Beamformer integrated circuits with multiple-stage hybrid splitter/combiner circuits

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-12119533-B2
Application number	US-202117457472-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Dec 15, 2021
Priority date	Dec 15, 2021
Publication date	Oct 15, 2024
Grant date	Oct 15, 2024

Abstract

A multiple-stage splitter/combiner circuit includes first and second splitter/combiner circuits coupled together. The first splitter/combiner circuit has first, second, and third input/output (I/O) ports, a first quarter wave line with a first end coupled to the first I/O port and a second end coupled to the second I/O port, a second quarter wave line with a first end coupled to the first I/O port and a second end coupled to the third I/O port, and a first resistor with first and second terminals coupled to the second and third I/O ports, respectively. The second splitter/combiner circuit has fourth, fifth, and sixth I/O ports, and a ring of multiple quarter wave lines, which includes third and fourth quarter wave lines. The third and fourth quarter wave lines each extend from the fourth I/O port in different directions from each other to the fifth and sixth I/O ports, respectively.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A multiple-stage splitter/combiner circuit comprising:
a first splitter/combiner circuit with a first input/output (I/O) port, a second I/O port, a third I/O port, a first quarter wave line with a first end coupled to the first I/O port and a second end coupled to the second I/O port, a second quarter wave line with a first end coupled to the first I/O port and a second end coupled to the third I/O port, and a first resistor with a first terminal coupled to the second I/O port and a second terminal coupled to the third I/O port; and
a second splitter/combiner circuit coupled to the first splitter/combiner circuit, wherein the second splitter/combiner circuit includes a fourth I/O port connected to the second I/O port, a fifth I/O port, a sixth I/O port, and a ring of multiple quarter wave lines that includes a third quarter wave line with a first end coupled to the fourth I/O port and a second end coupled to the fifth I/O port, a fourth quarter wave line with a first end coupled to the fourth I/O port and a second end coupled to the sixth I/O port, a fifth quarter wave line with a first end coupled to the fifth I/O port, and a sixth quarter wave line with a first end coupled to the sixth I/O port and a second end coupled to a second end of the fifth quarter wave line, wherein the third quarter wave line and the fourth quarter wave line extend from the fourth I/O port in different directions from each other.

2. A multiple-stage splitter/combiner circuit comprising:
a first splitter/combiner circuit with a first input/output (I/O) port, a second I/O port, a third I/O port, a first quarter wave line with a first end coupled to the first I/O port and a second end coupled to the second I/O port, a second quarter wave line with a first end coupled to the first I/O port and a second end coupled to the third I/O port, and a first resistor with a first terminal coupled to the second I/O port and a second terminal coupled to the third I/O port; and
a second splitter/combiner circuit coupled to the first splitter/combiner circuit, wherein the second splitter/combiner circuit includes a fourth I/O port, a fifth I/O port, a sixth I/O port, and a ring of multiple quarter wave lines that includes a third quarter wave line with a first end coupled to the fourth I/O port and a second end coupled to the fifth I/O port, a fourth quarter wave line with a first end coupled to the fourth I/O port and a second end coupled to the sixth I/O port, a fifth quarter wave line with a first end coupled to the fifth I/O port, and a sixth quarter wave line with a first end coupled to the sixth I/O port and a second end coupled to a second end of the fifth quarter wave line, wherein the third quarter wave line and the fourth quarter wave line extend from the fourth I/O port in different directions from each other, and wherein the first and second quarter wave lines extend in parallel with each other so that the second I/O port and the third I/O port are physically separated by a distance of about a width of the first resistor.

3. The multiple-stage splitter/combiner circuit of claim 1 , wherein the third quarter wave line and the fourth quarter wave line extend from the fourth I/O port in opposite directions from each other so that the fifth I/O port and the sixth I/O port are physically separated by a distance equal to a combined length of the third and fourth quarter wave lines.

4. The multiple-stage splitter/combiner circuit of claim 1 , wherein:
the first splitter/combiner circuit is a first-stage splitter/combiner circuit;
the second splitter/combiner circuit is a second-stage splitter/combiner circuit; and
the second I/O port is coupled to the fourth I/O port.

