Multiband low noise amplifier, phased array and electronic device

Abstract

The application discloses a multi-band low noise amplifier, comprising: an input end, a first input matching network, a second input matching network, a first amplifier and a second amplifier; the input end is coupled with an antenna and used for receiving an inter-band carrier aggregation signal; the inter-band carrier aggregation signal comprises a first carrier signal located in a first frequency band and a second carrier signal located in a second frequency band; the first frequency band is different from the second frequency band and has no overlap; the first input matching network is coupled between the input end and the first amplifier and used for impedance matching of the first carrier signal; the first amplifier is used for outputting the amplified first carrier signal; the second input matching network is coupled between the input end and the second amplifier and used for impedance matching of the second carrier signal; and the second amplifier is used for outputting the amplified second carrier signal.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This application relates to the field of wireless communication, and more particularly to a multi-band low-noise amplifier, a phased array, and electronic equipment. Background Technology

[0002] Due to limited frequency resources in the low-frequency band, the development of high-frequency wireless communication has become inevitable. For example, the millimeter-wave band has been extensively studied due to its abundant spectrum resources. However, as the frequency increases, high path loss limits its development. Phased array technology offers a possible solution. In the fields of high-frequency communication in 5G new radio (NR), automotive radar, and related technologies, phased array technology has become an essential approach. To fully utilize frequency resources, supporting multi-band phased arrays has gradually become an important technological trend. Existing multi-band phased arrays typically use a combination of multiple single-band receivers, which inevitably leads to excessively large area requirements. Summary of the Invention

[0003] This application provides a multi-band low-noise amplifier, a phased array, and an electronic device for realizing miniaturized multi-band signal reception.

[0004] To achieve the above objectives, the embodiments of this application adopt the following technical solutions:

[0005] In a first aspect, a multi-band phased array is provided, comprising multiple branches coupled to multiple multi-band antennas. Each of the multiple branches includes a multi-band low-noise amplifier (LNOA). The LNOA is used to receive an inter-band carrier aggregation signal, the inter-band carrier aggregation signal including a first carrier signal located in a first frequency band and a second carrier signal located in a second frequency band, wherein the first frequency band and the second frequency band are different and do not overlap. The LNOA includes an input terminal, a first matching network, a second matching network, a first amplifier, and a second amplifier. The input terminal is coupled to the multi-band antennas and used to receive the inter-band carrier aggregation signal. A matching network is coupled between the input terminal and the first amplifier to achieve impedance matching of the first carrier signal, and the first amplifier amplifies the matched first carrier signal. A second matching network is coupled between the input terminal and the second amplifier to achieve impedance matching of the second carrier signal, and the second amplifier amplifies the matched second carrier signal. Each of the plurality of branches also includes a phase shifter, which is used to phase-shift the first carrier signal output from the first amplifier and the second carrier signal output from the second amplifier. Based on this architecture, a miniaturized phased array with inter-band carrier aggregation function can be realized.

[0006] In one possible implementation, the first matching network is further used to suppress the transmission of the second carrier signal, and the second matching network is further used to suppress the transmission of the first carrier signal. Based on the above matching network design, the multi-band low-noise amplifier can have better anti-interference characteristics.

[0007] In one possible implementation, the center frequency of the first frequency band is lower than the center frequency of the second frequency band; the first matching network includes a first inductor, which is series-coupled between the input and output terminals of the first matching network; the second matching network includes a transformer, which is coupled between the input and output terminals of the second matching network, the transformer including a primary coil and a secondary coil, one end of the primary coil being coupled to the input terminal of the second matching network and the other end being coupled to ground; one end of the secondary coil being coupled to the output terminal of the second matching network and the other end being coupled to ground. Based on the above matching network design, a matching network that combines matching and anti-interference performance can be implemented at low cost, while improving ESD performance.

[0008] In one possible implementation, the first matching network further includes a grounded switch coupled between the signal path and the ground terminal. The introduced grounded switch further enhances the first matching network's ability to suppress signals in the second frequency band.

[0009] In one possible implementation, the multi-band low-noise amplifier further includes a second inductor, one end of which is coupled to the input terminal of the multi-band low-noise amplifier, and the other end of which is coupled to ground. This further improves the matching performance of the amplifier circuit and also enhances ESD performance.

[0010] In one possible implementation, the first amplifier includes a first source degraded inductor, and the second amplifier includes a second source degraded inductor; the first source degraded inductor is larger than the second source degraded inductor. By employing a source degraded structure, out-of-band rejection can be further integrated into the amplifier circuit, thereby improving the suppression of the second carrier wave by the first amplifier and the suppression of the first carrier wave by the second amplifier, thus enhancing the anti-interference capability of the amplifier circuit.

