DE102021214143A1 - PHASE SHIFTERS WITH SWITCHED TRANSMISSION LINE LOADS - Google Patents

Abstract

Apparatus and methods for phase shifters with switched transmission line loads are described herein. In certain embodiments, a phase shifter includes a first port, a second port, a first controllable reflective load having a first transmission line and a first plurality of shunt switches connected along the first transmission line, a second controllable reflective load, and a pair of coupled lines that are electromagnetically coupled to each other. The pair of coupled lines includes a first conductive line coupled between the first port and the first controllable reflective load and a second conductive line coupled between the second controllable reflective load and the second port. At least one of the first and second controllable reflective loads comprises a switched transmission line load.

Description

BACKGROUND

technical field

Embodiments of the invention relate to electronic systems, in particular to high-frequency electronics.

Description of the associated technology

Phase shifters are used in radio frequency (RF) communication systems to control the phase of RF signals transmitted or received wirelessly via antennas.

Examples of RF communication systems with one or more phase shifters include cell phones, tablets, base stations, network access points, customer-premises equipment (CPE), laptop computers, and wearables. For example, in wireless devices that communicate using a cellular standard, a wireless local area network (WLNA) standard, and/or any other suitable communication standard. Power amplifiers are used to amplify HF signals. An RF signal may have a frequency in a frequency range from about 30 kHz to 300 GHz, such as in the range from about 410 MHz to about 7.125 GHz for fifth generation (5G) frequency range 1 (FR1) communications and in the range from about 24.25 GHz to about 52.6 GHz for communication in frequency range 2 (FR2) of 5G.

SUMMARY

In certain embodiments, the present disclosure relates to a phase shifter. The phase shifter includes a first port, a second port, a first controllable reflective load having a first transmission line and a first plurality of shunt switches connected along the first transmission line, a second controllable reflective load, and a pair of coupled lines that are electromagnetically coupled to each other are. The pair of coupled lines includes a first conductive line coupled between the first port and the first controllable reflective load and a second conductive line coupled between the second controllable reflective load and the second port.

In some embodiments, the first controllable reflective load further includes a first ground line on a first side of the first transmission line and a second ground line on a second side of the first transmission line. According to a number of embodiments, each of the first plurality of shunt switches is formed as a pair of field effect transistors, including a first field effect transistor coupled between the first transmission line and the first ground line and a second field effect transistor coupled between the first transmission line and the second ground line exhibit.

In several embodiments, one or more of the first plurality of shunt switches are closed based on a phase shift setting of the phase shifter.

In various embodiments, the first port receives a radio frequency input signal and the second port provides a phase-shifted radio frequency output signal.

In some embodiments, the second port receives a radio frequency input signal and the first port provides a phase-shifted radio frequency output signal.

In several embodiments, the first plurality of shunt switches are connected to the first transmission line at a plurality of points that are evenly spaced from each other.

In various embodiments, the first plurality of shunt switches is connected to the first transmission line at a plurality of points that are not evenly spaced from each other. According to a number of embodiments, the distance between adjacent points of the plurality of points gradually decreases along a length of the first transmission line.

In some embodiments, the shunt switches of the first plurality of shunt switches each have a uniform size.

In several embodiments, the shunt switches of the first plurality of shunt switches each have different sizes. According to a number of embodiments, the shunt switches of the first plurality of shunt switches gradually increase in size along a length of the first transmission line.

In various embodiments, the first transmission line includes a plurality of meandering sections. In accordance with some embodiments, at least one of the plurality of meandering sections includes a loop.

In several embodiments, the second controllable reflective load includes a second transmission line and a second plurality of shunt switches coupled along the second transmission line.

In some embodiments, the phase shifter further includes a hybrid coupler including the pair of coupled lines.

In certain embodiments, the present disclosure relates to a wireless device. The wireless device includes a transceiver and a front end system coupled to the transceiver. The front end system includes a phase shifter having a first port, a second port, a first controllable reflective load having a first transmission line and a first plurality of shunt switches connected along the first transmission line, a second controllable reflective load, and a pair of coupled lines includes, which are electromagnetically coupled to each other. The pair of coupled lines includes a first conductive line coupled between the first port and the first controllable reflective load and a second conductive line coupled between the second controllable reflective load and the second port.

In various embodiments, the first controllable reflective load further includes a first ground line on a first side of the first transmission line and a second ground line on a second side of the first transmission line. According to a number of embodiments, each of the first plurality of shunt switches is formed as a pair of field effect transistors, including a first field effect transistor coupled between the first transmission line and the first ground line and a second field effect transistor coupled between the first transmission line and the second ground line having.

In several embodiments, one or more of the first plurality of shunt switches are closed based on a phase shift setting of the phase shifter.

In some embodiments, the first port receives a radio frequency input signal and the second port provides a phase-shifted radio frequency output signal.

In various embodiments, the second port receives a radio frequency input signal and the first port provides a phase-shifted radio frequency output signal.

In several embodiments, the first plurality of shunt switches are connected to the first transmission line at a plurality of points that are evenly spaced from each other.

In some embodiments, the first plurality of shunt switches is connected to the first transmission line at a plurality of points that are not evenly spaced from each other. According to a number of embodiments, the distance between adjacent points of the plurality of points gradually decreases along a length of the first transmission line.

In various embodiments, the shunt switches of the first plurality of shunt switches each have a uniform size.

In several embodiments, the shunt switches of the first plurality of shunt switches each have different sizes. According to a number of embodiments, the size of the shunt increases switches of the first plurality of shunt switches gradually turn off along a length of the first transmission line.

In some embodiments, the first transmission line includes a plurality of meandering sections. According to various embodiments, at least one of the plurality of meandering sections includes a loop.

In several embodiments, the second controllable reflective load includes a second transmission line and a second plurality of shunt switches coupled along the second transmission line.

In various embodiments, the phase shifter further includes a hybrid coupler including the pair of coupled lines.

In certain embodiments, the present disclosure relates to a phase shifting method. The method includes receiving a radio frequency input signal at a first port. The method further includes controlling a first controllable reflective load and a second controllable reflective load to control a phase shift of a radio frequency output signal at a second port, of which the first controllable reflective load comprises a first transmission line and a plurality of shunt switches connected along the first transmission line is coupled. The method further includes providing a coupling between a first conductive line and a second conductive line, of which the first conductive line is coupled between the first terminal and the first controllable reflective load, and the second conductive line is coupled between the second controllable reflective load and the second port is paired.

In various embodiments, the first controllable reflective load further includes a first ground line on a first side of the first transmission line and a second ground line on a second side of the first transmission line. According to several embodiments, each of the first plurality of shunt switches is formed as a pair of field effect transistors including a first field effect transistor coupled between the first transmission line and the first ground line and a second field effect transistor coupled between the first transmission line and the second ground line.

In a number of embodiments, the method further includes closing one or more of the first plurality of shunt switches based on a phase shift setting of the phase shifter.

In several embodiments, the first plurality of shunt switches are connected to the first transmission line at a plurality of points that are evenly spaced from each other.

In various embodiments, the first plurality of shunt switches is connected to the first transmission line at a plurality of points that are not evenly spaced from each other. According to a number of embodiments, the distance between adjacent points of the plurality of points gradually decreases along a length of the first transmission line.

In a number of embodiments, the shunt switches of the first plurality of shunt switches are each of a uniform size.

In some embodiments, the shunt switches of the first plurality of shunt switches each have different sizes. In accordance with various embodiments, the shunt switches of the first plurality of shunt switches gradually increase in size along a length of the first transmission line.

In a number of embodiments, the first transmission line comprises a plurality of meandering sections. According to several embodiments, at least one of the plurality of meandering sections includes a loop.

In various embodiments, the second controllable reflective load includes a second transmission line and a second plurality of shunt switches coupled along the second transmission line.

In some embodiments, the phase shifter further includes a hybrid coupler including the pair of coupled lines.

In certain embodiments, the present disclosure relates to a phase shifter. The phase shifter includes a coupler having an input port, a through port, a first coupled line coupled between the input port and the through port, an isolation port, a coupling port, and a second coupled line coupled between the isolation port and the coupling port. The phase shifter further includes an input port coupled to the input port of the coupler and configured to receive a radio frequency input signal, an output port coupled to the coupling port and configured to output a radio frequency output signal having a phase shift with respect to the radio frequency input signal , and a first controllable reflective load coupled to the through port of the coupler. The first controllable reflective load includes a transmission line and a plurality of shunt switches each coupled between a ground voltage and one of different points along the transmission line and selectable to control the phase shift.

In various embodiments, the first controllable reflective load further includes a first ground line on a first side of the transmission line and a second ground line on a second side of the transmission line. According to a number of embodiments, each of the first plurality of shunt switches is formed as a pair of field effect transistors including a first field effect transistor coupled between the transmission line and the first ground line and a second field effect transistor coupled between the transmission line and the second ground line.

