System for communication and wireless power transfer, antenna circuit, and terminal

Abstract

To provide an antenna circuit capable of protecting circuit components such as an amplifier in a terminal when the terminal receives a wireless power transmission (WPT) signal.SOLUTION: The antenna circuit includes a reception circuit unit having a reception amplifier, a transmission circuit unit having a transmission amplifier and a circulator, a power reception circuit unit having a rectifier, and a signal path switching unit. The signal path switching unit switches the signal path so as to connect the shared antenna and the reception circuit unit at the time of downlink reception and connect the shared antenna and the transmission circuit unit at the time of uplink transmission and at the time of reception of the WPT signal. The circulator includes a first port, a second port, and a third port connected to the transmission amplifier, the signal path switcher, and the rectifier, respectively, unidirectionally transmits the transmission signal input from the transmission amplifier to the first port to the second port, and unidirectionally transmits the WPT signal input from the signal path switcher to the second port toward the third port.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 4

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] The present invention relates to a system, an antenna circuit, and a terminal device for performing communication and wireless power transmission (WPT). [Background technology]

[0002] In mobile communication systems, terminal devices that connect to base stations for communication include portable terminal devices that primarily use power supplied from an internal battery. These terminal devices require the cumbersome task of charging the internal battery when the remaining battery power is low. Furthermore, terminal devices that use power supplied from a wired power line rather than an internal battery are limited to use in locations where such a power line is available. Thus, a power supply infrastructure capable of supplying power to various terminal devices that connect to base stations for communication has yet to be developed.

[0003] In the fifth-generation and subsequent next-generation mobile communication systems, a rapid increase in terminal devices (e.g., user devices, IoT devices, etc.) that connect to base stations for communication is expected, and the development of communication infrastructure to handle the huge amount of traffic is underway. However, the power supply infrastructure that can supply power to the huge number of terminal devices that will be communicating as described above remains underdeveloped.

[0004] The applicant of the present application has proposed a system that can perform wireless power transmission (WPT) to a terminal device by transmitting a wireless power transmission signal (a dummy signal for wireless power transmission) to the terminal device from a mobile communication base station that performs uplink and downlink communication with the terminal device (see References 1 and 2). [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0005] [Patent Document 1] Japanese Patent Application Publication No. 2023-056738 [Patent Document 2] Japanese Patent Publication No. 2024-046006 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0006] In the above-mentioned system in which wireless power transmission (WPT) is performed by a mobile communication base station to a terminal device, there is a problem in that it is necessary to protect circuit components such as amplifiers in the terminal device when the terminal device receives a wireless power transmission signal with a power greater than that of the received signal in downlink communication. [Means for solving the problem]

[0007] An antenna circuit according to one aspect (first aspect) of the present invention is an antenna circuit for a terminal device capable of communicating with a base station, the antenna circuit comprising: a receiving circuit unit having a receiving amplifier for amplifying a received signal of a downlink communication received from the base station via a shared antenna; a transmitting circuit unit having a transmitting amplifier for amplifying a transmitted signal of an uplink communication to be transmitted to the base station via the shared antenna and a circulator to which the transmitted signal amplified by the transmitting amplifier is input; a receiving circuit unit having a rectifier for rectifying a wireless power transmission signal received from the base station; and a signal path switching unit for connecting the shared antenna to the receiving circuit unit when receiving the downlink communication and for switching a signal path to connect the shared antenna to the receiving circuit unit when transmitting the uplink communication and receiving the wireless power transmission signal. The circulator has a first port, a second port, and a third port connected to the transmission amplifier, the signal path switching unit, and the rectifier, respectively, and transmits the transmission signal of the uplink communication input from the transmission amplifier to the first port unidirectionally to the second port, and transmits the wireless power transmission signal input from the signal path switching unit to the second port unidirectionally toward the third port.

[0008] In the antenna circuit according to the first aspect, the signal path switching unit may have a two-branch switch that is controlled to switch between the connection between the shared antenna and the receiving circuit unit and the connection between the shared antenna and the transmitting circuit unit based on a switching control signal.

[0009] An antenna circuit according to another aspect (second aspect) of the present invention is an antenna circuit for a terminal device capable of communicating with a base station, the antenna circuit comprising: a receiving circuit unit having a receiving amplifier for amplifying a received signal of a downlink communication received from the base station via a shared antenna; a transmitting circuit unit having a transmitting amplifier for amplifying a transmitted signal of an uplink communication to be transmitted to the base station via the shared antenna; a receiving circuit unit having a rectifier for rectifying a wireless power transmission signal received from the base station; and a signal path switching unit for switching a signal path to connect the shared antenna to the receiving circuit unit when receiving the downlink communication, to connect the shared antenna to the transmitting circuit unit when transmitting the uplink communication, and to connect the shared antenna to the receiving circuit unit when receiving the wireless power transmission signal.

[0010] In the antenna circuit according to the second aspect, the signal path switching unit may have a three-branch switch that is controlled to switch between the connection between the shared antenna and the receiving circuit unit, the connection between the shared antenna and the transmitting circuit unit, and the connection between the shared antenna and the receiving circuit unit based on a switching control signal.

[0011] An antenna circuit according to yet another aspect (third aspect) of the present invention is an antenna circuit for a terminal device capable of communicating with a base station, the antenna circuit comprising: a receiving circuit unit having a receiving amplifier for amplifying a received signal of downlink communication received from the base station via a first antenna for communication; a transmitting circuit unit having a transmitting amplifier for amplifying a transmitted signal of uplink communication to be transmitted to the base station via the first antenna and a circulator to which the transmitted signal amplified by the transmitting amplifier is input; a receiving circuit unit having a terminator and a rectifier for rectifying a wireless power transmission signal received from the base station via a second antenna for wireless power transmission; and a signal path switching unit for connecting the first antenna to the receiving circuit unit when receiving the downlink communication and for switching a signal path to connect the first antenna to the transmitting circuit unit when transmitting the uplink communication and receiving the wireless power transmission signal. The circulator has a first port, a second port, and a third port connected to the transmission amplifier, the signal path switching unit, and the terminator, respectively, and transmits the transmission signal of the uplink communication input from the transmission amplifier to the first port unidirectionally to the second port, and transmits the wireless power transmission signal input from the signal path switching unit to the second port unidirectionally toward the third port.

[0012] In the antenna circuit according to the third aspect, the signal path switching unit may have a two-branch changeover switch that is controlled to switch between the connection between the first antenna and the receiving circuit unit and the connection between the first antenna and the transmitting circuit unit based on a switching control signal.

[0013] An antenna circuit according to yet another aspect (fourth aspect) of the present invention is an antenna circuit for a terminal device capable of communicating with a base station, the antenna circuit comprising: a receiving circuit unit having a receiving amplifier for amplifying a received signal of downlink communication received from the base station via a first antenna for communication, a transmitting circuit unit having a transmitting amplifier for amplifying a transmitted signal of uplink communication transmitted to the base station via the first antenna, a receiving circuit unit having a rectifier for rectifying a wireless power transmission signal received from the base station via a second antenna for wireless power transmission, and a signal path switching unit for switching a signal path so as to connect the first antenna to the receiving circuit unit when receiving the downlink communication, connect the first antenna to the transmitting circuit unit when transmitting the uplink communication, and disconnect the first antenna from either the receiving circuit unit or the transmitting circuit unit when receiving the wireless power transmission signal.

