JP2006020033A - Power composite distributor, power amplifier and high frequency communication device - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a power composite distributor which can improve filter characteristics without increasing a circuit scale. <P>SOLUTION: According to this power composite distributor, the first high frequency signal line T101 and the second high frequency signal line T102 of the constituting element of an Wilkinson power composite distributor are electromagnetic field coupled, and a third high frequency line T103 and a fourth high frequency line T104 are electromagnetic field coupled in a reverse direction to one another. Consequently, steep filter characteristics having an attenuation pole B can be realized. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2006,JPO&NCIPI

Description

  BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a power combiner / distributor, for example, a power combiner / distributor in which a Wilkinson type power combiner / distributor frequently used in a high-frequency circuit is highly functional and downsized, and a power amplifier provided with the power combiner / distributor Furthermore, it is related with the high frequency communication apparatus which has this power amplifier.

  The Wilkinson-type power combiner / distributor is a well-known circuit widely used from the microwave band to the millimeter wave band, and is disclosed in many documents (for example, “Monolithic Microwave Integrated Circuit ( MMIC) "first edition, pages 55-56, etc.).

  Since this Wilkinson type power combiner / distributor is a simple passive circuit, it has reversible characteristics, and can be used as a power combiner or a power distributor depending on the direction in which power is input. However, the explanation of the circuit operation is relatively easy when the Wilkinson type power combiner / distributor is viewed as a power distributor. For this reason, in the literature, the name is simplified and it is often discussed only as “Wilkinson type distributor”.

  FIG. 7 shows a circuit of the Wilkinson type power combiner / distributor of the distributed constant type as the first conventional example, and FIG. 8 shows a circuit of the Wilkinson type power combiner / distributor of the lumped constant type as the second conventional example. FIG. 7 and FIG. 8 are the same as the description of this specification in FIGS. 2.39 (a) and (b) in the above-mentioned document ("Monolithic Microwave Integrated Circuit (MMIC)" edited by the Institute of Electronics, Information and Communication Engineers). In this way, the symbols are finely corrected.

  A distributed constant power combiner / distributor of the first conventional example shown in FIG. 7 includes first to third ports 501 to 503, and 2 between the first to third ports 501 to 503. The high frequency lines T501 and T502 and one resistor R501 are connected in a ring shape.

In this power combiner / distributor, as described in the above document, if the characteristic impedances of the first to third ports 501 to 503 are Zo, the characteristic impedances of the two high-frequency lines T501 and T502 are ( 2) the length in ^1/2 · Zo is 1/4 (quarter) wavelength, the value of the resistor R501 is to 2Zo, are known to function as a power divider (synthesizer).

  That is, the reflection coefficients of the first to third ports 501 to 503 are all reduced, and good isolation characteristics are ensured between the second port 502 and the third port 503. In this state, when high frequency power is input from the first port 501, this high frequency power is output to the second port 502 and the third port 503 with equal distribution. Conversely, if high frequency power is input from the second port 502 and the third port 503, both high frequency powers are combined and output from the first port 501.

  By the way, in FIG. 7, since the length of the two high-frequency lines T501 and T502 needs to be 1/4 wavelength, the size becomes as large as several centimeters in the low frequency band. Accordingly, various improvements have been attempted for the distributed constant power combiner / distributor shown in FIG.

  For example, FIG. 8 shows a lumped constant type power combiner / distributor as a second conventional example improved mainly for the purpose of downsizing. That is, in the lumped constant type power combiner / distributor shown in FIG. 8, the two high-frequency lines T501 and T502 in FIG. 7 are replaced with lumped constant inductance elements L601 and L602 and capacitance elements C601 to C603, thereby reducing the size. I am trying.

  FIG. 9 shows a third conventional example. The power combiner / distributor of the third conventional example has a distributed constant type power combiner / distributor shown in FIG. 7 having a multi-stage configuration and a wide band, and at the same time, the distributed constant type high frequency lines T501 and T502 are made semi-lumped constants to be small. This is an example in which The power combiner / distributor of the third conventional example includes lumped constant capacitance elements C701 to C705 in addition to distributed constant type high frequency lines T701 to T704 and resistors R701 and R702.

