality of local oscillators; and at least one processor, wherein the processor may be configured to determine an operation mode of at least one local oscillator among the plurality of oscillators based on at least one of a number of uplink carriers and a number of downlink carriers; and control the at least one local oscillator to operate based on the determined operation mode.

The processor may be configured to determine, based on an operation mode of the electronic device, the operation mode of the at least one local oscillator so that the at least one oscillator operates alternately in a transmission mode and a reception mode.

The communication circuit may include a reception circuit configured to process at least one downlink carrier signal and a transmission circuit configured to process at least one uplink carrier signal, and the at least one local oscillator may provide a first reference frequency signal to the transmission circuit when operating in the transmission mode and may provide a second reference frequency to the reception circuit when operating in the reception mode.

In the following embodiments described with reference to <FIG>, <FIG>, <FIG>, operations may be sequentially performed but may not necessarily be performed sequentially. For example, the order of operations may be changed, and at least two operations may be performed in parallel.

<FIG> is a flowchart illustrating a method of an electronic device for processing reception carrier signals according to an embodiment. For example, the electronic device of <FIG> may be the electronic device <NUM> of <FIG>.

Referring to <FIG>, the electronic device determines whether to use three or more carrier frequency bands in one frequency band for communication with an external electronic device in operation <NUM>. For example, the processor <NUM> or the control circuit <NUM> may determine whether to use three or more carrier frequency bands in one of a first frequency band and a second frequency band for communication with an external device.

When three or more carrier frequency bands in one frequency band are used, the electronic device controls a switching operation in operation <NUM>. For example, the processor <NUM> or the control circuit <NUM> may control the operation of a switch <NUM> having two output ports connected with two of input ports of a communication circuit (e.g., the Rx module <NUM>). The communication circuit may include a first input port configured for communication using a first carrier frequency band included in a first frequency band, a second input port configured for communication using a second carrier frequency band included in the first frequency band, a third input port configured for communication using a third carrier frequency band included in the first frequency band, a fourth input port configured for communication using a first carrier frequency band included in the second frequency band, a fifth input port configured for communication using a second carrier frequency band included in the second frequency band, and a sixth input port configured for communication using a third carrier frequency band included in the second frequency band. The output ports of the switch <NUM> may be connected to the third input port and the sixth input port. The processor <NUM> or the control circuit <NUM> may control the operation of the switch connected to the third input port configured for communication using the third carrier frequency band included in the first frequency band and the sixth input port configured for communication using the third carrier frequency band included in the second frequency band among the input ports of the communication circuit.

When communication with an external electronic device using three or more carrier frequency bands corresponding to the first frequency band is needed, the processor <NUM> or the control circuit <NUM> may control the operation of the switch <NUM> so that at least one carrier frequency band of the three or more carrier frequency bands corresponding to the first frequency band is provided to the sixth input port. Alternatively, when communication with an external electronic device using three or more carrier frequency bands corresponding to the second frequency band is needed, the processor <NUM> or the control circuit <NUM> may control the operation of the switch <NUM> so that at least one carrier frequency band of the three or more carrier frequency bands corresponding to the second frequency band is provided to the third input port.

In operation <NUM>, the electronic device communicates with an external electronic device using the three or more carrier frequency bands included in the one frequency band. For example, the processor <NUM> or the control circuit <NUM> may perform low-noise amplification and down-conversion of a signal in three or more carrier frequency bands included in one of the first frequency band and the second frequency band using the communication circuit.

However, when it is determined that two or less carrier frequency bands in one frequency band are used in operation <NUM>, the electronic device communicate with an external electronic device using the two or less carrier frequency bands included in the one frequency band in operation <NUM>. For example, the processor <NUM> or the control circuit <NUM> may perform low-noise amplification and down-conversion of a signal in at least one of the first carrier frequency band and the second carrier frequency band included in one of the first frequency band and the second frequency band using the communication circuit.

<FIG> is a flowchart illustrating a method of an electronic device for processing reception carrier signals using a switch according to an embodiment. The electronic device of <FIG> may be the electronic device <NUM> of <FIG>.

Referring to <FIG>, the electronic device determines a frequency band of carriers in operation <NUM>. For example, the processor <NUM> of the electronic device may determine a frequency band of downlink carriers based on the operation mode of the electronic device. The processor <NUM> may determine a frequency band of each of downlink carriers to be used for downlink communication of the electronic device.