[0014] In the antenna circuit according to the fourth aspect, the signal path switching unit may have a three-branch changeover switch that is controlled to switch between a connection between the first antenna and the receiving circuit unit, a connection between the first antenna and the transmitting circuit unit, and the non-connection based on a switching control signal.

[0015] In each of the antenna circuits according to the first, second, third and fourth aspects, a downlink communication frame used for the downlink communication signal, an uplink communication frame used for the uplink communication signal, and a wireless power transmission frame used for the wireless power transmission signal may be allocated in a time-division manner to a wireless frame between the base station and the terminal device, a downlink control signal, an uplink control signal, and a wireless power transmission control signal may be arranged at the beginning of each of the downlink communication frame, the uplink communication frame, and the wireless power transmission frame, and the switching control signal may be generated based on the downlink control signal, the uplink control signal, and the wireless power transmission control signal.

[0016] In each of the antenna circuits according to the first, second, third and fourth aspects, a frame for downlink communication used for the downlink communication signal and a frame for uplink communication used for the uplink communication signal may be allocated in a time-division manner to a radio frame between the base station and the terminal device, a frame for wireless power transmission used for the wireless power transmission signal may be inserted and allocated to a part of the frame for downlink communication, control signals for downlink and wireless power transmission may be arranged at the beginning of the frame for downlink communication, an uplink control signal may be arranged at the beginning of the frame for uplink communication, and the switching control signal may be generated based on the control signals for downlink and wireless power transmission and the uplink control signal.

[0017] A terminal device according to yet another aspect of the present invention is a terminal device capable of communicating with a base station, and includes a radio processing unit having the antenna circuit according to either the first or second aspect, a communication signal processing unit connected to the radio processing unit and processing transmission signals and reception signals transmitted and received in the downlink and uplink communications with the base station, a power supply unit connected to the rectifier of the antenna circuit, and a shared antenna shared for the downlink and uplink communications with the base station and for receiving the wireless power transmission signal from the base station.

[0018] A terminal device according to yet another aspect of the present invention is a terminal device capable of communicating with a base station, and includes: a radio processing unit having any one of the antenna circuits according to the third or fourth aspect; a communication signal processing unit connected to the radio processing unit and processing transmission signals and reception signals transmitted and received in the downlink and uplink communications with the base station; a power supply unit connected to the rectifier of the antenna circuit; a first communication antenna used in the downlink and uplink communications with the base station; and a second wireless power transmission antenna used to receive wireless power transmission signals from the base station.

[0019] According to yet another aspect of the present invention, there is provided a system for communication and wireless power transmission, the system including: any one of the terminal devices described above; and a base station capable of communicating with the terminal device. The base station includes: a shared antenna shared for downlink and uplink communication with the terminal device and for transmitting a wireless power transmission signal to the terminal device; a receiving circuit unit having a receiving amplifier that amplifies a received signal of the uplink communication received from the terminal device; a transmitting circuit unit having a transmitting amplifier that amplifies a transmitted signal of the downlink communication and the wireless power transmission signal to be transmitted to the terminal device; and a signal path switching unit that switches a signal path to connect the shared antenna to the transmitting circuit unit when transmitting the downlink communication and the wireless power transmission signal, and to connect the shared antenna to the receiving circuit unit when receiving the uplink communication.

[0020] In each of the antenna circuit, the terminal device, and the system, the same frequency band may be a microwave frequency band of 300 MHz or more and 300 GHz or less, and in particular may be a millimeter wave frequency band of 20 GHz or more and 300 GHz or less. [Effects of the Invention]

[0021] According to the present invention, it is possible to protect circuit components such as amplifiers in a terminal device when the terminal device receives a wireless power transmission signal with a power level greater than that of a received signal in downlink communication. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0022] [Figure 1] FIG. 1 is an explanatory diagram illustrating an example of the overall configuration of a system according to an embodiment. [Figure 2] FIG. 2 is a block diagram showing an example of the configuration of a base station and a terminal device that constitute the system according to the embodiment. [Figure 3]Fig. 3(a) is an explanatory diagram showing an example of the arrangement of symbol points in the primary modulation of the QAM method of a communication signal transmitted from a base station according to an embodiment. Fig. 3(b) is an explanatory diagram showing an example of the arrangement of symbol points in the modulation of a WPT dummy signal transmitted from the same base station. [Figure 4] FIG. 4 is a block diagram showing an example of the configuration of a terminal device and a base station having an antenna circuit according to the embodiment. [Figure 5] FIG. 5 is an explanatory diagram showing an example of a frame configuration of a signal transmitted and received between a terminal device having an antenna circuit and a base station according to the embodiment. [Figure 6] FIG. 6 is an explanatory diagram showing another example of a frame configuration of a signal transmitted and received between a terminal device having an antenna circuit and a base station according to the embodiment. [Figure 7] FIG. 7 is a block diagram showing another example of the configuration of a terminal device and a base station having an antenna circuit according to the embodiment. [Figure 8] FIG. 8 is a block diagram showing yet another example of the configuration of a terminal device and a base station having an antenna circuit according to the embodiment. [Figure 9] FIG. 9 is a block diagram showing still another example of the configuration of a terminal device and a base station having an antenna circuit according to the embodiment. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0023] Hereinafter, an embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. A system according to an embodiment described herein is a system capable of wireless power transmission (WPT) from a mobile communication base station to a terminal device (e.g., a mobile station (UE) or an IoT device) to be supplied with power. The system according to the embodiment is a system capable of effectively utilizing unused wireless resources (resource blocks) not used for communication among a plurality of wireless resources (resource blocks) set in a downlink radio frame to a terminal device such as a UE for wireless power transmission (WPT) to the terminal device. The system according to the embodiment may be a wireless communication system between a base station and a terminal device, having a wireless power transmission (WPT) function from the base station to the terminal device. The system according to the embodiment may also be a wireless power transmission (WPT) system from a base station to a terminal device, having a wireless communication function between the base station and the terminal device.

[0024] In particular, in this embodiment, in a communication TDD system in which TDD (Time Division Duplex) communication is performed between a terminal device and a base station in the same frequency band, by providing the terminal device with an antenna circuit as exemplified below, components such as an amplifier (LNA) in the terminal device can be protected when the terminal device receives a wireless power transmission signal with greater power than the received signal in downlink communication.

[0025] 1 is an explanatory diagram showing an example of a schematic configuration of a system according to this embodiment. The system according to this embodiment includes a cellular base station 10 that forms a communication area (cell) 10A, and a terminal device (hereinafter also referred to as "UE" (user equipment)) 20 that is a power supply target and can connect to the base station 10 and communicate wirelessly with the base station 10 when the terminal device is located in the communication area 10A.

[0026] The UE 20 may be a mobile station in a mobile communication system, or may be a combination of a communication device (e.g., a mobile communication module) and various devices. The UE 20 may include, for example, an array antenna having multiple antenna elements. The UE 20 may also be an IoT device (also referred to as an "IoT device").

[0027] In FIG. 1 , a base station 10 includes multiple antennas 110 oriented in different directions. The antennas 110 are, for example, multiple array antennas each having a large number of antenna elements. The base station 10 can communicate with each of multiple UEs 20 using the same frequency band in a TDD system via the antennas 110. The base station 10 can also communicate with multiple UEs 20 using the antennas 110 in a massive MIMO (hereinafter also referred to as "mMIMO") transmission system. mMIMO is a wireless transmission technology that achieves high-capacity, high-speed communication by transmitting and receiving data using an array antenna. Furthermore, the base station 10 can communicate with each of multiple UEs 20 using an MU (Multi-User)-MIMO transmission system, which performs beamforming to form beams 10B for each of the multiple UEs 20 in a time-division or simultaneous manner. Performing MU-MIMO transmission using a multi-element array antenna enables communication by directing an appropriate beam to each UE 20 according to the communication environment of each UE 20, thereby improving communication quality throughout the cell. Furthermore, since communication with multiple UEs 20 can be performed using the same radio resources (time and frequency resources), the system capacity can be expanded.