  Next, FIGS. 13 and 14 show S parameter simulation results in the circuit of the third conventional example shown in FIG. 9 as a typical characteristic example of the Wilkinson power combiner / distributor in the conventional technique as described above. FIG. 13 shows an S parameter S11 indicating the reflection characteristic of the first port 701, an S parameter S21 indicating the transmission characteristic to the second port 702, and an S parameter S31 indicating the transmission characteristic to the third port 703. The S parameters S21 and S31 have the same characteristics.

  In this simulation, a general commercially available circuit simulator (Agilent ADS2003) is used, and as an example, a circuit designed with a target of 4.9 to 5.85 GHz, which is a wireless LAN band of IEEE802.11a standard, is used. Using. In this circuit, the impedances of the three ports 701 to 703 can be easily understood by setting all the impedances to 50Ω, but they are designed with different impedances. That is, the first port 701 is designed with 50Ω, and the second port 702 and the third port 703 are designed with a low impedance of 6.8Ω. The purpose as described above is preparation for explaining a power amplifier (FIG. 11) as an application example described later.

  The S parameter characteristic results shown in FIG. 13 and FIG. 14 are as follows for each element shown in FIG. = 11.5276Ω. The substrate is a general glass epoxy (glass epoxy) substrate having a thickness of 0.2 mm, the high-frequency lines T701 and T703 are microstrip lines having a line width of 0.221622 mm and a length of 4.31922 mm, and the high-frequency lines T702 and T704 are lines. It was a microstrip line having a width of 0.875751 mm and a length of 1.84402 mm.

  FIG. 13 is a graph of S parameters representing reflection and transmission characteristics. In a wide band of 4.9 to 5.85 GHz, the parameter S11 that is the reflection characteristic of the first port 701 is suppressed to be low, and the parameters S21 and S31 that are the transmission characteristics to the second port 702 and the third port 703 are large. Kept. That is, normal power distribution operation can be confirmed. The loss of 3 dB in the parameters S21 and S31 is only an apparent loss as a result of the power input from the first port 701 being distributed in half.

  FIG. 14 is a graph of S parameters representing isolation characteristics. The realization of this isolation characteristic is a major feature of the Wilkinson power combiner / distributor. From this graph, the parameter S23, which is a transmission characteristic between the second port 702 and the third port 703, is suppressed to be low in a wide band of 4.9 to 5.85 GHz. That is, it can be seen that the second port 702 and the third port 703 are isolated from each other, and a safe state without interference is realized.

  Such a Wilkinson power combiner is often used as one of components in a high-frequency power amplifier as one application field. For example, Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 6-349676 discloses the reason why a Wilkinson power combiner (distributor) is required in a high-frequency power amplifier, and an application example as a power distributor on the input side of a semiconductor amplifying element. ing.

  FIG. 11 is a schematic diagram showing, as an example, a power amplifier in which a Wilkinson type power combiner (distributor) is applied as a power combiner on the output side of a semiconductor amplifying element. In this power amplifier, the high frequency power input from the input port 301 is divided into two by an appropriate power distribution circuit 303, and a first amplification block 304 and a second amplification block in which a plurality of amplification semiconductor elements 306 are arranged in parallel. Input to block 305. The output powers of the first and second amplification blocks 304 and 305 are combined by, for example, the Wilkinson power combiner 307 according to the third conventional example shown in FIG.

  In general, it is widely known that a low-impedance load needs to be connected to operate the semiconductor amplifying element 306 with a large signal. In response to this request, the Wilkinson power combiner 307 (third conventional example) shown in FIG. 11 has, for example, only the second port 702 and the third port 703 as described with reference to FIGS. It is well known that a design with a low impedance is possible. Therefore, according to the Wilkinson power combiner 307 (third conventional example), it is possible to satisfy the demand as a large signal load.

