Vector modulated phase shifter and radio frequency device
By combining an orthogonal signal generator, a shift selection circuit, and a signal attenuation circuit, multiple phase shift state switching and attenuation control of RF signals were achieved, solving the problem of insufficient phase shift flexibility in existing modulation phase shifters and improving phase shift efficiency.
Patent Information
- Authority / Receiving Office
- CN · China
- Patent Type
- Patents(China)
- Current Assignee / Owner
- CHENGDU SHIDAI SUXIN TECH CO LTD
- Filing Date
- 2022-06-21
- Publication Date
- 2026-04-28
AI Technical Summary
Existing modulation phase shifters lack sufficient phase shifting flexibility in radio frequency technology, which affects signal phase shifting efficiency.
By employing a combination design of quadrature signal generator, shift selection circuit, polarity selection circuit, signal attenuation circuit and signal combiner, the system can achieve rapid switching and attenuation control of various phase shift states by flexibly adjusting the phase quadrants of in-phase and quadrature signals.
This improves the phase-shifting flexibility of the device and ensures that the RF signal achieves the desired phase-shifting efficiency.
Smart Images

Figure CN114978105B_ABST
Abstract
Description
Technical Field
[0001] This application relates to the field of radio frequency (RF) technology, and more specifically, to a vector modulation phase shifter and radio frequency device. Background Technology
[0002] With the continuous development of science and technology, radio frequency (RF) technology is widely used in various industries (e.g., television, radio, mobile phones, radar, automatic identification systems, etc.). In practical applications of RF technology, modulation phase shifters are often used to phase-shift RF signals to ensure that the phase-shifted signal meets the desired signal requirements. The phase-shifting flexibility of the modulation phase shifter is a crucial factor affecting signal phase-shifting efficiency. Therefore, how to provide a modulation phase shifter with high phase-shifting flexibility is currently an important issue for RF technology applications. Summary of the Invention
[0003] In view of this, the purpose of this application is to provide a vector modulation phase shifter and radio frequency device that can effectively improve the phase shifting flexibility of the device and ensure the phase shifting efficiency of the radio frequency signal to achieve the desired phase shifting effect.
[0004] To achieve the above objectives, the technical solutions adopted in the embodiments of this application are as follows:
[0005] In a first aspect, this application provides a vector modulation phase shifter, the modulation phase shifter including an orthogonal signal generator, a shift selection circuit, a first polarity selection circuit, a second polarity selection circuit, a first signal attenuation circuit, a second signal attenuation circuit, and a signal combiner.
[0006] The quadrature signal generator receives a phase-shifting signal at its input port. The first output port of the quadrature signal generator is electrically connected to the first input port of the shift selection circuit, and the second output port of the quadrature signal generator is electrically connected to the second input port of the shift selection circuit. The second output port of the quadrature signal generator is used to output the in-phase signal of the signal to be phase-shifted, and the first output port of the quadrature signal generator is used to output the quadrature signal of the signal to be phase-shifted.
[0007] The first output port of the shift selection circuit is electrically connected to the first input port of the signal combiner via the first polarity selection circuit and the first signal attenuation circuit. The second output port of the shift selection circuit is electrically connected to the second input port of the signal combiner via the second polarity selection circuit and the second signal attenuation circuit. The shift selection circuit is used to switch the input ports of the in-phase signal and the quadrature signal at the signal combiner. The first polarity selection circuit and the second polarity selection circuit cooperate to adjust the phase quadrant of the in-phase signal and the quadrature signal. The signal attenuation of the first signal attenuation circuit is greater than the signal attenuation of the second signal attenuation circuit.
[0008] The signal combiner performs combining processing on the received signals and outputs the target phase-shifting signal corresponding to the phase-shifting signal through the output port of the signal combiner.
[0009] In an optional implementation, the transposition selection circuit includes a double-pole double-throw switch or multiple single-pole single-throw switches, and transmits the in-phase signal and quadrature signal of the signal to be phase-shifted to the first polarity selection circuit and the second polarity selection circuit in a switching manner through the double-pole double-throw switch or multiple single-pole single-throw switches, wherein each polarity selection circuit receives one signal.
[0010] The quadrature signal generator is an orthogonal hybrid coupler. The coupling port of the orthogonal hybrid coupler serves as the first output port of the quadrature signal generator, and the direct port of the orthogonal hybrid coupler serves as the second output port of the quadrature signal generator.
[0011] In an optional implementation, the first polarity selection circuit includes a first hybrid coupler and two fifth controllable switches;
[0012] The input port of the first hybrid coupler is electrically connected to the first output port of the transposition selection circuit, and is used as the input port of the first polarity selection circuit, wherein the first hybrid coupler is a 90° hybrid coupler;
[0013] The direct port and coupling port of the first hybrid coupler are each connected to a fifth controllable switch and grounded, wherein the on / off states of the two fifth controllable switches are consistent.
[0014] The isolation port of the first hybrid coupler is electrically connected to the input port of the first signal attenuation circuit, and is used as the output port of the first polarity selection circuit.
[0015] In an optional implementation, the second polarity selection circuit includes a second hybrid coupler and two sixth controllable switches;
[0016] The input port of the second hybrid coupler is electrically connected to the second output port of the transposition selection circuit, and is used as the input port of the second polarity selection circuit, wherein the second hybrid coupler is a 90° hybrid coupler;
[0017] The direct port and coupling port of the second hybrid coupler are each connected to a sixth controllable switch and grounded, wherein the on / off states of the two sixth controllable switches are consistent.
