Phased array and electronics

Abstract

The application provides a phased array, which comprises: a local oscillator signal adjusting path, a first adder, a first power divider and a plurality of radio frequency signal transmitting channels; the output end of the local oscillator signal adjusting path is coupled with the first input end of the first adder, and is used for inputting a first signal to the first adder; the second input end of the first adder is coupled with the transmitting channels, and is used for receiving a second signal; the first adder superimposes the first signal and the second signal to generate a to-be-transmitted signal; the input end of the first power divider is coupled with the output end of the first adder, the output end of the first power divider is coupled with the input end of the plurality of radio frequency signal transmitting channels, and the first power divider divides the to-be-transmitted signal into a plurality of transmitting signals; and the plurality of radio frequency signal transmitting channels are used for processing the plurality of transmitting signals and transmitting the plurality of transmitting signals through a plurality of antennas, so that the local oscillator leakage signal in the phased array can be filtered out under the condition of reducing the power consumption and the layout area of the communication equipment.

Description

[0001] This application claims priority to PCT patent application filed on December 31, 2020, with application number PCT / CN2020 / 142084 and entitled "Phase-array and electronic devices", the entire contents of which are incorporated herein by reference. Technical Field

[0002] This application relates to the field of wireless communication, and more particularly to a phased array and electronic device. Background Technology

[0003] With the development of science and technology, communication technology has made rapid progress. In traditional communication technology, the intermediate frequency (IF) signal is usually up-converted using a local oscillator (LO) signal at the radio frequency (RF) front-end to generate the RF signal. However, using a LO signal to up-convert the IF signal introduces LO leakage, which affects the quality of the communication signal. Summary of the Invention

[0004] This application provides a phased array that can improve the quality of communication signals.

[0005] To achieve the above objectives, this application adopts the following technical solution:

[0006] In a first aspect, embodiments of this application provide a phased array, including: a local oscillator signal adjustment path, a first adder, a first power divider, and multiple radio frequency signal transmission channels; the output terminal of the local oscillator signal adjustment path is coupled to a first input terminal of the first adder for inputting a first signal to the first adder; the second input terminal of the first adder is coupled to the transmission path for receiving a second signal from the transmission path, and the first adder superimposes the first signal and the second signal to generate a signal to be transmitted; the input terminal of the first power divider is coupled to the output terminal of the first adder, and the output terminal of the first power divider is coupled to the input terminals of the multiple radio frequency signal transmission channels, and the first power divider is used to divide the signal to be transmitted into multiple transmission signals; the output terminals of the multiple radio frequency signal transmission channels are coupled to multiple antennas, and the multiple radio frequency signal transmission channels are used to process the multiple transmission signals and transmit the multiple transmission signals through the multiple antennas.

[0007] The phased array described in this application improves the quality of communication signals by introducing a local oscillator signal adjustment path and using a first adder to introduce the local oscillator adjustment signal into the transmitted signal.

[0008] In one possible implementation, each of the plurality of radio frequency signal transmission channels described in this embodiment includes a power amplifier for amplifying the power of the multiple transmitted signals. Furthermore, each of the plurality of radio frequency signal transmission channels may also include a filter for filtering the multiple transmitted signals.

[0009] In one possible implementation, the input terminal of the local oscillator signal adjustment path is coupled to a first local oscillator signal source; the local oscillator signal adjustment path is further configured to: receive a first local oscillator signal from the local oscillator signal source, adjust the first local oscillator signal, and generate the first signal.

[0010] The local oscillator signal adjustment path generates a first signal by adjusting the first local oscillator signal, eliminating the need for other signal sources and thus reducing the circuit layout area. Furthermore, the first signal can be generated simply by adjusting the first local oscillator signal, reducing the complexity of generating the first signal.

[0011] In one possible implementation, the local oscillator signal adjustment path includes a variable gain amplifier; wherein the variable gain amplifier is used to adjust the amplitude of the first local oscillator signal.

[0012] In one possible implementation, where the local oscillator signal adjustment path includes a variable gain amplifier, the local oscillator signal adjustment path may further include a frequency multiplier; the frequency multiplier is used to adjust the frequency of the first local oscillator signal.

[0013] In one possible implementation, if the local oscillator signal adjustment path includes a variable gain amplifier, or if the local oscillator signal adjustment path includes the variable gain amplifier and the frequency multiplier, the local oscillator signal adjustment path further includes a first phase shifter; the first phase shifter is used to adjust the phase of the first local oscillator signal.

[0014] The local oscillator signal adjustment path described in this embodiment can, by setting at least one of a variable gain amplifier, a frequency multiplier, or a first phase shifter, make the first signal output by the local oscillator signal adjustment path cancel out the local oscillator leakage signal, thereby achieving the effect of suppressing local oscillator leakage. For example, the first signal and the local oscillator leakage signal can be made to have the same frequency, equal amplitude, and opposite phase. It should be noted that the opposite phase here can mean a phase difference of 180 degrees.

[0015] In one possible implementation, the transmission path includes a first mixer and an intermediate frequency signal processor; the output of the intermediate frequency signal processor is coupled to a first input of the first mixer; the second input of the first mixer is coupled to a first local oscillator signal source; the output of the first mixer is coupled to a second input of the first adder; and the first mixer is used to input the second signal to the first adder.

[0016] In this implementation, the intermediate frequency (IF) signal processor generates an IF signal, and the first mixer receives the IF signal from the IF signal processor. The first mixer mixes the received IF signal with the first local oscillator signal to generate the aforementioned second signal, which is then provided to the first adder. The IF signal mentioned here refers to the signal input to the mixer before it reaches the first mixer; it can be a zero IF signal or a low IF signal.

[0017] In one possible implementation, the transmission path includes a first mixer, a second mixer, and an intermediate frequency (IF) signal processor, and the phased array further includes a second local oscillator (LO) signal source; the output of the IF signal processor is coupled to a first input of the second mixer, the second input of the second mixer is coupled to the second LO signal source, the output of the second mixer is coupled to a first input of the first mixer, the second input of the first mixer is coupled to the first LO signal source, and the output of the first mixer is coupled to a second input of the first adder; the first mixer is used to input the second signal to the first adder.

[0018] In this implementation, an intermediate frequency (IF) signal processor generates a first IF signal. A second mixer receives the first IF signal from the IF signal processor and a second local oscillator (LO) signal from a second LO signal source. The first IF signal and the second LO signal are mixed to generate a second IF signal, which is then provided to the first mixer. The first mixer mixes the second IF signal and the first LO signal to generate the second signal, which is then provided to the first adder.

[0019] In one possible implementation, the transmission path includes an intermediate frequency (IF) signal processor; the second input terminal of the first adder is coupled to the output terminal of the IF signal processor for receiving the second signal from the IF signal processor. In this case, the second signal is an IF signal. This possible implementation specifically includes the following methods:

[0020] Method 1: The phased array further includes a first mixer, the output of the first adder is coupled to the input of the first mixer; the output of the first mixer is coupled to the input of the first power divider.

[0021] Method 2: Each of the multiple radio frequency signal transmission channels further includes a first mixer, and the phased array further includes a second power divider; the first input terminal of the first mixer is coupled to the output terminal of the first power divider; the second input terminal of the first mixer is coupled to the output terminal of the second power divider; the second power divider is used to divide the first local oscillator signal to generate multiple local oscillator signals; the first mixer is used to mix one of the multiple local oscillator signals and one of the multiple transmission signals.

[0022] In one possible implementation, each of the plurality of radio frequency signal transmission channels further includes a second phase shifter for phase shifting one of the transmission signals of the plurality of transmission signals.

[0023] When each RF signal transmission channel also includes a first mixer, the local oscillator signal adjustment path may or may not include a first phase shifter. When the local oscillator signal adjustment path includes a first phase shifter, the second phase shifter in each RF signal transmission channel can be adjusted simultaneously, so that the second phase shifter in each RF signal transmission channel is first uniformly phase-shifted to a fixed phase. This fixed phase is determined based on the phase difference between the local oscillator signal and the first signal. Based on this, the second phase shifter in each RF signal transmission channel is further adjusted so that the phased array transmits a beamforming signal.

[0024] Secondly, embodiments of this application provide a transceiver, which includes a local oscillator signal adjustment path, a first adder, and a radio frequency signal transmission channel; the output terminal of the local oscillator signal adjustment path is coupled to the first input terminal of the first adder for inputting a first signal to the first adder; the second input terminal of the first adder is coupled to the transmission path for receiving a second signal, and the first adder superimposes the first signal and the second signal to generate a signal to be transmitted; the input terminal of the radio frequency signal transmission channel is coupled to the output terminal of the first adder, and the output terminal of the radio frequency signal transmission channel is coupled to an antenna, and the radio frequency signal transmission channel is used to process the multiple transmission signals and transmit the signal to be transmitted through the antenna.