  In order to simplify the description, FIG. 11 illustrates an example in which two amplification blocks 304 and 305 are provided. However, the number of amplification blocks is generally an integer of 2 or more. There is also. Further, in FIG. 11, for the sake of simplifying the explanation, the case where a plurality of amplification semiconductor elements 306 are arranged inside each amplification block 304, 305 has been described. There may be one element instead of a plurality.

  FIG. 12 is a schematic block diagram of a high-frequency communication device including the power amplifier 404 as shown in FIG. 11 described above. In FIG. 12, for simplicity of explanation, frequency conversion circuits (up-converters and down-converters) that are generally included in radio communication apparatuses are omitted.

  In the high-frequency communication apparatus shown in FIG. 12, the transmission signal generated by the modulation circuit 403 is amplified by the power amplifier 404 and transmitted from the antenna 401 via the LPF (low-pass filter) 405 and the antenna switch 402. Here, the LPF (low-pass filter) 405 is a filter for removing harmonic spurious generated by the power amplifier 404.

  Further, in this high frequency communication apparatus, at the time of reception, a signal received by the antenna 401 is removed from an unnecessary frequency component by a BPF (band pass filter) 408 via an antenna switch 402, and then an LNA (low noise amplifier) 407. Amplified and demodulated by the demodulation circuit 406.

  By the way, for the high-frequency communication apparatus shown in FIG. 12, it is desired to reduce the size, weight, and cost by reducing filter parts. Since it is theoretically difficult to eliminate the BPF 408 on the reception side, it has been desired to eliminate the LPF 405 on the transmission side.

  In the high-frequency communication apparatus shown in FIG. 12, the reason why the transmission-side LPF 405 is necessary is that the power amplifier 404 immediately before that generates harmonic spurious. For this reason, it has been desired for the power amplifier of the prior art shown in FIG. 11 to incorporate the function of the filter 405 to suppress harmonic spurious leakage.

  In addition, in the power amplifier shown in FIG. 11, the reason why the filter function is insufficient and the harmonic spurious is leaked is that the Wilkinson power combiner 307 in the output section generally does not have filter characteristics. It is. For this reason, it has been desired that the Wilkinson power combiner / distributor (FIGS. 7 to 9) of the prior art be enhanced by enhancing the filter function.

  As described above, the requirements for the prior art high-frequency communication apparatus shown in FIG. 12 and the power amplifier shown in FIG. 11 are ultimately the Wilkinson type of the first to third conventional examples shown in FIGS. This can be solved by strengthening the filter function of the power combiner / distributor.

  By the way, an attempt to enhance the filter function for the Wilkinson power combiner / distributor has already been preceded by the prior art. For example, Patent Literature 1 (Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 2001-94316) and Patent Literature 2 (Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 2002-280864) disclose a plurality of similar techniques. Since it is considered unnecessary to explain everything, here, as an example, an example shown in FIG. 4 of Patent Document 1 will be described. FIG. 10 is a diagram showing, as a fourth conventional example, a power combiner / distributor that is slightly modified so that the power combiner / distributor disclosed in FIG. 4 of Patent Document 1 corresponds to the description in this specification. is there. In FIG. 10, if only the portion composed of the inductance components formed by the capacitances C801 to C803 and the high frequency lines T801 and T802 is taken up, the lumped constant Wilkinson power combiner / distributor of the second conventional example shown in FIG. The circuit structure is the same.

  However, in the circuit of the power combiner / distributor shown in FIG. 10, two capacitances C804 and C805 are newly added to both ends of the high-frequency lines T801 and T802. These two capacitances C804 and C805 cause parallel resonance with the inductance component due to the high-frequency lines T801 and T802 that originally existed. As a result, power cannot flow from the first port 801 to the second port 802 and the third port 803 within a narrow frequency band in which parallel resonance has occurred, so-called attenuation poles are generated, and the filter function is enhanced.