[0018] The isolation port of the second hybrid coupler is electrically connected to the input port of the second signal attenuation circuit, and is used as the output port of the second polarity selection circuit.
[0019] In an optional embodiment, the first signal attenuation circuit includes a third hybrid coupler, a fourth hybrid coupler, and two resistor-connected segmented output circuits, wherein the third hybrid coupler and the fourth hybrid coupler are both 90° hybrid couplers.
[0020] The input port of the third hybrid coupler is electrically connected to the output port of the first polarity selection circuit, and is used as the input port of the first signal attenuation circuit.
[0021] The direct port of the third hybrid coupler is electrically connected to the coupling port of the fourth hybrid coupler via a resistor series segmented output circuit. The coupling port of the third hybrid coupler is electrically connected to the direct port of the fourth hybrid coupler via a resistor series segmented output circuit. Each resistor series segmented output circuit can output multiple resistance values.
[0022] The input port of the fourth hybrid coupler is electrically connected to the first input port of the signal combiner, and is used as the output port of the first signal attenuation circuit.
[0023] In an optional embodiment, the resistor series segmented output circuit is formed by multiple first resistors connected in series and each first resistor is individually connected in parallel with a seventh controllable switch.
[0024] In an optional embodiment, the second signal attenuation circuit includes a fifth hybrid coupler, a sixth hybrid coupler, and two parallel resistor segmented output circuits, wherein the fifth hybrid coupler and the sixth hybrid coupler are both 90° hybrid couplers.
[0025] The input port of the fifth hybrid coupler is electrically connected to the output port of the second polarity selection circuit, and is used as the input port of the second signal attenuation circuit.
[0026] The direct port of the fifth hybrid coupler is electrically connected to the coupling port of the sixth hybrid coupler via a parallel resistor segmented output circuit. The coupling port of the fifth hybrid coupler is electrically connected to the direct port of the sixth hybrid coupler via a parallel resistor segmented output circuit. Both of the parallel resistor segmented output circuits are grounded, and each parallel resistor segmented output circuit can output multiple resistance values.
[0027] The input port of the sixth hybrid coupler is electrically connected to the second input port of the signal combiner, and is used as the output port of the second signal attenuation circuit.
[0028] In an optional embodiment, the parallel segmented output circuit of resistors includes multiple switch-type resistor fixed output branches connected in parallel with each other, wherein each of the multiple switch-type resistor fixed output branches provides a fixed resistance value when the switch is on, and each switch-type resistor fixed output branch is formed by a second resistor and an eighth controllable switch connected in series.
[0029] In an optional implementation, at least one of the first signal attenuation circuit and the second signal attenuation circuit is used as an orthogonal active variable gain amplifier circuit.
[0030] Secondly, this application provides a radio frequency device, the radio frequency device including at least one vector modulation phase shifter as described in any of the foregoing embodiments.
[0031] In this context, the beneficial effects of the embodiments of this application include the following:
[0032] This application receives the phase-shifting signal externally through the input port of a quadrature signal generator. The quadrature signal generator transmits the quadrature signal of the phase-shifting signal to the first input port of the shift selection circuit via its first output port. The quadrature signal generator also transmits the in-phase signal of the phase-shifting signal to the second input port of the shift selection circuit via its second output port. The first output port of the shift selection circuit is electrically connected to the first input port of the signal combiner via a first polarity selection circuit and a first signal attenuation circuit. The second output port of the shift selection circuit is electrically connected to the second input port of the signal combiner via a second polarity selection circuit and a second signal attenuation circuit. The shift selection circuit then... The input ports of the in-phase and quadrature signals at the signal combiner are adjusted in a switching manner. The phase change range and trend of the in-phase and quadrature signals in the current phase quadrant are flexibly adjusted under the action of the corresponding signal attenuation circuits. The first polarity selection circuit and the second polarity selection circuit work together to adjust the current phase quadrant of the in-phase and quadrature signals, so that the output port of the signal combiner outputs the target phase-shifted signal corresponding to the phase-shifted signal to be phase-shifted. This effectively improves the phase-shifting flexibility of the device and ensures the phase-shifting efficiency of the radio frequency signal to achieve the desired phase-shifting effect. The signal attenuation of the first signal attenuation circuit is greater than that of the second signal attenuation circuit.
[0033] To make the above-mentioned objectives, features and advantages of this application more apparent and understandable, preferred embodiments are described below in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings. Attached Figure Description
[0034] To more clearly illustrate the technical solutions of the embodiments of this application, the accompanying drawings used in the embodiments will be briefly introduced below. It should be understood that the following drawings only show some embodiments of this application and should not be regarded as a limitation of the scope. For those skilled in the art, other related drawings can be obtained based on these drawings without creative effort.
[0035] Figure 1 This is one of the schematic diagrams of the vector modulation phase shifter provided in the embodiments of this application;
[0036] Figure 2 This is a schematic diagram of the signal phase quadrant distribution provided in an embodiment of this application;
[0037] Figure 3 This is a second schematic diagram of the vector modulation phase shifter provided in the embodiments of this application;
[0038] Figure 4 This is the third schematic diagram of the vector modulation phase shifter provided in the embodiments of this application;
[0039] Figure 5The fourth schematic diagram of the vector modulation phase shifter provided in the embodiments of this application.
