Switch, antenna tuner, and radio frequency apparatus

• US 9,899,988 B2
• Filed: 05/12/2015
• Issued: 02/20/2018
• Est. Priority Date: 05/12/2014
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Huawei Technologies Co., Ltd. (Huawei Investment & Holding Co., Ltd.)
• Original Assignee: Huawei Technologies Co., Ltd. (Huawei Investment & Holding Co., Ltd.)
• Inventors: Yu, Yongchang, Liu, Tao, Li, Weinan
• Primary Examiner(s): Donovan, Lincoln
• Assistant Examiner(s): Mattison, David
• Application Number:
  US14/710,244
• Publication Number:
  US 20150326207A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,015 Days
• Field of Search: 327427
• CPC Class Codes: H03J 2200/06 Tuning of antenna
• CPC Class Codes: H03J 5/14 operated by auxiliary power
• CPC Class Codes: H03K 17/10 Modifications for increasing the maximum permissible switched voltage
• CPC Class Codes: H03K 17/102 in field-effect transistor switches
• CPC Class Codes: H03K 17/60 the devices being bipolar transistors bipolar transistors having four or more electrodes H03K17/72
• CPC Class Codes: H03K 17/687 the devices being field-effect transistors
• CPC Class Codes: H03K 17/693 Switching arrangements with several input- or output-terminals, e.g. multiplexers, distributors logic circuits H03K19/00; code converters H03M5/00, H03M7/00
• CPC Class Codes: H03K 2217/0018 Special modifications or use of the back gate voltage of a FET
• CPC Class Codes: H03K 2217/0054 Gating switches, e.g. pass gates
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 1/04 Circuits
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 88/00 Devices specially adapted for wireless communication networks, e.g. terminals, base stations or access point devices

Abstract

A switch, an antenna tuner, and a radio frequency apparatus are provided. The switch includes: 2N successively serially connected transistors. In the 2N successively serially connected transistors, control ends of any two transistors with closest odd sequence numbers are coupled to each other through a first resistor, and control ends of any two transistors with closest even sequence numbers are coupled to each other through a second resistor; a control end of an n-th transistor is coupled to a first control signal in a switch control signal, and a control end of an (n+1)-th transistor is coupled to the first control signal, where n is an integer that is greater than or equal to 1 and is less than or equal to 2N−1, N is an integer greater than or equal to 2, and the first control signal is used to control turn-on or turn-off of the switch.

Claims

1. A switch comprising:

2N successively serially connected transistors, and wherein N is an integer greater than or equal to 2;

the 2N successively serially connected transistors are divided into groups of odd and even numbered transistors such that the odd numbered transistors are arranged to be interleaved with the even numbered transistors so that a pair of neighboring transistors of one group is separated by a transistor of the other group;

control ends of any two transistors in the odd-numbered group with closest odd sequence numbers are coupled to each other through a first resistor;

control ends of any two transistors in the even-numbered group with closest even sequence numbers are coupled to each other through a second resistor; and

control ends of n-th and (n+1)-th transistors in the 2N successively serially connected transistors are coupled to a first control signal,

wherein the control ends are gates and n is an integer that is greater than or equal to 1 and is less than or equal to 2N−

1, and the first control signal is used to control turn-on or turn-off of the switch.

2. The switch according to claim 1, wherein the control end of the n-th transistor is coupled to the first control signal through a third resistor, and the control end of the (n+1)-th transistor is coupled to the first control signal through a fourth resistor.

3. The switch according to claim 2, wherein a first end of the third resistor is connected to the control end of the n-th transistor, and a second end of the third resistor is connected to a first end of a fifth resistor;

a first end of the fourth resistor is connected to the control end of the (n+1)-th transistor, and a second end of the fourth resistor is connected to the first end of the fifth resistor; and

a second end of the fifth resistor is coupled to the first control signal.

4. The switch according to claim 3, wherein n is an odd number that is greater than or equal to 1 and less than or equal to 2N−

1;

the control end of the n-th transistor is connected to the third resistor through an eleventh resistor, and the control end of the n-th transistor and at least one first resistor that is connected to the n-th transistor are coupled to each other through the eleventh resistor; and

the control end of the (n+1)-th transistor is connected to the fourth resistor through a twelfth resistor, and the control end of the (n+1)-th transistor and at least one second resistor that is connected to the (n+1)-th transistor are coupled to each other through the twelfth resistor.

5. The switch according to claim 3, wherein n is an even number that is greater than and less than 2N−

1;

the control end of the n-th transistor is connected to the third resistor through an eleventh resistor, and the control end of the n-th transistor and at least one second resistor that is connected to the n-th transistor are coupled to each other through the eleventh resistor; and

the control end of the (n+1)-th transistor is connected to the fourth resistor through a twelfth resistor, and the control end of the (n+1)-th transistor and at least one first resistor that is connected to the (n+1)-th transistor are coupled to each other through the twelfth resistor.

6. The switch according to claim 1, wherein, in the transistors in the odd-number group, substrates of the any two transistors with closest odd sequence numbers are coupled to each other through a sixth resistor;

and

in the transistors in the even-number group, substrates of the any two transistors with closest even sequence numbers are coupled to each other through a seventh resistor;

wherein

a substrate of the n-th transistor is coupled to a second control signal in the switch control signal, a substrate of the (n+1)-th transistor is coupled to the second control signal, and the second control signal is used to control voltage levels of substrates of the 2N successively serially connected transistors.

