Communication device and communication method

Abstract

To provide a communication device capable of improving the performance of wireless communication.SOLUTION: The communication device includes: a control circuit that is configured to set activation / deactivation of a first communication using a first radio frequency band and a second communication using a second radio frequency band lower than the first radio frequency band depending on the conditions; and a communication circuit that performs the first communication or second communication according to the activation / deactivation settings.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 2

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] The present disclosure relates to a communication device and a communication method. [Background technology]

[0002] In cellular wireless communications, including 5G NR (New Radio access technology), communications are carried out using baseband radio waveforms. [Prior art documents] [Non-patent literature]

[0003] [Non-Patent Document 1] Kosuke Yamazaki, Takeo Ozeki, Yoshiaki Amano, Takahide Murakami, Hiroyuki Shinbo, and Yoji Kishi, "PROPOSAL FOR A USER-CENTRIC RAN ARCHITECTURE TOWARDS BEYOND 5G," IEICE Technical Report, vol. 121, no. 189, SAT2021-43, pp. 4-10, October 2021. Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0004] However, there is room for improvement in how wireless communication performance can be improved.

[0005] Non-limiting embodiments of the present disclosure contribute to providing a communication device and a communication method that can improve the performance of wireless communication. [Means for solving the problem]

[0006] A communication device according to one embodiment of the present disclosure includes a control circuit that enables and disables a first communication using a first radio frequency band and a second communication using a second radio frequency band lower than the first radio frequency band depending on conditions, and a communication circuit that performs the first communication or the second communication in accordance with the enablement and disablement settings.

[0007] These comprehensive or specific aspects may be realized as a system, an apparatus, a method, an integrated circuit, a computer program, or a recording medium, or may be realized as any combination of a system, an apparatus, a method, an integrated circuit, a computer program, and a recording medium. [Effects of the Invention]

[0008] According to an embodiment of the present disclosure, the performance of wireless communication can be improved.

[0009] Further advantages and benefits of certain aspects of the present disclosure will become apparent from the specification and drawings. Such advantages and / or benefits may be provided by some of the embodiments and features described in the specification and drawings, respectively, but not necessarily all of them may be provided to obtain one or more identical features. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0010] [Figure 1] A block diagram showing an example of the configuration of a part of a communication device. [Figure 2] A block diagram showing an example of the configuration of a communication device [Figure 3] A block diagram showing an example of the configuration of a communication device [Figure 4] A block diagram showing an example of the configuration of a communication device [Figure 5] A block diagram showing an example of the configuration of a communication device [Figure 6] A block diagram showing an example of the configuration of a communication device [Figure 7] FIG. 1 is a diagram showing an example of the operation of a communication device; DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0011] Hereinafter, embodiments of the present disclosure will be described in detail with reference to the drawings.

[0012] Microwave and millimeter wave band radio waves are used in cellular wireless communications including 5G NR. In 6G systems (sixth generation mobile communication systems), the use of terahertz (or sub-terahertz) band radio waves above 100 GHz is also being considered. For example, Non-Patent Document 1 proposes a system that uses terahertz waves for communication near terminals.

[0013] For example, in the communication discussed in Non-Patent Document 1 (hereinafter referred to as "first communication"), a terminal (or a user terminal) communicates with a base station via a relay device (e.g., a repeater) near the terminal. In the first communication, the communication between the terminal and the relay device may be wireless communication using a relatively high radio frequency (e.g., a frequency band or a carrier frequency) such as the terahertz band or the 300 GHz band. Note that in the first communication, the communication between the relay device and the base station may be wireless communication using a relatively low radio frequency such as the millimeter wave band or the 30 GHz band.

[0014] Furthermore, for example, in a situation where the first communication is difficult for some reason, the terminal may directly communicate with a base station near the terminal as another communication (hereinafter referred to as "second communication") In the second communication, the communication between the terminal and the base station may be wireless communication using a relatively low radio frequency such as the millimeter wave band or the 30 GHz band.

[0015] A terminal may, for example, be required to have the capability to handle both the first communication and the second communication.

[0016] Here, the circuit configuration of the terminal may include a circuit corresponding to the first communication and a circuit corresponding to the second communication, each of which is independent. Such a circuit configuration may increase the manufacturing cost or circuit size of the terminal. Therefore, it is desirable to share or reuse the implemented circuits between the first communication and the second communication as much as possible.

[0017] Furthermore, a method for setting the validity and invalidity of each of the first communication and the second communication has not been fully considered.

[0018] In one non-limiting embodiment of the present disclosure, for example, a method for simplifying the circuit configuration of a terminal corresponding to the first communication and the second communication, and a method for appropriately setting the enabling and disabling of each of the first communication and the second communication, are described.

[0019] [Communication System Overview] A communication system according to an embodiment of the present disclosure includes at least one communication device 100. The communication device 100 may be, for example, a base station (also referred to as a gNB) or a terminal (for example, user equipment (UE)).

[0020] The communication device 100 may, for example, perform at least one of transmission and reception in each of the first communication and the second communication.

[0021] In the following description, as an example, the first communication may be wireless communication using the terahertz band or the 300 GHz band, and the second communication may be wireless communication using the millimeter wave band or the 30 GHz band.

[0022] Fig. 1 is a block diagram showing an example of the configuration of a portion of a communication device 100. In the communication device 100 shown in Fig. 1, a control unit (e.g., corresponding to a control circuit) sets, depending on conditions, whether a first communication using a first radio frequency band and a second communication using a second radio frequency band lower than the first radio frequency band are enabled or disabled. A communication unit (e.g., corresponding to a communication circuit) performs the first communication or the second communication in accordance with the enablement or disablement settings.

[0023] [Example of communication device configuration] FIG. 2 is a block diagram showing an example of the configuration of communication device 100 according to this embodiment.

[0024] In the communication device 100 shown in FIG. 2, the upper components (e.g., encoding unit 101 to power amplifier (PA) 113) constitute a "transmitting unit" that performs signal transmission processing, and the lower components (e.g., low noise amplifier (LNA) 115 to decoding unit 127) constitute a "receiving unit" that performs signal reception processing.

[0025] The communication device 100 also includes an LO (Local Oscillator) supplying unit 150 that outputs a signal (for example, referred to as an LO signal) from a local oscillator (LO) to the transmitting unit and the receiving unit.

[0026] At least one of the encoding unit 101 to the windowing processing unit 108, the CP removal unit 120 to the decoding unit 127, and the LO supplying unit 150 shown in Fig. 2 may be included in, for example, the control unit shown in Fig. 1. Furthermore, at least one of the DA conversion unit 109 to the AD conversion unit 119 shown in Fig. 2 may be included in, for example, the communication unit shown in Fig. 1.

[0027] <Send process> 2, the encoding unit 101, modulation unit 102, precoding unit 103, discrete Fourier transform (DFT) unit 104, resource mapping unit 105, inverse fast Fourier transform (IFFT) unit 106, cyclic prefix (CP) adding unit 107, and windowing processing unit 108 may be included in a "baseband processing unit." Note that in FIG. 2, the DA conversion unit 109, low pass filter (LPF) 110, up-converter (UPC) 111, band pass filter (BPF) 112, power amplifier (PA) 113, and duplexer 114 may be included in an "analog / radio frequency (RF) processing unit" (not shown).

[0028] 2, the UPC 111, the BPF 112, the PA 113, and the duplexer 114 may be provided individually for a plurality of communications (including, for example, a first communication and a second communication). In the example shown in FIG. 2, the first communication may include a UPC 111-1 (also referred to as UPC1), a BPF 112-1 (also referred to as BPF1), a PA 113-1 (also referred to as PA1), and a duplexer 114-1, and the second communication may include a UPC 111-2 (also referred to as UPC2), a BPF 112-2 (also referred to as BPF2), a PA 113-2 (also referred to as PA2), and a duplexer 114-2.

[0029] Furthermore, for example, at least one of the processes performed by the DFT unit 104, the IFFT unit 106, the CP adding unit 107, and the windowing processing unit 108 may be omitted depending on the radio waveform of the signal to be transmitted.

[0030] Furthermore, when MIMO transmission is performed using a plurality of antennas in each radio frequency band, the processing after Precoding section 103 shown in FIG. 2 may be performed for each antenna system.