[0011] In one possible implementation, the antenna is a multi-frequency single-feed antenna, coupled to the input terminal through a single feed point. This further saves area and reduces the complexity of feed line design.

[0012] In one possible implementation, the phase shifter includes a first phase-shifting branch and a second phase-shifting branch. The first phase-shifting branch is coupled to the output of the first amplifier and is used to phase-shift the first carrier signal; the second phase-shifting branch is coupled to the output of the second amplifier and is used to phase-shift the second carrier signal. By employing different phase-shifting branches based on different frequency bands, the design complexity of the phase shifter is reduced, and cost and functionality are optimized.

[0013] In one possible implementation, the first phase-shifting branch includes a first mixer and a first phase-shifting unit, and the second phase-shifting branch includes a second mixer and a second phase-shifting unit; the first phase-shifting unit is coupled between the first mixer and the local oscillator signal generator; the second phase-shifting unit is coupled between the second mixer and the local oscillator signal generator. Using the above-described local oscillator phase-shifting architecture simplifies the design of multi-frequency phase shifters.

[0014] In one possible implementation, the local oscillator signal generator includes a first local oscillator signal generator and a second local oscillator signal generator; the first phase-shifting unit is coupled between the first local oscillator signal generator and the first mixer; the second phase-shifting unit is coupled between the second local oscillator signal generator and the second mixer. Using different local oscillator signal generators improves the frequency coverage of the local oscillator signal and reduces design complexity.

[0015] In one possible implementation, the first phase-shifting branch includes a third phase-shifting unit coupled between the first mixer and the intermediate frequency (IF) signal processor, used to phase-shift the IF signal of the down-converted first phase-shifting branch; the second phase-shifting branch includes a fourth phase-shifting unit coupled between the second mixer and the IF signal processor, used to phase-shift the IF signal of the down-converted second phase-shifting branch; the IF signal processor is used to filter and perform analog-to-digital conversion on the phase-shifted IF signal. This IF phase-shifting architecture further optimizes the phase shifter design.

[0016] In one possible implementation, a selector is also included, coupled between the antenna and the input of the multi-band low-noise amplifier. A phased array employing this architecture can have full-duplex transmission and reception capabilities.

[0017] In one possible implementation, the first frequency band covers n257, n258, and n261, and the second frequency band covers n259 and n260. Based on this phased array architecture, the above frequency resources can be fully utilized more efficiently.

[0018] Secondly, a multi-band low-noise amplifier is provided, comprising: an input terminal, a first matching network, a second matching network, a first amplifier, and a second amplifier. The input terminal is coupled to an antenna and is used to receive an inter-band carrier aggregation signal, which includes a first carrier signal located in a first frequency band and a second carrier signal located in a second frequency band. The first frequency band and the second frequency band are different and do not overlap. The first matching network is coupled between the input terminal and the first amplifier for impedance matching of the first carrier signal. The first amplifier is used to output an amplified first carrier signal. The second matching network is coupled between the input terminal and the second amplifier for impedance matching of the second carrier signal. The second amplifier is used to output an amplified second carrier signal. Based on the above multi-band low-noise amplifier, since the same input terminal is used to simultaneously receive inter-band carrier aggregation signals located in the first and second frequency bands, the design complexity between the multi-band low-noise amplifier and the antenna is greatly reduced, and the circuit area is reduced.

[0019] It should be understood that the multi-band low-noise amplifier of the second aspect can also have other possible implementations. For details, please refer to the characteristics of the multi-band low-noise amplifier in the various possible implementations of the first aspect, which will not be repeated here.

[0020] Thirdly, an electronic device is provided, including a transceiver, a memory, and a processor; wherein the transceiver is provided with the aforementioned multi-band phased array. Attached Figure Description

[0021] Figure 1 This is a schematic diagram of the structure of a wireless communication system according to an embodiment of this application;

[0022] Figure 2 This is a schematic diagram of a phased array transceiver architecture according to an embodiment of this application.

[0023] Figure 3 This is a schematic diagram of a carrier aggregation embodiment of this application;

[0024] Figure 4 This is a schematic diagram of an architecture supporting inter-band CA multi-band LNA according to an embodiment of this application;

[0025] Figure 5 This is a schematic diagram of a low-frequency matching network according to an embodiment of this application;

[0026] Figure 6 This is a schematic diagram of a high-frequency matching network according to an embodiment of this application;

[0027] Figure 7 This is a schematic diagram of a source degradation amplifier according to an embodiment of this application;

[0028] Figure 8 This is a schematic diagram of an architecture for a multi-frequency phased array phase shifter according to an embodiment of this application;

[0029] Figure 9 This is a schematic diagram of an electronic device according to an embodiment of this application;

[0030] Figure 10 This is a schematic diagram of a smartphone according to an embodiment of this application. Detailed Implementation

[0031] The technical solutions in the embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail below with reference to the accompanying drawings. Obviously, the described embodiments are only some embodiments of the present invention, and not all embodiments. Based on the embodiments of the present invention, all other embodiments obtained by those skilled in the art without creative effort should fall within the scope of protection of the present invention.

