TWI811351B - Phased array antenna module and communication device including the same - Google Patents

Abstract

Provided is an antenna module including: a phased array having a plurality of antennas and configured to communicate a first RF signal and a second RF signal, which are polarized in different directions; a front-end radio frequency integrated circuit (RFIC) including a first RF circuit configured to process or generate the first RF signal and a second RF circuit configured to process or generate the second RF signal; and a switch circuit configured to connect each of the first RF circuit and the second RF circuit to a first port or a second port of the antenna module according to a control signal. The first and second ports are each connectable to a back end RFIC that processes or generates a baseband signal.

Description

Phased array antenna module and including the phased array antenna Modular communication device

[Cross-reference to related applications]

This application claims U.S. Provisional Application No. 62/675,931 filed with the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office on May 24, 2018, and Korean Patent Application No. 62/675,931 filed with the Korean Intellectual Property Office on June 29, 2018. 10-2018-0075949, the full text of the disclosures in these applications is incorporated into this case for reference.

The inventive concept generally relates to wireless communications, and more specifically, relates to a phased array antenna module and a communication device including the phased array antenna module.

Wireless communication devices can support multi-input and multi-output (MIMO) systems to achieve high throughput and/or improved signal quality. These systems can support a diverse approach involving selecting one or more optimal antennas or beam directions depending on the signal environment. To this end, the device may include an antenna module including multiple antennas to enable beam steering and transmit improved information. No., the plurality of antennas form a phase array in which the relative phase between the antennas determines the beam direction. Multiple inputs and multiple outputs may further require multiplexing to increase throughput, where independent information signals or signals representing different parts of a bit stream are transmitted/received simultaneously in different beam directions.

To support high-frequency bands with strong linear characteristics (such as millimeter wave (mmWave), etc., in which the waves do not efficiently bend around or pass through certain obstacles), the wireless communication device may include multiple antenna modules. Each antenna module may itself include a phased array. The antenna modules are spaced apart from each other to enable signals to be transmitted via a selected one of the antenna modules or a group of antenna modules. For example, when communication using the initially selected antenna module is interrupted by an obstacle or a change in orientation/facing direction of the wireless communication device, communication can be switched to one or more antenna modules that communicate with better signal quality. Different antenna modules. Therefore, a structure for efficiently processing signals received via multiple antenna modules and signals transmitted via multiple antenna modules is desirable.

Embodiments of the inventive concept provide an antenna module for efficiently processing signals and a communication device including the antenna module.

According to aspects of the present invention, an antenna module is provided. The antenna module includes: a phased array including a plurality of antennas and configured to transmit a first radio frequency (RF) signal and a second radio frequency signal. The first radio frequency signal and the second radio frequency signal are polarized in different directions; a front-end radio frequency integrated circuit (RFIC) includes a first radio frequency integrated circuit (RFIC). a frequency circuit and a second radio frequency circuit, the first radio frequency circuit is configured to process or generate the first radio frequency signal, the second radio frequency circuit is configured to process or generate the second radio frequency signal; and a switching circuit, Configured to connect each of the first radio frequency circuit and the second radio frequency circuit to the first port or the second port of the antenna module according to a control signal. The first port and the second port can be connected to a back-end radio frequency integrated circuit that processes or generates baseband signals.

According to another aspect of the concept of the present invention, a communication device is provided. The communication device includes: a first signal line and a second signal line; and a back-end radio frequency integrated circuit (RFIC) configured to process or generate a baseband signal. ; and a first antenna module, connected to the back-end radio frequency integrated circuit through the first signal line and the second signal line and including a phase array, the phase array is configured to transmit in different directions Up-polarized first radio frequency signal and second radio frequency signal, wherein the first antenna module is configured to communicate with the back-end radio frequency integrated circuit, thereby causing the third radio frequency signal corresponding to the first radio frequency signal to An internal signal and a second internal signal corresponding to the second radio frequency signal respectively pass through the first signal line or the second signal line according to the control signal.

According to another aspect of the inventive concept, a communication device is provided. The communication device includes: a back-end radio frequency integrated circuit (RFIC) configured to process or generate a baseband signal; and a first antenna module, a third The two antenna modules and the third antenna module each include a phase array configured to transmit a first radio frequency signal and a second radio frequency signal polarized in different directions, wherein the back-end radio frequency integrated body The circuit includes a first four-way switch, a second four-way switch, a third four-way switch and a fourth four-way switch. off, the first antenna module is connected to the second port of the first four-way switch and the first port of the second four-way switch, and the second antenna module is connected to the second The second port of the four-way switch and the first port of the third four-way switch, and the third antenna module is connected to the second port of the third four-way switch and the fourth port of the fourth four-way switch. Second port.

3: Base station

5: Wireless communication system

20:Access point

31:Household devices

32:Household appliances

33:Entertainment devices

100: User device

110, 120, 130, 140, 200, 400, 910: Antenna module

111, 220, 410: Phased array

112, 210, 420: Front-end RF integrated circuit

150: RF integrated circuit/back-end RF integrated circuit

160, 500a, 500b, 930: Data processor

221a, 221b, 221c, 221d: dipole antenna

222: patch/top patch

223: Bottom patch

224:Ground plate

225:Feeder/antenna feeder

226: Buried via

228: First feed point

229: Second feed point

300, 700a, 700b, 810, 920: Back-end RF integrated circuit

301: line/first signal line

301a, 301b, 301c, 302a, 302b, 302c: Line

302: line/second signal line

421, 600a, 600b: first radio frequency circuit

422: Second radio frequency circuit

430: switch/switch circuit/four-way switch

441:Port/First port

442:Port/Second port

511a, 511b, 512a, 512b, 513a, 513b, 514a, 514b: Analog to Digital Converter

521a, 521b, 522a, 522b, 523a, 523b, 524a: digital to analog converter

550a, 550b, 931: Controller

610a, 610b, 620a, 630a, 640a, 620b, 630b, 640b: front-end RF circuit

611a, 611b, 670a, 670b: switch/transmit/receive switch

612a, 612b: low noise amplifier

613a, 613b: receiving phase shifter

614b:Receive mixer

615a, 615b: Power amplifier

616a, 616b: Transmission phase shifter

617b, 712a: Transmission mixer

650a: Buffer/Receive Buffer

650b:Receive buffer

660a: Buffer/transmission buffer

660b:Transmission buffer

710a, 811: switch/first switch

710b, 720b, 730b, 740b: switch

711a:Transmission filter

711b: Component/Filter/Transmission Filter

712b:Component/Mixer

713a, 743b: Amplifier

713b: Component/Amplifier

714a: Mixer/Receive Mixer

715a: Filter/receiver filter

720a, 812: switch/second switch

730a, 813: switch/third switch

740a, 814: switch/fourth switch

741b: Filter/Transmission filter

742b:Mixer

750: switch/single pole double throw switch

821: Antenna module/first antenna module

822: Antenna module/second antenna module

823: Antenna module/third antenna module

900: Communication device

911, 921: Power detector

BB: Baseband signal

CTRL: control signal

DET1: first detection signal

DET2: second detection signal

DL: Downlink

FE1: signal/input signal/first front-end signal

FE1-r: receiving signal/first front-end receiving signal

FE1-t: Transmission signal/first front-end transmission signal

FE2: signal/input signal/second front-end signal

FE2-r: receiving signal/second front end receiving signal

FE2-t: Transmission signal/second front-end transmission signal

III-III: line

INT1: signal/internal signal/first internal signal

INT2: signal/internal signal/second internal signal

INTS: internal signal

P10: Port pair/first port pair

P11, P21: Port/First port

P12:Port/Second port

P20: Second port pair

P22, P32, P42: Second port

P30: Third port pair

P31, P41: First port

P40: The fourth port pair

RF1: signal/receiving signal/first radio frequency signal

RF11, RF12, RF13, RF14: radio frequency signal

RF2: signal/receiving signal/second radio frequency signal

S20, S40, S60: Operation

UL: uplink

X, Y, Z: direction

Embodiments of the inventive concept will be more clearly understood by reading the following detailed description in conjunction with the accompanying drawings in which like reference characters represent like elements or operations. In the accompanying drawings: FIG. 1 is a diagram of a wireless communication system including a communication device according to an embodiment. Block diagram.

FIG. 2 is a perspective view of an antenna module according to an embodiment.

3 is a cross-sectional view of a portion of the antenna module taken along line III-III shown in FIG. 2 according to an embodiment.

4 is a block diagram of an antenna module and a back-end radio frequency integrated circuit (RFIC) according to an embodiment.

5A and 5B are diagrams illustrating respective switching states of the operation of the switching circuit shown in FIG. 4 according to the embodiment.

6A and 6B are block diagrams illustrating various examples of radio frequency circuits included in a front-end radio frequency integrated circuit according to embodiments.

7A and 7B are block diagrams illustrating various examples of back-end radio frequency integrated circuits and data processors according to embodiments.

FIG. 8 is a diagram illustrating a back-end radio frequency integrated circuit and an antenna module according to an embodiment. block diagram.

