Radio frequency front-end module and electronic equipment

Abstract

The invention relates to a radio frequency front-end module and electronic equipment. The radio frequency front-end module comprises a target power amplifier and a first signal transmission link without a filter device; the input end of the target power amplifier is connected with the transceiver, the output end of the target power amplifier is connected with one end of the first signal transmission link, and the other end of the first signal transmission link is connected with the antenna module; the target power amplifier is used for performing power amplification processing on the first cellular signal output by the transceiver and outputting the amplified first cellular signal to the first signal transmission link; and the first signal transmission link is used for transmitting the amplified first cellular signal to the antenna module. By adopting the radio frequency front-end module, the power consumption of the electronic equipment during signal emission can be optimized.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present application relates to the technical field of electronic equipment, and in particular to a radio frequency front-end module and electronic equipment. Background Art

[0002] During cellular communication, electronic devices transmit cellular signals to antennas through the transmission link in the RF front-end module, so as to transmit cellular signals through the antennas, wherein the transmission link includes multiple RF components with different functions. Currently, there is a problem of high power consumption when electronic devices transmit cellular signals. Therefore, in order to ensure the communication performance of electronic devices, the problem of optimizing the power consumption of electronic devices when transmitting signals needs to be solved urgently. Summary of the invention

[0003] Based on this, it is necessary to provide a radio frequency front-end module and electronic device that can optimize the power consumption of electronic devices when transmitting signals in response to the above technical problems.

[0004] In a first aspect, the present application provides a radio frequency front-end module, which includes a target power amplifier and a first signal transmission link that does not include a filter device; the input end of the target power amplifier is connected to a transceiver, the output end of the target power amplifier is connected to one end of the first signal transmission link, and the other end of the first signal transmission link is connected to an antenna module; the target power amplifier is used to power amplify a first cellular signal output by the transceiver, and output the amplified first cellular signal to the first signal transmission link; the first signal transmission link is used to transmit the amplified first cellular signal to the antenna module.

[0005] In a second aspect, the present application also provides an electronic device, which includes the RF front-end module as described in the first aspect above.

[0006] In the above-mentioned RF front-end module and electronic device, the RF front-end module includes a target power amplifier and a first signal transmission link that does not include a filter device; the input end of the target power amplifier is connected to the transceiver, the output end of the target power amplifier is connected to one end of the first signal transmission link, and the other end of the first signal transmission link is connected to the antenna module; the target power amplifier is used to power amplify the first cellular signal output by the transceiver, and output the amplified first cellular signal to the first signal transmission link; the first signal transmission link is used to transmit the amplified first cellular signal to the antenna module. In this way, after the first cellular signal is output from the transceiver, it is power amplified by the target power amplifier on the transmission link and then directly transmitted to the antenna module through the first signal transmission link, so as to be transmitted using the antenna in the antenna module. In this process, the first signal transmission link does not include a filter device, so the power consumption caused by the filter device in the first cellular signal transmission process is eliminated, the power consumption of the electronic device in the first cellular signal transmission process is reduced, and the communication performance of the electronic device is optimized. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0007] In order to more clearly illustrate the embodiments of the present application or the technical solutions in the prior art, the drawings required for use in the embodiments or the prior art descriptions are briefly introduced below. Obviously, the drawings described below are only some embodiments of the present application, and for ordinary technicians in this field, other drawings can be obtained based on these drawings without creative work.

[0008] Figure 1 is a schematic structural diagram of a radio frequency front-end module in an embodiment;

[0009] Figure 2 is a schematic diagram of the composition of a power consumption module in one embodiment;

[0010] Figure 3 A schematic diagram of an electronic device framework constructed based on a Phase 7 device in an embodiment;

[0011] Figure 4 A schematic diagram of an electronic device framework constructed based on a Phase7 lite device in an embodiment;

[0012] Figure 5 A schematic diagram of an electronic device framework constructed based on a Phase7 LE device in an embodiment;

[0013] Figure 6 is a schematic diagram of the architecture of a chip device in one embodiment;

[0014] Figure 7 is a schematic structural diagram of another radio frequency front-end module in an embodiment;

[0015] Figure 8 is a schematic structural diagram of another radio frequency front-end module in an embodiment;

[0016] Fig. 9 In one embodiment, based on Figure 6 A schematic diagram of the structure of the RF front-end module of the chip device shown;

[0017] Fig.10 is a schematic diagram of loss distribution of a filter device in one embodiment;

[0018] Fig.11 is a schematic structural diagram of another radio frequency front-end module in an embodiment;

[0019] Fig.12 is a schematic structural diagram of another radio frequency front-end module in an embodiment;

