Communications device with receiver chain of reduced size

• US 10,469,124 B2
• Filed: 05/02/2018
• Issued: 11/05/2019
• Est. Priority Date: 05/05/2017
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: STMicroelectronics SA (STMicroelectronics NV)
• Original Assignee: STMicroelectronics SA (STMicroelectronics NV)
• Inventors: Chabert, Laurent, Paulin, Raphael
• Primary Examiner(s): Le, Thanh C
• Application Number:
  US15/968,927
• Publication Number:
  US 20180323821A1
• Time in Patent Office: 552 Days
• CPC Class Codes: H03F 1/26 Modifications of amplifiers to reduce influence of noise generated by amplifying elements
• CPC Class Codes: H03F 1/523 for amplifiers using field-effect devices H03F1/526 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H03F 2200/06 A balun, i.e. balanced to or from unbalanced converter, being present at the input of an amplifier
• CPC Class Codes: H03F 2200/114 the amplifier comprising means for electro-magnetic interference [EMI] protection
• CPC Class Codes: H03F 2200/181 A coil being added in the gate circuit of a FET amplifier stage, e.g. for noise reducing purposes
• CPC Class Codes: H03F 2200/222 A circuit being added at the input of an amplifier to adapt the input impedance of the amplifier
• CPC Class Codes: H03F 2200/231 the input of an amplifier can be switched on or off by a switch to amplify or not an input signal
• CPC Class Codes: H03F 2200/27 A biasing circuit node being switched in an amplifier circuit
• CPC Class Codes: H03F 2200/294 the amplifier being a low noise amplifier [LNA]
• CPC Class Codes: H03F 2200/321 Use of a microprocessor in an amplifier circuit or its control circuit
• CPC Class Codes: H03F 2200/396 the output of an amplifier can be switched on or off by a switch to couple the output signal to a load
• CPC Class Codes: H03F 2200/451 the amplifier being a radio frequency amplifier
• CPC Class Codes: H03F 2200/489 A coil being added in the source circuit of a common source stage, e.g. as degeneration means
• CPC Class Codes: H03F 2200/507 A switch being used for switching on or off a supply or supplying circuit in an IC-block amplifier circuit
• CPC Class Codes: H03F 2200/519 the bias or supply voltage or current of the drain side of a FET amplifier being controlled to be on or off by a switch
• CPC Class Codes: H03F 2200/525 the bias or supply voltage or current of the source side of a FET amplifier being controlled to be on or off by a switch
• CPC Class Codes: H03F 2200/61 the cascode amplifier has more than one common gate stage
• CPC Class Codes: H03F 2200/75 the amplifier stage being a common source configuration MOSFET
• CPC Class Codes: H03F 3/195 in integrated circuits
• CPC Class Codes: H03F 3/72 Gated amplifiers, i.e. amplifiers which are rendered operative or inoperative by means of a control signal
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 1/1615 : Switching on; Switching off, e.g. remotely battery saving circuits associated with selective call operation H04W52/00; details of power consumption reduction in a PLL, H03L7/0802, H03L7/14, H03L2207/08, H03L2207/18; muting amplifiers by gain control see H03G3/34
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 1/18 : Input circuits, e.g. for coupling to an antenna or a transmission line coupling networks between antennas or lines and receivers independent of the nature of the receiver H03H
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 1/48 : in circuits for connecting transmitter and receiver to a common transmission path, e.g. by energy of transmitter H04B1/46 takes precedence

Abstract

A communications device includes a transmission chain coupled to an antenna a receiver chain coupled to the antenna. The receiver chain includes an amplifier device having an input coupled to the antenna. A controlled switching circuit is included in the amplifier device and is operable to selectively disconnect conduction terminals of an amplifying transistor from power supply terminals when the transmission chain is operating to pass a transmit signal to the antenna.

Claims

1. A communications device, comprising:

a transmission chain coupled to an antenna via first controlled switching circuit;

a receiver chain comprising an amplifier device having an input coupled to the antenna and incorporating a second controlled switching circuit;

wherein the amplifier device comprises;

a first power supply terminal configured to be connected to a first power supply voltage,

a second power supply terminal configured to be connected to a second power supply voltage,

at least one control input configured to receive a control signal, and

at least one amplification transistor having a control electrode that is coupled to the input of the amplifier device;

wherein the second controlled switching circuit operates in response to the control signal received at the control input in a first mode for selectively disabling the amplifier device by isolating the at least one amplification transistor from the first and second power supply terminals and operates in a second mode for selectively enabling the amplifier device.