Figure 9 is a block diagram of a communication device according to an embodiment.

FIG. 10 is a flowchart of an operating method of a communication device according to an embodiment.

11 is a block diagram illustrating an example of a communication device including an antenna module according to an embodiment.

Exemplary embodiments of the inventive concept will now be explained with reference to the drawings.

As used herein, the term phased array may refer to at least two antennas that together convey (ie, transmit and/or receive) one or more information signals. In a phased array, the insertion phase of the signal path connected to the antenna is set or dynamically adjusted to produce a beam directed in a desired direction. The term phased array used herein may also collectively refer to at least two groups of antennas disposed within the same antenna module, where each antenna group includes a plurality of antenna elements. In this case, the first antenna group of the phased array may be used to transmit signal energy polarized in a first direction and the second antenna group may be used to transmit signal energy polarized in a second direction.

In this article, the terms antenna element and antenna are used interchangeably.

In this document, when an antenna is said to transmit a signal, it means that the antenna transmits and/or receives the signal.

In this document, the term radio frequency (RF) is used to encompass frequencies ranging from the kilohertz range to millimeter wave frequencies.

In this article, the words "transmit" and "receive" may be used as adjectives. For example, "receive signal" refers to the received signal, and "transmit signal" refers to the transmitted signal. For input signals, "received signal power" refers to the power of the received signal, etc.

FIG. 1 is a block diagram of a wireless communication system 5 including a communication device according to an embodiment. The wireless communication system 5 may include a wireless communication system using a cellular network, such as a ^fifth generation wireless (5G) system, a long term evolution (LTE) system, and an advanced long term evolution (LTE-advanced system) ), code division multiple access (CDMA) system, global system for mobile communication (GSM) system, wireless local area network (WLAN) system or another type wireless communication system. In the following, the wireless communication system 5 will be mainly described as a wireless communication system using a cellular network, but there may also be embodiments involving non-cellular networks. As shown in FIG. 1 , in the wireless communication system 5 , a wireless communication device (ie, a base station (BS) 3 ) and a user equipment (UE) 100 can communicate with each other. In this article, the wireless communication device may also be called a communication device.

Base station 3 may generally represent a fixed station that communicates with user equipment and/or another base station, and may exchange data and control information by communicating with user equipment and/or another base station. For example, the base station 3 may be a Node B, an evolved Note B (eNB), a sector, a site, or a base transceiver system (BTS). , access point (AP), relay node, remote radio head (RRH), radio unit (radio unit, RU) or small cell (small cell). In the present invention, "cell" is used in its comprehensive meaning to indicate, for example, code-divided multiplexing The selected base station controller (BSC), Node B in wideband code division multiple access (WCDMA), evolved Node B in Long Term Evolution, or sector (location) The local area or function covered. Examples of cell ranges include various coverage areas, such as mega-cell, macro-cell, micro-cell, pico-cell, milli-cell, etc. Femto-cell, relay node, remote radio headend, radio unit and small cell communication range.

The user equipment 100 may be fixed or mobile, and represents any device capable of transmitting or receiving data and/or controlling information by communicating with the base station 3 . For example, the user equipment 100 may be a terminal equipment, a mobile station (MS), a mobile terminal (MT), a user terminal (UT), a subscriber station (SS), Wireless or handheld device.

The wireless communication network between the user equipment 100 and the base station 3 can support communication between users by sharing available network resources. For example, in a wireless communication network, information can be transmitted through various multiple access methods such as: code division multiple access, frequency division multiple access (FDMA), time division multiple access (time division multiple access, TDMA), orthogonal frequency division multiple access (orthogonal frequency division multiple access, OFDMA), single carrier frequency division multiple access (single carrier frequency division multiple access, SC-FDMA), orthogonal frequency division Multiplexing - Frequency Division Multiple Access (OFDM-FDMA), Orthogonal Frequency Division Multiplexing - Time Division Multiple Access (OFDM-TDMA) and Orthogonal Frequency Division Multiplexing-Code Division Multiple Access (OFDM-CDMA). As shown in Figure 1, the user equipment 100 and the base station 3 can communicate with each other through the uplink UL and the downlink DL. According to some embodiments, user devices may communicate with each other via sidelinks as in device-to-device (D2D).

As shown in FIG. 1 , the user equipment 100 may include a plurality of antenna modules 110 , 120 , 130 and 140 , a back-end radio frequency integrated circuit (RFIC) 150 and a data processor 160 . The antenna modules 110 to 140 can communicate with the back-end radio frequency integrated circuit 150, and the back-end radio frequency integrated circuit 150 can communicate with the data processor 160. In Figure 1, user equipment 100 includes four antenna modules 110 to 140, but more antenna modules or fewer antenna modules may be used in alternative examples.

Signals with short wavelengths may have strong linearity in high frequency bands such as millimeter wave bands, and therefore may be easily attenuated by obstacles. For short wavelength signals, when the antenna pointing direction or orientation/polarization is misaligned with the pointing direction or orientation/polarization of the incoming signal, the signal power received through the antenna may be reduced. Reciprocal conditions may occur during transmission. The user equipment 100 may include the plurality of antenna modules 110 to 140, and the plurality of antenna modules 110 to 140 may be spaced apart from each other as seen in FIG. 1 . The received power at corresponding positions of the antenna modules 110 to 140 may be different. The difference in received power can be attributed to different multipath reflections at different corresponding positions of the antenna module, which, for example, change the polarization of the incoming signal. In addition, each antenna module can be preset to form a beam in different corresponding directions, thereby allowing all antenna modules 110 to 140 to cover together Wider area. Regardless of whether the user device 100 is pointed in a non-optimal direction or is close to an obstacle (e.g., the user's body), it is still possible to communicate with the base station by dynamically selecting one or more of the antenna modules 110 to 140 with high-quality signals. Station 3 communicates. In an example, the antenna modules 110 to 140 may be spaced apart from each other along the edge of the user equipment 100 . For example, if the user equipment 100 has a substantially rectangular shape, the antenna modules 110 to 140 may be installed at corresponding corners of the rectangle.

Each of the antenna modules 110 to 140 may include a phased array. For example, the antenna module 110 may include a phase array 111 including a plurality of antennas. According to some embodiments, the plurality of antennas of phased array 111 may be used to collectively form a beam and may be used in multiple-input and multiple-output based communication schemes. For example, using multiple inputs and multiple outputs, the antenna modules 110 to 140 can be used together to simultaneously transmit multiple independent signals occupying the same frequency band but propagating in different directions, thereby increasing throughput. Furthermore, according to some embodiments, the phased array 111 may include antennas configured to transmit signals polarized in a predetermined direction, or may include antennas configured to simultaneously transmit or receive at least two signals polarized in different directions. .

Each of the antenna modules 110 to 140 may include a front-end radio frequency integrated circuit. For example, the antenna module 110 may include a front-end radio frequency integrated circuit 112 that may be coupled to the plurality of antennas of the phased array 111 . The front-end RF IC 112 may provide signals generated by processing signals received from the phase array 111 to the back-end RF IC 150 in the receive mode, or may provide the phase array 111 with signals generated by processing signals from the back-end in the transmit mode. The radio frequency integrated circuit 150 generates a signal from the received signal.

The back-end RF integrated circuit 150 may process or generate baseband signals. For example, the backend RF integrated circuit 150 may receive a baseband signal from the data processor 160 and provide a signal generated by processing the baseband signal to at least one of the antenna modules 110 - 140 . Additionally, the back-end RF integrated circuit 150 may provide the data processor 160 with baseband signals generated by processing signals received from at least one of the antenna modules 110 - 140 .

The data processor 160 may generate a baseband signal based on the data to be transmitted to the base station 3 and provide the baseband signal to the backend radio frequency integrated circuit 150 , or may receive the baseband signal from the backend radio frequency integrated circuit 150 The signal is captured from the data received by base station 3. For example, the data processor 160 may include at least one digital-to-analog converter (DAC), which converts data to be transmitted to the base station 3 The modulated digital data is converted to output a baseband signal. The data processor 160 may also include at least one analog-to-digital converter (ADC), wherein the at least one analog-to-digital converter may output digital data by converting the baseband signal. According to some embodiments, data processor 160 may include at least one core that executes a sequence of instructions and may be referred to as a data machine.

As mentioned above, a phase array (eg, phase array 111) included in one antenna module can transmit multiple signals, such as signals with different polarizations, and since the user equipment 100 can include the multiple antenna modules 110 to 140, so this can make the connection between the plurality of antenna modules 110 to 140 and the back-end radio frequency integrated circuit 150 The number of connections increases. When the back-end radio frequency integrated circuit 150 has an increased number of pins due to an increase in the number of connections, the back-end radio frequency integrated circuit 150 may increase in size and may provide a greater number of components corresponding to the connections. In addition, when the number of signal lines increases between the plurality of antenna modules 110 to 140 and the back-end RF integrated circuit 150 , the structure of the user equipment 100 may become complex, and the space efficiency of the user equipment 100 May be damaged by the space allocated for arranging signal lines. Therefore, miniaturization of the user equipment 100 may be restricted. This increase in the number of connections and components can be mitigated according to the inventive concepts as further explained below.