[0025] The phased array described in this application embodiment can improve the quality of communication signals by setting a local oscillator signal adjustment path.

[0026] In one possible implementation, the radio frequency signal transmission channel described in this embodiment may include a power amplifier for amplifying the power of the signal to be transmitted. Furthermore, the radio frequency signal transmission channel may also include a filter for filtering multiple transmitted signals.

[0027] In one possible implementation, the input terminal of the local oscillator signal adjustment path is coupled to a first local oscillator signal source; the local oscillator signal adjustment path is further configured to: receive a first local oscillator signal from the local oscillator signal source, adjust the first local oscillator signal, and generate the first signal.

[0028] The local oscillator signal adjustment path generates the first signal by adjusting the first local oscillator signal, which eliminates the need for other signal sources and reduces the circuit layout area. In addition, since the first signal and the first local oscillator signal have the same frequency and amplitude but opposite phase, the first signal can be generated by simply adjusting the first local oscillator signal, which reduces the complexity of generating the first signal.

[0029] In one possible implementation, the local oscillator signal adjustment path includes a variable gain amplifier; wherein the variable gain amplifier is used to adjust the amplitude of the first local oscillator signal.

[0030] In one possible implementation, where the local oscillator signal adjustment path includes a variable gain amplifier, the local oscillator signal adjustment path may further include a frequency multiplier; the frequency multiplier is used to adjust the frequency of the first local oscillator signal.

[0031] In one possible implementation, if the local oscillator signal adjustment path includes a variable gain amplifier, or if the local oscillator signal adjustment path includes the variable gain amplifier and the frequency multiplier, the local oscillator signal adjustment path further includes a first phase shifter; the first phase shifter is used to adjust the phase of the first local oscillator signal.

[0032] The local oscillator signal adjustment path described in this embodiment can, by setting at least one of a variable gain amplifier, a frequency multiplier, or a first phase shifter, make the first signal output by the local oscillator signal adjustment path cancel out the local oscillator leakage signal, thereby achieving the effect of suppressing local oscillator leakage. For example, the first signal and the local oscillator leakage signal can be made to have the same frequency, equal amplitude, and opposite phase. It should be noted that the opposite phase here can mean a phase difference of 180 degrees.

[0033] In one possible implementation, the transmission path includes a first mixer and an intermediate frequency signal processor; the output of the intermediate frequency signal processor is coupled to a first input of the first mixer; the second input of the first mixer is coupled to a first local oscillator signal source; the output of the first mixer is coupled to a second input of the first adder; and the first mixer is used to input the second signal to the first adder.

[0034] In this implementation, the intermediate frequency signal processor can generate an intermediate frequency signal, and the first mixer can receive the intermediate frequency signal from the intermediate frequency signal processor. The first mixer mixes the received intermediate frequency signal with the first local oscillator signal to generate the second signal mentioned above, which is then provided to the first adder.

[0035] In one possible implementation, the transmission path includes a first mixer, a second mixer, and an intermediate frequency (IF) signal processor, and the phased array further includes a second local oscillator (LO) signal source; the output of the IF signal processor is coupled to a first input of the second mixer, the second input of the second mixer is coupled to the second LO signal source, the output of the second mixer is coupled to a first input of the first mixer, the second input of the first mixer is coupled to the first LO signal source, and the output of the first mixer is coupled to a second input of the first adder; the first mixer is used to input the second signal to the first adder.

[0036] In this implementation, an intermediate frequency (IF) signal processor generates a first IF signal. A second mixer receives the first IF signal from the IF signal processor and a second local oscillator (LO) signal from a second LO signal source. The first IF signal and the second LO signal are mixed to generate a second IF signal, which is then provided to the first mixer. The first mixer mixes the second IF signal and the first LO signal to generate the second signal, which is then provided to the first adder.

[0037] In one possible implementation, the transmission path includes an intermediate frequency (IF) signal processor, and the phased array further includes a first mixer; the second input terminal of the first adder is coupled to the output terminal of the IF signal processor, and the output terminal of the first adder is coupled to the input terminal of the first mixer; for receiving the second signal from the IF signal processor. In this case, the second signal is an IF signal.

[0038] In one possible implementation, the radio frequency signal transmission channel further includes a second phase shifter for phase shifting one of the multiple transmission signals.

[0039] In one possible implementation, the transmission path further includes a spurious signal adjustment circuit and a second adder; the first input terminal of the spurious signal adjustment circuit is coupled to the first local oscillator signal source, the second input terminal of the spurious signal adjustment circuit is coupled to the intermediate frequency signal processor, and the output terminal of the spurious signal adjustment circuit is coupled to the first input terminal of the second adder; the output terminal of the first mixer is coupled to the second input terminal of the second adder, and the output terminal of the second adder is coupled to the second input terminal of the first adder; the spurious signal adjustment circuit generates a third signal based on the local oscillator signal output from the first local oscillator signal source and the intermediate frequency signal output from the intermediate frequency signal processor, and provides it to the second adder; the second adder superimposes the third signal with the signal output from the first mixer to generate the second signal.

[0040] In one possible implementation, the transmission path further includes a spurious signal adjustment circuit and a second adder; the first input terminal of the spurious signal adjustment circuit is coupled to the first local oscillator signal source, the second input terminal of the spurious signal adjustment circuit is coupled to the output terminal of the first adder, and the output terminal of the spurious signal adjustment circuit is coupled to the first input terminal of the second adder; the output terminal of the first mixer is coupled to the second input terminal of the second adder, and the output terminal of the second adder is coupled to the input terminal of the first power divider; the spurious signal adjustment circuit generates a third signal based on the local oscillator signal output from the first local oscillator signal source and the signal output from the first adder, and the second adder superimposes the third signal with the signal output from the first mixer to generate the signal to be transmitted.

[0041] In one possible implementation, the spurious adjustment circuit includes a third phase shifter and a third mixer; the third phase shifter is coupled between the first local oscillator signal source and the first input terminal of the third mixer; the second input terminal of the third mixer is coupled to either the output terminal of the intermediate frequency signal processor or the output terminal of the first adder; and the output terminal of the third mixer is coupled to the first input terminal of the second adder.

[0042] In one possible implementation, the spurious adjustment circuit further includes a fourth phase shifter; the fourth phase shifter is coupled between the first local oscillator signal source and the second input terminal of the first mixer.

[0043] In one possible implementation, the spurious adjustment circuit further includes a fourth phase shifter; one end of the fourth phase shifter is coupled to either the output of the intermediate frequency signal processor or the output of the first adder, and the other end of the fourth phase shifter is coupled to the second input of the third mixer.

[0044] In one possible implementation, each of the plurality of radio frequency signal transmission channels further includes a spurious emission reduction circuit and a second adder; the first input terminal of the spurious emission reduction circuit is coupled to the output terminal of the second power divider, the second input terminal of the spurious emission reduction circuit is coupled to the output terminal of the first power divider, and the output terminal of the spurious emission reduction circuit is coupled to the first input terminal of the second adder; the output terminal of the first mixer is coupled to the second input terminal of the second adder, and the output terminal of the second adder is coupled to the input terminal of the first power divider; the spurious emission reduction circuit is used to process one of the local oscillator signals and one of the transmitted signals from the plurality of local oscillator signals; the second adder is used to superimpose the signal output by the spurious emission reduction circuit and the signal output by the first mixer.

[0045] In one possible implementation, the spurious adjustment circuit includes a third phase shifter and a third mixer; the third phase shifter is coupled between the output of the second power divider and the first input of the third mixer; the second input of the third mixer is coupled to the output of the first power divider; and the output of the third mixer is coupled to the first input of the second adder.

[0046] In one possible implementation, the spurious adjustment circuit further includes a fourth phase shifter; the fourth phase shifter is coupled between the output of the second power divider and the second input of the first mixer.

[0047] In one possible implementation, the spurious adjustment circuit further includes a fourth phase shifter; the fourth phase shifter is coupled between the output of the first power divider and the second input of the third mixer.

[0048] Thirdly, embodiments of this application provide an electronic device, which includes a circuit board, on which a transceiver and a processor, as described in the above possible implementations, are disposed, and the transceiver includes a phased array, as described in the above possible implementations. Attached Figure Description

[0049] To more clearly illustrate the technical solutions of the embodiments of this application, the drawings used in the description of the embodiments of this application will be briefly introduced below. Obviously, the drawings described below are only some embodiments of this application. For those skilled in the art, other drawings can be obtained based on these drawings without creative effort.

