WO2019240961A1 - Circuit intégré frontal à ondes millimétriques à large bande - Google Patents

Circuit intégré frontal à ondes millimétriques à large bande Download PDF

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Publication number
WO2019240961A1
WO2019240961A1 PCT/US2019/034739 US2019034739W WO2019240961A1 WO 2019240961 A1 WO2019240961 A1 WO 2019240961A1 US 2019034739 W US2019034739 W US 2019034739W WO 2019240961 A1 WO2019240961 A1 WO 2019240961A1
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WO
WIPO (PCT)
Prior art keywords
signal
ifiq
transceivers
frontend
loiq
Prior art date
Application number
PCT/US2019/034739
Other languages
English (en)
Inventor
Taiyun Chi
Hua Wang
Thomas Chen
Original Assignee
Speedlink Technology Inc.
Priority date (The priority date is an assumption and is not a legal conclusion. Google has not performed a legal analysis and makes no representation as to the accuracy of the date listed.)
Filing date
Publication date
Priority claimed from US16/005,472 external-priority patent/US10135478B2/en
Application filed by Speedlink Technology Inc. filed Critical Speedlink Technology Inc.
Priority to JP2020568441A priority Critical patent/JP7187583B2/ja
Priority to KR1020217000511A priority patent/KR102444887B1/ko
Priority to CA3103569A priority patent/CA3103569C/fr
Priority to CN201980039603.3A priority patent/CN112514245A/zh
Publication of WO2019240961A1 publication Critical patent/WO2019240961A1/fr

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Classifications

    • HELECTRICITY
    • H03ELECTRONIC CIRCUITRY
    • H03DDEMODULATION OR TRANSFERENCE OF MODULATION FROM ONE CARRIER TO ANOTHER
    • H03D7/00Transference of modulation from one carrier to another, e.g. frequency-changing
    • H03D7/16Multiple-frequency-changing
    • H03D7/165Multiple-frequency-changing at least two frequency changers being located in different paths, e.g. in two paths with carriers in quadrature
    • HELECTRICITY
    • H03ELECTRONIC CIRCUITRY
    • H03LAUTOMATIC CONTROL, STARTING, SYNCHRONISATION OR STABILISATION OF GENERATORS OF ELECTRONIC OSCILLATIONS OR PULSES
    • H03L7/00Automatic control of frequency or phase; Synchronisation
    • H03L7/06Automatic control of frequency or phase; Synchronisation using a reference signal applied to a frequency- or phase-locked loop
    • HELECTRICITY
    • H03ELECTRONIC CIRCUITRY
    • H03LAUTOMATIC CONTROL, STARTING, SYNCHRONISATION OR STABILISATION OF GENERATORS OF ELECTRONIC OSCILLATIONS OR PULSES
    • H03L7/00Automatic control of frequency or phase; Synchronisation
    • H03L7/06Automatic control of frequency or phase; Synchronisation using a reference signal applied to a frequency- or phase-locked loop
    • H03L7/08Details of the phase-locked loop
    • H03L7/099Details of the phase-locked loop concerning mainly the controlled oscillator of the loop
    • HELECTRICITY
    • H04ELECTRIC COMMUNICATION TECHNIQUE
    • H04BTRANSMISSION
    • H04B1/00Details of transmission systems, not covered by a single one of groups H04B3/00 - H04B13/00; Details of transmission systems not characterised by the medium used for transmission
    • H04B1/38Transceivers, i.e. devices in which transmitter and receiver form a structural unit and in which at least one part is used for functions of transmitting and receiving
    • H04B1/40Circuits
    • H04B1/401Circuits for selecting or indicating operating mode
    • HELECTRICITY
    • H04ELECTRIC COMMUNICATION TECHNIQUE
    • H04BTRANSMISSION
    • H04B1/00Details of transmission systems, not covered by a single one of groups H04B3/00 - H04B13/00; Details of transmission systems not characterised by the medium used for transmission
    • H04B1/38Transceivers, i.e. devices in which transmitter and receiver form a structural unit and in which at least one part is used for functions of transmitting and receiving
    • H04B1/40Circuits
    • H04B1/403Circuits using the same oscillator for generating both the transmitter frequency and the receiver local oscillator frequency
    • HELECTRICITY
    • H04ELECTRIC COMMUNICATION TECHNIQUE
    • H04BTRANSMISSION
    • H04B1/00Details of transmission systems, not covered by a single one of groups H04B3/00 - H04B13/00; Details of transmission systems not characterised by the medium used for transmission
    • H04B1/38Transceivers, i.e. devices in which transmitter and receiver form a structural unit and in which at least one part is used for functions of transmitting and receiving
    • H04B1/40Circuits
    • H04B1/44Transmit/receive switching
    • H04B1/48Transmit/receive switching in circuits for connecting transmitter and receiver to a common transmission path, e.g. by energy of transmitter