Some of the signals corresponding to the phase arrays of the antenna modules 110 to 140 may be used to communicate with the base station 3 . For example, antenna modules 110 to 140 that provide unsatisfactory communication due to obstacles and/or the facing direction of the user equipment 100 may not communicate with the base station 3 . Furthermore, when communication by signals polarized in a particular direction is unsatisfactory, the signals may not be transmitted. As will be explained below, the antenna modules 110 to 140 and the back-end RF IC 150 can be connected to each other in the user equipment 100, thereby eliminating the need for antennas in multiple signals while processing signals selected for transmission. Some signals corresponding to modules 110 to 140. For example, the omitted signals are not routed to and from the back-end RF IC 150 . Therefore, in the user equipment 100, the number of connections between the antenna modules 110 to 140 and the back-end RF IC 150 (which is otherwise dedicated to always routing every signal) can be reduced, and The user equipment 100 may have a simpler structure. Additionally, for a given number of connections, the user equipment 100 can support an increased number of multi-input and multi-output streams, and therefore the user device 100 can provide higher data transfer rates. In the following, one or more embodiments of the user equipment 100 will be mainly explained as an example of a communication device, but it will be understood that other embodiments may also be applied to different types of communication devices (eg, the base station 3 ).

FIG. 2 is a perspective view of the antenna module 200 according to an embodiment. FIG. 3 is a cross-sectional view of a portion of the antenna module 200 taken along line III-III shown in FIG. 2 , according to an embodiment. Specifically, FIG. 3 is a cross-sectional view in which the antenna module 200 shown in FIG. 2 is cut on the Z-Y plane, where the Z axis is perpendicular to the main surface of the antenna module 200.

For example, referring to FIGS. 1 and 2 , antenna module 200 is an example of any one of antenna modules 110 to 140 and may be installed within user equipment 100 such that the top surface of antenna module 200 ( major surface) parallel to the major surface (eg, front) of the user device 100. The thickness direction of the antenna module 200 may coincide with the thickness direction of the user equipment 100 . In this case, if the user is holding the device with the front of the device oriented vertically (e.g., the user device is placed face up on a flat surface), then the following conventions may correspond to this orientation State: The X-axis direction and the Y-axis direction (which are perpendicular to each other) can be called the first horizontal direction and the second horizontal direction respectively, and the X-Y plane can be called the horizontal plane. In addition, the direction perpendicular to the horizontal plane (ie, the Z-axis direction) may be referred to as the vertical direction, wherein components arranged in the +Z-axis direction with respect to other components may be referred to as being above the other components and relative to the other components Components arranged in the -Z-axis direction may be said to be located below the other components. Among the surfaces of the component, the surface located in the +Z-axis direction may be called a top surface, and the surface located in the -Z-axis direction may be called a bottom surface. Note that the days in Figures 2 and 3 The wire module 200 is only an example, and other suitable configurations may be used instead of the antenna module 200.

As explained above with reference to FIG. 1 , the antenna module 200 may include a phase array 220 including a plurality of antennas and a front-end radio frequency integrated circuit 210 . According to some embodiments, the antenna module 200 may be manufactured by a semiconductor process, and as shown in FIG. 2 , the phase array 220 may be disposed on the front-end RF integrated circuit 210 . For example, the antenna module 200 may include a first substrate and a second substrate in a stacked configuration. The phase array 220 may be disposed on or in the first substrate, and the front-end RF integrated circuit 210 may be disposed on or in the second substrate. Antenna modules used in relatively low frequency bands (e.g., sub-6 gigahertz (GHz) bands) may be difficult to internally package since most loss parameters may degrade in high-frequency bands (e.g., millimeter-wave bands). layout. Specifically, the phase array 220 and the front-end RF integrated circuit 210 can be arranged in a sandwich structure as shown in FIG. 2 to reduce signal attenuation caused by the feeder supplying signals to the antenna or capturing signals from the antenna. . As shown in FIG. 2 , the structure in which the antenna (ie, the phase array 220 ) is arranged on the front-end radio frequency integrated circuit 210 may be called a system-in-package (SiP) structure.

Referring to FIG. 2 , the phased array 220 may include a patch 222 (also referred to as a “patch antenna”) and dipole antennas 221a, 221b, 221c, and 221d. For example, each of the patches 222 can emit electromagnetic waves in the +Z-axis direction or absorb electromagnetic waves in the -Z-axis direction, while the dipole antennas 221a to 221d can expand the coverage of the phase array 220. The arrangement of patch antennas and dipole antennas in Figure 2 is for real purposes only. example. As a minimum, each phased array 220 includes at least two antenna elements such that the phase relationship between the antenna elements can be exploited to form beams in a desired direction. Furthermore, at least one of the antenna elements of each phased array 220 may be driven or arranged to have a different polarization than the polarization of at least one other antenna element of the phased array 220 . As shown earlier, each antenna module 110 to 140 can be designed to form beams in different corresponding directions, which can be achieved by different relative phase relationships between the antenna elements.

For example, in the examples shown in FIGS. 1 and 2 , each of the patches 222 may be driven at a first feed point 228 located near a first side edge of the patch to move in the Y direction. A beam with a first polarization is generated. If the patch is driven at a second feed point 229 located near a second side edge of the patch (the second side is perpendicular to the first side), the resulting beam may have an X-direction (orthogonal direction) Second polarization. At least one of the patches 222 of a given phased array 220 may be driven to transmit/receive in a first polarization, while at least one of the other patches 222 may be driven to transmit in a second polarization. /take over. As explained subsequently, each antenna module 200 may include a power detector (eg, power detector 911 shown in FIG. 9 ) to measure the received power in each of the first polarization and the second polarization. RF power. The polarization of the superior signal may then be selected to provide the receive signal and/or transmit signal to the antenna module 200, and signals of non-selected polarization may not be used. Note that, as in the above examples, the first polarization and the second polarization may be orthogonal polarizations, but they may also be non-orthogonal in other embodiments.

In the exemplary structure of the antenna module 200, the dipole antennas 221a, 221b The dipole antennas 221c, 221d are oriented parallel to a first axis (eg, Y-axis) and along a second axis (eg, X-axis). In an example, if the user device 100 is held by a user with the front face of the user device 100 substantially oriented in the horizontal direction, the top surface of the antenna module 200 may be oriented in the horizontal direction. If the antenna module 200 is installed in the corner of the user equipment 100, the dipole antennas 221a and 221b can be oriented in the horizontal direction and thereby produce horizontal polarization, while the dipole antennas 221c and 221d can be oriented in the vertical direction. And thereby produce vertical polarization. Therefore, polarization diversity may be achieved using dipole antennas 221a to 221d in this type of arrangement.

Referring to FIG. 3 , in the phase array 220 , each patch 222 may be a top patch that is electromagnetically driven by a bottom patch 223 . As another option, only a single top patch may be included, and the single top patch may be driven directly by an antenna feed 225 extending directly to the single top patch (where such direct is not shown in Figure 3 connection example). In the situation shown in FIG. 3 , the top patch 222 and the bottom patch 223 may be spaced parallel to each other in the Z-axis direction, and may emit electromagnetic waves in the +Z-axis direction. Top patch 222 and bottom patch 223 may include conductive materials such as metal, and may have a rectangular shape as shown in Figure 2, or may have a circular shape or other shapes. As shown in FIG. 3 , and according to some embodiments, the phased array 220 may further include a ground plate 224 located under the bottom patch 223 . In addition, the phase array 220 may include feed lines 225 and a plurality of buried vias 226. The feed line 225 may be connected to the bottom patch 223 and the plurality of buried vias 226 may be configured such that a constant potential is applied to the plurality of buried vias 226 and may be connected to, for example, a terminal as shown in FIG. 3 Floor 224.

The front-end radio frequency integrated circuit 210 can be installed on the bottom surface of the phase array 220 , and the front-end radio frequency integrated circuit 210 can be electrically connected to the bottom patch 223 through the feeder 225 . According to some embodiments, the phase array 220 and the front-end RF IC 210 may be connected to each other through a controlled collapse chip connection (C4). The structure of the antenna module 200 shown in FIGS. 2 and 3 is only an example; other suitable structures may also be used to replace the structure of the antenna module 200 .

FIG. 4 is a block diagram of an antenna module 400 and a back-end radio frequency integrated circuit 300 according to an embodiment. Antenna module 400 is an example of any of antenna modules 110 - 140 and 200 , and back-end radio frequency integrated circuit 300 is an example of radio frequency integrated circuit 150 . As shown in FIG. 4 , the antenna module 400 and the back-end radio frequency integrated circuit 300 can communicate with each other through the first signal line 301 and the second signal line 302 , and according to some embodiments, the first signal line 301 and the second signal line 302 can communicate with each other. Each of the two signal lines 302 may include a differential line for transmitting differential signals. Each of the first signal line 301 and the second signal line 302 may be a conductor of a transmission line such as a microstrip or a stripline (the other conductor is a ground plate), in which the signal energy is transmitted in the antenna mode. Propagation occurs within the transmission line between the group 400 and the back-end radio frequency integrated circuit 300 . (In the case of a microstrip line or other transmission line, although signal energy typically propagates within the dielectric material between the signal line of the transmission line and another conductor (e.g., the ground plate of the microstrip), in this article Signals can be said to travel by "passing" the signal line between components located on opposite ends of the transmission line.)

