US20160134566A1

US20160134566A1 - Multi-band transceiver front-end architecture with reduced switch insertion loss

Info

Publication number: US20160134566A1
Application number: US14/577,000
Authority: US
Inventors: Carl De Ranter; Branislav Petrovic
Original assignee: Entropic Communications LLC
Current assignee: Entropic Communications LLC
Priority date: 2014-11-06
Filing date: 2014-12-19
Publication date: 2016-05-12
Also published as: US9985663B2; US10511336B2; US20180278274A1; US20160134309A1

Abstract

A T/R and routing switch includes a plurality of banks of a plurality of switches that can be individually switched into or out of a transmit and receive circuit. A control module can be provided to switch one of the switches into the circuit to connect one of a receive signal path or a transmit signal path to one of a plurality of communication links.

Description

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

This application claims priority to co-pending U.S. Provisional Application No. 62/076,351, filed on Nov. 6, 2014, which is incorporated by reference herein in its entirety.

TECHNICAL FIELD

The disclosed technology relates generally to communication systems, and more particularly, some embodiments relate to low insertion loss switches for communication transceivers.

DESCRIPTION OF THE RELATED ART

Duplex communications generally refers to communications in two directions—e.g., in the transmit and receive directions. Time Division Duplex (TDD) schemes generally separate in time the transmit and receive signals over a given communication link. TDD can be used, for example, to emulate full duplex communications over a half-duplex communication link.
The application of TDD generally involves a transmit/receive switch (T/R switch) such that the transmitter and a receiver of a given transceiver can be alternatively switched for communication over the subject communication link. In some applications, the T/R switch can be combined in conjunction with a routing switch to allow the TDD communications to be routed over a selected one of a plurality of communication links. That is, in many applications, the T/R switch and a multi-throw routing switch used to realize the switching between different bands (diplexers or antennas) are implemented as separate entities, connected in series.
FIG. 1 is a diagram illustrating one example of such a cascaded switch 103. This example includes a T/R switch 108 cascaded with a routing switch 105 to allow routing of the TDD communications. In this example, transmit signals 109 or receive signals 110 can be selected by T/R switch 108. One of a plurality of communication links 104 (four shown) can be selected by routing switch 105. The communication links 104 can be used, for example, for communications at different frequency bands, or for different antennas, or both.
Accordingly, cascaded switch 103 allows routing of TDD signals to/from any of these communication links 104. However, switches generally introduce an insertion loss and some level of distortion into the communication path. In instances where two switches are cascaded, such as with cascaded switch 103, the insertion loss and distortion introduced by both switches affects the communication link.

