Phase-arrayed device and method for calibrating the phase-arrayed device

• US 8,970,427 B2
• Filed: 05/16/2012
• Issued: 03/03/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 05/18/2011
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: MediaTek Singapore Pte. Ltd. (MediaTek, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: MediaTek Singapore Pte. Ltd. (MediaTek, Inc.)
• Inventors: Liang, Chuan-Kang, Zhan, Jing-Hong Conan, Yu, Ti-Ku, Deng, Zhiming
• Primary Examiner(s): Brainard, Timothy A
• Application Number:
  US13/473,567
• Publication Number:
  US 20120293362A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,021 Days
• Field of Search: 342/174
• US Class Current: 342/174
• CPC Class Codes: H01Q 3/2605 Array of radiating elements provided with a feedback control over the element weights, e.g. adaptive arrays
• CPC Class Codes: H01Q 3/267 Phased-array testing or checking devices

Abstract

A phase-arrayed device includes: a signal processing circuit arranged to generate a specific signal; a first phase-arrayed channel arranged to provide a first phase-arrayed signal according to the specific signal; a first conducting path arranged to conduct the specific signal to the first phase-arrayed channel; a second conducting path arranged to conduct the first phase-arrayed signal to the signal processing circuit; and a detecting circuit, arranged to detect a mismatch between the first phase-arrayed signal and a reference signal to generate a detecting signal utilized for calibrating the first phase-arrayed signal.

Claims

1. A phase-arrayed device, comprising:

a signal processing circuit, arranged to generate a specific signal;

a first phase-arrayed channel, arranged to provide a first phase-arrayed signal according to the specific signal;

a first conducting path, arranged to conduct the specific signal to the first phase-arrayed channel;

a second conducting path, arranged to conduct the first phase-arrayed signal to the signal processing circuit; and

a detecting circuit, arranged to detect a mismatch between the first phase-arrayed signal and a reference signal to generate a detecting signal utilized for calibrating the first phase-arrayed signal;

wherein the first phase-arrayed channel comprises;

a transmitting circuit;

a receiving circuit; and

a first switching circuit, arranged to selectively couple the transmitting circuit or the receiving circuit to the first conducting path; and

the signal processing circuit comprises;

a transmitting signal processing circuit;

a receiving signal processing circuit; and

a second switching circuit, arranged to selectively couple the transmitting signal processing circuit to the first conducting path or the second conducting path, and to selectively couple the receiving signal processing circuit to the first conducting path or the second conducting path.

2. The phase-arrayed device of claim 1, wherein the signal processing circuit is further arranged to generate a predetermined signal to act as the reference signal.

3. The phase-arrayed device of claim 1, further comprising:

a second phase-arrayed channel, arranged to provide a second phase-arrayed signal according to the specific signal;

a third conducting path, arranged to conduct the specific signal to the second phase-arrayed channel; and

a fourth conducting path, arranged to conduct the second phase-arrayed signal to the signal processing circuit to act as the reference signal.

4. The phase-arrayed device of claim 3, wherein the first conducting path and the third conducting path share a partial conducting path, and the second conducting path and the fourth conducting path share a partial conducting path.

5. The phase-arrayed device of claim 3, wherein the first conducting path and the third conducting path are equal in length, and the second conducting path and the fourth conducting path are equal in length.

6. The phase-arrayed device of claim 1, further comprising:

an adjusting circuit, arranged to adjust the receiving circuit according to the detecting signal;

wherein when the phase-arrayed device operates under a receiving signal calibrating mode, the first switching circuit is arranged to couple an input terminal of the receiving circuit to a first terminal of the first conducting path, the second switching circuit is arranged to couple an output terminal of the transmitting signal processing circuit to a second terminal of the first conducting path, and to couple an input terminal of the receiving signal processing circuit to the second conducting path, and the adjusting circuit is arranged to adjust the receiving circuit to make the first phase-arrayed signal have a phase component that is substantially equal to a phase component of the reference signal, or have an amplitude component that is substantially equal to an amplitude component of the reference signal.

7. The phase-arrayed device of claim 1, further comprising:

an adjusting circuit, arranged to adjust the transmitting circuit according to the detecting signal;

wherein when the phase-arrayed device operates under a transmitting signal calibrating mode, the first switching circuit is arranged to couple an output terminal of the transmitting circuit to a first terminal of the first conducting path, the second switching circuit is arranged to couple an output terminal of the transmitting signal processing circuit to a first terminal of the second conducting path, and to couple an input terminal of the receiving signal processing circuit to a second terminal of the first conducting path, and the adjusting circuit is arranged to adjust the transmitting circuit to make the first phase-arrayed signal have a phase component that is substantially equal to a phase component of the reference signal, or have an amplitude component that is substantially equal to an amplitude component of the reference signal.