Definitions

  • Embodiments of the present invention relate generally to mobile devices. More particularly, embodiments of the invention relate to a millimeter-wave (mm-wave) frontend module of a mobile device.
  • mm-wave millimeter-wave
  • a wireless system may include a modem or a baseband processor, a transceiver, control circuitry, receive circuitry, transmit circuitry, or the like.
  • IC integrated circuit
  • Figure 1 is a block diagram illustrating an example of a wireless communication device according one embodiment of the invention.
  • Figure 2 is a block diagram illustrating an example of an RF frontend integrated circuit according to one embodiment of the invention.
  • Figure 3 is a schematic diagram illustrating an example of an RF frontend integrated circuit according to one embodiment of the invention.
  • Figure 4 is a schematic diagram illustrating an example of a transmitter according to one embodiment of the invention.
  • Figure 5 is a schematic diagram illustrating an example of a receiver according to one embodiment of the invention.
  • Figure 6 is a schematic diagram illustrating an example of an RF frontend integrated circuit according to another embodiment of the invention.
  • Figure 7 is a block diagram illustrating an example of an RF frontend integrated circuit according to another embodiment of the invention.
  • a millimeter- wave (mm- wave) frontend IC device includes an array of one or more mm-wave transceivers. Each of the mm-wave transceivers transmits and receives coherent mm-wave signals with variable amplitudes and phase shifts.
  • the mm-wave frontend IC chip further includes a wideband frequency synthesizer coupled to the mm-wave transceivers. The full-based or wideband frequency synthesizer generates and provides a local oscillator (LO) signal to each of the mm-wave transceivers to enable the mm-wave transceiver to mix, modulate, and/or demodulate mm-wave signals.
  • LO local oscillator
  • the array of mm-wave wideband transceivers and the wideband frequency synthesizer may be implemented within a single IC chip as a single mm-wave frontend IC chip or package.
  • the wideband frequency synthesizer includes a phase-lock loop (PLL) circuitry or block to generate the LO signal based on a clock reference signal, which may be provided by a local oscillator.
  • PLL phase-lock loop
  • Each mm-wave transceiver includes a full-band or wideband transmitter to transmit mm-wave signals and a full-band or wideband receiver to receive mm-wave signals within the frequency band (e.g., approximately ranging from 24 to 43 Giga hertz or GHz), and a transmitting and receiving (T/R) switch coupled to the transmitter and the receiver.
  • the T/R switch is to couple an mm-wave antenna to the transmitter or the receiver at a given point in time.
  • an RF frontend IC device includes a first transceiver to transmit and receive RF signals associated with a first RF channel according to a first amplitude and phase shift setting within a predetermined frequency band.
  • the RF frontend IC device further includes a second transceiver to transmit and receive RF signals associated with a second RF channel according to a second amplitude and phase shift setting within the predetermined frequency band.
  • the second amplitude and phase shift setting may be different from the first amplitude and phase shift setting.
  • the RF frontend IC device further includes a frequency synthesizer coupled to the first transceiver and the second transceiver to perform frequency synchronization in a wide frequency spectrum.
  • the frequency synthesizer generates an LO signal to the first transceiver and the second transceiver to enable the first transceiver and the second transceiver to transmit and receive the RF signals associated with the first RF channel and the second RF channel respectively.
  • the first transceiver, the second transceiver, and the frequency synthesizer are embedded within a single IC chip.
  • the RF signals associated with the first RF channel are to be transmitted and received via a first antenna configured to radiate and receive according to the first amplitude and phase shift setting.
  • the RF signals associated with the second RF channel are to be transmitted and received via a second antenna configured to radiate and receive according to the second amplitude and phase shift setting.
  • each of the first transceiver and the second transceiver includes a transmitter to transmit a first RF signal to a first remote device, a receiver to receive a second RF signal from a second remote device, and a switch coupled to the transmitter and the receiver.
  • the switch is configured to couple the transmitter or the receiver to an antenna associated with the transceiver at a given point in time.
  • the transmitter includes a first intermediate frequency (IF) in-phase and quadrature (IQ) generator (IFIQ generator) to generate an IFIQ signal based on an IF signal received from a modem or a baseband processor.
  • the transmitter further includes a first LO IQ (LOIQ) generator to generate an LOIQ signal based on the LO signal received from the frequency synthesizer.
  • the transmitter further includes a first mixer coupled to the first IFIQ generator and the first LOIQ generator to generate the first RF signal based on the IFIQ signal and the LOIQ signal.
  • each transceiver further includes a first IF amplifier coupled to the first IFIQ generator and the first mixer.
  • the first IF amplifier is configured to amplify the IFIQ signal and to provide the amplified IFIQ signal to the first mixer.
  • Each transceiver further includes a first broadband amplifier (also referred to as an RF amplifier) coupled to the first mixer to amplify the first RF signal received from the first mixer.
  • the first IF amplifier includes a second IF amplifier to receive and amplify an in-phase IF signal derived from the IFIQ signal.
  • the in-phase IF signal is mixed with an in-phase LO signal derived from the LOIQ signal.
  • the first IF amplifier further includes a third IF amplifier to receive and amplify a quadrature IF signal derived from the IFIQ signal.
  • the quadrature IF signal is mixed with a quadrature LO signal derived from the LOIQ signal.
  • the receiver includes a second broadband/RF amplifier configured to receive the second RF signal, a second LOIQ generator to generate an LOIQ signal based on the LO signal received from the frequency synthesizer, and a second mixer coupled to the second broadband amplifier and the second LOIQ generator.
  • the second mixer is configured to generate an IFIQ signal based on the amplified second RF signal and the LOIQ signal.
  • the receiver further includes a fourth IF amplifier coupled to the second mixer to receive and amplify the IFIQ signal from the second mixer.
