Testing a signal path

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-12413319-B2
Application number	US-202217819578-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Aug 12, 2022
Priority date	Aug 12, 2022
Publication date	Sep 9, 2025
Grant date	Sep 9, 2025

Abstract

Embodiments of the present disclosure relate generally to testing one or more signal paths. For example, a signal path may include a phase shifter that may impart a phase shift to signals passing through the signal path. Some embodiments may test a phase shift imparted to a signal by the signal path, including the phase shifter. Some embodiments may test the phase shift by comparing the phase of a signal at an input of the signal path with the phase of a signal at the output of the signal path. Some embodiments may test the phase shift by providing a signal at inputs of two phase paths and comparing the phases of signals at the outputs of the signal paths. Some embodiments may further adjust a phase shifter responsive to the test. Related devices, systems and methods are also disclosed.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A device comprising:
signal paths comprising respective front ends for coupling to respective antenna elements and respective back ends for coupling to a manifold; and
a comparator that is one of:
coupled to a respective front end of a first signal path of the signal paths and coupled to a respective back end of the first signal path, to compare a phase of a first signal from the respective front end of the first signal path with a phase of a second signal from the respective back end of the first signal path;
coupled to the respective front end of the first signal path and coupled to a respective front end of a second signal path of the signal paths, to compare the phase of the first signal from the respective front end of the first signal path with a phase of a third signal from the respective front end of the second signal path; or
coupled to the respective back end of the first signal path and coupled to a respective back end of the second signal path, to compare the phase of the second signal from the respective back end of the first signal path with a phase of a fourth signal from the respective back end of the second signal path.

2. The device of claim 1 , comprising a radio-frequency integrated circuit comprising the signal paths and the comparator.

3. The device of claim 1 , wherein the first signal path comprises a phase shifter, and wherein the device further comprises a controller, the controller to adjust the phase shifter responsive to a comparison of the comparator.

4. The device of claim 3 , wherein the controller is to cause the phase shifter to cycle through a phase range while the comparator performs the comparison.

5. The device of claim 1 , wherein the comparator comprises:
a summer;
a rectifier coupled to the summer; and
an analog-to-digital converter coupled to the rectifier.

6. The device of claim 5 , wherein the comparator further comprises:
two multi-way switches between the summer and the rectifier, the two multi-way switches forming at least three alternative paths between the two multi-way switches, the at least three alternatives paths comprising:
a first path comprising an amplifier;
a second path comprising a line; and
a third path comprising an attenuator.

7. The device of claim 1 , further comprising a test-signal provider to provide a test signal, the test-signal provider comprising one or more of:
an oscillator to generate the test signal; and
an external calibration input terminal to receive the test signal.

8. The device of claim 1 , wherein one of:
the first signal path comprises a first phase shifter, the comparator is coupled to the respective front end of the first signal path at a point between the first phase shifter and a first antenna element, and the comparator is coupled to the respective back end of the first signal path at a point between the first phase shifter and the manifold;
the first signal path comprises the first phase shifter, the second signal path comprises a second phase shifter, the comparator is coupled to the respective front end of the first signal path at the point between the first phase shifter and the first antenna element, and the comparator is coupled to the respective front end of the second signal path at a point between the second phase shifter and a second antenna element; and
the first signal path comprises the first phase shifter, the second signal path comprises the second phase shifter, the comparator is coupled to the respective back end of the first signal path at the point between the first phase shifter and manifold, and the comparator is coupled to the respective back end of the second signal path at a point between the second phase shifter and the manifold.

9. The device of claim 1 , wherein the comparator that is coupled to the respective front end of the first signal path and coupled to the respective back end of the first signal path, to compare the phase of the first signal from the respective front end of the first signal path with the phase of the second signal from the respective back end of the first signal path.

10. The device of claim 9 , wherein the device further comprises a test-signal provider to provide a test signal at the respective front end of the first signal path and wherein the comparator is to compare a phase of the test signal as provided at the respective front end of the first signal path to the phase of the second signal from the respective back end of the first signal path.

11. The device of claim 9 , wherein the device further comprises a test-signal provider to provide a test signal at the respective back end of the first signal path and wherein the comparator is to compare a phase of the test signal as provided at the respective back end of the first signal path to the phase of the first signal from the respective front end of the first signal path.

12. The device of claim 1 , wherein the comparator is coupled to the respective front end of the first signal path and coupled to the respective front end of the second signal path, to compare the phase of the first signal from the respective front end of the first signal path with the phase of the third signal from the respective front end of the second signal path.

13. The device of claim 12 , wherein the device further comprises a test-signal provider to provide a test signal at the respective back end of the first signal path and the respective back end of the second signal path, the test-signal provider comprising one or more of:
an oscillator to generate the test signal; and
an external calibration input terminal to receive the test signal.

14. The device of claim 12 , wherein the comparator is to compare an amplitude of the first signal with an amplitude of the third signal.

15. The device of claim 1 , wherein the comparator is coupled to the respective back end of the first signal path and coupled to the respective back end of the second signal path, to compare the phase of the second signal from the respective back end of the first signal path with the phase of the fourth signal from the respective back end of the second signal path.

16. The device of claim 15 , wherein the device further comprises a test-signal provider to provide a test signal at the respective front end of the first signal path and the respective front end of the second signal path, the test-signal provider comprising one or more of:
an oscillator to generate the test signal; and
an external calibration input terminal to receive the test signal.

17. The device of claim 15 , wherein the comparator is to compare an amplitude of the first signal with an amplitude of the fourth signal.

Assignees

• Northrop Grumman Systems Corp

Inventors

• Cross David I
• Egan Jonathan D
• March Robert J
• Barkdoll Ty L

Classifications

• H04B17/14

  of the whole transmission and reception path, e.g. self-test loop-back · CPC title

• H04B17/0085 Primary

  using test signal generators · CPC title

• H04B17/309 Primary

  Measuring or estimating channel quality parameters · CPC title