In several embodiments, the first plurality of shunt switches is connected to the transmission line at a plurality of points that are not evenly spaced from each other. According to a number of embodiments, the distance between adjacent points of the plurality of points gradually decreases along a length of the transmission line.

In various embodiments, the shunt switches of the first plurality of shunt switches each have different sizes. According to a number of embodiments, the shunt switches of the first plurality of shunt switches gradually increase in size along a length of the transmission line.

In several embodiments, the transmission line includes a plurality of meandering sections. According to some embodiments, at least one of the plurality of meandering sections includes a loop.

In a number of embodiments, the phase shifter includes a second controllable reflective load coupled to the isolation port of the coupler.

In certain embodiments, the present disclosure relates to a wireless device. The wireless device includes a transceiver and a front end system coupled to the transceiver. The front-end system includes a phase shifter that includes a coupler having an input port, a through port, a first coupled line coupled between the input port and the through port, an isolation port, a coupling port, and a second coupled line coupled between the isolation port and the coupling port is, includes. The phase shifter further includes a first controllable reflective load coupled to the coupler thru port and having a transmission line and a plurality of shunt switches each coupled between a ground voltage and one of different points along the transmission line and selectable to switch the control phase shift.

In some embodiments, the first controllable reflective load further includes a first ground line on a first side of the transmission line and a second ground line on a second side of the transmission line. According to a number of embodiments, each of the first plurality of shunt switches is formed as a pair of field effect transistors including a first field effect transistor coupled between the transmission line and the first ground line and a second field effect transistor coupled between the transmission line and the second ground line.

In various embodiments, the first plurality of shunt switches is connected to the transmission line at a plurality of points that are not evenly spaced from each other. According to some embodiments, the spacing between adjacent points of the plurality of points gradually decreases along a length of the transmission line.

In several embodiments, the shunt switches of the first plurality of shunt switches each have different sizes. According to a number of embodiments, the shunt switches of the first plurality of shunt switches gradually increase in size along a length of the transmission line.

In some embodiments, the wireless device further includes a second controllable reflective load coupled to the isolation port of the coupler.

In certain embodiments, the present disclosure relates to a phase shifting method. The method includes receiving a radio frequency input signal at a first port of a coupler. The method further comprises providing a coupling between a first coupled line of the coupler and a second coupled line of the coupler, of which the first coupled line is coupled between the input port of the coupler and a through port of the coupler and of which the second coupled line is between a Isolation port of the coupler and a coupling port of the coupler is coupled. The method further includes providing a radio frequency output signal at the coupling port of the coupler that has a phase shift with respect to the radio frequency input signal. The method further includes controlling the phase shift using a first controllable reflective load coupled to the through port of the coupler, including selecting one or more of a plurality of first controllable reflective load shunt switches each between a ground voltage and one of are coupled to different points along a transmission line of the first controllable reflective load.

In some embodiments, the method further includes controlling a second controllable reflective load coupled to the isolation port of the coupler.

In certain embodiments, the present disclosure relates to a phase shifter. The phase shifter has a first port, a second port, a first controllable reflective load, and a second controllable reflective load with a first transmission line and a first plurality of shunt switches. The phase shifter further includes a pair of coupled lines that are electromagnetically coupled to each other. The pair of coupled lines includes a first conductive line coupled between the first port and the first controllable reflective load and a second conductive line coupled between the second controllable reflective load and the second port.

In various embodiments, the second controllable reflective load further includes a first ground line on a first side of the first transmission line and a second ground line on a second side of the first transmission line. According to several embodiments, each of the first plurality of shunt switches is formed as a pair of field effect transistors including a first field effect transistor coupled between the first transmission line and the first ground line and a second field effect transistor coupled between the first transmission line and the second ground line.

According to a number of embodiments, one or more of the first plurality of shunt switches are closed based on a phase shift setting of the phase shifter.

In some embodiments, the first port receives a radio frequency input signal and the second port provides a phase-shifted radio frequency output signal.

In several embodiments, the second port receives a radio frequency input signal and the first port provides a phase-shifted radio frequency output signal.

In various embodiments, the first plurality of shunt switches is connected to the first transmission line at a plurality of points that are evenly spaced from one another.

In some embodiments, the first plurality of shunt switches is connected to the first transmission line at a plurality of points that are not evenly spaced from each other. According to a number of embodiments, the distance between adjacent points of the plurality of points gradually decreases along a length of the first transmission line.

In a number of embodiments, the shunt switches of the first plurality of shunt switches are each of a uniform size.

According to a number of embodiments, the shunt switches of the first plurality of shunt switches each have different sizes. According to some embodiments, the shunt switches of the first plurality of shunt switches gradually increase in size along a length of the first transmission line.

In various embodiments, the first transmission line includes a plurality of meandering sections. According to a number of embodiments, at least one of the plurality of meandering sections includes a loop.

In several embodiments, the first controllable reflective load includes a second transmission line and a second plurality of shunt switches coupled along the second transmission line.

In some embodiments, the phase shifter further includes a hybrid coupler including the pair of coupled lines.

In certain embodiments, the present disclosure relates to a wireless device. The wireless device includes a transceiver and a front end system coupled to the transceiver. The front end system includes a phase shifter having a first port, a second port, a first controllable reflective load, and a second controllable reflective load with a first transmission line and a first plurality of shunt switches. The phase shifter includes a pair of coupled lines that are electromagnetically coupled to each other. The pair of coupled lines includes a first conductive line coupled between the first port and the first controllable reflective load and a second conductive line coupled between the second controllable reflective load and the second port.

In various embodiments, the second controllable reflective load further includes a first ground line on a first side of the first transmission line and a second ground line on a second side of the first transmission line. According to a number of embodiments, each of the first plurality of shunt switches is formed as a pair of field effect transistors, including a first field effect transistor coupled between the first transmission line and the first ground line and a second field effect transistor coupled between the first transmission line and the second ground line having.

In several embodiments, one or more of the first plurality of shunt switches are closed based on a phase shift setting of the phase shifter.

In various embodiments, the first port receives a radio frequency input signal and the second port provides a phase-shifted radio frequency output signal.

In some embodiments, the second port receives a radio frequency input signal and the first port provides a phase-shifted radio frequency output signal.

In a number of embodiments, the first plurality of shunt switches are connected to the first transmission line at a plurality of points that are evenly spaced from one another.

In several embodiments, the first plurality of shunt switches is connected to the first transmission line at a plurality of points that are not evenly spaced from each other. According to a number of embodiments, the distance between adjacent points of the plurality of points gradually decreases along a length of the first transmission line.

In various embodiments, the shunt switches of the first plurality of shunt switches each have a uniform size.

In several embodiments, the shunt switches of the first plurality of shunt switches each have different sizes. According to a number of embodiments, the shunt switches of the first plurality of shunt switches gradually increase in size along a length of the first transmission line.

In a number of embodiments, the first transmission line comprises a plurality of meandering sections. According to various embodiments, at least one of the plurality of meandering sections includes a loop.

In some embodiments, the first controllable reflective load includes a second transmission line and a second plurality of shunt switches coupled along the second transmission line.

In several embodiments, the phase shifter further includes a hybrid coupler including the pair of coupled lines.

In certain embodiments, a phase shifting method is provided. The method includes receiving a radio frequency input signal at a first port. The method further includes controlling a first controllable reflective load and a second controllable reflective load to control a phase shift of a radio frequency output signal at a second port, of which the first controllable reflective load comprises a first transmission line and a plurality of shunt switches connected along the first conductive line is coupled. The method further includes providing a coupling between a first conductive line and a second conductive line, of which the first conductive line is coupled between the first terminal and the first controllable reflective load, and the second conductive line is coupled between the second controllable reflective load and the second port is paired.

In several embodiments, the second controllable reflective load further includes a first ground line on a first side of the first transmission line and a second ground line on a second side of the first transmission line. According to some embodiments, each of the first plurality of shunt switches is formed as a pair of field effect transistors, including a first field effect transistor coupled between the first transmission line and the first ground line and a second field effect transistor coupled between the first transmission line and the second ground line.

In a number of embodiments, the method further includes closing one or more of the first plurality of shunt switches based on a phase shift setting of the phase shifter.

In various embodiments, the first plurality of shunt switches is connected to the first transmission line at a plurality of points that are evenly spaced from one another.

In several embodiments, the first plurality of shunt switches is connected to the first transmission line at a plurality of points that are not evenly spaced from each other. According to a number of embodiments, the distance between adjacent points of the plurality of points gradually decreases along a length of the first transmission line.

In various embodiments, the shunt switches of the first plurality of shunt switches each have a uniform size.

In some embodiments, the shunt switches of the first plurality of shunt switches each have different sizes. According to a number of embodiments, the shunt switches of the first plurality of shunt switches gradually decrease in size along a length of the first transmission line.

In several embodiments, the first transmission line includes a plurality of meandering sections. According to a number of embodiments, at least one of the plurality of meandering sections includes a loop.