[0040] Icons: 10-Vector modulation phase shifter; 11-Orthogonal signal generator; 12-Transposition selection circuit; 13-First polarity selection circuit; 14-Second polarity selection circuit; 15-First signal attenuation circuit; 16-Second signal attenuation circuit; 17-Signal combiner; 121-First controllable switch; 122-Second controllable switch; 123-Third controllable switch; 124-Fourth controllable switch; 131-First hybrid coupler; 132-Fifth controllable switch; 141-Second hybrid coupler; 142-Sixth controllable switch; 151-Third hybrid coupler; 152-Fourth hybrid coupler; 153-Resistor series segmented output circuit; 154-First resistor; 155-Seventh controllable switch; 161-Fifth hybrid coupler; 162-Sixth hybrid coupler; 163-Resistor parallel segmented output circuit; 164-Switch-type resistor fixed output branch; 165-Second resistor; 166-Eighth controllable switch. Detailed Implementation
[0041] To make the objectives, technical solutions, and advantages of the embodiments of this application clearer, the technical solutions of the embodiments of this application will be clearly and completely described below with reference to the accompanying drawings. Obviously, the described embodiments are only some embodiments of this application, and not all embodiments. The components of the embodiments of this application described and shown in the accompanying drawings can generally be arranged and designed in various different configurations.
[0042] Therefore, the following detailed description of the embodiments of this application provided in the accompanying drawings is not intended to limit the scope of the claimed application, but merely to illustrate selected embodiments of the application. All other embodiments obtained by those skilled in the art based on the embodiments of this application without inventive effort are within the scope of protection of this application.
[0043] It should be noted that similar labels and letters in the following figures indicate similar items. Therefore, once an item is defined in one figure, it does not need to be further defined and explained in subsequent figures.
[0044] In the description of this application, it should be noted that, unless otherwise expressly specified and limited, the terms "set up," "install," "connect," and "link" should be interpreted broadly. For example, they can refer to a fixed connection, a detachable connection, or an integral connection; they can refer to a mechanical connection or an electrical connection; they can refer to a direct connection or an indirect connection through an intermediate medium; and they can refer to the internal connection between two components. Those skilled in the art can understand the specific meaning of the above terms in this application based on the specific circumstances.
[0045] In the description of this application, it should be understood that relational terms such as "first" and "second" are used merely to distinguish one entity or operation from another, and do not necessarily require or imply any such actual relationship or order between these entities or operations. Furthermore, the terms "comprising," "including," or any other variations thereof are intended to cover non-exclusive inclusion, such that a process, method, article, or apparatus that comprises a list of elements includes not only those elements but also other elements not expressly listed, or elements inherent to such a process, method, article, or apparatus. Without further limitations, an element defined by the phrase "comprising one..." does not exclude the presence of other identical elements in the process, method, article, or apparatus that includes said element. Those skilled in the art will understand the specific meaning of the above terms in this application based on the specific circumstances.
[0046] The following detailed description of some embodiments of this application is provided in conjunction with the accompanying drawings. Unless otherwise specified, the following embodiments and features can be combined with each other.
[0047] Please refer to Figure 1 , Figure 1 This is one of the schematic diagrams of the vector modulation phase shifter 10 provided in the embodiments of this application. In the embodiments of this application, the vector modulation phase shifter 10 has good device phase shift flexibility, and can flexibly and quickly provide multiple phase shift states for radio frequency signals, ensuring that the radio frequency signal achieves the desired phase shift efficiency, wherein each phase shift state corresponds to a signal phase angle value.
[0048] In this embodiment, the vector modulation phase shifter 10 may include an orthogonal signal generator 11, a transposition selection circuit 12, a first polarity selection circuit 13, a second polarity selection circuit 14, a first signal attenuation circuit 15, a second signal attenuation circuit 16, and a signal combiner 17. The input port (IN port) of the orthogonal signal generator 11 receives the phase-shifted signal. The orthogonal signal generator 11 performs signal coupling and separation processing on the signal to be phase-shifted to obtain an in-phase signal and a quadrature signal corresponding to the signal to be phase-shifted. The in-phase signal maintains the same phase as the signal to be phase-shifted, and the phase difference between the quadrature signal and the in-phase signal is 90°. In this embodiment, the orthogonal signal generator 11 may be, but is not limited to, an orthogonal all-pass filter (QAF), a polyphase filter (PPF), and an orthogonal hybrid coupler.
[0049] The first output port (i.e., port 10) of the quadrature signal generator 11 is electrically connected to the first input port (i.e., port 1I) of the translocation selection circuit 12, for transmitting the quadrature signal of the phase-shifting signal obtained by the quadrature signal generator 11 to the translocation selection circuit 12. The second output port (i.e., port 2O) of the quadrature signal generator 11 is electrically connected to the second input port (i.e., port 2I) of the translocation selection circuit 12, for transmitting the in-phase signal of the phase-shifting signal obtained by the quadrature signal generator 11 to the translocation selection circuit 12.
[0050] The first output port (i.e., port 10) of the translocation selection circuit 12 is electrically connected to the first input port (i.e., port 1I) of the signal combiner 17 via the first polarity selection circuit 13 and the first signal attenuation circuit 15. The second output port (i.e., port 2O) of the translocation selection circuit 12 is electrically connected to the second input port (i.e., port 2I) of the signal combiner 17 via the second polarity selection circuit 14 and the second signal attenuation circuit 16. The signal combiner 17 performs combining processing on the two received radio frequency signals (i.e., the in-phase signal and the quadrature signal of the phase-shifting signal after processing by the translocation selection circuit 12, the polarity selection circuit and the signal attenuation circuit), and outputs the target phase-shifting signal corresponding to the phase-shifting signal through the output port (i.e., port OUT) of the signal combiner 17.
