Beam-forming circuit for 5g mobile communication and radar

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-2020021024-A1
Application number	US-201816468060-A
Country	US
Kind code	A1
Filing date	Sep 5, 2018
Priority date	Sep 11, 2017
Publication date	Jan 16, 2020
Grant date	—

Abstract

A beam-forming circuit includes a multi mode power amplifier, a variable gain low noise amplifier, a variable gain phase shifter and a first switch circuit. The multi mode power amplifier amplifies a first RF intermediate signal generated based on a first RF input signal to generate a first RF output signal and performs a first transmission gain adjustment function based on a first control signal in a transmission mode. The variable gain low noise amplifier amplifies a second RF input signal to generate a second RF intermediate signal and performs a first reception gain adjustment function based on a second control signal in a reception mode. The variable gain phase shifter controls a gain and a phase of the first RF input signal at one time to generate the first RF intermediate signal and performs a second transmission gain adjustment function and a transmission phase adjustment function at one time based on a third control signal in the transmission mode, and controls a gain and a phase of the second RF intermediate signal at one time to generate a second RF output signal and performs a second reception gain adjustment function and a reception phase adjustment function at one time based on the third control signal in the reception mode. The first switch circuit receives the first RF input signal in the transmission mode, and outputs the second RF output signal in the reception mode.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1 . A beam-forming circuit comprising:
a multi mode power amplifier configured to amplify a first radio frequency (RF) intermediate signal generated based on a first RF input signal to generate a first RF output signal to be transmitted via an antenna in a transmission mode, and to perform a first transmission gain adjustment function based on a first control signal in the transmission mode; a variable gain low noise amplifier configured to amplify a second RF input signal received via the antenna to generate a second RF intermediate signal in a reception mode, and to perform a first reception gain adjustment function based on a second control signal in the reception mode; a variable gain phase shifter configured to control a gain and a phase of the first RF input signal at one time to generate the first RF intermediate signal in the transmission mode, to perform a second transmission gain adjustment function and a transmission phase adjustment function at one time based on a third control signal in the transmission mode, to control a gain and a phase of the second RF intermediate signal at one time to generate a second RF output signal in the reception mode, and to perform a second reception gain adjustment function and a reception phase adjustment function at one time based on the third control signal in the reception mode; and a first switch circuit configured to receive the first RF input signal to provide the first RF input signal to the variable gain phase shifter in the transmission mode, and to receive the second RF output signal from the variable gain phase shifter to output the second RF output signal in the reception mode.

2 . The beam-forming circuit of claim 1 , further comprising:
a second switch circuit configured to connect one of the multi mode power amplifier and the first switch circuit with the variable gain phase shifter; a third switch circuit configured to connect one of the variable gain low noise amplifier and the first switch circuit with the variable gain phase shifter; and a fourth switch circuit configured to connect one of the multi mode power amplifier and the variable gain low noise amplifier with the antenna.

3 . The beam-forming circuit of claim 2 , wherein:
in the transmission mode, a first path in which the first switch circuit, the third switch circuit, the variable gain phase shifter, the second switch circuit, the multi mode power amplifier, the fourth switch circuit and the antenna are sequentially connected is enabled based on a mode selection signal, and in the reception mode, a second path in which the antenna, the fourth switch circuit, the variable gain low noise amplifier, the third switch circuit, the variable gain phase shifter, the second switch circuit and the first switch circuit are sequentially connected is enabled based on the mode selection signal.

4 . The beam-forming circuit of claim 1 , further comprising:
a first switch embedded impedance matching circuit disposed between the multi mode power amplifier, the first switch circuit and the variable gain phase shifter; a second switch embedded impedance matching circuit disposed between the variable gain low noise amplifier, the first switch circuit and the variable gain phase shifter; and a third switch embedded impedance matching circuit disposed between the multi mode power amplifier, the variable gain low noise amplifier and the antenna.

5 . The beam-forming circuit of claim 4 , wherein the first switch embedded impedance matching circuit includes:
a first transmission line connected to an input terminal of the multi mode power amplifier; a second transmission line connected to a first terminal of the first switch circuit; a third transmission line connected to an output terminal of the variable gain phase shifter; and a first switching element connected in parallel with the first transmission line to the input terminal of the multi mode power amplifier.

6 . The beam-forming circuit of claim 5 , wherein:
in the transmission mode, the first switching element is opened, and the first RF intermediate signal output from the variable gain phase shifter is provided to the multi mode power amplifier via the first, second and third transmission lines, and in the reception mode, the first switching element is shorted, and the second RF output signal output from the variable gain phase shifter is provided to the first switch circuit via the second and third transmission lines.

7 . The beam-forming circuit of claim 5 , wherein the second switch embedded impedance matching circuit includes:
a fourth transmission line connected to an output terminal of the variable gain low noise amplifier; a fifth transmission line connected to a second terminal of the first switch circuit; a sixth transmission line connected to an input terminal of the variable gain phase shifter; and a second switching element connected in parallel with the fourth transmission line to the output terminal of the variable gain low noise amplifier.

8 . The beam-forming circuit of claim 7 , wherein:
in the transmission mode, the second switching element is shorted, and the first RF input signal received from the first switch circuit is provided to the variable gain phase shifter via the fifth and sixth transmission lines, and in the reception mode, the second switching element is opened, and the second RF intermediate signal output from the variable gain low noise amplifier is provided to the variable gain phase shifter via the fourth, fifth and sixth transmission lines.

9 . The beam-forming circuit of claim 7 , wherein the third switch embedded impedance matching circuit includes:
a seventh transmission line connected to an output terminal of the multi mode power amplifier; an eighth transmission line connected to the antenna; a ninth transmission line connected to an input terminal of the variable gain low noise amplifier; a third switching element connected in parallel with the seventh transmission line to the output terminal of the multi mode power amplifier; and a fourth switching element connected in parallel with the ninth transmission line to the input terminal of the variable gain low noise amplifier.

10 . The beam-forming circuit of claim 9 , wherein:
in the transmission mode, the third switching element is opened, the fourth switching element is shorted, and the first RF output signal output from the multi mode power amplifier is provided to the antenna via the seventh and eighth transmission lines, and in the reception mode, the third switching element is shorted, the fourth switching element is opened, and the second RF input signal received from the antenna is provided to the variable gain low noise amplifier via the eighth and ninth transmission lines.

11 . The beam-forming circuit of claim 1 , wherein:
when the first transmission gain adjustment function is performed, a gain of the first RF output signal with respect to the first RF input signal is controlled by a first unit, and when the second transmission gain adjustment function is performed, the gain of the first RF output signal with respect to the first RF input signal is controlled by a second unit smaller than the first unit.

12 . The beam-forming circuit of claim 11 , wherein:
when the first reception gain adjustment function is performed, a gain of the second RF output signal with respect to the second RF input signal is controlled by a third unit in a first gain region, and when the second reception gain adjustment function is performed, the gain of the second RF output signal with respect to the second RF input signal is controlled by the second un

Assignees

• Korea Advanced Inst Sci & Tech

Inventors

• Park Jinseok
• Hong Song-Cheol

Classifications

• H04B1/48

  in circuits for connecting transmitter and receiver to a common transmission path, e.g. by energy of transmitter {(H04B1/46 takes precedence)} · CPC title

• H04B2001/0408

  with power amplifiers · CPC title

• H04B7/0617

  for beam forming · CPC title

• H04B7/0842

  Weighted combining · CPC title

• H01Q23/00

  Antennas with active circuits or circuit elements integrated within them or attached to them · CPC title