BRIEF SUMMARY OF EMBODIMENTS

According to various embodiments of the disclosed technology a T/R switch for communication transceivers is provided. More particularly, some embodiments relate to a switch configuration that can be used with a transceiver front-end to provide T/R switching and band or antenna switching. Embodiments can be implemented in which a single switch is inserted in-line with the communication path selected between one of the transmitter and receiver, and one of the communication links. In various embodiments, each band may be implemented to include its own matching network and/or diplexer such as, for example, with a MoCA multi-band adapter.
In various embodiments, the transceiver front-end switch can be implemented in a single die. By integrating the functionality of the T/R switch and the multi-throw routing switch in one (small) die, the optimal technology can be chosen to enable stacked-device switches that allow the large single-ended voltages as required by cellular, wireless or wireline transmit/receive standards (as GSM, WiFi, MoCA, etc.), without a big impact on the overall BOM (Bill of Materials) cost.
Embodiments can be implemented in which some or all of the following advantages can be realized. In some embodiments, implementations can be accomplished with lower required Pout,max for the line driver/power amplifier (transmit path) for a given required output power at the antenna or connector. Various embodiments may achieve better sensitivity for the receive path for a given noise figure (NF) of the low noise amplifier (LNA). Because the LNA NF is, in practice, generally optimized in most applications, this may be the only way that input sensitivity can be increased or maximized. Additionally, embodiments can be implemented to achieve an overall lower power consumption due to lower required Pout,max and possibly relaxed (higher allowable) NF.
According to an embodiment of the disclosed technology a T/R and routing switch for a communication transceiver, includes; a first plurality of switches, each switch of the first plurality of switches having an input terminal, an output terminal and a control terminal, wherein the input terminals of each of the first plurality of switches are electrically connected to one another to form a common transmit signal path; a second plurality of switches, each switch of the second plurality of switches having an input terminal, an output terminal and a control terminal, wherein the output terminals of each of the switches are electrically connected to one another to form a common receive signal path; a plurality of interconnects, each interconnect connecting an output terminal of one of the first plurality of switches with an input terminal of one of the second plurality of switches to form an input/output link for interconnected pairs of switches; and a plurality of communication link terminals, each communication link terminal electrically connected to one of the input/output links.
The T/R and routing switch may be configurable such that only a single one of the first and second plurality of switches is inserted in-line to perform front-end routing of either a transmit or a receive signal between a transmitter or receiver of the communication transceiver and one of a plurality communication links over which the communication transceiver communicates.
A controller can be included and configured to actuate one of the plurality of switches to electrically connect one of a transmit and a receive signal path of a communication transceiver to one of a plurality of communication links. This can be done so that only a single switch of the T/R and routing switch is in line between the transceiver and the selected communication link.
In various embodiments, the T/R and routing switch may further include inductive elements, such as inductors, configured to reduce an off capacitance of the plurality of transistors that are not turned on. Inductive elements may be connected in series with the transmit signal path. Inductive elements may also be connected between the common receive signal path and ground. In some embodiments, the inductive elements comprise a plurality of inductors and a third plurality of switches each switch connected between one of the inductors and one of the first and second plurality switches.
The controller may further be configured to control the third plurality of switches to select a subset of at least one of the plurality of inductors to tune the bandwidth of at least one of the first and second plurality of switches.
The T/R and routing switch may also include one or more additional pluralities of switches each of the additional pluralities of switches configured to control one or more additional transmit signal paths and receive signal paths.
In accordance with another embodiment, a front-end signal routing switch for use with a communication transceiver may include: a first plurality of switches each having a common terminal configured to be connected to a transmit signal path of the communication transceiver; and a second plurality of switches each having a common terminal configured to be connected to a receive signal path of the communication transceiver; wherein the signal routing and switching front and is configured such that only one of the switches of the first plurality of switches is electrically present in the transmit signal path during transmit operations of the communication transceiver, and only one of the switches of the second plurality of switches is electrically present in the receive signal path during receive operations of the communication transceiver. A control module having a plurality of output ports can be included, and each output port may be electrically connected to one of the switches of the first and second plurality of switches.
Inductive elements such as, for example, inductors, can be included and configured to reduce an off capacitance of the plurality of switches (e.g., transistors) that are not turned on. The inductive elements may include an inductor connected in series with the transmit signal path. The inductive elements may include an inductive element connected between the common receive signal path and ground. In other embodiments, the inductive elements may include a plurality of inductors and a third plurality of switches each switch connected between one of the inductors and one of the first and second plurality switches. The controller may be further configured to control the third plurality of switches to select a subset of at least one of the plurality of inductors to tune the bandwidth of at least one of the first and second plurality of switches.
A communication front-end, may include: a communication transceiver comprising a transmitter and a receiver; a plurality of communication links, each communication link comprising an antenna configured to transmit or receive communication signals; a T/R and routing switch comprising a first terminal communicatively coupled to the transmitter and a second terminal communicatively coupled to the receiver and a plurality of third terminals, each communicatively coupled to one of the plurality of communication links, the T/R and routing switch further comprising; a first plurality of switches, each switch of the first plurality of switches having an input terminal, an output terminal and a control terminal, wherein the input terminals of each of the first plurality of switches are electrically connected to the first terminal; a second plurality of switches, each switch of the second plurality of switches having an input terminal, an output terminal and a control terminal, wherein the output terminals of each of the switches are electrically connected to the second terminal; a plurality of interconnects, each interconnect connecting an output terminal of one of the first plurality of switches with an input terminal of one of the second plurality of switches hand with one of the plurality of third terminals. In various embodiments, the system can be configured such that only a single switch of the T/R and routing switch is used to route a transmit or a receive signal between the communication transceiver and one of the communication links. In further embodiments, the system can be configured such that only a single one of the first and second plurality of switches is inserted in-line to perform front-end routing of either a transmit or a receive signal between the transmitter or the receiver of the communication transceiver and one of the plurality communication links.
A controller may be included and configured to actuate one of the plurality of switches to electrically connect one of a transmit and a receive signal path of a communication transceiver to one of a plurality of communication links.
In various embodiments, the switches may comprise a transistor and the communication transceiver may comprise a TDD transceiver.
Other features and aspects of the disclosed technology will become apparent from the following detailed description, taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, which illustrate, by way of example, the features in accordance with embodiments of the disclosed technology. The summary is not intended to limit the scope of any inventions described herein, which are defined solely by the claims attached hereto.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