The antenna module 400 may include a first port 441 connected to the first signal line 301 and a second port 442 connected to the second signal line 302 . Via first port 441 and The signal transmitted by one signal line 301 may be called the first internal signal INT1, and the signal transmitted through the second port 442 and the second signal line 302 may be called the second internal signal INT2. According to some embodiments, each of the first internal signal INT1 and the second internal signal INT2 may be a differential signal, and each of the first port 441 and the second port 442 may be a differential port for differential signals. . As described above with reference to FIG. 1 , the antenna module 400 may include a phase array 410 (an example of the phase array 111 or 220 ) and a front-end radio frequency integrated circuit 420 (an example of the front-end radio frequency integrated circuit 112 or 210 ), and may further include Switch circuit 430. According to some embodiments, when the antenna module 400 has a system-in-package structure as described with reference to FIGS. 2 and 3 , the switch circuit 430 may be arranged under the phase array 220 together with the front-end RF integrated circuit 210 shown in FIG. 2 . In this article, switching circuits are interchangeably referred to as switches. In addition, the antenna module 400 may include a first port 441 and a second port 442, and may be connected to the back-end radio frequency integrated circuit 300 through the first port 441 and the second port 442.

The phase array 410 includes a plurality of antennas and can transmit a first radio frequency signal RF1 polarized in a first direction and a second radio frequency signal RF2 polarized in a second direction. In the following discussion, for simplicity, the first direction may be called a horizontal direction and the first radio frequency signal RF1 may be called a horizontal (H) wave; and the second direction may be called a vertical direction and the second radio frequency signal RF2 may be called a horizontal (H) wave. is a vertical (V) wave. Each of the first radio frequency signal RF1 and the second radio frequency signal RF2 may be a modulated carrier occupying the same radio frequency band. (Hereinafter, the tags RF1 and RF2 may each refer to a received signal or a transmitted signal, as understood by reading the context in which the tags RF1 and RF2 are used).

The front-end radio frequency integrated circuit 420 may include a first radio frequency circuit 421 and a second RF circuit 422. The first radio frequency circuit 421 may generate the first front-end reception signal FE1-r by processing the first radio frequency signal RF1 received from the phase array 410 in the reception mode, and by processing the first radio frequency signal RF1 received from the switching circuit 430 in the transmission mode. A front-end transmits the signal FE1-t to generate the first radio frequency signal RF1. Similarly, the second RF circuit 422 may generate the second front-end received signal FE2-r by processing the second RF signal RF2 received from the phase array 410 in the receive mode, and by processing the switch circuit 430 in the transmit mode. The received second front-end transmission signal FE2-t generates a second radio frequency signal RF2. An example of the front-end radio frequency integrated circuit 420 will be described later with reference to FIGS. 6A and 6B. In the following, for the sake of brevity, "FE1" will be used to refer to the transmission signal FE1-t or the reception signal FE1-r or both; and "FE2" will be used to refer to the transmission signal FE2-t or the reception signal FE2-r may refer to these two signals.

The switch circuit 430 may connect each of the first radio frequency circuit 421 and the second radio frequency circuit 422 to the first port 441 or the second port 442 according to the control signal. According to some embodiments, the switch circuit 430 can connect the first radio frequency circuit 421 and the second radio frequency circuit 422 to the first port 441 and the second port 442 in a mutually exclusive manner according to the control signal. For example, the switch circuit 430 may include a 4-way switch, and the four-way switch may be a switch with two switching states. In the first switching state ("straight path state") of the four-way switch, the first front-end signal FE1 provided to/output from the first radio frequency circuit 421 passes through the first port 441 and is provided to The second RF circuit 422/the second front-end signal FE2 output from the second RF circuit 422 passes through the second port 442. In the second switching state ("crossover state") of the four-way switch, the input and output of the switching circuit 430 are crossed so that the first front-end signal FE1 Passing through the second port 442 and the second front-end signal FE2 passing through the first port 441. The first switch state and the second switch state of the switch circuit 430 may be caused by the first control state and the second control state of the control signal, respectively. An example of the operation of the switching circuit 430 will be described later with reference to FIGS. 5A and 5B. According to some embodiments, a four-way switch may include a plurality of two-way switches connected in a hierarchical manner. Optionally, the switch circuit 430 may be additionally configured to have third switch states and fourth switch states respectively corresponding to the third control state and the fourth control state of the control signal. In each of these states, one of the signal paths is open and the other is closed. In the third switching state, the first front-end signal FE1 passes through the first port 441, but the signal FE2 does not pass through the switch. In the fourth switch state, the signal FE2 is transmitted to the second port 442, but the signal FE1 does not pass through the switch. The fifth state and the sixth state can also be configured, in which the signal FE1 is transmitted to the second port 442, and the signal FE2 does not pass through the switch (fifth state); and in the sixth state, the signal FE2 is transmitted to the first port 441, The signal FE1 does not pass through the switch.

As mentioned above, the signal polarized in a specific direction is no longer transmitted through a predetermined line among the lines connected to the antenna module 400 and the back-end RF integrated circuit 300, but can be transmitted through different lines according to the control signal. transmission, and therefore, the antenna module 400 and the back-end RF integrated circuit 300 can efficiently communicate with each other through a limited number of lines. For example, signals whose polarization has been determined to be inefficiently received (or whose polarization would not be efficiently transmitted) may be prevented from being exchanged between the antenna module 400 and the back-end RF IC 300 (e.g., by terminating unwanted signal). In this way, the number of signal lines can be compared to the number of signal lines in it that go to and from each antenna. This is reduced compared to previous technology designs where the signal was exchanged continuously with the back-end RF integrated circuit. The switching circuit 430 may include a plurality of transistors and may have any structure that changes the signal path according to the control signal. As will be explained later with reference to FIG. 9 , the control signal for controlling the switching circuit 430 may be provided by a data processor such as the data processor 160 shown in FIG. 1 .

In FIG. 4 , the antenna module 400 and the back-end radio frequency integrated circuit 300 can process the first radio frequency signal RF1 and the second radio frequency signal RF2 polarized in two different directions. In other embodiments, the antenna module 400 and the back-end RF integrated circuit 300 can process at least three RF signals polarized in different directions. For example, in order to process the at least three radio frequency signals polarized in different directions, the front-end radio frequency integrated circuit 420 may include three independent radio frequency circuits, and the switch circuit 430 may switch the three radio frequency signals according to the control signal. Each of the circuits is connected to one of three ports connected to the back-end radio frequency integrated circuit 300 .

5A and 5B are diagrams illustrating various switching states of the operation of the switching circuit 430 shown in FIG. 4 according to an embodiment. Specifically, FIGS. 5A and 5B show signals passing through the switch circuit 430 according to the control signal. As described above with reference to FIG. 4 , the switch circuit 430 may connect each of the first radio frequency circuit 421 and the second radio frequency circuit 422 to the first port 441 or the second port 442 according to the control signal. In the following, FIGS. 5A and 5B are explained with reference to FIG. 4 .

According to some embodiments, the switch circuit 430 can connect the first radio frequency circuit 421 and the second radio frequency circuit 422 to the first port 441 and the second port 442 in a mutually exclusive manner according to the control signal. Referring to FIG. 5A , in the first switching state of the switching circuit 430 In the state (direct path state), a signal path can be formed such that the first front-end signal FE1 and the first internal signal INT1 correspond to each other, and the second front-end signal FE2 and the second internal signal INT2 correspond to each other. Therefore, the first radio frequency circuit 421 can be connected to the first port 441, and the second radio frequency circuit 422 can be connected to the second port 442. 5B, in the second switching state (cross state) of the switching circuit 430, the signal path is formed such that the first front-end signal FE1 and the second internal signal INT2 correspond to each other and the second front-end signal FE2 and the first internal signal INT2 correspond to each other. The signals INT1 correspond to each other. Therefore, depending on the control signal applied to the switch circuit 430, the first front-end signal FE1 may correspond to the first internal signal INT1 or the second internal signal INT2, and at the same time, the second front-end signal FE2 may respectively correspond to the second internal signal INT2 or the first internal signal INT1. As discussed above, the switching circuit 430 may additionally be configured to have a third switching state, a fourth switching state, a fifth switching state, and/or a sixth switching state in which only one of the input signals FE1 or FE2 passes through the switch. Reaching the selected output port, and another signal does not pass through the switch, the selected signal passed therein and the selected output port can be determined by another control state of the control signal.