[0051] In this process, the first polarity selection circuit 13 and the first signal attenuation circuit 15 can form a first phase modulation path for quadrature signals, and the second polarity selection circuit 14 and the second signal attenuation circuit 16 can form a second phase modulation path for in-phase signals. The signal attenuation amount of the first signal attenuation circuit 15 is greater than that of the second signal attenuation circuit 16. The first signal attenuation circuit 15 can perform a large attenuation operation on the received RF signal to perform large-scale phase modulation processing; the second signal attenuation circuit 16 can perform a small attenuation operation on the received RF signal to perform small-scale phase modulation processing.
[0052] In this embodiment, the transposition selection circuit 12 can allocate the quadrature signal of the signal to be phase-shifted to the first input port of the signal combiner 17 after passing through the first phase modulation path, and allocate the in-phase signal of the signal to be phase-shifted to the second input port of the signal combiner 17 after passing through the second phase modulation path, or allocate the quadrature signal of the signal to be phase-shifted to the second input port of the signal combiner 17 after passing through the second phase modulation path, and allocate the in-phase signal of the signal to be phase-shifted to the first input port of the signal combiner 17 after passing through the first phase modulation path. That is, the in-phase signal and quadrature signal of the signal to be phase-shifted are switched and transmitted to the first polarity selection circuit 13 and the second polarity selection circuit 14, wherein each polarity selection circuit receives one signal, and the in-phase signal and quadrature signal of the signal to be phase-shifted are not transmitted to the same polarity selection circuit at the same time. In this circuit, both the first polarity selection circuit 13 in the first phase modulation path and the second polarity selection circuit 14 in the second phase modulation path can perform 0° / 180° polarity modulation on the received radio frequency signal. At this time, the first polarity selection circuit 13 and the second polarity selection circuit 14 will cooperate with each other to adjust the current phase quadrant of the quadrature signal and the in-phase signal of the signal to be phase-shifted, so as to ensure that the target phase-shifted signal output by the signal combiner 17 is modulated into the current phase quadrant.
[0053] During this process, when the quadrature signal of the signal to be phase-shifted is transmitted to the first phase modulation path, and the in-phase signal of the signal to be phase-shifted is transmitted to the second phase modulation path, the quadrature signal and the in-phase signal of the signal to be phase-shifted are each assigned to the appropriate phase modulation path. Under the action of the appropriate phase modulation path, the phase change trend of the quadrature signal and the in-phase signal of the signal to be phase-shifted in the first phase change range of the current phase quadrant will be an increasing trend.
[0054] When the quadrature signal of the signal to be phase-shifted is transmitted to the second phase modulation path, and the in-phase signal of the signal to be phase-shifted is transmitted to the first phase modulation path, the quadrature signal and the in-phase signal of the signal to be phase-shifted are respectively assigned to the mismatched phase modulation path. Under the action of the mismatched phase modulation path, the phase change trend of the quadrature signal and the in-phase signal of the signal to be phase-shifted in the second phase change range of the current phase quadrant will be a decreasing trend. The first phase change range and the second phase change range of the same phase quadrant are spliced together to form the phase quadrant.
[0055] by Figure 2Taking the signal phase quadrant distribution diagram shown as an example, the operating modes of the aforementioned shift selection circuit 12, first polarity selection circuit 13, and second polarity selection circuit 14 are illustrated: For the vector modulation phase shifter 10, the adjustable phase quadrants involved include quadrant I (0°~90°), quadrant II (90°~180°), quadrant III (180°~270°), and quadrant IV (270°~360°). For in-phase signals of the same radio frequency signal (… Figure 2 (represented by the letter I) and orthogonal signals ( Figure 2 The selected modulation phase quadrant (represented by the letter Q) can be selected by the cooperation of the first polarity selection circuit 13 and the second polarity selection circuit 14. The phase value range of the first phase change range I-1 in quadrant I is 0°~45°, the phase value range of the second phase change range I-2 in quadrant I is 90°~45°, the phase value range of the first phase change range II-1 in quadrant II is 135°~180°, the phase value range of the second phase change range II-2 in quadrant II is 135°~90°, the phase value range of the first phase change range III-1 in quadrant III is 180°~225°, the phase value range of the second phase change range III-2 in quadrant III is 270°~225°, the phase value range of the first phase change range IV-1 in quadrant IV is 315°~360°, and the phase value range of the second phase change range IV-2 in quadrant IV is 315°~270°. The shift selection circuit 12 can transmit the in-phase signal of a certain radio frequency signal to the second input port of the signal combiner 17 and the quadrature signal of the radio frequency signal to the first input port of the signal combiner 17, so that the in-phase signal and the quadrature signal are placed within the first phase change range of the current modulation phase quadrant and change incrementally; the shift selection circuit 12 can also transmit the in-phase signal of a certain radio frequency signal to the first input port of the signal combiner 17 and the quadrature signal of the radio frequency signal to the second input port of the signal combiner 17, so that the in-phase signal and the quadrature signal are placed within the second phase change range of the current modulation phase quadrant and change incrementally.
[0056] Therefore, the shift selection circuit 12 in this application can flexibly adjust the input ports of the in-phase signal and quadrature signal of the signal to be phase-shifted at the signal combiner 17 by switching the input ports of the in-phase signal and quadrature signal of the signal to be phase-shifted, thereby adjusting the phase change range and phase change trend of the in-phase signal and quadrature signal of the signal to be phase-shifted in the current phase quadrant under the action of the corresponding signal attenuation circuit. The first polarity selection circuit 13 and the second polarity selection circuit 14 cooperate to adjust the current phase quadrant of the in-phase signal and quadrature signal of the signal to be phase-shifted, so that the output port of the signal combiner 17 outputs the target phase-shifted signal corresponding to the signal to be phase-shifted, thereby realizing the phase change modulation function of the radio frequency signal in all phase quadrants, effectively improving the device phase shifting flexibility of the vector modulation phase shifter 10, and ensuring the phase shifting efficiency of the radio frequency signal to achieve the desired phase shifting effect.