The technology disclosed herein, in accordance with one or more various embodiments, is described in detail with reference to the following figures. The drawings are provided for purposes of illustration only and merely depict typical or example embodiments of the disclosed technology. These drawings are provided to facilitate the reader's understanding of the disclosed technology and shall not be considered limiting of the breadth, scope, or applicability thereof. It should be noted that for clarity and ease of illustration these drawings are not necessarily made to scale.

FIG. 1 is a diagram illustrating one example of a conventional cascaded switch.

FIG. 2 is a diagram illustrating an example of a wideband transceiver with a low insertion loss T/R and routing switch in accordance with one embodiment of the technology disclosed herein.

FIG. 3 is a diagram illustrating an example of a front-end switch 212 in accordance with one embodiment of the technology disclosed herein.

FIG. 4 is a diagram illustrating an example implementation of the front-end switch of FIG. 3 in accordance with one embodiment of the technology disclosed herein.

FIG. 5 is a diagram illustrating an example of adding inductance to reduce the effect of capacitance for the switches.

FIG. 6 is a diagram illustrating an example in which a front-end switch (e.g., such as that depicted in FIGS. 3 and 4) is implemented with a communication transceiver in accordance with one embodiment of the technology disclosed herein.

The figures are not intended to be exhaustive or to limit the invention to the precise form disclosed. It should be understood that the invention can be practiced with modification and alteration, and that the disclosed technology be limited only by the claims and the equivalents thereof.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE EMBODIMENTS