[0020] Fig.13 In one embodiment, another embodiment based on Figure 6 A schematic diagram of the structure of the RF front-end module of the chip device shown;

[0021] Fig.14 A schematic diagram of the loss of a transmission channel of an existing solution in an embodiment;

[0022] Fig.15 A schematic diagram of the loss of a transmission channel of the present application solution in one embodiment;

[0023] Fig.16 is a schematic structural diagram of another radio frequency front-end module in an embodiment;

[0024] Fig.17 is a schematic structural diagram of another radio frequency front-end module in an embodiment;

[0025] Fig.18 is a schematic diagram of the architecture of an electronic device in one embodiment;

[0026] Fig.19 is a schematic diagram of the architecture of another electronic device in one embodiment;

[0027] Fig. 20 It is a schematic diagram of the architecture of another electronic device in one embodiment. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0028] In order to make the above-mentioned purposes, features and advantages of the present application more obvious and easy to understand, the specific implementation methods of the present application are described in detail below in conjunction with the accompanying drawings. It should be understood that many specific details are set forth in the following description to facilitate a full understanding of the present application, but the present application can be implemented in many other ways different from those described herein, and those skilled in the art can make similar improvements without violating the connotation of the present application, so the present application is not limited by the specific embodiments disclosed below.

[0029] Unless otherwise defined, all technical and scientific terms used herein have the same meaning as those commonly understood by those skilled in the art to which this application belongs. The terms used herein in the specification of this application are only for the purpose of describing specific embodiments and are not intended to limit this application.

[0030] It is understood that the terms "first", "second", etc. used in this application can be used in this article to describe various elements, but these elements are not limited by these terms. For example, without departing from the scope of this application, a first resistor can be referred to as a second resistor, and similarly, a second resistor can be referred to as a first resistor. Both the first resistor and the second resistor are resistors, but they are not the same resistor. Thus, the features defined as "first" and "second" can explicitly or implicitly include at least one of the features. In the description of this application, the meaning of "plurality" is at least two, such as two, three, etc., unless otherwise clearly and specifically defined.

[0031] It is understood that the "connection" in the following embodiments should be understood as "electrical connection", "communication connection", etc., if the connected circuits, modules, units, etc. have electrical signals or data transmission between each other. The terms "install", "connect", "connect", "fix", etc. should be understood in a broad sense, for example, it can be a fixed connection, a detachable connection, or an integral connection; it can be a mechanical connection or an electrical connection; it can be a direct connection or an indirect connection through an intermediate medium, it can be the internal connection of two elements or the interaction relationship between two elements, unless otherwise clearly defined.

[0032] When used herein, the singular forms "a", "an", and "said / the" may also include plural forms, unless the context clearly indicates otherwise. It should also be understood that the terms "include / comprise" or "have" and the like specify the presence of stated features, wholes, steps, operations, components, parts, or combinations thereof, but do not exclude the possibility of the presence or addition of one or more other features, wholes, steps, operations, components, parts, or combinations thereof. At the same time, the term "and / or" used in this specification includes any and all combinations of the relevant listed items.

[0033] During cellular communication, an electronic device transmits a cellular signal to an antenna through a transmission link in a radio frequency front-end module, so as to transmit the cellular signal through the antenna, wherein the transmission link includes a plurality of radio frequency components with different functions. Currently, there is a problem of high power consumption when electronic devices transmit cellular signals, but the current solution has reached a bottleneck for optimizing the power consumption of the transmission link. In order to ensure the communication performance of electronic devices, the problem of optimizing the power consumption of electronic devices when transmitting signals needs to be solved urgently. In view of this, an embodiment of the present application provides a radio frequency front-end module that can reduce the power consumption of electronic devices when transmitting signals.

[0034] In one embodiment, Figure 1 As shown, a schematic diagram of the structure of a radio frequency front-end module provided by an embodiment of the present application is shown. The radio frequency front-end module includes a target power amplifier and a first signal transmission link that does not include a filter device; the input end of the target power amplifier is connected to the transceiver, the output end of the target power amplifier is connected to one end of the first signal transmission link, and the other end of the first signal transmission link is connected to the antenna module; the target power amplifier is used to perform power amplification processing on the first cellular signal output by the transceiver, and output the amplified first cellular signal to the first signal transmission link; the first signal transmission link is used to transmit the amplified first cellular signal to the antenna module.

[0035] To facilitate understanding, before describing the RF front-end module provided in the embodiment of the present application, the inventors of the present application will describe the relevant situations regarding the power consumption of electronic devices obtained through long-term simulation research and development as well as the collection, demonstration and verification of experimental data.