[0031] In FIG. 2, an encoding unit 101 performs error correction encoding on a signal using an encoding method such as turbo encoding, low density parity check (LDPC) encoding, or polar encoding.

[0032] The modulation unit 102 maps the coded bit string to an IQ constellation such as Quadrature Phase Shift Keying (QPSK) and 16-Quadrature Amplitude Modulation (16QAM), for example, and generates modulation symbols.

[0033] Precoding section 103 performs, for example, precoding processing for MIMO transmission (for example, weighting processing on modulation symbols) on modulation symbols input from modulation section 102. Note that if communication device 100 does not perform MIMO transmission, precoding section 103 does not need to perform processing.

[0034] DFT section 104 performs DFT processing (also called DFT spreading or DFT precoding) on ​​the signal input from precoding section 103, for example.

[0035] The resource mapping unit 105 maps the signal after the DFT processing to frequency resources (for example, subcarriers or resource blocks (RBs)) used for transmission.

[0036] The IFFT unit 106 performs, for example, IFFT processing on the signal mapped to the frequency resource.

[0037] CP adding section 107 adds a CP by, for example, copying a sample of a part of the signal after IFFT (for example, the rear part of the OFDM symbol) to the beginning.

[0038] The windowing processing unit 108 performs windowing processing on the signal (for example, OFDM symbols) after the CP is added. The windowing processing is processing for reducing out-of-band radiation power due to discontinuity between OFDM symbols, for example. For the windowing processing, for example, a window function of a root raised cosine waveform may be used. Furthermore, the windowing processing unit 108 may perform, for example, WOLA (Weighted Overlap and Add) processing, which overlaps adjacent OFDM symbols. Furthermore, instead of the windowing processing, filtering processing may be performed, or other waveform shaping processing for limiting the frequency band may be used.

[0039] The DA conversion unit 109 performs digital-to-analog conversion on the baseband signal (radio waveform) input from the baseband processing unit (for example, the windowing processing unit 108).

[0040] The LPF 110 performs LPF processing to pass desired low-frequency components of the signal input from the DA conversion unit 109, for example.

[0041] The UPC 111 up-converts the frequency of the signal input from the LPF 110 to a transmission frequency, for example, based on the signal input from the LO supplying unit 150. Note that the UPC 111 may be, for example, a multi-stage up-converter.

[0042] The BPF 112 performs filtering on the signal input from the UPC 111 to pass desired band components, for example.

[0043] The PA 113 amplifies, for example, the signal input from the BPF 112 to a desired transmission power.

[0044] The duplexer 114 switches between transmission and reception, which may be switched at the timing of switching between uplink and downlink in a Time Division Duplex (TDD) frame, for example.

[0045] <Reception process> 2, the CP removal unit 120, Fast Fourier Transform (FFT) unit 121, resource demapping unit 122, Inverse Discrete Fourier Transform (IDFT) unit 123, channel estimation unit 124, MIMO reception processing unit 125, demodulation unit 126, and decoding unit 127 may be included in a "baseband processing unit." Note that in FIG. 2, the duplexer 114, LNA 115, BPF 116, down-converter (DNC) 117, LPF 118, and AD conversion unit 119 may be included in an "analog / RF processing unit" (not shown).

[0046] 2, the duplexer 114, the LNA 115, the BPF 116, and the DNC 117 may be provided individually for a plurality of communications (including, for example, a first communication and a second communication). In the example shown in FIG. 2, the duplexer 114-1, the LNA 115-1 (also referred to as LNA1), the BPF 116-1 (also referred to as BPF1), and the DNC 117-1 (also referred to as DNC1) may be provided for the first communication, and the duplexer 114-2, the LNA 115-2 (also referred to as LNA2), the BPF 116-2 (also referred to as BPF2), and the DNC 117-2 (also referred to as DNC2) may be provided for the second communication.

[0047] Furthermore, for example, at least one of the processes performed by the CP removal unit 120, the FFT unit 121, and the IDFT unit 123 may be omitted depending on the radio waveform of the received signal.

[0048] In FIG. 2, the received signal output from the duplexer 114 is input to the LNA 115 .

[0049] The LNA 115 amplifies the received signal input from the duplexer 114 .

[0050] The BPF 116 performs filtering on the signal input from the LNA 115 to pass desired band components.

[0051] The DNC 117 down-converts the frequency of the signal input from the BPF 116 based on the signal input from the LO supplying unit 150 .

[0052] The LPF 118 performs LPF processing to pass desired low-frequency components of the signal input from the DNC 117 .

[0053] The AD conversion unit 119 performs analog-to-digital conversion on the signal input from the LPF 118 .

[0054] The CP removal unit 120 removes the CP added to the signal input from the AD conversion unit 119 .

[0055] The FFT unit 121 performs FFT processing (for example, conversion from time components to frequency components) on the signal input from the CP removal unit 120.

[0056] The resource demapping unit 122 uses the signal input from the FFT unit 121 to extract a signal of a frequency resource (for example, a subcarrier or a resource block) to which data is allocated.

[0057] The IDFT unit 123 performs IDFT processing on the signal input from the resource demapping unit 122 .

[0058] The channel estimation unit 124 estimates channel (propagation path) fluctuations using, for example, a reference signal (for example, a reference signal (RS)) included in the signal after FFT.

[0059] The MIMO reception processing unit 125 performs MIMO reception processing including channel equalization on the signal input from the IDFT unit 123, and detects each multiplexed stream signal, based on, for example, the channel estimation result input from the channel estimation unit 124. Note that when MIMO transmission is not performed, the MIMO reception processing unit performs channel equalization but does not need to detect stream signals.

[0060] The demodulation unit 126 converts modulation symbols modulated by a modulation method such as QPSK and 16QAM into a bit string.

[0061] The decoding unit 127 performs a decoding process on a bit string that has been coded using a coding method such as an LDPC code.

[0062] [Example of communication device configuration] Next, a configuration example of the communication device 100 (for example, a terminal) will be described.

[0063] Note that the configuration of the baseband processing unit shown in FIG. 2 (for example, encoding unit 101, modulation unit 102, precoding unit 103, DFT unit 104, resource mapping unit 105, IFFT unit 106, CP adding unit 107 and windowing processing unit 108 in the transmitting unit, and CP removing unit 120, FFT unit 121, resource demapping unit 122, IDFT unit 123, channel estimation unit 124, MIMO receiving processing unit 125, demodulation unit 126 and decoding unit 127 in the receiving unit) is one example, and is not limited to this. For example, some of the configuration of the baseband processing unit shown in FIG. 2 may not be provided, and other components may be included. In the figures described later, the internal configuration of the baseband processing unit may be omitted in some cases.

[0064] <Configuration Example 1A> The configuration of the communication device 100 in the configuration example 1A may be, for example, the configuration shown in FIG.

[0065] (1) Transmitter configuration: As shown in FIG. 2, for example, a baseband signal generated by a baseband processing unit is converted into an analog signal by a DA conversion unit 109, passes through an LPF 110, and is then branched and input to a UPC 111-1 (UPC1) and a UPC 111-2 (UPC2).

[0066] In this way, in the configuration example 1A shown in FIG. 2, for example, among the circuits that perform transmission processing of the communication device 100, the circuits that constitute the baseband processing unit, the DA conversion unit 109, and the LPF 110 may be common to the first communication and the second communication.

[0067] The frequency of a transmission signal input to UPC 111 (for example, UPC1 and UPC2) is converted to a frequency (for example, a transmission frequency) corresponding to each of the first communication and the second communication, based on an LO signal supplied from an LO supplying unit 150, which will be described later. The frequency-converted signal passes through BPF 112 (for example, BPF1 and BPF2) corresponding to each communication (or each frequency), is amplified by PA 113 (for example, PA1 and PA2), is output to the antenna side by duplexer 114, and is then radiated by antennas (for example, antenna 1 and antenna 2) corresponding to each frequency.

[0068] (2) Receiving section configuration: 2, signals received by each antenna (e.g., antenna 1 and antenna 2) are output to each LNA 115 (e.g., LNA1 and LNA2) by duplexer 114. The signals input to LNA 115 corresponding to each communication (or each frequency) are amplified, passed through BPF 116 (e.g., BPF1 and BPF2), and input to DNC 117 (e.g., DNC1 and DNC2).

