Parallel use of serial controls in improved wireless devices and power amplifier modules

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-11159189-B2
Application number	US-202017108888-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Dec 1, 2020
Priority date	Sep 30, 2015
Publication date	Oct 26, 2021
Grant date	Oct 26, 2021

Abstract

A power amplifier module can include one or more switches, a coupler module, input signal pins, and a controller having first and second output terminals. The input signal pins can receive a voltage input/output signal, a clock input signal, and a data input signal. The controller can (i) set a mode of the one or more switches using a synchronous communication protocol in which the controller outputs a synchronous clock signal on the first output terminal and a data signal on the second output terminal, when the power amplifier module is in a first operating mode, or (ii) set a mode of the coupler module using an asynchronous communication protocol in which the controller outputs a first asynchronous control signal on the first output terminal and a second asynchronous control signal on the second output terminal, when the power amplifier module is in a second operating mode.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A radio frequency module comprising:
a power amplifier configured to amplify a radio frequency transmit signal;
receive circuitry configured to process a radio frequency receive signal;
one or more switches configured to change state from a transmit state, in which the switches pass the transmit signal to an output of the radio frequency module, to a receive state, in which the switches pass the receive signal to the receive circuitry; and
a controller having one or more output terminals including a first output terminal and a second output terminal and configured, in a first operating mode, to output a synchronous clock signal on the first output terminal and a data signal on the second output terminal, the controller further configured, in a second operating mode, to set the state of the one or more switches using an asynchronous communication protocol on at least one of the one or more output terminals.

2. The radio frequency module of claim 1 wherein the controller is configured to set a mode of the power amplifier in the first operating mode.

3. The radio frequency module of claim 2 wherein the second operating mode is a radio frequency transmit mode.

4. The radio frequency module of claim 1 wherein the controller provides carrier aggregation asynchronous transmit/receive control in the second operating mode.

5. The radio frequency module of claim 1 wherein the controller is configured to set the state of the one or more switches by changing a state of asynchronous output signals on the first output terminal and the second output terminal.

6. The radio frequency module of claim 1 wherein the one or more output terminals further include a third output terminal and the controller is further configured to assert an enable signal on the third output terminal during communication using a synchronous communication protocol.

7. The radio frequency module of claim 6 wherein the controller is further configured to de-assert the enable signal during communication using the asynchronous communication protocol.

8. The radio frequency module of claim 1 further comprising a plurality of input signal pins configured to receive a plurality of input signals including at least a clock input signal and a data input signal.

9. The radio frequency module of claim 8 wherein the controller is further configured to determine, based at least in part on the data input signal, logic levels for asynchronous control signals of the asynchronous communication protocol.

10. A wireless communication device comprising:
a transceiver;
an antenna; and
a radio frequency module in communication with the transceiver and the antenna and including a power amplifier configured to amplify a radio frequency transmit signal, receive circuitry configured to process a radio frequency receive signal, one or more switches configured to change state from a transmit state, in which the switches pass the transmit signal to an output of the radio frequency module, to a receive state, in which the switches pass the receive signal to the receive circuitry, and the radio frequency module further including a controller having one or more output terminals including a first output terminal and a second output terminal and configured, in a first operating mode, to output a synchronous clock signal on the first output terminal and a data signal on the second output terminal, the controller further configured, in a second operating mode, to set the state of the one or more switches using an asynchronous communication protocol on at least one of the one or more output terminals.

11. The wireless communication device of claim 10 wherein the controller provides carrier aggregation transmit/receive control in the second operating mode.

12. The wireless communication device of claim 10 wherein the controller is configured to set the state of the one or more switches by changing a state of asynchronous output signals on the first output terminal and the second output terminal.

13. A radio frequency module comprising:
a first radio frequency receive path configured to operate on a first frequency band;
a second radio frequency receive path configured to operate on a second frequency band;
first and second receive band switches; and
a controller having one or more output terminals including a first output terminal and a second output terminal and configured, in a first operating mode, to output a synchronous clock signal on the first output terminal and a data signal on the second output terminal, the controller further configured, in a second operating mode, to set a state of the first and second receive band switches using an asynchronous communication protocol on at least one of the one or more output terminals.

14. The radio frequency module of claim 13 wherein the second operating mode is a carrier aggregation mode.

15. The radio frequency module of claim 13 wherein the controller further includes a third output terminal and the controller is further configured to assert an enable signal during communication using a synchronous communication protocol.

16. The radio frequency module of claim 15 wherein the controller is further configured to de-assert the enable signal during communication using the asynchronous communication protocol.

17. The radio frequency module of claim 13 further comprising a plurality of input signal pins configured to receive a plurality of input signals including at least a clock input signal and a data input signal.

18. The radio frequency module of claim 17 wherein the controller is further configured to determine, based at least in part on the data input signal, logic levels for asynchronous control signals of the asynchronous communication protocol.

19. The radio frequency module of claim 13 wherein the controller is configured to set the state of the first and second receive band switches by changing a state of asynchronous output signals on the first output terminal and the second output terminal.

20. A wireless communication device comprising:
a transceiver;
an antenna; and
a radio frequency module in communication with the transceiver and the antenna and including a first radio frequency receive path configured to operate on a first frequency band, a second radio frequency receive path configured to operate on a second frequency band, first and second receive band switches, and the radio frequency module further including a controller having one or more output terminals including a first output terminal and a second output terminal and configured, in a first operating mode, to output a synchronous clock signal on the first output terminal and a data signal on the second output terminal, the controller further configured, in a second operating mode, to set a state of the first and second receive band switches using an asynchronous communication protocol on at least one of the one or more output terminals.

21. The wireless communication device of claim 20 wherein the second operating mode is a carrier aggregation mode.

22. The wireless communication device of claim 20 wherein the controller is configured to set the state of the first and second receive band switches by changing a state of asynchronous output signals on the first output terminal and the second output terminal.

Assignees

• Skyworks Solutions Inc

Inventors

• Banowetz Matthew Lee
• Thompson Philip H
• Anthony Edward James
• Ross James Henry

Classifications

• H03F3/24

  of transmitter output stages · CPC title

• H03G3/3042

  in modulators, frequency-changers, transmitters or power amplifiers · CPC title

• H04B2001/0433

  with linearisation using feedback · CPC title

• H03F1/0222

  by using a signal derived from the input signal · CPC title

• H04B2001/0408

  with power amplifiers · CPC title