In operation <NUM>, the electronic device controls the operation of at least one switch connected to a plurality of communication circuits based on determined frequency bands and a specified condition. The specified condition may be a condition for frequency bands of downlink carriers to be used for the electronic device. The specified condition may be set based on at least one of the number of downlink carriers to be used by the electronic device and the number of carrier frequency bands that can be processed by each of the plurality of communication circuits (e.g., the Rx processing modules <NUM>, <NUM>, and <NUM>).

The processor <NUM> of the electronic device may control the operation of at least one SPDT switch or at least one DPDT switch included on the switching unit <NUM> based on whether the frequency bands of the downlink carriers to be used for the electronic device satisfy the specified condition. For example, when the number of downlink carriers corresponding to a specified band among the downlink carriers to be used for the electronic device is greater than a specified number, the processor <NUM> of the electronic device may select a signal of at least one downlink carrier among the downlink carriers corresponding to the specified band and may control the operation of the at least one switch so that the selected signal of the at least one downlink carrier is provided to an Rx processing module configured to a signal in a different band among the plurality of Rx processing modules.

The specified number may be set based on the number of carriers that can be processed by one Rx processing module. For example, when the number of carriers that can be processed by one Rx processing module is two, the specified number may be two. When first, second, and third downlink carrier frequency bands correspond to a middle band and satisfy the specified condition, the processor <NUM> of the electronic device may control the switching operation of the at least one SPDT switch or the at least one DPDT switch included on the switching unit <NUM>, thereby providing signals in the first and second carrier frequency bands to the second Rx processing module <NUM> configured to process a carrier signal in the middle band and providing a signal in the third carrier frequency band to the first Rx processing module <NUM> or the third Rx processing module <NUM>, which is configured to process a carrier signal in a low band or a carrier signal in a high band but is capable of processing a carrier signal in the middle band.

In operation <NUM>, the electronic device processes carrier signals through at least one communication circuit based on the switching operation. For example, when a signal of the downlink carriers is input to at least one of the Rx processing modules <NUM>, <NUM>, and <NUM> through the switching unit <NUM>, the wireless communication module <NUM> of the electronic device may perform low-noise amplification and down-conversion of the signal of the downlink carriers using the at least one Rx processing module to which the signal of the downlink carriers is input. The processor <NUM> may control the operation mode of at least one local oscillator included in the local oscillator module <NUM> so that a reference frequency signal is provided to the at least one Rx processing module to which the signal of the downlink carriers is input among the plurality of Rx processing modules.

<FIG> is a flowchart illustrating a method of an electronic device for controlling a switch based on a frequency band of carriers according to an embodiment. Specifically, the operations illustrated in <FIG> describe operation <NUM> of <FIG> in more detail. The electronic device of <FIG> may be the electronic device <NUM> of <FIG>.

Referring to <FIG>, the electronic device (e.g., the processor <NUM> of <FIG>) determines whether determined frequency bands of a plurality of carriers satisfy a specified condition in operation <NUM>. For example, the processor <NUM> may determine whether frequency bands of at least some of the plurality of carriers satisfy the specified condition. The specified condition may be set as described in operation <NUM> of <FIG>.

The specified condition may include a condition for a downlink carrier frequency band when the number of carrier frequency bands that can be processed by each of the Rx processing modules <NUM>, <NUM>, and <NUM> is less than the number of downlink carriers to be used for the electronic device. For example, when the number of carrier frequency bands that can be processed by each of the Rx processing modules <NUM>, <NUM>, and <NUM> is two and the number of downlink carriers to be used by the electronic device is three or more, a condition specified for the three or more downlink carriers may be set to L-L-L, M-M-M, and/or H-H-H.

As another example, when the number of carrier frequency bands that can be processed by each of the Rx processing modules <NUM>, <NUM>, and <NUM> is three and the number of downlink carriers to be used by the electronic device <NUM> is four or more, a condition specified for the four or more downlink carriers may be set to L-L-L-L, M-M-M-M, and/or H-H-H-H. L-L-L or L-L-L-L indicates that frequency bands of at least three or four downlink carriers among the downlink carriers to be used correspond to a low band. M-M-M or M-M-M-M indicates that frequency bands of at least three or four downlink carriers among the downlink carriers to be used correspond to a middle band. H-H-H or H-H-H-H indicates that frequency bands of at least three or four downlink carriers among the downlink carriers to be used correspond to a high band.