6A and 6B are block diagrams illustrating various examples of first radio frequency circuits 600a and 600b included in the front-end radio frequency integrated circuit according to embodiments. Specifically, FIGS. 6A and 6B illustrate an example of the first radio frequency circuit 421 shown in FIG. 4 that processes or generates the first radio frequency signal RF1 polarized in the first direction. According to some embodiments, the second radio frequency circuit 422 that processes or generates the second radio frequency signal RF2 polarized in the second direction may have a structure similar to that shown in FIGS. 6A and 6B. In FIG. 6A and FIG. 6B, the first radio frequency circuits 600a and 600b can be combined with the phase array included in the Four antennas are included for communication, and therefore, the first radio frequency signal RF1 may include four radio frequency signals RF11 to RF14 polarized in the first direction. Hereinafter, FIG. 6A and FIG. 6B are explained with reference to FIG. 4 , and redundant description with reference to FIG. 4 will be omitted.

Referring to FIG. 6A , the first radio frequency circuit 600a may include four front-end radio frequency circuits 610a, 620a, 630a and 640a, a receive (RX) buffer 650a and a transmit (TX) buffer 660a, and a transmit/receive (T/R) switch 670a . The four front-end RF circuits 610a to 640a may respectively process or generate the four RF signals RF11 to RF14 and may be connected to buffers 650a and 660a. According to some embodiments, the four front-end radio frequency circuits 610a to 640a may each have the same structure. Front-end radio frequency circuit 610a will be described with reference to Figure 6A.

As shown in Figure 6A, the front-end radio frequency circuit 610a can transmit or receive the radio frequency signal RF11 in the first radio frequency signal RF1, and can include a transmission/reception switch 611a, a low-noise amplifier (LNA) 612a, a receiving Phase shifter 613a, power amplifier (PA) 615a and transmission phase shifter 616a. Although not shown, according to some embodiments, the front-end radio frequency circuit 610a may further include at least one filter.

The transmit/receive switch 611a can provide the radio frequency signal RF11 to the low noise amplifier 612a in the receive mode, and output the output signal of the power amplifier 615a as the radio frequency signal RF11 in the transmit mode. Figure 6A shows an example of transmit/receive switch 611a in the switch position of transmit mode, and according to some embodiments, switch 611a may have a single pole double throw (SPDT) structure. In the receive mode, the low-noise amplifier 612a can receive the signal from the transmit/receive switch 611a. The radio frequency signal RF11 is amplified, and the receiving phase shifter 613a can shift the phase of the output signal of the low noise amplifier 612a. The output signal of receive phase shifter 613a may be provided to receive buffer 650a. In the transmission mode, the transmission phase shifter 616a can shift the phase of the signal received from the transmission buffer 660a, and the power amplifier 615a can amplify the output signal of the transmission phase shifter 616a. The output signal of the power amplifier 615a can be output as the radio frequency signal RF11 through the transmission/reception switch 611a.

In the receive mode, the receive buffer 650a may buffer (or amplify) the output signals provided from the four front-end RF circuits 610a to 640a, and the output signal of the receive buffer 650a may be provided to the switch 670a. In the transmit mode, the transmit buffer 660a may buffer (or amplify) the signal provided from the transmit/receive switch 670a, and the output signal of the transmit buffer 660a may be provided to the four front-end RF circuits 610a to 640a. Similar to the transmission/reception switch 611a included in the front-end RF circuit 610a, the switch 670a can provide different signal paths according to the transmission signal and the reception signal. For example, the transmit/receive switch 670a may output the output signal of the receive buffer 650a as the first front-end signal FE1 in the receive mode, and provide the first front-end signal FE1 to the transmit buffer 660a in the transmit mode.

The first radio frequency circuit 600a can process or generate the first front-end signal FE1 in the radio frequency band. For example, the first radio frequency circuit 600a may generate the first front-end signal FE1 in the radio frequency band by processing the first radio frequency signal RF1 in the radio frequency band in the reception mode, and in the transmission mode by processing the first radio frequency signal RF1 in the radio frequency band. The first front-end signal FE1 in the frequency band is used to generate a first radio frequency signal RF1 in the radio frequency band. Therefore, in the antenna module including the first radio frequency circuit 600a shown in FIG. 6A (eg For example, the internal signal (for example, the first internal signal shown in FIG. 4 ) is transferred between the antenna module 400 shown in FIG. 4 ) and the back-end radio frequency integrated circuit (for example, the back-end radio frequency integrated circuit 300 shown in FIG. 4 ). INT1 and the second internal signal INT2) may be in the radio frequency band.

Referring to FIG. 6B , the first radio frequency circuit 600b may include four front-end radio frequency circuits 610b to 640b, a receive buffer 650b and a transmit buffer 660b, and a transmit/receive switch 670b. The front-end radio frequency circuit 610b can transmit or receive the radio frequency signal RF11 in the first radio frequency signal RF1, and can include a transmission/reception switch 611b, a low noise amplifier 612b, a receiving phase shifter 613b, a receiving mixer 614b, a power amplifier 615b, Transmission phase shifter 616b and transmission mixer 617b. Compared with the front-end radio frequency circuit 610a shown in FIG. 6A, the front-end radio frequency circuit 610b shown in FIG. 6B further includes a receiving mixer 614b and a transmitting mixer 617b. Although not shown, according to some embodiments, the front-end radio frequency circuit 610b may further include at least one filter.

In the receive mode, the radio frequency signal RF11 can be provided to the low-noise amplifier 612b through the switch 611b and processed by the low-noise amplifier 612b, the receive phase shifter 613b and the receive mixer 614b in sequence. According to some embodiments, the receive mixer 614b can down-convert the output signal of the receive phase shifter 613b in the radio frequency band into a signal in the intermediate frequency (IF) band. The mid-frequency band can represent any frequency band between the radio frequency band and the baseband. The output signal of the receive mixer 614b may be provided to the receive buffer 650b, and the output signal of the receive buffer 650b may be output by the switch 670b as the first front-end signal FE1. Therefore, in the receiving mode, the first front-end signal FE1 may be in the intermediate frequency band.

In the transmit mode, the first front-end signal FE1 may be provided to the transmit mixer 617b of the front-end RF circuit 610b through the switch 670b and may be sequentially processed by the transmit mixer 617b, the transmit phase shifter 616b and the power amplifier 615b. According to some embodiments, the first front-end signal FE1 provided to the switch 670b may be in the intermediate frequency band, and the transmit mixer 617b may upconvert the output signal of the transmit buffer 660b in the intermediate frequency band to be in the radio frequency band. signals in the frequency band. The output signal of the power amplifier 615b can be output by the switch 611b as the radio frequency signal RF11.

As mentioned above, unlike the first radio frequency circuit 600a shown in FIG. 6A, the first radio frequency circuit 600b can process or generate the first front-end signal FE1 in the intermediate frequency band. For example, the first radio frequency circuit 600b can generate the first front-end signal FE1 in the intermediate frequency band by processing the first radio frequency signal RF1 in the radio frequency band in the reception mode, and in the transmission mode by processing the first radio frequency signal RF1 in the intermediate frequency band. The first front-end signal FE1 in the intermediate frequency band generates the first radio frequency signal RF1 in the radio frequency band. Therefore, between the antenna module including the first radio frequency circuit 600b shown in Figure 6B (for example, the antenna module 400 shown in Figure 4) and the back-end radio frequency integrated circuit (for example, the back-end radio frequency integrated circuit 300 shown in Figure 4 ) (eg, the first internal signal INT1 and the second internal signal INT2 shown in FIG. 4 ) may be in the intermediate frequency band.

7A and 7B are block diagrams illustrating various examples of back-end radio frequency integrated circuits 700a and 700b and data processors 500a and 500b according to embodiments. In FIGS. 7A and 7B , baseband signals can be transmitted/received between back-end RF integrated circuits 700a and 700b and data processors 500a and 500b. Hereinafter, FIGS. 7A and 7B will be explained while redundant descriptions will be omitted.

Referring to FIG. 7A , the back-end radio frequency integrated circuit 700a may include four port pairs for connecting to the antenna module, namely a first port pair P10 to a fourth port pair P40. For example, the first port pair P10 may include a first port P11 and a second port P12, and the first port P11 and the second port P12 may be respectively connected to a port of the antenna module (for example, the first port 441 shown in FIG. 4 and second port 442). According to some embodiments, the first port P11 and the second port P12 may be differential ports for differential signals. Similarly, the second port pair P20 may include the first port P21 and the second port P22, the third port pair P30 may include the first port P31 and the second port P32, and the fourth port pair P40 may include the first port P41 and the second port P22. Second port P42. In embodiments, ports P11, P12, etc. may interface with radio frequency transmission lines such as microstrip or intermediate frequency transmission lines.