  • the receiver further includes an IFIQ combiner coupled to the fourth IF amplifier to generate a combined IF signal based on the IFIQ signal.
  • the fourth IF amplifier includes a fifth IF amplifier to receive and amplify an in-phase IF signal derived from the IFIQ signal and a sixth IF amplifier to receive and amplify a quadrature IF signal derived from the IFIQ signal.
  • the IFIQ combiner is configured to combine the in-phase IF signal and the quadrature IF signal to generate a combined IF signal.
  • an RF frontend IC device includes an array of transceivers, each of the transceivers corresponding to one of the RF channels.
  • Each of the RF channels includes a phase shifter configured to transmit and receive RF signals according to a respective phase shift setting within a predetermined frequency band, including shifting or compensating a phase of the RF signals according to the respective phase shift setting.
  • the RF frontend IC device further includes a frequency synthesizer coupled to each of the transceivers to perform frequency synchronization in a wide frequency spectrum. The frequency synthesizer generates an LO signal for each of the transceivers to enable each of the transceivers to transmit and receive RF signals within its respective RF channel.
  • the RF frontend IC device further includes an up-converter coupled to each of the transceivers and the frequency synthesizer.
  • the up-converter is configured to up-convert a first intermediate frequency (IF) signal based on a LO signal into a first RF signal to be transmitted by the transceivers.
  • the RF frontend IC device further includes a down-converter coupled to each of the transceivers and the frequency synthesizer.
  • the down-converter is configured to down-convert a second RF signal received from the transceivers based on the LO signal into a second IF signal.
  • the array of transceivers, the frequency synthesizer, the up-converter, and the down-converter are embedded within a single IC chip.
  • the up-converter includes an IFIQ generator to receive the first IF signal, an LOIQ generator to receive the LO signal from the frequency synthesizer to generate an LOIQ signal based on the LO signal, and an up-convert mixer coupled to the IFIQ generator and the LOIQ generator.
  • the up-convert mixer is configured to generate the first RF signal based on the first IF signal and the LOIQ signal.
  • the up-converter further includes an IF amplifier coupled between the IFIQ generator and the up-convert mixer to amplify the first IF signal.
  • the up-converter further includes a power divider coupled to the up-convert mixer to divide the first RF signal into a number of first RF sub-signals. Each first RF sub-signal is provided to one of the transceivers to be transmitted.
  • the down-converter includes an LOIQ generator to receive the LO signal from the frequency synthesizer to generate an LOIQ signal based on the LO signal, a down-convert mixer coupled to the LOIQ generator.
  • the down-convert mixer is configured to generate an IFIQ signal based on the second RF signal received from the transceivers and the LOIQ signal.
  • the down-converter further includes an IFIQ combiner to generate the second IF signal based on the IFIQ signal received from the down-convert mixer.
  • the down-converter further includes a power combiner coupled between the down-convert mixer and the transceivers.
  • the power combiner is configured to combine second RF sub-signals received from the transceivers to generate the second RF signal, each second RF sub-signal corresponding to one of the transceivers.
  • the down-converter further includes an IF amplifier coupled between the IFIQ combiner and the down-convert mixer to amplify the IFIQ signal.
  • each of the transceivers includes a transmitter to transmit RF signals to a first remote device, a receiver to receive RF signals from a second remote device, and a switch configured to couple the transmitter or the receiver to one of the antennas at a given point in time, where each of the antennas corresponds to one of the transceivers.
  • an RF frontend IC device includes a frequency synthesizer having a PLL circuit and an LO buffer to generate an LO signal based on a clock signal, an IFIQ generator to receive a first IF signal from a modem or a baseband processor to generate a first IFIQ signal, and an IFIQ combiner to generate a second IF signal based on a second IFIQ signal.
  • the second IF signal will be processed by the modem or baseband processor.
  • the RF frontend IC device further includes a number of transceivers coupled to the frequency synthesizer. Each of the transceivers is associated with one of the RF channels that is configured to transmit and receive RF signals according to one of the amplitude and phase shift setting within a predetermined frequency band.
  • each of the transceivers includes a transmitter coupled to the frequency synthesizer to up-convert the first IFIQ signal using the LO signal to a first RF signal to be transmitted to a first remote device.
  • Each transceiver further includes a receiver coupled to the frequency synthesizer to down-convert a second RF signal received from a second remote device using the LO signal to the second IFIQ signal.
  • the transceivers, the frequency synthesizer, the IFIQ generator, and the IFIQ combiner are embedded within a single IC chip.
  • the transmitter includes a phase shifter to receive the LO signal from the frequency synthesizer and to shift the LO signal according to a
  • an LOIQ generator to generate an LOIQ signal based on the LO signal shifted in phase
  • an up-convert mixer to generate the first RF signal based on a first intermediate frequency (IF) signal received from a modem or a baseband processor and the LOIQ signal.
  • IF intermediate frequency
  • the receiver includes a phase shifter to receive the LO signal from the frequency synthesizer and to shift the LO signal according to a predetermined shifted phase, an LOIQ generator to generate an LOIQ signal based on the LO signal shifted in phase, and an down-convert mixer to generate the second IFIQ signal based on the second RF signal and the LOIQ signal.
  • each of the transceivers further includes a switch coupled to the transmitter and the receiver. The switch is configured to couple the transmitter or the receiver to an antenna associated with the corresponding transceiver at a given point in time.
  • FIG. 1 is a block diagram illustrating an example of a wireless communication device according one embodiment of the invention.
  • wireless communication device 100 also simply referred to as a wireless device, includes, amongst others, an mm-wave frontend module 101 (also simply referred to as an RF frontend module) and a modem or a baseband processor 102.
