Wireless transceiver

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-2021028801-A1
Application number	US-202016918574-A
Country	US
Kind code	A1
Filing date	Jul 1, 2020
Priority date	Jul 23, 2019
Publication date	Jan 28, 2021
Grant date	—

Abstract

An example device may include an antenna node configured to be coupled to an antenna element. The antenna node may be configured to pass wireless communications over multiple frequency bands. The device may also include multiple signal paths coupled to the antenna node. Each of the multiple signal paths may be configured to carry a signal from a different one of the multiple frequency bands. The device may further include a switch element coupled to the antenna node by the multiple signal paths and an amplifier circuit within the multiple signal paths between the switch element and the antenna node. The amplifier circuit may be configured to amplify the signals carried by the multiple signal paths.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1 . A device comprising:
an antenna node configured to be coupled to an antenna element, the antenna node configured to pass wireless communications over a plurality of frequency bands; a plurality of signal paths coupled to the antenna node, each of the plurality of signal paths configured to carry a signal from a different one of the plurality of frequency bands; a switch element coupled to the antenna node by the plurality of signal paths; and an amplifier circuit within the plurality of signal paths between the switch element and the antenna node, the amplifier circuit configured to amplify the signals carried by the plurality of signal paths.

2 . The device of claim 1 , further comprising a second switch element coupled to the antenna node by a plurality of second signal paths, each of the plurality of second signal paths configured to carry a second signal from a different one of the plurality of frequency bands.

3 . The device of claim 2 , further comprising a filter element between the antenna node and the switch element and between the antenna node and the second switch element, wherein one of the plurality of signal paths and one of the plurality of second signal paths both include the filter

4 . The device of claim 2 , further comprising a conversion circuit coupled to the switch element, the conversion circuit configured to adjust a frequency of the signal based on a frequency band of the plurality of frequency bands selected for the signal, wherein the switch element is configured to selectively couple any one of the plurality of signal paths to the conversion circuit.

5 . The device of claim 4 , wherein the conversion circuit is coupled to the second switching element and the second switch element is configured to selectively couple any one of the plurality of second signal paths to the conversion circuit.

6 . The device of claim 4 , wherein the plurality of signal paths are transmit signal paths and the plurality of second signal paths are receive signal paths.

7 . The device of claim 1 , wherein the plurality of signal paths are configured to carry a transmission signal, or the plurality of signal paths are configured to carry a receive signal.

8 . The device of claim 1 , further comprising:
a plurality of antenna nodes that include the antenna node, each of the plurality of antenna nodes configured to be coupled to different one of a plurality of antenna elements that include the antenna element; a second plurality of signal paths that include the plurality of signal paths, a plurality of switch elements that include the switch element, the plurality of switch elements each coupled to a different one of the plurality of antenna node by a different subset of the second plurality of signal paths, the plurality of signal paths being one subset of the second plurality of signal paths; and a plurality of amplifier circuits that include the amplifier circuit within the plurality of signal paths between the plurality of switch elements and the plurality of antenna nodes, the plurality of amplifier circuits configured to amplify the signals carried by the plurality of signal paths.

9 . The device of claim 1 , further comprising a multiplexing element coupled between the plurality of signal paths and the antenna node.

10 . A device comprising:
a plurality of antenna nodes each configured to be coupled to different one of a plurality of antenna elements, the plurality of antenna nodes configured to pass wireless communications over a plurality of frequency bands; a plurality of signal paths coupled to the plurality of antenna nodes; a switch unit coupled to the plurality of antenna nodes by the plurality of signal paths such that each of the plurality of antenna nodes is coupled to the switch unit by a subset of the plurality of signals paths and the subset includes four or more signal paths; a plurality of amplifier circuits within the plurality of signal paths between the switch units and the plurality of antenna nodes, the plurality of amplifier circuits configured to amplify the signals carried by the plurality of signal paths; and a conversion circuit coupled to the switch unit, the conversion circuit configured to adjust a frequency of a first signal, carried by a first signal path of the plurality of signal paths, based on a first frequency band of the plurality of frequency bands and to adjust a frequency of a second signal, carried by a second signal path of the plurality of signal paths, based on a second frequency band of the plurality of frequency bands, wherein a first antenna node of the plurality of antenna nodes is configured to pass the first signal and a second antenna node of the plurality of antenna nodes is configured to pass the second signal during overlapping time periods.

11 . The device of claim 10 , wherein the first signal path and the second signal path are both receive signal paths, are both transmit signal paths, or one of the first and second signal paths is a receive signal path and another of the first and second signal paths is a transmit signal path.

12 . The device of claim 10 , wherein the conversion circuit is further configured to adjust a frequency of a third signal, carried by a third signal path of the plurality of signal paths, based on a third frequency band of the plurality of frequency bands, wherein the first antenna node is configured to pass the first signal and the second antenna node is configured to pass the second signal, and a third antenna node of the plurality of antenna nodes is configured to pass the third signal during overlapping time periods.

13 . The device of claim 10 , wherein the switch unit is configured to selectively couple any one of the plurality of signal paths to the conversion circuit.

14 . The device of claim 10 , further comprising a plurality of multiplexing elements coupled between the plurality of signal paths and the plurality of antenna nodes.

15 . A method of wireless data transmission, the method comprising:
selecting a first antenna element node of a plurality of antenna element nodes, the plurality of antenna element nodes configured to be coupled to plurality of antenna elements of an antenna array to operate in a first frequency band of a plurality of frequency bands; selecting a second antenna element node of the plurality of antenna element nodes to operate in a second frequency band of the plurality of frequency bands; directing a switch unit to couple a first signal path of a plurality of first signal paths between the switch unit and the first antenna element node, the first signal path configured to amplify and carry a first signal in the first frequency band; directing the switch unit to couple a second signal path of a plurality of second signal paths between the switch unit and the second antenna element node, the second signal path configured to amplify and to carry a second signal in the second frequency band; and communicating wireless communications over the first signal path in the first frequency band and over the second signal path in the second frequency band during overlapping time periods.

16 . The method of claim 15 , wherein the first frequency band and the second frequency band are distinct frequency bands defined under the 802.11 protocol.

17 . The method of claim 15 , further comprising:
directing the switch unit to couple a third signal path of a plurality of third signal paths between the switch unit and the first antenna element node, the third signal path configured to amplify and carry a third

Assignees

• Semiconductor Components Ind Llc

Inventors

• Duxbury Simon
• Chong Wing Kai
• Margairaz Didier
• Amiri Bahador

Classifications

• H04B1/40

  Circuits · CPC title

• H04B1/005 Primary

  adapting radio receivers, transmitters andtransceivers for operation on two or more bands, i.e. frequency ranges · CPC title

• H03F3/245

  with semiconductor devices only · CPC title

• H04B1/0057

  using diplexing or multiplexing filters for selecting the desired band · CPC title

• H03F2200/451

  the amplifier being a radio frequency amplifier · CPC title