The back-end radio frequency integrated circuit 700a may include four circuit groups corresponding to the first to fourth port pairs P10 to P40. As shown in FIG. 7A, the back-end radio frequency integrated circuit 700a may include first to fourth switches (SW) 710a, 720a, respectively connected to the first to fourth port pairs P10, P20, P30, P40. 730a, 740a, and may include circuitry for processing signals between the first to fourth switches 710a to 740a and the data processor 500a. For example, the baseband signal received from the digital-to-analog converter 522a of the data processor 500a may be processed by the transmission filter 711a, the transmission mixer 712a, and the amplifier 713a, and the output signal of the amplifier 713a may be provided to the first switch. 710a. According to some embodiments, amplifier 713a may include a variable gain amplifier (VGA). Additionally, the signal received from the first switch 710a may be processed by the receive mixer 714a and the receive filter 715a, and the output signal of the receive filter 715a may be provided to the analog-to-digital converter 512a of the data processor 500a. Although not shown, according to some embodiments, the rear end fires The frequency integrated circuit 700a may include a circuit that provides an oscillation signal to the receive filter 715a and the transmit mixer 712a, such as a phased locked loop (PLL). Furthermore, the data processors 500a, 500b may be configured to perform multiple input and multiple output processing on at least one of the first radio frequency signal RF1 and the second radio frequency signal RF2.

According to some embodiments, as described above with reference to FIG. 6A , when the back-end radio frequency integrated circuit 700 a receives an internal signal in the radio frequency band from the antenna module or provides an internal signal in the radio frequency band to the antenna module, the transmission mix The frequency converter 712a can up-convert the signal in the base frequency band to the radio frequency band, and the receive mixer 714a can down-convert the signal in the radio frequency band to the base frequency band. On the other hand, according to some embodiments, as described above with reference to FIG. 6B , when the back-end radio frequency integrated circuit 700 a receives an internal signal in the intermediate frequency band from the antenna module or provides the antenna module with an internal signal in the intermediate frequency band. When receiving internal signals, the transmit mixer 712a can up-convert the signal in the base frequency band to the intermediate frequency band, and the receive mixer 714a can down-convert the signal in the intermediate frequency band to the base frequency band.

According to some embodiments, each of the first to fourth switches 710a to 740a may be a four-way switch as described above in conjunction with FIG. 4, FIG. 5A, and FIG. 5B. For example, the first switch 710a may connect each of the first port P11 and the second port P12 to the amplifier 713a or the receive mixer 714a according to the control signal. In addition, according to some embodiments, similar to the switch circuit 430 shown in FIG. 4 described with reference to FIGS. 5A and 5B , the first switch 710a can connect the first port P11 and the second port P12 in a mutually exclusive manner according to the control signal. to amplifier 713a and receive mixer 714a. Therefore, the signal received from the antenna module by the back-end RF integrated circuit 700a can pass through the first port Either one of the first port P11 and the second port P12 is then processed, and the signal transmitted from the back-end radio frequency integrated circuit 700a to the antenna module can also pass through any one of the first port P11 and the second port P12. According to some embodiments, a four-way switch may include a plurality of two-way switches connected in a hierarchical manner in a conventional manner. Furthermore, if any of the switches 710a to 740a is configured to have the third switching state, the fourth switching state, the fifth switching state and/or the sixth switching state as described above, then the switching path through the switch One of them can be controlled to be turned on and the other to be turned off according to the control signal status.

The data processor 500a may include a plurality of analog-to-digital converters 511a, 512a, 513a, and 514a, a plurality of digital-to-analog converters 521a, 522a, 523a, and 524a, and a controller 550a. Each of analog-to-digital converters 511a through 514a may receive a baseband signal from back-end radio frequency integrated circuit 700a and convert the baseband signal into a digital signal. Each of the digital-to-analog converters 521a to 524a may generate a baseband signal by converting a digital signal and provide the baseband signal to the back-end radio frequency integrated circuit 700a. In FIG. 7A, the data processor 500a may include four analog-to-digital converters 511a to 514a and four analog-to-digital converters 511a to 514a corresponding to the second port pair P20, the first port pair P10, the fourth port pair P40, and the third port pair P30 respectively. digital to analog converters 521a to 524a.

The controller 550a can generate at least one control signal and provide control signals not only to the back-end radio frequency integrated circuit 700a, but also to a plurality of antenna modules (eg, the antenna modules 110 to 140 shown in FIG. 1). For example, the controller 550a can generate a control signal indicating the transmission mode or the reception mode, and the transmission/reception switch of the antenna module (eg, the transmission/reception switches 611a and/or 670a shown in FIG. 6A) can A signal path is set in response to the control signal. In addition, the controller 550a can generate a control signal such that a signal path is formed through an antenna module among the plurality of antenna modules that provides satisfactory communication, and the switch of the antenna module (for example, the switch circuit 430 shown in FIG. 4 ) and the switch (eg, switch 710a) of the back-end radio frequency integrated circuit 700a can set a signal path in response to the control signal. Examples of operations of the controller 550a will be explained later with reference to FIGS. 9 and 10 .

In the embodiment shown in FIG. 7A , four receive paths are provided and four transmission paths are provided to handle a total of eight receive signals that can be selectively provided by the four antenna modules 110 to 140 and can be provided to the antenna modules. The eight potentials of groups 110 to 140 carry signals. This is because each antenna module 110 to 140 can only provide a radio frequency signal of a selected polarization during the receive mode, and provide a transmission signal of a selected polarization during the transmit mode. In this manner, the number of connections between the antenna modules 110 to 140 and the back-end RF IC 150 (or 300) can be reduced by half (compared to where signals of all polarizations are continuously routed to demodulator and are continuously provided to the antenna modules 110 to 140 during transmission).

For example, referring to FIGS. 1, 4, and 7A, consider that the antenna module 110 having the configuration of the antenna module 400 is connected to the port pair through the connection of port 441 to port P11 and the connection of port 442 to port P12. P10. In the receive mode, if the receive signal of the first polarization (eg, signal RF1 ) is selected and the switching circuit 430 is in the direct path switching state, the signal RF1 is output as the signal INT1 , and the signal INT1 is applied to the port P11 . If the switch 710a is in the fifth switching state, the signal INT1 will be in the circuit including the mixer 714a, the filter 715a and the analog-to-digital converter 512a. Routed in the receive path for demodulation. At the same time, the signal energy of the received signal RF2 of the second polarization will not pass through the switch 710a. On the other hand, if a signal of the second polarization (for example, signal RF2) is selected, the switch 430 can remain in the direct path state, and the state of the switch 710a can be changed to the fourth switching state, in which , signal INT2 (corresponding to signal RF2) is passed to the receive path with mixer 714a, while signal INT1 does not pass through switch 710a. A similar switching scheme can be applied in transfer mode.

Referring to FIG. 7B , the back-end radio frequency integrated circuit 700 b may include a first to fourth port pair P10 to P40 in a similar arrangement to the back-end radio frequency integrated circuit 700 a shown in FIG. 7A . In addition, the back-end radio frequency integrated circuit 700b may include four switches 710b to 740b corresponding to the first to fourth port pairs P10 to P40 respectively. Compared with the back-end RF integrated circuit 700a shown in FIG. 7A, the back-end RF integrated circuit 700b may further include a single-pole double-throw switch 750. As shown in FIG. 7B , the single-pole double-throw switch 750 can receive the baseband signal from the digital-to-analog converter 522b of the data processor 500b, and can transmit the signal to the transmission filter 711b corresponding to the first port pair P10 or according to the control signal. The transmission filter 741b corresponding to the fourth port pair P40 provides the received baseband signal.

The data processor 500b may be the same as the data processor 500a shown in FIG. 7A and include four analog-to-digital converters 511b to 514b and the controller 550b, and may be different from the data processor 500a shown in FIG. 7A and include three digital to Analog converters 521b to 523b. In other words, the baseband signal output by the digital-to-analog converter 522b shown in FIG. 7B may be processed by the back-end RF integrated circuit 700b and output through the first port pair P10 or the fourth port pair P40. In addition, the controller 550b may provide backend radio frequency product Single-pole double-throw switch 750 of bulk circuit 700b provides the control signal.

In the example shown in Figure 7B, the path from single-pole double-throw switch 750 to switch 740b is shown to include filter 741b, mixer 742b, and amplifier 743b; and the path from single-pole double-throw switch 750 to switch 710b Shown includes filter 711b, mixer 712b and amplifier 713b. In an alternative embodiment, the path from digital-to-analog converter 522b can be connected directly to the input of filter 711b, and single-pole double-throw switch 750 can be placed between the output of amplifier 713b and the input of switch 710b. The input of switch 750 will then be connected to the output of amplifier 713b; the first output of single-pole double-throw switch 750 will be connected to one input of switch 710b; and the second output of single-pole double-throw switch 750 may then be connected directly to switch 740b an input. In this case, filter 741b, mixer 742b, and amplifier 743b may be omitted (for the case where these components are otherwise designed to have the same characteristics as filter 711b, mixer 712b, and amplifier 713b) . Similarly, if switch 750 is to be connected between the output of amplifier 743b and one input of switch 740b, one can alternatively omit left components 711b, 712b, and 713b while retaining the components on the right.