[0028] 1, a part of the communication area 10A is a wireless power transmission area (hereinafter referred to as "WPT area") 10A' in which wireless power transmission is performed from the base station 10 to the terminal device 20. The WPT area 10A' may be an area smaller than the communication area 10A as shown in the figure, or may be an area of ​​the same or approximately the same size and location as the communication area 10A.

[0029] In the WPT area 10A', unused wireless resources (resource blocks) that are not used for communication are utilized as wireless power transmission blocks among resource blocks that are multiple wireless resources (time and frequency resources) that configure a downlink wireless frame from the base station 10. The base station 10 generates a transmission signal in which a dummy signal for wireless power transmission (hereinafter also referred to as a "WPT dummy signal") is assigned as a wireless power transmission signal (WPT signal) to the wireless power transmission block (WPT block), which is an unused wireless resource for communication, in the downlink wireless frame to the UE 20, and transmits the transmission signal to the UE 20.

[0030] In particular, in fifth-generation or later-generation mobile communication systems, a technology called lean carrier has been proposed, in which the minimum necessary reference signals (RS) and control signals are placed on only some of the subcarriers in the radio frame. It is expected that the unused radio resources in the radio frame can be effectively utilized to transmit wireless power to UE 20.

[0031] The radio waves of the communication signals transmitted and received between the base station 10 and the UE 20 and the radio waves of the transmission signals assigned with the WPT dummy signals transmitted from the base station 10 to the UE 20 may be, for example, in the microwave frequency band of 300 MHz or more and 300 GHz or less, or in particular in the millimeter wave frequency band of 20 GHz or more and 300 GHz or less.

[0032] 2 is a block diagram showing an example of the main configuration of a base station 10 and a user equipment (UE) 20 constituting a system according to an embodiment. The base station 10 can communicate with the UE 20 using the TDD method in the same frequency band. The base station 10 includes an antenna 110, a communication signal processing unit 120, and a radio processing device (radio processing unit) 130.

[0033] 2 may also include a remote radio head (RRH) having a radio processing device 130, and a baseband unit (BBU) having a communication signal processing unit 120. The baseband unit (BBU) is located at a location remote from the remote radio head (RRH), and is connected to the remote radio head via a wired communication line (for example, an optical line made of optical fiber).

[0034] The antenna 110 is, for example, an array antenna having a large number of antenna elements as shown in Fig. 1. There may be a single antenna 110 or multiple antennas 110. For example, multiple antennas 110 may be arranged corresponding to multiple sector cells.

[0035] The communication signal processing unit 120 processes signals such as various user data and control information transmitted and received between the UE 20 and the UE 20 .

[0036] During downlink communication with the UE 20, the communication signal processing unit 120 generates a downlink transmission signal including a WPT dummy signal using unused radio resources among the multiple radio resources. For example, the WPT dummy signal can be generated by modulating it using a modulation method with a lower PAPR (Peak-to-Average Power Ratio) (also referred to as "peak-to-peak ratio") than the communication signal. For example, the WPT dummy signal may be a modulated signal modulated using a Zadoff-Chu sequence code, with a constant amplitude and a variable phase over time, or may be a signal modulated at multiple symbol points with maximum or near-maximum amplitudes among multiple symbol points of a digital modulation method. For example, the generation of the transmission signal may include primary modulation such as QAM (Quadrature Amplitude Modulation) for communication signals or modulation with a low PAPR for the WPT dummy signal, as well as secondary modulation such as OFDM (Orthogonal Frequency Division Multiplexing) modulation.

[0037] The radio processing device 130 transmits a transmission signal generated by the communication signal processing unit 120 from the antenna 110 to the UE 20 , and outputs a received signal received from the UE 20 via the antenna 110 to the communication signal processing unit 120 .

[0038] The process of including a WPT dummy signal using unused radio resources in the transmission signal for downlink communication to UE 20, and the generation of control signals (trigger signals) used for signal separation, signal synthesis, etc. may be performed based on subframes that make up the radio frame of mobile communication.

[0039] In addition, the process of including a WPT dummy signal using unused radio resources in the transmission signal for downlink communication to UE 20 may be performed autonomously by base station 10, or may be performed based on a request or instruction from UE 20 or a request or instruction from an external platform (e.g., a server, a cloud system).

[0040] In this embodiment, the radio processing device 130 controls one or more beams formed by the antenna (array antenna) 110 based on the BF control signal. The radio processing device 130 also transmits a downlink transmission signal including a WPT dummy signal generated by the communication signal processing unit 120 to the UE 20 via the antenna 110.

[0041] During downlink communication with the UE 20, the base station 10 may perform beamforming (BF) control to form an individual beam 10B for each UE 20 or for each UE group in a target area to which multiple UEs 20 belong, and may perform wireless power transmission for each UE 20 or for each UE group. The BF control for each UE 20 or for each UE group may be performed by digital BF control in the frequency domain in the communication signal processing unit 120, or may be performed by analog BF control in the radio processing device 130.

[0042] 2, radio processing device 130 includes antenna 110, input / output signal processing section 131, and radio signal processing section (hereinafter also referred to as "RF signal processing section") 132. RF signal processing section 132 includes, for example, an antenna circuit described below.

[0043] 2, the UE 20 can communicate with the base station 10 using the TDD method in the same frequency band. The UE 20 includes an antenna 210, a radio processing unit 220, a communication signal processing unit 230, and a power supply unit 240 having a battery. The antenna 210 is, for example, a small array antenna having multiple antenna elements. The antenna 210 is, for example, one or more shared antennas that are used for downlink and uplink communications with the base station 10 and for receiving a WPT dummy signal (wireless power transmission signal) from the base station 10. The antenna 210 may also be configured with a first antenna for communication that is used for downlink and uplink communications with the base station 10, and a second antenna for wireless power transmission that is used for receiving a WPT dummy signal (wireless power transmission signal) from the base station 10.

[0044] The radio processing unit 220 transmits transmission signals such as feedback information and user data generated by the communication signal processing unit 230 from the antenna 210 to the base station 10, and outputs received signals received from the base station 10 via the antenna 210 to the communication signal processing unit 230. The communication signal processing unit 230 can process UL data to generate transmission signals, and process received signals to generate DL data.

[0045] The wireless processing unit 220 includes any of the antenna circuits described below, a receiver, a transmitter, etc. The wireless processing unit 220 receives a transmission signal including a WPT dummy signal transmitted from the base station 10, and outputs the power of the received signal of the WPT dummy signal to the power supply unit 240 as received power for supply to each unit in the device and for charging the battery.

[0046] The power supply unit 240 can supply power to each unit in the device and charge the built-in battery using the received power output from the wireless processing unit 220. When the received power is not output from the wireless processing unit 220, the power supply unit 240 can supply power to each unit in the device from the built-in battery.