[0057] Alternatively, please refer to Figure 3 , Figure 3 This is a second schematic diagram of the vector modulation phase shifter 10 provided in this application embodiment. In one embodiment of this application, the quadrature signal generator 11 can be implemented using a 90° quadrature hybrid coupler (i.e., a hybrid90 hybrid coupler) to ensure that the quadrature signal generator 11 has good standing wave performance. In this case, the input port (i.e., the IN port) of the quadrature hybrid coupler can be directly used as the input port of the quadrature signal generator 11, and the coupling port (i.e., the 90° port) of the quadrature hybrid coupler can be used as the first output port of the quadrature signal generator 11. The direct port (i.e., the 0° port) of the quadrature hybrid coupler can be used as the second output port of the quadrature signal generator 11. In addition, the isolation port (i.e., the ISO port) of the quadrature hybrid coupler can be grounded through a pull-down resistor.
[0058] Furthermore, in this embodiment, the shift selection circuit 12 can be considered as a double-pole double-throw switch circuit, used to switch and adjust the input ports of the in-phase signal and the quadrature signal of the signal to be phase-shifted at the signal combiner 17. The shift selection circuit 12 can be directly constructed using a single double-pole double-throw switch; alternatively, it can be formed by combining multiple single-pole single-throw switches, which may include a first controllable switch 121, a second controllable switch 122, a third controllable switch 123, and a fourth controllable switch 124.
[0059] The first terminal of the first controllable switch 121 is electrically connected to the first terminal of the second controllable switch 122 to form the first input port of the shift selection circuit 12, wherein the on / off state of the first controllable switch 121 is opposite to the on / off state of the second controllable switch 122.
[0060] The first terminal of the third controllable switch 123 is electrically connected to the first terminal of the fourth controllable switch 124 to form the second input port of the displacement selection circuit 12.
[0061] The second terminal of the first controllable switch 121 is electrically connected to the second terminal of the third controllable switch 123 to form the first output port of the displacement selection circuit 12, and the second terminal of the second controllable switch 122 is electrically connected to the second terminal of the fourth controllable switch 124 to form the second output port of the displacement selection circuit 12. The on / off state of the first controllable switch 121 is consistent with the on / off state of the fourth controllable switch 124, and the on / off state of the second controllable switch 122 is consistent with the on / off state of the third controllable switch 123.
[0062] Specifically, when the first controllable switch 121 and the fourth controllable switch 124 are turned on, and the second controllable switch 122 and the third controllable switch 123 are turned off, the shift selection circuit 12 transmits the in-phase signal of the signal to be shifted to the second input port of the signal combiner 17 and transmits the quadrature signal of the radio frequency signal to the first input port of the signal combiner 17; when the first controllable switch 121 and the fourth controllable switch 124 are turned off, and the second controllable switch 122 and the third controllable switch 123 are turned on, the shift selection circuit 12 transmits the in-phase signal of the signal to be shifted to the first input port of the signal combiner 17 and transmits the quadrature signal of the signal to be shifted to the second input port of the signal combiner 17.
[0063] Therefore, this application can realize the double-pole double-throw switching function of the displacement selection circuit 12 through the cooperation between the first controllable switch 121, the second controllable switch 122, the third controllable switch 123 and the fourth controllable switch 124.
[0064] Alternatively, please refer to Figure 4 , Figure 4This is the third schematic diagram of the vector modulation phase shifter 10 provided in this application embodiment. In this application embodiment, the first polarity selection circuit 13 may include a first hybrid coupler 131 and two fifth controllable switches 132. The input port (i.e., IN port) of the first hybrid coupler 131 is electrically connected to the first output port (I0 port) of the shift selection circuit 12, and is used as the input port (i.e., IN port) of the first polarity selection circuit 13; the direct port (i.e., 0° port) and the coupling port (i.e., 90° port) of the first hybrid coupler 131 are each connected to a fifth controllable switch 132 and grounded, wherein the on / off states of the two fifth controllable switches 132 are consistent; the isolation port (i.e., ISO port) of the first hybrid coupler 131 is electrically connected to the input port (i.e., IN port) of the first signal attenuation circuit 15, and is used as the output port (i.e., OUT port) of the first polarity selection circuit 13.
[0065] In one embodiment of this example, the first hybrid coupler 131 is implemented using a 90° hybrid coupler (i.e., a hybrid90 hybrid coupler) to ensure that the first polarity selection circuit 13 can have good phase polarity selection function based on the 90° hybrid coupler.
[0066] In this embodiment, the second polarity selection circuit 14 may include a second hybrid coupler 141 and two sixth controllable switches 142. The input port (IN port) of the second hybrid coupler 141 is electrically connected to the second output port (2O port) of the transposition selection circuit 12, serving as the input port (IN port) of the second polarity selection circuit 14. The direct port (0° port) and coupling port (90° port) of the second hybrid coupler 141 are each connected to a sixth controllable switch 142 and grounded, wherein the on / off states of the two sixth controllable switches 142 are consistent. The isolation port (ISO port) of the second hybrid coupler 141 is electrically connected to the input port (IN port) of the second signal attenuation circuit 16, serving as the output port (OUT port) of the second polarity selection circuit 14.
