TUNABLE DUPLEXER ARCHITECTURE

• US 20130201880A1
• Filed: 02/06/2013
• Published: 08/08/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 02/07/2012
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Qorvo US, Inc. (Qorvo, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: RF Micro Devices Incorporated (Qorvo, Inc.)
• Inventors: Bauder, Ruediger, Granger-Jones, Marcus, Khlat, Nadim
• Granted Patent: US 9,042,275 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 370/277
• 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 1/44 Transmit/receive switching
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 1/525 with means for reducing leakage of transmitter signal into the receiver
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 25/03878 Line equalisers; line build-out devices
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 5/14 Two-way operation using the same type of signal, i.e. duplex

Abstract

A tunable radio frequency (RF) duplexer is disclosed. The tunable RF duplexer includes a first hybrid coupler, a second hybrid coupler, and an RF filter circuit. The first hybrid coupler is operable to split an RF receive input signal into first and second RF quadrature hybrid receive signals (QHRSs). The first hybrid coupler is also operable to split an RF transmission input signal into first and second RF quadrature hybrid transmission signals (QHTSs). The RF filter circuit is operable to pass the first and second RF QHRSs to the second hybrid coupler and to reflect the first and second RF QHTSs back to the first hybrid coupler. Additionally, the second hybrid coupler is configured to combine the first and second RF QHRSs into an RF receive output signal, while the first hybrid coupler is configured to combine the first and second RF QHTSs into an RF transmission output signal.

Claims

1. A tunable radio frequency (RF) duplexer comprising:

a first hybrid coupler operable to;

split an RF transmission input signal into a first RF quadrature hybrid transmission signal (QHTS) and a second RF QHTS;

split an RF receive input signal into a first RF quadrature hybrid receive signal (QHRS) and a second RF QHRS; and

combine the first RF QHTS and the second RF QHTS into an RF transmission output signal when reflected back to the first hybrid coupler;

a second hybrid coupler configured to combine the first RF QHRS and the second RF QHRS into an RF receive output signal; and

an RF filter circuit that is tunable so as to pass the first RF QHRS and the second RF QHRS to the second hybrid coupler and to reflect the first RF QHTS and the second RF QHTS back to the first hybrid coupler.

2. The tunable RF duplexer of claim 1 further comprising a tuning circuit wherein:

the RF filter circuit has a frequency response that defines a passband;

the RF filter circuit is tunable to shift the passband; and

the tuning circuit is configured to tune the frequency response so that a signal bandwidth of the first RF QHRS and a signal bandwidth of the second RF QHRS are each within the passband.

3. The tunable RF duplexer of claim 1 further comprising a tuning circuit wherein:

the RF filter circuit has a frequency response that defines a stopband;

the RF filter circuit is tunable to shift the stopband; and

the tuning circuit is configured to tune the frequency response so that a signal bandwidth of the first RF QHTS and a signal bandwidth of the second RF QHTS are each within the stopband.

4. The tunable RF duplexer of claim 1 further comprising a tuning circuit wherein:

the RF filter circuit has a frequency response that defines a passband and a stopband;

the RF filter circuit is tunable to shift the passband and shift the stopband; and

the tuning circuit is configured to tune the frequency response so as to shift the passband so that a signal bandwidth of the first RF QHRS and a signal bandwidth of the second RF QHRS are each within the passband, and to shift the stopband so that a signal bandwidth of the first RF QHTS and a signal bandwidth of the second RF QHTS are each within the stopband.

5. The tunable RF duplexer of claim 4 wherein the frequency response defines the stopband as a notch.

6. The tunable RF duplexer of claim 4 further comprising a second RF filter circuit having a second frequency response that defines a second stopband, wherein:

the second RF filter circuit is operably associated with the second hybrid coupler so as to receive the RF receive output signal;

the second RF filter circuit is tunable to shift the second stopband; and

the tuning circuit is configured to tune the second frequency response so that a signal bandwidth of the RF transmission input signal is within the second stopband.

7. The tunable RF duplexer of claim 1 further comprising a tuning circuit wherein:

the first hybrid coupler is configured to receive the RF transmission input signal operating in an RF communication band, whereby the first RF QHTS, the second RF QHTS, and the RF transmission output signal each operate in the RF communication band;

the first hybrid coupler is configured to receive the RF receive input signal operating within the RF communication band, whereby the first RF QHRS, the second RF QHRS, and the RF receive output signal each operate in the RF communication band;

the RF filter circuit has a frequency response that defines a passband and a stopband, wherein the RF filter circuit is tunable so as to shift the passband and to shift the stopband; and

the tuning circuit is configured to tune the frequency response so as to shift the passband within the RF communication band such that the first RF QHRS and the second RF QHRS operating in the RF communication band are passed to the second hybrid coupler, and to shift the stopband in the RF communication band such that the first RF QHTS and the second RF QHTS operating in the RF communication band are reflected back to the first hybrid coupler.

8. The tunable RF duplexer of claim 7 wherein:

the RF communication band has an RF transmission band and an RF receive band;

the RF transmission input signal, the first RF QHTS, the second RF QHTS, and the RF transmission output signal each operate in the RF transmission band;

the RF receive input signal, the first RF QHRS, the second RF QHRS, and the RF receive output signal each operate in the RF receive band; and

the tuning circuit is configured to shift the passband into the RF receive band and to shift the stopband into the RF transmission band.