[0047] Fig. 3(a) is an explanatory diagram showing an example of the arrangement of symbol points 41 in the primary modulation of the QAM method of a communication signal transmitted from the base station 10 according to this embodiment. Fig. 3(a) is a constellation diagram showing the arrangement of multiple symbol points (64-value symbol points) in the case of the 64QAM method. Fig. 3(b) is an explanatory diagram showing an example of the arrangement of symbol points in the modulation of a WPT dummy signal transmitted from the base station 10 according to this embodiment. In Figs. 3(a) and 3(b), the horizontal axis indicates the in-phase channel component, and the vertical axis indicates the quadrature channel component.

[0048] In this embodiment, an OFDM modulated signal having a lower PAPR (Peak to Average Power Ratio) than the communication signal is used as the WPT dummy signal. For example, in FIG. 3(a), a WPT dummy signal may be used that is an OFDM modulated signal modulated only by the outermost or a plurality of symbol points 41S around the outermost periphery that have the largest amplitude among the plurality of symbol points 41 of the QAM method for the communication signal.

[0049] Also, as shown in the constellation diagram of Fig. 3(b), a WPT dummy signal may be used that is an OFDM modulated signal modulated at symbol point 42, where the phase changes with constant amplitude over time. The OFDM modulated signal at symbol point 42 in Fig. 3(b) can be generated using, for example, a Zadoff-Chu sequence code.

[0050] In the UE 20 configured as described above, when both communication and WPT are performed in the same frequency band, the power difference (power ratio) between communication and WPT must be taken into consideration. When a WPT signal (wireless power transmission signal) with a higher power than the received signal (DL communication signal) of downlink communication is received, there is a need to avoid damage to components such as an amplifier (LNA) provided in the antenna circuit of the radio processing unit of the UE 20 and protect the components. For example, the EIRP (effective isotropically radiated power) of the radio wave radiated from the antenna 110 of the base station 10 is 50 dBm for the DL communication signal and 70 dBm for the WPT signal, meaning that the power of the WPT signal is approximately 100 times greater than the power of the DL communication signal. If a WPT signal with a power ratio approximately 100 times greater than the DL communication signal enters the receiving circuit unit (DL circuit) of the UE 20, it may damage components such as a low-noise amplifier (LNA) that constitutes the receiving circuit unit. Therefore, when communications and WPT are performed simultaneously in the same frequency band, it is necessary to protect components such as low-noise amplifiers (LNAs) that make up the receiving circuit when receiving WPT signals.

[0051] Therefore, the radio processing unit 220 of the UE 20 of this embodiment is provided with any of the antenna circuits 221 described below that can protect components such as an amplifier (LNA).

[0052] Fig. 4 is a block diagram showing an example of the configuration of a UE (terminal device) 20 and a base station 10 having an antenna circuit according to the embodiment. In Fig. 4, an antenna circuit 221 provided in a radio processing unit 220 of the UE 20 includes a receiving circuit unit 222, a transmitting circuit unit 223, a power receiving circuit unit 224, and a two-branch changeover switch 225 as a signal path switching unit.

[0053] The receiving circuit unit 222 has a low noise amplifier (LNA) 222A as a receiving amplifier that amplifies a received signal of downlink communication (hereinafter also referred to as "DL communication") received from the base station 10 via the shared antenna 210. The shared antenna 210 is shared for DL ​​communication and uplink communication (hereinafter also referred to as "UL communication") between the UE 20 and the base station 10, and for receiving a WPT signal from the base station 10.

[0054] The transmission circuit unit 223 has a high power amplifier (HPA) 223A as a transmission amplifier that amplifies the transmission signal of UL communication to be transmitted to the base station 10 via the shared antenna 210, and a circulator 223C to which the transmission signal amplified by the high power amplifier (HPA) 223A is input.

[0055] The power receiving circuit unit 224 rectifies the WPT signal consisting of high-frequency AC received from the base station 10 and outputs a WPT signal consisting of DC.

[0056] The changeover switch 225 switches the signal path so that when receiving DL communication, it connects the shared antenna 210 to the receiving circuit unit 222, and when transmitting UL communication and receiving a WPT signal, it connects the shared antenna 210 to the transmitting circuit unit 223. The changeover switch 225 is controlled to switch between the connection between the shared antenna 210 and the receiving circuit unit 222 and the connection between the shared antenna 210 and the transmitting circuit unit 223, based on a switching control signal CONT received from, for example, the communication signal processing unit 230 or the control unit in the UE 20.

[0057] Circulator 223C has three ports, a first port P1, a second port P2, and a third port P3, which are connected to high power amplifier (HPA) 223A, changeover switch 225, and rectifier 224R, respectively, and are circularly arranged to enable one-way transmission between adjacent ports. That is, high power amplifier (HPA) 223A, changeover switch 225, and rectifier 224R are connected to the three ports P1, P2, and P3 of circulator 223C, in that order.

[0058] The circulator 223C unidirectionally transmits the UL communication transmission signal input to the first port P1 from the high power amplifier (HPA) 223A to the second port P2. The UL communication transmission signal output from the second port P2 is transmitted to the shared antenna 210 via the change-over switch 225 and is then transmitted from the shared antenna 210 to the base station 10.

[0059] Furthermore, the circulator 223C transmits, in one direction toward the third port P3, a radio frequency (RF) WPT signal that is received by the shared antenna 210 and input to the second port P2 from the changeover switch 225. The radio frequency (RF) WPT signal output from the third port P3 is converted into a direct current (DC) WPT signal by the rectifier 224R and output toward the power supply unit 240 that has a battery.

[0060] 4, by switching the signal path of the change-over switch 225, the radio frequency (RF) WPT signal received by the shared antenna 210 is not transmitted to the receiving circuit unit 222, thereby preventing damage to components such as the low noise amplifier (LNA) 222A of the receiving circuit unit 222 due to the radio frequency (RF) WPT signal. Also, by the circulator 223C, the radio frequency (RF) WPT signal received by the shared antenna 210 and input to the transmitting circuit unit 223 is not transmitted to the high power amplifier (HPA) 223A, thereby preventing damage to components such as the high power amplifier (HPA) 223A of the transmitting circuit unit 223 due to the radio frequency (RF) WPT signal.

[0061] 4, the antenna circuit 1320 provided in the RF signal processing unit 132 of the base station 10 includes a transmission circuit unit 1321, a reception circuit unit 1322, and a two-branch changeover switch 1323 as a signal path switching unit. The shared antenna 110 is shared for DL ​​communication and UL communication between the base station 10 and the UE 20, and for transmitting a WPT signal to the UE 20. The transmission circuit unit 1321 includes a high power amplifier (HPA) 1321A as a transmission amplifier that amplifies the transmission signal and WPT signal of DL communication that are transmitted to the UE 20. The reception circuit unit 1322 includes a low noise amplifier (LNA) 1322A as an amplifier that amplifies the reception signal of UL communication received from the UE 20.

[0062] The changeover switch 1323 switches the signal path so as to connect the shared antenna 110 to the transmission circuit unit 1321 when transmitting DL communication and when transmitting a WPT signal, and to connect the shared antenna 110 to the reception circuit unit 1322 when receiving UL communication. For example, the changeover switch 1323 is controlled to switch between the connection between the shared antenna 110 and the transmission circuit unit 1321 and the connection between the shared antenna 110 and the reception circuit unit 1322 based on a switching control signal CONT received from the communication signal processing unit 120 or the control unit in the base station 10.