[0067] In one embodiment of this example, the second hybrid coupler 141 is implemented using a 90° hybrid coupler (i.e., a hybrid90 hybrid coupler) to ensure that the second polarity selection circuit 14 can have good phase polarity selection function based on the 90° hybrid coupler.
[0068] Specifically, when the fifth controllable switch 132 is on and the sixth controllable switch 142 is on, the modulation phase quadrant selected for the in-phase and quadrature signals of the same radio frequency signal is quadrant I; when the fifth controllable switch 132 is off and the sixth controllable switch 142 is on, the modulation phase quadrant selected for the in-phase and quadrature signals of the same radio frequency signal is quadrant II; when the fifth controllable switch 132 is off and the sixth controllable switch 142 is off, the modulation phase quadrant selected for the in-phase and quadrature signals of the same radio frequency signal is quadrant III; when the fifth controllable switch 132 is on and the sixth controllable switch 142 is off, the modulation phase quadrant selected for the in-phase and quadrature signals of the same radio frequency signal is quadrant IV.
[0069] Therefore, this application can ensure that the first polarity selection circuit 13 and the second polarity selection circuit 14 can cooperate with each other to adjust the current phase quadrant of the in-phase signal and the quadrature signal of the same radio frequency signal through the specific composition of the first polarity selection circuit 13 and the second polarity selection circuit 14.
[0070] In this embodiment, the first signal attenuation circuit 15 can be an orthogonal active variable gain amplifier circuit or a balanced attenuator formed by a hybrid coupler, switches, and resistors; the second signal attenuation circuit 16 can be an orthogonal active variable gain amplifier circuit or a balanced attenuator formed by a hybrid coupler, switches, and resistors.
[0071] Alternatively, please refer to Figure 5 , Figure 5 This is the fourth schematic diagram of the vector modulation phase shifter 10 provided in this application embodiment. In this application embodiment, if the first signal attenuation circuit 15 is a balanced attenuator, the first signal attenuation circuit 15 may include a third hybrid coupler 151, a fourth hybrid coupler 152, and two resistor-connected segmented output circuits 153. The input port (i.e., the IN port) of the third hybrid coupler 151 is electrically connected to the output port of the first polarity selection circuit 13, and is used as the input port (i.e., the IN port) of the first signal attenuation circuit 15. The isolation port (i.e., the ISO port) of the third hybrid coupler 151 is grounded through a pull-down resistor.
[0072] The direct port (i.e., the 0° port) of the third hybrid coupler 151 is electrically connected to the coupling port (i.e., the 90° port) of the fourth hybrid coupler 152 via a resistor series segmented output circuit 153. The coupling port (i.e., the 90° port) of the third hybrid coupler 151 is electrically connected to the direct port (i.e., the 0° port) of the fourth hybrid coupler 152 via a resistor series segmented output circuit 153. The resistance values output by the two resistor series segmented output circuits 153 are consistent. The resistance value output by each resistor series segmented output circuit 153 is expressed by multiple resistors in series. Each resistor series segmented output circuit 153 can output multiple resistance values.
[0073] The input port (IN port) of the fourth hybrid coupler 152 is electrically connected to the first input port of the signal combiner 17, and is used as the output port (OUT port) of the first signal attenuation circuit 15. The isolation port (ISO port) of the fourth hybrid coupler 152 is grounded through a pull-down resistor.
[0074] In one embodiment of this example, both the third hybrid coupler 151 and the fourth hybrid coupler 152 are implemented using 90° hybrid couplers (i.e., hybrid90 hybrid couplers) to ensure that the first signal attenuation circuit 15 can have better standing wave performance based on the 90° hybrid coupler.
[0075] In this embodiment, the resistor series segmented output circuit 153 is formed by multiple first resistors 154 connected in series and each first resistor 154 connected in parallel with a seventh controllable switch 155. Therefore, the resistance value exhibited by the resistor series segmented output circuit 153 can be adjusted by controlling the on / off state of each of the multiple seventh controllable switches 155 involved in the resistor series segmented output circuit 153. Specifically, when a seventh controllable switch 155 is in the on state, the first resistor 154 connected in parallel with that seventh controllable switch 155 is short-circuited, and the resistance value of the first resistor 154 cannot be effectively expressed at the resistor series segmented output circuit 153. During this process, the resistance values of all the first resistors 154 can be partially the same or completely different, thereby effectively reducing the difficulty of controlling the attenuation of the resistor series segmented output circuit 153. At this time, the first signal attenuation circuit 15 can achieve multiple signal attenuation states through switching, improving the device's adjustability flexibility. Simultaneously, by utilizing the characteristic that the switch performance is less affected by process fluctuations, the device performance of the entire vector modulation phase shifter 10 is effectively reduced by the impact of process fluctuations.
[0076] Optionally, in this embodiment, if the second signal attenuation circuit 16 is a balanced attenuator, the second signal attenuation circuit 16 may include a fifth hybrid coupler 161, a sixth hybrid coupler 162, and two parallel resistor segmented output circuits 163. The input port (i.e., the IN port) of the fifth hybrid coupler 161 is electrically connected to the output port of the second polarity selection circuit 14 and is used as the input port (i.e., the IN port) of the second signal attenuation circuit 16. The isolation port (i.e., the ISO port) of the fifth hybrid coupler 161 is grounded through a pull-down resistor.
