Switch-type phase shifter

• US 10,734,972 B1
• Filed: 12/27/2019
• Issued: 08/04/2020
• Est. Priority Date: 11/28/2019
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Industrial Technology Research Institute
• Original Assignee: Industrial Technology Research Institute
• Inventors: Lin, Yen-Heng, Kuo, Fang-Yao, Tsai, Zuo-Min
• Primary Examiner(s): Cox, Cassandra F
• Application Number:
  US16/728,109
• Time in Patent Office: 221 Days
• Field of Search: None
• CPC Class Codes: H01F 21/00 Variable inductances or transformers of the signal type H01F36/00 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H01F 21/005 Inductances without magnetic core
• CPC Class Codes: H03H 11/20 Two-port phase shifters providing an adjustable phase shift
• CPC Class Codes: H03H 7/20 Two-port phase shifters providing an adjustable phase shift

Abstract

A switch-type phase shifter including a phase shifting unit is provided. The phase shifting unit includes two half circuits and a first switch connected to the half circuits and receiving a first control signal. Each half circuit includes a first variable capacitor, a second variable capacitor, a second switch and a variable inductor. The two ends of the first variable capacitor are coupled to the input and the control nodes of the half circuit respectively. The two ends of the second variable capacitor are coupled to the output and control nodes of the half circuit respectively. The first and second ends of the second switch are coupled to the output and input nodes respectively, and the third end thereof is coupled to the control node and receives a second control signal. The two ends of the variable inductor are coupled to the input and output nodes respectively.

Claims

1. A switch-type phase shifter, comprising at least one phase shifting unit, the phase shifting unit comprising two half circuits and a first switch connected to the half circuits and receiving a first control signal, and each of the half circuits comprising:

a first variable capacitor having a first end coupled to an input node of the half circuit and a second end coupled to a control node of the half circuit;

a second variable capacitor having a first end coupled to an output node of the half circuit and a second end coupled to the control node of the half circuit;

a second switch having a first end coupled to the output node of the half circuit, a second end coupled to the input node of the half circuit, and a third end coupled to the control node of the half circuit and receiving a second control signal; and

a variable inductor having a first end coupled to the input node of the half circuit and a second end coupled to the output end of the half circuit.

2. The switch-type phase shifter of claim 1, wherein an input signal of one of the half circuits and an input signal of the other one of the half circuits are equal in amplitude but opposite in phase.

3. The switch-type phase shifter of claim 1, wherein the first switch has a first end coupled to the control node of the one of the half circuits, a second end coupled to the control node of the other one of the half circuits, and a third end receiving the first control signal.

4. The switch-type phase shifter of claim 1, wherein the first switch is a transistor having a drain coupled to the control node of the one of the half circuits, a source coupled to the control node of the other one of the half circuits, and a gate receiving the first control signal.

5. The switch-type phase shifter of claim 1, wherein the first switch is a transistor having a source coupled to the control node of the one of the half circuits, a drain coupled to the control node of the other one of the half circuits, and a gate receiving the first control signal.

6. The switch-type phase shifter of claim 1, wherein the second switch is a transistor having a source coupled to the input node of the half circuit, a drain coupled to the output node of the half circuit, and a gate coupled to the control node of the half circuit.

7. The switch-type phase shifter of claim 1, wherein the second switch is a transistor having a drain coupled to the input node of the half circuit, a source coupled to the output node of the half circuit, and a gate coupled to the control node of the half circuit.

8. The switch-type phase shifter of claim 1, wherein the first variable capacitor comprises a first capacitor and a first transistor coupled to the first capacitor in series.

9. The switch-type phase shifter of claim 8, wherein the first capacitor has a first end coupled to the input node of the half circuit and a second end coupled to a drain of the first transistor, a source of the first transistor is coupled to the control node of the half circuit, and a gate of the first transistor receives a capacitor control signal.

10. The switch-type phase shifter of claim 1, wherein the first variable capacitor is a metal oxide semiconductor capacitor or a varactor diode.

11. The switch-type phase shifter of claim 1, wherein the second variable capacitor comprises a second capacitor and a second transistor coupled to the second capacitor in series.

12. The switch-type phase shifter of claim 11, wherein the second capacitor has a first end coupled to the output node of the half circuit and a second end coupled to a drain of the second transistor, a source of the second transistor is coupled to the control node of the half circuit, and a gate of the second transistor receives a capacitor control signal.

13. The switch-type phase shifter of claim 1, wherein the second variable capacitor is a metal oxide semiconductor capacitor or a varactor diode.

14. The switch-type phase shifter of claim 1, wherein the variable inductor comprises a metal grid structure, a transistor coupled to the metal grid structure and a wire wound inductor disposed on the metal grid structure, there is a space between the wire wound inductor and the metal grid structure, the wire wound inductor has a first end coupled to the input node of the half circuit and a second end coupled to the output node of the half circuit.

15. The switch-type phase shifter of claim 14, wherein the metal grid structure comprises a frame having an opening and a grid structure disposed in the frame, and the transistor has a source coupled to one end, adjacent to the opening, of the frame, a drain coupled to the other end, adjacent to the opening, of the frame, and a gate receiving an inductor control signal.

16. The switch-type phase shifter of claim 1, wherein the variable inductor is a path-switched type variable inductor, a transformer-type variable inductor or a MEMS (micro electro mechanical system)-type inductor.

17. The switch-type phase shifter of claim 1, wherein each of the half circuits further comprises two inductors coupled to the input node and the output node of the half circuit respectively.