RF-FRONTEND FOR A RADAR SYSTEM

• US 20080278370A1
• Filed: 10/02/2007
• Published: 11/13/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 05/09/2007
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Infineon Technologies AG
• Original Assignee: Infineon Technologies AG
• Inventors: Lachner, Rudolf, Forstner, Hans-Peter
• Application Number:
  US11/866,276
• Publication Number:
  US 20080278370A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 342/200
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 13/87 Combinations of radar systems, e.g. primary radar and secondary radar
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 7/03 Details of HF subsystems specially adapted therefor, e.g. common to transmitter and receiver
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 2224/48091 Arched
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 2224/48247 connecting the wire to a bond pad of the item
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 2924/00014 the subject-matter covered by the group, the symbol of which is combined with the symbol of this group, being disclosed without further technical details

Abstract

An RF front-end includes an input configured to receive an oscillator signal, and an antenna port configured to transmit a transmission signal and receive a reception signal from an antenna. The RF front-end further includes a mixer having an RF-input configured to receive the reception signal, an oscillator input configured to receive a modified oscillator signal, and an output. The mixer is configured to mix the received signal into an intermediate frequency band or a base band using the oscillator signal. Also included is a directional coupler connected to the antenna port, the input for the oscillator signal, and the mixer. The coupler is configured to couple the oscillator signal as a transmission signal to the antenna via the antenna port, and couple the reception signal from the antenna to the RF-input of the mixer. Also included is a first phase shifter or a second phase shifter. The first phase shifter is configured to regulate a phase of the transmission signal, and the second phase shifter is configured to regulate a phase of the oscillator signal to form the modified oscillator signal supplied to the oscillator input of the mixer.

Claims

1. An RF front-end, comprising:

an input configured to receive an oscillator signal;

an antenna port configured to transmit a transmission signal and receive a reception signal from an antenna;

a mixer comprising an RF-input configured to receive the reception signal, an oscillator input configured to receive a modified oscillator signal, and an output, wherein the mixer is configured to mix the received signal into an intermediate frequency band or a base band using the oscillator signal;

a directional coupler connected to the antenna port, the input for the oscillator signal, and the mixer, and configured to couple the oscillator signal as a transmission signal to the antenna via the antenna port, and couple the reception signal from the antenna to the RF-input of the mixer; and

a first phase shifter or a second phase shifter, where the first phase shifter is configured to regulate a phase of the transmission signal, and the second phase shifter is configured to regulate a phase of the oscillator signal to form the modified oscillator signal supplied to the oscillator input of the mixer.

2. The RF front-end of claim 1, wherein the second phase shifter is configured to alternately provide a phase shift of 0°

and 90°

to the oscillator signal that provided to the mixer, thus providing alternately inphase and quadrature components of a signal at the output of the mixer.

3. The RF front-end of claim 1, wherein the first phase shifter is configured to adjust the phase of the transmission signal for controlling the transmission characteristic of the antenna.

4. The RF front-end of claim 1, wherein the RF front-end is integrated in a single package.

5. The RF front-end of claim 4, wherein the RF front-end and the antenna are together arranged in a common package.

6. The RF front-end off claim 1, wherein the RF front-end comprises both the first and second phase shifters.

7. A receiver circuit, comprising:

an input configured to receive an oscillator signal;

an antenna port configured to receive a reception signal from an antenna;

a mixer comprising an RF-input configured to receive the reception signal, an oscillator input configured to receive a modified oscillator signal, and an output, wherein the mixer is configured to mix the reception signal into an intermediate frequency band or a base band using the modified oscillator signal;

a phase shifter configured to receive the oscillator signal and alternately provide a phase shift of 0° and

90°

thereto and provide the alternating phase shifted oscillator signal to the oscillator input of the mixer as the modified oscillator signal, thus providing inphase and the quadrature components of a signal at the output of the mixer.

8. The receiver circuit of claim 7, wherein the receiver circuit is integrated in a package.

9. The receiver circuit of claim 8, wherein the receiver circuit and the antenna are integrated into a common package.