Electronic device for compensating for loss of inter frequency signal between antenna module and inter frequency integrated circuit

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-12148981-B2
Application number	US-202117493326-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Oct 4, 2021
Priority date	Apr 5, 2019
Publication date	Nov 19, 2024
Grant date	Nov 19, 2024

Abstract

Disclosed is an electronic device including a plurality of radio frequency integrated circuits (RFICs) that delivers a digital signal, which is to be transmitted by a modem through an antenna configured to transmit and/or receive a radio frequency (RF) signal, in a form of the RF signal and to deliver the RF signal received from the antenna, in a direction of the modem, wherein the plurality of RFICs are at least partially connected to one another, an inter frequency integrated circuit (IFIC) connected to at least some RFICs among the plurality of RFICs and configured to receive the digital signal from the modem, to convert the digital signal to an inter frequency (IF) signal, to deliver the IF signal to the RFIC, to convert the RF signal delivered from the RFIC to the IF signal, and to deliver the IF signal to the modem, and a plurality of compensation units respectively connected to the plurality of RFICs or respectively positioned inside of the plurality of RFICs, the compensation units comprising circuitry configured to compensate for a loss of the IF signal occurring between the IFIC and the at least some RFICs or to compensate for a loss of the IF signal occurring between the plurality of RFICs.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. An electronic device comprising:
a plurality of radio frequency integrated circuits (RFICs) configured to deliver a digital signal to be transmitted by a modem through an antenna configured to transmit and/or receive a radio frequency (RF) signal, in a form of the RF signal and to deliver the RF signal, received from the antenna, in a direction of the modem, wherein the plurality of RFICs are at least partially connected to one another;
an inter frequency integrated circuit (IFIC) connected to at least one RFIC among the plurality of RFICs and configured to receive the digital signal from the modem, to convert the digital signal to an inter frequency (IF) signal, to deliver the IF signal to the RFIC, to convert the RF signal delivered from the RFIC to the IF signal, and to deliver the IF signal to the modem; and
a plurality of compensation units respectively connected to the plurality of RFICs or respectively positioned inside of the plurality of RFICs, the compensations units comprising circuitry configured to compensate for a loss of the IF signal occurring between the IFIC and the at least one RFIC or to compensate for a loss of the IF signal occurring between the plurality of RFICs.

2. The electronic device of claim 1 , wherein the plurality of RFICs includes:
a first RFIC connected to the IFIC; and
a second RFIC connected to the first RFIC,
wherein the first RFIC is configured to receive a first IF signal and a second IF signal from the IFIC or to deliver the first IF signal and the second IF signal, and
wherein the second RFIC is configured to receive the second IF signal via the first RFIC and to deliver the second IF signal to the first RFIC via the first RFIC.

3. The electronic device of claim 2 , wherein the plurality of compensation units includes:
a first compensation unit positioned inside the first RFIC; and
a second compensation unit positioned inside the second RFIC.

4. The electronic device of claim 3 , wherein the first compensation unit includes:
a first switch circuit configured to selectively connect to a first amplification circuit or a second amplification circuit depending on whether the first IF signal transmitted and/or received by the first RFIC, and the second IF signal transmitted and/or received by the second RFIC, are transmit signals or receive signals; and
a second switch circuit configured to allow a first communication circuit included in the first RFIC to transmit and/or receive the first IF signal or to allow the second IF signal to bypass the first RFIC and to allow the second RFIC to transmit and/or receive the second IF signal.

5. The electronic device of claim 4 , wherein the first amplification circuit is configured to amplify the first IF signal and the second IF signal delivered from the IFIC to the first compensation unit based on a loss degree of an IF signal occurring on a first transmission line connecting the IFIC and the first RFIC, and
wherein the second amplification circuit is configured to amplify the first IF signal and the second IF signal delivered from the first compensation unit to the IFIC based on a loss degree of an IF signal occurring on the first transmission line.