  • a modem may include an
  • Wireless device 100 can be any kind of wireless communication devices such as, for example, mobile phones, laptops, tablets, network appliance devices (e.g., Internet of thing or IOT appliance devices), etc.
  • wireless device 100 may represent a basestation or cellular tower, etc.
  • an RF frontend such as an mm-wave RF frontend, is a generic term for all the circuitry between the antenna up to and including
  • the mixer stage It consists of all the components in a receiver that processes the signals at the original incoming RF frequency, before they are converted to a lower intermediate frequency.
  • LNB low-noise block
  • LND low-noise downconverter
  • a baseband processor is a device (a chip or part of a chip) in a network interface that manages all the radio functions (all functions that require an antenna).
  • RF frontend module 101 includes an array of RF transceivers (e.g., mm-wave RF transceivers). Each of the RF transceivers transmits and receives coherent RF signals (e.g., mm-wave signals) within a particular frequency band (e.g., a particular range of frequencies such as non-overlapped frequency ranges) via one of a number of mm-wave antennas. In mm-wave technology, MM waves occupy the frequency spectrum ranging from 30GHz to 300 GHz.
  • the frontend IC chip 101 further includes a full-band or wideband frequency synthesizer coupled to the RF transceivers.
  • the wideband frequency synthesizer generates and provides a local oscillator (LO) signal to each of the RF transceivers to enable the RF transceiver to mix, modulate, and/or demodulate RF signals within a wide frequency band (e.g., 24-43 GHz).
  • LO local oscillator
  • the array of RF transceivers and the wideband frequency synthesizer may be integrated within a single IC chip as a single RF frontend IC chip or package.
  • an mm-wave frontend module is utilized as an example of an RF frontend module.
  • an mm-wave transceiver is utilized as an example of an RF transceiver.
  • the techniques described throughout this application can also be applicable to other RF circuits in other frequency spectrums or frequency bands.
  • FIG. 2 is a block diagram illustrating an example of an RF frontend integrated circuit according to one embodiment of the invention.
  • RF frontend IC device 101 may be an mm-wave frontend IC device.
  • RF frontend 101 includes, amongst others, a wideband or full-band frequency synthesizer 200 coupled to an array of RF transceivers 211-213.
  • Each of RF transceivers 211-213 is configured to transmit and receive coherent RF signals such as mm-wave signals with variable amplitudes and phase shifts via one of mm-wave antennas 221-223.
  • each of transceivers 211-213 is configured to receive an LO signal from wideband frequency synthesizer 200.
  • the LO signal is generated for a specific frequency band (e.g., 24-43 GHz band).
  • the LO signal is utilized to mix, modulate, demodulate by each of transceivers 221-223 for the purpose of transmitting and receiving mm-wave signals within the corresponding frequency band.
  • each of RF transceivers 221-223 may be associated with a different frequency band, such as non-overlapped or minimum overlapped frequency ranges.
  • Each transceiver is configured to transmit and receive RF signals within the corresponding frequency band using a specific LO signal for the corresponding frequency band, which is generated by frequency synthesizer 200.
  • FIG. 3 is a block diagram illustrating an example of an RF frontend integrated circuit according to one embodiment of the invention.
  • RF frontend IC device 300 may represent RF frontend IC device 101 of Figure 2.
  • RF frontend IC device 300 includes frequency synthesizer 200 and an array of RF transceivers 301A-301B, collectively referred to as transceiver(s) 301. Although there are two RF transceivers 301A-301B shown, more RF transceivers may be included.
  • Frequency synthesizer 200 is configured to generate an LO signal for each of the transceivers 301 to allow each transceiver to modulate or demodulate RF signals onto and from a carrier frequency signal to be transmitted to and received from a remote device.
  • Each of transceivers 301 is associated with an antenna, such as antennas 302A-302B (collectively referred to as antenna(s) 302).
  • Antennas 302 may be located at different locations of a mobile device that can transmit and receive RF signals according to a particular beaming direction or angle.
  • RF frontend IC device 300 includes a first transceiver 301 A to transmit and receive RF signals associated with a first RF channel according to a first RF amplitude and phase shift sehing within a predetermined frequency band.
  • the RF frontend IC device 300 further includes a second transceiver 301B to transmit and receive RF signals associated with a second RF channel according to a second RF amplitude and phase shift sehing within the predetermined frequency band.
  • the second RF amplitude and phase shift sehing may be different from the first RF amplitude and phase shift setting.
  • the RF frontend IC device 300 further includes a frequency synthesizer 200 coupled to the first transceiver 301 A and the second transceiver 301B to perform frequency synchronization in a wide frequency spectrum.
  • the frequency synthesizer 200 generates an LO signal to the first transceiver 301A and the second transceiver 301B to enable the first transceiver 301A and the second transceiver 301B to transmit and receive the RF signals associated with the first RF channel and the second RF channel respectively.
  • the first transceiver 301A, the second transceiver 301B, and the frequency synthesizer 200 are embedded within a single IC chip
  • the RF signals associated with the first RF channel are to be transmitted and received via a first antenna 302 A configured to radiate and receive according to the first RF amplitude and phase shift setting
  • the RF signals associated with the second RF channel are to be transmitted and received via a second antenna 302B configured to radiate and receive according to the second RF amplitude and phase shift setting.
  • antennas 302 may not be a part of RF frontend IC device 300.
  • each of the first transceiver 301 A and the second transceiver 301B includes a transmitter (e.g., transmitters 303A-303B, collectively referred to as transmitter(s) 303) to transmit a first RF signal to a first remote device, a receiver (e.g., receivers 304A-304B, collectively referred to as receiver(s) 304) to receive a second RF signal from a second remote device, and a switch (e.g., switches 306A-306B, collectively referred to as switch(es) 306) coupled to the transmitter and the receiver.
