Phase shifting device, driving method thereof and antenna

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-11545962-B2
Application number	US-202117552732-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Dec 16, 2021
Priority date	Mar 23, 2021
Publication date	Jan 3, 2023
Grant date	Jan 3, 2023

Abstract

The present disclosure provides a phase shifting device, a driving method thereof, and an antenna. The phase shifting device of the present disclosure includes: data lines, scan lines and phase shifting units. Each phase shifting unit includes: a switch sub-circuit and a phase shifter. Control terminals of the switch sub-circuits in a same row are coupled to a same scan line, first terminals of the switch sub-circuits in a same column are coupled to a same data line, and a second terminal of each switch sub-circuit is coupled to a phase shifter included in the phase shifting unit to which the switch sub-circuit belongs. Each switch sub-circuit is configured to transmit, in response to a switch control signal provided by the scan line, a data voltage signal provided by the data line to the phase shifter to drive the phase shifter.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A phase shifting device comprising: a plurality of data lines, a plurality of scan lines and a plurality of phase shifting units;
wherein each of the plurality of phase shifting units comprises: a switch sub-circuit and a phase shifter;
control terminals of the switch sub-circuits in a same row are coupled to a same scan line, first terminals of the switch sub-circuits in a same column are coupled to a same data line, and a second terminal of each switch sub-circuit is coupled to the phase shifter comprised in the phase shifting unit to which the switch sub-circuit belongs; and
each switch sub-circuit is configured to transmit, in response to a switch control signal provided by the scan line coupled to the control terminal of the switch sub-circuit, a data voltage signal provided by the data line coupled to the first terminal of the switch sub-circuit to the phase shifter coupled to the second terminal of the switch sub-circuit to drive the phase shifter.

2. The phase shifting device of claim 1 , wherein the phase shifter comprises a first electrode and a second electrode opposite to each other, and a dielectric layer between the first electrode and the second electrode, the first electrode is coupled to the second terminal of a corresponding switch sub-circuit to receive the data voltage signal, and the second electrode is coupled to a reference voltage terminal.

3. The phase shifting device of claim 2 , wherein the phase shifter further comprises a first substrate and a second substrate opposite to each other; the first electrode and the switch sub-circuit are on a side of the first substrate close to the dielectric layer, and the second electrode is on a side of the second substrate close to the dielectric layer.

4. The phase shifting device of claim 3 , wherein the phase shifter further comprises a first sub-electrode sheet on the first substrate, an orthographic projection of the first sub-electrode sheet on the first substrate is at least partially overlapped with an orthographic projection of the second electrode on the first substrate, and the first sub-electrode sheet is coupled to the first electrode.

5. The phase shifting device of claim 2 , wherein the switch sub-circuit comprises a switch transistor, a source of the switch transistor being the first terminal of the switch sub-circuit, a drain of the switch transistor being the second terminal of the switch sub-circuit, and a gate of the switch transistor being the control terminal of the switch sub-circuit.

6. The phase shifting device of claim 5 , wherein the source and the drain of the switch transistor are in the same layer as the first electrode.

7. The phase shifting device of claim 2 , wherein the first electrode comprises a microstrip line, and the second electrode has an opening therein.

8. The phase shifting device of claim 1 , further comprising a data voltage generation sub-circuit coupled to the plurality of data lines and configured to supply the data voltage signals to the plurality of data lines.

9. The phase shifting device of claim 8 , wherein the data voltage generation sub-circuit comprises: a controller, a digital-to-analog converter and a level shifter,
the controller, the digital-to-analog converter and the level shifter are sequentially coupled in series, an output terminal of the level shifter is coupled to the plurality of data lines,
the controller is configured to provide a digital control signal to the analog-to-digital converter;
the digital-to-analog converter is configured to convert the digital control signal provided by the controller into an analog signal and to transmit the analog signal to the level shifter; and
the level shifter is configured to convert the analog signal transmitted by the digital-to-analog converter into the data voltage signal, and transmit the data voltage signal to the switch sub-circuits through the plurality of data lines.

10. The phase shifting device of claim 1 , further comprising a driving circuit coupled to the plurality of scan lines and configured to sequentially supply the switch control signal to the plurality of scan lines.

11. The phase shifting device of claim 10 , wherein the driving circuit comprises first and second driving sub-circuits which are different, and
each scan line in an odd-numbered row is coupled to the first driving sub-circuit; and each scan line in an even-numbered row is coupled to the second driving sub-circuit.

12. The phase shifting device of claim 11 , wherein each of the plurality of scan lines comprises first and second ends opposite to each other; and
the first ends of the scan lines in odd-numbered rows are coupled to the first driving sub-circuit; and the second ends of the scan lines in even-numbered rows are coupled to the second driving sub-circuit.

13. The phase shifting device of claim 10 , wherein the phase shifting device comprises a plurality of driving circuits, the plurality of scan lines are divided into a plurality of groups, each group of scan lines is coupled to a corresponding one of the plurality of driving circuits, each driving circuit comprises first and second driving sub-circuits which are different,
in each group of scan lines, each scan line in an odd-numbered row is coupled to the first driving sub-circuit in a corresponding driving circuit; and each scan line in an even-numbered row is coupled to the second driving sub-circuit in a corresponding driving circuit.

14. An antenna, comprising the phase shifting device of claim 1 .

15. A method for driving a phase shifting device, the phase shifting device being the phase shifting device of claim 1 , the method comprising:
sequentially providing the switch control signal to the plurality of scan lines; and
during a period of providing the switch control signal to each scan line, turning on the switch sub-circuits in the phase shifting units coupled to the scan line, such that the data voltage signals provided by the plurality of data lines are transmitted to the phase shifters in the phase shifting units coupled to the scan line to drive the phase shifters.

Assignees

• Beijing Boe Technology Dev Co Ltd
• Boe Technology Group Co Ltd

Inventors

• Liu Zongmin
• Wang Zhiliang
• Li Wei
• Fan Xichao
• Guo Junwei
• Qu Feng
• Li Biqi

Classifications

• H01Q3/34 Primary

  by electrical means (active lenses or reflecting arrays H01Q3/46) · CPC title

• H01Q3/36 Primary

  with variable phase-shifters · CPC title

• H03H11/16 Primary

  Networks for phase shifting · CPC title

• H03H7/20

  Two-port phase shifters providing an adjustable phase shift · CPC title