FIG. 8 is a block diagram illustrating the back-end radio frequency integrated circuit 810 and the first to third antenna modules 821 to 823 according to an embodiment. Specifically, as described above with reference to FIGS. 7A and 7B , FIG. 8 shows the first to third antenna modules 821 , 822 and 823 and the back-end radio frequency integrated circuit 810 including four port pairs. And shown are the first to fourth switches 811 to 814 in which the signal path is set according to the control signal in the receiving mode. The back-end radio frequency integrated circuit 810 is the back-end radio frequency integrated circuit shown in Figure 1 circuit 150; and antenna modules 821, 822, and 823 are examples of any three of antenna modules 110, 120, 130, and 140. In the embodiment shown in FIG. 8 , the fourth antenna module may be omitted from the user equipment (UE) including the back-end RF integrated circuit 810 and the antenna modules 821 to 823 (therefore, the UE may have exactly three antenna modules).

Referring to FIG. 8 , the back-end radio frequency integrated circuit 810 may include the four port pairs (ie, eight ports) and first to fourth switches 811 to 814 . According to some embodiments, each of the first to fourth switches 811 to 814 may be a four-way switch and may be connected to one port pair. In FIG. 8 , the eight ports may be the first port P11 and the second port P12 of the first switch 811 , the first port P21 and the second port P22 of the second switch 812 , and the first port of the third switch 813 P31 and the second port P32 and the first port P41 and the second port P42 of the fourth switch 814 . In Figure 8, for the receive mode, exemplary switching states of switches 811 to 814 are shown.

Each of the first to third antenna modules 821 to 823 may include a phase array and a front-end radio frequency integrated circuit, wherein the phase array may transmit signals polarized in a first direction (eg, horizontal direction) and signals polarized in a second direction (eg, vertical direction). Therefore, each of the first to third antenna modules 821 to 823 can be configured by the lines 301a, 301b, or 301c for signals polarized in the horizontal (H) direction and for signals polarized in the vertical (H) direction. Lines 302a, 302b or 302c of signals polarized in the V) direction are connected to the back-end RF integrated circuit 810. (If the switching state of four-way switch 430 in FIG. 4 changes in any of antenna modules 821 to 823 (e.g., due to signal power measurements discussed below), then on the corresponding line 301, On 302, H can be interchanged with V).

According to some embodiments, each of the first to third antenna modules 821 to 823 may be connected to the back-end radio frequency integrated circuit 810 through ports in different port pairs. For example, as shown in FIG. 8, the first antenna module 821 can be connected to the second port P12 of the first switch 811 and the first port P21 of the second switch 812, and the second antenna module 822 can be connected to to the second port P22 of the second switch 812 and the second port P32 of the third switch 813, and the third antenna module 823 can be connected to the first port P31 of the third switch 813 and the second port P42 of the fourth switch 814 . Therefore, as shown in FIG. 8 , signals polarized in the horizontal direction can be received from the first antenna module 821 and the third antenna module 823 , while signals polarized in the vertical direction and polarized signals in the horizontal direction can be received from the first antenna module 821 and the third antenna module 823 . The signal can be received from the second antenna module 822.

According to some embodiments, each of the first to third antenna modules 821 to 823 may include a switching circuit (eg, the switching circuit 430 shown in FIG. 4 ). Therefore, each of the first to third antenna modules 821 to 823 can communicate with the back-end radio frequency integrated circuit 810, thereby allowing the internal signal corresponding to the signal polarized in the horizontal direction to be Each of the internal signals corresponding to signals polarized in the vertical direction passes through different switches of the back-end radio frequency integrated circuit 810 according to the control signal.

For example, referring to FIGS. 4 and 8 together, considering antenna module 821 implemented as antenna module 400, port 441 may be connected to port P12 by line 301a, and port 442 may be connected to port P12 by line 302a. Port P21. As shown in Figure 8, if the internal signal INT1 is H (corresponding to the direct path connection state of the received signal RF1 and the switch 430 state), the signal RF1 can be routed through the back-end radio frequency integrated circuit 810 for demodulation, while the received signal RF2 (corresponding to the internal signal INT2) is not routed for demodulation. On the other hand, if the switch state of switch 430 changes to the "crossover state", then signal RF2 can be routed for demodulation, but signal RF1 is not routed for demodulation. Similar switching operations can be performed within antenna module 823.

FIG. 9 is a block diagram of a communication device 900 according to an embodiment. As shown in FIG. 9 , the communication device 900 may include a plurality of antenna modules 910 , a back-end radio frequency integrated circuit 920 and a data processor 930 .

The plurality of antenna modules 910 may each include a phase array and a front-end radio frequency integrated circuit as described above with reference to FIG. 1 , and may be spaced apart from each other at the edge of the communication device 900 . In addition, the plurality of antenna modules 910 can communicate with the back-end radio frequency integrated circuit 920 through a plurality of internal signals INTS. According to some embodiments, as shown in FIG. 9 , the plurality of antenna modules 910 may each include a power detector 911 . The power detector 911 may be connected in parallel to the signal path in the antenna module 910, detect the power of the signal moving through the signal path, and provide the first detection signal DET1 to the data processor 930 based on the detected power.

The back-end radio frequency integrated circuit 920 can communicate with the plurality of antenna modules 910 through the plurality of internal signals INTS and communicate with the data processor 930 through the baseband signal BB. According to some embodiments, as shown in FIG. 9 , the back-end radio frequency integrated circuit 920 may include a power detector 921 . The power detector 921 may be connected in parallel to the signal path in the back-end RF IC 920 and provide a second detection signal to the data processor 930 by detecting the power of the signal moving through the signal path. DET2.

The data processor 930 can communicate with the back-end radio frequency integrated circuit 920 through the baseband signal BB, and receive the first detection signal DET1 and the second detection signal DET1 from the plurality of antenna modules 910 and the back-end radio frequency integrated circuit 920 respectively. 2. Detection signal DET2. The controller 931 may generate the control signal CTRL based on the first detection signal DET1 and the second detection signal DET2. The operation of the controller 931 that generates the control signal CTRL will be explained below with reference to FIG. 10 .

According to some embodiments, the control signal CTRL may be provided to the plurality of antenna modules 910 and the back-end radio frequency integrated circuit 920 via at least one of the lines transmitting the plurality of internal signals INTS and the baseband signal BB. For example, the control signal CTRL may be provided to a switch included in the back-end radio frequency integrated circuit 920 (eg, switch 710a shown in FIG. 7A , etc.) via the same line as the baseband signal BB, while the baseband signal BB is not Transmission is performed between the back-end radio frequency integrated circuit 920 and the data processor 930 . In addition, after being transmitted to the back-end radio frequency integrated circuit 920 via the same line as the baseband signal BB, the control signal CTRL may be provided to the plurality of antenna modules 910 and the plurality of antenna modules 910 via the same line as the plurality of internal signals INTS. /or switches included in the switch circuit (for example, the switch circuit 430 shown in FIG. 4) (for example, the switch 611a shown in FIG. 6A, etc.), and the plurality of internal signals INTS are not present in the plurality of antenna modules 910 Transmit with the back-end radio frequency integrated circuit 920. For example, the switch circuit 430 included in the antenna module 400 shown in FIG. 4 can receive the control signal CTRL via the first port 441 and/or the second port 442. (These ports can be connected to signal conductors of RF transmission lines or IF transmission lines.)

According to some embodiments, the first detection signal DET1 and the second detection signal DET2 may be provided to the data processor 930 via at least one of the lines transmitting the plurality of internal signals INTS and the baseband signal BB. For example, the second detection signal DET2 generated by the power detector 921 included in the back-end radio frequency integrated circuit 920 may be provided to the data processor 930 through the same line as the baseband signal BB, and the baseband signal BB Signal BB is not transmitted between the back-end radio frequency integrated circuit 920 and the data processor 930 . In addition, the first detection signal DET1 generated by the power detector 911 included in the antenna module 910 may be provided to the back-end radio frequency integrated circuit 920 via the same line as the plurality of internal signals INTS, and the The plurality of internal signals INTS are not transmitted between the plurality of antenna modules 910 and the back-end radio frequency integrated circuit 920 and are provided to the data processor 930 through the same line as the baseband signal BB like the second detection signal DET2 .

FIG. 10 is a flowchart of an operating method of a communication device according to an embodiment. Specifically, FIG. 10 shows an operation method of a communication device including multiple antenna modules and back-end radio frequency integrated circuits. For example, the operation method shown in FIG. 10 can be performed by the communication device 900 shown in FIG. 9 and will be explained with reference to FIG. 9 .

Referring to FIG. 10 , in operation S20 , the power of the path may be detected. For example, the power detector 911 included in the antenna module 910 can detect the signal power in a signal path in the antenna module 910, such as a signal path that propagates polarization in the first direction. a path, a path propagating a signal polarized in the second direction, and a path corresponding to the plurality of antennas of the phase array. In addition, the power detector 921 included in the back-end radio frequency integrated circuit 920 can detect the signal in the back-end radio frequency integrated circuit 920. Power in a signal path, such as a signal path corresponding to the plurality of antenna modules 910 . The first detection signal DET1 and the second detection signal DET2 generated by detecting the power may be provided to the controller 931 of the data processor 930 .