Embodiments of the technology disclosed herein are directed toward devices and methods for providing T/R and routing switching with reduced insertion loss as compared to conventional cascaded switches. Embodiments can be provided in which a single switch is inserted in-line with the communication path selected between one of the transmitter and receiver, and one of the communication links.
Before describing the technology in detail, it is useful to describe an example environment with which embodiments can be implemented. FIG. 2 is a diagram illustrating an example of a wideband transceiver with a low insertion loss T/R and routing switch in accordance with one embodiment of the technology disclosed herein. This example includes a communication transceiver 288, a front-end switch 212, and a plurality of communication links 204. In some embodiments, some or all of the communication links 204 can be implemented as operating at different frequencies. Accordingly, front-end switch 212 can be implemented to select from among the transmit and receive lines (e.g. in a TDD fashion) and to select the appropriate communication link 204 for transmission or reception.
As seen in this example, communication transceiver 288 is provided with both transmit and receive capabilities. Communication transceiver 288 can be implemented, for example, as a system-on-a-chip (SOC) transceiver. This example includes baseband processing 279 to perform communication functions in the digital domain. One example of the communication transceiver 288 is a MoCA SOC transceiver, although other transceivers can be used for other communication protocols and standards.
On the receive communication path, a received signal from one of the antennas 205 is switched to the receive signal path 210 by front-end switch 212. The matching network and/or filter 286 can be included in the receive signal path. A variable gain amplifier VGA 312 can be provided to adjust the level of the incoming signal to provide the appropriate signal strength. An analog-to-digital converter 314 is provided to digitize the received signal for baseband processing.
On the transmit side, a digital-to-analog converter 413 is provided to digitize the outgoing signal received from baseband processing 279. A variable gain amplifier 412, and a power amplifier 414 can be provided to drive the output signal. A matching network and/or filter 285 can be included in the transmit signal path 209. Although not illustrated, a balun may also be included. Front-end switch 212 switches the transmit signal from transmit signal path 209 to a selected one of the antennas 205.
FIG. 3 is a diagram illustrating an example of a front-end switch 212 in accordance with one embodiment of the technology disclosed herein. In this example, a plurality of switches 303 are provided (only two switches include reference characters in the figure to avoid clutter). A first bank 207 of switches 303 is connected to interface with transmit signal path 209, while a second bank 208 of switches 303 is configured to interface with receive signal path 210.
Each switch 303 in both banks of switches 207, 208 has an input terminal, an output terminal and a control line. The input terminals for switches 303 in the first bank 207 are electrically connected to one another to form a transmit signal path that can be electrically connected to the transmit signal path of the transmitter side of the transceiver (e.g., communication transceiver 288). This electrical connection to the transmitter can be made, as illustrated in this example, via one of the terminals 214. The output terminals for switches 303 in first bank 207 are electrically connected to a plurality of parallel communication paths that, in this example, are electrically connected to corresponding communication link terminals 213. The output terminals of switches 303 in first bank 207 are also electrically connected to the input terminals of switches 303 in second bank 208 (which are also electrically connected to corresponding communication link terminals 213). The output terminals of switches 303 in second bank 208 are electrically connected to one another to form a received signal path that can be electrically connected to the receive signal path of the receiver side of the transceiver (e.g., communication transceiver 288). This electrical connection to the receiver can be made, as illustrated in this example, via the other one of the terminals 214.
As seen from this illustration, the front-and switch can be implemented to effectively perform a parallel-to-serial or serial-to-parallel conversion for the receive and transmit sides respectively. That is, a transmitted signal received by the front-end switch 212 via transmit signal path 209 can be received on a single line and directed to one of a plurality of effectively parallel communication links at the outputs of the first bank 207 of switches 303. Likewise, receive signals received on one of the plurality of effectively parallel communication links can be switched by second bank 208 onto the single receive signal path 210.
In this example, there are four possible communication links 204 that can be switched to the transmitter or receiver. Each of these communication links is connected to an input of the corresponding switch 303 of second bank 208, and each of the communication links 204 is also connected to an output of its corresponding switch 303 of first bank 207. As will be apparent to one of ordinary skill in the art after reading this description, a front-end switch 212 can be implemented to interface with any of a number of communication links 204 and any of a number of transmit and receive paths.
This example also illustrates a controller 244 that can be used to control front-end switch 212. In operation, when the system is operating in the receive mode, it is desirable to switch a received signal from the appropriate communication link 204 to receive signal path 210. Accordingly, one of switches 303 in second bank 208 is actuated, or closed, to couple the corresponding communication link 204 to receive signal path 210. This operation can be undertaken by controller 244, which may be configured to send a control signal to the selected switch 303 to close, or actuate, the switch and complete the signal path between the designated communication link 204 and receive signal path 210. Similarly, for transmit operations, the appropriate switch 303 in first bank 207 of switches 303 is closed to electrically connect transmit signal path 209 to the corresponding one of the communication links 204. This can be done by controller 244 sending the appropriate control signal to actuate the selected switch 303 for the desired connection.
FIG. 4 is a diagram illustrating an example implementation of the front-end switch of FIG. 3 in accordance with one embodiment of the technology disclosed herein. In this example, the first and second banks of switches 207, 208 are implemented as a plurality of transistors that can be controlled by controller 244. Depending on the implementation, the transistors can be implemented as CMOS, MOSFET, MESFET, JFET, BJT, for example. After reading this description, one of ordinary skill in the art will understand how other transistor types can be used. Likewise, other switches or relays can be used.