5. The multiple-stage splitter/combiner circuit of claim 4 , further comprising:
a third splitter/combiner circuit coupled to the first splitter/combiner circuit, wherein the third splitter/combiner circuit includes a seventh I/O port, an eighth I/O port, a ninth I/O port, and a second ring of multiple quarter wave lines that includes a seventh quarter wave line with a first end coupled to the seventh I/O port and a second end coupled to the eighth I/O port, an eighth quarter wave line with a first end coupled to the seventh I/O port and a second end coupled to the ninth I/O port, a ninth quarter wave line with a first end coupled to the eighth I/O port, and a tenth quarter wave line with a first end coupled to the ninth I/O port and a second end coupled to a second end of the ninth quarter wave line, wherein the seventh quarter wave line and the eighth quarter wave line extend from the seventh I/O port in different directions from each other.

6. The multiple-stage splitter/combiner circuit of claim 1 , wherein:
the second splitter/combiner circuit is a first-stage splitter/combiner circuit;
the first splitter/combiner circuit is a second-stage splitter/combiner circuit; and
the first I/O port is coupled to the fifth I/O port.

7. The multiple-stage splitter/combiner circuit of claim 6 , further comprising:
a third splitter/combiner circuit coupled to the second splitter/combiner circuit, wherein the third splitter/combiner circuit includes a seventh I/O port, an eighth I/O port, a ninth I/O port, a seventh quarter wave line with a first end coupled to the seventh I/O port and a second end coupled to the eighth I/O port, an eighth quarter wave line with a first end coupled to the seventh I/O port and a second end coupled to the ninth I/O port, and a second resistor with a first terminal coupled to the seventh I/O port and a second terminal coupled to the eighth I/O port.

8. A multiple-stage splitter/combiner circuit comprising:
a first splitter/combiner circuit with a first input/output (I/O) port, a second I/O port, a third I/O port, a first quarter wave line with a first end coupled to the first I/O port and a second end coupled to the second I/O port, a second quarter wave line with a first end coupled to the first I/O port and a second end coupled to the third I/O port, and a first resistor with a first terminal coupled to the second I/O port and a second terminal coupled to the third I/O port; and
a second splitter/combiner circuit coupled to the first splitter/combiner circuit, wherein the second splitter/combiner circuit includes a fourth I/O port, a fifth I/O port, a sixth I/O port, and a ring of multiple quarter wave lines that includes a third quarter wave line with a first end coupled to the fourth I/O port and a second end coupled to the fifth I/O port, a fourth quarter wave line with a first end coupled to the fourth I/O port and a second end coupled to the sixth I/O port, a fifth quarter wave line with a first end coupled to the fifth I/O port, and a sixth quarter wave line with a first end coupled to the sixth I/O port and a second end coupled to a second end of the fifth quarter wave line, wherein the third quarter wave line and the fourth quarter wave line extend from the fourth I/O port in different directions from each other, and wherein the first, second, third, fourth, fifth, and sixth quarter wave lines each include an unbalanced transmission line.

9. The multiple-stage splitter/combiner circuit of claim 8 , wherein the second splitter/combiner circuit further comprises:
a first port coupled to the second end of the fifth quarter wave line;
a second port coupled to the second end of the sixth quarter wave line;
a seventh quarter wave line coupled between the first port and a conductive node;
an eighth quarter wave line coupled between the second port and the conductive node;
a second resistor coupled between the first port and a ground reference; and
a third resistor coupled between the second port and the ground reference.

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Assignees

• Nxp Bv
• Npx B V

Inventors

• Pijl Jasper
• Van Der Heijden Mark Pieter

Classifications

• H04B1/40

  Circuits · CPC title

• H01Q3/38

  the phase-shifters being digital · CPC title

• H01Q21/0075

  Stripline fed arrays (H01Q21/065 takes precedence) · CPC title

• H04B7/0617

  for beam forming · CPC title

• H01P5/16 Primary

  Conjugate devices, i.e. devices having at least one port decoupled from one other port · CPC title