[0063] 5 is an explanatory diagram showing an example of a radio frame configuration of a signal transmitted and received between a user equipment (UE) 20 and a base station 10 having antenna circuits 221, 1320 according to the embodiment. In FIG. 5, a downlink communication frame (hereinafter also referred to as a "DL frame") 31 used for downlink communication signals, an uplink communication frame (hereinafter also referred to as a "UL frame") 32 used for uplink communication signals, and a wireless power transmission frame (hereinafter also referred to as a "WPT frame") 33 used for WPT signals are allocated in a time-divided manner to a radio frame 30 between the base station 10 and the UE 20. For example, the DL frame 31, the UL frame 32, and the WPT frame 33 each include one or more slots, and each slot includes multiple resource blocks (REs).

[0064] The DL frame 31, the UL frame 32, and the WPT frame 33 each have a frame header 310, 320, or 330 in which a downlink (DL) control signal, an uplink (UL) control signal, and a WPT control signal are arranged, and subsequent frame body portions 311, 321, or 331 in which a DL data signal, a UL data signal, and a WPT signal are arranged. The frame header 310 of the DL frame 31 is allocated, for example, a PDCCH (Physical Downlink Control Channel) that carries downlink (DL) control signals such as DL scheduling information within an internal slot. The downlink (DL) control signals include downlink control information (DCI) such as scheduling decisions, resource allocations, and other control commands for both downlink and uplink transmissions. The frame header of the UL frame 32 is allocated, for example, a PUCCH (Physical Uplink Control Channel) that carries uplink (UL) control signals. The uplink (UL) control signal includes, for example, uplink control information (HARQ: ACK / NACK) relating to an acknowledgement (ACK) or a negative acknowledgement (NACK) associated with DL data reception. A PDSCH (Physical Downlink Shared Channel) configured with actual DL data transmitted from the base station 10 to the UE 20 in accordance with the downlink control information (DCI) is allocated to the frame body 311 of the DL frame 31. A PUSCH (Physical Uplink Shared Channel) configured with data transmitted from the UE 20 back to the base station 10, scheduled based on control information received at the start of the UL frame (slot), is allocated to the frame body 321 of the UL frame 32.

[0065] The switching control signal CONT used for switching control in the changeover switches 225, 1323 of the above-mentioned antenna circuits 221, 1320 is generated based on a downlink (DL) control signal, an uplink (UL) control signal, and a WPT control signal. That is, scheduling of the switching control in the changeover switches 225, 1323 can be performed by the downlink (DL) control signal, the uplink (UL) control signal, and the WPT control signal.

[0066] FIG. 6 is an explanatory diagram showing another example of a radio frame configuration of a signal transmitted and received between a terminal device (UE) 20 and a base station 10 having antenna circuits 221, 1320 according to the embodiment. Note that in FIG. 6, descriptions of parts similar to those in the configuration of FIG. 5 described above will be omitted. In the example of FIG. 6, a DL frame 31 and a UL frame 32 are time-divided and allocated to a radio frame 30 between the base station 10 and the UE 20. Furthermore, instead of providing a separate WPT frame, a WPT frame 312 is inserted and allocated in a part of a frame body 311 of the DL frame 31. Furthermore, downlink (DL) and WPT control signals (hereinafter also referred to as "DL / WPT control signals") are arranged in a frame header 310 of the DL frame 31, and an uplink (UL) control signal is arranged in a frame header 320 of the UL frame 32.

[0067] The switching control signal CONT used for switching control in the changeover switches 225, 1323 of the above-mentioned antenna circuits 221, 1320 is generated based on the DL / WPT control signal and the uplink (UL) control signal. That is, the switching control in the changeover switches 225, 1323 can be scheduled by the DL / WPT control signal and the uplink (UL) control signal.

[0068] 4, it is possible to protect components such as the low noise amplifier (LNA) 222A in the receiving circuit unit 222 of the UE 20 when the UE receives a WPT signal having a power greater than that of a received signal in DL communication. Also, it is possible to protect components such as the high power amplifier (HPA) 223A in the transmitting circuit unit 223 of the UE 20 when the UE receives a WPT signal.

[0069] Fig. 7 is a block diagram showing another example of the configuration of a UE (terminal device) 20 and a base station 10 having an antenna circuit according to the embodiment. In Fig. 7, parts similar to those in the configuration of Fig. 4 described above are assigned the same reference numerals, and description thereof will be omitted. The transmission circuit unit 223 in the antenna circuit 221 of the UE 20 in Fig. 7 has a high power amplifier (HPA) 223A as a transmission amplifier that amplifies a transmission signal for UL communication to be transmitted to the base station 10 via the shared antenna 210. The transmission circuit unit 223 does not have the above-mentioned circulator.

[0070] The antenna circuit 221 includes a three-branch changeover switch 226 as a signal path switching unit, instead of a two-branch changeover switch. The changeover switch 226 switches the signal path so that it connects the shared antenna 210 to the receiving circuit unit 222 when receiving DL communication, connects the shared antenna 210 to the transmitting circuit unit 223 when transmitting UL communication, and connects the shared antenna 210 to the power receiving circuit unit 224 when receiving a WPT signal. The changeover switch 226 is controlled to switch between the connection between the shared antenna 210 and the receiving circuit unit 222, the connection between the shared antenna 210 and the transmitting circuit unit 2230, and the connection between the shared antenna 210 and the power receiving circuit unit 224, based on a switching control signal CONT received from, for example, the communication signal processing unit 230 or the control unit in the UE 20.

[0071] 7, by switching the signal path of the change-over switch 226, the radio frequency (RF) WPT signal received by the shared antenna 210 is not transmitted to the receiving circuit unit 222, thereby preventing damage to components such as the low noise amplifier (LNA) 222A of the receiving circuit unit 222 due to the radio frequency (RF) WPT signal. Furthermore, by switching the signal path of the change-over switch 226, the radio frequency (RF) WPT signal received by the shared antenna 210 is not transmitted to the high power amplifier (HPA) 223A, thereby preventing damage to components such as the high power amplifier (HPA) 223A of the transmitting circuit unit 223 due to the radio frequency (RF) WPT signal. Furthermore, by switching the signal path of the change-over switch 226, the radio frequency (RF) WPT signal received by the shared antenna 210 is converted into a direct current (DC) WPT signal by the rectifier 224R and output to the power supply unit 240, which has a battery.

[0072] 7, it is possible to protect components such as the low noise amplifier (LNA) 222A in the receiving circuit unit 222 of the UE 20 when the UE receives a WPT signal having a power greater than that of a received signal in DL communication. It is also possible to protect components such as the high power amplifier (HPA) 223A in the transmitting circuit unit 223 of the UE 20 when the UE receives a WPT signal. In particular, in the antenna circuit 221 of FIG. 7, the transmission signal for UL communication output from the high power amplifier (HPA) 223A does not pass through a circulator, so it is possible to reduce transmission power loss in UL communication.

[0073] In addition, in the configuration example of the UE (terminal device) 20 and base station 10 having the antenna circuit of Figure 7, as in the configuration example of Figure 4 described above, the radio frame configuration of Figure 5 or Figure 6 can be used as the radio frame configuration of the signal transmitted and received between the UE (terminal device) 20 and the base station 10.

