Concurrent communication in multiple TDD bands

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-11677535-B2
Application number	US-202117233075-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Apr 16, 2021
Priority date	Mar 30, 2021
Publication date	Jun 13, 2023
Grant date	Jun 13, 2023

Abstract

This document describes systems and techniques directed at concurrent communication in multiple time-division duplex (TDD) bands. As new industry standards (e.g., the Fifth Generation New Radio (5G NR) standard) are being implemented, more TDD bands are becoming available for wireless communications. Generally, manufacturers will add additional antenna systems for each TDD band, but this method may become costly and need extra space, which is already limited, within the user device In various aspects, the concurrent communication system includes a radio frequency (RF) modem module configured to operate on multiple TDD bands, which may include bands that are located near each other on the RF spectrum. The concurrent communication system further includes transceiver circuitry with at least one transmission chain and at least four reception chains. The architecture of this system offers an efficient and inexpensive way to communicate on at least two TDD bands concurrently with reduced hardware cost.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A system comprising:
at least four antennas that support communication in a first frequency band and a second frequency band;
an RF modem module comprising:
a transceiver port to transmit uplink communications and receive downlink communications in the first frequency band and the second frequency band; and
at least three receive ports to receive respective communications in the first frequency band and the second frequency band;

transceiver circuitry coupling the at least four antennas to the RF modem module, the transceiver circuitry comprising:
a transceiver chain that comprises:
a first switch with a common terminal coupled to the transceiver port, a first switched terminal coupled to a first of the four antennas through a first bandpass filter for the first frequency band, and a second switched terminal coupled to the first antenna through a second bandpass filter for the second frequency band;
a second switch with a common terminal coupled to the transceiver port, a first switched terminal coupled to the first antenna through the first bandpass filter, and a second switched terminal coupled to the first antenna through the second bandpass filter;

a first receive chain that comprises a third switch with a common terminal coupled to a second receive port, a first switched terminal coupled to a second antenna through a third bandpass filter for the first frequency band, and a second switched terminal coupled to the second antenna through a fourth bandpass filter for the second frequency band;
a second receive chain that comprises a fourth switch with a common terminal coupled to a third receive port, a first switched terminal coupled to a third antenna through a fifth bandpass filter for the first frequency band, and a second switched terminal coupled to the third antenna through a sixth bandpass filter for the second frequency band; and
a third receive chain that comprises a fifth switch with a common terminal coupled to a fourth receive port, a first switched terminal coupled to a fourth antenna through a seventh bandpass filter for the first frequency band, and a second switched terminal coupled to the fourth antenna through an eighth bandpass filter for the second frequency band, the transceiver path further comprising:
a sixth switch coupled between the first switch, the second switch, and the first bandpass filter, the sixth switch comprising a first switched terminal coupled to the first switched terminal of the first switch, a second switched terminal coupled to the first switched terminal of the second switch, and a common terminal coupled to the first bandpass filter; and
a seventh switch coupled between the first switch, the second switch, and the second bandpass filter, the seventh switch comprising, a first switched terminal coupled to the second switched terminal of the first switch, a second switched terminal coupled to the second switched terminal of the second switch, and a common terminal coupled to the second bandpass filter.

2. The system of claim 1 , further comprising:
an eighth switch coupled between the first bandpass filter, the second bandpass filter, and the first antenna, the eighth switch comprising a first switched terminal coupled to the first bandpass filter, a second switched terminal coupled to the second bandpass filter, and a common terminal coupled to the first antenna;
a ninth switch coupled between the third bandpass filter, the fourth bandpass filter, and the second antenna, the ninth switch comprising a first switched terminal coupled to the third bandpass filter, a second switched terminal coupled to the fourth bandpass filter, and a common terminal coupled to the second antenna;
a tenth switch coupled between the fifth bandpass filter, the sixth bandpass filter, and the third antenna, the tenth switch comprising a first switched terminal coupled to the fifth bandpass filter, a second switched terminal coupled to the sixth bandpass filter, and a common terminal coupled to the third antenna; and
an eleventh switch coupled between the seventh bandpass filter, the eighth bandpass filter, and the fourth antenna, the eleventh switch comprising a first switched terminal coupled to the seventh bandpass filter, a second switched terminal coupled to the eighth bandpass filter, and a common terminal coupled to the fourth antenna.

3. The system of claim 1 , wherein:
the first frequency band comprises a first Fifth Generation (5G) New Radio band; and
the second frequency band comprises a second 5G New Radio band.

4. The system of claim 1 , wherein the system communicates with a wireless network through the first frequency band and the second frequency band during time slots of a subframe of time resources of the wireless network;
the system further comprises a communication manager configured to:
during a first slot of the subframe:
couple the transceiver port to the first antenna through the first switch and the first bandpass filter;
couple the second receive port to the second antenna through the third switch and the fourth bandpass filter;
couple the third receive port to the third antenna through the fourth switch and the sixth bandpass filter; and
couple the fourth receive port to the fourth antenna through the fifth switch and the eighth bandpass filter; and
during a second slot of the subframe:
couple the transceiver port to the first antenna through the first switch and the second bandpass filter;
couple the second receive port to the second antenna through the third switch and the third bandpass filter;
couple the third receive port to the third antenna through the fourth switch and the fifth bandpass filter; and
couple the fourth receive port to the fourth antenna through the fifth switch and the seventh bandpass filter.

5. The system of claim 4 , wherein the communication manager is further configured to:
during the first slot of the subframe:
transmit, through the first antenna, on the first frequency band;
receive, through the second antenna, on the second frequency band;
receive, through the third antenna, on the second frequency band; and
receive, through the fourth antenna, on the second frequency band; and

during the second slot of the subframe:
transmit, through the first antenna, on the second frequency band;
receive, through the second antenna, on the first frequency band;
receive, through the third antenna, on the first frequency band; and
receive, through the fourth antenna, on the first frequency band.

6. The system of claim 4 , wherein the communications manager is further configured to, during a third slot of the subframe:
couple the first receive port to the first antenna through the second switch and the second bandpass filter;
couple the second receive port to the second antenna through the third switch and the fourth bandpass filter;
couple the third receive port to the third antenna through the fourth switch and the fifth bandpass filter; and
couple the fourth receive port to the fourth antenna through the fifth switch and the seventh bandpass filter.

7. The system of claim 6 , wherein the communications manager is further configured to, during the third slot of the subframe:
receive, through the first antenna, on the second frequency band;
receive, through the second antenna, on the second frequency band;
receive, through the third antenna, on the first frequency band; and
receive, through the fourth antenna, on the first frequency band.

8. The system of claim 4 , wherein the first slot and the second slot are not consecutive slots of the subframe.

Assignees

• Google Llc

Inventors

• Sun Ming
• He Fei

Classifications

• H04L5/14

  Two-way operation using the same type of signal, i.e. duplex · CPC title

• H04L5/1469 Primary

  using time-sharing · CPC title

• H04B1/006

  using switches for selecting the desired band (H04B1/0057 takes precedence) · CPC title

• H04B1/44

  Transmit/receive switching · CPC title

• H04L5/26 Primary

  combined with the use of different frequencies · CPC title