[0032] In wireless communication systems, equipment can be divided into devices that provide wireless network services and devices that use wireless network services. Devices that provide wireless network services refer to those that make up the wireless communication network; they can be simply called network equipment or network elements. Network equipment typically belongs to operators (such as China Mobile and Vodafone) or infrastructure providers (such as China Tower Corporation), and is operated or maintained by these vendors. Network equipment can be further divided into radio access network (RAN) equipment and core network (CN) equipment. Typical RAN equipment includes base stations (BS).

[0033] It should be understood that a base station can sometimes be referred to as a radio access point (AP) or a transmission reception point (TRP). Specifically, a base station can be a generation Node B (gNB) in a 5G new radio (NR) system or an evolutionary Node B (eNB) in a 4G long term evolution (LTE) system. Depending on its physical form or transmit power, a base station can be classified as a macro base station or a micro base station. Micro base stations are sometimes also referred to as small base stations or small cells.

[0034] Devices using wireless network services are typically located at the network edge and can be simply referred to as terminals. Terminals can establish connections with network devices and provide specific wireless communication services to users based on the network devices' services. It should be understood that because terminals have a closer relationship with users, they are sometimes also called user equipment (UE) or subscriber units (SU). Furthermore, unlike base stations which are typically placed in fixed locations, terminals often move with the user and are sometimes referred to as mobile stations (MS). Additionally, some network devices, such as relay nodes (RNs) or wireless routers, can sometimes be considered terminals because they possess UE identity or belong to users.

[0035] Specifically, the terminal can be a mobile phone, tablet computer, laptop computer, wearable device (such as smartwatch, smart bracelet, smart helmet, smart glasses), and other devices with wireless access capabilities, such as smart cars, various Internet of Things (IoT) devices, including various smart home devices (such as smart meters and smart appliances) and smart city devices (such as security or monitoring equipment, smart road traffic facilities), etc.

[0036] For ease of explanation, this application will use base stations and terminals as examples to describe in detail the technical solutions of the embodiments of this application.

[0037] Figure 1 This is a schematic diagram of a wireless communication system provided in an embodiment of this application. Figure 1 As shown, the wireless communication system includes a terminal, base station A, base station B, and base station C. This wireless communication system can comply with the third-generation partnership project (3GPP) wireless communication standards, or other wireless communication standards, such as the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE) 802 series (e.g., 802.11, 802.15, or 802.20) wireless communication standards.

[0038] Figure 1 Although only three base stations and one terminal are shown in the diagram, the wireless communication system may include other numbers of terminals and base stations. Furthermore, the wireless communication system may also include other network equipment, such as core network equipment.

[0039] Terminals and base stations should be aware of the predefined configuration of the wireless communication system, including the radio access technologies (RATs) supported by the system and the system-specified wireless resource configurations, such as the basic configuration of radio frequency bands and carriers. A carrier is a frequency range defined by the system. This frequency range can be determined by the carrier's center frequency (denoted as the carrier frequency) and the carrier's bandwidth. These predefined system configurations can be part of the standard protocol of the wireless communication system, or determined through interaction between the terminal and the base station. The content of the relevant standard protocol may be pre-stored in the memory of the terminal and the base station, or embodied in the hardware circuitry or software code of the terminal and the base station.

[0040] In this wireless communication system, the terminal and the base station support one or more of the same Radio Access Platforms (RATs), such as 5G NR or the RAT of future evolution systems. Specifically, the terminal and the base station use the same air interface parameters, coding schemes, and modulation schemes, and communicate with each other based on the wireless resources specified by the system.

[0041] Figure 1 Terminals integrating phased array sensors can be configured to point directly at base stations A, B, and C. Compared to traditional terminals, terminals with phased array functionality can achieve more concentrated energy transmission, thereby mitigating path loss in high-frequency, especially millimeter-wave, frequency ranges.