  • a switch is configured to couple a transmitter or a receiver to an antenna associated with the transceiver at a given point in time. That is, at any given point in time only one of the transmitter or the receiver can be coupled to a corresponding antenna.
  • each of transmitters 303 includes a first IFIQ generator, such as IFIQ generators 311A-311B, to generate an IFIQ signal based on an IF signal received from a modem or a baseband processor.
  • Each transmitter further includes a first LOIQ generator (e.g., LOIQ generators 314A-314B) to generate an LOIQ signal based on the LO signal received from the frequency synthesizer 200.
  • Each transmitter further includes a first mixer (e.g., mixers 313A-313B, collectively referred to as up-convert mixer(s) 313) coupled to the first IFIQ generator and the first LOIQ generator to generate the first RF signal based on the IFIQ signal and the LOIQ signal.
  • a first mixer e.g., mixers 313A-313B, collectively referred to as up-convert mixer(s) 313
  • up-convert mixer(s) 313 coupled to the first IFIQ generator and the first LOIQ generator to generate the first RF signal based on the IFIQ signal and the LOIQ signal.
  • each of transceivers 301 further includes a first IF amplifier (e.g., IF amplifiers 312A-312B, collectively referred to as IF amplifiers or amplifier 312) coupled to the first IFIQ generator and the first mixer.
  • the first IF amplifier is configured to amplify the IFIQ signal and to provide the amplified IFIQ signal to the first mixer.
  • Each of transceivers 301 further includes a first broadband amplifier (e.g., broadband or RF amplifiers 315A-315B, collectively referred to as broadband or RF amplifiers or amplifier 315) coupled to the first mixer to amplify the first RF signal received from the first mixer.
  • each of the receivers 304 includes a second broadband amplifier (e.g., RF amplifiers 321 A-321B, collectively referred to as RF amplifiers or amplifier 321) configured to receive the second RF signal.
  • Each receiver further includes a second LOIQ generator (e.g., LOIQ generators 323A-323B, collectively referred to as LOIQ generator(s) 323) to generate an LOIQ signal based on the LO signal received from the frequency synthesizer 200.
  • Each receiver further includes a second mixer (e.g., mixers 322A-322B, collectively referred to as down-convert mixer(s) 322) coupled to the second broadband amplifier and the second LOIQ generator.
  • the second mixer is configured to generate an IFIQ signal based on the amplified second RF signal and the LOIQ signal.
  • Each receiver further includes a fourth IF amplifier (e.g., IF amplifiers 324A-324B, collectively referred to as IF amplifiers or amplifier 324) coupled to the second mixer to receive and amplify the IFIQ signal from the second mixer.
  • Each receiver further includes an IFIQ combiner (e.g., IFIQ combiners 325A-325B, collectively referred to as IFIQ combiner(s) 325) coupled to the fourth IF amplifier to generate a combined IF signal based on the IFIQ signal.
  • frequency synthesizer 200 includes a phase lock loop (PLL) circuitry 231 to generate the LO signal associated with the predetermined frequency band based on a clock reference signal, and an LO buffering device 232 coupled to the PLL circuity to buffer and to provide a first LO signal and a second LO signal derived from the LO signal to the first transceiver and the second transceiver respectively.
  • PLL phase lock loop
  • a PLL is a control system that generates an output signal whose phase is related to the phase of an input signal. While there are several differing types, it is easy to initially visualize as an electronic circuit consisting of a variable frequency oscillator and a phase detector.
  • the oscillator generates a periodic signal
  • the phase detector compares the phase of that signal with the phase of the input periodic signal, adjusting the oscillator to keep the phases matched.
  • Bringing the output signal back toward the input signal for comparison is called a feedback loop since the output is "fed back" toward the input forming a loop.
  • Keeping the input and output phase in lock step also implies keeping the input and output frequencies the same. Consequently, in addition to synchronizing signals, a phase-locked loop can track an input frequency, or it can generate a frequency that is a multiple of the input frequency.
  • Phase-locked loops are widely employed in radio, telecommunications, computers and other electronic applications. They can be used to demodulate a signal, recover a signal from a noisy communication channel, generate a stable frequency at multiples of an input frequency (frequency synthesis), or distribute precisely timed clock pulses in digital logic circuits such as microprocessors.
  • FIG. 4 is a schematic diagram illustrating an example of a transmitter according to one embodiment.
  • Transmitter 400 may represent any of the transmitters of any of the transceivers as described above, such as transmitters 303 of Figure 3.
  • transmitter 400 includes an IFIQ generator 411, IF amplifier 412 having IF amplifier 412A and IF amplifier 412B, mixer 413, LOIQ generator 414, RF amplifier 415, and phase rotator(s) or phase shifter(s) 420.
  • the IF amplifier 412 may represent IF amplifiers 312, which includes a second IF amplifier 412A and a third IF amplifier 412B.
  • IFIQ generator 411 is configured to generate an in-phase (also referred to as I-path) IF signal and a quadrature (also referred to as Q-path) IF signal.
  • the I-path IF signal and the Q-path IF signal are then amplified by a respective IF amplifier such as IF amplifiers 412A-412B.
  • LOIQ generator 414 is configured to generate an I-path LO signal and a Q-path LO signal.
  • phase rotator 420 may include a first phase rotator to shift in phase the I-path LO signal and a second phase rotator to shift in phase the Q-path LO signal.
  • the I-path IF signal and the Q-path IF signal are mixed with I-path LO signal and Q-path LO signal respectively and up-converted from IF to RF by up-convert mixer 413 to generate an RF signal.
  • the RF signal can then be amplifier by an RF amplifier 415 to be transmitted to a remote device via an associated antenna.
  • FIG. 5 is a schematic diagram illustrating an example of a receiver according to one embodiment.
  • Receiver 500 may represent any of the receivers of any of the transceivers as described above, such as receivers 304 of Figure 3.
  • receiver 500 includes a phase rotator or shifter 520, an RF amplifier 521, a down-convert mixer 522, an LOIQ generator 523, an IF amplifier 524 having IF amplifier 424 A and IF amplifier 424B, and an IFIQ combiner 525.