8. The phase-arrayed device of claim 1, further comprising:

an adjusting circuit, arranged to adjust the first phase-arrayed channel according to the detecting signal;

wherein the adjusting circuit is arranged to adjust the first phase-arrayed channel to make the first phase-arrayed signal have a phase component that is substantially equal to a phase component of the reference signal, or have an amplitude component that is substantially equal to an amplitude component of the reference signal.

9. The phase-arrayed device of claim 1, wherein the signal processing circuit is further arranged to adjust the specific signal according to the detecting signal, and the signal processing circuit is arranged to adjust the specific signal to make the first phase-arrayed signal have a phase component that is substantially equal to a phase component of the reference signal, or have an amplitude component that is substantially equal to an amplitude component of the reference signal.

10. The phase-arrayed device of claim 1, wherein when the phase-arrayed device operates under a normal transmitting mode, the second conducting path is not arranged to conduct the first phase-arrayed signal to the signal processing circuit.

11. The phase-arrayed device of claim 1, wherein when the phase-arrayed device operates under a normal receiving mode, the first conducting path is not arranged to conduct the specific signal to the first phase-arrayed channel.

12. A phase-arrayed device, comprising:

a signal processing circuit, arranged to generate a specific signal;

a plurality of phase-arrayed channels, each having a transmitting circuit and a receiving circuit;

a plurality of first conducting circuits, arranged to conduct the specific signal to the plurality of phase-arrayed channels respectively, wherein at least one of the plurality of phase-arrayed channels generates a phase-arrayed signal;

a plurality of second conducting circuits, coupled to the plurality of phase-arrayed channels respectively and arranged to conduct the phase-arrayed signal to the signal processing circuit; and

a detecting circuit, arranged to detect a mismatch between the phase-arrayed signal and a reference signal to generate a detecting signal utilized for calibrating at least one of the transmitting circuits and the receiving circuits;

wherein at least one of the phase-arrayed channels further comprises;

a first switching circuit, arranged to selectively couple the transmitting circuit or the receiving circuit to a corresponding first conducting path; and

the signal processing circuit comprises;

a transmitting signal processing circuit;

a receiving signal processing circuit; and

a second switching circuit, arranged to selectively couple the transmitting signal processing circuit to the corresponding first conducting path or a corresponding second conducting path, and to selectively couple the receiving signal processing circuit to the corresponding first conducting path or the corresponding second conducting path.

13. A method for calibrating a phase-arrayed device, comprising:

sending a specific signal to a first phase-arrayed channel of a plurality of phase-arrayed channels to provide a first phase-arrayed signal;

receiving the first phase-arrayed signal through a first conducting path;

comparing at least one of a first phase component and a first amplitude component of the first phase-arrayed signal with at least one of a predetermined phase component and a predetermined amplitude component respectively to generate a compared result;

adjusting a gain of the first phase-arrayed channel such that at least one of the first phase component and the first amplitude component of the first phase-arrayed signal substantially equal at least one of the predetermined phase component and the predetermined amplitude component respectively according to the compared result;

sending the specific signal to a second phase-arrayed channel of the plurality of phase-arrayed channels to provide a second phase-arrayed signal;

receiving the second phase-arrayed signal through a second conducting path; and

recording at least one of a second phase component and a second amplitude component of the second phase-arrayed signal to be at least one of the predetermined phase component and the predetermined amplitude component respectively;

wherein the specific signal is sent to the first phase-arrayed channel through a third conducting path, the specific signal is sent to the second phase-arrayed channel through a fourth conducting path, and the first conducting path and the second conducting path share a partial conducting path, and the third conducting path and the fourth conducting path share a partial conducting path.

14. The method of claim 13, wherein the first phase-arrayed channel is different from the second phase-arrayed channel.

15. The method of claim 13, wherein the first phase-arrayed channel comprises a transmitting circuit of the phase-arrayed device, and the transmitting circuit receives the specific signal to provide the first phase-arrayed signal, and when the transmitting circuit of the phase-arrayed device operates under a normal transmitting mode, the first conducting path is not arranged to conduct the first phase-arrayed signal provided by the transmitting circuit.

16. A phase-arrayed device, comprising:

a signal processing circuit, arranged to generate a specific signal;

a first phase-arrayed channel, arranged to provide a first phase-arrayed signal according to the specific signal;

a first conducting path, arranged to conduct the specific signal to the first phase-arrayed channel;

a second conducting path, arranged to conduct the first phase-arrayed signal to the signal processing circuit;

a detecting circuit, arranged to detect a mismatch between the first phase-arrayed signal and a reference signal to generate a detecting signal utilized for calibrating the first phase-arrayed signal;

a second phase-arrayed channel, arranged to provide a second phase-arrayed signal according to the specific signal;

a third conducting path, arranged to conduct the specific signal to the second phase-arrayed channel; and

a fourth conducting path, arranged to conduct the second phase-arrayed signal to the signal processing circuit to act as the reference signal;

wherein the first conducting path and the third conducting path share a partial conducting path, and the second conducting path and the fourth conducting path share a partial conducting path.