In various embodiments, the first controllable reflective load includes a second transmission line and a second plurality of shunt switches coupled along the second transmission line.

In some embodiments, the phase shifter further includes a hybrid coupler including the pair of coupled lines.

character list

• 1 ist eine schematische Darstellung eines Beispiels eines Kommunikationsnetzes.
• 2A ist ein schematisches Diagramm einer Ausführungsform eines strahlformenden Kommunikationssystems.
• 2B ist ein schematisches Diagramm eines Beispiels für die Strahlformung zur Bereitstellung eines Sendestrahls.
• 2C ist ein schematisches Diagramm eines Beispiels für die Strahlformung zur Bereitstellung eines Empfangsstrahls.
• 3 ist eine schematische Darstellung eines Phasenschiebers gemäß einer Ausführungsform.
• 4A ist eine schematische Darstellung einer geschalteten Übertragungsleitung gemäß einer Ausführungsform.
• 4B ist eine schematische Darstellung einer geschalteten Übertragungsleitung gemäß einer anderen Ausführungsform.
• 5A ist eine schematische Darstellung einer geschalteten Übertragungsleitung gemäß einer anderen Ausführungsform.
• 5B ist eine schematische Darstellung einer geschalteten Übertragungsleitung gemäß einer anderen Ausführungsform.
• 6 ist eine schematische Darstellung einer geschalteten Übertragungsleitung gemäß einer anderen Ausführungsform.
• 7 ist eine schematische Darstellung einer geschalteten Übertragungsleitung gemäß einer anderen Ausführungsform.
• 8 ist eine schematische Darstellung einer mobilen Vorrichtung gemäß einer Ausführungsform.
• 9A ist eine schematische Darstellung eines HF-Kanals gemäß einer Ausführungsform.
• 9B ist eine schematische Darstellung eines HF-Kanals gemäß einer anderen Ausführungsform.
• 10A ist eine perspektivische Darstellung einer Ausführungsform eines strahlformenden Moduls.
• 10B ist eine Schnittansicht des Moduls aus 10A, das entlang der Linien 10B-10B genommen wurde.

Embodiments of this disclosure will now be described by way of non-limiting example with reference to the accompanying drawings.

• 1 Figure 12 is a schematic representation of an example of a communications network.
• 2A Figure 12 is a schematic diagram of one embodiment of a beamforming communication system.
• 2 B Figure 12 is a schematic diagram of an example of beamforming to provide a transmit beam.
• 2C Figure 12 is a schematic diagram of an example of beamforming to provide a receive beam.
• 3 12 is a schematic representation of a phase shifter according to an embodiment.
• 4A 12 is a schematic representation of a switched transmission line according to an embodiment.
• 4B 12 is a schematic representation of a switched transmission line according to another embodiment.
• 5A 12 is a schematic representation of a switched transmission line according to another embodiment.
• 5B 12 is a schematic representation of a switched transmission line according to another embodiment.
• 6 12 is a schematic representation of a switched transmission line according to another embodiment.
• 7 12 is a schematic representation of a switched transmission line according to another embodiment.
• 8th 12 is a schematic representation of a mobile device according to an embodiment.
• 9A 12 is a schematic representation of an RF channel according to an embodiment.
• 9B 12 is a schematic representation of an RF channel according to another embodiment.
• 10A 12 is a perspective view of one embodiment of a beam-shaping module.
• 10B is a sectional view of the module 10A , which was taken along lines 10B-10B.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF CERTAIN EMBODIMENTS

The following detailed description of certain embodiments constitutes various descriptions of certain embodiments. However, the innovations described herein may be embodied in a variety of ways, such as by the definition and scope of the claims. In this description, reference is made to the drawings, where like reference numbers may indicate identical or functionally similar elements. It should be noted that the elements depicted in the figures are not necessarily drawn to scale. Additionally, it is understood that certain embodiments may include more elements than depicted in a drawing and/or a subset of the elements depicted in a drawing. In addition, can some embodiments include any suitable combination of features from two or more drawings.

The International Telecommunication Union (ITU) is a specialized agency of the United Nations (UN) responsible for global information and communications technology issues, including the global sharing of radio spectrum.

The 3rd Generation Partnership Project (3GPP) is a collaboration between groups of telecommunications standardization bodies around the world, such as the Association of Radio Industries and Businesses (ARIB), the Telecommunications Technology Committee (TTC), the China Communications Standards Association (CCSA) , the Alliance for Telecommunications Industry Solutions (ATIS), the Telecommunications Technology Association (TTA), the European Telecommunications Standards Institute (ETSI) and the Telecommunications Standards Development Society India (TSDSI).

As part of the ITU, 3GPP develops and maintains technical specifications for a variety of mobile communications technologies, including, for example, second generation (2G) technology (e.g. Global System for Mobile Communications (GSM) and Enhanced Data Rates for GSM Evolution (EDGE)), the technology third generation (3G) (e.g. Universal Mobile Telecommunications System (UMTS) and High Speed Packet Access (HSPA)), as well as fourth generation (4G) technology (e.g. Long Term Evolution (LTE) and LTE-Advanced).

The technical specifications controlled by 3GPP can be expanded and revised through specification versions, which can span several years and specify a variety of new functions and developments.

In one example, in Release 10, 3GPP introduced Carrier Aggregation (Carrier Aggregation; CA) for LTE. Although originally introduced with two downlink carriers (downlink bearers), in Release 14 3GPP extended carrier aggregation to up to five downlink carriers and up to three uplink carriers (uplink bearers). Other examples of new features and developments provided by 3GPP releases include License Assisted Access (LAA), Enhanced LAA (eLAA), Narrowband Internet of Things (NB-IOT), Vehicle-to-Everything (V2X) and High Power User Equipment (HPUE).

3GPP introduced phase 1 of fifth generation (5G) technology in Release 15 and introduced phase 2 of 5G technology in Release 16. Later 3GPP versions will further develop and expand 5G technology. The 5G technology is also referred to here as 5G New Radio (NR).

5G NR supports or plans to support a variety of features such as millimeter wave spectrum communications, beam formability, high spectral efficiency waveforms, low latency communications, multiple radio numerology, and/or non-orthogonal multiple access (NOMA). Although such RF functionalities provide flexibility to networks and increase user data rates, supporting such features can present a number of technical challenges.

The teachings contained herein apply to a variety of communications systems, including but not limited to communications systems using advanced cellular technologies such as LTE-Advanced, LTE-Advanced Pro, and/or 5G NR.

1 1 is a schematic diagram of an example of a communication network 10. The communication network 10 includes a macrocell base station 1, a small cell base station 3 and various examples of user equipment (UE), including a first mobile device 2a, a wirelessly connected car 2b, a laptop 2c, a stationary wireless device 2d, a wirelessly connected train 2e, a second mobile device 2f and a third mobile device 2g.

Although in 1 While specific examples of base stations and user equipment are shown, a communications network may include base stations and user equipment/terminals of a wide variety of types and/or numbers.

In the illustrated example, the communication network 10 includes, for example, the macro cell base station 1 and the small cell base station 3. The small cell base station 3 can be relatively small be operated with lower power, lower range and/or with fewer simultaneous users compared to the macrocell base station 1. The small cell base station 3 can also be referred to as a femto cell, pico cell or micro cell. Although communications network 10 is illustrated as including two base stations, communications network 10 may be implemented to include more or fewer base stations and/or other types of base stations.

Although various examples of user equipment are shown, the teachings contained herein are applicable to a variety of user equipment including, but not limited to, cell phones, tablets, laptops, IoT devices, wearables, customer premises equipment", CPE), wirelessly connected vehicles, wireless playback devices and/or a variety of other communication devices. Furthermore, user equipment includes not only currently available communication devices operating in a cellular network, but also later developed communication devices that are readily realizable with the inventive systems, processes, methods, methods, and devices described and claimed herein.

The illustrated communication network 10 of 1 supports communication with a variety of cellular technologies, including, for example, 4G LTE and 5G NR. In certain implementations, the communication network 10 is further adapted to provide a wireless local area network (WLAN), such as WiFi. Although various examples of communication technologies have been given, the communication network 10 can be adapted to support a wide variety of communication technologies.

In 1 different communication connections of the communication network 10 are shown. The communication links can be duplexed in a variety of ways, such as frequency division multiplexing (FDD) and/or time division duplexing (TDD). FDD is a type of radio frequency communication that uses different frequencies to send and receive signals. FDD can provide a number of benefits, such as high data rates and low latency. In contrast, TDD is a type of radio frequency communication that uses approximately the same frequency for transmitting and receiving signals, and in which transmission and reception communications are time-switched. TDD can offer a number of advantages, such as efficient use of spectrum and variable splitting of throughput between transmit and receive directions.

In certain implementations, user equipments can communicate with a base station via one or more of 4G LTE, 5G NR, and WiFi technologies. In certain implementations, Enhanced License Assisted Access (eLAA) is used to aggregate one or more licensed spectrum carriers (e.g. licensed 4G LTE and/or 5G NR spectrum) with one or more unlicensed carriers (e.g. unlicensed WiFi spectrum).