[0042] Figure 2 This is a schematic diagram of a phased array transceiver architecture according to an embodiment of this application. Taking a radio frequency (RF) phased array as an example, the phased array shown in the figure includes multiple RF branches. Each of the multiple RF branches may include a corresponding RF front-end 1 and a corresponding phase shifter 2. The RF front-end 1 includes a low noise amplifier (LNA) 10 and a power amplifier (PA) 11. The LNA 10 is used to amplify the received signal coupled from the antenna of the corresponding branch, and the power amplifier 11 is used to amplify the transmitted signal and output it to the antenna of the corresponding branch. Optionally, the phased array may also be designed to have only one of the functions of receiving or transmitting, and each branch may include only one of the LNA 10 and the power amplifier 11.

[0043] Furthermore, each branch may also include a selector 12 for implementing transmit / receive full-duplex communication. When the phased array's transmission and reception operate on different frequency bands, the selector can be a duplexer to separate the transmitted and received signals into different frequency bands. When transmission and reception operate on different time slots, the selector can be a switch, enabling and disabling the transmit and receive signals at different times. Optionally, the selector 12 can be located at the front end of the branch, i.e., coupled to a frequency band such as... Figure 2 The LNA input and PA output are shown; selector 12 can also be located at the rear end of the branch, that is, coupled to the LNA output and PA input, while PA and LNA are directly coupled to the antenna.

[0044] Each of the multiple radio frequency branches in the phased array also includes a phase shifter to implement the phase shifting function of each branch. For example, phase shifter 2 is coupled to the common back-end node of PA11 and LNA10, i.e., the output of the LNA and the input of the PA. Optionally, phase shifter 2 can also be coupled to the input of the LNA and the output of the PA. PA and LNA can multiplex phase shifter 2, but this architecture of multiplexing the same phase shifter for both transmission and reception is only suitable for time-division duplex mode. When PA and LNA operate simultaneously in different frequency bands, PA and LNA generally need to each be configured with a separate phase shifter on their respective transmit and receive paths.

[0045] Furthermore, to increase communication bandwidth and achieve higher user data throughput, carrier aggregation (CA) technology was adopted starting with 3GPP (3rd Generation Partnership Project) protocol R10 (Release 10). The principle of CA technology is to carry user communication data on multiple carriers for communication. 3GPP (3rd Generation Partnership Project) protocol R10 (Release 10) defines the following three CA application scenarios, such as... Figure 3 As shown: Intra-band contiguous CA; intra-band non-contiguous CA; inter-band non-contiguous CA, also known as inter-band CA; where A and B represent two aggregated carriers. It should be understood that... Figure 3The number of carriers in the carrier aggregation shown is not limited to carriers A and B; it can also include other numbers of carriers. Taking millimeter-wave bands as an example, the 5G millimeter-wave bands defined by 3GPP include n257 (26.5 GHz-29.500 GHz), n259 (39.5 GHz-43.5 GHz), n260 (37 GHz-40 GHz), n258 (24.25 GHz-27.5 GHz), and n261 (27.5 GHz-28.35 GHz). The bands covering n257, n258, and n261 are generally called low bands (LB), and the bands covering n259 and n260 are generally called high bands (HB). Carrier aggregation combining LB and HB, due to its cross-band nature, is also called inter-band carrier aggregation (CA). For example, inter-band CA can include, but is not limited to, various combinations such as n257+n259, n257+n260, n258+n259, and n258+n260. It should be noted that the specific frequency ranges of each millimeter-wave band mentioned here are merely examples; in actual implementation, other values ​​may be used, and this application does not impose specific limitations on them. It should be understood that the technical solutions provided in this application are also applicable to other radio frequency bands.

[0046] Phased arrays integrating inter-band CA (Conductor Array) will leverage the advantages of both CA and phased arrays to improve communication quality more efficiently. However, for receivers, especially LNAs used in phased arrays, miniaturization while supporting inter-band CAs with widely separated frequency bands presents a significant challenge.

[0047] Figure 4 This is a schematic diagram of an architecture supporting an inter-band CA multi-band LNA according to an embodiment of this application. Based on the above embodiment, the LNA (10) may include an input terminal (101), a first matching network (102), a second matching network (104), a first amplifier (103), and a second amplifier (105). The input terminal (101) is coupled to an antenna and is used to receive inter-band carrier aggregation signals. The inter-band carrier aggregation signals may include a first carrier signal located in a first frequency band and a second carrier signal located in a second frequency band. The first frequency band and the second frequency band are different and do not overlap.

[0048] Preferably, the antenna coupled to the input is a multi-frequency single-fed antenna, which allows coupling to the LNA input through a single feed point, saving system area. A further component such as... can be included between the input and the antenna. Figure 2 Selector 12 is shown to further implement transmit and receive full-duplex.