  However, the fourth conventional example shown in FIG. 10 has drawbacks, and another technique has been desired to enhance the filter function of the Wilkinson power combiner / distributor. In other words, as described above, in the circuit of FIG. 10, two additional capacitances C804 and C805 are newly added to cause resonance to form an attenuation pole. However, the filter function is provided by the attenuation pole generated by the resonance. The increasing bandwidth is very narrow. On the other hand, in order to suppress the harmonic spurious generated by the power amplifier 404 included in the high-frequency communication apparatus shown in FIG. 12, the circuit that resonates with the second harmonic spurious and the third harmonic spurious A circuit that resonates and a circuit that resonates with respect to the fourth harmonic spurious are required. As a result, as in the fourth conventional example shown in FIG. 10, it is not necessary to add two new capacitances C804 and C805, and an increase in circuit scale is inevitable.

The problem in this case will be described from the block diagram of FIG. 12 by changing the viewpoint. Even if it seems that one filter component (LPF 405) has been deleted, the power amplifier 404 is increased in size and complexity. It is just becoming. After all, subtraction means that the high-frequency communication apparatus as a whole cannot be sufficiently reduced in size, weight, and cost.
JP 2001-094316 A JP 2002-280864 A

  SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION An object of the present invention is to provide a power combiner / distributor, a power amplifier, and a high-frequency communication device that can improve the filter characteristics without increasing the circuit scale.

In order to solve the above problems, a power combiner / distributor of the present invention includes a first port, a second port, a third port,
First and second circuit elements sequentially connected between the first port and the second port so as to cause magnetic field coupling in opposite directions, and including an inductance component;
Third and fourth circuit elements sequentially connected between the first port and the third port so as to cause magnetic field coupling in opposite directions, and including an inductance component;
A first resistor connected between the second port and the third port; a connection point between the first circuit element and the second circuit element; the third circuit element; One or both of the two resistance parts of the second resistance part and the second resistance part connected to the connection point with the circuit element are provided.

  In the power combiner / distributor of the present invention, the high frequency power input to the first port is distributed to the second port and the third port for output, while the high frequency power input to the second port is The high frequency power input to the third port is combined and output from the first port.

  In the power combiner / distributor of the present invention, the first and second circuit elements include an inductance component, and are sequentially connected between the first port and the second port so as to cause magnetic field coupling in opposite directions to each other. Has been. The third and fourth circuit elements include an inductance component and are sequentially connected between the first port and the third port so as to cause magnetic field coupling in opposite directions. Thus, according to the present invention, a steep filter characteristic having an attenuation pole can be realized, and the filter characteristic can be improved without increasing the circuit scale.

In the power combiner / distributor according to the embodiment, the first and second circuit elements may be arranged in such a manner that part or all of the first and second circuit elements are arranged substantially parallel to each other so as to cause electromagnetic coupling in opposite directions. 1 and a second high-frequency line,
The third and fourth circuit elements are third and fourth high-frequency lines that are partly or entirely adjacent to each other and arranged substantially in parallel so as to cause electromagnetic field coupling in opposite directions.

  According to the power combiner / distributor of this embodiment, part or all of the first high-frequency line and the second high-frequency line are arranged in close proximity to each other and are substantially parallel to each other to cause electromagnetic field coupling in opposite directions. . In addition, the third high-frequency line and the fourth high-frequency line are partly or entirely arranged close to each other and substantially parallel, and cause electromagnetic field coupling in opposite directions. According to this embodiment, among the components of the Wilkinson power combiner / distributor, the first high-frequency line and the second high-frequency line are electromagnetically coupled in opposite directions, and the third high-frequency line and the fourth high-frequency line are connected. The high frequency lines were electromagnetically coupled in opposite directions. Thereby, a steep filter characteristic having an attenuation pole can be realized. Therefore, according to the power combiner / distributor of this embodiment, the filter characteristics can be improved without increasing the circuit scale.

In the power combiner / distributor of an embodiment, the first and second circuit elements are first and second inductance units that cause mutual induction magnetic field coupling in opposite directions to each other,
The third and fourth circuit elements are third and fourth inductance portions that cause mutual induction magnetic field coupling in opposite directions,
A capacitance portion is provided that is shunt-connected between at least one end point of the first to fourth inductance portions and the ground.

