Tunable inductor arrangement, transceiver, method and computer program

• US 10,283,252 B2
• Filed: 01/16/2018
• Issued: 05/07/2019
• Est. Priority Date: 10/16/2013
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Telefonaktiebolaget LM Ericsson
• Original Assignee: Telefonaktiebolaget LM Ericsson
• Inventors: Nilsson, Magnus, Sandgren, Magnus
• Primary Examiner(s): Nguyen, Tu X
• Application Number:
  US15/872,184
• Publication Number:
  US 20180204660A1
• Time in Patent Office: 476 Days
• Field of Search: 4555757, 4555621
• CPC Class Codes: H01F 2021/125 Printed variable inductor with taps, e.g. for VCO
• CPC Class Codes: H01F 21/12 discontinuously variable, e.g. tapped
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 23/5227 Inductive arrangements or effects of, or between, wiring layers other inductive arrangements H01L23/645
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 2924/00 Indexing scheme for arrangements or methods for connecting or disconnecting semiconductor or solid-state bodies as covered by H01L24/00
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 2924/0002 Not covered by any one of groups H01L24/00, H01L24/00 and H01L2224/00
• CPC Class Codes: H03J 3/20 of single resonant circuit by varying inductance only or capacitance only
• CPC Class Codes: H03J 5/02 with variable tuning element having a number of predetermined settings and adjustable to a desired one of these settings
• CPC Class Codes: H03J 5/246 using electronic means H03J5/244 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 1/40 Circuits

Abstract

A tunable inductor arrangeable on a chip or substrate comprises a first winding part connected at one end to a first input of the tunable inductor arrangement, a second winding part connected at one end to the other end of the first winding part, a third winding part connected at one end to a second input of the tunable inductor arrangement, a fourth winding part connected at one end to the other end of the third winding part, and a switch arrangement arranged. The switch arrangement tunes the tunable inductor by selectively connecting the first and fourth winding parts in parallel and the second and third winding parts in parallel, with the parallel couplings in series between the first and second inputs, or connecting the first, second, fourth and third winding parts in series between the first and second inputs. Corresponding transceivers, communication devices, methods and computer programs are disclosed.

Claims

1. A tunable inductor arrangement arrangeable on a chip or substrate and comprising:

a tunable inductor comprising;

four winding parts; and

a switch arrangement switchable between;

a first switch setting that interconnects the four winding parts as two parallel pairs of winding parts, with the two parallel pairs of winding parts being connected in series between first and second inputs of the tunable inductor arrangement; and

a second switch setting that interconnects the four winding parts in series between the first and second inputs of the tunable inductor arrangement.

2. The tunable inductor arrangement of claim 1, wherein two or more of the winding parts are arranged in a plurality of conductive layers on the chip or substrate.

3. A radio frequency transceiver comprising a resonator, wherein the resonator comprises the tunable inductor arrangement of claim 1, and wherein the resonator or an associated control circuit is arranged to control the switch arrangement to select a resonating frequency of the resonator.

4. A communication device comprising the radio frequency transceiver of claim 3, and a processor arranged to interact with the radio frequency transceiver, wherein the processor is arranged to control to the switch arrangement to select a tuning mode of the tunable inductor arrangement.

5. A multiband radio frequency receiver comprising

a first receiver path arranged to receive a radio signal in a first frequency band;

a second receiver path arranged to receive a radio signal in a second frequency band;

wherein the first frequency band operates at a higher frequency than the second frequency band; and

wherein each of the first and second receiver paths is arranged to selectively operate at a selected frequency band among a plurality of frequency bands and comprises a resonator that includes the tunable inductor arrangement of claim 1, which resonator is arranged to be tuned for the selected frequency band.

6. A communication device comprising the multiband radio frequency receiver of claim 5, and a processor arranged to interact with the multiband radio frequency receiver, wherein the processor is arranged to control to the switch arrangement to select a tuning mode of the tunable inductor arrangement.

7. The tunable inductor arrangement of claim 1, wherein the four winding parts are interleaved on the chip or substrate such that magnetic fields of the four winding parts are essentially common.