Transmit/receive switching circuit

• US 10,693,231 B2
• Filed: 06/04/2018
• Issued: 06/23/2020
• Est. Priority Date: 09/11/2017
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Qualcomm, Inc.
• Original Assignee: Qualcomm, Inc.
• Inventors: Dunworth, Jeremy, Homayoun, Aliakbar, Partyka, Andrzej
• Primary Examiner(s): Vo, Nguyen T
• Application Number:
  US15/997,575
• Publication Number:
  US 20190081596A1
• Time in Patent Office: 750 Days
• CPC Class Codes: H01Q 1/2283 mounted in or on the surface of a semiconductor substrate as a chip-type antenna or integrated with other components into an IC package
• CPC Class Codes: H01Q 1/246 specially adapted for base stations
• CPC Class Codes: H01Q 21/062 using dipole aerials; H01Q21/067, H01Q21/068 take precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H01Q 21/065 Patch antenna array
• CPC Class Codes: H01Q 21/28 Combinations of substantially independent non-interacting antenna units or systems multiple beam H01Q25/00
• CPC Class Codes: H01Q 21/30 Combinations of separate antenna units operating in different wavebands and connected to a common feeder system
• CPC Class Codes: H01Q 5/335 at the feed, e.g. for impedance matching
• CPC Class Codes: H03F 1/0277 Selecting one or more amplifiers from a plurality of amplifiers
• CPC Class Codes: H03F 1/56 Modifications of input or output impedances, not otherwise provided for
• CPC Class Codes: H03F 2200/27 A biasing circuit node being switched in an amplifier circuit
• CPC Class Codes: H03F 2200/294 the amplifier being a low noise amplifier [LNA]
• CPC Class Codes: H03F 2200/405 the output amplifying stage of an amplifier comprising more than three power stages
• CPC Class Codes: H03F 2200/451 the amplifier being a radio frequency amplifier
• CPC Class Codes: H03F 3/211 using a combination of several amplifiers H03F3/60 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H03F 3/68 Combinations of amplifiers, e.g. multi-channel amplifiers for stereophonics power amplifiers using a combination of several semiconductor amplifiers H03F3/211; combinations of amplifiers using coupling networks with distributed constants H03F3/602
• CPC Class Codes: H03G 1/0088 using discontinuously variable devices, e.g. switch-operated
• CPC Class Codes: H03H 7/48 Networks for connecting several sources or loads, working on the same frequency or frequency band, to a common load or source phase shifters providing two or more output signals H03H7/21
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 1/006 using switches for selecting the desired band H04B1/0057 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 1/44 Transmit/receive switching
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 1/525 with means for reducing leakage of transmitter signal into the receiver

Abstract

A transmit/receive switching circuit implementation reduces transmitting/receiving switching losses in a transceiver during different modes of operation. The implementation includes connecting a low noise amplifier and a power amplifier in accordance with a shunt configuration in the transceiver. The implementation also includes disabling the power amplifier to achieve a high impedance state by grounding an output stage bias and enabling the low noise amplifier and disabling one or more transistors connected to a path between the low noise amplifier and the power amplifier during a receive mode.

Claims

1. A transmit/receive switching circuit, comprising:

an antenna node;

a power amplifier coupled to the antenna node;

a first switch coupled to the antenna node;

a low noise amplifier coupled to the first switch, the first switch in shunt with the low noise amplifier;

an inductor having a first node coupled to the antenna node and a second node coupled to the first switch;

a second switch coupled to the antenna node via the second node of the inductor; and

a transformer coupling the power amplifier to the antenna node.

2. The transmit/receive switching circuit of claim 1, further comprising a controller configured:

to cause the power amplifier and the low noise amplifier to be disabled;

to cause the first switch to be enabled; and

to cause the second switch to be disabled during an off mode where the power amplifier and the low noise amplifier are disabled.

3. The transmit/receive switching circuit of claim 1, further comprising a capacitor between the first switch and the low noise amplifier.

4. The transmit/receive switching circuit of claim 3, in which the capacitor comprises a direct current (DC) blocking/matching capacitor.

5. The transmit/receive switching circuit of claim 1, further comprising a controller configured:

to cause the low noise amplifier and the power amplifier to be connected in accordance with a shunt configuration in a transceiver; and

to cause the power amplifier to be disabled to achieve a high impedance state by grounding a node coupled to a bias circuit that generates an output stage bias and enabling the low noise amplifier and disabling the first switch and the second switch connected in parallel to a path between the low noise amplifier and the power amplifier during a receive mode.

6. The transmit/receive switching circuit of claim 1, further comprising a controller configured:

to cause a shunt switch comprising the first switch and the second switch to be turned ON to present an attenuation impedance and act as an attenuator and to cause an attenuated signal to be provided to a receive path of the transmit/receive switching circuit;

to cause the attenuated signal to reach the low noise amplifier; and

to keep the low noise amplifier ON in an extra low gain mode.

7. The transmit/receive switching circuit of claim 1, further comprising a controller configured:

to cause the low noise amplifier to be disabled and the power amplifier to be enabled; and

to cause the first switch and the second switch to be turned ON during a transmit mode.

8. The transmit/receive switching circuit of claim 1, further comprising an antenna element coupled to the antenna node, the antenna element being part of an antenna array.

9. The transmit/receive switching circuit of claim 1, wherein the power amplifier is configured to amplify millimeter-wave signals and the low noise amplifier is configured to amplify millimeter-wave signals.

10. A transmit/receive switching circuit, comprising:

an antenna node;

means for amplifying a signal to the antenna node, the amplifying means coupled to the antenna node;

a first switch coupled to the antenna node;

a low noise amplifier coupled to the first switch, the first switch in shunt with the low noise amplifier;

an inductor having a first node coupled to the antenna node and a second node coupled to the first switch;

a second switch coupled to the antenna node via the second node of the inductor; and

a transformer coupling the amplifying means to the antenna node.

11. The transmit/receive switching circuit of claim 10, further comprising a second switch coupled to the antenna node, in which the inductor couples the antenna node to the second switch.

12. The transmit/receive switching circuit of claim 10, further comprising a controller configured:

to cause the amplifying means and the low noise amplifier to be disabled;

to cause the first switch to be enabled; and

to cause a second switch to be disabled during an off mode where the amplifying means and the low noise amplifier are disabled.

13. The transmit/receive switching circuit of claim 10, further comprising a capacitor between the first switch and the low noise amplifier.

14. The transmit/receive switching circuit of claim 13, in which the capacitor comprises a direct current (DC) blocking/matching capacitor.

15. The transmit/receive switching circuit of claim 10, further comprising a controller configured:

to cause the low noise amplifier and the amplifying means to be connected in accordance with a shunt configuration in a transceiver; and

to cause the amplifying means to be disabled to achieve a high impedance state by grounding a node coupled to a bias circuit that generates an output stage bias and enabling the low noise amplifier and disabling the first switch and the second switch connected in parallel to a path between the low noise amplifier and the amplifying means during a receive mode.

16. The transmit/receive switching circuit of claim 10, further comprising a controller configured:

to cause a shunt switch comprising the first switch and the second switch to be turned ON to present an attenuation impedance and act as an attenuator and to cause an attenuated signal to be provided to a receive path of the transmit/receive switching circuit;

to cause the attenuated signal to reach the low noise amplifier; and

to keep the low noise amplifier ON in an extra low gain mode.