  According to this embodiment, the first inductance unit and the second inductance unit are coupled to each other in the opposite directions, and the third inductance unit and the fourth inductance unit are coupled to each other in the opposite directions. I let you. Thereby, a steep filter characteristic having an attenuation pole can be realized. Therefore, according to the power combiner / distributor of this embodiment, the filter characteristics can be improved without increasing the circuit scale.

The power amplifier according to an embodiment includes the power combiner / distributor.
The impedance of the second port and the impedance of the third port are made lower than the impedance of the first port, respectively.
The second port and the third port are respectively connected to output portions of a plurality of semiconductor amplification elements,
The high frequency power output from the plurality of semiconductor amplifying elements is combined and extracted from the first port.

  According to the power amplifier of this embodiment, by including the power combiner / distributor having a steep filter characteristic having an attenuation pole, a power amplifier in which harmonic spurious radiation from the plurality of semiconductor amplifying elements is suppressed is provided. realizable.

  In addition, a high-frequency communication device according to an embodiment includes the power amplifier, and the power amplifier is a transmission power amplifier.

  According to the high-frequency communication device of this embodiment, the above-described power amplifier in which harmonic spurious radiation is suppressed is provided as a transmission power amplifier, thereby reducing the size, weight, and cost of the high-frequency communication device. realizable.

  According to the power combiner / distributor of the present invention, the first and second circuit elements include an inductance component, and in order between the first port and the second port so as to cause magnetic field coupling in opposite directions to each other. It is connected. The third and fourth circuit elements include an inductance component and are sequentially connected between the first port and the third port so as to cause magnetic field coupling in opposite directions. Thus, according to the present invention, a steep filter characteristic having an attenuation pole can be realized, and the filter characteristic can be improved without increasing the circuit scale.

  Hereinafter, the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the illustrated embodiments.

(First embodiment)
FIG. 1 shows a first embodiment of a power combiner / distributor of the present invention. The power combiner / distributor according to the first embodiment includes a first port 101, a second port 102, and a third port 103, and is sequentially connected between the first port 101 and the second port 102. The first high-frequency line T101 and the second high-frequency line T102 are provided. In addition, the power combiner / distributor includes a third high-frequency line T103 and a fourth high-frequency line T104 that are sequentially connected between the first port 101 and the third port 103.

  The first high-frequency line T101 and the second high-frequency line T102 are disposed in parallel with each other in the region A1 so as to cause electromagnetic field coupling in opposite directions. . In addition, the third high-frequency line T103 and the fourth high-frequency line T104 are arranged in parallel and close to each other in the region A2, and are arranged so as to cause electromagnetic field coupling in opposite directions. ing.

  One end of the first high-frequency line T101 and one end of the third high-frequency line T103 are connected to a connection point N1, and the connection point N1 is connected to the first port 101. A capacitor C101 is connected between the connection point N1 and the ground.

  The other end of the first high-frequency line T101 and the other end of the second high-frequency line T102 are connected to the connection point N2, and the other end of the third high-frequency line T103 and the other end of the fourth high-frequency line T104. Is connected to the connection point N3. And this connection point N3 is connected to the connection point N2 via resistance R101 as a 2nd resistance part.

  On the other hand, one end of the second high-frequency line T102 is connected to a connection point N4, and this connection point N4 is connected to the second port 102. The connection point N4 is connected to the ground via the capacitor C103.

  One end of the fourth high-frequency line T104 is connected to a connection point N5, and this connection point N5 is connected to the third port 103. The connection point N5 is connected to the ground via the capacitor C105. The connection point N5 is connected to the connection point N4 by a resistor R102 as a first resistance unit.

  In the power combiner / distributor configured as described above, the high frequency power input to the first port 101 is distributed and output to the second port 102 and the third port 103, while being input to the second port 102. The high frequency power and the high frequency power input to the third port 103 are combined and output from the first port 101.

  In the first embodiment, the first and second high-frequency lines T101 and T102 are close to each other in the region A1 so as to cause electromagnetic coupling, and the third and fourth high-frequency lines. The lines T103 and T104 are close to each other in the region A2, and are electromagnetically coupled in opposite directions.