[0069] The received signal input to each DNC 117 is converted to a baseband signal frequency based on an LO signal supplied from an LO supplying unit 150, which will be described later. The frequency-converted signal passes through an LPF 118, and is then converted to a digital signal by an AD conversion unit 119 and input to the baseband processing unit.

[0070] In this way, in the configuration example 1A shown in FIG. 2, for example, among the circuits that perform reception processing of the communication device 100, the circuits that constitute the baseband processing unit, AD conversion unit 119, and LPF 118 may be common to the first communication and the second communication.

[0071] (3) Configuration of LO supply unit 150: As shown in FIG. 2, the LO supplying unit 150 supplies, for example, an LO signal corresponding to the frequency used for each communication to a UPC 111 (UPC1 and UPC2) and a DNC 117 (DNC1 and DNC2) corresponding to each communication (or each wireless communication band).

[0072] In configuration example 1A, for example, as shown in FIG. 2, LO151-1 (also referred to as "LO1") generates an LO signal corresponding to a frequency of the first communication and supplies the LO signal to UPC1 and DNC1. Also, LO151-2 (also referred to as "LO2") generates an LO signal corresponding to a frequency of the second communication and supplies the LO signal to UPC2 and DNC2. For example, LO1 corresponding to the first communication may supply an LO signal of a relatively high frequency (for example, the terahertz band or the 300 GHz band) to UPC1 and DNC1. Also, for example, LO2 corresponding to the second communication may supply an LO signal of a relatively low frequency (for example, the millimeter wave band or the 30 GHz band) to UPC2 and DNC2.

[0073] The control unit 152 may control the enablement and disablement settings of the first communication and the second communication, for example, by controlling LO1 and LO2. For example, the control unit 152 may enable LO1 when the communication device 100 (e.g., terminal) enables the first communication, and may enable LO2 when the communication device 100 (e.g., terminal) enables the second communication. Furthermore, for example, the control unit 152 may disable LO1 when the communication device 100 (e.g., terminal) disables the first communication, and may disable LO2 when the communication device 100 (e.g., terminal) disables the second communication.

[0074] 2, in configuration example 1A, an LO 151 is provided independently for the first communication and the second communication. This allows the communication device 100 to flexibly set the frequency of the LO signal for each of the first communication and the second communication. Furthermore, in configuration example 1A, the first communication and the second communication can be enabled simultaneously, so the communication device 100 can perform the first communication and the second communication simultaneously.

[0075] In addition, in configuration example 1A, since the UPC 111 and the DNC 117 are provided independently for the first communication and the second communication, for example, the communication device 100 does not need to operate the UPC 111 and the DNC 117 corresponding to the communication to be disabled. Therefore, the power consumption of the communication device 100 can be kept low.

[0076] <Configuration Example 1B> Fig. 3 is a block diagram showing an example of the configuration of a communication device 100a according to configuration example 1 B. Note that in Fig. 3, the receiving unit, PA 113, and duplexer 114 of the communication device 100a are omitted from the illustration.

[0077] In configuration example 1B, as shown in FIG. 3, among the circuits that perform transmission processing of communication device 100a, the circuits that constitute baseband processing unit, DA conversion unit 109, and LPF 110 may be common to the first communication and the second communication, as in configuration example 1A.

[0078] In configuration example 1B, as shown in FIG. 3, furthermore, UPC111-2 (UPC2) and BPF112-2 (BPF2) corresponding to the second communication (or the radio frequency band corresponding to the second communication) may be common to the first communication and the second communication.

[0079] For example, in the communication device 100a, the transmission signal after LPF processing may be input to a UPC 111-2 (UPC2) and converted to a frequency corresponding to the second communication. The signal converted to a frequency corresponding to the second communication may pass through a BPF 112-2 (BPF2), for example, and then branched and input to a processing unit corresponding to the first communication (for example, a UPC 111-1) and a processing unit corresponding to the second communication (for example, a PA 113-2, not shown).

[0080] One of the branched signals is radiated by an antenna corresponding to the second communication. The other of the branched signals may be input to the UPC 111-1 and converted to a frequency corresponding to the first communication. The signal converted to the frequency corresponding to the first communication passes through, for example, the BPF 112-1 and is then radiated by the antenna corresponding to the first communication.

[0081] In FIG. 3, the LO supplying unit 150, similar to configuration example 1A, includes an LO 151-1 (e.g., LO1) that generates an LO signal corresponding to the first communication (or the radio frequency band of the first communication), and an LO 151-2 (e.g., LO2) that generates an LO signal corresponding to the second communication (or the radio frequency band of the second communication).

[0082] Furthermore, similarly to configuration example 1A, the control unit 152 may control the settings of enabling and disabling of the first communication and the second communication, for example, by controlling the LO 151-1 (LO1) and the LO 151-2 (LO2).

[0083] For example, when the communication device 100a (e.g., a terminal) enables both the first communication and the second communication, the control unit 152 may enable both LO1 and LO2. Also, when the communication device 100a disables both the first communication and the second communication, the control unit 152 may disable at least LO2, or may disable both LO1 and LO2.

[0084] Furthermore, for example, when the communication device 100a enables the first communication and disables the second communication, the control unit 152 may enable both LO1 and LO2. Furthermore, for example, when the communication device 100a disables the first communication and enables the second communication, the control unit 152 may disable LO1 and enable LO2.

[0085] 3, in configuration example 1B, an LO 151 is provided independently for the first communication and the second communication. As a result, similar to configuration example 1A, the communication device 100a can flexibly set the frequency by the LO signal for each of the first communication and the second communication. Furthermore, in configuration example 1B, the first communication and the second communication can be enabled simultaneously, so similar to configuration example 1A, the communication device 100a can simultaneously perform the first communication and the second communication.

[0086] Furthermore, in configuration example 1B, a signal corresponding to the first communication is generated by two-stage up-conversion by UPC 111-2 and UPC 111-1. For example, UPC 111-1 may perform frequency conversion of the signal converted by UPC 111-2 to a frequency corresponding to the second communication, to a frequency that is the difference between the frequency corresponding to the first communication and the frequency corresponding to the second communication. For example, LO 151-1 may supply to UPC 111-1 an LO signal having a frequency that is the difference between the frequency corresponding to the first communication and the frequency corresponding to the second communication.

[0087] As a result, the frequency of the LO signal supplied from the LO 151-1 (LO1) to the UPC 111-1 (UPC1) may be lower than in Configuration Example 1 A. Therefore, in Configuration Example 1B, the communication device 100a can be implemented using a simpler circuit than in Configuration Example 1A.

[0088] In addition, in the communication device 100a, components such as the baseband processing unit of the receiving unit, the AD conversion unit 119, the LPF 118, the DNC 117, and the BPF 116 (not shown) may be common to the first communication and the second communication, similar to the transmitting unit of configuration example 1B.

[0089] <Configuration example 2A> Fig. 4 is a block diagram showing an example of the configuration of a communication device 100b according to configuration example 2 A. Note that in Fig. 4, the receiving unit, PA 113, and duplexer 114 of the communication device 100b are omitted from the illustration.

[0090] In configuration example 2A, as shown in FIG. 4, similar to configuration example 1A, among the circuits that perform transmission processing of communication device 100b, the circuits that constitute the baseband processing unit, DA conversion unit 109, and LPF 110 may be common to the first communication and the second communication.

[0091] 4, the configuration example 2A may include an LO supplying section 160. The LO supplying section 160 may include an LO 161 (also referred to as an LO, for example), a frequency divider 162, and a control section 163, for example.

[0092] The LO 161 generates an LO signal corresponding to the frequency used for the first communication, for example, and supplies the LO signal to the UPC 111-1 (UPC1).

[0093] The frequency divider 162, for example, divides the frequency of the LO signal (frequency corresponding to the first communication) input from the LO 161 to generate a signal with a frequency corresponding to the second communication. The frequency divider 162 supplies the generated signal to the UPC 111-2 (UPC2).

[0094] Thus, in configuration example 2A, communication device 100b has a single LO, and an LO signal of a frequency corresponding to the first communication is supplied directly to UPC1, and a signal (signal of a frequency corresponding to the second communication) obtained by dividing the LO signal (LO output) by divider 162 is supplied to UPC2.

