Switched coupled inductance phase shift mechanism

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-11211704-B2
Application number	US-202016747407-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Jan 20, 2020
Priority date	May 29, 2019
Publication date	Dec 28, 2021
Grant date	Dec 28, 2021

Abstract

Examples disclosed herein relate to a switched coupled inductance phase shift mechanism. The phase shift mechanism includes a variable inductor element configured to toggle between a first inductance state and a second inductance state in response to a first control bit value, and a plurality of variable capacitor elements coupled to the variable inductor element and configured to toggle between a first capacitance state and a second capacitance state in response to a second control bit value. The variable inductor element and the variable capacitor elements collectively produce a first phase shift using the first inductance and capacitance states, and collectively produce a second phase shift using the second inductance and capacitance states, where a target phase shift is produced from a difference between the first and second phase shifts. Other examples disclosed herein relate to an antenna array and a method of phase shifting with switched coupled inductance.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A phase shift device, comprising:
a variable inductor element configured to toggle between a first inductance state and a second inductance state in response to a first control bit value; and
a plurality of variable capacitor elements coupled to the variable inductor element and configured to toggle between a first capacitance state and a second capacitance state in response to a second control bit value different from the first control bit value,
wherein the variable inductor element and the plurality of variable capacitor elements collectively produce a first phase shift using the first inductance state and the first capacitance state and collectively produce a second phase shift using the second inductance state and the second capacitance state, wherein a target phase shift is produced from a difference between the first phase shift and the second phase shift.

2. The phase shift device of claim 1 , wherein the variable inductor element comprises a transformer and a first switch coupled to the transformer, wherein the transformer produces the first inductance state when the first switch is open, and wherein the transformer produces the second inductance state when the first switch is closed.

3. The phase shift device of claim 2 , wherein each of the plurality of variable capacitor elements comprises a first capacitor coupled in series with a second switch and a second capacitor coupled in parallel to the first capacitor and the second switch.

4. The phase shift device of claim 3 , wherein the first capacitor and the second capacitor collectively produce the first capacitance state when the second switch is closed and the first switch is open.

5. The phase shift device of claim 3 , wherein the first capacitor and the second capacitor collectively produce the second capacitance state when the second switch is open and the first switch is closed.

6. The phase shift device of claim 2 , wherein each of the plurality of variable capacitor elements comprises a first capacitor coupled in series with a second switch.

7. The phase shift device of claim 6 , wherein the first capacitor produces the first capacitance state when the second switch is closed and the first switch is open.

8. The phase shift device of claim 6 , wherein the first capacitor produces the second capacitance state when the second switch is open and the first switch is closed.

9. The phase shift device of claim 1 , wherein the variable inductor element comprises a transformer and a variable capacitor coupled to the transformer, wherein the transformer produces the first inductance state when the variable capacitor is applied with a first voltage, and wherein the transformer produces the second inductance state when the variable capacitor is applied with a second voltage different from the first voltage.

10. An antenna array, comprising:
an array of radiating elements; and
a phase shift array coupled to the array of radiating elements and configured to apply phase shifting to transmit signaling directed to the array of radiating elements for a transmit operation and to return signaling from the array of radiating elements for a receive operation, the phase shift array comprising:
a plurality of phase shift circuits connected in series, each of the plurality of phase shift circuits comprising a lumped circuit with variable inductance and variable capacitance; and
a control mechanism coupled to the plurality of phase shift circuits and configured to control each of the plurality of phase shift circuits.

11. The antenna array of claim 10 , wherein the lumped circuit comprises:
a variable inductor element configured to toggle between a first inductance state and a second inductance state in response to a first control bit value applied with the control mechanism; and
a plurality of variable capacitor elements coupled to the variable inductor element and configured to toggle between a first capacitance state and a second capacitance state in response to a second control bit value applied with the control mechanism, the second control bit value being different from the first control bit value,
wherein the variable inductor element and the plurality of variable capacitor elements collectively produce a first phase shift using the first inductance state and the first capacitance state and collectively produce a second phase shift using the second inductance state and the second capacitance state, wherein a target phase shift is produced from a difference between the first phase shift and the second phase shift.

12. The antenna array of claim 11 , wherein the variable inductor element comprises a transformer and a first switch coupled to the transformer, wherein the transformer produces the first inductance state when the first switch is open, and wherein the transformer produces the second inductance state when the first switch is closed.

13. The antenna array of claim 12 , wherein each of the plurality of variable capacitor elements comprises a first capacitor coupled in series with a second switch and a second capacitor coupled in parallel to the first capacitor and the second switch.

14. The antenna array of claim 13 , wherein the first capacitor and the second capacitor collectively produce the first capacitance state when the second switch is closed and the first switch is open.

15. The antenna array of claim 13 , wherein the first capacitor and the second capacitor collectively produce the second capacitance state when the second switch is open and the first switch is closed.

16. The antenna array of claim 12 , wherein each of the plurality of variable capacitor elements comprises a first capacitor coupled in series with a second switch.

17. The antenna array of claim 16 , wherein the first capacitor produces the first capacitance state when the second switch is closed and the first switch is open.

18. The antenna array of claim 16 , wherein the first capacitor produces the second capacitance state when the second switch is open and the first switch is closed.

19. The antenna array of claim 11 , wherein the variable inductor element comprises a transformer and a variable capacitor coupled to the transformer, wherein the transformer produces the first inductance state when the variable capacitor is applied with a first voltage, and wherein the transformer produces the second inductance state when the variable capacitor is applied with a second voltage different from the first voltage.

20. A method of phase shifting with switched coupled inductance, the method comprising:
determining an angular range of phase shifts at a working frequency for applying a target phase shift to an antenna array;
calculating phase shift bits as a function of the angular range of phase shifts;
determining angular phase shift steps as a function of the phase shift bits; and
coupling the phase shift bits to series-connected lumped circuits to adjust inductance and capacitance components to a first state in one or more lumped circuits coupled to first bit values and adjust the inductance and capacitance components to a second state in one or more lumped circuits coupled to second bit values while maintaining an effective impedance in each of the lumped circuits between the first state and the second state,
wherein a different phase shift is produced from each lumped circuit coupled to the first bit values where a sum of the different phase shifts corresponds to the target phase shift.

Assignees

• Metawave Corp

Inventors

• Rostomyan Narek

Classifications

• H01F21/12 Primary

  discontinuously variable, e.g. tapped · CPC title

• H01F21/02

  continuously variable, e.g. variometers · CPC title

• H01Q3/36 Primary

  with variable phase-shifters · CPC title