When the frequency bands of the plurality of carriers satisfy the specified condition, the electronic device selects at least one frequency band in operation <NUM>. For example, when the frequency bands of at least some of the plurality of carriers satisfy the specified condition, the processor <NUM> may select at least one frequency band from among the frequency bands of at least some carriers satisfying the specified condition. When the frequency bands of downlink carriers to be used by the electronic device satisfy the specified condition, the processor <NUM> may select at least one of the frequency bands of the downlink carriers satisfying the specified condition. For example, when the frequency bands of first, second, and third downlink carriers to be used are Band <NUM>, Band <NUM>, and Band <NUM>, which satisfy M-M-M, the processor <NUM> may select any one frequency band from among Band <NUM>, Band <NUM>, and Band <NUM>, which correspond to a middle band. As another example, when the frequency bands of the first, second, and third downlink carriers to be used are Band <NUM>, Band <NUM>, and Band <NUM>, which satisfy H-H-H, the processor <NUM> may select any one frequency band from among Band <NUM> and Band <NUM>, which correspond to a high band.

The electronic device controls a switching operation so that a carrier signal in the selected frequency band is provided to a communication circuit for a different band (e.g., the Rx processing modules <NUM>, <NUM>, and <NUM>) in operation <NUM>. For example, the processor <NUM> may control the switching operation based on at least one of the number of carrier frequency bands that can be processed by each of the Rx processing modules <NUM>, <NUM>, and <NUM> and the type of low-noise amplifiers <NUM>-<NUM>, <NUM>-<NUM>,. , <NUM>-N-<NUM>, and <NUM>-N included in the respective the Rx processing modules <NUM>, <NUM>, and <NUM> so that a carrier signal in the selected frequency band is provided to a communication circuit for a different band. The type of the low-noise amplifiers <NUM>-<NUM>, <NUM>-<NUM>,. , <NUM>-N-<NUM>, and <NUM>-N may indicate a frequency band that a corresponding Rx processing module can process.

For example, when a frequency band of three downlink carriers to be used by the electronic device corresponds to M-M-M and the number of carrier frequency bands that can be processed by the second Rx processing module <NUM> configured to process a carrier signal in the middle band is two, the processor <NUM> may select one downlink carrier among the three downlink carriers and may control the switching operation of a switching unit so that a signal of the selected one downlink carrier is provided to the first Rx processing module <NUM> or the third Rx processing module <NUM> other than the second Rx processing module <NUM>. When the frequency bands of first, second, and third downlink carriers to be used are Band <NUM>, Band <NUM>, and Band <NUM>, which correspond to the middle band, and Band <NUM> is selected, the processor <NUM> may control the switching operation so that a carrier signal in Band <NUM> is provided to any one module capable of processing a signal in the middle band of the first Rx processing module <NUM>, configured to process a signal in the low band, and the third Rx processing module <NUM>, configured to process a signal in the high band, instead of the second Rx processing module <NUM> configured to process a signal in the middle band. The processor <NUM> may control the switching operation so that carrier signals in Band <NUM> and Band <NUM> are provided to the second Rx processing module <NUM> configured to process a signal in the middle band.

As another example, when a frequency band of three downlink carriers among five downlink carriers to be used by the electronic device <NUM> corresponds to H-H-H and the number of carrier frequency bands that can be processed by the third Rx processing module <NUM> configured to process a carrier signal in the high band is two, the processor <NUM> may select one downlink carrier among the three downlink carriers corresponding to the high band and may control the switching operation of the switching unit so that a signal of the selected one downlink carrier is provided to the first Rx processing module <NUM> other than the third Rx processing module <NUM>. When the frequency bands of first, second, third, fourth, and fifth downlink carriers to be used are Band <NUM> and Band <NUM>, which correspond to the middle band, and Band <NUM>, Band <NUM>, and Band <NUM>, which correspond to the high band, and Band <NUM> is selected, the processor <NUM> may control the switching operation so that a carrier signal in Band <NUM> is provided to the first Rx processing module <NUM>, which is configured to process a signal in the low band but is capable of processing a signal in the high band, instead of the third Rx processing module <NUM> configured to process a signal in the high band. The processor <NUM> may control the switching operation so that carrier signals in Band <NUM> and Band <NUM> are provided to the second Rx processing module <NUM> configured to process a signal in the middle band and carrier signals in Band <NUM> and Band <NUM> are provided to the third Rx processing module <NUM> configured to process a signal in the high band.