[0050] Figure 1 This is a schematic diagram of the structure of a wireless communication system provided in an embodiment of this application;

[0051] Figure 2A schematic diagram of a phased array architecture provided for an embodiment of this application;

[0052] Figure 3 A schematic diagram illustrating the working principle of a phased array provided in this application embodiment;

[0053] Figure 4 This is a schematic diagram of a phased array provided in an embodiment of this application;

[0054] Figure 5 The embodiments provided in this application are as follows Figure 4 A schematic diagram of a specific structure of the phased array is shown;

[0055] Figure 6 This is yet another schematic diagram of the phased array provided in the embodiments of this application;

[0056] Figure 7a This is a schematic diagram of a local oscillator signal adjustment path provided in an embodiment of this application;

[0057] Figure 7b This is another structural schematic diagram of the local oscillator signal adjustment path provided in the embodiments of this application;

[0058] Figure 8 This is yet another schematic diagram of the phased array provided in the embodiments of this application;

[0059] Figure 9 The embodiments provided in this application are as follows Figure 8 A schematic diagram of a partial structure of the phased array is shown.

[0060] Figure 10 This is yet another schematic diagram of the phased array provided in the embodiments of this application;

[0061] Figure 11a The embodiments provided in this application are as follows Figure 10 The diagram shows the specific structure of the phased array.

[0062] Figure 11b The embodiments provided in this application are as follows Figure 10 Another specific structural schematic diagram of the phased array is shown;

[0063] Figure 12 This is yet another schematic diagram of the phased array provided in the embodiments of this application;

[0064] Figure 13A This is a schematic diagram of the stray pollution control circuit provided in the embodiments of this application;

[0065] Figure 13B The embodiments provided in this application are as follows Figure 13A The phase vector diagram of the signal output by the spurious emission control circuit is shown.

[0066] Figure 13C This is yet another structural schematic diagram of the stray adjustment circuit provided in the embodiments of this application;

[0067] Figure 14 This is yet another structural schematic diagram of the stray adjustment circuit provided in the embodiments of this application;

[0068] Figure 15 This is yet another schematic diagram of the phased array provided in the embodiments of this application;

[0069] Figure 16 This is yet another schematic diagram of the phased array provided in the embodiments of this application;

[0070] Figure 17 This is yet another schematic diagram of the phased array provided in the embodiments of this application;

[0071] Figure 18 This is yet another schematic diagram of the phased array provided in the embodiments of this application;

[0072] Figure 19 This is a schematic diagram of the structure of an electronic device provided in an embodiment of this application;

[0073] Figure 20 This is a schematic diagram of the structure of a terminal device provided in an embodiment of this application. Detailed Implementation

[0074] 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, not all embodiments. Based on the embodiments of this application, all other embodiments obtained by those skilled in the art without creative effort are within the scope of protection of this application.

[0075] The terms "first," "second," and similar terms used in this article do not indicate any order, quantity, or importance, but are merely used to distinguish different components. Similarly, "a" or "one" and similar terms do not indicate a quantity limitation, but rather indicate the existence of at least one. Terms such as "connection" or "coupling" are not limited to physical or mechanical connections, but can include electrical connections, whether direct or indirect, equivalent to coupling or connection in a broad sense.

[0076] In the embodiments of this application, the terms "exemplary" or "for example" are used to indicate examples, illustrations, or descriptions. Any embodiment or design described as "exemplary" or "for example" in the embodiments of this application should not be construed as being more preferred or advantageous than other embodiments or designs. Specifically, the use of terms such as "exemplary" or "for example" is intended to present the relevant concepts in a specific manner. In the description of the embodiments of this application, unless otherwise stated, "multiple" means two or more. For example, multiple radio frequency signal transmission channels refer to two or more radio frequency signal transmission channels.

[0077] 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), 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).

[0078] 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.

[0079] 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 called 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.

[0080] 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.

[0081] 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.

[0082] 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.

[0083] In this wireless communication system, the wireless communication system may comply with the wireless communication standards of the third-generation partnership project (3GPP) or other wireless communication standards, such as the IEEE 802 series (e.g., 802.11, 802.15, or 802.20) wireless communication standards.

[0084] Figure 1Although 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.

[0085] 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.

[0086] 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.

[0087] 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.

[0088] Figure 2 This is a schematic diagram of a phased array architecture provided for an embodiment of this application. Figure 2 The phased array shown can be applied to, for example Figure 1 The application scenarios shown. In Figure 2In a phased array, multiple radio frequency (RF) signal transmission channels can be included. The output of each RF signal transmission channel is coupled to an antenna (TX), and each RF signal transmission channel includes a corresponding phase shifter. When the phased array needs to be pointed in a specific direction to achieve a specific directional beam, the phase shifter in the phased array can be used to shift the phase of the signal from the corresponding RF signal transmission channel, thereby obtaining a radiation pattern in that specific direction. When the phased array needs to dynamically cover multiple directions, it can achieve this through phase scanning. Since the phased array system requires a large scanning angle, there are certain requirements for the phase shifting accuracy and phase shifting range of the phase shifter for each RF signal transmission channel. To facilitate system control, the phased array can optionally employ digital phase shifter technology. Each branch needs to adjust its phase by changing the digital control bits within a phase shifting range implemented by n bits to achieve phase scanning.

[0089] Specifically, with Figure 3 For example, Figure 3 The phased array architecture shown includes eight branches. To achieve full-range coverage, each branch needs to implement a 3-bit digital phase shifter, meaning the phase range implemented by the eight branches is 0-7Ф, corresponding to a phase shift range of digital control bits 000-111. Different bits have different phase shift accuracies; taking the 3-bit architecture as an example, the lowest bit corresponds to a phase shift accuracies of 2π. 0 Ф=Ф, the middle bit corresponds to a phase shift precision of 2. 1 Ф=2Ф, the phase shift precision corresponding to the highest bit is 2. 2 Ф = 4Ф. Thus, typically 0-7Ф can achieve a 360-degree phase shift range, with each phase shift unit Ф being 45 degrees. The minimum phase shift of each branch is 0Ф, or 0 degrees, corresponding to a control word of 000 for the phase shifter's bit position. The maximum phase shift is 7Ф, or 315 degrees, corresponding to a control word of 111 for the phase shifter's bit position. To achieve higher phase scanning accuracy, more bits can be added. For example, the digital phase shifter can also be a 4-bit digital phase shifter, with a minimum phase shift accuracy Ф of 22.5 degrees for each branch. After understanding the working principle of a phased array, it can be understood that to achieve the function of transmitting signals, a phased array needs to integrate devices such as power amplifiers and phase shifters in each RF signal transmission channel of the above embodiment.

[0090] The phased array described in the embodiments of this application will now be described in detail. Please refer to... Figure 4 This illustrates a schematic diagram of the structure of a phased array 100 provided in an embodiment of this application. Figure 4 In the phased array 100, there are local oscillator signal adjustment path 01, adder 02, power divider unit 03, mixer 04 and radio frequency signal transmission channels T1, T2, T3...Tn.

[0091] Specifically, the output terminal To of the local oscillator signal adjustment path 01 is coupled to the first input terminal Ai1 of the adder 02. The input terminal Mi1 of the mixer 04 is coupled to the first local oscillator signal source 05, and the input terminal Mi2 of the mixer 04 is used to input the intermediate frequency signal IF. The output terminal Mo of the mixer 04 is coupled to the second input terminal Ai2 of the adder 02. In one possible implementation, a local oscillator buffer (not shown in the figure) can also be provided between the first local oscillator signal source 05 and the mixer 04 to amplify the local oscillator signal. The output terminal Ao of the adder 02 is coupled to the input terminal C1i of the power divider unit 03. The power divider unit 03 includes output terminals C1o1, C1o2, C1o3…C1on, and the output terminals C1o1, C1o2, C1o3…C1on of the power divider unit 03 are coupled one-to-one with the input terminals of the radio frequency signal transmission channels T1, T2, T3…Tn. The outputs of the radio frequency (RF) signal transmission channels T1, T2, T3…Tn are coupled one-to-one with the transmitting antenna TX. Each RF signal transmission channel may also include devices such as a power amplifier, phase shifter, or filter. It should be noted that this application embodiment does not limit the number of RF signal transmission channels; the phased array may include two or three RF signal transmission channels, etc. Similarly, the power divider unit 03 may include at least one power divider. For example, it may include two or three power dividers, etc. This application embodiment does not limit this; the number of power dividers included in the power divider unit 03 is determined according to the needs of the scenario and the number of RF signal transmission channels. Illustratively, the power divider unit 03 includes three power dividers, namely power divider C1, power divider C2, and power divider C3. The input of power divider C1 is coupled to the output of adder 02, one output of power divider C1 is coupled to the input of power divider C2, and the other output of power divider C1 is coupled to the input of power divider C3. The two outputs of power divider C2 and the two outputs of power divider C3 serve as the outputs Co1, Co2, Co3, and Co4 of power division unit 03. At this time, the radio frequency signal transmission channels can include four, namely radio frequency signal transmission channels T1, T2, T3, and T4, as follows: Figure 5 As shown, Figure 5 for Figure 4 A schematic diagram of the specific structure of the phased array 100 is shown. Furthermore, Figure 5 The diagram schematically illustrates that each RF signal transmission channel may also include a power amplifier PA and a phase shifter PS1. It should be noted that the intermediate frequency (IF) signal described in this embodiment refers to the signal input to mixer 04, which can be a zero IF signal or a low IF signal. In millimeter-wave applications, the center frequency of this IF signal can be on the order of GHz.