As in 1 As illustrated, the communication links include not only communication links between UE and base stations, but also UE to UE communications and base station to base station communications. For example, the communication network 10 can be implemented to support self-fronthaul and/or self-backhaul (eg between mobile device 2g and mobile device 2f).

The communication links can operate over a variety of frequencies. In certain implementations, communication with 5G NR technology is supported over one or more frequency bands that are less than 6 gigahertz (GHz) and/or over one or more frequency bands that are greater than 6 GHz. For example, the communication links may serve frequency range 1 (FR1), frequency range 2 (FR2), or a combination thereof. In one embodiment, one or more of the mobile devices support an HPUE power class specification.

In certain implementations, a base station and/or user equipment communicate using beamforming. For example, beamforming can be used to focus signal strength to overcome path losses, such as high losses when communicating over high signal frequencies. In certain embodiments, user equipment, such as one or more cellular phones, communicate using beamforming at millimeter wave frequency bands in the range of 30 GHz to 300 GHz and/or upper centimeter wave frequencies in the range of 6 GHz to 30 GHz, particularly 24 GHz to 30 GHz.

Different users of the communication network 10 can share available network resources, such as the available frequency spectrum, in a variety of ways.

In one example, Frequency Division Multiple Access (FDMA) is used to divide a frequency band into multiple frequency carriers. In addition, one or more carriers are assigned to a specific user. Examples of FDMA include Single Carrier FDMA (SC-FDMA) and Orthogonal FDMA (OFDMA). OFDMA is a multi-carrier technology that divides the available bandwidth into several mutually orthogonal narrowband sub-carriers that can be assigned separately to different users.

Other examples of shared access include, but are not limited to, time division multiple access (TDMA), in which a user is allocated specific time slots for use of a frequency resource, code division multiple access (CDMA), in which a frequency resource shared by different users by assigning each user a unique code, spatial division multiple access (SDMA), which uses beamforming to provide shared access through spatial division, and non-orthogonal multiple access (NOMA), which uses the power domain for multiple access is used. For example, NOMA can be used to serve multiple users with the same frequency, time and/or code but with different power levels.

Enhanced Mobile Broadband (eMBB) describes a technology for increasing the system capacity of LTE networks. For example, eMBB can refer to communications with a maximum data rate of at least 10Gbps and a minimum of 100Mbps for each user. Highly Reliable Low Latency Communication (uRLLC) refers to technologies for communication with very low latency, e.g. less than 2 milliseconds. uRLLC can be used for mission-critical communications, such as for autonomous driving and/or remote surgery applications. Massive Machine-Like Communications (mMTC) refers to low-cost, low-data-rate communications associated with wireless connections to everyday objects, such as those associated with Internet of Things (IoT) applications.

The communication network 10 of 1 can be used to support a variety of advanced communication functions including but not limited to eMBB, uRLLC and/or mMTC.

2A 1 is a schematic representation of an example of a communication system 110 that employs beamforming. The communication system 110 includes a transceiver 105, signal conditioning circuits 104a1, 104a2...104an, 104b1, 104b2...104bn, 104m1, 104m2...104mn and an antenna array 102, the antenna elements 103a1, 103a2...103an, 103b2, 103b2 ... 103bn, 103m1, 103m2 ... 103mn included.

Communication systems that communicate over millimeter wave carrier, centimeter wave carrier, and/or other frequency carriers may use an antenna array, such as antenna array 102, to provide beamforming and directivity for the transmission and/or reception of signals.

For example, in the illustrated embodiment, the communication system 110 includes an array or array 102 of m x n antenna elements, each controlled by a separate signal conditioning circuit in this embodiment. As can be seen from the ellipses, the communication system 110 can be implemented with any number of antenna elements and signal conditioning circuitry.

With respect to signal transmission, the signal conditioning circuits 104a1, 104a2... 104an, 104b1, 104b2... 104bn, 104m1, 104m2... 104mn can provide transmit signals to the antenna array 102 so that signals radiated from the antenna elements using constructive and destructive Interferences are combined to produce an aggregated transmit signal that exhibits beam-like characteristics with more signal strength when propagating in a given direction away from the antenna array 102.

As part of signal reception, the signal conditioning circuits 104a1, 104a2... 104an, 104b1, 104b2... 104bn, 104m1, 104m2... 104mn process the received signals (e.g. by separate Controlling received signal phases and amplitudes so that more signal energy is received when the signal enters the antenna array 102 from a particular direction. Accordingly, the communication system 110 also provides directionality for receiving signals.

The relative concentration of signal energy in a transmit or receive beam can be increased by increasing the size of the array. For example, focusing more signal energy into a transmit beam allows the signal to be spread over a longer range while still providing sufficient signal level for RF communications. For example, a signal with a large fraction of the signal energy focused into the transmit beam may have a high Effective Isotopic Radiated Power (EIRP).

In the illustrated embodiment, transceiver 105 provides transmit signals to signal conditioning circuits 104a1, 104a2...104an, 104b1, 104b2...104bn, 104m1, 104m2...104mn and processes the signals received from the signal conditioning circuits.

As in 2A 1, transceiver 105 generates control signals for signal conditioning circuits 104a1, 104a2...104an, 104b1, 104b2...104bn, 104m1, 104m2...104mn. The control signals can be used for a variety of functions, such as adjusting the phase and/or amplitude of transmitted or received signals for beamforming. For example, each of the signal conditioning circuits 104a1, 104a2...104an, 104b1, 104b2...104bn, 104m1, 104m2...104mn may include a phase shifter configured in accordance with the teachings disclosed herein.

2 B Figure 12 is a schematic diagram of one embodiment for beamforming to provide a transmit beam. 2 B Figure 1 illustrates a portion of a communication system that includes a first signal conditioning circuit 114a, a second signal conditioning circuit 114b, a first antenna element 113a, and a second antenna element 113b.

Although shown with two antenna elements and two signal conditioning circuits, a communication system may include additional antenna elements and/or signal conditioning circuitry. For example, illustrated 2 B an embodiment of a portion of communication system 110 of FIG 2A .

The first signal conditioning circuit 114a includes a first phase shifter 130a, a first power amplifier 131a, a first low noise amplifier (LNA) 132a, and switches for controlling selection of the power amplifier 131a or the LNA 132a. In addition, the second signal conditioning circuit 114b includes a second phase shifter 130b, a second power amplifier 131b, a second LNA 132b, and switches for controlling selection of the power amplifier 131b or the LNA 132b. The first phase shifter 130a and the second phase shifter 130b can be configured according to any of the embodiments described herein.

Although one embodiment of signal conditioning circuitry is illustrated, other implementations of signal conditioning circuitry are possible. For example, in one example, a signal conditioning circuit includes one or more bandpass filters, switches, attenuators, amplifiers, phase shifters, duplexers, diplexers, triplexers, circulators, and/or other components.

In the illustrated embodiment, the first antenna element 113a and the second antenna element 113b are separated by a distance d. Additionally became 2 B with an angle Θ, which in this example has a value of about 90° when the transmit beam direction is substantially perpendicular to a plane of the antenna array and a value of about 0° when the transmit beam direction is substantially parallel to the plane of the antenna array is.

By controlling the relative phase of the transmit signals provided to the antenna elements 113a, 113b, a desired transmit beam angle θ can be achieved. For example, if the first phase shifter 130a has a reference value of 0°, the second phase shifter 130b can be controlled to provide a phase shift of approximately -2πf(d/ν)cosθ radians, where f is the fundamental frequency of the transmit signal, d is the is the distance between the antenna elements, v is the speed of the radiated wave and π is the mathematical constant pi.

In certain implementations, the distance d is implemented to be ½λ, where λ is the wavelength of the fundamental component of the transmit signal. In such implementations, the second phase shifter 130b can be controlled to provide a phase shift of approximately πcosθ radians to achieve a transmit beam angle θ.

Accordingly, the relative phase of the phase shifters 130a, 130b can be controlled to enable transmit beamforming. In certain implementations, a transceiver (eg, transceiver 105 of 2A ) phase values from one or more phase shifters to control beamforming.

2C Figure 12 is a schematic diagram of one embodiment for beamforming to provide a receive beam. 2C is similar to 2 B , except that 2C depicts beamforming in the context of a receive beam and not a transmit beam.

As in 2C As illustrated, a relative phase difference between the first phase shifter 130a and the second phase shifter 130b can be chosen to be approximately equal to -2πf(d/ν)cosθ radians to achieve a desired receive beam angle θ. In implementations where the distance d is approximately ½λ, the phase difference can be chosen approximately equal to -πcosθ radians to achieve a received beam angle θ.

Although various equations for phase values for beamforming have been provided, other phase selection values are possible, such as phase values selected based on antenna array implementation, signal conditioning circuit implementation, and/or radio environment.