[0049] A first matching network (102) and a second matching network (104) are coupled together at the input terminal (101) to receive signals from the first and second frequency bands through a single input terminal. The first matching network (102) is coupled between the input terminal (101) and the first amplifier (103) to achieve matching from the input terminal (101) to the first amplifier (105). The second matching network (104) is coupled between the input terminal (101) and the second amplifier (105) to achieve matching from the input terminal (101) to the second amplifier (105). The first amplifier amplifies the received signals from the first frequency band, and the second amplifier amplifies the received signals from the second frequency band.

[0050] For example, the signal of the inter-band CA consisting of Band A and Band B is coupled to the input terminal (101). The signal of Band A enters the first amplifier 103 through the first matching network 102, is amplified, and then output. The signal of Band B enters the second amplifier 105 through the second matching network 104, is amplified, and then output. Since the same input terminal is used to simultaneously receive the signal of the first frequency band (Band A) and the signal of the second frequency band (Band B), the design complexity between the LNA and the antenna feed line is greatly reduced, the number of circuit pins is reduced, and the circuit design area is also reduced.

[0051] However, the above architecture, while reducing area, also introduces interference problems. Since the input can simultaneously receive signals from the first frequency band (Band A) and the second frequency band (Band B), the signal from the second frequency band will also be coupled into the first amplifier for output amplification, and the signal from the first frequency band will also be coupled into the second amplifier for output amplification. This introduces additional interference in subsequent intermediate frequency signal processing, affecting performance.

[0052] Preferably, the first matching network can be designed with frequency selectivity, exhibiting matching characteristics for signals within a first frequency band and suppression characteristics for signals within a second frequency band. Similarly, the second matching network can also be designed with frequency selectivity, exhibiting matching characteristics for signals within a second frequency band and suppression characteristics for signals within a first frequency band. Figure 4As shown, when the first frequency band is LB and when the first frequency band is HB, based on the first and second matching networks with frequency selection characteristics, the signal of the first frequency band mainly passes through the first signal path composed of the first matching network and the first amplifier, while the signal of the second frequency band mainly passes through the second signal path composed of the second matching network and the second amplifier. Therefore, the LNA can have better anti-interference characteristics. In addition to receiving inter-band CA signals, the LNA10 can also support single-band signal reception, time-division multiplexing to receive signals from either the first or second frequency band.

[0053] For example, such as Figure 5 As shown, the first matching network may include an inductor 1021 connected in series. The inductor 1021 is coupled in series between the input and output terminals of the first matching network. Since the equivalent impedance of the inductor is R=jwL, the equivalent impedance increases with increasing frequency. In addition, due to the self-resonant characteristic of the inductor, the input terminal of the matching network can be used for impedance matching in the first frequency band LB and exhibit suppression characteristics in the second frequency band HB.

[0054] Optionally, the first matching network may further include a grounding switch 1022 coupled between the signal path and the ground terminal. Specifically, as... Figure 5 As shown, switch 1022 is coupled between the output terminal and the ground terminal. Switch 1022 is used to close the LNA when receiving signals from the second frequency band alone, further improving the suppression capability of signals from the second frequency band. Switch 1022 is used to open the LNA when receiving signals from the first frequency band alone, without affecting the signal path of the first frequency band.

[0055] Optionally, the first matching network can also be implemented in other ways, including but not limited to using an L-type matching network or a PI-type matching network, which will not be described in detail in this embodiment.

[0056] For example, such as Figure 6 As shown, the second matching network may include a transformer 1041 coupled between the input and output terminals of the second matching network. Transformer 1041 includes a primary coil 1041a and a secondary coil 1041b. One end of the primary coil 1041a is coupled to the input terminal of the second matching network, and the other end is coupled to ground. One end of the secondary coil 1041b is coupled to the output terminal of the second matching network, and the other end is coupled to ground. Transformer 1041 resonates in the HB band, creating a high impedance in the LB band. This allows the input terminal of the second matching network to exhibit high impedance in the first frequency band LB and achieve matching characteristics in the second frequency band HB. Simultaneously, because transformer 1041 is coupled to ground, the electrostatic discharge (ESD) protection characteristics of the LNA 10 input terminal 101 can be further improved.

[0057] Optionally, the second matching network can also have other implementation forms, including but not limited to L-type or PI-type matching networks, which will not be described in detail in this embodiment.

[0058] Optional, Figure 4 The LNA 10 may further include an inductor 106, with one end of the inductor 106 coupled to the input terminal 101 and the other end of the inductor 104 coupled to ground. The inductor 104 can be used to improve the ESD performance of the LNA 10 and optimize the noise figure of the LNA.

[0059] Figure 4 The first amplifier 103 and the second amplifier 105 shown are used to amplify signals in the LB and HB frequency bands, respectively, and adopt typical existing amplifier architectures, such as common source and common grid structures.