[0092] Please continue to refer to this. Figure 4In this embodiment, the local oscillator signal adjustment path 01 can adjust the signal input at input terminal Ti to generate a first signal provided to adder 02. The input terminal Mi1 of mixer 04 is used to input the local oscillator signal LO1. Mixer 04 mixes the local oscillator signal LO1 and the intermediate frequency signal IF input at input terminal Mi2 to generate a second signal provided to adder 02. Adder 02 superimposes the first and second signals to generate the signal to be transmitted. The power divider in power divider unit 03 divides the signal to be transmitted into multiple transmission signals, which are respectively provided to radio frequency signal transmission channels T1, T2, T3…Tn. After the radio frequency signal transmission channels T1, T2, T3…Tn perform processing such as filtering or power amplification on the multiple transmission signals, they transmit the multiple transmission signals through multiple antennas TX.

[0093] In this embodiment, the intermediate frequency (IF) signal IF input to the input terminal Mi2 of mixer 04 can be generated by the intermediate frequency signal processor 08. Specifically, as follows... Figure 4 As shown, Figure 4 The phased array shown also includes an intermediate frequency (IF) signal processor 08. The input terminal Mi1 of the mixer 04 is coupled to the output terminal of the IF signal processor 08, and is used to obtain the IF signal from the IF signal processor 08. The IF signal processor 08 described in this embodiment may include, for example, devices such as filters or analog-to-digital converters.

[0094] from Figure 4 and Figure 5 As can be seen from this, Figure 4 and Figure 5 The phased array 100 shown includes a mixer 04. In one possible implementation, the phased array 100 described in this application embodiment may include multiple mixers. Please refer to... Figure 6 , Figure 6 The diagram illustrates a phased array 100 comprising two mixers. For example... Figure 6 As shown, the phased array 100 includes, in addition to, [other components] Figure 4 In addition to the same components as the phased array 100 shown, it may also include a mixer 06 and a second local oscillator signal source 07. The input terminal Mi3 of mixer 06 is coupled to the second local oscillator signal source 07, the input terminal Mi4 of mixer 06 is coupled to the output terminal of the intermediate frequency signal processor 08, and the output terminal of mixer 06 is coupled to the input terminal Mi2 of mixer 04. The connection relationships of the remaining components are the same as... Figure 4 The connections between the components in the phased array 100 shown are identical and will not be repeated here. Figure 6In this process, the input terminal Mi3 of mixer 06 receives the local oscillator signal LO2 from the second local oscillator signal source 07, and the input terminal Mi4 of mixer 06 receives the intermediate frequency signal IN from the intermediate frequency signal processor 08. The local oscillator signal LO2 and the intermediate frequency signal IN are mixed to generate the aforementioned intermediate frequency signal IF, which is then provided to mixer 04. That is to say, in such a... Figure 6 In the phased array 100 shown, the intermediate frequency signal IF input to the mixer 04 is generated by mixing the intermediate frequency signal IN generated by the intermediate frequency signal processor 08 with the mixer 06.

[0095] It should be noted that the first local oscillator signal source 05 and the second local oscillator signal source 07 can be two different local oscillator signal generating devices. Alternatively, the first local oscillator signal source 05 and the second local oscillator signal source 07 can also be located in the same local oscillator signal generating device. As an example, when the first local oscillator signal source 05 and the second local oscillator signal source 07 are located in the same local oscillator signal generating device, the device can have two signal output ports. One signal output port is used to output the local oscillator signal LO1, and the input terminal Mi1 of the mixer 04 is coupled to this port. The other port of the device is used to output the local oscillator signal LO2, and the first input terminal of the mixer 06 is coupled to this port.

[0096] It should also be noted that the first local oscillator signal source 05 and the second local oscillator signal source 07 used to generate local oscillator signals LO1 and LO2 can be located inside or outside the phased array 100. When the first local oscillator signal source 05 and the second local oscillator signal source 07 are located outside the phased array 100, the phased array 100 can also be provided with two local oscillator signal input ports, one of which is used to input local oscillator signal LO1, and the other is used to input local oscillator signal LO2, which is not shown in the figure.

[0097] Compared with traditional communication technologies, the phased array described in this application embodiment can filter out the local oscillator leakage signal in the phased array while reducing the power consumption and layout area of ​​the communication equipment.

[0098] Typically, the second signal output by mixer 04 includes not only the radio frequency (RF) signal but also the local oscillator (LO) signal leaked from mixer 04, i.e., the LO leakage signal. The LO leakage signal usually interferes with the RF signal, affecting the performance of the transmitted RF signal. The phased array described in this application can improve the quality of the communication signal by setting a LO signal adjustment path. Furthermore, to solve the LO leakage problem, traditional communication technologies typically use a filter circuit at the mixer output to filter out the LO leakage signal, or employ an IQ transmitter to perform DC bias calibration on the IQ RF circuit to suppress the LO leakage signal. In current technology, both using filter circuits and IQ transmitters inevitably increase the power consumption of the communication equipment. When traditional LO leakage solutions are applied to phased arrays, multiple filter circuits or IQ transmitters are usually required, significantly increasing the layout area of ​​the communication equipment and consequently increasing its manufacturing cost. Compared with traditional communication technologies, the phased array and electronic devices including the phased array described in the embodiments of this application can filter out the local oscillator leakage signal in the phased array while reducing the power consumption and layout area of ​​the communication device.

[0099] In this embodiment, the local oscillator signal used for mixing with the intermediate frequency (IF) signal typically has a specific amplitude and phase; that is, the local oscillator leakage signal has a specific amplitude and phase. This embodiment addresses this by setting a local oscillator signal adjustment path 01, which cancels out the local oscillator leakage signal with the first signal output by the local oscillator signal adjustment path 01, thus suppressing local oscillator leakage. For example, the local oscillator signal adjustment path 01 processes the input signal to make the first signal and the local oscillator leakage signal have the same frequency, equal amplitude, and opposite phase, achieving the purpose of canceling out the local oscillator leakage signal. It should be noted that the opposite phase mentioned in this embodiment can refer to a phase difference of 180 degrees. The specific structure of the local oscillator signal adjustment path 01 is described below.

[0100] In the first possible implementation, the local oscillator signal adjustment path 01 may include a digital signal processor and a digital-to-analog converter, such as... Figure 7aAs shown. The input terminal of the digital signal processor is the input terminal Ti of the local oscillator signal adjustment path 01. The output terminal of the digital signal processor is coupled to the input terminal of the digital-to-analog converter (DAC), and the output terminal of the DAC is coupled to the first input terminal Ai1 of the adder 02. This digital signal processor and DAC can generate a first signal with the same frequency, equal amplitude, and opposite phase as the local oscillator leakage signal to suppress the local oscillator leakage signal. The signal input to the mixer 04 usually includes not only the local oscillator signal but also the harmonic signals of the local oscillator signal. Therefore, the local oscillator leakage signal usually includes the local oscillator signal and its harmonic signals. The first signal mentioned above can include a signal with the same frequency, equal amplitude, and opposite phase as the local oscillator signal, and can also include a signal with the same frequency, equal amplitude, and opposite phase as the harmonic signals of the local oscillator signal.