Phase shifters with switched transmission line loads

Phase shifters are used in radio frequency (RF) systems to achieve controllable phase matching to an RF signal.

Phase shifters with switched transmission line loads are described herein. In certain embodiments, the phase shifter includes a first port, a first controllable reflective load, a second port, a second controllable reflective load, and a pair of coupled lines that are electromagnetically coupled to each other. The pair of coupled lines includes a first conductive line coupled between the first port and the first controllable reflective load and a second conductive line coupled between the second controllable reflective load and the second port. At least one of the first controllable reflective load and the second controllable reflective load includes a switched transmission line.

Designing a phase shifter in this form imparts high frequency performance (e.g., operation in FR2 such as in the 24 GHz to 30 GHz range). In addition, a good return loss can be achieved or the return loss can remain relatively constant over the range of the phase settings of the phase shifter. In addition, the phase shifter's group delay does not change much with frequency and therefore does not distort broadband signals.

The first controllable reflective load and the second controllable reflective load are controlled based on a selected phase setting of the phase shifter. In certain implementation forms, each controllable reflective load is formed using a switched transmission line load. Such switched transmission line loads may include a transmission line and shunt switches (e.g., field effect transistors or FETs) connected between the transmission line and a reference voltage, such as ground. By selecting the combination of switches that are turned on, an effective electrical length of the transmission line can be controlled. As the effective electrical length changes, the phase shift imparted by the phase shifter is also changed.

The common mode impedance, the differential mode impedance, and the length of the coupled lines can be adjusted during design to achieve desired performance characteristics. In certain implementation forms, the pair of coupled lines is used as a coupler, such as a 3- dB 90° coupler (also referred to herein as a hybrid coupler). The hybrid coupler works in combination with the controllable reflective loads to achieve a desired performance.

The phase shifters can be used in a variety of applications, including but not limited to providing phase shifting in RF signal conditioning circuits for beamforming applications.

In certain implementation forms listed herein, a phase shifter is configured to phase shift an RF signal in frequency range 2 (FR2) of 5G, for example between 24.25 GHz and 52.6 GHz. However, the phase shifters can also operate at other RF signal frequencies.

3 12 is a schematic block diagram of a phase shifter 210 according to one embodiment. The phase shifter 210 includes a pair of coupled lines 200 (corresponding to a hybrid coupler in this embodiment), a first controllable reflective load 201 (also referred to herein as variable electrical load), a second controllable reflective load 202, an input terminal IN and an output terminal OUT. The coupled lines include a first conductive line 203 and a second conductive line 204 which are electromagnetically coupled to each other.

In the illustrated embodiment, a first end 207a of the first conductive line 203 is coupled to the input port IN and a second end 207b of the first conductive line 203 is coupled to the first controllable reflective load 201 . Additionally, a first end 208a of the second conductive line 204 is coupled to the second controllable reflective load 202 and a second end 208b of the second conductive line 204 is coupled to the output terminal OUT. The first end 207a of the first conductive line 203 and the first end 208a of the second conductive line 204 lie on a first side of the coupled line 200, while the second end 207b of the first conductive line 203 and the second end 208b of the second conductive line 204 lie on it a second or opposite side of the coupled line 200 lie.

In this embodiment, the pair of coupled lines 200 is designed as a hybrid coupler. In addition, the first end 207a corresponds to an input port (IN) of the coupler, the second end 207b corresponds to a through port (0°) of the coupler, the first end 208a corresponds to an isolation port (ISO) of the coupler, and the second end 208b corresponds to a coupling port (90°) of the coupler.

At least one of the first and second controllable reflective loads 201 and 202, respectively, is configured using a switched transmission line in accordance with the teachings disclosed herein.

By designing phase shifter 210 in this manner, high frequency performance, good return loss, and/or constant return loss over a range of phase settings can be achieved. In addition, the group delay of phase shifter 210 varies little with frequency and therefore does not distort broadband signals.

In certain implementation forms, the first and second controllable reflective loads 201 and 202, respectively, are controlled based on a selected phasing of the phase shifter 210 to thereby change the electrical length of the transmission lines of the reflective loads. For example, the first and second controllable reflective loads 201 and 202, respectively, can each be implemented as a switched transmission line controlled by a common control signal.

The common mode impedance, differential mode impedance, and length of the coupled lines 200 can be adjusted during design to achieve desired performance characteristics. The coupled lines 200 work in concert with the controllable reflective loads 201 and 202, respectively, to achieve a desired performance.

4A FIG. 2 is a schematic block diagram of a switched transmission line 230 according to an embodiment. The switched transmission line 230 comprises a transmission line 221, an RF input RF _IN of the transmission line 221, shunt switches 222a, 222b, 222c, ... 222n and a Control circuit 223. This includes n shunt switches, where n is an integer multiple of 2 or more, more preferably 4 or more.

The switched transmission line 230 of 4A Figure 12 illustrates an embodiment of a controllable reflective load configured in accordance with the teachings herein.

In the illustrated embodiment, the control circuit 223 opens or closes the shunt switches 222a, 222b, 222c, ... 222n based on a selected phase shift setting φ. The shunt switches 222a, 222b, 222c, ... 222n are connected along the transmission line 221 along different positions. Shunt switches 222a, 222b, 222c, ... 222n selectively connect transmission line 221 to ground.

By changing the on and off shunt switches 222a, 222b, 222c, ... 222n, the electric length of the transmission line 221 is changed. This in turn affects the overall phase shift of a reflective-type phase shifter in which the switched transmission line 221 is embedded.

In certain implementation forms, the control circuit 224 turns on all switches (or at least the shunt switch 222a closest to RF _IN ) to provide the shortest electrical length of the transmission line 221. Starting from a condition where all shunt switches are closed, incrementally longer electrical lengths can be achieved by sequentially opening (turning off) the shunt switches, beginning with the shunt switch 222a closest to RF _IN .

4B 12 is a schematic block diagram of a switched transmission line 230' according to another embodiment.

The switched transmission line 230' of FIG 4B is analogous to the switched transmission line 230 of FIG 4A constructed, with the exception that the switched transmission line 230 'of the 4B a control circuit 223' with a thermometer decoder 224 (BCD decoder).

In certain embodiments provided herein, a switched transmission line includes shunt switches that are controlled using BCD counting codes.

5A 12 is a schematic block diagram of a switched transmission line 240 according to another embodiment. The switched transmission line 240 includes a transmission line 231, a first ground line 233a, a second ground line 233b, and pairs of FET switches 232a1/232a2, 232b1/232b2, 232c1/232c2, ... 232n1/232n2. This includes n shunt switches, where n is an integer multiple of 2 or more, more preferably 4 or more.

Compared to the switched transmission line 230 of FIG 4A implements the switched transmission line 240 of FIG 5A each shunt switch using a pair of FET switches. In addition, each pair of FET switches includes one FET switch (e.g., FET switch 232a1) coupled between the transmission line 231 and the first ground line 233a, and another FET switch (e.g., FET switch 232a1), which is coupled between the transmission line 231 and the first ground line 233b. In certain implementation forms, each pair of FET switches is jointly controlled by a respective control signal (e.g., n control signals for each pair generated by a control circuit, such as control circuit 223 of FIG 4A ).

Improved performance (particularly at high frequencies) can be achieved by designing the shunt switches using FET switches as shown.

5B 12 is a schematic block diagram of a switched transmission line 250 according to another embodiment. The switched transmission line 250 includes a transmission line 231, a first ground line 233a, a second ground line 233b, and pairs of FET switches 242a1/242a2, 242b1/242b2, 242c1/242c2, ... 242n1/242n2.

The switched transmission line 250 of 5B is analogous to the switched transmission line 240 of FIG 5A constructed, except that the switched transmission line 250 of 5B Have shunt switches of different sizes (and consequently different minimum contact resistances and turn-off capacities) and different distances from each other.

Configuring the switched transmission line 250 in this manner offers a number of advantages.

For example, the minimum on-state resistances (Ron) of the shunt switches can be individually selected to maintain a substantially constant reflection coefficient (|Γ _L |) across switch states (corresponding to phase shift settings). In certain implementation forms, Ron can be reduced as the phase shift increases, so that switches closer to the RF input of the transmission line can be smaller (for higher minimum contact resistances) than switches further away from the RF input.

In another example, the distances along the transmission line 231 (d ₁ , d ₂ . . . d _n ) between the switches are chosen to control an amount of phase offset between adjacent phase shift settings.

For example, a phase offset of 11.25° at a center frequency of 27 GHz can be achieved by appropriate selection of distances between switches.

When the switched transmission line 250 is designed, the off-state capacitance (Coff) is considered in terms of its influence on the characteristic impedance and propagation constant of the transmission line 231 . For example, the switches and transmission line can be designed simultaneously and iteratively.

6 12 is a schematic block diagram of a switched transmission line 260 according to another embodiment. The switched transmission line 260 comprises a transmission line 251, an RF input RF _IN of the transmission line 251, shunt switches 222a, 222b, 222c, ... 222n and a control circuit 223.