When the frequency bands of the plurality of carriers do not satisfy the specified condition, the electronic device controls the switching operation based on a default configuration in operation <NUM>.

For example, when the frequency bands of downlink carriers to be used by the electronic device do not satisfy the specified condition, the processor <NUM> may control the switching operation of the switching unit according to a preset default value. When the frequency bands of at least three downlink carriers among the downlink carriers to be used do not satisfy L-L-L, M-M-M, or H-H-H, the switching unit <NUM> may provide a control signal to perform the switching operation according to the preset default value to the switching unit <NUM>.

The processor <NUM> may control the switching unit <NUM> so that each of the downlink carriers to be used is provided to an Rx processing module configured to process a carrier signal of the corresponding frequency band. When the frequency bands of three downlink carriers to be used are Band <NUM> and Band <NUM> corresponding to the middle band and Band <NUM> corresponding to the high band (M-M-H), the processor <NUM> may control the switching unit <NUM> so that carrier signals in Band <NUM> and Band <NUM> are provided to the second Rx processing module <NUM> configured to process a carrier signal in the middle band and a carrier signal in Band <NUM> is provided to the third Rx processing module <NUM> configured to process a carrier signal in the high band.

<FIG> is a flowchart illustrating a method of an electronic device for processing reception carrier signals by controlling transmission and reception modes of a local oscillator according to an embodiment. The electronic device of <FIG> may be the electronic device <NUM> of <FIG>.

Referring to <FIG>, the electronic device determines the operation mode of at least one local oscillator <NUM>, <NUM>, and <NUM> based on at least one of the number of uplink carriers and the number of downlink carriers in operation <NUM>. For example, the processor <NUM> may determine at least one of the number of local oscillators to operate in the reception mode and the number of local oscillators to operate in the transmission mode based on at least one of the number of uplink carriers and the number of downlink carriers of the electronic device.

The processor <NUM> may determine the operation mode of at least one local oscillator <NUM>, <NUM>, or <NUM> included in a local oscillator module <NUM> based on at least one of the number of local oscillators to operate in the reception mode and the number of local oscillators to operate in the transmission mode. For example, the processor <NUM> may determine at least one local oscillator to operate in the transmission mode, to operate in the reception mode, or to operate alternately in the transmission mode and the reception mode.

For example, as illustrated in <FIG>, when a wireless communication module of an electronic device includes two Rx local oscillators <NUM> and <NUM>, one Rx-Tx local oscillator <NUM>, and one Tx local oscillator <NUM> and the electronic device uses one carrier for an uplink and three carriers for a downlink, the processor <NUM> may determine the one Rx-Tx local oscillator <NUM> to operate in the reception mode, allowing one local oscillator <NUM> to operate in the transmission mode and three local oscillators <NUM>, <NUM>, and <NUM> to operate in the reception mode.

As another example, as illustrated in <FIG>, when the wireless communication module of the electronic device includes two Rx local oscillators <NUM> and <NUM>, one Rx-Tx local oscillator <NUM>, and one Tx local oscillator <NUM> and the electronic device uses two carriers for the uplink and two carriers for the downlink, the processor <NUM> may determine the one Rx-Tx local oscillator <NUM> to operate in the transmission mode, allowing two local oscillators <NUM> and <NUM> to operate in the transmission mode and two local oscillators <NUM> and <NUM> to operate in the reception mode.

As another example, as illustrated in <FIG>, when a wireless communication module of an electronic device includes five Rx-Tx local oscillators <NUM>, <NUM>, <NUM>, <NUM>, and <NUM> and the electronic device uses two carriers for the uplink and three carriers for the downlink, the processor <NUM> may determine two Rx-Tx local oscillators <NUM> and <NUM> to operate in the transmission mode and three Rx-Tx local oscillators <NUM>, <NUM>, and <NUM> to operate in the reception mode, allowing two local oscillators <NUM> and <NUM> to operate in the transmission mode and three local oscillators <NUM>, <NUM>, and <NUM> to operate in the reception mode.