[0101] In the second possible implementation, the local oscillator signal adjustment path 01 may include a variable gain amplifier 012 and a phase shifter PS2, such as Figure 7b As shown. Typically, the local oscillator signal or harmonic signal at a certain frequency in the local oscillator leakage signal has the greatest interference to the radio frequency signal, while the interference of other frequencies of local oscillator leakage signals to the radio frequency signal can be ignored. In this case, the local oscillator leakage can be suppressed by suppressing the signal with the greatest interference. In specific implementation, the interference of each frequency signal in the local oscillator leakage signal output by the mixer 04 to the radio frequency signal can be analyzed by spectrum analysis equipment or manually. Based on the analysis results, a first signal is generated through the local oscillator signal adjustment path 01 to cancel the signal with the greatest interference. Based on this, the local oscillator signal adjustment path 01 can be simplified by adopting this second possible implementation method. In addition, optionally, the local oscillator signal adjustment path 01 may also include a frequency multiplier 011 to adjust the frequency of the signal input to the local oscillator signal adjustment path 01. Further, the input terminal Ti of the local oscillator signal adjustment path 01 can be coupled to the first local oscillator signal source 05 to receive the local oscillator signal LO1 from the first local oscillator signal source 05. The local oscillator signal LO1 is sequentially frequency-adjusted by frequency multiplier 011, amplitude-adjusted by variable gain amplifier 012, and phase-adjusted by phase shifter PS2, generating a first signal with the same frequency, amplitude, and opposite phase to the local oscillator leakage signal to be canceled. Figure 7bThe diagram schematically illustrates the following configuration: the input of frequency multiplier 011 is coupled to the first local oscillator signal source 05; the output of frequency multiplier 011 is coupled to the input of variable gain amplifier 012; the output of variable gain amplifier 012 is coupled to the input of phase shifter PS2; and the output of phase shifter PS2 is coupled to the first input Ai1 of adder 02. It should be noted that the embodiments of this application do not specifically limit the positions of frequency multiplier 011, variable gain amplifier 012, and phase shifter PS2 in the local oscillator signal adjustment path 01. For example, the local oscillator signal LO1 input to the local oscillator signal adjustment path 01 can first undergo amplitude adjustment via variable gain amplifier 012, then frequency adjustment via frequency multiplier 011, and finally phase adjustment via phase shifter PS1 to ultimately generate the first signal.

[0102] Figure 7b The diagram schematically illustrates the case where the input terminal Ti of the local oscillator signal adjustment path 01 is coupled to the first local oscillator signal source 05 and inputs the local oscillator signal LO1. In other possible implementations, the input terminal Ti of the local oscillator signal adjustment path 01 can also be used to input a random signal, and the local oscillator signal adjustment path 01 can also adjust the random signal to generate the aforementioned first signal.

[0103] The local oscillator signal adjustment path 01 generates the first signal by adjusting the local oscillator signal LO1, which eliminates the need for other signal sources and reduces the circuit layout area. Furthermore, the first signal can be generated simply by adjusting the local oscillator signal LO1, reducing the complexity of generating the first signal.

[0104] like Figures 4-6 In the phased array 100 shown, mixer 04 is located on the signal input side of adder 02. In other possible implementations, mixer 04 can also be located on the signal output side of adder 02. In this case, the structural schematic diagram of phased array 100 is as follows. Figure 8 As shown.

[0105] exist Figure 8 In the phased array 100, there are a local oscillator signal adjustment path 01, an adder 02, a power divider unit 03, a mixer 04, an intermediate frequency signal processor 08, and radio frequency signal transmission channels T1, T2, T3…Tn. The specific structure, included components, and functions of the local oscillator signal adjustment path 01, the power divider unit 03, and the radio frequency signal transmission channels T1, T2, T3…Tn are detailed below. Figures 4-6 The specific structure, included devices, and functions of the relevant units in the phased array 100 shown are all the same; please refer to [reference needed]. Figures 4-6 The specific descriptions of the relevant units in the embodiments shown are not repeated here. Figures 4-6 The phased array 100 shown is different in that... Figure 8In this circuit, the output terminal Mo of mixer 04 is coupled to the input terminal C1i of power divider unit 03, the input terminal Mi2 of mixer 04 is coupled to the output terminal Ao of adder 02, and the second input terminal Ai2 of adder 02 is coupled to intermediate frequency signal processor 08. The second input terminal Ai2 of adder 02 is used to receive intermediate frequency signal IF from intermediate frequency signal processor 08. The intermediate frequency signal IF is generated in a manner similar to... Figures 4-6 The intermediate frequency (IF) signal generated in the illustrated embodiments is the same and will not be repeated here. In addition, Figure 8 The connection relationships between the remaining components and between the components and the units are as follows: Figures 4-6 The connections between the components in the phased array 100 shown are the same; please refer to [reference needed]. Figures 4-6 The relevant descriptions in [the document] will not be repeated here. It should be noted that, as [the document states that]... Figure 8 The phased array 100 shown includes a mixer 04. In other possible implementations, the phased array 100 may also include multiple mixers, for example, in Figure 8 The phased array 100 may also include another mixer, which may be located between the intermediate frequency signal processor 08 and the adder 02, or between the adder 02 and the mixer 04. It is understood that, as... Figure 8 When the phased array is equipped with more mixers, it can also be equipped with more local oscillator signal sources. This situation is not shown in the figures of the embodiments of this application.

[0106] In such Figure 8 In the phased array 100 shown, when the local oscillator signal adjustment path 01 is not set, the signal output by the mixer 04 includes both the radio frequency signal and the local oscillator leakage signal. For example... Figure 8 The phased array 100 shown can suppress local oscillator leakage by setting the local oscillator signal adjustment path 01. The following example uses one radio frequency signal transmission channel of the phased array 100. Figure 9 ,right Figure 8 The principle of the phased array 100 in suppressing local oscillator leakage signals is described in detail below. Please refer to [link / reference]. Figure 9 , Figure 9 for Figure 8 The partial circuit structure of the phased array 100 is shown. Figure 9In this circuit, the local oscillator signal adjustment path 01 includes a frequency multiplier 011, a variable gain amplifier 012, and a phase shifter PS2. The local oscillator signal and its harmonic signal LO1 undergo frequency adjustment, amplitude adjustment, and phase adjustment respectively through the frequency multiplier 011, variable gain amplifier 012, and phase shifter PS2 in the local oscillator signal adjustment path 01, outputting a first signal. This first signal is superimposed with the intermediate frequency signal IF through an adder 02 and then input to the mixer 04. At this time, the first signal and the intermediate frequency signal IF are mixed with the local oscillator signal and its harmonic signal in the mixer. The signal after mixing includes the following: the local oscillator leakage signal (specifically, the local oscillator signal LO1 input to the first input terminal of the mixer 04), the radio frequency signal generated after mixing the intermediate frequency signal IF and the local oscillator signal LO1, and the signal generated after mixing the first signal and the local oscillator signal LO1 (referred to here as the third signal). That is, the signal output by the mixer 04 at this time is the local oscillator leakage signal + the radio frequency signal + the third signal. Therefore, by adjusting the frequency multiplier 011, variable gain amplifier 012, and phase shifter PS2 in the local oscillator signal adjustment path 01, the third signal is made to cancel out the local oscillator leakage signal (the local oscillator signal or its harmonics), so that the signal output by mixer 04 only includes the radio frequency signal. For example, by making the third signal have the same frequency, the same amplitude, and opposite phase (or a phase difference of 180 degrees), the local oscillator leakage signal can be made to cancel out the third signal.

[0107] The following is a more detailed explanation using a specific example. Assume that the local oscillator signal and its harmonic signal LO1 output from the first local oscillator signal source 05 are cos(2πmF*t+Φ), where m is a positive integer. After the local oscillator signal and its harmonic signal LO1 undergo frequency adjustment, amplitude adjustment, and phase adjustment respectively through the frequency multiplier 011, variable gain amplifier 012, and phase shifter PS2 in the local oscillator signal adjustment path 01, the output first signal is cos(2πnF*t+θ), where n is a positive integer. The third signal generated after mixing the first signal with the local oscillator signal includes at least: A=cos[2π(n+m)F*t+θ+Φ) and B=cos[2π(mn)F*t+Φ-θ). At this time, the local oscillator leakage signal includes: cos(2π*mF*t+Φ). Assume that the signal with the greatest interference to the radio frequency signal in the local oscillator leakage signal is cos(2πF*t+Φ) or cos(2π*3F*t+Φ). Furthermore, when n+m=3, nm=1, θ+Φ=Φ+π, and Φ-θ=Φ+π, that is, when n=2, m=1, and θ=2Φ, signal A in the third signal cancels out cos(2π*F*t+Φ) in the local oscillator leakage signal, and signal B in the third signal cancels out cos(2π*3F*t+Φ) in the local oscillator leakage signal, thereby achieving the purpose of reducing the interference of the local oscillator leakage signal on the radio frequency signal.

