Antenna interface circuits with quadplexers

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9467191-B2
Application number	US-201213674521-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Nov 12, 2012
Priority date	Nov 12, 2012
Publication date	Oct 11, 2016
Grant date	Oct 11, 2016

Abstract

Techniques support data transmission and reception on multiple bands for carrier aggregation. In an exemplary design, an apparatus (e.g., a wireless device) includes first and second antenna interface circuits coupled to first and second antennas, respectively. The first antenna interface circuit includes a first quadplexer for first and second bands. The second antenna interface circuit includes a second quadplexer for the first and second bands. The first quadplexer may be a duplicate of the second quadplexer, which may simplify implementation. Each antenna interface circuit may further include a diplexer, a duplexer, a triplexer, another quadplexer, switches, etc. The first and second quadplexers may support data transmission and reception on two bands in a first band group. Other circuits in the first and second antenna interface circuits may support data transmission and/or reception on additional bands, possibly in one or more other band groups.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. An apparatus comprising:
a first antenna interface circuit coupled to a first antenna and comprising a first quadplexer for first and second bands and a first multiplexer for third and fourth bands, the first quadplexer comprising a first transmit (TX) filter and a first receive (RX) filter for the first band and a second TX filter and a second RX filter for the second band, the first multiplexer configured to filter transmit and receive signals for the third and fourth bands; and
a second antenna interface circuit coupled to a second antenna and comprising a second quadplexer for the first and second bands and a second multiplexer for the third and fourth bands, the first and second antenna interfaces configured for carrier aggregation by one of simultaneously transmitting and simultaneously receiving at least the first and second bands,
wherein the second quadplexer is duplicate of the first quadplexer, and wherein the second multiplexer is a duplicate of the first multiplexer.

2. The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the first antenna interface circuit further comprising a first diplexer, and the second antenna interface circuit further comprising a second diplexer.

3. The apparatus of claim 2 , wherein the first antenna interface circuit further comprising first switches coupled between the first diplexer and the first antenna, and the second antenna interface circuit further comprising second switches coupled between the second diplexer and the second antenna.

4. The apparatus of claim 2 , wherein the first antenna interface circuit further comprising first switches coupled between the first quadplexer and the first diplexer, and the second antenna interface circuit further comprising second switches coupled between the second quadplexer and the second diplexer.

5. The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the first multiplexer comprises a first triplexer for the third and fourth bands, and the second multiplexer comprises a second triplexer for the third and fourth bands.

6. The apparatus of claim 5 , wherein the first triplexer comprising a first transmit (TX) filter for the third band, a second TX filter for the fourth band, and a first receive (RX) filter for the third and fourth bands, and the second triplexer comprising a third TX filter for the third band, a fourth TX filter for the fourth band, and a second RX filter for the third and fourth bands.

7. The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the first multiplexer comprises a third quadplexer for the third and fourth bands, and the second multiplexer comprises a fourth quadplexer for the third and fourth bands.

8. The apparatus of claim 7 , wherein the first antenna interface circuit further comprising a fifth quadplexer or a first triplexer for fifth and sixth bands, and the second antenna interface circuit further comprising a sixth quadplexer or a second triplexer for the fifth and sixth bands.

9. The apparatus of claim 7 , wherein the first antenna interface circuit further including a diplexer comprising: a lowpass filter coupled to the first quadplexer; and a highpass filter coupled to the third quadplexer.

10. The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the first quadplexer comprising: a first duplexer comprising the first transmit (TX) filter and the first receive (RX) filter for the first band; a second duplexer comprising the second TX filter and the second RX filter for the second band; and a matching circuit coupled between the first and second duplexers.

11. The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the first antenna interface circuit configured to route a first radio frequency (RF) signal sent on a first carrier to the first antenna, and the second antenna interface circuit configured to route a second RF signal sent on a second carrier to the second antenna.

12. The apparatus of claim 11 , wherein the first antenna interface circuit configured to route the second RF signal to the first antenna in response to a switching control, and the second antenna interface circuit configured to route the first RF signal to the second antenna in response to the switching control.

13. A method comprising:
routing a first radio frequency (RF) signal via a first antenna interface circuit for transmission via a first antenna, the first antenna interface circuit comprising a first quadplexer for first and second bands and a first multiplexer for third and fourth bands, the first quadplexer comprising a first transmit (TX) filter and a first receive (RX) filter for the first band and a second TX filter and a second RX filter for the second band, the first multiplexer configured to filter transmit and receive signals for the third and fourth bands; and
routing a second RF signal via a second antenna interface circuit for transmission via a second antenna, the second antenna interface circuit comprising a second quadplexer for the first and second bands and a second multiplexer for the third and fourth bands, the first and second antenna interfaces configured for carrier aggregation by one of simultaneously transmitting and simultaneously receiving at least the first and second bands,
wherein the second quadplexer is duplicate of the first quadplexer, and wherein the second multiplexer is a duplicate of the first multiplexer.

14. The method of claim 13 , further comprising: receiving a third RF signal from the first antenna via the first antenna interface circuit; and receiving a fourth RF signal from the second antenna via the second antenna interface circuit.

15. The method of claim 14 , further comprising: receiving a fifth RF signal from the first antenna via the first antenna interface circuit; and receiving a sixth RF signal from the second antenna via the second antenna interface circuit.

16. An apparatus comprising:
first means for routing a first radio frequency (RF) signal to a first antenna, the first means for routing comprising first filtering means for first and second bands and third filtering means for third and fourth bands, the first filtering means comprising a first means for filtering transmit signals and a first means for filtering receive signals for the first band and a second means for filtering transmit signals and a second means for filtering receive signals for the second band; and
second means for routing a second RF signal to a second antenna, the second means for routing comprising second filtering means for the first and second bands and fourth filtering means for the third and fourth bands, the first and second antenna interfaces configured for carrier aggregation by one of simultaneously transmitting and simultaneously receiving at least the first and second bands,
wherein the second filtering means is duplicate of the first filtering means, and wherein the fourth filtering means is a duplicate of the third filtering means.

17. The apparatus of claim 16 , wherein the first means for routing configured to receive a third RF signal from the first antenna, and the second means for routing configured to receive a fourth RF signal from the second antenna.

Assignees

• Qualcomm Inc

Inventors

• Weissman Haim M
• Mansour Rimon E

Classifications

• H04B1/0057

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

• H04B1/52 Primary

  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

• H04B1/0064

  with separate antennas for the more than one band (H04B1/0053 takes precedence) · CPC title

• H04B1/006

  using switches for selecting the desired band (H04B1/0057 takes precedence) · CPC title

• H04B1/40 Primary

  Circuits · CPC title