RADIO FREQUENCY APPARATUS AND METHOD WITH DUAL VARIABLE IMPEDANCE COMPONENTS

• US 20180097480A1
• Filed: 10/05/2016
• Published: 04/05/2018
• Est. Priority Date: 10/05/2016
• Status: Active Application

• Current Assignee: Futurewei Technologies Incorporated (Huawei Investment & Holding Co., Ltd.)
• Original Assignee: Futurewei Technologies Incorporated (Huawei Investment & Holding Co., Ltd.)
• Inventors: Hamparian, Simon
• Granted Patent: US 10,263,572 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• CPC Class Codes: H03F 1/56 Modifications of input or output impedances, not otherwise provided for
• CPC Class Codes: H03F 2200/378 A variable capacitor being added in the output circuit, e.g. collector, drain, of an amplifier stage
• CPC Class Codes: H03F 2200/387 A circuit being added at the output of an amplifier to adapt the output impedance of the amplifier
• CPC Class Codes: H03F 2200/451 the amplifier being a radio frequency amplifier
• CPC Class Codes: H03F 3/19 with semiconductor devices only
• CPC Class Codes: H03F 3/245 with semiconductor devices only
• CPC Class Codes: H03F 3/68 Combinations of amplifiers, e.g. multi-channel amplifiers for stereophonics power amplifiers using a combination of several semiconductor amplifiers H03F3/211; combinations of amplifiers using coupling networks with distributed constants H03F3/602
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 1/0458 Arrangements for matching and coupling between power amplifier and antenna or between amplifying stages matching circuits in general H03H
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 1/0475 with means for limiting noise, interference or distortion H04B1/0483 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 2001/0408 with power amplifiers
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 7/0617 for beam forming

Abstract

A radio frequency (RF) transmitter apparatus and method are provided with dual variable impedance components. Included is at least one RF transmitter with a power amplifier and a filter. Further, a first variable impedance component is in electrical communication between the filter and an antenna port. Also included is a second variable impedance component in electrical communication between the power amplifier and the filter.

Claims

1. An apparatus, comprising:

at least one radio frequency (RF) transmitter including;

a power amplifier;

a filter;

an antenna port coupled to at least one antenna;

a first variable impedance component in electrical communication between the filter and the antenna port wherein the first variable impedance component is configured to be tunable during operation; and

a second variable impedance component in electrical communication between the power amplifier and the filter wherein the second variable impedance component is configured to be tunable during operation.

2. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the filter includes a bandpass filter.

3. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the filter includes a film bulk acoustic resonator (FBAR) filter.

4. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein at least one of the first variable impedance component or the second variable impedance component includes a tunable matching network.

5. The apparatus of claim 4, wherein the tunable matching network includes a micro strip line element and a pair of variable capacitive components.

6. The apparatus of claim 4, wherein the tunable matching network is configured for exhibiting different impedances, for each of a plurality of antenna beaming angles between zero (0) and three-hundred and sixty (360) degrees.

7. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the at least one RF transmitter includes a plurality of RF transmitters that are part of a multiple-input-multiple-output (MIMO)-capable system.

8. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the first variable impedance component and the second variable impedance component are configured to cooperate to compensate for a voltage standing wave ratio (VSWR) of up to five-to-one (5:

1).

9. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the first variable impedance component and the second variable impedance component are configured to cooperate to compensate for a voltage standing wave ratio (VSWR) of five-to-one (5:

1), for each of a plurality of antenna beaming angles between zero (0) and three-hundred and sixty (360) degrees.

10. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the first variable impedance component and the second variable impedance component are configured to cooperate to compensate for a delay of the filter of up to thirty (30) nanoseconds.

11. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the first variable impedance component and the second variable impedance component are configured to cooperate to compensate for a delay of the filter of up to thirty (30) nanoseconds, for each of a plurality of antenna beaming angles between zero (0) and three-hundred and sixty (360) degrees.

12. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the at least one RF transmitter further includes an additional component in electrical communication between the first variable impedance component and the filter, for measuring a forward power and a reflected power.

13. The apparatus of claim 12, wherein at least one of the first variable impedance component or the second variable impedance component is configured for exhibiting variable impedance, based on the measured forward power and the measured reflected power.

14. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the apparatus is configured for measuring a first return loss at an output of the filter, and controlling a first variable impedance of the first variable impedance component, based on the first return loss.

15. The apparatus of claim 14, wherein the apparatus is configured for measuring a second return loss at an input of the filter, and controlling a second variable impedance of the second variable impedance component, based on the second return loss.

16. The apparatus of claim 15, wherein the apparatus is configured for measuring the second return loss at the input of the filter, and controlling the second variable impedance of the second variable impedance component;

after measuring the first return loss at the output of the filter, and controlling the first variable impedance of the first variable impedance component.

17. The apparatus of claim 15, wherein the apparatus is configured for repeating each of the measuring and the controlling for each of a plurality of antenna beaming angles between zero (0) and three-hundred and sixty (360) degrees.

21. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the first variable impedance and the second variable impedance component are tunable during operation for compensating for impedance mismatch.

22. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the first variable impedance and the second variable impedance component are tunable during operation for compensating for impedance mismatch in connection with each of a plurality of antennas.

18. A method, comprising:

controlling a first variable impedance component in electrical communication between a filter and an antenna port of at least one radio frequency (RF) transmitter wherein the first variable impedance component is configured to be tunable during operation; and

controlling a second variable impedance component in electrical communication between a power amplifier and the filter of the at least one RF transmitter wherein the second variable impedance component is configured to be tunable during operation.

19. The method of claim 18, and further comprising measuring a first return loss at an output of the filter;

and controlling a first variable impedance of the first variable impedance component, based on the first return loss.

20. The method of claim 19, and further comprising measuring a second return loss at an input of the filter;

and controlling a second variable impedance of the second variable impedance component, based on the second return loss.

23. A radio frequency (RF) transmitter comprising:

a power amplifier that is configured to produce a power amplified output;

an antenna port coupled to at least one antenna;

a filter coupled to receive the power amplified output, the filter configured to produce a filtered power amplified output;

a first variable impedance element coupled between the filter and the antenna port wherein the first variable impedance element is configured to be tunable during operation;

a second variable impedance element coupled between the power amplifier and the filter wherein the second variable impedance element is configured to be tunable during operation; and

circuitry configured to provide control signals to the first and second variable impedance elements to tune the first and second variable impedance elements during operation.

24. The transmitter of claim 23, wherein the filter includes at least one of a bandpass filter and a film bulk acoustic resonator (FBAR) filter.

25. The transmitter of claim 23, further including a tunable matching network.

26. The transmitter of claim 25, wherein the tunable matching network includes a micro strip line element and a pair of variable capacitive components.