Active power splitter and combiner circuitry

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-12587225-B2
Application number	US-202318339870-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Jun 22, 2023
Priority date	Sep 20, 2022
Publication date	Mar 24, 2026
Grant date	Mar 24, 2026

Abstract

An electronic device may include wireless circuitry having active circuitry such as active power splitter circuitry and active power combiner circuitry. The active power splitter and combiner circuitry can include single-ended or differential amplifiers coupled to one another using single-ended coupled lines or differential coupled lines. Each set of differential coupled lines may include first and second pairs of coupled lines. The single-ended coupled lines and the differential coupled lines can provide routing and impedance matching functions. In active power splitter circuitry, multiple transmitting amplifiers may be used to drive a plurality of antennas in a phased antenna array. In active power combiner circuitry, multiple receiving amplifiers may be used to receive radio-frequency signals from the plurality of antennas in the phased antenna array.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1 . Power splitter circuitry comprising:
a first amplifier stage; and a second amplifier stage configured to receive radio-frequency signals from the first amplifier stage, the second amplifier stage including
a first output amplifier coupled to first and second output channels,
a first set of differential coupled lines coupling the first output amplifier to the first and second output channels and configured to provide impedance matching between the first output amplifier and the first and second output channels, and
a second output amplifier coupled to third and fourth output channels.

2 . The power splitter circuitry of claim 1 , wherein:
the first output channel comprises a first antenna; the second output channel comprises a second antenna; the third output channel comprises a third antenna; and the fourth output channel comprises a fourth antenna.

3 . The power splitter circuitry of claim 2 , wherein:
the first output channel further comprises a first phase and magnitude controller coupled between the first output amplifier and the first antenna; the second output channel further comprises a second phase and magnitude controller coupled between the first output amplifier and the second antenna; the third output channel further comprises a third phase and magnitude controller coupled between the second output amplifier and the third antenna; and the fourth output channel further comprises a fourth phase and magnitude controller coupled between the second output amplifier and the fourth antenna.

4 . The power splitter circuitry of claim 1 , wherein the second amplifier stage further includes:
a third output amplifier coupled to fifth and sixth output channels, and a fourth output amplifier coupled to seventh and eighth output channels.

5 . The power splitter circuitry of claim 4 , wherein the first, second, third and fourth output amplifiers comprise differential amplifiers.

6 . The power splitter circuitry of claim 5 , further comprising:
a second set of differential coupled lines coupling the second output amplifier to the third and fourth output channels; a third set of differential coupled lines coupling the third output amplifier to the fifth and sixth output channels; and a fourth set of differential coupled lines coupling the fourth output amplifier to the seventh and eighth output channels.

7 . The power splitter circuitry of claim 5 , further comprising:
a first set of differential coupled lines coupled between the first amplifier stage and the first and second output amplifiers; and a second set of differential coupled lines coupled between the first amplifier stage and the third and fourth output amplifiers.

8 . The power splitter circuitry of claim 7 , wherein the first amplifier stage comprises a differential amplifier having first and second input transistors and two pairs of cascode transistors.

9 . The power splitter circuitry of claim 1 , wherein the first set of differential coupled lines comprises:
a first pair of coupled lines coupled between the first output amplifier and the first output channel; and a second pair of coupled lines coupled between the first output amplifier and the second output channel.

10 . The power splitter circuitry of claim 9 , wherein:
the first pair of coupled lines comprises
a first conductive path having a first distal end coupled to the first output amplifier and having a second distal end coupled to a bias voltage line, and
a second conductive path routed along the first conductive path and having a first distal end coupled to a ground line and having a second distal end coupled to the first output channel; and
the second pair of coupled lines comprises
a third conductive path having a first distal end coupled to the first output amplifier and having a second distal end coupled to the bias voltage line, and
a fourth conductive path routed along the third conductive path and having a first distal end coupled to the ground line and having a second distal end coupled to the second output channel.

11 . Wireless circuitry comprising:
a mixer; and active circuitry coupled between the mixer and a plurality of antennas, the active circuitry having
a first amplifier stage,
a second amplifier stage configured to receive radio-frequency signals from the first amplifier stage, and
at least first and second sets of differential coupled lines coupled between the first and second amplifier stages and configured to provide impedance matching between the first and second amplifier stages.

12 . The wireless circuitry of claim 11 , wherein the active circuitry comprises active splitter circuitry, and wherein the first set of differential coupled lines comprises:
a first pair of coupled lines coupled between the first amplifier stage and first and second differential amplifiers in the second amplifier stage; and a second pair of coupled lines coupled between the first amplifier stage and the first and second differential amplifiers in the second amplifier stage.

13 . The wireless circuitry of claim 12 , the active splitter circuitry further comprising:
a third set of differential coupled lines coupling the first differential amplifier to first and second antennas in the plurality of antennas; and a fourth set of differential coupled lines coupling the second differential amplifier to the third and fourth antennas in the plurality of antennas.

14 . The wireless circuitry of claim 11 , wherein the active circuitry comprises active combiner circuitry, and wherein the first set of differential coupled lines comprises:
a first pair of coupled lines coupled between first and second differential amplifiers in the first amplifier stage and the second amplifier stage; and a second pair of coupled lines coupled between the first and second differential amplifiers in the first amplifier stage and the second amplifier stage.

15 . The wireless circuitry of claim 14 , the active combiner circuitry further comprising:
a third set of differential coupled lines coupling first and second antennas in the plurality of antennas to the first differential amplifier; and a fourth set of differential coupled lines third and fourth antennas in the plurality of antennas to the second differential amplifier.

16 . Active splitter circuitry comprising:
a first amplifier having an input directly connected to a set of input coupled lines and configured to drive a first load component; a second amplifier having an input directly connected to the set of input coupled lines and configured to drive a second load component; a third amplifier having an input directly connected to the set of input coupled lines and configured to drive a third load component; and a fourth amplifier having an input directly connected to the set of input coupled lines and configured to drive a fourth load component.

17 . The active splitter circuitry of claim 16 , wherein:
the first load component comprises a first antenna in a phased antenna array; the second load component comprises a second antenna in the phased antenna array; the third load component comprises a third antenna in the phased antenna array; and the fourth load component comprises a fourth antenna in the phased antenna array.

18 . The active splitter circuitry of claim 16 , wherein the input coupled lines comprises a pair of single-ended coupled lines or a set of differential coupled lines.

19 . The active splitter circuitry of claim 16 , further compr

Assignees

• Apple Inc

Inventors

• Adnan Muhammad
• Alhamed Abdulrahman A
• Guan Xiang
• Bossu Frederic

Classifications

• H04B1/0458

  Arrangements for matching and coupling between power amplifier and antenna or between amplifying stages (matching circuits in general H03H) · CPC title

• H03F2200/451

  the amplifier being a radio frequency amplifier · CPC title

• H03F3/19

  with semiconductor devices only · CPC title

• H03F1/56

  Modifications of input or output impedances, not otherwise provided for · CPC title

• H01P5/10

  for coupling balanced lines or devices with unbalanced lines or devices · CPC title