2. The communications device according to claim 1, wherein the second switching circuit comprises:

a first controllable switching circuit module coupled between a first conduction electrode of the at least one amplification transistor and the second power supply terminal, and

a second controllable switching circuit module coupled between a second conduction electrode of the at least one amplification transistor and both the first power supply terminal and an output of the amplifier device.

3. The communications device according to claim 2, wherein each of the first and second controllable switching circuit modules comprises a plurality of switching transistors, wherein gates of the plurality of switching transistors are connected to one or more distribution rails coupled to the control input.

4. The communications device according to claim 1, wherein the amplifier device comprises at least one amplifier stage.

5. A communications device, comprising:

a baseband processing circuit having an output, an input and a control circuit;

a transmission chain coupled between the output of the baseband processing circuit and an antenna;

a receiver chain comprising an amplifier device having an input coupled to the antenna and an output coupled to the input of the baseband processing circuit;

wherein the amplifier device comprises;

an amplification transistor having a control electrode that is coupled to the input of the amplifier device;

a first controllable switching circuit module coupled between a first conduction electrode of the amplification transistor and a first power supply terminal;

a second controllable switching circuit module coupled between a second conduction electrode of the amplification transistor and a second power supply terminal;

wherein the first and second controllable switching circuit modules operate in response to a control signal generated by the control circuit to disconnect the first and second conduction electrodes from the first and second power supply terminals, respectively, when the transmission chain is operating to pass a transmit signal to the antenna.

6. The communications device according to claim 5, wherein the first controllable switching circuit module is further coupled between the first conduction electrode of the amplification transistor and the input of the baseband processing circuit.

7. The communications device according to claim 5, wherein each of the first and second controllable switching circuit modules comprises a plurality of switching transistors, wherein gates of the plurality of switching transistors are coupled to receive the control signal generated by the control circuit.

8. The communications device according to claim 5, wherein the amplifier device is a common source configuration circuit with a band-tailing inductive element.

9. The communications device according to claim 8, wherein the band-tailing inductive element is coupled between the second controllable switching circuit module and the second power supply terminal and a source of the amplification transistor is coupled to an output of the amplifier device through the first controllable switching circuit module.

10. The communications device according to claim 5, wherein the amplifier device is a cascode amplification circuit with a band-tailing inductive element.

11. The communications device according to claim 10, wherein the band-tailing inductive element is coupled between the second controllable switching circuit module and the second power supply terminal and a cascode transistor is coupled between the first controllable switching circuit module and an output of the amplifier device.

12. A communications device, comprising:

a transmission chain coupled to an antenna via first controlled switching circuit;

a receiver chain comprising an amplifier device having an input coupled to the antenna;

a second controlled switching circuit configured to couple the amplifier device to first and second power supply terminals, wherein the second controlled switching circuit operates in response to a control signal to selectively enable operation of the amplifier device by;

a) isolating the amplifier device from the first and second power supply terminals in a first mode when the first controlled switching element connects the transmission chain to the antenna, and

b) connecting the amplifier device to the first and second power supply terminals in a second mode when the first controlled switching element disconnects the transmission chain from the antenna.

13. The communications device according to claim 12, wherein the amplifier device comprises:

a control input configured to receive the control signal; and

an amplification transistor having a control electrode that is coupled to the input of the amplifier device, said amplification transistor coupled to the first and second power supply terminals through the second controlled switching circuit.

14. The communications device according to claim 13, wherein the second switching circuit comprises:

a first controllable switching circuit module coupled between a first conduction electrode of the amplification transistor and at least one of the first power supply terminal and an output of the amplifier device; and

a second controllable switching circuit module coupled between a second conduction electrode of the amplification transistor and the second power supply terminal.

15. The communications device according to claim 14, wherein each of the first and second controllable switching circuit modules comprises a plurality of switching transistors, wherein gates of the plurality of switching transistors are connected to one or more distribution rails coupled to the control input.

16. The communications device according to claim 12, wherein the amplifier device comprises at least one amplifier stage.