[0095] The control unit 163 may control the settings of enabling and disabling of each of the first communication and the second communication, for example, by controlling the LO 161. For example, when the communication device 100b (e.g., a terminal) enables the first communication, the control unit 163 may enable the output of an LO signal from the LO 161 to the UPC 111-1. Also, for example, when the communication device 100b enables the second communication, the control unit 163 may enable the output of an LO signal from the LO 161 to the frequency divider 162. Also, for example, when the communication device 100b disables the first communication, the control unit 163 may disable the output of an LO signal from the LO 161 to the UPC 111-1. Also, for example, when the communication device 100b disables the second communication, the control unit 163 may disable the output of an LO signal from the LO 161 to the frequency divider 162.

[0096] In configuration example 2A, for example, the number of implemented LOs (e.g., 1) is smaller than in configuration example 1A (e.g., 2). Furthermore, in configuration example 2A, the number of LOs is reduced, but a frequency divider 162 with a simpler configuration than an LO is implemented. As a result, in configuration example 2A, the complexity (e.g., circuit size) of the implementation of the communication device 100b can be reduced compared to configuration example 1A. Furthermore, in configuration example 2A, as in configuration example 1A, the first communication and the second communication can be enabled simultaneously, and therefore the communication device 100b can perform the first communication and the second communication simultaneously.

[0097] In addition, in the configuration example 2A, since the UPC 111 is provided independently for each of the first communication and the second communication, for example, the communication device 100b does not need to operate the UPC 111 corresponding to the communication to be disabled. Therefore, the power consumption of the communication device 100 can be kept low.

[0098] In communication device 100b, components such as the baseband processing unit of the receiving unit, the AD conversion unit 119, and the LPF 118 (not shown) may be common to the first communication and the second communication, similar to the transmitting unit of configuration example 2 A. In communication device 100b, an LO signal of a frequency corresponding to the first communication may be supplied from LO 161 to DNC 117-1 corresponding to the first communication, and a signal of a frequency corresponding to the second communication may be supplied from frequency divider 162 to DNC 117-2 corresponding to the second communication.

[0099] <Configuration Example 2B> Fig. 5 is a block diagram showing an example of the configuration of a communication device 100c according to configuration example 2 B. Note that in Fig. 5, the receiving unit, PA 113, and duplexer 114 of the communication device 100a are omitted from the illustration.

[0100] In configuration example 2B, as shown in FIG. 5, among the circuits that perform transmission processing of communication device 100c, the circuits that constitute baseband processing unit, DA conversion unit 109, and LPF 110 may be common to the first communication and the second communication, as in configuration example 2A.

[0101] In configuration example 2B, as shown in FIG. 5, similar to configuration example 1B, UPC111-2 (UPC2) and BPF112-2 (BPF2) corresponding to the second communication (or the radio frequency band corresponding to the second communication) may be common to the first communication and the second communication.

[0102] Also, in configuration example 2B, similarly to configuration example 2A, the communication device 100c may include a single LO 161 and a frequency divider 162. For example, an LO signal of a frequency corresponding to the first communication is supplied as is to UPC1, and a signal (signal of a frequency corresponding to the second communication) obtained by dividing the LO signal (LO output) by the frequency divider 162 is supplied to UPC2.

[0103] The control unit 163 may control the LO 161, for example, to control the settings of enabling and disabling the first communication and the second communication.

[0104] For example, when the communication device 100c (e.g., a terminal) enables both the first communication and the second communication, the control unit 163 may enable the output of the LO signal by the LO 161 to both the UPC1 and the frequency divider 162. Furthermore, for example, when the communication device 100c disables both the first communication and the second communication, the control unit 163 may disable at least the output of the LO signal by the LO 161 to the frequency divider 162, or may disable the output of the LO signal by the LO 161 to both the UPC1 and the frequency divider 162.

[0105] Furthermore, for example, when the communication device 100c enables the first communication and disables the second communication, the control unit 163 may enable the output of the LO signal by the LO 161 to both the UPC1 and the frequency divider 162. Furthermore, for example, when the communication device 100c disables the first communication and enables the second communication, the control unit 163 may enable the output of the LO signal by the LO 161 to the frequency divider 162 and disable the output of the LO signal by the LO 161 to the UPC1.

[0106] In configuration example 2B, for example, the number of implemented LOs (e.g., 1) is smaller than in configuration example 1B (e.g., 2). Furthermore, in configuration example 2B, the number of LOs is reduced, but a frequency divider 162 with a simpler configuration than an LO is implemented. As a result, in configuration example 2B, the complexity (e.g., circuit size) of the implementation of the communication device 100c can be reduced compared to configuration example 1B. Furthermore, in configuration example 2B, as in configuration example 1B, the first communication and the second communication can be enabled simultaneously, and therefore the communication device 100c can perform the first communication and the second communication simultaneously.

[0107] Furthermore, in configuration example 2B, a signal corresponding to the first communication is generated by two-stage up-conversion by UPC 111-2 and UPC 111-1. For example, UPC 111-1 may perform frequency conversion of the signal converted by UPC 111-2 to a frequency corresponding to the second communication, to a frequency that is the difference between the frequency corresponding to the first communication and the frequency corresponding to the second communication. For example, LO 161 may supply to UPC 111-1 an LO signal having a frequency that is the difference between the frequency corresponding to the first communication and the frequency corresponding to the second communication.

[0108] As a result, the frequency of the LO signal supplied from the LO 161 (LO) to the UPC 111-1 (UPC1) may be lower than in configuration example 2 A. Therefore, in configuration example 2 B, the communication device 100 c can be implemented using a simpler circuit than in configuration example 2 A.

[0109] In the communication device 100c, components such as the baseband processing unit of the receiving unit, the AD conversion unit 119, the LPF 118, the DNC 117, and the BPF 116 (not shown) may be common to the first communication and the second communication, similar to the transmitting unit of configuration example 2B. In the communication device 100c, an LO signal of a frequency corresponding to the first communication may be supplied from the LO 161 to the DNC 117-1 corresponding to the first communication, and a signal of a frequency corresponding to the second communication may be supplied from the frequency divider 162 to the DNC 117-2 corresponding to the second communication.

[0110] In addition, in configuration examples 2A and 2B, the case where a frequency divider is used has been described, but this is not limiting. For example, a multiplier may be used instead of the frequency divider. When a multiplier is used, the output of the LO may be directly supplied to UPC2 and DNC2, or the output of the multiplier may be supplied to UPC1 and DNC1. This allows the LO output frequency to be kept low, and the implementation complexity of communication device 100b or communication device 100c to be reduced.

[0111] <Configuration example 3> Fig. 6 is a block diagram showing an example of the configuration of a communication device 100d according to Configuration Example 3. Note that in Fig. 6, the receiving unit, PA 113, and duplexer 114 of the communication device 100d are omitted from the illustration.

[0112] In configuration example 3, as shown in FIG. 6, similar to configuration examples 1A and 2A, among the circuits that perform transmission processing of communication device 100d, the baseband processing unit, DA conversion unit 109, and LPF 110 may be common to the first communication and the second communication.

[0113] 6, the third configuration example may include an LO supplying section 170. The LO supplying section 170 may include an LO 171 (also referred to as an LO, for example) and a control section 172, for example.

[0114] The LO 171 may, for example, generate an LO signal corresponding to a frequency used for the first communication and supply the LO signal to the UPC 111-1 (UPC1), and may generate an LO signal corresponding to a frequency used for the second communication and supply the LO signal to the UPC 111-2 (UPC2). The LO 171 may, for example, switch between the LO signal corresponding to the first communication and the LO signal corresponding to the second communication and output the LO signal in accordance with an instruction from the control unit 172.

[0115] In this way, configuration example 3 includes a single LO. Also, LO 171 supports outputs of multiple frequencies.

[0116] The control unit 172 may control the settings of enabling and disabling of each of the first communication and the second communication, for example, by controlling the LO 171. For example, when the communication device 100d (e.g., a terminal) enables the first communication, the control unit 172 may enable the output of an LO signal to the UPC 111-1 by the LO 171. Furthermore, when the communication device 100d enables the second communication, the control unit 172 may enable the output of an LO signal to the UPC 111-2 by the LO 171. Furthermore, for example, when the communication device 100d disables the first communication, the control unit 172 may disable the output of an LO signal to the UPC 111-1 by the LO 171. Furthermore, for example, when the communication device 100d disables the second communication, the control unit 172 may disable the output of an LO signal to the UPC 111-2 by the LO 171.

