RECONFIGURABLE 1:N WILKINSON COMBINER AND SWITCH

• US 20170047667A1
• Filed: 09/15/2015
• Published: 02/16/2017
• Est. Priority Date: 08/14/2015
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Avago Technologies International Sales Pte Limited (Broadcom, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Broadcom Corporation (Broadcom, Inc.)
• Inventors: SARKAR, Saikat, YOON, Seunghwan, CASTANEDA, Jesus, AFSHAR, Bagher, BOERS, Michael, SOWLATI, Tirdad
• Granted Patent: US 10,020,555 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: H01P 1/15 by semiconductor devices
• CPC Class Codes: H01P 5/16 Conjugate devices, i.e. devices having at least one port decoupled from one other port

Abstract

An electronic device includes circuitry configured to determine an antenna operation mode for one or more antenna arrays. The circuitry is further configured to control the one or more antenna arrays to operate in a combined antenna mode via a Wilkinson combiner. The circuitry is also configured to control the one or more antenna arrays to operate in an isolated antenna mode via a single-pole, multi-throw switch.

Claims

1. An electronic device comprising:

circuitry configured to

determine an antenna operation mode for one or more antenna arrays;

control the one or more antenna arrays to operate in a combined antenna mode via a Wilkinson combiner; and

control the one or more antenna arrays to operate in an isolated antenna mode via a single-pole, multi-throw switch.

2. The device of claim 1, wherein the circuitry is further configured to control the one or more antenna arrays to operate in the combined antenna mode based on at least one of antenna coverage or spatial diversity specifications.

3. The device of claim 1, wherein the circuitry is further configured to align the Wilkinson combiner to the one or more antenna arrays in the combined antenna mode via a first set of core switching devices.

4. The device of claim 3, wherein the circuitry is further configured to configure the Wilkinson combiner as a power divider or a power combiner.

5. The device of claim 1, wherein the circuitry is further configured to perform bidirectional power transfer.

6. The device of claim 5, wherein the circuitry is further configured to align the one or more antenna arrays as a transmitter or a receiver.

7. The device of claim 1, wherein the circuitry is further configured to control the one or more antenna arrays to operate in the isolated antenna mode to reduce power consumption and antenna losses.

8. The device of claim 1, wherein the circuitry is further configured to control the one or more antenna arrays to operate in the isolated antenna mode via a second set of core switching devices.

9. The device of claim 8, wherein the circuitry is further configured to turn on one core switching device from the second set of core switching devices corresponding to a selected antenna port to align power to an operational antenna array.

10. The device of claim 9, wherein the circuitry is further configured to isolate the operational antenna array from one or more non-operational antenna arrays.

11. The device of claim 1, wherein the circuitry is further configured to control the antenna operation mode of the one or more antenna arrays via at least one core switching device including a deep N-well NFET.

12. The device of claim 11, wherein the deep N-well NFET includes a high resistance p-substrate ring to increase an off-state impedance of the at least one core switching device.

13. The device of claim 11, wherein the deep N-well NFET includes an additional buried p-substrate bias to reduce an on-state impedance of the at least one core switching device.

14. The device of claim 1, wherein the circuitry is further configured for differential or single-ended operations.

15. The device of claim 1, wherein input and output impedances of the circuitry are matched in the combined antenna mode and the isolated antenna mode.

16. The device of claim 1, wherein the input and output impedances of the circuitry are matched based on on-state impedances of one or more core switching devices.

17. The device of claim 15, wherein the input and output impedances are matched to 0.8 times a system impedance in the combined antenna mode.

18. The device of claim 15, wherein the input and output impedances are matched to values between the system impedance and 1.5 times the system impedance.

19. A method comprising:

determining an antenna operation mode for one or more antenna arrays;

controlling the one or more antenna arrays to operate in a combined antenna mode via a Wilkinson combiner; and

controlling the one or more antenna arrays to operate in an isolated antenna mode via a single-pole, multi-throw switch.

20. A device comprising:

circuitry configured to

align one or more Wilkinson combiners in series or parallel to provide power to one or more antenna arrays, and

align one or more single-pole, multi-throw switches in series or parallel to isolate an operational antenna array from one or more non-operational antenna arrays.