7. The switch according to claim 6, wherein the substrate of the n-th transistor is coupled to the second control signal through an eighth resistor, and the substrate of the (n+1)-th transistor is coupled to the second control signal through a ninth resistor.

8. The switch according to claim 7, wherein a first end of the eighth resistor is connected to the substrate of the n-th transistor, and a second end of the eighth resistor is connected to a first end of a tenth resistor;

a first end of the ninth resistor is connected to the substrate of the (n+1)-th transistor, and a second end of the ninth resistor is connected to the first end of the tenth resistor; and

a second end of the tenth resistor is coupled to the second control signal.

9. The switch according to claim 8, wherein n is an odd number that is greater than or equal to 1 and less than or equal to 2N−

1;

the substrate of the n-th transistor is connected to the eighth resistor through a thirteenth resistor, and the substrate of the n-th transistor and at least one sixth resistor that is connected to the n-th transistor are coupled to each other through the thirteenth resistor; and

the substrate of the (n+1)-th transistor is connected to the ninth resistor through a fourteenth resistor, and the substrate of the (n+1)-th transistor and at least one seventh resistor that is connected to the (n+1)-th transistor are coupled to each other through the fourteenth resistor.

10. The switch according to claim 8, wherein n is an even number that is greater than 1 and less than 2N−

1;

the substrate of the n-th transistor is connected to the eighth resistor through a thirteenth resistor, and the substrate of the n-th transistor and at least one seventh resistor that is connected to the n-th transistor are coupled to each other through the thirteenth resistor; and

the substrate of the (n+1)-th transistor is connected to the ninth resistor through a fourteenth resistor, and the substrate of the (n+1)-th transistor and at least one sixth resistor that is connected to the (n+1)-th transistor are coupled to each other through the fourteenth resistor.

11. The switch according to claim 1, wherein a value of n is equal to N.

12. The switch according to claim 1, wherein the 2N successively serially connected transistors are:

bipolar transistors.

19. The switch according to claim 1, wherein the 2N successively serially connected transistors are:

metal-oxide-semiconductor transistors.

20. The switch according to claim 1, wherein the 2N successively serially connected transistors are:

high-electron-mobility transistors.

13. An antenna tuner, comprising at least two capacitive tuning apparatuses that are connected in parallel, wherein each capacitive tuning apparatus comprises:

an input end, configured to receive a radio frequency signal;

a capacitive tuner including a capacitor, configured to tune the radio frequency signal to obtain a tuned signal;

an output end, configured to output the tuned signal; and

a switch comprising;

2N successively serially connected transistors and N is an integer greater than or equal to 2;

wherein the 2N successively serially connected transistors are divided into groups of odd and even numbered transistors;

control ends of any two transistors in the odd-numbered group with closest odd sequence numbers are coupled to each other through a first resistor;

control ends of any two transistors in the even-numbered group with closest even sequence numbers are coupled to each other through a second resistor;

control ends of n-th and (n+1)-th transistors in the 2N successively serially connected transistors are coupled to a first control signal, and

wherein n is an integer that is greater than or equal to 1 and is less than or equal to 2N−

1, and the first control signal is used to control turn-on or turn-off of the switch

wherein the switch and the capacitor are serially connected, and the switch, under control of the switch control signal, is capable of selectively coupling the radio frequency signal to the capacitor, so that the radio frequency signal is tuned by using the capacitor.

14. The tuner according to claim 13, wherein the tuner further comprises:

at least one inductive tuning apparatus, wherein each inductive tuning apparatus comprises one or more inductors, configured to;

on basis of the at least two capacitive tuning apparatuses that are connected in parallel, further tune the radio frequency signal that has been tuned or not tuned yet by the at least two capacitive tuning apparatuses that are connected in parallel.

15. The tuner according to claim 13, wherein a value of the capacitor can be adjusted by a capacitor control signal.

16. The tuner according to claim 13, wherein a value of the capacitor is constant.

17. A radio frequency apparatus, comprising:

an antenna; and

a tuner;

wherein the tuner comprises at least two capacitive tuning apparatuses connected in parallel, each capacitive tuning apparatus comprising;

an input end configured to receive a radio frequency signal, a capacitive tuner configured to tune the radio frequency signal to obtain a tuned signal, and an output end configured to output the tuned signal; and

wherein the capacitive tuner comprises a capacitor configured to tune the radio frequency signal, and

a switch;

wherein the switch comprises;

2N successively serially connected transistors and wherein N is an integer greater than or equal to 2;

the 2N successively serially connected transistors are divided into groups of odd and even numbered transistors;

control ends of any two transistors in the odd-numbered group with closest odd sequence numbers are coupled to each other through a first resistor;

control ends of any two transistors in the even-numbered group with closest even sequence numbers are coupled to each other through a second resistor;

control ends of n-th and (n+1)-th transistors in the 2N successively serially connected transistors are coupled to a first control signal, and

wherein n is an integer that is greater than or equal to 1 and is less than or equal to 2N−

1, and the first control signal is used to control turn-on or turn-off of the switch;

wherein the switch and the capacitor are serially connected, and the switch, under control of the switch control signal, is capable of selectively coupling the radio frequency signal to the capacitor, so that the radio frequency signal is tuned by using the capacitor;

the antenna is configured to receive the tuned signal from the tuner, and send the tuned signal.

18. The radio frequency apparatus according to claim 17, further comprising:

a radio frequency processing module, configured to modulate a baseband signal to obtain the radio frequency signal, and supply the radio frequency signal to the tuner.