In operation, controller 244 effectively closes the switch by turning the appropriate corresponding transistor on. This can be accomplished, for example, by applying an appropriate voltage to that transistor. In the illustrated embodiment, the appropriate turn-on voltage can be applied to the gate of the transistor by controller 244, thereby electrically connecting the source and the drain of that transistor. The other transistors can remain open, or off, by grounding, floating, or simply not providing a turn-on voltage to those transistors.
As noted above, one goal of certain embodiments may be to reduce the insertion loss introduced by the switch. One way in which a lower insertion loss can be achieved is by using larger transistors. However, larger transistors also lead to a larger capacitance introduced into the circuit when the transistors are in the off state. Accordingly, embodiments can be implemented to optimize the balance between the on performance and the off performance of the switches. In some embodiments, a decrease in the size of the transistor can lead to a relatively small decrease in the on performance of the switch (e.g. a minimal increase for the insertion loss) and a relatively larger increase in off performance (e.g. a reduction in off capacitance, leading to a reduction in loading and noise).
Additionally, in further embodiments, parasitic capacitance introduced by the transistors can be tuned out by, for example, adding inductive elements into the circuit. However, the addition of inductive elements can have the effect of narrowing the bandwidth of the switches. The narrowing of the bandwidth may be acceptable in some applications where the bandwidth of the switch coincides with the communication band or bands of the transmitter and receiver. Therefore, in some embodiments, different elements at different inductance values can be provided and selectively switched into and out of the circuit. Accordingly, embodiments can be implemented to eliminate or reduce capacitance of the off state, while reducing or minimizing negative repercussions caused by the narrowed bandwidth by tuning the switches for the desired band of operation.
In various embodiments, controller 244 can further be configured to control switches (e.g., transistors or other switches) to switch different inductance values into and out of the circuit for tuning purposes. In some embodiments, controller 244 can be configured to accept as input, information identifying the selected band at which the system is operating, and to switch the appropriate tuning elements into and out of the circuit to tune the switches for the operating frequency. Accordingly, capacitance of the switches in the off state can be reduced using inductive elements, and the bandwidth of switches can be tuned to the operating frequency. In other embodiments, manual tuning can be provided by providing user selectable switches such as, for example, physical switches that can be set by the user, or programmable switches that can be controlled through a user interface. In further embodiments, the frequency detection module can be provided to sense the frequency of the communication links. The sensed frequency can be fed to controller 244 so that controller 244 may tune the switches accordingly. In applications where the system may be operating at one of a variety of predefined frequencies or channels, there can be a limited number of tuning configurations to tune to the possible channels. Where there are a limited quantity of known frequencies or channels, the system can be simplified accordingly.
FIG. 5 is a diagram illustrating an example of adding inductance to reduce the effect of capacitance for the switches. In the first example, the inductance is added in parallel to the capacitance of the switch. In this example, resistor 452 represents the on resistance of the switch R_ON. Capacitance 454 represents the capacitance introduced by the switch in the off position. In the case of x number of switches, the total capacitance C_TOTintroduced by the switches in the off state is (x−1) times the off capacitance C_OFFof the switches. In other words C_TOT=(x−1)×C_OFF. From this, the resonant frequency can be determined as
$f_{R} = \frac{1}{2 π} \sqrt{{LC}_{TOT}} .$
This equation can be used so that the inductance, L, can be selected to tune the bandwidth to the desired operating band. Another example illustrated in the lower half of FIG. 5 shows a series inductance used to tune the bandwidth of the circuit. In this example, inductor 456 is provided in series with the on resistance of the switch 453. Capacitance 455 represents the capacitance introduced by the switch in the off position. While the example in the upper half of FIG. 5 illustrates a bandpass filter, the example of lower half of FIG. 5 illustrates a low pass filter.
In embodiments where the inductance is added to create a bandpass filter, (i.e. the inductance is added in parallel with the capacitance) a tuning inductor can be included, for example, between receive signal line 210 and ground. Placing the inductance here, as opposed to one the other side of the switches, can allow the tuning to be accomplished with only one inductor (or only one inductor for each frequency in the embodiments where the bandwidth can be selectively tuned) for the entire bank. Similarly, for a low pass filter implementation a single inductor can be provided in series in transmit signal path 209 to provide the series inductance for each of the switches in first switch bank 207. This can be advantageous over providing an inductor at the output of each switch in first switch bank 207.
In both examples illustrated in FIGS. 3 and 4, four communication links 204 are interfaced to two transceiver lines—i.e., a transmit and receive line. As noted above, the front-end switch 212 can be scaled to accommodate any quantity of communication links, and can also be scaled to handle more than one each of a transmit and a receive signal path. Where there is one transmit and one receive signal path (i.e., two paths), 2n switches (e.g. switches 303) are used to interface to n number of communication links. As a further example, where there are m transmit and receive signal paths in total and n communication links, selectability of all possible permutations can be accomplished by providing m*n switches.
As these examples illustrate, there is one bank of switches for each transmit or receive line to be selected, and the number of switches in each bank corresponds to the number of possible communication links with which that bank (particularly, its corresponding transmit or receive signal path) may be coupled. In the illustrated example, each transmit and receive signal path can be selectively coupled to any one of the available communication links. However, in alternative embodiments, configurations can be implemented such that one or more of the transmit or receive signal paths can be coupled to fewer than all of the available communication links.