The switched transmission line 260 of 6 is analogous to the switched transmission line 230 of FIG 4A constructed, except that the transmission line 251 of 6 has sections 255a, 255b, ... 255n which are meandered in order to achieve a desired phase and/or amplitude response while maintaining a compact layout.

Meandering a transmission line is also applicable to configurations employing pairs of FET switches coupled to a pair of ground lines. For example, the transmission line 231 of the embodiments of FIGS 5A and 5B be meandered in accordance with the teachings herein.

7 FIG. 3 is a schematic block diagram of a switched transmission line 310 according to another embodiment. The switched transmission line 310 includes a transmission line 301, a first ground line 302a, a second ground line 302b, a first pair of switches 304a-304b, and a second pair of switches 305a-305b. Additional pairs of switches can be added as indicated by the ellipses.

In the example of 7 For example, the transmission line 301 comprises a first section 305a, which is meander-shaped in a small loop, and a second section 305b, which is meander-shaped without a loop. The embodiment of 7 Figure 12 illustrates another example of meandering to achieve a desired phase and/or amplitude response while maintaining a compact layout.

A wide variety of performance results can be achieved using reflective-type phase shifters designed in accordance with the teachings herein.

Table 1 below shows exemplary results for a phase shifter that can handle switched transmission line loads in accordance with an embodiment of FIG 5B uses. Table 1 Total phase range (deg.) RMS error in phase (deg.) RMS insertion loss error (dB) Difference between two states in worse case insertion loss (dB) Average Insertion Loss (dB) Worst Case Output Losses of Both Ports (dB) 24GHz 170 0.9 0.14 0.5 4.8 18 27GHz 191 1.1 0.2 0.65 4.9 24 30GHz 215 1.6 0.28 0.9 5.1 18

8th is a schematic diagram of an embodiment of a mobile device 800. The mobile device 800 includes a baseband system 801, a transceiver 802, a front-end system 803, antennas 804, a power control system 805, a memory 806, a user interface 807 and a battery 808.

Mobile device 800 can communicate over a variety of communication technologies including, but not limited to, 2G, 3G, 4G (including LTE, LTE-Advanced, and LTE-Advanced Pro), 5G NR, WLAN (e.g., Wi-Fi), WPAN ( e.g. Bluetooth and ZigBee). WMAN (e.g. WiMAX) and/or GPS technologies.

Transceiver 802 generates RF signals for transmission and processes incoming RF signals received by antennas 804 . It should be noted that various functionalities associated with the transmission and reception of RF signals can be achieved through one or more components included in 8th collectively represented as transceiver 802 . In one example, separate components (eg, separate circuits or dies) may be provided to process certain types of RF signals.

The front-end system 803 helps to condition signals that are sent and/or received by the antennas 804 . In the illustrated embodiment, front-end system 803 includes phase shifters 810, power amplifiers (PAs) 811, low noise amplifiers (LNAs) 812, filters 813, switches 814, and duplexers 815.

Phase shifters 810 may be implemented in accordance with any of the embodiments described herein. However, the phase shifters disclosed herein may be used in other electronic system configurations.

For example, the front end system 803 may provide a number of functions including, without limitation of generality, transmit signal amplification, receive signal amplification, signal filtering, switching between different bands, switching between different power modes, switching between transmit and receive modes, signal duplexing, signal multiplexing (e.g., diplexing or triplexing ) or any combination of these functions.

The mobile device 800 uses beamforming. For example, front end system 803 includes phase shifters 810 with variable phases controlled by transceiver 802 . In certain implementations, transceiver 802 controls the phase of phase shifters 810 based on data received from processor 801 .

The phase shifters 810 are controlled to provide beamforming and directivity for transmission and/or reception of signals using the antennas 804 . For example, in connection with signal transmission, the phases of the transmission signals that are provided to an antenna arrangement can be controlled in such a way that the emitted signals are combined under constructive and destructive interference in order to obtain a bundled transmission signal with beam-like properties, which has a has higher signal strength. In the context of signal reception, the phases can be controlled so that more signal energy is received when the signal arrives at the antenna array from a certain direction.

In certain implementations, mobile device 800 supports carrier aggregation, thus providing flexibility to increase peak data rates. Carrier aggregation can be used for both frequency division duplexing (FDD) and time division duplexing (TDD) and can be used to combine multiple carriers or channels. Carrier bundling includes contiguous bundling in which adjacent carriers within the same operating frequency band are multiplexed. Carrier aggregation may also be non-contiguous, and may include carriers that are frequency separated within a common band or in different bands.

The antennas 804 may include antennas used for a wide variety of different types of communications. For example, antennas 804 may include antennas for transmitting and/or receiving signals associated with a wide variety of different frequencies and communication standards.

In certain implementations, the antennas 804 support MIMO communications and/or switched diversity communications. For example, MIMO communication uses multiple antennas to communicate multiple streams of data over a single radio frequency channel. MIMO communication benefits from a better signal-to-noise ratio, from improved coding and/or from reduced signal interference due to spatial multiplexing differences in the radio environment. Switched diversity refers to communication in which a specific antenna is selected for operation at specific times. For example, a switch can be used to select a particular antenna from a group of antennas based on a variety of factors, such as an observed bit error rate and/or a signal strength indicator.

In certain implementations, the antennas 804 include one or more arrays of antenna elements to enhance beamforming.

The baseband system 801 is coupled to the user interface 807 to handle processing of various user inputs and outputs (I/O), such as voice and data signals. Baseband system 801 provides transceiver 802 with digital representations of the transmission signals, which transceiver 802 processes to generate RF signals for transmission. The baseband system 801 also processes digital representations of received signals provided by the transceiver 802 . As in 8th As shown, baseband system 801 is coupled to memory 806 to enable mobile device 800 operation.

Memory 806 can be used for a wide variety of purposes, such as storing data and/or instructions to enable operation of mobile device 800 and/or providing storage for user information.

Power control system 805 provides mobile device 800 with a number of power control functions. In certain implementations, the power control system 805 includes a power amplifier supply control circuit that controls the supply voltages of the power amplifiers 811 . For example, the power control system 805 may be configured to change the supply voltage(s) provided to one or more of the power amplifiers 811 to improve their efficiency, such as power added efficiency (PAE).

As in 8th Power management system 805 is shown receiving battery voltage from battery 808. Battery 808 may be any suitable battery for use in mobile device 800, including, for example, a lithium-ion battery.

9A 9 shows a schematic diagram of an RF channel 910 according to an embodiment. The RF channel 910 comprises an RF splitter/combiner 901, phase shifters 902a, 902b,...902z, a first set of transmit/receive (T/R) switches 903a, 903b,...903z, power amplifiers 904a, 904b,...904z, low noise amplifiers (LNAs) 905a, 905b,...905z, a second group of T/R switches 906a, 906b,...906z and antennas 907a, 907b, ... 907z.

In the illustrated embodiment, T/R switches are used to select the power amplifiers for transmit or the LNAs for receive. Therefore, the RF channel 910 is suitable for time division duplexing (TDD). In addition, the RF splitter/combiner 901 is shared in the transmission and reception directions, so that the number of RF signal paths is reduced.

Although an embodiment of an RF channel is shown, the teachings herein apply to RF channels implemented in a variety of ways. Accordingly, other forms of implementation are also possible.

9B 9 shows a schematic diagram of an RF channel 920 according to another embodiment. The RF channel 920 comprises an RF splitter 911a, an RF combiner 911b, a first group of phase shifters 912a, 912b,...912z, a second group of phase shifters 913a, 913b,...913z, power amplifiers 904a, 904b,...904z, LNAs 905a, 905b,...905z, T/R switches 906a, 906b,...906z and antennas 907a, 907b,...907z.

RF channel 920 illustrates another embodiment of an RF channel. However, the teachings contained herein apply to RF channels implemented in a variety of ways. Accordingly, other forms of implementation are also possible.

10A 11 is a perspective view of a beamforming module 1140 according to one embodiment. 10B 11 is a cross-sectional view of module 1140 of FIG 10A , shown along section 10B-10B.

The module 1140 includes a laminated substrate or laminate 1141, a semiconductor die or IC 1142 (in 10A not visible), Surface Mount Devices (SMDs) ie devices that can be attached to the surface 1143 (in 10A not visible), a sensor 1144 and an antenna arrangement with the antenna elements 1151a1, 1151a2, 1151a3, .... 1151an, 1151b1, 1151b2, 1151b3, ... 1151bn, 1151c1, 1151c2, 1151c3, ... 1151cn, 1151m2, 1151m2 , 1151m3... 1151mn.

Although an embodiment of a module in the 10A and 10B illustrated, the teachings contained herein apply to modules implemented in a variety of ways. For example, a module can contain a different arrangement and/or number of antenna elements, raw chips and/or surface mount devices. Additionally, module 1140 may include additional structures and components including, but not limited to, packaging structures, shielding structures, and/or wirebonds.