  Due to the effect of the electromagnetic field coupling, the first embodiment realizes a steep low-pass filter (LPF) characteristic without increasing the circuit scale as compared with the conventional example.

  A typical example of the characteristics of the power combiner / distributor of the first embodiment is shown in FIGS. In FIG. 3, the S parameter S11 which is the reflection characteristic of the first port 101, the parameter S21 which is the transmission characteristic from the first port 101 to the second port 102, and the transmission from the first port 101 to the third port 103 are shown. A parameter S31 which is a characteristic is shown. FIG. 4 shows a parameter S23 that is a transmission characteristic between the second port 102 and the third port 103.

  The characteristic examples shown in FIGS. 3 and 4 have the characteristics shown in FIGS. 13 and 14 for the purpose of enabling comparison with the characteristic examples (FIGS. 13 and 14) of the third conventional example (FIG. 9) already described. The measurement was performed under the same conditions as the measurement. That is, in this example, a general commercially available circuit simulator (ADS2003 made by Agilent) was used, and as an example, the design was performed with a target of 4.9-5.85 GHz, which is a wireless LAN band of the IEEE802.11a standard. In this example, the impedance of the three ports 101 to 103 is 50Ω for the first port 101 and the second and third ports 102 and 103 are the same as in the measurement in the third conventional example (FIG. 9). Designed with low impedance (6.8Ω).

  3 and FIG. 4, the characteristics of the S parameter shown in FIG. 1 were that the capacitor C101 was set to 1.62347 pF and the capacitor C102 and the capacitor C104 were set to 2.25756 pF in each element shown in FIG. Further, the capacitors C103 and C105 were set to 0.0002313pF. The resistor R101 was 69.4627Ω, and the resistor R102 was 67.2861Ω. The substrate was a general glass epoxy (glass epoxy) substrate having a thickness of 0.2 mm. The first high-frequency line T101 and the third high-frequency line T103 are microstrip lines having a line width of 0.202506 mm and a length of 3.13113 mm. The second high-frequency line T102 and the fourth high-frequency line T104 are microstrip lines having a line width of 0.425075 mm and a length of 1.34248 mm. Further, the length of the overlapping regions A1 and A2 between the lines shown in FIG. 1 was 1.34248 mm. Among these element values, the length of the first to fourth high-frequency lines T101 to T104 has the greatest influence on the circuit size. In the first embodiment, the total line length of each of the high-frequency lines T101 to T104 is about 8.9 mm, whereas in the third conventional example of FIG. 9, the total line length is about 12.1 mm. Therefore, according to the first embodiment, it can be seen that the circuit scale can be reduced as compared with the prior art.

  Also, as shown in FIG. 3, according to the first embodiment, the parameter S11 that is the reflection characteristic of the first port 101 is suppressed to be low in a wide band of 4.9 to 5.85 GHz. Also, the parameter S21 that is the transmission characteristic from the first port 101 to the second port 102 and the parameter S31 that is the transmission characteristic from the first port 101 to the third port 103 are kept substantially the same.

  Moreover, it can be seen from the transmission characteristics of S21 and S31 shown in FIG. 3 that a filter (LPF) characteristic that is significantly steeper than the characteristic of the third conventional example (FIG. 13) is realized. This is because the attenuation pole B shown in FIG. 3 is generated by the effect of electromagnetic field coupling in the areas A1 and A2 shown in FIG. In particular, an attenuation of 30 dB or more is realized in the vicinity of the frequency band 9.8 to 11.7 GHz, which is approximately twice the assumed passband.

  FIG. 4 shows an S parameter S23 representing the isolation characteristic. According to this parameter S23, it can be seen that the isolation characteristic (S32 characteristic) of the same level as the characteristic of the third conventional example (FIG. 14) is realized between the second port 102 and the third port 103. .

  As described above, according to the power combiner / distributor of the first embodiment, the filter characteristics can be greatly enhanced while reducing the circuit size as compared with the third conventional example of FIG.