As the above examples illustrate, regardless of the communication link selected, and regardless of whether the system is operating in the transmit or the receive mode, embodiments may be implemented in which only one switch is inserted into the signal path to handle this front-end switching. This is in contrast to conventional solutions (e.g. as shown in FIG. 1) in which two switches are required in series to handle the switching. Accordingly, embodiments may be implemented in which the insertion loss and/or distortion for the front-end switch are lower than that which may otherwise be achieved with cascaded T/R and routing switches in conventional solutions.
In various embodiments, the layout of the front-end switch 212 can be implemented to provide isolation between the various signal paths to avoid crosstalk or other interference. For example, in various embodiments, the signal paths can be laid out orthogonal to one another or with sufficient spacing between one another to avoid crosstalk interference. This can depend, for example, on the isolation requirements specified for the switches for a given application.
Switch array, and in some embodiments the controller, can be implemented on a single die as a standalone unit, or it can be integrated with the transceiver. In some embodiments, the switch array die can be implemented using thick film 0.18 μm SOI. Some embodiments can include a low noise amplifier on the receive path to overcome noise spurs at the receive input pin of the transceiver. This may be particularly useful where a single-ended implementation is chosen.
FIG. 6 is a diagram illustrating an example in which a front-end switch 212 (e.g., such as that depicted in FIGS. 3 and 4) is implemented with a communication transceiver 288 in accordance with one embodiment of the technology disclosed herein. As seen in this example, one bank of the front-end switch 212 is interfaced with transmit signal path 209 and another bank of front-end switch 212 is interfaced with receive signal path 210.
Controller 244 in various embodiments may be implemented utilizing any form of hardware, software, or a combination thereof. For example, one or more processors, controllers, ASICs, PLAs, PALs, CPLDs, FPGAs, logical components, software routines or other mechanisms might be implemented to make up a module. Controller 244 may include or have access to a non-transitory storage medium with computer program code or other like instructions embodied thereon configured to cause a processing device of the controller (e.g., one or more processors) to perform the described functions.
While various embodiments of the disclosed technology have been described above, it should be understood that they have been presented by way of example only, and not of limitation. Likewise, the various diagrams may depict an example architectural or other configuration for the disclosed technology, which is done to aid in understanding the features and functionality that can be included in the disclosed technology. The disclosed technology is not restricted to the illustrated example architectures or configurations, but the desired features can be implemented using a variety of alternative architectures and configurations. Indeed, it will be apparent to one of skill in the art how alternative functional, logical or physical partitioning and configurations can be implemented to implement the desired features of the technology disclosed herein. Also, a multitude of different constituent module names other than those depicted herein can be applied to the various partitions. Additionally, with regard to flow diagrams, operational descriptions and method claims, the order in which the steps are presented herein shall not mandate that various embodiments be implemented to perform the recited functionality in the same order unless the context dictates otherwise.
Although the disclosed technology is described above in terms of various exemplary embodiments and implementations, it should be understood that the various features, aspects and functionality described in one or more of the individual embodiments are not limited in their applicability to the particular embodiment with which they are described, but instead can be applied, alone or in various combinations, to one or more of the other embodiments of the disclosed technology, whether or not such embodiments are described and whether or not such features are presented as being a part of a described embodiment. Thus, the breadth and scope of the technology disclosed herein should not be limited by any of the above-described exemplary embodiments.
Terms and phrases used in this document, and variations thereof, unless otherwise expressly stated, should be construed as open ended as opposed to limiting. As examples of the foregoing: the term “including” should be read as meaning “including, without limitation” or the like; the term “example” is used to provide exemplary instances of the item in discussion, not an exhaustive or limiting list thereof; the terms “a” or “an” should be read as meaning “at least one,” “one or more” or the like; and adjectives such as “conventional,” “traditional,” “normal,” “standard,” “known” and terms of similar meaning should not be construed as limiting the item described to a given time period or to an item available as of a given time, but instead should be read to encompass conventional, traditional, normal, or standard technologies that may be available or known now or at any time in the future. Likewise, where this document refers to technologies that would be apparent or known to one of ordinary skill in the art, such technologies encompass those apparent or known to the skilled artisan now or at any time in the future.
The presence of broadening words and phrases such as “one or more,” “at least,” “but not limited to” or other like phrases in some instances shall not be read to mean that the narrower case is intended or required in instances where such broadening phrases may be absent. The use of the term “module” does not imply that the components or functionality described or claimed as part of the module are all configured in a common package. Indeed, any or all of the various components of a module, whether control logic or other components, can be combined in a single package or separately maintained and can further be distributed in multiple groupings or packages or across multiple locations.
Additionally, the various embodiments set forth herein are described in terms of exemplary block diagrams, flow charts and other illustrations. As will become apparent to one of ordinary skill in the art after reading this document, the illustrated embodiments and their various alternatives can be implemented without confinement to the illustrated examples. For example, block diagrams and their accompanying description should not be construed as mandating a particular architecture or configuration.