The antenna elements 1151a1, 1151a2, 1151a3,...1151an, 1151b1, 1151b2, 1151b3,...1151bn, 1151c1, 1151c2, 1151c3,...1151cn, 1151m1, 1151m2, 1151m3,...1151cn, 1151m1, 1151m2, 111m3,... of the laminate 1141 and can be used for receiving and/or transmitting signals. Although a 4x4 array of antenna elements is illustrated, more or fewer antenna elements are possible, as represented by ellipses. In addition, antenna elements may be arranged in other patterns or configurations, including, for example, arrays with non-uniform arrangement of antenna elements. Furthermore, in a further embodiment, several antenna arrangements are provided, such as separate antenna arrangements for transmission and reception and/or for different communication bands.

In the illustrated embodiment, the IC 1142 is on a second surface of the laminate 1141 opposite the first surface. However, other implementations are also possible. In one example, IC 1142 is internally integrated into laminate 1141 .

In certain implementations, IC 1142 includes signal conditioning circuitry associated with antenna elements 1151a1, 1151a2, 1151a3,....1151an, 1151b1, 1151b1, 1151b2, 1151b3,...1151bn, 1151c1, 1151c2, 1151c3,...11511n, 1151c1, 1151c2, 1151c3,...11511m 1151m2, 1151m3, .... 1151mn are assigned. Such signal conditioning circuitry may include one or more phase shifters 1145 configured in accordance with the teachings disclosed herein.

In one embodiment, the IC 1142 includes a serial interface, such as a MIPI RFFE (Radio Frequency Frontend) bus and/or an I2C (Inter-Integrated Circuit) bus, that receives data for controlling the signal conditioning circuitry, such as the magnitude of the phases shift provided by the phase shifters 1145. In another embodiment, IC 1142 includes an integrated transceiver.

The laminate 1141 can include various structures such as conductive layers, dielectric layers, and/or solder masks. The number of layers, layer thicknesses, and materials from which the layers are formed can be selected based on a variety of factors and may vary depending on the application and/or implementation. The laminate 1141 may include vias to make electrical connections to signal and/or ground leads of the antenna elements. For example, in certain implementations, vias may help establish electrical connections between signal conditioning circuitry of IC 1142 and corresponding antenna elements.

The antenna elements 1151a1, 1151a2, 1151a3, ... 1151an, 1151b1, 1151b2, 1151b3... 1151bn, 1151c1, 1151c2, 1151c3... 1151cn, 1151m1, 1151m2, 1151m3,... 1151cn, 1151m1, 1151m2, 1151m3,... correspond to. In one example, the array of antenna elements includes a patch antenna element formed from a patterned conductive layer on the first side of the laminate 1141, with a ground plane having a conductive layer on the opposite side of the laminate 1141 or within the laminate 1141 is formed . Other examples of antenna elements include dipole antenna elements, ceramic resonators, stamped metal antennas, and/or laser direct patterning antennas.

The module 1140 can be incorporated into a communication system such as a cellular phone or base station. In one example, module 1140 attaches to a phone board of a cellular phone.

applications

The principles and advantages of the embodiments described herein can be used for a variety of applications.

For example, a phase shifter can be incorporated into various electronic devices, including but not limited to consumer electronic products, consumer electronic product parts, electronic test equipment, etc. a tablet, a television, a computer monitor, a computer, a portable computer, a personal digital assistant (PDA), a microwave, a refrigerator, an automobile, a stereo, a record player, a digital camera, a portable memory chip, a washing machine, a dryer, a copier, a facsimile machine, a scanner, a multifunctional peripheral device, a wristwatch, a clock, etc. In addition, the electronic devices may also include unfinished products.

Closing remarks

Unless the context clearly requires otherwise, the words "comprise," "comprising," and the like in the specification and claims are to be construed in an inclusive sense, as opposed to an exclusive or exhaustive sense; that is, in the sense of “including but not limited to”. The word "coupled," as used generically herein, refers to two or more elements that are either directly connected to one another or may be connected through one or more intermediate elements. Likewise, as used generally herein, the word "connected" refers to two or more elements that are either directly connected or may be connected through one or more intermediate elements. In addition, the words "here," "above," "below," and words of similar import, when used in this application, refer to this application as a whole and not to a specific portion of this application. In the above detailed description, where the context permits, words containing the singular or plural may also include the plural or singular. The word "or" in relation to a list of two or more items covers all of the following interpretations of the word: one of the items in the list, all of the items in the list, and any combination of the items in the list.

In addition, conditional language used herein, such as, but not limited to, "might possibly,""might,""couldpossibly,""may,""eg,""like," and the like, is unless expressly stated otherwise or otherwise within the scope understood of the context used, in general intended to convey that certain embodiments include certain features, elements, and/or states while other embodiments do not include certain features, elements, and/or states. Therefore, such conditional language is generally not intended to imply that features, elements, and/or states are in any way required for one or more embodiments, or that one or more embodiments necessarily include logic to decide whether such features, elements and/or states are included or intended to be embodied in a particular embodiment, with or without author involvement or prompting.

The foregoing detailed description of embodiments of the invention is not intended to be exhaustive or to limit the invention to the precise form disclosed. While specific embodiments and examples of the invention are described above for purposes of illustration, various equivalent modifications are possible within the scope of the invention, as those skilled in the art will recognize. For example, while processes or blocks are presented in a particular order, alternative embodiments may perform routines with steps or use systems with blocks in a different order, and some processes or blocks may be deleted, moved, added, subdivided, combined, and/or altered. Each of these processes or blocks can be implemented in different ways. Also, while processes or blocks are sometimes depicted as executing in series, these processes or blocks may instead execute in parallel or at different times.

The teachings of the invention herein may be applied to other systems, not necessarily the system described above. The elements and acts of the various embodiments described above can be combined into further embodiments.

Although specific embodiments of the inventions have been described, these embodiments have been presented by way of example only and are not intended to limit the scope of the disclosure. In fact, the new methods and systems described herein can be implemented in a variety of other forms; furthermore, various omissions, substitutions, and changes in the implementation of the methods and systems described herein may be made without departing from the spirit of the disclosure. The appended claims and their equivalents are intended to cover such forms or modifications as fall within the scope and spirit of the disclosure.

Claims (40)

