Apparatus and methods for reconfigurable directional couplers in an RF transceiver with selectable phase shifters

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9496902-B2
Application number	US-201514808964-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Jul 24, 2015
Priority date	Jul 24, 2014
Publication date	Nov 15, 2016
Grant date	Nov 15, 2016

Abstract

Provided herein are apparatus and methods for reconfigurable directional couplers in an RF transceiver. Reconfigurable directional couplers can be reconfigured and designed to provide high directivity using configurable capacitors to effect a mutual coupling and using lumped components or delay lines to effect a phase shift. Depending on the embodiment, the reconfigurable directional coupler can include capacitors, inductors, and switching components. The coupler can be designed for multi-band operation with an adjustable coupling factor conducive to semiconductor process integration. The coupler can have variable phase shifters to achieve a desired level of directivity in the coupler.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A directional coupler for a power signal comprising:
an input port;
an output port that is connected to the input port via a first selectable phase shifter;
a coupled port that is connected to the input port via a first capacitive coupling element;
an isolation port that is connected to the coupled port via a second selectable phase shifter and is further connected to the output port via a second capacitive coupling element; and
a processor that adjusts the first and second selectable phase shifters based upon variations of the power signal to achieve a desired phase shift of the first and second signals received by the isolation port, and to achieve a desired directivity of the coupler.

2. The directional coupler of claim 1 wherein the coupler is bi-directional.

3. The directional coupler of claim 1 wherein the first and second capacitive coupling elements are variable and the processor adjusts the first and second variable capacitive coupling elements to achieve a desired coupling level between the input port and the coupled port.

4. The directional coupler of claim 3 wherein the first and second variable capacitive coupling elements each include a plurality of capacitances forming a first and second array and a switching element that is controllable by the processor so that the processor selects a first capacitance for the first capacitive coupling element that determines a first mutual coupling, and so that the processor selects a second capacitance for the second capacitive coupling element that determines a second mutual coupling.

5. The directional coupler of claim 4 wherein the processor selects the first capacitance to have a value commensurate to the second capacitance so that the phase shift of the first and second signal at the isolation port due to the first and second capacitance is substantially equal.

6. The directional coupler of claim 3 wherein the power signal includes an RF power signal that is being transmitted and the processor adjusts the first and second variable capacitive coupling elements and the first and second selectable phase shifters based upon the frequency of the RF signal being transmitted.

7. The directional coupler of claim 1 wherein the first and second selectable phase shifters have variable impedances that the processor configures so that the phase of the first signal and the phase of the second signal at the isolation port are substantially complementary to each other.

8. The directional coupler of claim 5 wherein the impedances of the first and second selectable phase shifters are selected so that the resulting first and second signals at the isolation port are approximately 180 degrees out of phase.

9. The directional coupler of claim 6 wherein the impedances of the first and second selectable phase shifters are selected so that the resulting first and second signals at the isolation port have respective phase angles of approximately 90 and 270 degrees.

10. A directional coupler for a power signal, the directional coupler comprising:
a transmission path that includes an input port and an output port with a first selectable phase shifter interposed therebetween;
a coupled path that includes a coupled output port and an isolation port that has a second selectable phase shifter interposed therebetween;
a first capacitive coupling element that couples the input port on the transmission path to the coupled port on the coupling path;
a second capacitive coupling element that couples the output port on the transmission path to the isolation port on the coupled path, the isolation port on the coupled path configured to receive a first signal from the transmission path and second capacitive coupling element and to receive a second signal from the first capacitive coupling element and the coupled path; and
a processor that adjusts the first and second selectable phase shifters based upon variations of the power signal to achieve a desired phase shift of the first and second signals received by the isolation port, and to achieve a desired directivity of the coupler.

11. The directional coupler of claim 10 wherein the coupler is bi-directional.

12. The directional coupler of claim 10 wherein the capacitive coupling elements are variable and wherein processor adjusts the first and second variable capacitive coupling elements to achieve a desired coupling level between the transmission path and the coupling path based at least in part on a characteristic of the power signal.

13. The directional coupler of claim 12 wherein the power signal includes an RF power signal that is being transmitted and the processor adjusts the first and second variable capacitance coupling elements and the first and second selectable phase shifters based upon the frequency of the RF signal being transmitted.

14. The directional coupler of claim 13 wherein the first and second selectable phase shifters have variable impedances that the processor configures so that the phase of the first signal and the phase of the second signal at the isolation port are substantially complementary to each other.

15. The directional coupler of claim 14 wherein the impedances of the first and second selectable phase shifters are selected so that the resulting first and second signals at the isolation port are approximately 180 degrees out of phase.

16. The directional coupler of claim 12 wherein the first and second configurable capacitive coupling elements each include a plurality of capacitances forming a first and second array and a switching element that is controllable by the processor so that the processor selects a first capacitance for the first capacitive coupling element that determines a first mutual coupling between the transmission and coupled path, and so that the processor selects a second capacitance for the second capacitive coupling element that determines a second mutual coupling between the transmission and coupled path.

17. The directional coupler of claim 16 wherein the processor selects the first capacitance to have a value commensurate to the second capacitance so that the phase shift of the first and second signal at the isolation port due to the first and second capacitance is substantially equal.

18. A wireless device for a power signal comprising:
an antenna;
a transceiver;
a power amplifier that amplifies signals between the transceiver and the antenna;
a coupler that receives the amplified signal from the power amplifier, the coupler having an input port that receives the signal from the power amplifier, an output port that provides a signal to the antenna and that is connected to the input port via a first selectable phase shifter, a coupled port that is connected to the input port via a first capacitive coupling element and provides a coupled signal to a sensor, and an isolation port that is connected to the coupled port via a second selectable phase shifter and is further connected to the output port via a second capacitive coupling element; and
a processor that adjusts the first and second selectable phase shifters based upon variations of the power signal to achieve a desired phase shift of the first and second signals received by the isolation port, and to achieve a desired directivity of the coupler.

19. The wireless device of claim 18 wherein the processor adjusts the first and second variable capacitive coupling elements to achieve a desired coupling level between the input port and the coupled port.

20. The wireless device of claim 19 wherein the p

Assignees

• Skyworks Solutions Inc

Inventors

• Srirattana Nuttapong
• Whitefield David Scott
• Story David Ryan

Classifications

• H04B1/0458 Primary

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

• H04B1/40

  Circuits · CPC title

• H03H7/20

  Two-port phase shifters providing an adjustable phase shift · CPC title

• H03H7/004

  Capacitive coupling circuits not otherwise provided for · CPC title

• H01P5/184

  the guides being strip lines or microstrips · CPC title