Apparatus and method for obtaining power voltage from control signals

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9543929-B2
Application number	US-201514957610-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Dec 3, 2015
Priority date	Jan 6, 2012
Publication date	Jan 10, 2017
Grant date	Jan 10, 2017

Abstract

An power voltage generating unit for a radio frequency switch includes a first input and a second input respectively configured to receive a first control signal and a second control signal, wherein the first control signal and the second control signal are configured to control which one of a plurality of paths in the radio frequency switch is enabled, and at least one output, configured to output an auxiliary voltage, derived from at least one of the first control signal or the second control signal, that is used to operate the radio frequency switch. The power voltage may be a voltage used to power an inverting circuit used to enable a selected branch as an isolation branch or shunt branch.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A voltage generating unit for a radio frequency switch, comprising:
a first input configured to receive a first control signal;
a second input configured to receive a second control signal, wherein the first control signal and the second control signal are configured to control which one of a plurality of paths in the radio frequency switch is enabled; and
a first output, wherein the first and second inputs are coupled to the first output through respective first and second voltage drop circuits, and a first power voltage and a second power voltage based on the first and second control signals are derived from the first output;
wherein:
the first power voltage and the second power voltage are configured to power first and second inverting circuits of first and second switch paths of the plurality of paths respectively; and
the first and second inverting circuits receive and invert respective ones of the first and second control signals.

2. The voltage generating unit of claim 1 , wherein the first power voltage is equal to the second power voltage.

3. The voltage generating unit of claim 1 , further comprising:
a third voltage drop circuit coupled between the first output and a reference potential.

4. The voltage generating unit of claim 3 , further comprising:
a second output, wherein the second output is coupled to the first output through the third voltage drop circuit such that the second power voltage based on the first power voltage is generated at the second output, and the first power voltage is different from the second power voltage.

5. The voltage generating unit of claim 1 , further comprising:
a circuit comprising diodes configured to reduce a voltage level of the first or the second control signal.

6. The voltage generating unit of claim 5 , wherein the diodes are configured to operate as the first and second voltage drop circuits.

7. The voltage generating unit of claim 1 , wherein:
the first voltage drop circuit includes a first diode, connected between the first input and the first output, wherein the first voltage drop circuit is configured to reduce a voltage level of the first control signal; and
the second voltage drop circuit includes a second diode, connected between the second input and the first output, wherein the second voltage drop circuit is configured to reduce a voltage level of the second control signal.

8. The voltage generating unit of claim 1 , wherein:
the first voltage drop circuit includes a first resistor, connected between the first input and the first output, wherein the first voltage drop circuit is configured to reduce a voltage level of the first control signal; and
the second voltage drop circuit includes a second resistor, wherein the second voltage drop circuit is connected between the second input and the first output, configured to reduce a voltage level of the second control signal.

9. A radio frequency (RF) switch, comprising:
an RF common terminal, a first RF output, and a second RF output;
a first semiconductor switching device controlled by a first control signal and disposed between the RF common terminal and the first RF output in a first path of the RF switch;
a second semiconductor switching device controlled by a second control signal and disposed between the RF common terminal and the second RF output in a second path of the RF switch;
first and second branches, connected to the first and second paths, respectively, comprising third and fourth semiconductor switching devices, respectively;
first and second inverting circuits having respective outputs connected to respective control terminals of the third and fourth switching devices; and
a voltage generating unit comprising first and second inputs to receive the first and second control signals, respectively, and a first output coupled to the first and second inputs through respective first and second voltage drop circuits, and a first power voltage and a second power voltage based on the first and second control signals are derived from the first output;
wherein:
the first power voltage and the second power voltage are configured to power the first and second inverting circuits of the first and second branches, respectively; and
the first and second inverting circuits receive and invert respective ones of the first and second control signals.

10. The RF switch of claim 9 , wherein the first power voltage is equal to the second power voltage.

11. The RF switch of claim 9 , wherein the voltage generating unit further comprises:
a third voltage drop circuit coupled between the first output and a reference potential.

12. The RF switch of claim 11 , wherein the voltage generating unit further comprises:
a second output, wherein the second output is coupled to the first output through the third voltage drop circuit such that the second power voltage based on the first power voltage is generated at the second output, and the first power voltage is different from the second power voltage.

13. The RF switch of claim 9 , wherein the voltage generating unit comprises a plurality of diodes.

14. The RF switch of claim 13 , wherein the plurality of diodes are configured to operate as the first and second voltage drop circuits.

15. The RF switch of claim 9 , wherein the voltage generating unit comprises a plurality of resistors.

16. The RF switch of claim 15 , wherein the plurality of resistors are configured to operate as the first and second voltage drop circuits.

17. The RF switch of claim 9 , wherein:
the first inverting circuit further includes a power node, an input and an output, the power node is configured to receive the first power voltage, the input is configured to receive the first control signal, and the output is configured to output an inverse of the first control signal; and
the second inverting circuit further includes a power node, an input and an output, the power node is configured to receive the second power voltage, the input is configured to receive the second control signal, and the output is configured to output an inverse of the second control signal.

18. A method of generating one or more voltages used to operate a radio frequency switch, comprising:
receiving at first and second inputs respective first and second control signals that are used to enable first and second paths of the radio frequency switch, respectively;
coupling the first and second inputs to a first output through respective first and second voltage drop circuits such that a first power voltage and a second power voltage based on the first and second control signals are derived from the first output; and
powering first and second inverting circuits respectively by the first power voltage and the second power voltage;
wherein the first and second inverting circuits supply first and second inverted versions of the first and second control signals, respectively, to first and second branches of the radio frequency switch, respectively.

19. The method of claim 18 , wherein the first power voltage is equal to the second power voltage.

20. The method of claim 18 , further comprising:
coupling the first output to a second output through a third voltage drop circuit such that the second power voltage based on the first power voltage is generated at the second output, and the first power voltage is different from the second power voltage.

Assignees

• Richwave Technology Corp

Inventors

• Chen Chih-Sheng

Classifications

• H03K17/693

  Switching arrangements with several input- or output-terminals, e.g. multiplexers, distributors (logic circuits H03K19/00; code converters H03M5/00, H03M7/00) · CPC title

• H03K17/007

  with several outputs only · CPC title

• H03K3/012 Primary

  Modifications of generator to improve response time or to decrease power consumption · CPC title

• H03K17/687 Primary

  the devices being field-effect transistors · CPC title