As another example, when the wireless communication module of the electronic device includes five Rx-Tx local oscillators <NUM>, <NUM>, <NUM>, <NUM>, and <NUM> and the electronic device uses three carriers for the uplink and three carriers for the downlink, the processor <NUM> may determine two Rx-Tx local oscillators <NUM> and <NUM> to operate regularly in the reception mode, two Rx-Tx local oscillators <NUM> and <NUM> to operate regularly in the transmission mode, and one Rx-Tx local oscillator <NUM> to operate alternately in the transmission mode and the reception mode based on the operation mode of the electronic device. For example, when the electronic device is in the reception mode, the processor <NUM> may determine the Rx-Tx local oscillator <NUM> to operate in the reception mode. When the electronic device transitions to the transmission mode, the processor <NUM> may determine the Rx-Tx local oscillator <NUM> to transition to operate in the transmission mode.

The foregoing examples are provided for illustrative purposes, and embodiments described herein are not limited thereto.

In operation <NUM>, the electronic device operates at least one local oscillator based on the determined operation mode of at least one local oscillator.

For example, the processor <NUM> may output a control signal for the operation mode to the local oscillator module <NUM> based on the determined operation mode of at least one local oscillator. The processor <NUM> may control at least one local oscillator, which is determined to operate in the transmission mode among the local oscillators <NUM>, <NUM>, and <NUM> included in the local oscillator module <NUM> of the wireless communication module <NUM>, to provide a reference frequency signal to at least one upconversion mixer <NUM> included in the Tx module <NUM> of the wireless communication module <NUM>.

The processor <NUM> may control at least one local oscillator, which is determined to operate in the reception mode among the local oscillators <NUM>, <NUM>, and <NUM> included in the local oscillator module <NUM> of the wireless communication module <NUM>, to provide a reference frequency signal to at least one downconversion mixer <NUM>-<NUM>, <NUM>-<NUM>,. , and <NUM>-M included in the Rx module <NUM> of the wireless communication module <NUM>.

The processor <NUM> may control at least one local oscillator, which is determined to operate alternatively in the transmission mode and the reception mode among the local oscillators <NUM>, <NUM>, and <NUM> included in the local oscillator module <NUM> of the wireless communication module <NUM>, to provide a reference frequency signal to at least one upconversion mixer <NUM> included in the Tx module <NUM> in the transmission mode of the electronic device <NUM> and to provide a reference frequency signal to at least one down-conversion mixer <NUM>-<NUM>, <NUM>-<NUM>,. , and <NUM>-M included in the Rx module <NUM> in the reception mode of the electronic device <NUM>.

The operations illustrated in <FIG> may be performed while at least one of the operations in <FIG> or the operations in <FIG> is performed. For example, the processor <NUM> of the electronic device <NUM> may perform at least one of operation <NUM> and operation <NUM> in <FIG> while controlling the operation of at least one switch <NUM> in operation <NUM> in <FIG>.

The operations in <FIG> may be part of operation <NUM> in <FIG>. For example, the processor <NUM> of the electronic device <NUM> may perform at least one of operation <NUM> and operation <NUM> in <FIG> in order to process a reception carrier signal in operation <NUM> in <FIG>. The operations in <FIG> may also be performed separately from the operations in <FIG> and/or the operations in <FIG>.

According to an embodiment, an operating method of an electronic device may include determining frequency bands of a plurality of carriers to be used for communication; controlling the operation of at least one switch, connected to a plurality of communication circuits configured to process carrier signals in different frequency bands, based on the frequency bands of the plurality of carriers and a specified condition; and processing signals of the plurality of carriers using at least one communication circuit among the plurality of communication circuits based on the operation of the switch.

The controlling of the operation of the at least one switch based on the frequency bands of the plurality of carriers and the specified condition may include determining whether frequency bands of at least some carriers among the plurality of carriers satisfy the specified condition; selecting a first frequency band from among the frequency bands of the at least some carriers satisfying the specified condition when the frequency bands of the at least some carriers satisfy the specified condition; and controlling the operation of the at least one switch so that a carrier signal in the selected first frequency band is provided to a first communication circuit configured to process a carrier signal in a different frequency among the plurality of communication circuits and a carrier signal in a second frequency band among the frequency bands of the at least some carriers is provided to a second communication circuit configured to process the carrier signal in the second frequency band among the plurality of communication circuits.

The operating method may further include controlling the operation of the at least one switch so that a signal of each of the plurality of carriers is provided to a communication circuit configured to process a signal in a corresponding frequency band when the frequency bands of the at least some carriers do not satisfy the specified condition.