[0117] In this way, in the third configuration example, the LO supplying section 170 may supply an LO signal of a frequency corresponding to either the first communication or the second communication by using the single LO 171.

[0118] In Configuration Example 3, for example, the number of implemented LOs (for example, 1) is smaller than those in Configuration Examples 1A and 1B (for example, 2). As a result, in Configuration Example 3, the complexity (for example, circuit size) of the implementation of the communication device 100d can be reduced compared to Configuration Examples 1A and 1B.

[0119] Furthermore, according to Configuration Example 3, compared to Configuration Examples 2A and 2B, for example, it is not necessary to implement a frequency divider, and therefore the complexity of the implementation of the communication device 100d can be reduced.

[0120] In communication device 100d, components such as the baseband processing unit of the receiving unit, the AD conversion unit 119, and the LPF 118 (not shown) may be common to the first communication and the second communication, similar to the transmitting unit in configuration example 3. In communication device 100d, an LO signal of a frequency corresponding to the first communication may be supplied from LO 171 to DNC 117-1 corresponding to the first communication, and a signal of a frequency corresponding to the second communication may be supplied from LO 171 to DNC 117-2 corresponding to the second communication.

[0121] The above describes an example of the configuration of the communication device 100 and an example of controlling the enabling and disabling of the first communication and the second communication. Note that the configuration of the communication device 100 is not limited to the above example configuration, and other configurations may be used.

[0122] Next, an example of the operation of the communication device 100 (for example, the control unit 152) regarding the setting of enabling and disabling the first communication and the second communication will be described.

[0123] The communication device 100 may, for example, set the first communication and the second communication to be enabled or disabled according to conditions, and then perform the first communication and the second communication according to the settings of the enablement and disablement.

[0124] Hereinafter, operation examples 1 to 6 of the communication device 100 will be described.

[0125] The control unit 152 of the communication device 100a, the control unit 163 of the communication device 100b or 100c, and the control unit 172 of the communication device 100d may also perform control similar to the following operation example.

[0126] <Example 1> In the first operational example, the above-mentioned conditions may be based on parameters related to wireless communication set in the communication device 100.

[0127] The communication device 100 (e.g., a terminal) may set the first communication (e.g., wireless communication using the terahertz band) and the second communication (e.g., wireless communication using the millimeter wave band) to be enabled or disabled, respectively, according to the values ​​of the wireless communication parameters.

[0128] Here, the wireless communication parameters include a communication bandwidth, a waveform (wireless waveform), a transmission power, a subcarrier spacing (SCS), a symbol length, a modulation multi-level number, and a coding rate. Note that the wireless communication parameters are not limited to these parameters and may be other parameters.

[0129] For example, when the communication bandwidth is wider than a threshold, the communication device 100 may set the first communication to be enabled. This enables the communication device 100 to perform high-speed communication that effectively utilizes the relatively wide bandwidth in the terahertz band. On the other hand, when the communication bandwidth is narrower than the threshold, the communication device 100 may set the second communication to be enabled. This enables the communication device 100 to perform communication that is suitable for the relatively narrow bandwidth in the millimeter wave band.

[0130] Furthermore, for example, when the waveform is DFT-s-OFDM, the communication device 100 may set the first communication to be enabled. This enables the communication device 100 to utilize the DFT-s-OFDM characteristic of "relatively high maximum transmission power" to perform communication that compensates for the characteristics of terahertz band communication, which is subject to large attenuation. On the other hand, for example, when the waveform is CP-OFDM, the communication device 100 may set the second communication to be enabled. This enables the communication device 100 to utilize the CP-OFDM characteristic of "relatively high tolerance to delayed waves" to perform communication that compensates for the characteristics of millimeter wave bands, which are subject to large effects of delayed waves.

[0131] Note that OFDM is an abbreviation for orthogonal frequency division multiplexing, and DFT-s-OFDM is an abbreviation for discrete fourier transform-spread-OFDM. DFT-s-OFDM is also sometimes called single carrier-frequency division multiple access (SC-FDMA). Instead of OFDM, other waveforms compatible with multicarrier transmission may be used. Instead of DFT-s-OFDM, other waveforms compatible with single carrier transmission may be used.

[0132] Furthermore, for example, the communication device 100 may set the first communication to be enabled when the transmission power is equal to or greater than a threshold. This enables the communication device 100 to perform communication that compensates for the characteristics of the terahertz band, which has high attenuation, by using transmission power. On the other hand, for example, the communication device 100 may set the second communication to be enabled when the transmission power is less than a threshold. Because attenuation is low in the millimeter wave band, even if the transmission power of the communication device 100 is low, a reduction in received power can be suppressed.

[0133] Furthermore, for example, the communication device 100 may set the first communication to be enabled when the SCS is equal to or greater than a threshold (e.g., 120 kHz) or when the symbol length (or CP length) is equal to or less than a threshold. This enables the communication device 100 to perform communication that compensates for the characteristics of the terahertz band, which is relatively affected by phase noise. On the other hand, for example, the communication device 100 may set the second communication to be enabled when the SCS is narrower than a threshold (e.g., 120 kHz) or when the symbol length (or CP length) is longer than the threshold. This enables the communication device 100 to perform communication that compensates for the characteristics of the millimeter wave band, which is relatively affected by delayed waves.

[0134] Furthermore, for example, the communication device 100 may set the first communication to be enabled when the modulation level is equal to or lower than a threshold (for example, 4) or when the coding rate is equal to or lower than a threshold. This enables the communication device 100 to effectively utilize a relatively wide bandwidth in the terahertz band and perform high-speed communication with a low coding rate. On the other hand, for example, the communication device 100 may set the second communication to be enabled when the modulation level is higher than a threshold (for example, 4) or when the coding rate is higher than a threshold. This enables the communication device 100 to perform communication suitable for a relatively narrow bandwidth in the millimeter wave band, for example, a high coding rate.

[0135] Note that the communication device 100 may disable the first communication when the above-described conditions for enabling the first communication are not met. Similarly, the communication device 100 may disable the second communication when the above-described conditions for enabling the second communication are not met.

[0136] <Example 2> In the second operation example, the above-mentioned conditions may be based on the propagation characteristics (or the propagation environment) of the communication device 100.

[0137] The communication device 100 may enable or disable each of the first communication (e.g., wireless communication using the terahertz band) and the second communication (e.g., wireless communication using the millimeter wave band) according to, for example, propagation characteristics.

[0138] The propagation characteristics of the communication device 100 may be, for example, whether the communication in the communication device 100 is in a line-of-sight (LOS) environment, or the influence of delayed waves in the communication device 100 (for example, the amount of delay of the delayed waves in the communication, or the amount of delay dispersion of the delayed waves).

[0139] For example, the communication device 100 may set the first communication to be enabled when the communication device 100 is in a line-of-sight (LOS) environment with respect to the other party in the first communication (e.g., a relay device). This enables the communication device 100 to perform communication that compensates for the characteristics of the terahertz band, which is highly attenuated. On the other hand, for example, the communication device 100 may set the second communication to be enabled when the communication device 100 is not in a line-of-sight environment with respect to the other party in the first communication (e.g., a non-line-of-sight (NLOS) environment). This makes it possible to suppress a decrease in the received power of a signal transmitted from the communication device 100 even in a non-line-of-sight environment, because attenuation is low in the millimeter wave band.

[0140] For example, in a non-line-of-sight environment, communication device 100 may disable the first communication. Also, for example, in a line-of-sight environment, communication device 100 may enable or disable the second communication.

[0141] Furthermore, for example, when the influence of delayed waves is large (for example, when the delay amount or delay dispersion amount of delayed waves is equal to or greater than a threshold), communication device 100 may set the first communication to be enabled. This enables communication device 100 to communicate using the terahertz band, which is less susceptible to the influence of delayed waves. On the other hand, for example, when the influence of delayed waves is small (for example, when the delay amount or delay dispersion amount of delayed waves is less than a threshold), communication device 100 may set the second communication to be enabled. This enables communication device 100 to communicate in the millimeter wave band, which has little attenuation.

[0142] When the influence of delayed waves is small, the communication device 100 may disable or enable the first communication. Furthermore, when the influence of delayed waves is large, for example, the communication device 100 may disable the second communication.

[0143] <Example 3> In the third operational example, the above-mentioned condition may be based on the directivity of the antenna in the communication device 100 (or the directivity of the beam).