[0060] Furthermore, in order to amplify signals within their respective frequency bands while suppressing signals outside those bands, the amplifier can also adopt a narrowband low-noise amplifier architecture. For example, it can employ an architecture such as... Figure 7 The source-degraded amplifier architecture shown includes, but is not limited to, those with source degradation. Figure 7 The superposition architecture (cascode) with source-degenerate polarity shown in figure a is... Figure 7 Figure b shows a common-source structure with source degradation. The size of the source degradation inductor is related to the operating frequency band of the specific amplifier. The first amplifier, used to amplify signals in the LB band, uses a larger inductor with source degradation than the second amplifier, used to amplify signals in the HB band. Although 7 uses a MOSFET, a BJT could also be used. Specifically, Figure 7 The superimposed architecture with source degradation shown in b includes a first inductor 701, a first transistor 702, and a second inductor 704. The gate / base of the first transistor 702 is coupled to the input of the amplifier, and the source / emitter of the first transistor 702 is coupled to ground through the first inductor 701. The drain / collector of the first transistor is coupled to the second inductor 704 and the output of the amplifier, outputting an amplified signal. Figure 7 Based on b, it further includes a second transistor 703, which is coupled between the first transistor and the second inductor 704 to form a superimposed cascode structure, that is... Figure 7 The architecture of the LNA is shown in figure a. Figure 7 The MOS transistors shown include, but are not limited to, NMOS transistors, and may also be a combination of PMOS and NMOS transistors.

[0061] Figure 4 The LNA architecture shown is applied to... Figure 2The phased array architecture shown can also be used in inter-band carrier aggregation single-channel transceivers. It should be understood that... Figure 4 The Band A and Band B shown are just examples; many more carrier aggregation scenarios can be included.

[0062] Figure 8 This is a schematic diagram of a phase shifter architecture for a multi-frequency phased array according to an embodiment of this application. Figure 8 It includes a first phase-shifting branch 21 with its input end coupled to LB and a second phase-shifting branch 22 with its input end coupled to HB, which are used for phase shifting of carriers in different frequency bands in the above embodiments.

[0063] For example, the first phase-shifting branch 21 may include one or more of the phase-shifting units 210, 213 and 212, and similarly, the second phase-shifting branch 22 may also include one or more of the phase-shifting units 220, 223 and 222.

[0064] The input terminal of the first phase-shifting branch 21 can be coupled to the output terminal of the LB of the LNA in the above embodiment, and the input terminal of the second phase-shifting branch 22 can be coupled to the output terminal of the HB of the LNA in the above embodiment.

[0065] Optionally, the first phase-shifting branch 21 may include a first RF phase-shifting unit 210, coupled between the first mixer 211 and the input terminal of the first phase-shifting branch 21. Similarly, the second phase-shifting branch 22 may also include a second RF phase-shifting unit 220, coupled between the second mixer 221 and the input terminal of the first phase-shifting branch 22. The two phase-shifting units are used to phase-shift the RF signal of their respective branches. This phase shifting is called RF signal phase shifting and is currently the mainstream phase shifting method.

[0066] Optionally, the first phase-shifting branch 21 may include a first local oscillator phase-shifting unit 213, coupled between the first mixer 211 and the first local oscillator 214. Similarly, the second phase-shifting branch 22 may also include a second local oscillator phase-shifting unit 223, coupled between the second mixer 221 and the first local oscillator 224. The two local oscillator phase shifters phase-shift the local oscillator signal before it enters their respective mixers to achieve phase shifting of their respective branches. This phase shifting is called local oscillator signal phase shifting, and compared to the previous RF signal phase shifting, it is more suitable for wideband signals.

[0067] Optionally, the first phase-shifting branch 21 and the second phase-shifting branch 22 can reuse the same phase-shifting unit 213. The local oscillator signals generated by the local oscillator 214 and the local oscillator 224 are selected to enter their respective mixers after passing through the same phase-shifting unit 213 in a time-division manner.

[0068] Optionally, based on the reuse of the same phase shifting unit 213, the first phase shifting branch 21 and the second phase shifting branch 22 can also reuse the same local oscillator. The oscillator is designed as a wideband oscillator, which outputs local oscillation signals of different frequency bands in a time-division manner, and enters their respective mixers in a time-division manner through the same phase shifting unit.