  • LOIQ generator 523 generates or splits an LO signal received from a frequency synthesizer (e.g., frequency synthesizer 200) into an I-path LO signal and a Q-path LO signal.
  • the I-path LO signal and the Q-path LO signal may be shifted or rotated in phase by phase rotator or phase shifter 520.
  • Phase rotator 520 may include a first phase rotator to shift the I-path LO signal and a second phase rotator to shift the Q-path LO signal.
  • the RF signal received from an antenna may be amplified by RF amplifier 521 and mixed with the shifted I-path LO signal and shifted Q-path LO signal and down converted from RF to IF by down-convert mixer 522 to generate an I-path IF signal and a Q-path IF signal.
  • the I-path IF signal and the Q-path IF signal are then amplified by IF amplifiers 524A-524B respectively.
  • the amplified I-path IF signal and Q-path IF signal are then combined by IFIQ combiner 525 to generate an IF signal to be processed by a modem or a baseband processor, where the IF signal includes having both in-phase components and quadrature components.
  • each of transceivers 301 is configured to transmit and receive RF signals within the same frequency or same frequency band. However, each of transceivers 301 is configured to transmit and receive the RF signals with different amplitude and phase shift settings.
  • Each of antennas 302 is connected to one RF transceiver to transmit or receive RF signals at a predetermined beaming direction.
  • each of the transceivers 301 includes its own IFIQ generator/combiner, up/down convert mixer, and LOIQ generator.
  • each transmitter of each transceiver includes its own IFIQ generator, up-convert mixer, and LOIQ generator.
  • Each receiver of each transceiver includes its own IFIQ combiner, down-convert mixer, and LOIQ generator. The streams of IF signals down converted and processed by the receivers are then processed by a modem or a baseband processor, for example, in a digital domain.
  • the IF signals in different amplitudes and phases may be further down converted into BF signals, which may then be processed by a digital processor by combining the BF signals with amplitude and phase compensation to boost the strength or amplitude of the BF signals.
  • the amplitude and phase compensation may be performed at the IF level prior to the IF signals being down converted to BF signals.
  • FIG. 6 is a schematic diagram illustrating an example of an RF frontend IC device according to another embodiment.
  • RF frontend IC device 600 may represent RF frontend IC device 101 as described above.
  • RF frontend IC device 600 includes an array of transceivers 301, each of the transceivers 301 corresponding to one of the RF channels.
  • Each of the RF transceivers 301 includes a phase shifter configured to transmit and receive RF signals according to a respective beam direction within a predetermined frequency band.
  • the RF frontend IC device further includes a frequency synthesizer 200 coupled to each of the transceivers 301 to perform frequency
  • the frequency synthesizer 200 generates an LO signal for each of the transceivers 301 to enable each of the transceivers 301 to transmit and receive the RF signals within its respective RF channel.
  • the RF frontend IC device 600 further includes an up-converter 601 coupled to each of the transceivers 301 and the frequency synthesizer 200.
  • the up-converter 601 is configured to up-convert a first IF signal based on a LO signal into a first RF signal to be transmitted by the transceivers 301.
  • the RF frontend IC device 600 further includes a down-converter 602 coupled to each of the transceivers 301 and the frequency synthesizer 200.
  • the down-converter 602 is configured to down-convert a second RF signal received from the transceivers 301 based on the LO signal into a second IF signal.
  • down-converter 602 are embedded within a single IC chip.
  • the up-converter 601 includes an IFIQ generator 311 to receive the first IF signal, an LOIQ generator 314 to receive the LO signal from the frequency synthesizer 200 to generate an LOIQ signal based on the LO signal, and an up-convert mixer 313 coupled to the IFIQ generator 311 and the LOIQ generator 314.
  • the up-convert mixer 313 is configured to generate the first RF signal based on the first IF signal and the LOIQ signal.
  • the up-converter 601 further includes an IF amplifier 312 coupled between the IFIQ generator 311 and the up-convert mixer 313 to amplify the first IF signal.
  • the up-converter 601 further includes a power divider 603 coupled to the up-convert mixer 313 to divide the first RF signal into a number of first RF sub-signals, where each first RF sub-signal is provided to one of the transceivers 301 to be transmitted.
  • the down-converter 602 includes an LOIQ generator 323 to receive the LO signal from the frequency synthesizer 200 to generate an LOIQ signal based on the LO signal, a down-convert mixer 322 coupled to the LOIQ generator 323.
  • the down-convert mixer 322 is configured to generate an IFIQ signal based on the second RF signal received from the transceivers 301 and the LOIQ signal.
  • the down-converter 602 further includes an IFIQ combiner 325 to generate the second IF signal based on the IFIQ signal received from the down-convert mixer 323.
  • the down-converter 602 further includes a power combiner 604 coupled between the down-convert mixer 322 and the transceivers 301.
  • the power combiner 604 is configured to combine second RF sub-signals received from the transceivers 301 to generate the second RF signal, each second RF sub-signal corresponding to one of the transceivers 301.
  • the down-converter 602 further includes an IF amplifier 324 coupled between the IFIQ combiner 325 and the down-convert mixer 322 to amplify the IFIQ signal.
  • each of the transceivers 301 includes a transmitter (e.g., transmitters 303) to transmit RF signals to a first remote device, a receiver (e.g., receivers 304) to receive RF signals from a second remote device, and a switch (e.g., switches 306) configured to couple the transmitter or the receiver to one of the antennas 302 at a given point in time.
  • a transmitter e.g., transmitters 303
  • a receiver e.g., receivers 304
  • switches 306 e.g., switches 306
  • RF frontend IC device 600 includes a wideband frequency synthesizer 200 coupled to an array of transceivers 301A-301B.
  • Each of transceivers 301 includes a transmitter (e.g., transmitters 303) and a receiver (e.g., receivers 304).
  • the IFIQ generators/combiners, up/down convert mixers, and LOIQ generators are removed from the transmitters 303 or the receivers 304 of transceivers 301.
  • an up-converter 601 and a down-converter 602 are utilized and shared by all of transceivers 301.