[0108] from Figure 4 , Figure 5 , Figure 6 and Figure 8 As can be seen from this, Figure 4 , Figure 5 , Figure 6 and Figure 8 In the phased array 100 shown, mixer 04 is disposed on the signal input side of power divider unit 03. In one possible implementation, mixer 04 may also be disposed on the signal output side of power divider unit 03. In this case, phased array 100 may include multiple mixers 04, that is, each radio frequency signal transmission channel is provided with mixer 04. See details. Figure 10 , Figure 10 This shows another structural schematic diagram of the phased array 100 provided in an embodiment of this application.

[0109] exist Figure 10 In this embodiment, the phased array 100 includes a local oscillator signal adjustment path 01, an adder 02, a power divider unit 03, an intermediate frequency signal processor 08, and radio frequency signal transmission channels T1, T2…Tn. Unlike the embodiments described above, the phased array 100 also includes a power divider unit 09. Furthermore, each radio frequency signal transmission channel T1, T2…Tn includes a mixer 04. The power divider unit 09 includes at least one power divider. In this configuration, the input terminal C2i of power divider unit 09 is coupled to the first local oscillator signal source 05, and each of the multiple output terminals C2o1, C2o2...C2on of power divider unit 09 is coupled one-to-one with the first input terminal of each of the multiple mixers 04; the input terminal C1i of power divider unit 03 is coupled to the output terminal Ao of adder 02, and each of the multiple output terminals C1o1, C1o2...C1on of power divider unit 03 is coupled one-to-one with the second input terminal of each of the multiple mixers 04. The specific structure of power divider unit 03 is similar to... Figure 4 The structure of the power divider unit 03 shown is the same and will not be described again here. In addition to mixers, the RF signal transmission channels T1, T2…Tn may also include power amplifiers PA and phase shifters PS1. The output of mixer 04 is coupled to the input of power amplifier PA, and the output of power amplifier PA is coupled to antenna TX. Phase shifter PS1 can be located on the signal input side or the signal output side of mixer 04. That is, in one possible implementation, one output of power divider unit 09 is coupled to the first input of mixer 04 via phase shifter PS1; in another possible implementation, the output of mixer 04 is coupled to the input of power amplifier PA via phase shifter PS1. Figure 10The diagram shows the phase shifter PS1 positioned on the signal input side of mixer 04. The input terminal Ti of the local oscillator signal adjustment path 01 is coupled to the first local oscillator signal source 05, and the output terminal To is coupled to the first input terminal Ai1 of adder 02, used to input a first signal to adder 02. The second input terminal Ai2 of adder 02 is coupled to intermediate frequency signal processor 08, used to receive the intermediate frequency signal IF from intermediate frequency signal processor 08. The specific generation method of the intermediate frequency signal IF is as follows... Figure 4 The generation method of the intermediate frequency signal IF described above is the same and will not be repeated here. The local oscillator signal adjustment path 01 can have various structures. In the first possible implementation, the local oscillator signal adjustment path 01 can be... Figure 7a The structure shown. In the second possible implementation, the local oscillator signal adjustment path 01 can also be as follows: Figure 7b The structure shown. In the third possible implementation, the local oscillator signal adjustment path 01 may not require a phase shifter; it may only include a variable gain amplifier, or a frequency multiplier and a variable gain amplifier. In this case, phase adjustment is achieved through the phase shifter PS1 in each RF signal transmission channel. Specifically, the phase shifters PS1 in RF signal transmission channels T1, T2…Tn can be adjusted simultaneously, so that the phase shifters PS1 in each RF signal transmission channel are first uniformly shifted to a fixed phase P1. This fixed phase P1 is determined based on the phase difference between the local oscillator signal and the first signal. Based on this, it can be based on, as shown in... Figure 3 The principle of the phased array transmitting signal shown continues by adjusting the phase shifter PS1 in each RF signal transmission channel, enabling the phased array to transmit a beamforming signal. This also suppresses the local oscillator signal leaking from mixer 04. For a second possible implementation, please refer to... Figure 11a , Figure 11a For example Figure 10 The diagram shows a detailed structural schematic of the phased array 100. Figure 11a The diagram schematically illustrates four RF signal transmission channels T1, T2, T3, and T4. Power divider unit 03 includes three power dividers C1, C2, and C3; power divider unit 09 includes three power dividers C4, C5, and C6; and the local oscillator signal adjustment path 01 includes a frequency multiplier 011, a variable gain amplifier 012, and a phase shifter PS2. For a third possible implementation, please refer to [reference needed]. Figure 11b , Figure 11b For example Figure 10 This is another specific structural schematic diagram of the phased array 100 shown. Figure 11b The diagram schematically illustrates the local oscillator signal adjustment path 01, which includes a frequency multiplier 011 and a variable gain amplifier 012. The remaining components are similar to... Figure 11a The components shown are the same, so they will not be described again.

[0110] like Figures 10-11b The principle of the phased array 100 shown suppressing local oscillator leakage signal is similar to... Figure 8 The phased array 100 shown uses the same principle to suppress local oscillator leakage signals; please refer to [link / reference]. Figure 8 The relevant descriptions in the illustrated embodiments will not be repeated here.

[0111] from Figures 10-11b As can be seen from this, Figure 10 , Figure 11a and Figure 11b The phased array 100 shown can effectively suppress local oscillator leakage signals by setting a local oscillator signal adjustment path 01 on the signal input side of power divider unit 03 and power divider unit 09, compared with the traditional scheme of suppressing local oscillator signals in phased arrays, while reducing power consumption and layout area.

[0112] like Figures 4-11b The phased array 100 shown can suppress local oscillator leakage signals by setting a local oscillator signal adjustment path 01. Typically, due to the introduction of the local oscillator signal, the phased array 100 inevitably introduces spurious signals related to the local oscillator signal. These spurious signals are amplified by the power amplifier PA at the front end of the phased array 100 and radiated into free space, interfering with the signal received at the receiver. To suppress spurious signals in the phased array 100, embodiments of this application further propose... Figure 12 The phased array 100 is shown. In Figure 12 In this embodiment, unlike the previous embodiments, the phased array 100 does not include a local oscillator signal adjustment circuit 01 and an adder 02. Instead, the phased array 100 includes a spurious signal adjustment circuit 10 and an adder 11. The input terminal Zi1 of the spurious signal adjustment circuit 10 is coupled to the output terminal of the intermediate frequency signal processor 08, used to input the intermediate frequency signal IF. The input terminal Zi2 of the spurious signal adjustment circuit 10 is coupled to the first local oscillator signal source 05, and the output terminal Zo of the spurious signal adjustment circuit 10 is coupled to the input terminal Ai4 of the adder 11. The output terminal Mo of the mixer 04 is coupled to the input terminal Ai3 of the adder 11, and the output terminal Ao2 of the adder 11 is coupled to the input terminal C1i of the power divider unit 03. Furthermore, Figure 12 The structure of the intermediate frequency signal processor 08, the first local oscillator signal source 05, the mixer 04, the centimeter unit 03, and the radio frequency signal transmission channels T1, T2, T3…Tn in the phased array 100 shown is similar to… Figure 4 or Figure 8 The intermediate frequency signal processor 08, the first local oscillator signal source 05, the mixer 04, the centimeter unit 03, and the structures of each radio frequency signal transmission channel described herein are the same and will not be repeated. Figure 12In this circuit, the spurious signal adjustment circuit 10 receives the intermediate frequency (IF) signal from the intermediate frequency (IF) signal processor 08 and the local oscillator (LO) signal from the first local oscillator (LO) signal source 05. After phase shifting the received LO signal, it mixes it with the IF signal and outputs the generated signal to the adder 11. Conversely, the mixer 04 receives the IF signal from the IF signal processor 08 and the LO signal from the first local oscillator (LO) signal source 05. After mixing the IF signal and the LO signal, it outputs the generated signal to the adder 11. The adder 11 superimposes the signal output from the spurious signal adjustment circuit 10 and the signal output from the mixer 04, generating a superimposed signal which is output to the input terminal C1i of the centimeter unit 03.

[0113] This embodiment of the application, by setting a spurious signal adjustment circuit 10, can phase-shift the local oscillator signal LO based on the frequency of the signal to be output and the frequency of the spurious signal. This causes the phase of the spurious signal output by the spurious signal adjustment circuit 10 to be out of phase (i.e., 180 degrees out of phase) with the phase of the spurious signal output by the mixer 04. Thus, the spurious signal output by the spurious signal adjustment circuit 10 cancels out the spurious signal output by the mixer 04, thereby suppressing spurious signals and preventing interference from spurious signals to the signal received at the receiver.