6. The electronic device of claim 5 , wherein the first compensation unit is configured to store first information associated with a loss degree of an IF signal predetermined by a physical characteristic of the first transmission line, and to set a gain value of at least one of the first amplification circuit or the second amplification circuit based on the first information such that the first amplification circuit amplifies the first IF signal and the second IF signal to have substantially a same magnitude as before a loss occurs.

7. The electronic device of claim 5 , wherein the IFIC is configured to provide the first compensation unit with first information associated with a loss degree occurring based on an IF signal being exchanged on the first transmission line, and
wherein the first compensation unit is configured to set a gain value of at least one of the first amplification circuit and the second amplification circuit based on the first information such that the first amplification circuit amplifies the first IF signal and the second IF signal to have substantially a same magnitude as before a loss occurs.

8. The electronic device of claim 2 , wherein the plurality of compensation units includes:
a third compensation unit interposed between the IFIC and the first RFIC; and
a fourth compensation unit interposed between the first RFIC and the second RFIC,
wherein the third compensation unit includes:
a first switch circuit configured to selectively connect to a first amplification circuit or a second amplification circuit depending on whether an IF signal associated with the first RFIC and the second RFIC is a transmit signal or a receive signal; and

a second switch circuit configured to allow a first communication circuit included in the first RFIC to transmit and/or receive an IF signal associated with the first RFIC or to allow an IF signal associated with the second RFIC to bypass the first RFIC and to allow the second RFIC to transmit and/or receive the IF signal associated with the second RFIC.

9. The electronic device of claim 8 , wherein the first amplification circuit is configured to amplify an IF signal delivered from the IFIC to the third compensation unit based on a loss degree of an IF signal occurring on a transmission line connecting the IFIC and the third compensation unit.

10. An electronic device comprising:
a communication processor (CP);
an inter frequency integrated circuit (IFIC) connected to the CP using an in-phase/quadrature (I/Q) transmission line and an I/Q control signal line;
a first RFIC connected to the IFIC using a first transmission line; and
a second RFIC connected to the first RFIC using a second transmission line,
wherein the first RFIC includes a first compensation unit comprising circuitry configured to compensate for a loss of an IF signal occurring on the first transmission line, and
wherein the second RFIC includes a second compensation unit comprising circuitry configured to compensate for a loss of the IF signal on the second transmission line, and
wherein the first compensation unit is connected to the IFIC by the first transmission line, and
wherein the second compensation unit is connected to the first compensation unit by the first transmission line.

11. The electronic device of claim 10 , wherein the IFIC is configured to transmit and/or receive a first IF signal and a second IF signal with the first RFIC using the first transmission line, and
wherein the first RFIC is configured to transmit and/or receive a second IF signal with the second RFIC using the second transmission line.

12. The electronic device of claim 11 , wherein the CP is connected to the first RFIC and the second RFIC using a first control signal line and a second control signal line, respectively, and
wherein the CP is configured to provide the first RFIC and the second RFIC with information necessary to compensate for a loss of each of the first IF signal and the second IF signal.

13. The electronic device of claim 10 , wherein the IFIC, the first RFIC, and the second RFIC are mounted on a printed circuit board (PCB), and wherein the IFIC and the first RFIC, and the first RFIC and the second RFIC are connected by wires on the PCB.

14. The electronic device of claim 10 , wherein the IFIC is mounted on a PCB,
wherein the first RFIC is positioned adjacent to the PCB,
wherein the second RFIC is positioned farther from the PCB than t

Assignees

• Samsung Electronics Co Ltd

Inventors

• Hong Sukchan
• Do Minhong
• Park Seongjin
• Lee Kyungrok
• Lee Seokwoo
• Chun Jaebong
• Choi Hyunsuk

Classifications

• H01Q21/0075

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

• H01Q9/0457

  electromagnetically coupled to the feed line · CPC title

• H01Q1/243 Primary

  with built-in antennas · CPC title

• H04M1/026

  Details of the structure or mounting of specific components · CPC title

• H04B1/0064

  with separate antennas for the more than one band (H04B1/0053 takes precedence) · CPC title