Front end circuit and communication apparatus

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10056936-B2
Application number	US-201715447412-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Mar 2, 2017
Priority date	Sep 25, 2014
Publication date	Aug 21, 2018
Grant date	Aug 21, 2018

Abstract

A front end circuit includes a circulator having a first port into which a transmission signal is input, a second port into/from which a transmission/reception signal is input/output, and a third port from which a reception signal is output. The impedance of the second port of the circulator is set to a value different from the impedance value of the first port and the third port. With his configuration, the narrowing of a frequency band and the increase in loss, which occur when an impedance matching circuit is additionally provided, are prevented.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. A front end circuit comprising:
a circulator comprising:
a first port into which a transmission signal is input;
a second port into which a reception signal is input and from which the transmission signal is output; and
a third port from which the reception signal is output, wherein
the second port is connected to an antenna,
an impedance of the second port is a complex conjugate of an impedance of the antenna, and
the impedance of the second port is different than an impedance of the first port and an impedance of the third port;

an antenna connection port connected to the antenna;
a reactance element connected in series between the second port and the antenna connection port; and
a first switch between the second port and the reactance element, and a second switch between the reactance element and the antenna connection port, wherein the first switch and the second switch are configured to connect the second port and the antenna connection port via the reactance element or a direct connection.

2. The front end circuit according to claim 1 , wherein the reactance element has a value of 10 nH, 5 nH, 20 pF, or 10 pF.

3. The front end circuit according to claim 1 , wherein the reactance element comprises an inductance and variable capacitance connected in series.

4. A circulator comprising:
a first port into which a transmission signal is input;
a second port into which a reception signal is input and from which the transmission signal is output;
a third port from which the reception signal is output; and
a first coil connected to the first port, a second coil connected to the second port, and a third coil connected to the third port, wherein a number of turns of the second coil is different from a number of turns of the first coil and the third coil, wherein
the second port is connected to an antenna,
an impedance of the second port is a complex conjugate of an impedance of the antenna, and
the impedance of the second port is different than an impedance of the first port and an impedance of the third port.

5. The circulator according to claim 4 , wherein the impedance of the second port is less than 50Ω.

6. The circulator according to claim 4 , wherein the second coil has fewer turns than the first coil and the third coil.

7. The circulator according to claim 4 , wherein the second coil has about 1.5 turns, the first coil has about 2.5 turns, and the third coil has about 2.5 turns.

8. The circulator according to claim 4 , further comprising a first coil connected to the first port, a second coil connected to the second port, and a third coil connected to the third port, wherein a diameter of the second coil is different from diameters of the first coil and the third coil.

9. The circulator according to claim 8 , wherein the diameter of the second coil is less than the diameter of the first coil and the diameter of the third coil.

10. The circulator according to claim 4 , further comprising a first coil connected to the first port, a second coil connected to the second port, and a third coil connected to the third port, wherein a conductor pattern width of the second coil is different from conductor pattern widths of the first coil and the third coil.

11. The circulator according to claim 10 , wherein the conductor pattern width of the second coil is larger than the conductor pattern widths of the first coil and the third coil.

12. A communication apparatus comprising:
the circulator according to claim 4 ;
an antenna connected to the circulator; and
a radio frequency integrated circuit (RFIC) connected to the circulator.

13. The circulator according to claim 4 , wherein the impedance of the second port is independent of the impedance of the first port and the impedance of the third port.

14. A front end circuit comprising:
a circulator comprising:
a first port into which a transmission signal is input;
a second port into which a reception signal is input and from which the transmission signal is output; and
a third port from which the reception signal is output, wherein
the second port is connected to an antenna,
an impedance of the second port is a complex conjugate of an impedance of the antenna, and
the impedance of the second port is different than an impedance of the first port and an impedance of the third port;

a transmission filter that is connected to the first port and is configured to pass a transmission signal; and
a reception filter that is connected to the third port and is configured to pass a reception signal.

15. The front end circuit according to claim 14 , further comprising:
a high-band signal port into which a high-band signal is input and from which a high-band signal is output, wherein the high-band signal is a signal in a frequency band higher than a frequency band of the transmission signal and the reception signal; and
a filter that is provided between the second port and the high-band signal port and is configured to pass the high-band signal.

Assignees

• Murata Manufacturing Co

Inventors

• Onaka Kengo
• Kuroda Katsuhito
• NAKAIKE Yuki
• Nakajima Reiji

Classifications

• H04B1/44

  Transmit/receive switching · CPC title

• H04B1/50

  using different frequencies for the two directions of communication · CPC title

• H01P1/383

  Junction circulators, e.g. Y-circulators · CPC title

• H04B1/52 Primary

  Hybrid arrangements, i.e. arrangements for transition from single-path two-direction transmission to single-direction transmission on each of two paths or vice versa · CPC title

• H03H7/38

  Impedance-matching networks · CPC title