[0074] FIG. 8 is a block diagram showing yet another example of the configuration of a UE (terminal device) 20 and a base station 10 having an antenna circuit according to an embodiment. Note that in FIG. 8, components similar to those in the configuration of FIG. 4 are denoted by the same reference numerals, and descriptions thereof will be omitted. In the configuration example of FIG. 8, instead of a shared antenna, a first antenna for communication (hereinafter referred to as a "communication antenna") 210C and a second antenna for wireless power transmission (hereinafter referred to as a "WPT antenna") 210W are provided. The communication antenna 210C is used for DL ​​communication and UL communication between the UE 20 and the base station 10. The WPT antenna 210W is used to receive a WPT signal from the base station 10 and is connected to the power receiving circuit unit 224 without passing through the changeover switch 225. The radio frequency (RF) WPT signal received by the WPT antenna 210W is converted into a direct current (DC) WPT signal by a rectifier 224R and output to a power supply unit 240 having a battery.

[0075] The changeover switch 225 switches the signal path so that when receiving DL communication, the communication antenna 210C is connected to the receiving circuit unit 222, and when transmitting UL communication and receiving a WPT signal, the communication antenna 210C is connected to the transmitting circuit unit 223. The changeover switch 225 is controlled to switch between the connection between the communication antenna 210C and the receiving circuit unit 222 and the connection between the communication antenna 210C and the transmitting circuit unit 223, based on a switching control signal CONT received from the communication signal processing unit 230 or control unit in the UE 20, for example.

[0076] Furthermore, the third port P3 of the circulator 223C of the transmission circuit unit 223 is connected to the terminator 227. The circulator 223C transmits, in one direction toward the third port P3, a radio frequency (RF) WPT signal that is received by the communication antenna 210C and input to the second port P2 from the changeover switch 225. The radio frequency (RF) WPT signal output from the third port P3 is terminated by the terminator 227 so as not to be reflected toward the circulator 223C.

[0077] 8, by switching the signal path of the change-over switch 226, the radio frequency (RF) WPT signal received by the communication antenna 210C is not transmitted to the receiving circuit unit 222, thereby preventing damage to components such as the low noise amplifier (LNA) 222A of the receiving circuit unit 222 due to the radio frequency (RF) WPT signal. Furthermore, by using the circulator 223C, the radio frequency (RF) WPT signal received by the communication antenna 210C is not transmitted to the high power amplifier (HPA) 223A, thereby preventing damage to components such as the high power amplifier (HPA) 223A of the transmitting circuit unit 223 due to the radio frequency (RF) WPT signal.

[0078] 8, it is possible to protect components such as a low noise amplifier (LNA) 222A in the receiving circuit unit 222 of the UE 20 when the UE receives a WPT signal having a power greater than that of a received signal in DL communication. It is also possible to protect components such as a high power amplifier (HPA) 223A in the transmitting circuit unit 223 of the UE 20 when the UE receives a WPT signal. In particular, in the antenna circuit 221 of FIG. 8, the WPT signal does not pass through the changeover switch 226 and the circulator 223C, so it is possible to reduce power supply loss.

[0079] In addition, in the configuration example of a UE (terminal device) 20 and a base station 10 having the antenna circuit of Figure 8, as in the configuration example of Figure 4 described above, the radio frame configuration of Figure 5 or Figure 6 can be used as the radio frame configuration of signals transmitted and received between the UE (terminal device) 20 and the base station 10.

[0080] Fig. 9 is a block diagram showing yet another example of the configuration of a UE (terminal device) 20 and a base station 10 having an antenna circuit according to an embodiment. Note that in Fig. 9, parts similar to those in the configurations of Figs. 4 and 8 described above are assigned the same reference numerals, and description thereof will be omitted. The configuration example of Fig. 9 includes a communication antenna 210C and a WPT antenna 210W, similar to the configuration example of Fig. 8. The transmission circuit unit 223 includes a high power amplifier (HPA) 223A as a transmission amplifier that amplifies a transmission signal for UL communication transmitted to the base station 10 via the communication antenna 210C. The transmission circuit unit 223 does not include the above-mentioned circulator.

[0081] The changeover switch 228 switches the signal path so as to connect the communication antenna 210C to the receiving circuit unit 222 when receiving DL communication, connect the communication antenna 210C to the transmitting circuit unit 223 when transmitting UL communication, and disconnect (neutral state) the communication antenna 210C from either the receiving circuit unit 222 or the transmitting circuit unit 223 when receiving a WPT signal. The changeover switch 228 is controlled to switch between the connection between the communication antenna 210C and the receiving circuit unit 222, the connection between the communication antenna 210C and the transmitting circuit unit 223, and the disconnection (neutral state) based on a switching control signal CONT received from, for example, the communication signal processing unit 230 or the control unit in the UE 20.

[0082] 9, by switching the signal path of the change-over switch 228, the radio frequency (RF) WPT signal received by the communication antenna 210C is not transmitted to the receiving circuit unit 222, thereby preventing damage to components such as the low noise amplifier (LNA) 222A of the receiving circuit unit 222 due to the radio frequency (RF) WPT signal. Furthermore, by switching the signal path of the change-over switch 228, the radio frequency (RF) WPT signal received by the communication antenna 210C is not transmitted to the high power amplifier (HPA) 223A, thereby preventing damage to components such as the high power amplifier (HPA) 223A of the transmitting circuit unit 223 due to the radio frequency (RF) WPT signal.

[0083] 9, components such as a low noise amplifier (LNA) 222A in the receiving circuit unit 222 of the UE 20 can be protected when the UE receives a WPT signal having a higher power than the received signal for DL ​​communication. Also, components such as a high power amplifier (HPA) 223A in the transmitting circuit unit 223 of the UE 20 can be protected when the UE receives a WPT signal. In particular, in the antenna circuit 221 of FIG. 9, the WPT signal does not pass through the changeover switch 228 and the circulator, so power supply loss can be reduced. Also, in the antenna circuit 221 of FIG. 9, the transmission signal for UL communication output from the high power amplifier (HPA) 223A does not pass through the circulator, so transmission power loss for UL communication can be reduced.

[0084] In addition, in the configuration example of a UE (terminal device) 20 and a base station 10 having the antenna circuit of Figure 9, as in the configuration example of Figure 4 described above, the radio frame configuration of Figure 5 or Figure 6 can be used as the radio frame configuration of signals transmitted and received between the UE (terminal device) 20 and the base station 10.

[0085] As described above, according to this embodiment, when the user equipment (UE) 20 receives a WPT signal with a higher power than the received signal of DL communication, circuit components such as the low noise amplifier (LNA) 222A and the high power amplifier (HPA) 223A in the user equipment (UE) 20 can be protected.

[0086] Furthermore, the present invention can provide a power supply infrastructure that can supply power to a large number of terminal devices 20 that can receive radio waves transmitted from a base station 10, thereby contributing to the achievement of Goal 9 of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), which is to "build resilient infrastructure, promote inclusive and sustainable industrialization and foster innovation."

[0087] The processing steps and components of the system, radio processing device, terminal device (UE, IoT device), base station, mobile station, relay device, and control device described in this specification can be implemented by various means. For example, these steps and components may be implemented by hardware, firmware, software, or a combination thereof.

[0088] Regarding hardware implementation, means such as processing units used to realize the above steps and components in an entity (e.g., various wireless communication devices, base station devices (Node B, Node G), terminal devices, hard disk drive devices, or optical disk drive devices) may be implemented in one or more application specific integrated circuits (ASICs), digital signal processors (DSPs), digital signal processing devices (DSPDs), programmable logic devices (PLDs), field programmable gate arrays (FPGAs), processors, controllers, microcontrollers, microprocessors, electronic devices, other electronic units designed to perform the functions described in this specification, computers, or combinations thereof.