[0144] The communication device 100 may enable or disable each of the first communication (e.g., wireless communication using the terahertz band) and the second communication (e.g., wireless communication using the millimeter wave band) according to the directivity of the transmitting antenna or the receiving antenna, for example.

[0145] For example, when the transmitting antenna or the receiving antenna has or has strong directivity (for example, when the beam is narrow), the first communication may be enabled. This improves the received power due to the strong directivity, and the communication device 100 can perform communication that compensates for the characteristics of the terahertz band, which has high attenuation.

[0146] On the other hand, if the transmitting antenna or the receiving antenna has no or weak directivity (for example, if the beam is thick), the second communication may be enabled, which enables the communication device 100 to communicate in the millimeter wave band with little attenuation.

[0147] The antenna directivity may be expressed as antenna gain. For example, the communication device 100 may determine that the antenna directivity is strong when the antenna gain is equal to or greater than a threshold, and may determine that the antenna directivity is weak when the antenna gain is less than the threshold.

[0148] In addition, the communication device 100 may, for example, disable the first communication when the transmitting antenna or the receiving antenna has no or weak directionality, and may disable the second communication when the transmitting antenna or the receiving antenna has or has strong directionality.

[0149] <Example 4> In the fourth operational example, the above conditions may be based on the results of carrier sensing in the unlicensed band (also called the shared spectrum).

[0150] The communication device 100 may, for example, enable or disable the first communication (e.g., wireless communication using the terahertz band) and the second communication (e.g., wireless communication using the millimeter wave band) according to the results of carrier sensing in the unlicensed band.

[0151] Carrier sense is also called, for example, Listen Before Talk (LBT) or Channel Clear Assessment (CCA).

[0152] For example, communication device 100 may perform carrier sensing in both the terahertz band, which is an unlicensed band, and the millimeter wave band, which is also an unlicensed band. Communication device 100 may enable communication corresponding to a radio frequency band determined to be available by carrier sensing, for example, from the terahertz band corresponding to the first communication and the millimeter wave band corresponding to the second communication.

[0153] For example, when the control unit 152 determines as a result of carrier sensing that a certain band in the terahertz band is available for use (for example, not idle or busy), the control unit 152 may set the first communication to be enabled. Alternatively, when the control unit 152 determines as a result of carrier sensing that a certain band in the millimeter wave band is available for use, the control unit 152 may set the second communication to be enabled. This enables the communication device 100 to communicate in a band with less interference from other wireless communication devices.

[0154] On the other hand, for example, when the control unit 152 determines as a result of carrier sensing that a certain band in the terahertz band is unavailable (e.g., busy), the control unit 152 may disable the first communication. Alternatively, for example, when the control unit 152 determines as a result of carrier sensing that a certain band in the millimeter wave band is unavailable, the control unit 152 may disable the second communication. This makes it possible to prevent signals transmitted from the communication device 100 from interfering with other wireless communication devices.

[0155] The communication device 100 may disable communication corresponding to a radio frequency band that is determined to be unusable by carrier sensing, for example.

[0156] <Example 5> In the fifth operation example, the above-mentioned condition may be based on an instruction from the base station to the communication device 100 (for example, a terminal).

[0157] The communication device 100 (e.g., a terminal) may enable and disable each of the first communication (e.g., wireless communication using the terahertz band) and the second communication (e.g., wireless communication using the millimeter wave band) according to instructions given (or notified) from a base station, for example.

[0158] For example, the instruction given from the base station to the communication device 100 (for example, a terminal) may be an explicit instruction. For example, a control signal given from the base station to the communication device 100 may explicitly instruct the setting of enabling or disabling at least one of the first communication and the second communication. Note that the control signal may be, for example, at least one of Radio Resource Control (RRC), Medium Access Control (MAC), and Downlink Control Information (DCI).

[0159] For example, as shown in FIG. 7, the control signal may be given in two bits, with each bit corresponding to a combination of enabling and disabling the first communication and the second communication.

[0160] In operation example 5, the selection of the type of communication (e.g., first communication and second communication) to be performed by communication device 100 (e.g., terminal) is determined by the base station, so communication device 100 does not need to determine the selection of the type of communication, and the processing amount (e.g., calculation amount) in communication device 100 can be reduced.

[0161] Alternatively, the instruction given from the base station to the communication device 100 (e.g., terminal) may be an implicit instruction. For example, the setting of enabling and disabling the first communication and the second communication may be associated with other values ​​such as wireless communication parameters (e.g., communication bandwidth, waveform, SCS, symbol length, MCS, transmission power, etc.), propagation environment, directivity of transmitting and receiving antennas, and carrier sense results, which are instructed by a control signal given from the base station to the communication device 100. This makes it possible to reduce the overhead of control signals for notifying the selection of the communication type.

[0162] <Example 6> In operation example 6, the communication device 100 (e.g., a terminal) may set the enabling and disabling of each of the first communication (e.g., wireless communication using the terahertz band) and the second communication (e.g., wireless communication using the millimeter wave band) based on, for example, one or more of the "wireless communication parameters," "propagation characteristics," "results of carrier sense," "directivity of the transmitting and receiving antennas," and "instructions or other information from the base station" described in operation examples 1 to 5 above.

[0163] For example, functions such as artificial intelligence (AI), machine learning, artificial neural network (ANN), and deep learning may be used to determine whether to enable or disable the first communication and the second communication, thereby enabling the communication device 100 to determine (or select or set) the optimal communication method based on various conditions.

[0164] <Other operation examples> The conditions described in the above-mentioned operation examples 1 to 6 are merely examples, and the operation relating to the setting of enabling and disabling the first communication and the second communication is not limited to these.

[0165] For example, the communication device 100 may set the second communication to be enabled based on the above-mentioned condition "setting the first communication to be enabled," or may set the first communication to be enabled based on the above-mentioned condition "setting the second communication to be enabled."

[0166] Also, for example, contrary to the above-described operational example, the communication device 100 may control "parameters of wireless communication or directivity of transmitting / receiving antenna" according to the condition of "performing first communication" or "performing second communication."

[0167] For example, when the communication device 100 performs the first communication, it may set a wide communication bandwidth, set the waveform to DFT-s-OFDM, set high transmission power, and set strong directivity of the transmitting and receiving antennas, thereby improving the received power of the signal of the communication device 100 and improving communication quality even in the terahertz band, which is relatively attenuated.

[0168] Alternatively, the communication device 100 may set a wide SCS when performing the first communication, for example, which allows the communication device 100 to perform communication while suppressing the influence of phase noise even in the terahertz band, where the influence of phase noise is relatively large.

[0169] Furthermore, for example, when the communication device 100 performs the second communication, the communication device 100 may set a long slot length or CP length. This allows the communication device 100 to suppress the influence of delayed waves and perform communication even in the millimeter wave band, where the influence of delayed waves is relatively large. Also, for example, the time required for processing each slot becomes longer, and the processing speed can be kept low.

[0170] Alternatively, the communication device 100 may set weak directivity of the transmitting and receiving antennas when performing the second communication, for example. This makes it relatively easy to control the transmitting and receiving antennas, and makes it easy to implement the communication device 100.

[0171] An example of the operation of the communication device 100 to enable and disable the first communication and the second communication has been described above.

[0172] As described above, in the present embodiment, the communication device 100 enables or disables the first communication (e.g., communication using a first radio frequency band) and the second communication (e.g., communication using a second radio frequency band lower than the first radio frequency band) depending on the conditions. This allows the communication device 100 to improve throughput and coverage performance by using radio frequency bands according to the conditions. Therefore, according to the present embodiment, it is possible to improve the performance of wireless communication.

[0173] Furthermore, in the communication device 100, for example, some circuits used for the first communication and the second communication are shared. Therefore, according to the present embodiment, the communication device 100 does not need to have individual processing units for the radio frequency bands, for example, and the configuration can be simplified, and the manufacturing cost or circuit size of the communication device 100 (for example, a terminal) can be reduced.

[0174] The embodiments of the present disclosure have been described above.

[0175] In the above-described embodiment, an example has been described in which the control unit 152 sets the first communication and the second communication to be enabled or disabled by controlling the local oscillator (LO). In a non-limiting example of the present disclosure, as another example, the control unit 152 may set the first communication and the second communication to be enabled or disabled by controlling other circuits (e.g., converters, amplifiers, phased arrays, antennas, frequency dividers, etc.) corresponding to each communication.