A phase shifter (130a; 130b; 210) comprising: a first port (IN) and a second port (OUT); a first controllable reflective load (201) having a first transmission line (221; 231; 251; 301) and a first plurality of shunt switches (222a,..., 222n) connected along the first transmission line (221; 231; 251; 301) are connected; a second controllable reflective load (202); and a pair of coupled lines (200) electromagnetically coupled to each other, and a first conductive line (203) coupled between the first terminal (IN) and the first controllable reflective load (201), and a second conductive line ( 204) coupled between the second controllable reflective load (202) and the second port (OUT). The phase shifter (130a; 130b; 210) according to claim 1 , wherein the first controllable reflective load (201) further comprises a first ground line (233a) on a first side of the first transmission line (221; 231; 251; 301) and a second ground line (233b) on a second side of the first transmission line (221; 231; 251; 301). The phase shifter (130a; 130b; 210) according to claim 2 , wherein each of the first plurality of shunt switches (222a, ..., 222n) is formed as a pair of field effect transistors, including a first field effect transistor coupled between the first transmission line and the first ground line (233a) and a second between the first Have transmission line and the second ground line (233b) coupled field effect transistor. The phase shifter (130a; 130b; 210) according to one of Claims 1 until 3 wherein one or more of the first plurality of shunt switches (222a, ..., 222n) are closed based on a phase shift setting of the phase shifter (130a; 130b; 210). The phase shifter (130a; 130b; 210) according to one of Claims 1 until 4 , wherein the first port (IN) receives a radio frequency input signal and the second port (OUT) provides a phase-shifted radio frequency output signal. The phase shifter (130a; 130b; 210) according to one of Claims 1 until 4 , wherein the second port (IN) receives a radio frequency input signal and the first port (OUT) provides a phase-shifted radio frequency output signal. The phase shifter (130a; 130b; 210) according to one of Claims 1 until 6 wherein the first plurality of shunt switches (222a, ..., 222n) are connected to the first transmission line (221; 231; 251; 301) at a plurality of points which are not equally spaced from each other. The phase shifter (130a; 130b; 210) according to claim 7 wherein the distance between adjacent ones of the plurality of points gradually decreases along a length of the first transmission line (221; 231; 251; 301). The phase shifter (130a; 130b; 210) according to one of Claims 1 until 8th , wherein the shunt switches of the first plurality of shunt switches (222a, ..., 222n) each have different sizes. The phase shifter (130a; 130b; 210) according to claim 9 wherein the shunt switches of the first plurality of shunt switches gradually increase in size along a length of the first transmission line (221; 231; 251; 301). The phase shifter (130a; 130b; 210) according to one of Claims 1 until 10 , wherein the first transmission line (251; 301) has a plurality of meandering sections. The phase shifter (130a; 130b; 210) according to claim 11 wherein at least one of the plurality of meandering sections includes a loop (305a). The phase shifter (130a; 130b; 210) according to one of Claims 1 until 12 , wherein the second controllable reflective load (202) comprises a second transmission line (221; 231; 251; 301) and a second plurality of shunt switches (222a, ..., 222n) connected along the second transmission line (221; 231; 251 ; 301) are coupled. A wireless device (800) comprising: a transceiver (802); and a front end system (803) coupled to the transceiver (802) and having a phase shifter (803; 130a; 130b; 210) having a first port (IN), a second port (OUT), a first controllable reflective load (201) having a first transmission line (221; 231; 251; 301) and a first plurality of shunt switches (222a, ..., 222n) connected along the first transmission line (221; 231; 251; 301), a second controllable reflective load (202), and a pair of coupled lines (200) electromagnetically coupled to each other and a first conductive line (203) connected between the first terminal (IN) and the first controllable reflective load (201) and a second conductive line (204) coupled between the second controllable reflective load (202) and the second port (OUT). The wireless device (800) according to FIG Claim 14 , wherein the first controllable reflective load (201) further comprises a first ground line (233a) on a first side of the first transmission line (221; 231; 251; 301) and a second ground line (233b) on a second side of the first transmission line (221; 231; 251; 301). The wireless device (800) according to FIG claim 15 wherein each of said first plurality of shunt switches (222a,...,222n) is formed as a pair of field effect transistors having a first field effect coupled between said first transmission line (221; 231; 251; 301) and said first ground line (233a). - a transistor and a second field effect transistor coupled between said first transmission line (221; 231; 251; 301) and said second ground line (233b). The wireless device (800) according to any one of Claims 14 until 16 wherein one or more of the first plurality of shunt switches (222a, ..., 222n) are closed based on a phase shift setting of the phase shifter (803; 130a; 130b; 210). The wireless device (800) according to any one of Claims 14 until 17 wherein the first plurality of shunt switches (222a, ..., 222n) are connected to the first transmission line (221; 231; 251; 301) at a plurality of points which are not equally spaced from each other. The wireless device (800) according to any one of Claims 14 until 18 , wherein the shunt switches of the first plurality of shunt switches (222a, ..., 222n) each have different sizes. A phase shifting method comprising: (IN); receiving a radio frequency input signal at a first port controlling a first controllable reflective load (201) and a second controllable reflective load (202) to control a phase shift of a radio frequency output signal at a second terminal (OUT), of which the first controllable reflective load (201) comprises a first transmission line (221; 231; 251; 301) and a plurality of shunt switches coupled along the first transmission line (221; 231; 251; 301); and Providing a coupling between a first conductive line (203) and a second conductive line (204) of a pair of coupled lines (200), the first conductive line (203) of which is connected between the first terminal (IN) and the first controllable reflective load ( 201) and the second conductive line (204) is coupled between the second controllable reflective load (202) and the second port (OUT). A phase shifter (130a; 130b; 210) comprising: a coupler (200) having an input port (IN), a through port (0°), a first coupled line (203) coupled between the input port (IN) and the through port (0°), an isolation port (ISO), a coupling port (90°), and a second coupled line (204) coupled between the isolation port (ISO) and the coupling port (90°); an input port coupled to the input port (IN) of the coupler (200) and configured to receive a radio frequency input signal; an output port coupled to the coupling port (90°) of the coupler (200) and configured to output a radio frequency output signal having a phase shift with respect to the radio frequency input signal; and a first controllable reflective load (201) coupled to the through port (0°) of the coupler (200) and a transmission line (221; 231; 251; 301) and a plurality of shunt switches (222a, ..., 222n) each coupled between a ground voltage and one of different points along the transmission line (221; 231; 251; 301) and which are selectable to control the phase shift. The phase shifter (130a; 130b; 210) according to Claim 21 , wherein the first controllable reflective load (201) further comprises a first ground line (233a) on a first side of the transmission line (221; 231; 251; 301) and a second ground line (233b) on a second side of the transmission line (221; 231; 251; 301). The phase shifter (130a; 130b; 210) according to Claim 22 , wherein each of the first plurality of shunt switches (222a, ..., 222n) is formed as a pair of field effect transistors having a first field effect transistor coupled between the transmission line (221; 231; 251; 301) and the first ground line (233a) transistor and a second field effect transistor coupled between said transmission line (221; 231; 251; 301) and said second ground line (233b). The phase shifter (130a; 130b; 210) according to one of Claims 21 until 23 wherein the first plurality of shunt switches (222a, ..., 222n) are connected to the transmission line (221; 231; 251; 301) at a plurality of points which are not equally spaced from each other. The phase shifter (130a; 130b; 210) according to Claim 24 , wherein the distance between adjacent ones of the plurality of points gradually decreases along a length of the transmission line (221; 231; 251; 301). The phase shifter (130a; 130b; 210) according to one of Claims 21 until 25 , wherein the shunt switches of the first plurality of shunt switches (222a, ..., 222n) each have different sizes. The phase shifter (130a; 130b; 210) according to Claim 26 wherein the shunt switches of the first plurality of shunt switches gradually increase in size along a length of the transmission line (221; 231; 251; 301). The phase shifter (130a; 130b; 210) according to one of Claims 21 until 27 , wherein the transmission line (251; 301) has a plurality of meandering sections. The phase shifter (130a; 130b; 210) according to claim 28 wherein at least one of the plurality of meandering sections includes a loop (305a). The phase shifter (130a; 130b; 210) according to one of Claims 21 until 29 , further comprising a second controllable reflective load (202) coupled to the isolation port of the coupler. A wireless device (800) comprising: a transceiver (802); and a front end system (803) coupled to the transceiver (802) and having a phase shifter (803; 130a; 130b; 210) having a coupler (200) having an input port (IN) adapted to receive a radio frequency input signal to receive, a through port (0°), a first coupled line (203) coupled between the input port (IN) and the through port (0°), an isolation port (ISO), a coupling port (90°) adapted thereto is to output a phase-shifted radio frequency output signal with respect to the radio frequency input signal, and a second coupled line (204) which is coupled between the isolation port (ISO) and the coupling port (90°), a first controllable reflective load (201) connected to the through port (0°) of the coupler (200), a transmission line (221; 231; 251; 301) and a plurality of shunt switches (222a, ..., 222n) umf asst each connected between a ground voltage and one of different points along the transmission line (221; 231; 251; 301) and which are selectable to control the phase shift. The wireless device (800) according to FIG Claim 31 , wherein the first controllable reflective load (201) further comprises a first ground line (233a) on a first side of the transmission line (221; 231; 251; 301) and a second ground line (233b) on a second side of the transmission line (221; 231; 251; 301). The wireless device (800) according to FIG Claim 32 , wherein each of the first plurality of shunt switches (222a, ..., 222n) is formed as a pair of field effect transistors having a first field effect transistor coupled between the transmission line (221; 231; 251; 301) and the first ground line (233a) transistor and a second field effect transistor coupled between said transmission line (221; 231; 251; 301) and said second ground line (233b). The wireless device (800) according to any one of Claims 31 until 33 wherein the first plurality of shunt switches (222a, ..., 222n) are connected to the transmission line (221; 231; 251; 301) at a plurality of points which are not equally spaced from each other. The wireless device (800) according to FIG Claim 34 , wherein the distance between adjacent ones of the plurality of points gradually decreases along a length of the transmission line (221; 231; 251; 301). The wireless device (800) according to any one of Claims 31 until 35 , wherein the shunt switches of the first plurality of shunt switches (222a, ..., 222n) each have different sizes. The mobile device (800) according to FIG Claim 36 wherein the shunt switches of the first plurality of shunt switches gradually increase in size along a length of the transmission line (221; 231; 251; 301). The wireless device (800) according to any one of Claims 31 until 37 , the phase shifter further comprising a second controllable reflective load (202) coupled to the isolation port (ISO) of the coupler (200). A phase shifting method comprising: receiving a radio frequency input signal at a first port (IN) of a coupler (200); Providing a coupling between a first coupled line (203) of the coupler (200) and a second coupled line (204) of the coupler (200), of which the first coupled line (203) is connected between the first port (IN) of the coupler (200 ) and a through port (0°) of the coupler (200) and the second coupled line (204) is coupled between an isolation port (ISO) of the coupler (200) and a coupling port (90°) of the coupler (200); providing a radio frequency output signal at the coupling port (90°) of the coupler (200) that has a phase shift with respect to the radio frequency input signal; and controlling the phase shift using a first controllable reflective load (201) coupled to the through port (0°) of the coupler (200), and selecting one or more of a plurality of shunt switches (222a, ..., 222n) of the first controllable reflective load (201), each coupled between a ground voltage and one of different points along a transmission line (221; 231; 251; 301) of the first controllable reflective load (201). The procedure according to Claim 39 , further comprising controlling a second controllable reflective load (202) coupled to the isolation port (ISO) of the coupler (200).

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