Tunable inductor arrangement, transceiver, method and computer program

• US 9,905,350 B2
• Filed: 10/10/2014
• Issued: 02/27/2018
• Est. Priority Date: 10/16/2013
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Telefonaktiebolaget LM Ericsson
• Original Assignee: Telefonaktiebolaget LM Ericsson
• Inventors: Nilsson, Magnus, Sandgren, Magnus
• Primary Examiner(s): Nguyen, Tu X
• Application Number:
  US15/029,284
• Publication Number:
  US 20160254084A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,236 Days
• Field of Search: 455 77, 455 87, 455120, 455126, 4551931, 4551932, 4551973, 4551991, 4551871
• CPC Class Codes: H01F 2021/125 Printed variable inductor with taps, e.g. for VCO
• CPC Class Codes: H01F 21/12 discontinuously variable, e.g. tapped
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 23/5227 Inductive arrangements or effects of, or between, wiring layers other inductive arrangements H01L23/645
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 2924/00 Indexing scheme for arrangements or methods for connecting or disconnecting semiconductor or solid-state bodies as covered by H01L24/00
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 2924/0002 Not covered by any one of groups H01L24/00, H01L24/00 and H01L2224/00
• CPC Class Codes: H03J 3/20 of single resonant circuit by varying inductance only or capacitance only
• CPC Class Codes: H03J 5/02 with variable tuning element having a number of predetermined settings and adjustable to a desired one of these settings
• CPC Class Codes: H03J 5/246 using electronic means H03J5/244 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 1/40 Circuits

Abstract

A tunable inductor arrangement arrangable on a chip or substrate is disclosed. The tunable inductor comprises a first winding part connected at one end to a first input of the tunable inductor arrangement, a second winding part connected at one end to the other end of the first winding part, a third winding part connected at one end to a second input of the tunable inductor arrangement, a fourth winding part connected at one end to the other end of the third winding part, and a switch arrangement arranged to tune the tunable inductor arrangement by selectively provide a circuit either comprising the first and fourth winding parts in parallel and the second and third winding parts in parallel, with the parallel couplings in series between the first and second inputs, or a circuit comprising the first, second, fourth and third winding parts in series between the first and second inputs. A transceiver, communication device, method and computer program are also disclosed.

Claims

1. A tunable inductor arrangement arrangeable on a chip or substrate and comprising:

a tunable inductor comprising;

a first winding part connected at one end to a first input of the tunable inductor arrangement;

a second winding part connected at one end to the other end of the first winding part;

a third winding part connected at one end to a second input of the tunable inductor arrangement;

a fourth winding part connected at one end to the other end of the third winding part;

wherein the first, second, third and fourth winding parts are interleaved on the chip or substrate such that magnetic fields of the windings are essentially common; and

a switch arrangement arranged to tune the tunable inductor arrangement by selectively providing either;

a circuit comprising the first and fourth winding parts in parallel and the second and third winding parts in parallel, with the parallel couplings connected in series between the first and second inputs;

or

a circuit comprising the first, second, fourth and third winding parts in series between the first and second inputs.

2. The tunable inductor arrangement of claim 1, wherein the switch arrangement comprises:

a first switch connected between the other end of the second winding part and a virtual ground;

a second switch connected between the other end of the fourth winding part and the virtual ground;

a third switch connected between the other end of the first winding part and the virtual ground;

a fourth switch connected between the other end of the third winding part and the virtual ground;

a fifth switch connected between the first input and the other end of the fourth winding part; and

a sixth switch connected between the second input and the other end of the second winding part,

wherein the tunable inductor arrangement is tunable by either closing the third, fourth, fifth and sixth switches and having the first and second switches open, or closing the first and second switches and having the third, fourth, fifth and sixth switches open.

3. The tunable inductor arrangement of claim 1, wherein the switch arrangement comprises:

a first switch connected between the other end of the second winding part and the other end of the fourth winding part;

a second switch connected between the other end of the first winding part and the other end of the third winding part;

a third switch connected between the first input and the other end of the fourth winding part; and

a fourth switch connected between the second input and the other end of the second winding part;

wherein the tunable inductor arrangement is tunable by either closing the second, third and fourth switches and having the first switch open, or closing the first switch and having the second, third and fourth switches open.

4. The tunable inductor arrangement of claim 1, comprising a further winding part wherein the further winding part is arranged to cancel electro-magnetic coupling with the first to fourth winding parts.

5. The tunable inductor arrangement of claim 1, wherein two or more of the winding parts are arranged in a plurality of conductive layers on the chip or substrate.

6. A radio frequency transceiver comprising a resonator, wherein the resonator comprises the tunable inductor arrangement of claim 1, wherein the tunable inductor arrangement is tunable to enable the resonator to selectably work at one of a plurality of resonating frequencies.

7. A communication device comprising the radio frequency transceiver of claim 6, and a processor arranged to interact with the radio frequency transceiver, wherein the processor is arranged to control the switch arrangement to select a tuning mode of the tunable inductor arrangement.

8. A multiband radio frequency receiver comprising

a first receiver path arranged to receive a radio signal in a first frequency band;

a second receiver path arranged to receive a radio signal in a second frequency band;

wherein the first frequency band operates at a higher frequency than the second frequency band; and

wherein each of the first and second receiver paths is arranged to selectively operate at a selected frequency band among a plurality of frequency bands and comprises a resonator that includes the tunable inductor arrangement of claim 1, which resonator is arranged to be tuned for the selected frequency band.

9. A communication device comprising the multiband radio frequency receiver of claim 8, and a processor arranged to interact with the multiband radio frequency receiver, wherein the processor is arranged to control to the switch arrangement to select a tuning mode of the tunable inductor arrangement.