[0176] In the above-described embodiment, when one of the first communication and the second communication is enabled, the other communication may be disabled. Alternatively, both the first communication and the second communication may be enabled.

[0177] Furthermore, in the above-described embodiment, a method has been described in which communication device 100 supports two types of communication corresponding to two frequency bands, but the types of communication supported by communication device 100 are not limited to two. For example, operations similar to those of the above-described embodiment may be applied to a method supporting three or more types of communication corresponding to three or more types of frequency bands. The frequency band may be, for example, an Operating band (such as n1 or n2) described in 3GPP TS38.104 V17.4.0.

[0178] In the above-described embodiment, an example has been described in which a part of the circuitry corresponding to the first communication and the second communication is shared, but this is not limiting, and for example, the circuitry corresponding to the first communication and the circuitry corresponding to the second communication may not be shared but may be provided independently. In this case, the communication device 100 may set the first communication and the second communication to be enabled or disabled according to any of the above-described operation examples.

[0179] The millimeter wave band may also be read as the frequency of "Frequency range 2 (FR2)", and the sub-6 GHz band may also be read as the frequency of "Frequency range 1 (FR1)".

[0180] The radio frequency is also sometimes called the carrier frequency.

[0181] Although the terahertz band and millimeter wave band have been described as examples of radio frequency bands, the present invention is not limited to these, and the frequency bands used for transmission or reception in communication device 100 may be other frequency bands or combinations of other frequency bands.

[0182] The base station may be referred to as a gNodeB or a gNB, and the terminal may be referred to as a UE.

[0183] Furthermore, the notation "··· part" in the above-described embodiments may be replaced with other notations such as "··· circuitry," "··· device," "··· unit," or "··· module."

[0184] The present disclosure can be realized by software, hardware, or software linked to hardware. Each functional block used in the description of the above embodiments may be partially or entirely realized as an LSI, which is an integrated circuit, and each process described in the above embodiments may be partially or entirely controlled by a single LSI or a combination of LSIs. The LSI may be composed of individual chips, or may be composed of a single chip that includes some or all of the functional blocks. The LSI may have data input and output. Depending on the degree of integration, the LSI may be called an IC, system LSI, super LSI, or ultra LSI.

[0185] The integrated circuit method is not limited to LSI, but may be realized by a dedicated circuit, a general-purpose processor, or a dedicated processor. Also, a field programmable gate array (FPGA) that can be programmed after LSI manufacturing, or a reconfigurable processor that can reconfigure the connections and settings of circuit cells within the LSI, may be used. The present disclosure may be realized as digital processing or analog processing.

[0186] Furthermore, if an integrated circuit technology that can replace LSI emerges due to advances in semiconductor technology or other derivative technologies, it is natural that such technology can be used to integrate functional blocks. The application of biotechnology is also a possibility.

[0187] The present disclosure may be implemented in any type of apparatus, device, or system (collectively referred to as a communications apparatus) that has a communications function. The communications apparatus may include a wireless transceiver and processing / control circuitry. The wireless transceiver may include a receiver and a transmitter, or both functions. The wireless transceiver (transmitter and receiver) may include a radio frequency (RF) module and one or more antennas. The RF module may include an amplifier, an RF modulator / demodulator, or the like. Non-limiting examples of communication devices include telephones (e.g., cell phones, smartphones), tablets, personal computers (PCs) (e.g., laptops, desktops, notebooks), cameras (e.g., digital still / video cameras), digital players (e.g., digital audio / video players), wearable devices (e.g., wearable cameras, smartwatches, tracking devices), game consoles, digital book readers, telehealth / telemedicine devices, communication-enabled vehicles or mobile transportation (e.g., cars, airplanes, ships), and combinations of the above devices.

[0188] Communications equipment is not limited to portable or mobile equipment, but also includes non-portable or fixed equipment, devices, and systems of any kind, such as smart home devices (such as appliances, lighting equipment, smart meters or metering devices, control panels, etc.), vending machines, and any other "things" that may exist on an IoT (Internet of Things) network.

[0189] Communications include data communications via cellular systems, wireless LAN systems, communications satellite systems, etc., as well as data communications via combinations of these.

[0190] A communications apparatus also includes devices such as controllers and sensors connected or coupled to a communications device that performs the communications functions described in this disclosure, such as controllers and sensors that generate control and data signals used by the communications device to perform the communications functions of the communications apparatus.

[0191] The communication apparatus also includes infrastructure facilities, such as base stations, access points, and any other apparatus, device, or system that communicates with or controls the various apparatuses listed above, but are not limited to these.

[0192] A communication device according to one embodiment of the present disclosure includes a control circuit that enables and disables a first communication using a first radio frequency band and a second communication using a second radio frequency band lower than the first radio frequency band depending on conditions, and a communication circuit that performs the first communication or the second communication in accordance with the enablement and disablement settings.

[0193] In one embodiment of the present disclosure, the condition is based on a parameter related to wireless communication set in the communication device.

[0194] In one embodiment of the present disclosure, the parameters include at least one of a communication bandwidth, a radio waveform, a transmission power, a subcarrier spacing, a symbol length, and a modulation and coding scheme.

[0195] In one embodiment of the present disclosure, the condition is based on propagation characteristics of the communication device.

[0196] In one embodiment of the present disclosure, the propagation characteristic is whether or not communication in the communication device is in a line-of-sight environment, and the control circuit sets the first communication to be enabled if the environment is line-of-sight, and sets the second communication to be enabled if the environment is not line-of-sight.

[0197] In one embodiment of the present disclosure, the propagation characteristics are the delay amount or delay dispersion amount of the communication delay wave in the communication device, and the control circuit sets the first communication to be enabled when the delay amount or the delay dispersion amount is equal to or greater than a threshold, and sets the second communication to be enabled when the delay amount or the delay dispersion amount is less than the threshold.

[0198] In one embodiment of the present disclosure, the condition is based on the directivity of an antenna in the communication device, and the control circuit sets the first communication to be enabled when the directivity is present, and sets the second communication to be enabled when the directivity is absent.

[0199] In one embodiment of the present disclosure, the condition is based on a result of carrier sensing, and the control circuit sets the enablement of communication corresponding to the radio frequency band determined to be usable by the carrier sensing, out of the first radio frequency band and the second radio frequency band.

[0200] In one embodiment of the present disclosure, the communication device is a terminal, and the condition is based on an instruction from a base station.

[0201] In one embodiment of the present disclosure, the communication device is a terminal, and the condition is based on at least one of wireless communication parameters set in the communication device, propagation characteristics of the communication device, antenna directivity in the communication device, carrier sense results, and instructions from a base station.

[0202] In one embodiment of the present disclosure, a circuit for performing baseband processing included in the control circuit is common to the first communication and the second communication.

[0203] In one embodiment of the present disclosure, the control circuit includes a first local oscillator that generates a signal corresponding to the first radio frequency band, and a second local oscillator that generates a signal corresponding to the second radio frequency band.

[0204] In one embodiment of the present disclosure, the control circuit includes a first local oscillator that generates a first signal corresponding to the first radio frequency band and a second local oscillator that generates a second signal corresponding to the second radio frequency band, an upconverter corresponding to the second radio frequency band is common to the first communication and the second communication, and the first signal corresponds to a frequency that is a difference between the first radio frequency band and the second radio frequency band.

[0205] In one embodiment of the present disclosure, the control circuit includes a local oscillator that generates a first signal corresponding to the first radio frequency band, and a frequency divider that divides the frequency of the first signal to generate a second signal corresponding to the second radio frequency band.

[0206] In one embodiment of the present disclosure, the control circuit includes a local oscillator that generates a first signal corresponding to the first radio frequency band, and a divider that divides the frequency of the first signal to generate a second signal corresponding to the second radio frequency band, an upconverter that corresponds to the second radio frequency band is common to the first communication and the second communication, and the first signal corresponds to a frequency that is a difference between the first radio frequency band and the second radio frequency band.

[0207] In one embodiment of the present disclosure, the control circuit includes a local oscillator that switches between outputting a signal corresponding to the first radio frequency band and outputting a signal corresponding to the second radio frequency band.