Claims

1. A T/R and routing switch for a communication transceiver, comprising;

a first plurality of switches, each switch of the first plurality of switches having an input terminal, an output terminal and a control terminal, wherein the input terminals of each of the first plurality of switches are electrically connected to one another to form a common transmit signal path;

a second plurality of switches, each switch of the second plurality of switches having an input terminal, an output terminal and a control terminal, wherein the output terminals of each of the switches are electrically connected to one another to form a common receive signal path;

a plurality of interconnects, each interconnect connecting an output terminal of one of the first plurality of switches with an input terminal of one of the second plurality of switches to form an input/output link for interconnected pairs of switches; and

a plurality of communication link terminals, each communication link terminal electrically connected to one of the input/output links.

2. The T/R and routing switch of claim 1, wherein the T/R and routing switch is configurable such that only a single one of the first and second plurality of switches is inserted in-line to perform front-end routing of either a transmit or a receive signal between a transmitter or receiver of the communication transceiver and one of a plurality communication links over which the communication transceiver communicates.

3. The T/R and routing switch of claim 1, further comprising a controller configured to actuate one of the plurality of switches to electrically connect one of a transmit and a receive signal path of a communication transceiver to one of a plurality of communication links.

4. The T/R and routing switch of claim 1, further comprising a controller configured to actuate one of the plurality of switches to electrically connect one of a transmit and a receive signal path of a communication transceiver to one of a plurality of communication links using only a single switch of the T/R and routing switch.

5. The T/R and routing switch of claim 4, wherein each switch of the first and second plurality of switches comprises a transistor.

6. The T/R and routing switch of claim 5, further comprising inductive elements configured to reduce an off capacitance of the plurality of transistors that are not turned on.

7. The T/R and routing switch of claim 6, wherein the inductive elements comprise an inductor connected in series with the transmit signal path.