[0077] The direct port (i.e., the 0° port) of the fifth hybrid coupler 161 is electrically connected to the coupling port (i.e., the 90° port) of the sixth hybrid coupler 162 via a parallel resistor segmented output circuit 163. The coupling port (i.e., the 90° port) of the fifth hybrid coupler 161 is electrically connected to the direct port (i.e., the 0° port) of the sixth hybrid coupler 162 via a parallel resistor segmented output circuit 163. Both parallel resistor segmented output circuits 163 are grounded, and the resistance values output by each of the two parallel resistor segmented output circuits 163 are consistent. The resistance value output by each parallel resistor segmented output circuit 163 is expressed by multiple parallel resistors, and each parallel resistor segmented output circuit 163 can output multiple resistance values.
[0078] The input port (IN port) of the sixth hybrid coupler 162 is electrically connected to the second input port of the signal combiner 17, and is used as the output port (OUT port) of the second signal attenuation circuit 16. The isolation port (ISO port) of the sixth hybrid coupler 162 is grounded through a pull-down resistor.
[0079] In one embodiment of this example, both the fifth hybrid coupler 161 and the sixth hybrid coupler 162 are implemented using 90° hybrid couplers (i.e., hybrid90 hybrid couplers) to ensure that the second signal attenuation circuit 16 can have better standing wave performance based on the 90° hybrid coupler.
[0080] In this embodiment, the parallel resistor segmented output circuit 163 includes multiple switch-type resistor fixed output branches 164 connected in parallel. The switching on / off states of each of the multiple switch-type resistor fixed output branches 164 are independent of each other. When the switch-type resistor fixed output branch 164 is in the on state, it provides a fixed resistance value corresponding to that switch-type resistor fixed output branch 164. When the switch-type resistor fixed output branch 164 is in the off state, it does not provide any resistance value. Thus, by adjusting the on / off states of the multiple switch-type resistor fixed output branches 164 in the same parallel resistor segmented output circuit 163, the parallel resistor segmented output circuit 163 can exhibit different attenuation resistance values and signal attenuation amounts that vary linearly with the attenuation resistance.
[0081] Each of the switch-type resistor-cured output branches 164 is formed by connecting a second resistor 165 in series with an eighth controllable switch 166. The resistance values of the second resistors 165 corresponding to each of the switch-type resistor-cured output branches 164 can be partially the same or completely different, thereby effectively reducing the difficulty of controlling the attenuation of the resistor parallel segmented output circuit 163. For a single switch-type resistor-cured output branch 164, if the eighth controllable switch 166 included in the switch-type resistor-cured output branch 164 is in the on state, then the switch-type resistor-cured output branch 164 provides the corresponding resistance value of the second resistor 165. At this time, the second signal attenuation circuit 16 can realize multiple signal attenuation states through switching, improving the device's adjustable flexibility. At the same time, by utilizing the characteristic that the switching performance is less affected by process fluctuations, the device performance of the entire vector modulation phase shifter 10 is effectively reduced by process fluctuations.
[0082] In one embodiment of this invention, both the first signal attenuation circuit 15 and the second signal attenuation circuit 16 are balanced attenuators, or both the first signal attenuation circuit 15 and the second signal attenuation circuit 16 are quadrature active variable gain amplifier circuits.
[0083] In this application, embodiments of the application also provide a radio frequency device, which includes at least one of the above-mentioned vector modulation phase shifters 10, and performs modulation and phase shifting processing on the radio frequency signal through the vector modulation phase shifter 10 to output a target phase shifting signal that meets the desired phase shifting requirements.
[0084] In summary, this application provides a vector modulation phase shifter and radio frequency device. This application receives the phase-shifting signal externally through the input port of a quadrature signal generator. The quadrature signal generator transmits the quadrature signal of the phase-shifting signal to the first input port of a shift selection circuit via its first output port. The quadrature signal generator also transmits the in-phase signal of the phase-shifting signal to the second input port of the shift selection circuit via its second output port. The first output port of the shift selection circuit is electrically connected to the first input port of a signal combiner via a first polarity selection circuit and a first signal attenuation circuit. The second output port of the shift selection circuit is electrically connected to the second input port of the signal combiner via a second polarity selection circuit and a second signal attenuation circuit. The system employs a switching selection circuit to adjust the input ports of the in-phase and quadrature signals at the signal combiner. This allows for flexible adjustment of the phase change range and trend of the in-phase and quadrature signals within the current phase quadrant under the action of their respective signal attenuation circuits. Furthermore, the first and second polarity selection circuits work together to adjust the current phase quadrant of the in-phase and quadrature signals, ensuring that the output port of the signal combiner outputs the target phase-shifted signal corresponding to the signal to be phase-shifted. This effectively improves the phase-shifting flexibility of the device and ensures the phase-shifting efficiency of the RF signal to achieve the desired phase-shifting effect. The signal attenuation of the first signal attenuation circuit is greater than that of the second signal attenuation circuit.
[0085] The above descriptions are merely various embodiments of this application, but the scope of protection of this application is not limited thereto. Any variations or substitutions that can be easily conceived by those skilled in the art within the technical scope disclosed in this application should be included within the scope of protection of this application. Therefore, the scope of protection of this application should be determined by the scope of the claims.