(Second embodiment)
Next, FIG. 2 shows a second embodiment of the power combiner / distributor of the present invention. The second embodiment is provided with first to fourth inductances L201 to L204 in place of the first to fourth high-frequency lines T101 to T104 of the first embodiment of FIG. Different from the embodiment. That is, the second embodiment is an example in which the first embodiment is a lumped constant. Therefore, the capacitors C201, C202, C203, C204, and C205 shown in FIG. 2 correspond to the capacitors C101, C102, C103, C104, and C105 in FIG. 1, respectively. Also, the resistors R201 and R202 shown in FIG. 2 correspond to the resistors R101 and R102 shown in FIG. 1, respectively. Further, the first port 201, the second port 202, and the third port 203 shown in FIG. 2 correspond to the first port 101, the second port 102, and the third port 103 shown in FIG. 1, respectively. To do.

  In the second embodiment, there are two inductances L201 and L202 magnetically coupled with a coupling coefficient K201, and two inductances L203 and L204 magnetically coupled with a coupling coefficient K202.

  In the second embodiment, for example, the inductance L201 is set to 1.1435 nH, the inductance L202 is set to 0.335321 nH, the coupling coefficient K201 is set to 0.135835, and other element values are the same as those in the first embodiment. The characteristic shown in FIG. 3 and FIG. 4 of the first embodiment was almost the same.

(Third embodiment)
Next, FIG. 5 schematically shows a power amplifier as a third embodiment of the present invention. The power amplifier according to the third embodiment is different from the conventional power amplifier shown in FIG. 11 in that the power combiner / distributor 308 of the first embodiment is provided instead of the power combiner 307 of the third conventional example. Is different from the conventional power amplifier.

  Therefore, in FIG. 5, the input port 301, the power distribution circuit 303, the first amplification block 304, and the second amplification block 305 have the same configuration as the power amplifier shown in FIG.

  In the power amplifier according to the third embodiment, the high-frequency power input from the input port 301 is divided into two by an appropriate power distribution circuit 303, and a plurality of amplification semiconductor elements 306 are connected in parallel. 304 and the second amplification block 305 are input. The output powers of the first and second amplification blocks 304 and 305 are combined by a Wilkinson type power combiner / distributor 308 and output from the output port 302.

  This Wilkinson type power combiner / distributor 308 has the configuration shown in FIG. 1 and, for example, only the second port 102 and the third port 103 are already described with reference to the characteristic examples of FIGS. 3 and 4. Can be designed to have a low impedance. Therefore, the Wilkinson power combiner / distributor 308 can also satisfy the demand for a large signal load on the plurality of amplifying semiconductor elements 306.

  In order to simplify the description, FIG. 5 shows an example in which two amplification blocks 304 and 305 are provided, but the number of amplification blocks may generally be an integer of 2 or more. In order to simplify the description, FIG. 5 shows an example in which a plurality of amplification semiconductor elements 306 are arranged inside each amplification block 304, 305. There may be a single semiconductor element instead of a plurality.

  A major feature of the power amplifier according to the third embodiment of FIG. 5 is that a Wilkinson power combiner / distributor 308 is inserted as a circuit having high filter characteristics immediately before the output port 302. As a result, the entire output of the power amplifier is subjected to strong low-pass filter (LPF) characteristics. That is, the harmonic spurious generated by the semiconductor element 306 is less likely to leak from the output port 302.

  As described above, according to the power amplifier of the third embodiment, although the spurious harmonics are suppressed, the number of components is completely increased as compared with the power amplifier according to the related art shown in FIG. Absent. Rather, by adopting the power combiner / distributor 308 having the same configuration as that of the first embodiment, as described in the first embodiment, compared with the power combiner / distributor of the third conventional example shown in FIG. The total length of T101 to T104 is shortened, and downsizing is also realized.

(Fourth embodiment)
Next, FIG. 6 is a schematic block diagram showing a high-frequency communication device as a fourth embodiment of the present invention. Compared with the conventional high-frequency communication apparatus shown in FIG. 12, the fourth embodiment has a low-pass filter 405 and a power amplifier 409 of the third embodiment in place of the conventional power amplifier 404. The point is different.