Each of the plurality of communication circuits may include at least one of a plurality of low-noise amplifiers and a plurality of downconversion mixers.

The operating method may further include determining the operation mode of a plurality of local oscillators based on at least one of the number of downlink carriers and the number of uplink carriers to be used for the communication; and providing a reference frequency signal to the at least one communication circuit among the plurality of communication circuits using at least one local oscillator determined to operate in a reception mode among the plurality of local oscillators.

The determining of the operation mode of the plurality of local oscillators may include determining the operation mode so that the at least one local oscillator alternately operates in a transmission mode and the reception mode based on the operation mode of the electronic device.

An electronic device according to an embodiment may dynamically control the transmission and reception modes of a local oscillator, thereby supporting CA using a smaller number of local oscillators than the number of carriers used for communication, achieving cost saving, and reducing complexity in design.

An electronic device according to an embodiment may switch a port for a signal in at least one carrier frequency band using a switch, thereby supporting inter-band non-contiguous CA in a low band, inter-band non-contiguous CA in a middle band, and inter-band non-contiguous CA in a high band, reducing complexity in design of an RF circuit and costs for producing the RF circuit.

An electronic device according to an embodiment may be one of various types of electronic devices, such as portable communication devices (e.g., smartphones), computer devices, portable multimedia devices, portable medical devices, cameras, wearable devices, or home appliances. However, the electronic devices are not limited to the above-described examples.

Herein, a singular form of a noun corresponding to an item may include one or more of the things, unless the relevant context clearly indicates otherwise. Each of phrases such as "A or B," "at least one of A and B," "at least one of A or B," "A, B, or C," "at least one of A, B, and C," and "at least one of A, B, or C," may include any one of, or all possible combinations of the items enumerated together in a corresponding one of the phrases.

Numerical terms such terms as "1st" and "2nd," or "first" and "second" may be used to distinguish a corresponding component from another component, and do not limit the components in other aspects (e.g., importance or order).

If an element (e.g., a first element) is referred to, with or without the term "operatively" or "communicatively", as "coupled with," "coupled to," "connected with," or "connected to" another element (e.g., a second element), the first element may be coupled with the second element, directly (e.g., wiredly), wirelessly, or via a third element.

Herein, the term "module" may include a unit implemented in hardware, software, or firmware, and may interchangeably be used with other terms, e.g., "logic," "logic block," "part," or "circuitry". For example, a module may be implemented in a form of an application-specific integrated circuit (ASIC).

The term "non-transitory" means that the storage medium is a tangible device, and does not include a signal (e.g., an electromagnetic wave). However, this term does not differentiate between where data is semi-permanently stored in the storage medium and where the data is temporarily stored in the storage medium.

A method according to an embodiment of the disclosure may be included and provided in a computer program product.

Each component (e.g., a module or a program) of the above-described embodiments may include a single entity or multiple entities. One or more of the above-described components may be omitted, or one or more other components may be added. In such a case, the integrated component may still perform one or more functions of each of the plurality of components in the same or similar manner as they are performed by a corresponding one of the plurality of components before the integration. Operations performed by the module, the program, or another component may be carried out sequentially, in parallel, repeatedly, or heuristically, or one or more of the operations may be executed in a different order or omitted, or one or more other operations may be added.

Claim 1:
An electronic device (<NUM>), comprising:
a plurality of communication circuits (<NUM>, <NUM>, <NUM>) configured to process carrier signals in different frequency bands;
at least one switch (<NUM>, <NUM>, <NUM>, <NUM>, <NUM>, <NUM>, <NUM>, <NUM>) connected to two communication circuits among the plurality of communication circuits and configured to provide a reception carrier signal to one of the two communication circuits based on a switching operation; and
at least one processor (<NUM>) configured to:
determine frequency bands of a plurality of carriers to be aggregated for communication,
set a specified condition comprising a condition for a frequency band of at least some carriers among the plurality of carriers, wherein the specified condition is set based on a number of the plurality of carriers and a number of carrier frequency bands processable by each of the plurality of communication circuits,
control the switching operation based on the determined frequency bands of the plurality of carriers and the specified condition, and
process signals of the plurality of carriers using at least one communication circuit among the plurality of communication circuits which is provided with the reception carrier signal by the at least one switch.