[0069] Optionally, the first phase-shifting branch 21 may further include a first intermediate frequency (IF) phase shifter 212, which is coupled between the mixer 211 and the corresponding branch's IF signal processor 230. The second phase-shifting branch 22 may further include a second IF phase shifter 222, which is coupled between the mixer 221 and the corresponding branch's IF signal processor 230. The IF signal processor 230 includes, but is not limited to, filters and analog-to-digital converters, used to perform corresponding filtering and digital-to-analog conversion on the phase-shifted IF signal. This phase shifting is called IF signal phase shifting. Compared to the two phase shifting methods mentioned above, this phase shifting architecture simplifies the design of combining and splitting multiple RF branches in a phased array. Specifically, in received signal processing, each RF branch can combine the received signal after mixing and IF phase shifting.

[0070] Optionally, the multi-frequency phase shifter can employ various phase shift combinations. These include, but are not limited to, RF phase shifting combined with local oscillator phase shifting, or local oscillator phase shifting combined with intermediate frequency (IF) phase shifting. Compared to a combination of RF signal phase shifting and / or local oscillator signal phase shifting alone, the combination of IF and IF phase shifting simplifies the design of the phase shifting circuit, resulting in a smaller circuit area and superior performance.

[0071] Optionally, in different multi-frequency phase shifting scenarios, the multi-frequency phase shifter may include various combinations of the above multiple phase shifting units, making full use of the individual or combined advantages of various phase shifting units.

[0072] Optionally, when using local oscillator signal phase shifting, since each RF branch in the phased array operates at the same frequency, each RF branch can use the same local oscillator signal generator. After phase shifting by the local oscillator signal phase shifting unit of its respective branch, the signal is then provided to the mixer of its respective branch.

[0073] This application also provides an electronic device 300, please refer to... Figure 9 The electronic device 300 may include a transceiver 301, a memory 304, and a processor 303, wherein the transceiver 301 is equipped with the aforementioned phased array 302.

[0074] It should be understood that the electronic device 300 here can specifically refer to terminal devices such as smartphones, computers, and smartwatches. The terminal device is... Figure 10The smartphone 310 shown is an example, and it may specifically include a processor 3102, a memory 3103, a communication circuit, an antenna, and input / output devices. The processor 3102 is mainly used to process communication protocols and communication data, control the entire smartphone, execute software programs, and process data from the software programs, for example, to support the smartphone 310 in performing the actions described in the above method embodiments. The memory 3103 is mainly used to store software programs and data. The communication circuit is mainly used for the conversion between baseband signals and radio frequency signals, and for processing radio frequency signals; the communication circuit includes the aforementioned phased array. The communication circuit is mainly used to transmit and receive radio frequency signals in the form of electromagnetic waves. Input / output devices, such as touchscreens, displays, and keyboards, are mainly used to receive user input data and output data to the user.

[0075] When the smartphone 310 is powered on, the processor 3102 can read the software program in the memory 3103, interpret and execute the instructions of the software program, and process the data of the software program. When data needs to be transmitted wirelessly, the processor 3102 performs baseband processing on the data to be transmitted and outputs the baseband signal to the radio frequency (RF) circuit. The RF circuit processes the baseband signal and then transmits the RF signal outward in the form of electromagnetic waves through the antenna. When data is sent to the smartphone 310, the RF circuit receives the RF signal through the antenna, converts the RF signal into a baseband signal, and outputs the baseband signal to the processor 3102. The processor 3102 converts the baseband signal into data and processes the data.

[0076] Those skilled in the art will understand that, for ease of explanation, Figure 10 Only one memory and one processor are shown. In actual terminal devices, multiple processors and multiple memories may exist. Memory can also be called storage medium or storage device, etc. It should be noted that the type of memory is not limited in the embodiments of this application.

[0077] It should be understood that the Xth frequency band mentioned in this application, such as the first frequency band, the second frequency band, the third frequency band, and the fourth frequency band, refers to a fixed frequency range defined by a standards organization or used commercially, including but not limited to the 5G millimeter wave frequency bands defined by 3GPP in the embodiments of this application, including n257 (26.5 GHz-29.500 GHz), n260 (37 GHz-40 GHz), n258 (24.25 GHz-27.5 GHz), and n261 (27.5 GHz-28.35 GHz).

[0078] It should be understood that the signal in the Xth frequency band mentioned in this application, such as the signal in the first frequency band, the signal in the second frequency band, the signal in the third frequency band, and the signal in the fourth frequency band, refers to the signal transmitted in the Xth frequency band. This signal can be a signal with all or part of the bandwidth transmitted in the Xth frequency band.

[0079] It should be understood that, in this application, the sequence number of each process does not imply the order of execution. The execution order of each process should be determined by its function and internal logic, and should not constitute any limitation on the implementation process of the embodiments of this application. The term "coupling" as used in this application is used to express the interconnection or interaction between different components, which may include direct connection or indirect connection through other components. For example, "XX terminal coupled to ground" means that the XX terminal can be directly grounded or grounded through another device.