[0089] Furthermore, with regard to firmware and / or software implementations, the means, such as a processing unit, used to realize the above components may be implemented with a program (e.g., code, such as procedures, functions, modules, instructions, etc.) that performs the functions described herein. In general, any computer / processor-readable medium tangibly embodying firmware and / or software code may be used to implement the means, such as a processing unit, used to realize the above steps and components described herein. For example, the firmware and / or software code may be stored in a memory and executed by a computer or processor, such as in a controller. The memory may be implemented within the computer or processor or external to the processor. Furthermore, the firmware and / or software code may be stored in a computer- or processor-readable medium, such as random access memory (RAM), read-only memory (ROM), non-volatile random access memory (NVRAM), programmable read-only memory (PROM), electrically erasable programmable read-only memory (EEPROM), flash memory, floppy disk, compact disk (CD), digital versatile disk (DVD), magnetic or optical data storage device, etc. The code may be executed by one or more computers or processors and may cause the computers or processors to perform certain aspects of the functionality described herein.

[0090] The medium may be a non-transitory recording medium. The program code may be in any format as long as it can be read and executed by a computer, processor, or other device or machine. For example, the program code may be in any of source code, object code, and binary code, or may be a mixture of two or more of these codes.

[0091] Moreover, the description of the embodiments disclosed herein is provided to enable any person skilled in the art to make or use the present disclosure. Various modifications to the present disclosure will be readily apparent to those skilled in the art, and the general principles defined herein may be applied to other variations without departing from the spirit or scope of the present disclosure. Thus, the present disclosure is not intended to be limited to the examples and designs described herein, but is to be accorded the widest scope consistent with the principles and novel features disclosed herein. [Explanation of symbols]

[0092] 10:Base station 10A: Communication area 10A': WPT Area 10B: Beam 20: User Equipment (UE) 30: Radio frame 31: DL frame 32:UL frame 33: WPT frame 110: Antenna (shared antenna) 120: Communication signal processing section 130: Radio processing device 131: Input / output signal processing section 132: RF signal processing section 210: Antenna (shared antenna) 210C: Communication antenna 210W: WPT antenna 220: Radio processing unit 221: Antenna circuit 222: Receiving circuit section 223: Transmission circuit section 223C: Circulator 224: Power receiving circuit section 224R: Rectifier 225: Changeover switch 226: Changeover switch 227 :Terminator 228: Changeover switch 230: Communication signal processing section 240: Power supply section 310: Frame start 311: Frame body 312: WPT frame 320: Frame start 321: Frame body 330: Frame start 331: Frame body 1320: Antenna circuit 1321: Transmitting circuit section 1322: Receiving circuit section 1323: Changeover switch 2230: Transmitting circuit section

Claims

1. An antenna circuit of a terminal device capable of communicating with a base station, a receiving circuit unit having a receiving amplifier for amplifying a received signal of a downlink communication received from the base station via a shared antenna; a transmission circuit unit including a transmission amplifier that amplifies a transmission signal of an uplink communication to be transmitted to the base station via the shared antenna, and a circulator to which the transmission signal amplified by the transmission amplifier is input; a power receiving circuit unit having a rectifier that rectifies a wireless power transmission signal received from the base station; a signal path switching unit that switches a signal path so as to connect the shared antenna to the receiving circuit unit when receiving the downlink communication, and to connect the shared antenna to the transmitting circuit unit when transmitting the uplink communication and when receiving the wireless power transmission signal, The circulator is a first port, a second port, and a third port connected to the transmission amplifier, the signal path switching unit, and the rectifier, respectively; a transmission signal of the uplink communication input from the transmission amplifier to the first port is transmitted unidirectionally to the second port, and the wireless power transmission signal input from the signal path switching unit to the second port is transmitted unidirectionally to the third port; 1. An antenna circuit comprising:

2. 2. The antenna circuit of claim 1, the signal path switching unit has a two-branch changeover switch that is controlled to switch between a connection between the shared antenna and the receiving circuit unit and a connection between the shared antenna and the transmitting circuit unit based on a switching control signal; 1. An antenna circuit comprising:

3. 3. The antenna circuit of claim 2, a downlink communication frame used for the downlink communication signal, an uplink communication frame used for the uplink communication signal, and a wireless power transmission frame used for the wireless power transmission signal are allocated in a time-division manner to a wireless frame between the base station and the terminal device; a downlink control signal, an uplink control signal, and a wireless power transmission control signal are arranged at the beginning of each of the frames for downlink communication, the frame for uplink communication, and the frame for wireless power transmission, the switching control signal is generated based on the downlink control signal, the uplink control signal, and the wireless power transmission control signal.

1. An antenna circuit comprising:

4. 3. The antenna circuit of claim 2, a downlink communication frame used for the downlink communication signal and an uplink communication frame used for the uplink communication signal are allocated to a radio frame between the base station and the terminal device in a time-division manner; a frame for wireless power transmission used for the wireless power transmission signal is inserted into a part of the frame for downlink communication and allocated; a control signal for downlink and wireless power transmission is arranged at a frame head of the frame for downlink communication; an uplink control signal is placed at a frame head of the frame for uplink communication; the switching control signal is generated based on the downlink and wireless power transmission control signal and the uplink control signal.

1. An antenna circuit comprising:

5. An antenna circuit of a terminal device capable of communicating with a base station, a receiving circuit unit having a receiving amplifier for amplifying a received signal of a downlink communication received from the base station via a shared antenna; a transmission circuit unit having a transmission amplifier that amplifies a transmission signal of an uplink communication to be transmitted to the base station via the shared antenna; a power receiving circuit unit having a rectifier that rectifies a wireless power transmission signal received from the base station; a signal path switching unit that switches a signal path so as to connect the shared antenna to the receiving circuit unit when receiving the downlink communication, connect the shared antenna to the transmitting circuit unit when transmitting the uplink communication, and connect the shared antenna to the power receiving circuit unit when receiving the wireless power transmission signal; An antenna circuit comprising:

6. 6. The antenna circuit of claim 5, the signal path switching unit has a three-branch changeover switch that is controlled to switch between a connection between the shared antenna and the receiving circuit unit, a connection between the shared antenna and the transmitting circuit unit, and a connection between the shared antenna and the power receiving circuit unit based on a switching control signal.

1. An antenna circuit comprising:

7. 7. The antenna circuit of claim 6, a downlink communication frame used for the downlink communication signal, an uplink communication frame used for the uplink communication signal, and a wireless power transmission frame used for the wireless power transmission signal are allocated in a time-division manner to a wireless frame between the base station and the terminal device; a downlink control signal, an uplink control signal, and a wireless power transmission control signal are arranged at the beginning of each of the frames for downlink communication, the frame for uplink communication, and the frame for wireless power transmission, the signal path switching unit controls the change-over switch to switch between a connection between the shared antenna and the receiving circuit unit and a connection between the shared antenna and the transmitting circuit unit in synchronization with the frame for downlink communication, the frame for uplink communication, and the frame for wireless power transmission, based on the downlink control signal, the uplink control signal, and the wireless power transmission control signal.

1. An antenna circuit comprising:

8. 7. The antenna circuit of claim 6, a downlink communication frame used for the downlink communication signal and an uplink communication frame used for the uplink communication signal are allocated to a radio frame between the base station and the terminal device in a time-division manner; a frame for wireless power transmission used for the wireless power transmission signal is inserted into a part of the frame for downlink communication and allocated; a control signal for downlink and wireless power transmission is arranged at a frame head of the frame for downlink communication; an uplink control signal is placed at a frame head of the frame for uplink communication; the switching control signal is generated based on the downlink and wireless power transmission control signal and the uplink control signal.