9. The tunable RF duplexer of claim 7 wherein:

the RF filter circuit is tunable so that the RF communication band can be switched to be any one of a plurality of different RF communication bands; and

the tuning circuit is operable to tune the frequency response of the RF filter circuit such that the passband is shifted to pass the first RF QHRS and the second RF QHRS in response to the RF communication band being switched to a different one of the plurality of different RF communication bands, and the stopband is shifted to reflect the first RF QHTS and the second RF QHTS in response to the RF communication band being switched to the different one of the plurality of different RF communication bands.

10. The tunable RF duplexer of claim 1 wherein the RF filter circuit comprises a first RF filter and a second RF filter and wherein:

the first RF filter is connected between the first hybrid coupler and the second hybrid coupler and is operable to reflect the first RF QHTS back to the first hybrid coupler and to pass the second RF QHRS to the second hybrid coupler; and

the second RF filter is connected between the first hybrid coupler and the second hybrid coupler and is operable to reflect the second RF QHTS back to the first hybrid coupler and pass the first RF QHRS to the second hybrid coupler.

11. The tunable RF duplexer of claim 10 wherein the first RF filter comprises:

a series LC resonator coupled in shunt between the first hybrid coupler and the second hybrid coupler, the series LC resonator having a series resonant frequency; and

a variable capacitive element having a variable capacitance, the variable capacitive element being coupled in shunt between the first hybrid coupler and the second hybrid coupler such that the series LC resonator and the variable capacitive element have a parallel resonant frequency.

12. The tunable RF duplexer of claim 11 wherein the second RF filter is identical to the first RF filter.

13. The tunable RF duplexer of claim 10 wherein the first RF filter comprises a plurality of Surface Acoustic Wave (SAW) resonators, wherein one of the SAW resonators is configured to reflect the second RF QHTS back to the first hybrid coupler and to pass the first RF QHRS to the second hybrid coupler.

14. The tunable RF duplexer of claim 13 wherein the second RF filter comprises a second plurality of SAW resonators, wherein a second one of the SAW resonators is configured to reflect the second RF QHTS back to the first hybrid coupler and to pass the first RF QHRS to the second hybrid coupler.

15. The tunable RF duplexer of claim 10 further comprising:

a quarter-wave phase-shifting transmission line element coupled in series with the first RF filter; and

a switchable bypass path coupled such that the quarter-wave phase-shifting transmission line element is bypassed when the switchable bypass path is closed and is not bypassed when the switchable bypass path is open.

16. The tunable RF duplexer of claim 15 further comprising:

a second quarter-wave phase-shifting transmission line element coupled in series with the second RF filter; and

a second switchable bypass path coupled such that the second quarter-wave phase-shifting transmission line element is bypassed when the second switchable bypass path is closed and is not bypassed when the second switchable bypass path is open.

17. The tunable RF duplexer of claim 10 further comprising:

a third RF filter coupled in series between the first hybrid coupler and the second hybrid coupler;

a switchable bypass path coupled such that the third RF filter is bypassed when the switchable bypass path is closed and is not bypassed when the switchable bypass path is open; and

a switch connected in series with the first RF filter.

18. The tunable RF duplexer of claim 17 further comprising:

a fourth RF filter coupled in series between the first hybrid coupler and the second hybrid coupler;

a second switchable bypass path coupled such that the fourth RF filter is bypassed when the second switchable bypass path is closed and is not bypassed when the second switchable bypass path is open; and

a second switch connected in series with the second RF filter.

19. The tunable RF duplexer of claim 1 wherein the first hybrid coupler has a port, the port being configured to simultaneously output the RF transmission input signal and input the RF receive output signal.

20. The tunable RF duplexer of claim 1 wherein:

the first hybrid coupler comprises a first port configured to input the RF receive input signal and output the RF transmission output signal, a second port, a third port, and a fourth port, wherein the first hybrid coupler is configured to;

output the first RF QHRS from the third port in response to the RF receive input signal being received at the first port; and

output the second RF QHRS from the fourth port in response to the RF receive input signal being received at the first port; and

the second hybrid coupler comprises a fifth port, a sixth port, a seventh port, and an eighth port, wherein the second hybrid coupler is configured to;

input the first RF QHRS at the fifth port;

input the second RF QHRS at the sixth port;

output the RF receive output signal from the eighth port; and

substantially isolate the eighth port from the seventh port.

21. The tunable RF duplexer of claim 20 further comprising:

an antenna; and

an antenna impedance tuner coupled between the antenna and the first port, wherein the antenna impedance tuner is tunable so as to reduce reflections from the antenna to the first port.

22. The tunable RF duplexer of claim 20 wherein the RF filter circuit comprises:

a first RF filter connected in shunt between the third port and the fifth port; and

a second RF filter connected in shunt between the fourth port and the sixth port.

23. A method of providing radio frequency (RF) duplexing comprising:

splitting an RF receive input signal into a first RF quadrature hybrid receive signal (QHRS) and a second RF QHRS;

splitting an RF transmission input signal into a first RF quadrature hybrid transmission signal (QHTS) and a second RF QHTS;

filtering the first RF QHRS and the second RF QHRS to pass the first RF QHRS and the second RF QHRS within a passband;

filtering the first RF QHTS and the second RF QHTS to reflect the first RF QHTS and the second RF QHRS within a stopband;

combining the first RF QHRS and the second RF QHRS within the passband into an RF receive output signal; and

combining the first RF QHTS and the second RF QHTS within the stopband into an RF transmission output signal.

24. The method of claim 23 further comprising:

receiving the RF transmission input signal at a port; and

while the RF transmission input signal is being received at the port, outputting the RF receive output signal from the port.

25. The method of claim 23 further comprising:

tuning the passband to pass the first RF QHRS and the second RF QHRS within the passband; and

tuning the stopband to reflect the first RF QHTS and the second RF QHTS within the stopband.