[0036] Electronic devices can work in different modes, using RF front-end modules to transmit cellular signals corresponding to different modes to the antenna for transmission. For example, TDD (Time Division Duplexing) mode and FDD (Frequency Division Duplexing) mode are two typical modes. Taking the example of an electronic device transmitting a cellular signal in TDD mode, in this scenario, the power consumption module composition in the RF system architecture of the electronic device can be disassembled as follows: Figure 2As shown. First, there are the baseband module and the modem module, where the baseband module is for example the CPU module in the electronic device; the modem module is also called the modulation and demodulation module, that is, it is used to process the modulation and demodulation processing related to the communication system. Further forward is the transceiver, which processes the analog modulation, frequency locking and other processing in the processing system. Further forward is the transmitting and receiving module in the RF front end, taking the main set reception and diversity reception of the electronic device as an example, where the receiving in the transmitting and receiving modules of the main set includes, for example, a power amplifier (Power Amplifier, PA), a low noise amplifier (low noise amplifier, LNA) and a control module, and the control module includes, for example, devices such as switches. The diversity reception module mainly includes its internal control module and LNA.

[0037] The transmitting and receiving modules of the main set are, for example, Phase 7LE, which is called an enhanced seventh-generation integrated product. With the development of communication networks, from the 2G network that only supports voice calls at the beginning to the 5G network that supports high-speed data traffic now, mobile communications are providing convenience for people's daily lives. But the difficulty that comes with it is that with the increase in communication network standards, electronic devices must support the communication requirements under various network standards such as 2G, 3G, 4G, and 5G; limited by the size constraints of electronic devices, the space of the motherboard PCB of electronic devices has not been greatly increased due to the increase in demand, which will lead to very tight space layout and wiring of the motherboard PCB. In order to cope with the increasing demand for various network standards and at the same time solve the problem of tight PCB layout, the high integration and miniaturization of devices have become a development trend. From the Phase2 product that only supports Single Band at the beginning to the Phase7 product that supports the integration of various standards, the integration of devices is getting higher and higher, and the package size of devices is getting smaller and smaller.

[0038] like Figure 3 The schematic diagram of the electronic device framework based on Phase7 devices is shown, where 2G LMB 3 / 4 / 5GLB PAMid and 3 / 4 / 5G MHB PAMid are power amplifier modules, which are all Phase7 devices, and 2 / 3 / 4 / 5G LB 2 / 3 / 4 / 5GMHB eLNA is a radio frequency front end including LNA. The intelligent switch is connected to multiple antennas in the electronic device.

[0039] like Figure 4 The schematic diagram of the electronic device framework based on Phase7 lite device is shown. Figure 3 and Figure 4It can be seen that the main feature of Phase7 lite is that, while keeping the original Phase7 device package size unchanged, the external eLNA module is integrated into the PAMid device to become an L-PAMid device containing LNA, thereby achieving the purpose of highly integrated and miniaturized devices. In addition, the 3 / 4 / 5G MHB PAMid has a built-in smart switching switch.

[0040] like Figure 5 The schematic diagram of the electronic device framework based on Phase7 LE devices is shown in Figure 1. Figure 4 and Figure 5 It can be seen that Phase7 LE further has a built-in smart switching switch based on Phase7 lite, and Phase7 LE also integrates more other 5G functions, such as 3 / 4 / 5G MHB PAMid support n41 dual-transmission function, etc.

[0041] like Figure 6 The schematic diagram of the architecture of a typical Phase 7LE device QM77058 chip is shown, which has a built-in power amplifier, a duplexer, a surface acoustic wave filter SAW, a switch, and multiple LNA receiving modules. Among them, the power amplifier includes multiple power amplifiers for processing cellular signals of different frequency bands, such as MB PA, HB PA, and a separate PA supporting the B7 frequency band. The duplexer, for example, supports processing cellular signals of multiple frequency bands in FDD mode, such as B1, B3, B7, B25 and other frequency bands. SAW, for example, supports processing cellular signals of multiple frequency bands in TDD mode, such as B40, B41, B39, B34 and other frequency bands. There are three main types of switches, such as the switch connected after the PA, which is used for PA transmission conversion; the switch array for receiving LNA conversion; the switching switch DP5T at the front end of the common end, which is connected to the antenna. There are 6 LNAs, each corresponding to the processing of the supported frequency band cellular signals, such as supporting the MHB (medium and high frequency) frequency band.

[0042] By splitting the power consumption modules of the RF system architecture and focusing on one of the modules, we can see that the main set of transmit and receive modules contains many detailed power consumption modules. Among them, for an RF link, the main source of power consumption is also in the part involved in the transmit link, which includes PA and control modules.