[0080] The above are merely specific 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 scope of the technology 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 multi-band phased array, characterized in that, include: Multiple branches coupled to multiple multi-band antennas, each of the multiple branches including a multi-band low-noise amplifier, the multi-band low-noise amplifier being used to receive an inter-band carrier aggregation signal, the inter-band carrier aggregation signal including a first carrier signal located in a first frequency band and a second carrier signal located in a second frequency band, the first frequency band and the second frequency band being different and not overlapping; The multi-band low-noise amplifier includes an input terminal, a first matching network, a second matching network, a first amplifier, and a second amplifier, wherein the first amplifier and the second amplifier adopt a narrowband amplifier architecture. The input terminal is coupled to the multi-band antenna and is used to receive the inter-band carrier aggregation signal; The first matching network is coupled between the input terminal and the first amplifier to achieve impedance matching of the first carrier signal and to suppress the transmission of the second carrier signal. The first amplifier is used to amplify the matched first carrier signal. The second matching network is coupled between the input terminal and the second amplifier to achieve impedance matching of the second carrier signal and to suppress the transmission of the first carrier signal. The second amplifier is used to amplify the matched second carrier signal. Each of the plurality of branches further includes a phase shifter, which is used to phase shift the first carrier signal output from the output terminal of the first amplifier, and the phase shifter is also used to phase shift the second carrier signal output from the output terminal of the second amplifier.

2. The multi-band phased array as described in claim 1, characterized in that: The center frequency of the first frequency band is lower than the center frequency of the second frequency band. The first matching network includes a first inductor, which is connected in series between the input and output terminals of the first matching network. The second matching network includes a transformer coupled between the input and output terminals of the second matching network. The transformer includes a primary coil and a secondary coil. One end of the primary coil is coupled to the input terminal of the second matching network, and the other end is coupled to ground. One end of the secondary coil is coupled to the output terminal of the second matching network, and the other end is coupled to ground.

3. The multi-band phased array as described in claim 2, characterized in that: The first matching network further includes a switch coupled between a signal path and a ground terminal in the first matching network.

4. The multi-band phased array as described in any one of claims 1-3, characterized in that, The multi-band low-noise amplifier further includes a second inductor, one end of which is coupled to the input terminal of the multi-band low-noise amplifier, and the other end of which is coupled to ground.

5. The multi-band phased array as described in any one of claims 1-3, characterized in that: The first amplifier includes a first source degraded inductor, and the second amplifier includes a second source degraded inductor; The inductance of the first source degraded inductor is greater than that of the second source degraded inductor.

6. The multi-band phased array as described in any one of claims 1-3, characterized in that: The phase shifter includes a first phase shift branch and a second phase shift branch. The first phase shift branch is coupled to the output terminal of the first amplifier and is used to shift the phase of the first carrier signal. The second phase shift branch is coupled to the output terminal of the second amplifier and is used to shift the phase of the second carrier signal.

7. The multi-band phased array as described in claim 6, characterized in that: The first phase-shifting branch includes a first mixer and a first phase-shifting unit, and the second phase-shifting branch includes a second mixer and a second phase-shifting unit; The first phase-shifting unit is coupled between the first mixer and the local oscillator signal generator; the second phase-shifting unit is coupled between the second mixer and the local oscillator signal generator.

8. The multi-band phased array as described in claim 7, characterized in that: The local oscillator signal generator includes a first local oscillator signal generator and a second local oscillator signal generator; The first phase-shifting unit is coupled between the first local oscillator signal generator and the first mixer; the second phase-shifting unit is coupled between the second local oscillator signal generator and the second mixer.

9. The multi-band phased array as described in claim 7 or 8, characterized in that: The first phase-shifting branch includes a third phase-shifting unit, which is coupled between the first mixer and the intermediate frequency signal processor and is used to phase-shift the intermediate frequency signal of the first phase-shifting branch after down-conversion. The second phase-shifting branch includes a fourth phase-shifting unit, which is coupled between the second mixer and the intermediate frequency signal processor, and is used to phase-shift the intermediate frequency signal of the second phase-shifting branch after down-conversion; The intermediate frequency signal processor is used to filter and perform analog-to-digital conversion on the phase-shifted intermediate frequency signal.

10. The multi-band phased array as described in any one of claims 1-3, characterized in that: The first frequency band covers n257, n258 and n261, and the second frequency band covers n259 and n260.

11. An electronic device, characterized in that, It includes a transceiver, a memory, and a processor; wherein the transceiver is provided with a multi-band phased array as described in any one of claims 1-10.

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