US 7,024,164 B2Granted

Radio communication apparatus

AssigneeSony Corporation

InventorShinobu Izumi

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Abstract

A communication apparatus having a transmission section and a reception section that are selectively attached or detached from one another. The transmission section is operable to modulate an information signal to generate a high frequency signal and to wirelessly transmit the high frequency signal to the reception section, or to output the information signal to the reception section via a non-wireless coupling. The reception section is operable to receive the high frequency signal transmitted from the transmission section and to demodulate the high frequency signal to recover the information signal, or to receive the information signal outputted from the transmission section. Further, an attached condition is sensed, indicating whether the transmission section and the reception section are connected/attached to each other or disconnected/detached from each other, and switching between wireless transmission and non-wireless transmission is performed in accordance with the indicated condition.

Claims8

Dependent claims

A radio communication apparatus, comprising:

a transmission section for transmitting an information signal;
and
a reception section for receiving the information signal transmitted from said transmission section;
said transmission section and said reception section being attachable to each other and being detachable from each other;
wherein said transmission section further comprises:
a transmitter for modulating the information signal to generate a high frequency signal;
a transmission antenna for wirelessly transmitting the high frequency signal;
and
an output terminal for outputting the information signal to said reception section via a non-wireless coupling;
said reception section further comprises:
a reception antenna for receiving the high frequency signal transmitted from said transmission antenna;
a receiver for demodulating the high frequency signal received by said reception antenna to generate an information signal;
and
an input terminal to which the information signal outputted from said output terminal of said transmission section is inputted;
at least one of said transmission section and said reception section further comprising:
a sensor for sensing an attached condition between said transmission section and said reception section,
wherein the sensed condition is determined by a location of an applied voltage;
and
a switch for selectively switching, in accordance with the sensed condition of attachment between the transmission section and the reception section, between wireless transmission and non-wireless transmission when communicating said information signal from said transmission section to said reception section.

16 more elements

A radio communication method, comprising the steps of:

sensing an attached condition between a transmission section and a reception section, said transmission section and said reception section being attachable to each other and being detachable from each other,
wherein the sensed condition is determined by a location of an applied voltage;
and
switching, in accordance with the sensed condition of attachment between the transmission section and the reception section, between wireless transmission of an information signal from said transmission section to said reception section and non-wireless transmission of said information signal from said transmission section to said reception section;
wherein communicating said information signal from said transmission section to said reception section via wireless transmission:
modulating said information signal to generate a high frequency signal;
passing said high frequency signal to an antenna for transmission;
receiving said high frequency signal at said reception section;
and
demodulating said high frequency signal at said reception section to recover said information signal;
and
wherein communicating said information signal from said transmission section to said reception section via non-wireless transmission comprises:
outputting said information signal via a non-wireless terminal of said transmission section;
and
receiving said information signal via a non-wireless terminal of said reception section.

12 more elements

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.