MULTIMODE FRONTEND CIRCUIT

• US 20120049985A1
• Filed: 08/24/2011
• Published: 03/01/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 08/25/2010
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: NTT Docomo Incorporated (Nippon Telegraph and Telephone Corporation)
• Original Assignee: NTT Docomo Incorporated (Nippon Telegraph and Telephone Corporation)
• Inventors: Kawai, Kunihiro, Okazaki, Hiroshi, Narahashi, Shoichi
• Granted Patent: US 8,648,666 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 333/22.R
• CPC Class Codes: H01P 1/203 Strip line filters
• CPC Class Codes: H01P 1/2135 using strip line filters H01P1/2131 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H03H 7/465 having variable circuit topology, e.g. including switches

Abstract

A multimode frontend circuit of the present invention comprises two transmission paths. Each of the transmission paths comprises two input/output lines, a first transmission line having one end connected to one of the input/output lines and the other end connected to the other input/output line, a second transmission line connected to the one of the input/output lines and the other end connected to the other input/output line, and one or more termination switch circuits. The termination switch circuit or circuits comprise a switch having one end connected to one of the first and second transmission lines and a termination circuit connected to the other end of the switch. Each of the transmission lines may comprise one or more short-circuiting switches. The short-circuiting switch or switches are capable of short-circuiting between the two transmission lines at positions at the same electrical length from one of the input/output lines.

Claims

1. A multimode frontend circuit comprising first, second and third ports, a first transmission path between the first and second ports, and a second transmission path between the first and third ports,

each of the transmission paths comprising:

two input/output lines;

a first transmission line having one end connected to one of the input/output lines and the other end connected to the other input/output line;

a second transmission line having one end connected to the one of the input/output lines and the other end connected to the other input/output line; and

one or a plurality of termination switch circuits;

wherein;

the electrical length of the first transmission line is equal to the electrical length of the second transmission line;

a characteristic impedance for an even mode and a characteristic impedance for an odd mode of the first transmission line are constant along the length of the first transmission line;

a characteristic impedance for an even mode and a characteristic impedance for an odd mode of the second transmission line are constant along the length of the second transmission line;

the characteristic impedance for the even mode of the first transmission line is equal to the characteristic impedance for the even mode of the second transmission line;

the characteristic impedance for the odd mode of the first transmission line is equal to the characteristic impedance for the odd mode of the second transmission line; and

each of the one or plurality of termination switch circuits comprises a switch and a termination circuit, one end of the switch being connected to one of the first and second transmission lines, the termination circuit being connected to the other end of the switch.

2. The multimode frontend circuit according to claim 1, wherein the first and second transmission lines have the same length and the same line width and the distance between the first and second transmission lines is constant along the length of the first and second transmission lines.

3. The multimode frontend circuit according to claim 1, wherein:

included among the termination switch circuits of the transmission paths is a set of termination switch circuits connected to the different transmission lines at points at the same electrical length from one of the input/output lines.

4. The multimode frontend circuit according to claim 1, wherein:

each of the transmission paths comprises one or more short-circuiting switches; and

the one or more short-circuiting switches are capable of short-circuiting between the first and second transmission lines at points at the same electrical length from one of the input/output lines.

5. The multimode frontend circuit according to claim 4, wherein:

included among the termination switch circuits and the short-circuiting switches is a termination switch circuit and a short-circuiting switch that are connected at the same position on the first or second transmission line.

6. The multimode frontend circuit according to claim 4, wherein:

the number of the short-circuiting switches is greater than or equal to two; and

included among the termination switch circuits is a termination switch circuit connected to the transmission line between positions at which two of the short-circuiting switches are connected.

7. The multimode frontend circuit according to claim 1, wherein the termination circuit is a reactance circuit.

8. The multimode frontend circuit according to claim 7, wherein the reactance circuit is a variable reactance circuit.

9. The multimode frontend circuit according to claim 4, further comprising a function selector switch for alternately connecting and disconnecting the second and third ports to each other,

wherein each of the transmission paths comprises two or more of the termination switch circuits and four or more of the short-circuiting switches.