  • the up-converter 601 includes an IFIQ generator, an up-convert mixer, and an LOIQ generator, whose functionalities and/or operations are identical or similar to those described above.
  • the down-converter 602 includes an LOIQ generator, a down-convert mixer, and an IFIQ combiner, whose functionalities and/or operations are identical or similar to those described above.
  • up-converter 601 includes IFIQ generator 311, IF amplifier 312, up-convert mixer 313, and LOIQ generator 314 as described above.
  • up-converter 601 further includes a power divider 603, in this example, an N-way power divider.
  • Power divider 603 is configured to receive an RF signal from mixer 313 and to divide the RF signal into a number of RF signals with a lower power (e.g., l/N of the original signal power as received from mixer 313, where N represents the number of transmitters 313), referred to as RF sub-signals.
  • the RF sub-signals are then fed to transmitters 303 to be processed.
  • each of transmitters 303 includes a phase shifter (e.g., phase shifters 611 A-611B, collectively referred to as phase shifter(s) 611). Similar to phase rotators 420 and 520 of Figures 4-5, the phase shifter is configured to shift a signal such as an RF beam is generated in the desired direction.
  • each of transmitters 303 may include a variable gain amplifier (e.g., variable gain amplifiers 612A-612B, collectively referred to as variable gains amplifier(s) 612).
  • Variable gain amplifier 612 is configured to compensate the amplitude variation due to the phase shifting operation by phase shifter 611.
  • variable gain amplifier 612 in response to a specific shifted phase, is configured to look up in a lookup table (not shown) based on the shifted phase to obtain a gain value and to adjust the gain of the variable gain amplifier 612 for amplitude compensation.
  • down-converter 602 includes a down-convert mixer 322, an LOIQ generator 323, an IF amplifier 324, and an IFIQ combiner 325.
  • the functionalities and operations of down-convert mixer 322, LOIQ generator 323, IF amplifier 324, and IFIQ combiner 325 are identical or similar to those described above.
  • down converter 602 includes a power combiner 604.
  • power combiner 604 is configured to combine the RF signals from all of the receivers 304, for example, by adding the power of the RF signals all together to boost the signal strength.
  • each of receivers 304 includes a phase shifter (e.g., phase shifters 613A-613B, collectively referred to as phase shifter(s) 613).
  • the functionalities of operations phase shifters 613 are identical or similar to phase shifters 611.
  • Each of receivers 304 may further include a variable gain amplifier (e.g., variable gain amplifiers 614A-614B, collectively referred to as variable gain amplifier(s) 614).
  • the functionalities or operations of variable gain amplifiers 614 are identical or similar to variable gain amplifiers 612.
  • the configuration shown in Figure 3 is able to transmit or receive multiple beams simultaneously in the digital domain (multiple-input-multiple-output (MIMO) operation), while the configuration shown in Figure 6 is only able to transmit or receive one beam at a given time.
  • MIMO multiple-input-multiple-output
  • FIG. 7 is a schematic diagram illustrating an example of an RF frontend IC device according to another embodiment.
  • RF frontend IC device 700 may represent RF frontend IC device 101.
  • RF frontend IC device 700 includes a frequency synthesizer 200 having a PLL circuit and an LO buffer to generate an LO signal based on a clock signal, an IFIQ generator 311 to receive a first IF signal from a modem or a baseband processor to generate a first IFIQ signal, and an IFIQ combiner 325 to generate a second IF signal based on a second IFIQ signal, the second IF signal to be processed by the modem or a baseband processor.
  • the RF frontend IC device 700 further includes a number of transceivers 301 coupled to the frequency synthesizer 200. Each of the transceivers 301 is associated with one of the RF channels that is configured to transmit and receive RF signals according to one of the amplitude and phase shift settings within a predetermined frequency band (e.g., 24-43 GHz).
  • a predetermined frequency band e.g., 24-43 GHz
  • each of the transceivers 301 includes a transmitter (e.g., transmitters 303) coupled to the frequency synthesizer 200 to up-convert the first IFIQ signal using the LO signal to a first RF signal to be transmitted to a first remote device, and a receiver (e.g., receivers 304) coupled to the frequency synthesizer 200 to down-convert a second RF signal received from a second remote device using the LO signal to the second IFIQ signal.
  • the transceivers 301, the frequency synthesizer 200, the IFIQ generator 311, and the IFIQ combiner 325 may be embedded within a single IC chip.
  • the transmitter 303 includes a phase shifter 611 to receive the LO signal from the frequency synthesizer 200 and to shift the LO signal according to a predetermined shifted phase, an LOIQ generator 314 to generate an LOIQ signal based on the LO signal shifted in phase, and an up-convert mixer 313 to generate the first RF signal based on a first intermediate frequency (IF) signal received from a modem or a baseband processor and the LOIQ signal.
  • IF intermediate frequency
  • the receiver 304 includes a phase shifter 613 to receive the LO signal from the frequency synthesizer 200 and to shift the LO signal according to a predetermined shifted phase, an LOIQ generator 323 to generate an LOIQ signal based on the LO signal shifted in phase, and an down-convert mixer 322 to generate the second IFIQ signal based on the second RF signal and the LOIQ signal.
  • variable gain amplifiers 612 and 614 may be optional.
  • each of transmitters 303 and receivers 304 includes a mixer, the power consumption of each transmitter and receiver may be higher compared with the configuration in Figure 6.
  • RF frontend IC device 300 as shown in Figure 3 may have the best flexibility amongst all. It also supports multiple beams simultaneously by processing the IF signal of each transceiver channel in the digital domain. However, RF frontend IC device 300 may require the largest footprint or size and DC power consumption. RF frontend IC device 600 as shown in Figure 6 may have the smallest footprint or size of the chip and DC power consumption. However, it may require 2-dimentional calibration of the amplitude and phase shift settings when forming a beam at a particular direction, which may lead to high latency during beam switching.
  • RF frontend IC device 700 as shown in Figure 7 is between RF frontend IC device 300 and RF frontend IC device 600 in terms of DC power consumption and size of the IC chip.