8. The T/R and routing switch of claim 6, wherein the inductive elements comprise an inductive element connected between the common receive signal path and ground.

9. The T/R and routing switch of claim 6, wherein the inductive elements comprise a plurality of inductors and a third plurality of switches each switch connected between one of the inductors and one of the first and second plurality switches.

10. The T/R and routing switch of claim 9, wherein the controller is further configured to control the third plurality of switches to select a subset of at least one of the plurality of inductors to tune the bandwidth of at least one of the first and second plurality of switches.

11. The T/R and routing switch of claim 1, further comprising one or more additional pluralities of switches each of the additional pluralities of switches configured to control one or more additional transmit signal paths and receive signal paths.

12. A front-end signal routing switch for use with a communication transceiver comprising:

a first plurality of switches each having a common terminal configured to be connected to a transmit signal path of the communication transceiver; and

a second plurality of switches each having a common terminal configured to be connected to a receive signal path of the communication transceiver;

wherein the signal routing and switching front and is configured such that only one of the switches of the first plurality of switches is electrically present in the transmit signal path during transmit operations of the communication transceiver, and only one of the switches of the second plurality of switches is electrically present in the receive signal path during receive operations of the communication transceiver.

13. The front-end signal routing switch of claim 12, further comprising a control module having a plurality of output ports, each output port being electrically connected to one of the switches of the first and second plurality of switches.

14. The front-end signal routing switch of claim 13, wherein each switch of the first and second plurality of switches comprises a transistor.

15. The front-end signal routing switch of claim 14, further comprising inductive elements configured to reduce an off capacitance of the plurality of transistors that are not turned on.

16. The front-end signal routing switch of claim 15, wherein the inductive elements comprise an inductor connected in series with the transmit signal path.

17. The front-end signal routing switch of claim 15, wherein the inductive elements comprise an inductive element connected between the common receive signal path and ground.

18. The front-end signal routing switch of claim 15, wherein the inductive elements comprise a plurality of inductors and a third plurality of switches each switch connected between one of the inductors and one of the first and second plurality switches.

19. The front-end signal routing switch of claim 18, wherein the controller is further configured to control the third plurality of switches to select a subset of at least one of the plurality of inductors to tune the bandwidth of at least one of the first and second plurality of switches.

20. The front-end signal routing switch of claim 12, wherein the communication transceiver is a TDD transceiver.

21. A communication front-end, comprising:

a communication transceiver comprising a transmitter and a receiver;

a plurality of communication links, each communication link comprising an antenna configured to transmit or receive communication signals;

T/R and routing switch comprising a first terminal communicatively coupled to the transmitter and a second terminal communicatively coupled to the receiver and a plurality of third terminals, each communicatively coupled to one of the plurality of communication links, the T/R and routing switch further comprising;

a first plurality of switches, each switch of the first plurality of switches having an input terminal, an output terminal and a control terminal, wherein the input terminals of each of the first plurality of switches are electrically connected to the first terminal;

a second plurality of switches, each switch of the second plurality of switches having an input terminal, an output terminal and a control terminal, wherein the output terminals of each of the switches are electrically connected to the second terminal;

a plurality of interconnects, each interconnect connecting an output terminal of one of the first plurality of switches with an input terminal of one of the second plurality of switches hand with one of the plurality of third terminals.

22. The communication front end of claim 21, wherein only a single switch of the T/R and routing switch is used to route a transmit or a receive signal between the communication transceiver and one of the communication links.

23. The communication front-end of claim 21, wherein the T/R and routing switch is configurable such that only a single one of the first and second plurality of switches is inserted in-line to perform front-end routing of either a transmit or a receive signal between the transmitter or the receiver of the communication transceiver and one of the plurality communication links.

24. The communication front-end of claim 21, further comprising a controller configured to actuate one of the plurality of switches to electrically connect one of a transmit and a receive signal path of a communication transceiver to one of a plurality of communication links.

25. The communication front-end of claim 21, wherein each switch of the first and second plurality of switches comprises a transistor.

26. The communication front-end of claim 21, wherein the communication transceiver is a TDD transceiver.