In operation S40, the quality of the signal may be evaluated. For example, the controller 931 may evaluate the quality of the signal propagated through the path based on the first detection signal DET1 and the second detection signal DET2. According to some embodiments, the controller 931 may calculate a signal-to-noise ratio (SNR) and determine which path carries a signal of satisfactory quality based on the SNR.

In operation S60, the switch may be controlled. For example, the controller 931 may generate at least one control signal such that communication is performed via a movement path of a signal of satisfactory quality, while blocking communication via a movement path of a signal of unsatisfactory quality. Therefore, the switches (for example, the switch 611a shown in FIG. 6A, etc.) included in the plurality of antenna modules 910 and/or the switch circuit (for example, the switch circuit 430 shown in FIG. 4) can be controlled, and the backend can be controlled. A switch included in the radio frequency integrated circuit 920 (eg, switch 710a shown in FIG. 7A, etc.).

FIG. 11 is a block diagram illustrating an example of a communication device including multiple antenna modules according to an embodiment. Specifically, FIG. 11 shows an example in which various wireless communication devices communicate with each other using a wireless local area network in a wireless communication system. Different from the wireless communication system 5 using a cellular network shown in FIG. 1 , the wireless communication devices shown in FIG. 11 can communicate with each other through a wireless local area network.

According to some embodiments, the home device 31 , the home appliance 32 , the entertainment device 33 and the access point (AP) 20 may form an Internet of things (IoT). Network system. According to one or more embodiments, each of the home device 31 , the home appliance 32 , the entertainment device 33 and the access point 20 may include a plurality of antenna modules and back-end radio frequency integrated circuits. The home device 31, the home appliance 32, and the entertainment device 33 can communicate with the access point 20 in a wireless manner, and the home device 31, the home appliance 32, and the entertainment device 33 can communicate with each other.

The terminology used in this specification is for describing specific embodiments only and is not intended to limit the scope of the inventive concept. While the inventive concept has been specifically shown and described with reference to embodiments thereof, it will be understood that various changes in form and detail may be made therein without departing from the spirit and scope of the following claims.

300: Back-end RF integrated circuit

301: line/first signal line

302: line/second signal line

400:Antenna module

410: Phased Array

420: Front-end RF integrated circuit

421: First RF circuit

422: Second radio frequency circuit

430: switch/switch circuit/four-way switch

441:Port/First port

442:Port/Second port

RF1: signal/receiving signal/first radio frequency signal

RF2: signal/receiving signal/second radio frequency signal

FE1-t: Transmission signal/first front-end transmission signal

FE1-r: receiving signal/first front-end receiving signal

FE2-t: Transmission signal/second front-end transmission signal

FE2-r: receiving signal/second front end receiving signal

INT1: signal/internal signal/first internal signal

INT2: signal/internal signal/second internal signal

Claims (20)

An antenna module includes: a phased array including a plurality of antennas and configured to transmit a first radio frequency (RF) signal and a second radio frequency signal, the first radio frequency signal and the second radio frequency signal polarizing in different directions. ; a front-end radio frequency integrated circuit (RFIC), including a first radio frequency circuit and a second radio frequency circuit, the first radio frequency circuit is configured to process or generate the first radio frequency signal, and the second radio frequency circuit is configured to processing or generating the second radio frequency signal; and a switching circuit configured to connect each of the first radio frequency circuit and the second radio frequency circuit to the first port of the antenna module according to a control signal Or a second port, each of the first port and the second port can be connected to a back-end radio frequency integrated circuit that processes or generates baseband signals. The antenna module as described in claim 1 of the patent application, wherein the switch circuit is further configured to respectively connect the first radio frequency circuit and the second radio frequency circuit to the first state of the control signal. The first port and the second port, and the first radio frequency circuit and the second radio frequency circuit are respectively connected to the second port and the first port in response to the second state of the control signal. port. The antenna module as claimed in claim 1, wherein each of the first radio frequency circuit and the second radio frequency circuit includes at least one of a power amplifier, a low noise amplifier and a phase shifter. . The antenna module as described in item 1 of the patent application, wherein the first Each of the radio frequency circuit and the second radio frequency circuit includes at least one mixer configured to convert a signal between a radio frequency band and an intermediate frequency (IF) band, and the at least one mixer is configured to convert a signal between a radio frequency band and an intermediate frequency (IF) band, and the The switching circuit is further configured to transmit signals in the intermediate frequency band. The antenna module of claim 1, wherein each of the first radio frequency circuit and the second radio frequency circuit includes at least one switch, the at least one switch is configured to be connected to the The switching circuit forms different corresponding signal paths in the transmission mode and the reception mode. The antenna module of claim 1, wherein the switch circuit is configured to receive the control signal from the first port or the second port. The antenna module according to claim 1, wherein the antenna module includes a first substrate and a second substrate in a stacked configuration, and the phase array is disposed on the first substrate or the first substrate. In the substrate, the front-end radio frequency integrated circuit is disposed on or in the second substrate, and the antenna module further includes a circuit for transmitting the first radio frequency signal and the second radio frequency signal. A plurality of feed lines are disposed between the plurality of antennas and the front-end radio frequency integrated circuit. A communication device includes: a first signal line and a second signal line; a back-end radio frequency integrated circuit (RFIC) configured to process or generate a baseband signal; and a first antenna module, through the first The signal line is connected to the second signal line to the back-end radio frequency integrated circuit and includes a phase array configured to transmit a first radio frequency signal and a second radio frequency signal polarized in different directions, wherein the first antenna module is configured To communicate with the back-end radio frequency integrated circuit, thereby causing the first internal signal corresponding to the first radio frequency signal and the second internal signal corresponding to the second radio frequency signal to pass through the third radio frequency integrated circuit according to the control signal. A signal line or the second signal line. As in the communication device described in item 8 of the patent application, the first antenna module is further configured to communicate with the back-end radio frequency integrated circuit, thereby causing the first internal signal to communicate with the third Two internal signals are transmitted through the first signal line and the second signal line in a mutually exclusive manner according to the control signal. As in the communication device described in item 8 of the patent application, the first antenna module further includes a four-way switch, and the four-way switch is connected to one of the first signal line and the second signal line. Every one. The communication device as described in item 8 of the patent application, wherein the first antenna module further includes a front-end radio frequency integrated circuit, the front-end radio frequency integrated circuit is configured to process or generate the first radio frequency signal and The second radio frequency signal processes or generates the first internal signal and the second internal signal. The communication device according to claim 11, wherein the front-end radio frequency integrated circuit includes at least one mixer, and the at least one mixer is configured to make the signal in the radio frequency band and the intermediate frequency (IF) band to convert between, and the back-end radio frequency integrated circuit includes at least one mixer, the at least one mixer is configured to convert the signal between the base frequency band and the intermediate frequency band. The communication device as described in claim 8 of the patent application, wherein the back-end radio frequency integrated circuit includes a switch, the switch is configured to be connected to the first signal line and the second signal line and according to the transmission mode and a receiving mode connecting each of the first signal line and the second signal line to a different path. The communication device of claim 8, wherein the back-end radio frequency integrated circuit includes at least one mixer, and the at least one mixer is configured to convert signals between a baseband and a radio frequency band. . The communication device of claim 8, wherein the first antenna module is configured to receive the control signal via the first signal line and the second signal line. The communication device described in item 8 of the patent application further includes a data processor configured to receive the baseband signal from the back-end radio frequency integrated circuit or to transmit the baseband signal to the back-end radio frequency integrated circuit. Bulk circuitry provides the baseband signal and generates the control signal. The communication device as described in item 8 of the patent application further includes: at least one second antenna module including a phase array; and at least one line pair configured to connect the back-end radio frequency integrated circuit and the Internal signals are transmitted between at least one second antenna module. The communication device according to claim 17, wherein the first antenna module and the at least one second antenna module are spaced apart from each other at the edge of the communication device. A communication device including: a back-end radio frequency integrated circuit (RFIC) configured to process or generate baseband signals; and a first antenna module, a second antenna module, and a third antenna module each including a phased array, wherein the third antenna module The phased array of each of an antenna module, the second antenna module, and the third antenna module is configured to transmit a first radio frequency signal and a second radio frequency signal polarized in different directions. Radio frequency signal, wherein the back-end radio frequency integrated circuit includes a first four-way switch, a second four-way switch, a third four-way switch and a fourth four-way switch, and the first antenna module is connected to the third The second port of a four-way switch and the first port of the second four-way switch, the second antenna module is connected to the second port of the second four-way switch and the third four-way switch The first port of the third antenna module is connected to the second port of the third four-way switch and the second port of the fourth four-way switch. The communication device according to claim 19, wherein each of the first antenna module to the third antenna module is configured to communicate with the back-end radio frequency integrated circuit, Then, the first internal signal corresponding to the first radio frequency signal and the second internal signal corresponding to the second radio frequency signal pass through different four-way switches respectively according to the control signal.