[0208] In a communication method according to one embodiment of the present disclosure, a communication device sets, depending on conditions, enabling and disabling of a first communication using a first radio frequency band and a second communication using a second radio frequency band lower than the first radio frequency band, and performs the first communication or the second communication according to the enabling and disabling settings. [Industrial Applicability]

[0209] One aspect of the present disclosure is useful in wireless communication systems. [Explanation of symbols]

[0210] 100, 100a, 100b, 100c, 100d Communication equipment 101 Encoding section 102 Modulation section 103 Precoding section 104 DFT section 105 Resource Mapping Unit 106 IFFT section 107 CP addition part 108 Windowing processing section 109 DA conversion section 110,118 LPF 111 UPC 112,116 BPF 113 PA 114 Duplexer 115 LNA 117 DNC 119 AD conversion section 120 CP removal section 121 FFT section 122 Resource Demapping Unit 123 IDFT Department 124 Channel Estimation Unit 125 MIMO receiving processing unit 126 Demodulation section 127 Decoding Unit 150,160,170 LO supply section 151,161,171 LO 152,163,172 Control Unit 162 Frequency divider

Claims

1. a control circuit that enables and disables a first communication using a first radio frequency band and a second communication using a second radio frequency band lower than the first radio frequency band according to a condition; a communication circuit that performs the first communication or the second communication according to the setting of the enablement or the disablement; Equipped with a circuit for performing baseband processing included in the control circuit is common to the first communication and the second communication; the control circuit includes a first local oscillator that generates a signal corresponding to the first radio frequency band, and a second local oscillator that generates a signal corresponding to the second radio frequency band; Communication equipment.

2. A control circuit that enables and disables a first communication using a first radio frequency band and a second communication using a second radio frequency band lower than the first radio frequency band according to conditions; a communication circuit that performs the first communication or the second communication according to the setting of the enablement or the disablement; Equipped with a circuit for performing baseband processing included in the control circuit is common to the first communication and the second communication; the control circuit includes a first local oscillator that generates a first signal corresponding to the first radio frequency band, and a second local oscillator that generates a second signal corresponding to the second radio frequency band; an upconverter corresponding to the second radio frequency band is common to the first communication and the second communication; the first signal corresponds to a frequency that is a difference between the first radio frequency band and the second radio frequency band; Communication equipment.

3. A control circuit that enables and disables a first communication using a first radio frequency band and a second communication using a second radio frequency band lower than the first radio frequency band according to conditions; a communication circuit that performs the first communication or the second communication according to the setting of the enablement or the disablement; Equipped with a circuit for performing baseband processing included in the control circuit is common to the first communication and the second communication; the control circuit includes a local oscillator that generates a first signal corresponding to the first radio frequency band, and a frequency divider that divides the frequency of the first signal to generate a second signal corresponding to the second radio frequency band; Communication equipment.

4. A control circuit that enables and disables a first communication using a first radio frequency band and a second communication using a second radio frequency band lower than the first radio frequency band according to conditions; a communication circuit that performs the first communication or the second communication according to the setting of the enablement or the disablement; Equipped with a circuit for performing baseband processing included in the control circuit is common to the first communication and the second communication; the control circuit includes a local oscillator that generates a first signal corresponding to the first radio frequency band, and a frequency divider that divides the frequency of the first signal to generate a second signal corresponding to the second radio frequency band; an upconverter corresponding to the second radio frequency band is common to the first communication and the second communication; the first signal corresponds to a frequency that is a difference between the first radio frequency band and the second radio frequency band; Communication equipment.

5. A control circuit that enables and disables a first communication using a first radio frequency band and a second communication using a second radio frequency band lower than the first radio frequency band according to conditions; a communication circuit that performs the first communication or the second communication according to the setting of the enablement or the disablement; Equipped with a circuit for performing baseband processing included in the control circuit is common to the first communication and the second communication; the control circuit includes a local oscillator that switches between outputting a signal corresponding to the first radio frequency band and outputting a signal corresponding to the second radio frequency band; Communication equipment.

6. the condition is based on a parameter related to wireless communication set in the communication device; 6. A communication device according to any one of claims 1 to 5.

7. The parameters include at least one of a communication bandwidth, a radio waveform, a transmission power, a subcarrier spacing, a symbol length, and a modulation and coding method. The communication device according to claim 6.

8. the condition is based on propagation characteristics of the communication device; 6. A communication device according to any one of claims 1 to 5.

9. the propagation characteristic is whether or not communication in the communication device is in a line-of-sight environment; The control circuit sets the first communication to be enabled when the line-of-sight environment is present, and sets the second communication to be enabled when the line-of-sight environment is not present. The communication device according to claim 8.

10. the propagation characteristics are a delay amount or a delay dispersion amount of a delayed wave of communication in the communication device, the control circuit sets the first communication to be enabled when the delay amount or the delay dispersion amount is equal to or greater than a threshold, and sets the second communication to be enabled when the delay amount or the delay dispersion amount is less than a threshold. The communication device according to claim 8.

11. The condition is based on an antenna gain of the communication device, the control circuit sets the first communication to be enabled when the antenna gain is equal to or greater than a threshold, and sets the second communication to be enabled when the antenna gain is less than a threshold.

6. A communication device according to any one of claims 1 to 5.

12. The condition is based on a result of carrier sensing, the control circuit sets the enablement of communication corresponding to the radio frequency band determined to be available by the carrier sense out of the first radio frequency band and the second radio frequency band.

6. A communication device according to any one of claims 1 to 5.

13. the communication device is a terminal, The condition is based on an instruction from a base station.

6. A communication device according to any one of claims 1 to 5.

14. the communication device is a terminal, the condition is based on at least one of a parameter related to wireless communication set in the communication device, a propagation characteristic of the communication device, a directivity of an antenna in the communication device, a result of carrier sense, and an instruction from a base station; 6. A communication device according to any one of claims 1 to 5.

15. A communication method executed by a communication device comprising: a circuit for performing baseband processing common to a first communication using a first radio frequency band and a second communication using a second radio frequency band lower than the first radio frequency band; a first local oscillator for generating a signal corresponding to the first radio frequency band; and a second local oscillator for generating a signal corresponding to the second radio frequency band, setting the first communication and the second communication to be enabled or disabled according to a condition; performing the first communication or the second communication according to the setting of the enabling and disabling; A communication method including:

16. A communication method executed by a communication device comprising: a circuit for performing baseband processing common to a first communication using a first radio frequency band and a second communication using a second radio frequency band lower than the first radio frequency band; a first local oscillator for generating a first signal corresponding to a frequency difference between the first radio frequency band and the second radio frequency band; a second local oscillator for generating a second signal corresponding to the second radio frequency band; and an upconverter common to the first communication using the first radio frequency band and the second communication using the second radio frequency band and corresponding to the second radio frequency band, setting the first communication and the second communication to be enabled or disabled according to a condition; performing the first communication or the second communication according to the setting of the enabling and disabling; A communication method including:

17. A communication method executed by a communication device comprising: a circuit for performing baseband processing common to a first communication using a first radio frequency band and a second communication using a second radio frequency band lower than the first radio frequency band; a local oscillator for generating a first signal corresponding to the first radio frequency band; and a frequency divider for dividing the frequency of the first signal to generate a second signal corresponding to the second radio frequency band, setting the first communication and the second communication to be enabled or disabled according to a condition; performing the first communication or the second communication according to the setting of the enabling and disabling; A communication method including:

18. A communication method executed by a communication device comprising: a circuit for performing baseband processing common to a first communication using a first radio frequency band and a second communication using a second radio frequency band lower than the first radio frequency band; a local oscillator for generating a first signal corresponding to a frequency difference between the first radio frequency band and the second radio frequency band; a frequency divider for dividing the frequency of the first signal to generate a second signal corresponding to the second radio frequency band; and an upconverter common to the first communication and the second communication and corresponding to the second radio frequency band, setting the first communication and the second communication to be enabled or disabled according to a condition; performing the first communication or the second communication according to the setting of the enabling and disabling; A communication method including:

19. A communication method executed by a communication device comprising: a circuit for performing baseband processing common to a first communication using a first radio frequency band and a second communication using a second radio frequency band lower than the first radio frequency band; and a local oscillator for switching between and outputting a signal corresponding to the first radio frequency band and a signal corresponding to the second radio frequency band, setting the first communication and the second communication to be enabled or disabled according to a condition; performing the first communication or the second communication according to the setting of the enabling and disabling; A communication method including:

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