Switch architecture for TDMA and FDD multiplexing

• US 9,172,404 B1
• Filed: 02/07/2005
• Issued: 10/27/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 02/07/2005
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Qorvo US, Inc. (Qorvo, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: RF Micro Devices Incorporated (Qorvo, Inc.)
• Inventors: Iversen, Christian Rye
• Primary Examiner(s): VU, HOANG-CHUONG Q
• Application Number:
  US11/052,435
• Time in Patent Office: 3,914 Days
• Field of Search: 370/280, 370/281, 370/319, 370/321, 370/337, 370/344, 370/345, 370/347, 370/442, 370/465, 455/78
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 1/0057 using diplexing or multiplexing filters for selecting the desired band
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 1/0082 with a common local oscillator for more than one band
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 1/163 Special arrangements for the reduction of the damping of resonant circuits of receivers amplifiers H03F; negative impedance networks for line transmission systems H04B3/16

Abstract

Switching circuitry is provided for a mobile terminal having a Time Division Multiple Access (TDMA) mode of operation and a Frequency Division Duplex (FDD) mode of operation. The switching circuitry includes resonant tank circuitry having a controllable resonant frequency and an output coupled to an antenna of the mobile terminal. The switching circuitry also includes a transmit switch that couples TDMA transmit circuitry to an input of the resonant tank circuitry when transmitting in the TDMA mode of operation, a receive switch that couples TDMA receive circuitry to the input of the resonant tank circuitry when receiving in the TDMA mode of operation, and a FDD switch that couples a FDD transceiver to the output of the resonant tank circuitry when in the FDD mode of operation. The controllable resonant frequency is controlled such that the transmit and receive switches are isolated from the antenna during FDD operation.

Claims

1. Switching circuitry for a mobile terminal having a Time Division Multiple Access (TDMA) mode of operation and a Frequency Division Duplex (FDD) mode of operation comprising:

resonant tank circuitry having a controllable resonant frequency controlled by at least one control signal and an output coupled to an antenna;

at least one receive path switch adapted to couple at least one receiver front end to an input of the resonant tank circuitry when the mobile terminal is in a receive mode during TDMA operation;

at least one transmit path switch adapted to couple at least one transmit circuit to the input of the resonant tank circuitry when the mobile terminal is in a transmit mode during TDMA operation; and

a FDD switch adapted to couple a FDD transceiver to the output of the resonant tank circuitry during FDD operation;

wherein the at least one control signal is provided such that the resonant tank circuitry substantially isolates the at least one receive path switch and the at least one transmit path switch from the antenna during FDD operation.

2. The switching circuitry of claim 1 wherein the FDD mode of operation comprises a Universal Mobile Telecommunication System Terrestrial Radio Access (UTRA) FDD mode of operation.

3. The switching circuitry of claim 2 wherein the TDMA mode of operation comprises a Global System for Mobile Communication (GSM) mode of operation.

4. The switching circuitry of claim 3 wherein the at least one transmit circuit comprises a high band GSM transmit circuit and a low band GSM transmit circuit, and the at least one transmit path switch comprises:

a first transmit path switch adapted to couple the high band GSM transmit circuit to the input of the resonant tank circuitry when the mobile terminal is in a high band transmit mode during GSM operation; and

a second transmit path switch adapted to couple the low band GSM transmit circuit to the input of the resonant tank circuitry when the mobile terminal is in a low band transmit mode during GSM operation.

5. The switching circuitry of claim 4 wherein the at least one receiver front end comprises a first receiver front end and a second receiver front end, each adapted to receive radio frequency signals in a receive frequency band selected from a group of receive frequency bands consisting of the GSM 850 frequency band, the Extended Global System for Mobile Communication (EGSM) 900 frequency band, the GSM 1800 frequency band, and the GSM 1900 frequency band, and the at least one receive path switch comprises:

a first receive path switch adapted to couple the first receiver front end to the input of the resonant tank circuitry when the mobile terminal is in a first receive mode during GSM operation; and

a second receive path switch adapted to couple the second receiver front end to the input of the resonant tank circuitry when the mobile terminal is in a second receive mode during GSM operation.

6. The switching circuitry of claim 1 wherein the resonant tank circuitry is configured such that the resonant tank circuitry provides a high impedance at the controllable resonant frequency of the resonant tank circuitry.

7. The switching circuitry of claim 6 wherein the at least one control signal is further provided such that the controllable resonant frequency is approximately equal to a center frequency of a FDD transmit frequency band of the FDD transceiver during FDD operation.

8. The switching circuitry of claim 6 wherein the at least one control signal is further provided such that the controllable resonant frequency is approximately equal to a center frequency of a desired one of a plurality of FDD transmit frequency bands corresponding to a transmit frequency band of the FDD transceiver during FDD operation.

9. The switching circuitry of claim 6 wherein the at least one control signal is further provided such that the controllable resonant frequency is equal to a desired resonant frequency providing a low impedance connection between the at least one receive path and transmit path switches and the antenna during TDMA operation.

10. The switching circuitry of claim 9 wherein the desired resonant frequency during TDMA operation is approximately equal to a harmonic of a center frequency of a frequency band of the at least one transmit circuit.

11. The switching circuitry of claim 1 wherein the resonant tank circuitry has a band-stop filter response having a maximum impedance at the controllable resonant frequency of the resonant tank circuitry.