1. An antenna circuit comprising:

9. An antenna circuit of a terminal device capable of communicating with a base station, a receiving circuit unit having a receiving amplifier for amplifying a received signal of a downlink communication received from the base station via a first antenna for communication; a transmission circuit unit including a transmission amplifier that amplifies a transmission signal of an uplink communication to be transmitted to the base station via the first antenna, and a circulator to which the transmission signal amplified by the transmission amplifier is input; A terminator; a power receiving circuit unit having a rectifier that rectifies a wireless power transmission signal received from the base station via a second antenna for wireless power transmission; a signal path switching unit that switches a signal path so as to connect the first antenna to the receiving circuit unit when receiving the downlink communication, and to connect the first antenna to the transmitting circuit unit when transmitting the uplink communication and when receiving the wireless power transmission signal, The circulator is a first port, a second port, and a third port connected to the transmission amplifier, the signal path switching unit, and the terminator, respectively; a transmission signal of the uplink communication input from the transmission amplifier to the first port is transmitted unidirectionally to the second port, and the wireless power transmission signal input from the signal path switching unit to the second port is transmitted unidirectionally to the third port; 1. An antenna circuit comprising:

10. 10. The antenna circuit of claim 9, the signal path switching unit has a two-branch changeover switch that is controlled to switch between a connection between the first antenna and the receiving circuit unit and a connection between the first antenna and the transmitting circuit unit based on a switching control signal.

1. An antenna circuit comprising:

11. 11. The antenna circuit of claim 10, a downlink communication frame used for the downlink communication signal, an uplink communication frame used for the uplink communication signal, and a wireless power transmission frame used for the wireless power transmission signal are allocated in a time-division manner to a wireless frame between the base station and the terminal device; a downlink control signal, an uplink control signal, and a wireless power transmission control signal are arranged at the beginning of each of the frames for downlink communication, the frame for uplink communication, and the frame for wireless power transmission, the switching control signal is generated based on the downlink control signal, the uplink control signal, and the wireless power transmission control signal.

1. An antenna circuit comprising:

12. 11. The antenna circuit of claim 10, a downlink communication frame used for the downlink communication signal and an uplink communication frame used for the uplink communication signal are allocated to a radio frame between the base station and the terminal device in a time-division manner; a frame for wireless power transmission used for the wireless power transmission signal is inserted into a part of the frame for downlink communication and allocated; a control signal for downlink and wireless power transmission is arranged at a frame head of the frame for downlink communication; an uplink control signal is placed at a frame head of the frame for uplink communication; the switching control signal is generated based on the downlink and wireless power transmission control signal and the uplink control signal.

1. An antenna circuit comprising:

13. An antenna circuit of a terminal device capable of communicating with a base station, a receiving circuit unit having a receiving amplifier for amplifying a received signal of a downlink communication received from the base station via a first antenna for communication; a transmission circuit unit having a transmission amplifier that amplifies a transmission signal of an uplink communication to be transmitted to the base station via the first antenna; a power receiving circuit unit having a rectifier that rectifies a wireless power transmission signal received from the base station via a second antenna for wireless power transmission; a signal path switching unit that switches a signal path so as to connect the first antenna to the receiving circuit unit when receiving the downlink communication, connect the first antenna to the transmitting circuit unit when transmitting the uplink communication, and disconnect the first antenna from either the receiving circuit unit or the transmitting circuit unit when receiving the wireless power transmission signal, 1. An antenna circuit comprising:

14. 14. The antenna circuit of claim 13, the signal path switching unit has a three-branch changeover switch that is controlled to switch between a connection between the first antenna and the receiving circuit unit, a connection between the first antenna and the transmitting circuit unit, and the non-connection based on a switching control signal.

1. An antenna circuit comprising:

15. 15. The antenna circuit of claim 14, a downlink communication frame used for the downlink communication signal, an uplink communication frame used for the uplink communication signal, and a wireless power transmission frame used for the wireless power transmission signal are allocated in a time-division manner to a wireless frame between the base station and the terminal device; a downlink control signal, an uplink control signal, and a wireless power transmission control signal are arranged at the beginning of each of the frames for downlink communication, the frame for uplink communication, and the frame for wireless power transmission, the switching control signal is generated based on the downlink control signal, the uplink control signal, and the wireless power transmission control signal.

1. An antenna circuit comprising:

16. 15. The antenna circuit of claim 14, a downlink communication frame used for the downlink communication signal and an uplink communication frame used for the uplink communication signal are allocated to a radio frame between the base station and the terminal device in a time-division manner; a frame for wireless power transmission used for the wireless power transmission signal is inserted into a part of the frame for downlink communication and allocated; a control signal for downlink and wireless power transmission is arranged at a frame head of the frame for downlink communication; an uplink control signal is placed at a frame head of the frame for uplink communication; the switching control signal is generated based on the downlink and wireless power transmission control signal and the uplink control signal.

1. An antenna circuit comprising:

17. A terminal device capable of communicating with a base station, a radio processing unit having the antenna circuit according to any one of claims 1 to 8; a communication signal processing unit connected to the radio processing unit, which processes transmission signals and reception signals transmitted and received in the downlink and uplink communications with the base station; a power supply connected to the rectifier of the antenna circuit; a shared antenna that is shared for the downlink and the uplink communications with the base station and for receiving the wireless power transmission signal from the base station; A terminal device comprising:

18. A terminal device capable of communicating with a base station, a radio processing unit having the antenna circuit of any one of claims 9 to 16; a communication signal processing unit connected to the radio processing unit, which processes transmission signals and reception signals transmitted and received in the downlink and uplink communications with the base station; a power supply connected to the rectifier of the antenna circuit; a first communication antenna used for the downlink and the uplink communications with the base station; a second antenna for wireless power transmission used to receive a wireless power transmission signal from the base station; A terminal device comprising:

19. A system for communication and wireless power transmission, The terminal device of claim 17; a base station capable of communicating with the terminal device, The base station a shared antenna that is shared for downlink and uplink communication with the terminal device and for transmitting a wireless power transmission signal to the terminal device; a receiving circuit unit having a receiving amplifier that amplifies a received signal of the uplink communication received from the terminal device; a transmission circuit unit having a transmission amplifier that amplifies a transmission signal of the downlink communication and the wireless power transmission signal to be transmitted to the terminal device; a signal path switching unit that switches a signal path so as to connect the shared antenna to the transmission circuit unit when transmitting the downlink communication and the wireless power transmission signal, and to connect the shared antenna to the reception circuit unit when receiving the uplink communication; A system comprising:

20. A system for communication and wireless power transmission, The terminal device of claim 18; a base station capable of communicating with the terminal device, The base station a shared antenna that is shared for downlink and uplink communication with the terminal device and for transmitting a wireless power transmission signal to the terminal device; a receiving circuit unit having an amplifier that amplifies a received signal of the uplink communication received from the terminal device; a transmission circuit unit having a transmission amplifier that amplifies a transmission signal of the downlink communication and the wireless power transmission signal to be transmitted to the terminal device; a signal path switching unit that switches a signal path so as to connect the shared antenna to the transmission circuit unit when transmitting the downlink communication and the wireless power transmission signal, and to connect the shared antenna to the reception circuit unit when receiving the uplink communication; A system comprising:

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