Claims
1. A vector modulation phase shifter, characterized in that, The modulation phase shifter includes an orthogonal signal generator, a shift selection circuit, a first polarity selection circuit, a second polarity selection circuit, a first signal attenuation circuit, a second signal attenuation circuit, and a signal combiner. The quadrature signal generator receives a phase-shifting signal at its input port. The first output port of the quadrature signal generator is electrically connected to the first input port of the shift selection circuit, and the second output port of the quadrature signal generator is electrically connected to the second input port of the shift selection circuit. The first output port of the quadrature signal generator is used to output the in-phase signal of the phase-shifting signal, and the second output port of the quadrature signal generator is used to output the quadrature signal of the phase-shifting signal. The first output port of the shift selection circuit is electrically connected to the first input port of the signal combiner via the first polarity selection circuit and the first signal attenuation circuit. The second output port of the shift selection circuit is electrically connected to the second input port of the signal combiner via the second polarity selection circuit and the second signal attenuation circuit. The shift selection circuit is used to switch the input ports of the in-phase signal and the quadrature signal at the signal combiner. The first polarity selection circuit and the second polarity selection circuit cooperate to adjust the phase quadrant of the in-phase signal and the quadrature signal. The signal attenuation of the first signal attenuation circuit is greater than the signal attenuation of the second signal attenuation circuit. The signal combiner performs combination processing on the received signals and outputs the target phase-shifting signal corresponding to the phase-shifting signal through the output port of the signal combiner. The first polarity selection circuit includes a first hybrid coupler and two fifth controllable switches. The input port of the first hybrid coupler is electrically connected to the first output port of the transposition selection circuit, and is used as the input port of the first polarity selection circuit, wherein the first hybrid coupler is a 90° hybrid coupler; The direct port and coupling port of the first hybrid coupler are each connected to a fifth controllable switch and grounded, wherein the on / off states of the two fifth controllable switches are consistent. The isolation port of the first hybrid coupler is electrically connected to the input port of the first signal attenuation circuit, and is used as the output port of the first polarity selection circuit.
2. The vector modulation phase shifter according to claim 1, characterized in that, The transposition selection circuit includes a double-pole double-throw switch or multiple single-pole single-throw switches, and transmits the in-phase signal and quadrature signal of the signal to be phase-shifted to the first polarity selection circuit and the second polarity selection circuit in a switching manner through the double-pole double-throw switch or multiple single-pole single-throw switches, wherein each polarity selection circuit receives one signal. The quadrature signal generator is an orthogonal hybrid coupler. The coupling port of the orthogonal hybrid coupler serves as the first output port of the quadrature signal generator, and the direct port of the orthogonal hybrid coupler serves as the second output port of the quadrature signal generator.
3. The vector modulation phase shifter according to claim 1, characterized in that, The second polarity selection circuit includes a second hybrid coupler and two sixth controllable switches; The input port of the second hybrid coupler is electrically connected to the second output port of the transposition selection circuit, and is used as the input port of the second polarity selection circuit, wherein the second hybrid coupler is a 90° hybrid coupler; The direct port and coupling port of the second hybrid coupler are each connected to a sixth controllable switch and grounded, wherein the on / off states of the two sixth controllable switches are consistent. The isolation port of the second hybrid coupler is electrically connected to the input port of the second signal attenuation circuit, and is used as the output port of the second polarity selection circuit.
4. The vector modulation phase shifter according to any one of claims 1-3, characterized in that, The first signal attenuation circuit includes a third hybrid coupler, a fourth hybrid coupler, and two resistor-connected segmented output circuits, wherein the third hybrid coupler and the fourth hybrid coupler are both 90° hybrid couplers; The input port of the third hybrid coupler is electrically connected to the output port of the first polarity selection circuit, and is used as the input port of the first signal attenuation circuit. The direct port of the third hybrid coupler is electrically connected to the coupling port of the fourth hybrid coupler via a resistor series segmented output circuit. The coupling port of the third hybrid coupler is electrically connected to the direct port of the fourth hybrid coupler via a resistor series segmented output circuit. Each resistor series segmented output circuit can output multiple resistance values. The input port of the fourth hybrid coupler is electrically connected to the first input port of the signal combiner, and is used as the output port of the first signal attenuation circuit.
5. The vector modulation phase shifter according to claim 4, characterized in that, The resistor series segmented output circuit is formed by multiple first resistors connected in series and each first resistor connected in parallel with a seventh controllable switch.
6. The vector modulation phase shifter according to any one of claims 1-3, characterized in that, The second signal attenuation circuit includes a fifth hybrid coupler, a sixth hybrid coupler, and two parallel resistor segmented output circuits, wherein the fifth hybrid coupler and the sixth hybrid coupler are both 90° hybrid couplers; The input port of the fifth hybrid coupler is electrically connected to the output port of the second polarity selection circuit, and is used as the input port of the second signal attenuation circuit. The direct port of the fifth hybrid coupler is electrically connected to the coupling port of the sixth hybrid coupler via a parallel resistor segmented output circuit. The coupling port of the fifth hybrid coupler is electrically connected to the direct port of the sixth hybrid coupler via a parallel resistor segmented output circuit. Both of the parallel resistor segmented output circuits are grounded, and each parallel resistor segmented output circuit can output multiple resistance values. The input port of the sixth hybrid coupler is electrically connected to the second input port of the signal combiner, and is used as the output port of the second signal attenuation circuit.
7. The vector modulation phase shifter according to claim 6, characterized in that, The parallel segmented output circuit includes multiple switch-type resistor fixed output branches connected in parallel. Each switch-type resistor fixed output branch provides a fixed resistance value when the switch is on. Each switch-type resistor fixed output branch is formed by connecting a second resistor and an eighth controllable switch in series.
8. The vector modulation phase shifter according to any one of claims 1-3, characterized in that, At least one of the signal attenuation circuits, the first signal attenuation circuit and the second signal attenuation circuit, is used as an orthogonal active variable gain amplifier circuit.
9. A radio frequency device, characterized in that, The radio frequency device includes at least one vector modulation phase shifter as described in any one of claims 1-8.
Citation Information
Patent Citations
Wideband vector modulator phase shifter
US20220131726A1