  According to the fourth embodiment, since the power amplifier 409 on the transmission side is the third embodiment, harmonic spurious is suppressed by the high filter function of the power amplifier 409 itself. Therefore, in the fourth embodiment, the low-pass filter 405 in the conventional example of FIG. 12 is not necessary, and the filter 405 can be deleted. As a result of deleting one filter component, the size and weight are reduced compared to the conventional example. The cost could be reduced.

It is a figure which shows 1st Embodiment of the electric power combiner | distributor of this invention. It is a figure which shows 2nd Embodiment of the electric power combiner / distributor of this invention. It is an S parameter characteristic example of the circuit of the first embodiment. It is an S parameter characteristic example of the circuit of the first embodiment. It is a figure which shows typically the power amplifier as 3rd Embodiment of this invention. It is a block diagram which shows typically the high frequency communication apparatus as 4th Embodiment of this invention. It is a circuit diagram of a Wilkinson type power combiner / distributor of a distributed constant type of a first conventional example. FIG. 6 is a circuit diagram of a lumped constant Wilkinson power combiner / distributor of a second conventional example. It is a circuit diagram of the electric power combiner / distributor of the 3rd prior art example. It is a power combiner of the 4th conventional example. It is a figure which shows the power amplifier by a prior art. It is a figure which shows the high frequency communication apparatus by a prior art. It is a figure which shows the example of a characteristic of the conventional Wilkinson type | mold power combiner / distributor. It is a figure which shows another example of a characteristic of the conventional Wilkinson type | mold power combiner / distributor.

Explanation of symbols

101, 201 1st port 102, 202 2nd port 103, 203 3rd port T101 1st high frequency line T102 2nd high frequency line T103 3rd high frequency line T104 4th high frequency line A1, A2 area B Attenuation pole L201 1st inductance L202 2nd inductance L203 3rd inductance L204 4th inductance K201, K202 coupling coefficient 301 Input port 302 Output port 303 Power distribution circuit 304 1st amplification block 305 2nd amplification block 306 Amplifying semiconductor element 308 Wilkinson power combiner / distributor 405 Low-pass filter 409 Power amplifier

Claims (5)

A first port;
A second port;
A third port;
First and second circuit elements sequentially connected between the first port and the second port so as to cause magnetic field coupling in opposite directions, and including an inductance component;
Third and fourth circuit elements sequentially connected between the first port and the third port so as to cause magnetic field coupling in opposite directions, and including an inductance component;
A first resistor connected between the second port and the third port; a connection point between the first circuit element and the second circuit element; the third circuit element; A power combiner / distributor comprising: one of or both of the two resistance parts, the second resistance part connected to a connection point with a circuit element. The power combiner / distributor according to claim 1.
The first and second circuit elements are first and second high-frequency lines that are partly or wholly arranged in close proximity to each other so as to cause electromagnetic field coupling in opposite directions,
The third and fourth circuit elements are third and fourth high-frequency lines that are partly or wholly arranged in close proximity to each other so as to cause electromagnetic field coupling in opposite directions. A power combiner / distributor. The power combiner / distributor according to claim 1.
The first and second circuit elements are first and second inductance portions that cause mutual induction magnetic field coupling in opposite directions,
The third and fourth circuit elements are third and fourth inductance portions that cause mutual induction magnetic field coupling in opposite directions,
A power combiner / distributor comprising a capacitance section shunt-connected between at least one end point of the first to fourth inductance sections and a ground. A power combiner / distributor according to claim 1,
The impedance of the second port and the impedance of the third port are made lower than the impedance of the first port, respectively.
The second port and the third port are respectively connected to output portions of a plurality of semiconductor amplification elements,
A power amplifier characterized in that high frequency power output from the plurality of semiconductor amplifying elements is combined and extracted from the first port. A power amplifier according to claim 4,
A high-frequency communication apparatus, wherein the power amplifier is a transmission power amplifier.

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