Module for the emission/reception of signals, and corresponding communication device

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-2022123781-A1
Application number	US-202117506320-A
Country	US
Kind code	A1
Filing date	Oct 20, 2021
Priority date	Oct 21, 2020
Publication date	Apr 21, 2022
Grant date	—

Abstract

In an embodiment, a circuit includes first, second, and third 90° hybrid couplers coupled between first and second antenna terminals, a pair of low-noise amplifiers (LNAs), and a pair of power amplifiers (PAs). The pair of LNAs is configured to receive first signals from the first and second antenna terminals and has an output configured to be coupled to a receive path. The second coupler is configured in power combiner mode for receiving the first signals. The pair of PAs is configured to transmit second signals via the first and second antenna terminals and has an input configured to be coupled to a transmit path. The third coupler is configured in power divider mode for transmitting the second signals.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1 . A circuit comprising:
a first 90° hybrid coupler having a first terminal configured to be coupled to a first antenna terminal of an antenna system, and a second terminal configured to be coupled to a second antenna terminal of the antenna system; a pair of activatable low-noise amplifiers configured to receive first signals from the first and second antenna terminals and having an output configured to be coupled to a signal receive path; a second 90° hybrid coupler configured in power combiner mode for receiving the first signals, the second 90° hybrid coupler having an input terminal coupled to a third terminal of the first 90° hybrid coupler and first and second output terminals respectively coupled to first and second inputs of the pair of activatable low-noise amplifiers; a pair of activatable power amplifiers configured to transmit second signals via the first and second antenna terminals and having a first input configured to be coupled to a signal transmit path; and a third 90° hybrid coupler configured in power divider mode for transmitting the second signals, the third 90° hybrid coupler having first and second input terminals respectively coupled to first and second outputs of the pair of activatable power amplifiers and an output terminal coupled to a fourth terminal of the first 90° hybrid coupler.

2 . The circuit of claim 1 , wherein the second 90° hybrid coupler has a further terminal coupled to a ground terminal via a first resistor, and wherein the third 90° hybrid coupler has a further terminal coupled to the ground terminal via a second resistor.

3 . The circuit of claim 1 , wherein, when in receive mode, the circuit is configured to:
cause the propagation of the first signals from the first and second antenna terminals to the signal receive path via the first and second 90° hybrid couplers and the pair activatable low-noise amplifiers; and deactivate the pair of activatable power amplifiers when the circuit operates in the receive mode.

4 . The circuit of claim 1 , wherein, when in receive mode, the circuit is configured to:
cause the propagation of the first signals from the first and second antenna terminals to the signal receive path via the first and second 90° hybrid couplers and the pair activatable low-noise amplifiers; and cause an impedance at the first and second outputs of the pair of activatable power amplifiers to be lower than an impedance at the first and second inputs of the pair of activatable low-noise amplifiers.

5 . The circuit of claim 4 , wherein, when in receive mode, the circuit is configured to cause the impedance at the first and second outputs of the pair of activatable power amplifiers to be about 3 ohms and the impedance at the first and second inputs of the pair of activatable low-noise amplifiers to be about 40 ohms.

6 . The circuit of claim 1 , wherein, when in transmit mode, the circuit is configured to:
cause the propagation of the second signals from the signal transmit path to the first and second antenna terminals via the pair activatable power amplifiers and the third and first 90° hybrid couplers; and deactivate the pair of activatable low-noise amplifiers when the circuit operates in the transmit mode.

7 . The circuit of claim 1 , wherein, when in transmit mode, the circuit is configured to:
cause the propagation of the second signals from the signal transmit path to the first and second antenna terminals via the pair activatable power amplifiers and the third and first 90° hybrid couplers; and cause an impedance at the first and second inputs of the pair of activatable low-noise amplifiers to be lower than an impedance at the first and second outputs of the pair of activatable power amplifiers.

8 . The circuit of claim 1 , wherein, when in receive mode, the circuit is configured to cause the propagation of the first signals from the first and second antenna terminals to the signal receive path via the first and second 90° hybrid couplers and the pair activatable low-noise amplifiers, wherein, when in transmit mode, the circuit is configured to cause the propagation of the second signals from the signal transmit path to the first and second antenna terminals via the pair activatable power amplifiers and the third and first 90° hybrid couplers, wherein an impedance between the first 90° hybrid coupler and the second 90° hybrid coupler remains constant irrespective of whether the circuit operates in receive mode or transmit mode, and wherein an impedance between the first 90° hybrid coupler and the third 90° hybrid coupler remains constant irrespective of whether the circuit operates in receive mode or transmit mode.

9 . The circuit of claim 8 , wherein the circuit is configured to simultaneously operate in the receive mode and the transmit mode.

10 . The circuit of claim 1 , further comprising the signal transmit path, the signal receive path, and a processor having an input coupled to an output of the signal receive path and to an output coupled to an input of the signal transmit path.

11 . The circuit of claim 1 , further comprising a first antenna coupled to the first antenna terminal, and a second antenna coupled to the second antenna terminal.

12 . The circuit of claim 1 , further comprising:
a fourth 90° hybrid coupler configured in power divider mode, the fourth 90° hybrid coupler having first and second input terminals respectively coupled to first and second outputs of the pair of activatable low-noise amplifiers and an output configured to be coupled to the signal receive path; and a fifth 90° hybrid coupler configured in power combiner mode, the fifth 90° hybrid coupler having an input terminal configured to be coupled to the signal transmit path and first and second output terminals respectively coupled to the first input of the pair of activatable power amplifiers and a second input of the pair of activatable power amplifiers.

13 . The circuit of claim 12 , wherein the fourth 90° hybrid coupler has a further terminal coupled to a ground terminal via a first resistor, and wherein the fifth 90° hybrid coupler has a further terminal coupled to the ground terminal via a second resistor.

14 . The circuit of claim 1 , wherein a first low-noise amplifier of the pair of activatable low-noise amplifiers has an output configured to be coupled to the signal receive path, and wherein a second low-noise amplifier of the pair of activatable low-noise amplifiers has an output configured to be coupled to a further signal receive path.

15 . The circuit of claim 1 , wherein a first power amplifier of the pair of activatable power amplifiers has an input configured to be coupled to the signal transmit path, and wherein a second power amplifier of the pair of activatable power amplifiers has an input configured to be coupled to a further signal transmit path.

16 . The circuit of claim 1 , wherein the first and second signals are radio frequency signals.

17 . The circuit of claim 1 , wherein the circuit is produced in an integrated form.

18 . A method comprising:
receiving first signals from first and second antennas; propagating the first signals through a first 90° hybrid coupler having a first terminal coupled to the first antenna of an antenna system, and a second terminal coupled to a second antenna of the antenna system; receiving the first signals from the first 90° hybrid coupler with a second 90° hybrid coupler configured in power combiner mode, the second 90° hybrid coupler having an input terminal coupled to a third terminal o

Assignees

• St Microelectronics Sa

Inventors

• Forest Jeremie
• Knopik Vincent

Classifications

• H04B1/44

  Transmit/receive switching · CPC title

• H04B1/40 Primary

  Circuits · CPC title

• H04B1/401

  for selecting or indicating operating mode · CPC title

• H04B1/52

  Hybrid arrangements, i.e. arrangements for transition from single-path two-direction transmission to single-direction transmission on each of two paths or vice versa · CPC title

• H04B1/0458 Primary

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