[0114] based on Figure 12 The phased array 100 shown in this application embodiment can be implemented with the spurious emission reduction circuit 10 in various ways. In a first possible implementation, the spurious emission reduction circuit 10 includes a mixer 101 and a phase shifter PS3, such as... Figure 13A As shown. The first local oscillator signal source 05 is coupled to one input terminal of mixer 101 via phase shifter PS3; the other input terminal of mixer 101 is coupled to the input terminal of intermediate frequency signal processor 08; the output terminal of mixer 101 is coupled to the output terminal Ai4 of adder. Based on Figure 13A The stray noise reduction circuit 10 shown is combined with Figure 13B The signal phase diagram shown illustrates the principle of total spurious suppression in the embodiments of this application. Figure 13B In this diagram, Fif is the signal output by mixer 04, flo is the signal output by mixer 101, and out is the signal obtained by adding Fif and flo by adder 11. Assume that the phased array 100 needs to output a signal of Flo + Fif, and the spurious signal to be suppressed is 3Flo - Fif, where Flo is a signal with a 60-degree phase adjustment. Figure 13B (a) is the phase vector diagram of the signal output by adder 11; Figure 13B (b) is a vector diagram showing the superposition of the spurious signals output by mixer 101 and mixer 04. From... Figure 13BAs can be seen, by setting mixer 101 and phase shifter PS3, the signal to be transmitted can be the superposition of the signals output by mixer 101 and mixer 04. The spurious signals output by mixer 101 and mixer 04 cancel each other out, thereby suppressing the spurious signals.

[0115] like Figure 13A The spurious signal adjustment circuit 10 shown includes a mixer 101 and a phase shifter PS3. In a second possible implementation, to make the signals output by mixers 101 and 104 easier to adjust, in such a way... Figure 13A Based on the spurious emission reduction circuit 10 shown, the spurious emission reduction circuit 10 further includes a phase shifter PS4, such as... Figure 13C The output of the first local oscillator signal source 05 is coupled to the input Mi1 of the mixer 04 through the phase shifter PS4. By setting the phase shifter PS4, the phases of the phase shifters PS3 and PS4 can be adjusted simultaneously. Similarly, the signal to be transmitted can be superimposed as the signals output by the mixers 101 and 04. The spurious signals output by the mixer 101 and the spurious signals output by the mixer 04 cancel each other out, thereby suppressing the spurious signals.

[0116] like Figure 13A and Figure 13C In the spurious signal suppression circuit 10 shown, spurious signals are suppressed by phase shifting the local oscillator signal. In this embodiment, in addition to phase shifting the local oscillator signal, the intermediate frequency signal can also be phase shifted to suppress spurious signals. In a third possible implementation, as in... Figure 13A Based on the spurious emission reduction circuit 10 shown, the spurious emission reduction circuit 10 further includes a phase shifter PS4, such as... Figure 14The phase shifter PS4 is positioned between the intermediate frequency signal processor 08 and the mixer 101. The signal output from the intermediate frequency signal processor 08 is phase-shifted by the phase shifter PS4 and then output to the mixer 101. Therefore, by adjusting the phases of the phase shifters PS3 and PS4, the signal to be transmitted output from the mixer 101 and the signal to be transmitted output from the mixer 04 can be made to be in phase, while the spurious signal output from the mixer 101 is out of phase with the spurious signal output from the mixer 04, thus suppressing spurious signals. For example, assuming the phased array 100 needs to output a signal of Flo+Fif, and the spurious signal to be suppressed is 3Flo-Fif, the phase of the phase shifter PS4 is set to -45°, and the phase of the phase shifter PS3 is set to 45°. The intermediate frequency signal IF is phase-shifted to -45° by phase shifter PS4, and the local oscillator signal LO is phase-shifted to 45° by phase shifter PS3. After the mixer mixes the phase-shifted intermediate frequency signal IF and the phase-shifted local oscillator signal LO, the phase of the signal to be transmitted Flo is the same as the phase of the signal Fif output by mixer 04, and the phase of the spurious signal 3Flo is opposite to the phase of the signal Fif output by mixer 04, that is, the spurious signal is canceled out, thereby suppressing the spurious signal.

[0117] like Figure 12 In the phased array 100 shown, mixer 04 is located on the input side of power divider unit 03. In other possible implementations, mixer 04 can be located on the output side of power divider unit 03, meaning that mixer 04 is provided in each RF signal transmission channel. In this implementation, each RF signal transmission channel can be equipped with a spurious emission reduction circuit 10, such as... Figure 15 As shown. Figure 15 This is yet another structural schematic diagram of the phased array 100 provided in an embodiment of this application. Figure 15 In the phased array 100, there are intermediate frequency signal processors 08, first local oscillator signal source 05, power divider unit 03, power divider unit 09, and radio frequency signal transmission channels T1, T2, ... Tn. The structures of power divider unit 03 and power divider unit 09 are similar to... Figure 10 The power divider unit 03 and power divider unit 09 shown have the same structure. The first local oscillator signal source 05 is coupled to the input terminal C2i of the power divider unit 09 to input the local oscillator signal to the power divider unit 09. The intermediate frequency signal processor 08 is coupled to the input terminal C1i of the power divider unit 03 to input the local oscillator signal to the power divider unit 03. Figure 15 Each RF signal transmission channel shown includes a spurious signal adjustment circuit 10, a mixer 04, an adder 11, and a power amplifier PA. The structure of the spurious signal adjustment circuit 10 in each RF signal transmission channel can be... Figure 13A , Figure 13C or Figure 14Any one of them, the specific working principle will not be elaborated. The coupling relationship between the spurious adjustment circuit 10, mixer 04 and adder 11 and Figure 12 The coupling relationships between the spurious emission control circuit 10, mixer 04, and adder 11 are the same; please refer to the relevant descriptions for details, which will not be repeated here. The output of adder 11 is coupled to the input of power amplifier PA to input the signal to be transmitted into power amplifier PA. After power amplification, power amplifier PA transmits the signal through antenna TX. Figure 12 and Figure 15 The phased array 100 shown illustrates a configuration where a spurious signal adjustment circuit 10 is included. In other possible implementations, the phased array 100 may include both a local oscillator signal adjustment circuit 01 and a spurious signal adjustment circuit 10, thereby enabling the phased array 100 to suppress both local oscillator leakage and spurious signals. Specifically, the embodiments of this application... Figure 4 , Figure 5 , Figure 6 , Figure 8 , Figure 10 , Figure 11a and Figure 11b Based on the phased array 100 shown, a spurious emission reduction circuit 10 can be further added. For example, in Figure 4 Based on the phased array 100 shown, a stray noise reduction circuit 10 and an adder 11 are further provided, such as... Figure 16 As shown. Adder 11 is positioned between the output terminal Mo of mixer 04 and the input terminal Ai2 of adder 02. The coupling relationship between spurious adjustment circuit 10, mixer 04, and adder 11 is shown in the figure. Figure 12 For details regarding the structure, connections, and working principles of other components, please refer to [link / reference]. Figure 4 The descriptions of the components shown will not be repeated. For example, in... Figure 8 Based on the phased array 100 shown, a stray noise reduction circuit 10 and an adder 11 are further provided, such as... Figure 17 As shown. The input terminal Ai2 of adder 02 is coupled to the output terminal of intermediate frequency signal processor 08, and the output terminal Ao of adder 02 is coupled to the input terminal Mi2 of mixer 04 and the input terminal Zi of spurious emission reduction circuit 10. The coupling relationship between spurious emission reduction circuit 10, mixer 04, and adder 11 is shown in the figure. Figure 12 For details regarding the structure, connections, and working principles of other components, please refer to [link / reference]. Figure 4 The descriptions of the components shown will not be repeated. For example, in... Figure 10 Based on the phased array 100 shown, each radio frequency signal transmission channel can be further equipped with a spurious adjustment circuit 10 and an adder 11, such as... Figure 18 As shown. Figure 17The phased array 100 shown has the same structure as the radio frequency signal transmission channels T1, T2...Tn. Figure 15 The radio frequency signal transmission channels T1, T2...Tn shown have the same structure; please refer to [reference needed]. Figure 15 The relevant descriptions in the document, the structure, connection relationships, and working principles of the remaining components are similar to those in the document. Figure 10 The related components shown are the same; please refer to the following for details. Figure 10 The descriptions of the relevant components will not be repeated here.