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  • Engineering & Computer Science (AREA)
  • Computer Networks & Wireless Communication (AREA)
  • Signal Processing (AREA)
  • Power Engineering (AREA)
  • Transceivers (AREA)
  • Stabilization Of Oscillater, Synchronisation, Frequency Synthesizers (AREA)
  • Inductance-Capacitance Distribution Constants And Capacitance-Resistance Oscillators (AREA)

Abstract

L'invention concerne, selon un mode de réalisation, un circuit intégré frontal à ondes millimétriques (ondes mm) comprenant un réseau d'émetteurs-récepteurs à ondes millimétriques, chacun des émetteurs-récepteurs à ondes millimétriques émettant et recevant des signaux cohérents en ondes millimétriques avec des amplitudes et des déphasages variables. La puce à CI frontal à ondes millimétriques comprend en outre un synthétiseur de fréquence à large bande couplé aux émetteurs-récepteurs à ondes millimétriques. Le synthétiseur de fréquence à base complète ou à large bande génère et fournit un signal d'oscillateur local (LO) à chacun des émetteurs-récepteurs à ondes millimétriques pour permettre à l'émetteur-récepteur à ondes millimétriques de mixer, de moduler et/ou de démoduler les signaux en ondes millimétriques. Le réseau d'émetteurs-récepteurs à large bande à ondes millimétriques et le synthétiseur de fréquence à large bande peuvent être mis en œuvre au sein d'une seule puce à CI sous la forme d'une puce ou d'un boîtier unique à CI frontal à ondes millimétriques.
PCT/US2019/034739 2018-06-11 2019-05-30 Circuit intégré frontal à ondes millimétriques à large bande WO2019240961A1 (fr)

Priority Applications (4)

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JP2020568441A JP7187583B2 (ja) 2018-06-11 2019-05-30 広帯域ミリメートル波フロントエンド集積回路
KR1020217000511A KR102444887B1 (ko) 2018-06-11 2019-05-30 광대역 밀리미터-파 프론트엔드 집적 회로
CA3103569A CA3103569C (fr) 2018-06-11 2019-05-30 Circuit integre frontal a ondes millimetriques a large bande
CN201980039603.3A CN112514245A (zh) 2018-06-11 2019-05-30 宽频带毫米波前端集成电路

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US16/005,472 2018-06-11
US16/005,472 US10135478B2 (en) 2017-04-10 2018-06-11 Wideband millimeter-wave frontend integrated circuit

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WO2019240961A1 true WO2019240961A1 (fr) 2019-12-19

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JP2022517453A (ja) 2022-03-09
CA3103569C (fr) 2022-12-06
KR102444887B1 (ko) 2022-09-16
CN112514245A (zh) 2021-03-16
CA3103569A1 (fr) 2019-12-19
JP7187583B2 (ja) 2022-12-12

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