12. The switching circuitry of claim 11 wherein the resonant tank circuitry comprises a parallel LC circuit having a controllable capacitance.

13. A mobile terminal having a Time Division Multiple Access (TDMA) mode of operation and a Frequency Division Duplex (FDD) mode of operation comprising:

at least one receiver front end adapted to receive radio frequency signals in a TDMA receive frequency band;

at least one transmit circuit adapted to transmit radio frequency signals in a TDMA transmit frequency band;

FDD transceiver circuitry adapted to simultaneously transmit radio frequency signals in a FDD transmit frequency band and receive radio frequency signals in a FDD receive frequency band; and

switching circuitry comprising;

resonant tank circuitry having a controllable resonant frequency controlled by at least one control signal and an output coupled to an antenna;

at least one receive path switch adapted to couple the at least one receiver front end to an input of the resonant tank circuitry when in a receive mode during TDMA operation;

at least one transmit path switch adapted to couple the at least one transmit circuit to the input of the resonant tank circuitry when in a transmit mode during TDMA operation; and

a FDD switch adapted to couple the FDD transceiver circuitry to the output of the resonant tank circuitry during FDD operation;

wherein the at least one control signal is provided such that the resonant tank circuitry substantially isolates the at least one receive path switch and the at least one transmit path switch from the antenna during FDD operation.

14. The mobile terminal of claim 13 wherein the FDD mode of operation comprises a Universal Mobile Telecommunication System Terrestrial Radio Access (UTRA) FDD mode of operation.

15. The mobile terminal of claim 14 wherein the TDMA mode of operation comprises a Global System for Mobile Communication (GSM) mode of operation.

16. The mobile terminal of claim 15 wherein the at least one transmit circuit comprises a high band GSM transmit circuit and a low band GSM transmit circuit, and the at least one transmit path switch comprises:

a first transmit path switch adapted to couple the high band GSM transmit circuit to the input of the resonant tank circuitry when the mobile terminal is in a high band transmit mode during GSM operation; and

a second transmit path switch adapted to couple the low band GSM transmit circuit to the input of the resonant tank circuitry when the mobile terminal is in a low band transmit mode during GSM operation.

17. The mobile terminal of claim 16 wherein the at least one receiver front end comprises a first receiver front end and a second receiver front end, each adapted to receive radio frequency signals in a receive frequency band selected from a group of receive frequency bands consisting of the GSM 850 frequency band, the Extended Global System for Mobile Communication (EGSM) 900 frequency band, the GSM 1800 frequency band, and the GSM 1900 frequency band, and the at least one receive path switch comprises:

a first receive path switch adapted to couple the first receiver front end to the input of the resonant tank circuitry when the mobile terminal is in a first receive mode during GSM operation; and

a second receive path switch adapted to couple the second receiver front end to the input of the resonant tank circuitry when the mobile terminal is in a second receive mode during GSM operation.

18. The mobile terminal of claim 13 further comprising a control system adapted to provide the at least one control signal.

19. The mobile terminal of claim 13 wherein the resonant tank circuitry is configured such that the resonant tank circuitry provides a high impedance at the controllable resonant frequency of the resonant tank circuitry.

20. The mobile terminal of claim 19 wherein the at least one control signal is further provided such that the controllable resonant frequency is approximately equal to a center frequency of the FDD transmit frequency band of the FDD transceiver circuitry during FDD operation.

21. The mobile terminal of claim 19 wherein the at least one control signal is further provided such that the controllable resonant frequency is approximately equal to a center frequency of a desired one of a plurality of FDD transmit frequency bands corresponding to a transmit frequency band of the FDD transceiver circuitry during FDD operation.

22. The mobile terminal of claim 19 wherein the at least one control signal is further provided such that the controllable resonant frequency is equal to a desired resonant frequency providing a low impedance connection between the at least one receive path and transmit path switches and the antenna during TDMA operation.

23. The mobile terminal of claim 22 wherein the desired resonant frequency during TDMA operation is approximately equal to a harmonic of a center frequency of a frequency band of the at least one transmit circuit.

24. The mobile terminal of claim 13 wherein the resonant tank circuitry has a band-stop filter response having a maximum impedance at the controllable resonant frequency of the resonant tank circuitry.

25. The mobile terminal of claim 24 wherein the resonant tank circuitry comprises a parallel LC circuit having a controllable capacitance.

26. A method of switching between a Time Division Multiple Access (TDMA) mode of operation and a Frequency Division Duplex (FDD) mode of operation in a mobile terminal comprising:

providing resonant tank circuitry having a controllable resonant frequency controlled by at least one control signal and an output coupled to an antenna;

providing at least one receive path switch adapted to couple at least one receiver front end to an input of the resonant tank circuitry when the mobile terminal is in a receive mode during TDMA operation;

providing at least one transmit path switch adapted to couple at least one transmit circuit to the input of the resonant tank circuitry when the mobile terminal is in a transmit mode during TDMA operation;

providing a FDD switch adapted to couple a FDD transceiver to the output of the resonant tank circuitry during FDD operation; and

providing the at least one control signal such that the resonant tank circuitry substantially isolates the at least one receive path switch and the at least one transmit path switch from the antenna during FDD operation.