[0118] This application also provides an electronic device 300, please refer to... Figure 19 The electronic device 300 may include a transceiver 301, a memory 302, and a processor 303. The transceiver 301 contains the phased array 100 as described in the previous embodiments. The processor 303 may contain a first local oscillator signal source 05 and a second local oscillator signal source 07 as described in the previous embodiments to generate local oscillator signals LO1 and LO2. Furthermore, the processor 303 may also contain an intermediate frequency signal processor 08 to generate intermediate frequency signals, etc.

[0119] 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 20 The 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 these programs, such as supporting the smartphone 310 in implementing various communication functions (e.g., making calls, sending messages, or instant messaging). The memory 3103 is mainly used to store software programs and data. The communication circuit is mainly used for converting baseband signals to radio frequency signals and 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 a touchscreen, display screen, and keyboard, are mainly used to receive user input data and output data to the user.

[0120] 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.

[0121] Those skilled in the art will understand that, for ease of explanation, Figure 19 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.

[0122] 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 phased array, characterized in that, include: The system includes a local oscillator signal adjustment path, a first adder, a first power divider, and multiple radio frequency signal transmission channels. The input terminal of the local oscillator signal adjustment path is coupled to the first local oscillator signal source, and the output terminal of the local oscillator signal adjustment path is coupled to the first input terminal of the first adder. It is used to receive the first local oscillator signal from the first local oscillator signal source, adjust the first local oscillator signal, generate the first signal, and input the first signal to the first adder. The second input terminal of the first adder is coupled to the transmission path to receive the second signal. The first adder superimposes the first signal and the second signal to generate the signal to be transmitted. The input terminal of the first power divider is coupled to the output terminal of the first adder, and the output terminal of the first power divider is coupled to the input terminal of the plurality of radio frequency signal transmission channels. The first power divider is used to divide the signal to be transmitted into multiple transmission signals. The output terminals of the multiple radio frequency signal transmission channels are coupled to multiple antennas. The multiple radio frequency signal transmission channels are used to process the multiple transmission signals and transmit the multiple transmission signals through the multiple antennas.

2. The phased array according to claim 1, characterized in that, The local oscillator signal adjustment path includes a variable gain amplifier; wherein... The variable gain amplifier is used to adjust the amplitude of the first local oscillator signal.

3. The phased array according to claim 2, characterized in that, The local oscillator signal adjustment path also includes a first phase shifter; The first phase shifter is used to adjust the phase of the first local oscillator signal.

4. The phased array according to claim 3, characterized in that, The local oscillator signal adjustment path also includes a frequency multiplier; The frequency multiplier is used to adjust the frequency of the first local oscillator signal.

5. The phased array according to any one of claims 1-4, characterized in that, The transmission path includes a first mixer and an intermediate frequency signal processor; The output of the intermediate frequency signal processor is coupled to the first input of the first mixer; The second input terminal of the first mixer is coupled to the first local oscillator signal source, and the output terminal of the first mixer is coupled to the second input terminal of the first adder. The first mixer is used to input the second signal to the first adder.

6. The phased array according to claim 5, characterized in that, The transmission path also includes a second mixer, and the phased array also includes a second local oscillator signal source; The first input terminal of the second mixer is coupled to the output terminal of the intermediate frequency signal processor, the second input terminal of the second mixer is coupled to the second local oscillator signal source, and the output terminal of the second mixer is coupled to the first input terminal of the first mixer.

7. The phased array according to any one of claims 1-4, characterized in that, The transmission path includes an intermediate frequency signal processor; The second input terminal of the first adder is coupled to the output terminal of the intermediate frequency signal processor for receiving the second signal from the intermediate frequency signal processor.

8. The phased array according to claim 7, characterized in that, The phased array also includes a first mixer; The output of the first adder is coupled to the input of the first mixer; The output of the first mixer is coupled to the input of the first power divider.

9. The phased array according to claim 7, characterized in that, Each of the plurality of radio frequency signal transmission channels further includes a first mixer, and the phased array further includes a second power divider; The first input terminal of the first mixer is coupled to the output terminal of the first power divider; The second input terminal of the first mixer is coupled to the output terminal of the second power divider; The second power divider is used to divide the first local oscillator signal to generate multiple local oscillator signals; The first mixer is used to mix one of the local oscillator signals from the multiple local oscillator signals with one of the transmitted signals from the multiple transmitted signals.

10. The phased array according to any one of claims 1-4, 6, 8-9, characterized in that, Each of the plurality of radio frequency signal transmission channels further includes: The second phase shifter is used to shift the phase of one of the multiple transmitted signals.

11. The phased array according to claim 5, characterized in that, The transmission path also includes a spurious adjustment circuit and a second adder; The first input terminal of the spurious signal adjustment circuit is coupled to the first local oscillator signal source, the second input terminal of the spurious signal adjustment circuit is coupled to the intermediate frequency signal processor, and the output terminal of the spurious signal adjustment circuit is coupled to the first input terminal of the second adder. The output of the first mixer is coupled to the second input of the second adder, and the output of the second adder is coupled to the second input of the first adder. The spurious signal adjustment circuit generates a third signal based on the local oscillator signal output from the first local oscillator signal source and the intermediate frequency signal output from the intermediate frequency signal processor, and provides it to the second adder. The second adder superimposes the third signal with the signal output from the first mixer to generate the second signal.

12. The phased array according to claim 11, characterized in that, The transmission path also includes a spurious adjustment circuit and a second adder; The first input terminal of the spurious signal adjustment circuit is coupled to the first local oscillator signal source, the second input terminal of the spurious signal adjustment circuit is coupled to the output terminal of the first adder, and the output terminal of the spurious signal adjustment circuit is coupled to the first input terminal of the second adder. The output of the first mixer is coupled to the second input of the second adder, and the output of the second adder is coupled to the input of the first power divider; The spurious signal adjustment circuit generates a third signal based on the local oscillator signal output from the first local oscillator signal source and the signal output from the first adder, and provides it to the second adder. The second adder superimposes the third signal with the signal output from the first mixer to generate the signal to be transmitted.

13. The phased array according to claim 11 or 12, characterized in that, The stray noise reduction circuit includes a third phase shifter and a third mixer; The third phase shifter is coupled between the first local oscillator signal source and the first input terminal of the third mixer; The second input terminal of the third mixer is coupled to either the output terminal of the intermediate frequency signal processor or the output terminal of the first adder, and the output terminal of the third mixer is coupled to the first input terminal of the second adder.

14. The phased array according to claim 11 or 12, characterized in that, The stray noise adjustment circuit also includes a fourth phase shifter; The fourth phase shifter is coupled between the first local oscillator signal source and the second input terminal of the first mixer.

15. The phased array according to claim 13, characterized in that, The stray noise adjustment circuit also includes a fourth phase shifter; One end of the fourth phase shifter is coupled to either the output of the intermediate frequency signal processor or the output of the first adder, and the other end of the fourth phase shifter is coupled to the second input of the third mixer.

16. The phased array according to claim 9, characterized in that, Each of the plurality of radio frequency signal transmission channels further includes a spurious adjustment circuit and a second adder; The first input terminal of the spurious emission control circuit is coupled to the output terminal of the second power divider, the second input terminal of the spurious emission control circuit is coupled to the output terminal of the first power divider, and the output terminal of the spurious emission control circuit is coupled to the first input terminal of the second adder. The output of the first mixer is coupled to the second input of the second adder, and the output of the second adder is coupled to the input of the first power divider; The spurious signal adjustment circuit is used to process one of the local oscillator signals from the multiple local oscillator signals and one of the transmitted signals from the multiple transmitted signals; The second adder is used to superimpose the signal output by the spurious adjustment circuit and the signal output by the first mixer.

17. The phased array according to claim 16, characterized in that, The stray noise reduction circuit includes a third phase shifter and a third mixer; The third phase shifter is coupled between the output of the second power divider and the first input of the third mixer; The second input terminal of the third mixer is coupled to the output terminal of the first power divider; The output of the third mixer is coupled to the first input of the second adder.

18. The phased array according to claim 17, characterized in that, The stray noise adjustment circuit also includes a fourth phase shifter; The fourth phase shifter is coupled between the output of the second power divider and the second input of the first mixer.

19. The phased array according to claim 17, characterized in that, The stray noise adjustment circuit also includes a fourth phase shifter; The fourth phase shifter is coupled between the output of the first power divider and the second input of the third mixer.

20. An electronic device, characterized in that, The transceiver includes a circuit board, a transceiver, and a processor disposed on the circuit board, wherein the transceiver includes a phased array as described in any one of claims 1-19.

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