[0043] Table 1 shows a comparison of power consumption of the transmission link of the TDD frequency band at different output power levels. Table 1 takes the CH40620 channel of the B41 frequency band and the CH519000 channel of the n41 frequency band as examples.

[0044] Table 1: Power consumption comparison of the TDD band transmission link at different output power levels

[0045]

[0046] From the data in Table 1, it can be seen that in the transmission link of the B41 / n41 frequency band, the power consumption of the transmission link is mainly related to the level of output power. Among them, since the control module is a passive device, its power consumption is fixed; and the power consumption of the PA is related to the power of the processed cellular signal; therefore, it is equivalent to that the power consumption of the PA is mainly related to the level of output power. In addition, it can be clearly divided into several stages: the difference between current and power is not large in the case of low power (-9 to -5dBm range), the difference between current and power is relatively small (about 20 to 30mA) in the case of medium power (5 to 15dBm range), and the difference between current and power gradually increases in the case of high power (above 18dBm range).

[0047] Then, for the power consumption of the PA in the transmission link, it can be seen from Table 1 that the power consumption of the PA is proportional to the size of the output power of the PA, that is, in order to obtain better power consumption performance, the output power of the PA needs to be adjusted. For the architecture of the transmission link, the output end of the PA is connected to switches, SAW, etc. until it is finally connected to the antenna in the electronic device. As for the output power of the transmission link, the output power of the transmission link is equal to the output power of the PA port minus the loss of switches and SAW, etc. For example, when the output power of the transmission link is required to be 23dBm, and the inherent loss of the switch and SAW connected to the output end of the PA is 4dBm, the output power of the PA needs to reach 27dBm. In summary, the power consumption of the transmission link is mainly concentrated in the power consumption of the PA and the inherent losses of switches and SAW, etc.

[0048] For PA, it is integrated by combining multiple amplifier tubes. According to the curve characteristics of the amplifier tube, the curve characteristics of the amplifier tube include linear region, saturation region and avalanche region. At present, PA needs to work in the corresponding linear range, that is, there is a linear change curvature between current and voltage. In the linear range, when the voltage is constant, the need for greater gain means the need to increase the current, which is the several types of gain modes we usually define for PA, including LPM (low gain range), MPM (medium gain range) and HPM (high gain range). Among them, some PAs directly combine LPM and MPM and call them LPM. The PAs currently used are mainly divided into APT0 mode and APT1 mode, among which APT0 can be understood as LPM and APT can be understood as HPM. Based on the above-mentioned characteristics of the current PA and the structure of the transmission link, it can be seen that by reducing the inherent power consumption of other parts of the transmission link except PA, the power consumption of the transmission link can be reduced.

[0049] Through research and experiments, it is found that when the SAW on the transmission link is removed, the quality of the cellular signal is basically unaffected. One of the reasons is that the linearity of the cellular signal can meet the requirements by processing the signal after PA amplification through SAW. Combined with the above analysis of PA, it can be seen that the cellular signal processed by PA can meet the linearity requirements, and the need to continue to use SAW for processing is relatively small.

[0050] Therefore, in the transmission link of the RF front-end module provided in the embodiment of the present application, after receiving the first cellular signal to be transmitted output by the transceiver, the first cellular signal is amplified by the target power amplifier and then transmitted to the first signal transmission link, and the first signal transmission link does not include a filter device, that is, does not include SAW. In this way, without affecting the quality of the first cellular signal, the power consumption of the filter device is removed in the transmission link by removing the processing of the amplified first cellular signal by the filter device, thereby reducing the power consumption of the transmission link in the RF front-end module, thereby achieving power consumption optimization when the electronic device transmits the first cellular signal.

[0051] In addition, the first cellular signal transmitted through the first signal transmission link is transmitted to the antenna module, so that the antenna included in the antenna module transmits the amplified first cellular signal. Optionally, the antenna module may include multiple antennas, and any one of the multiple antennas may be used to transmit the amplified first cellular signal.

[0052] Optionally, the operating frequency band of the target power amplifier corresponds to the frequency band to which the frequency of the first cellular signal belongs. Optionally, the RF front-end module is based on the Phase 7LE device QM77058 mentioned above. Optionally, the first signal transmission link includes switches and signal transmission lines, etc. Optionally, when the first signal transmission link does not include a filter device to process the amplified first cellular signal, the transceiver in the electronic device simultaneously meets and is compatible with all communication standards in this case.

[0053] In one embodiment, the first cellular signal is a cellular signal in TDD mode.

[0054] In the above-mentioned RF front-end module and electronic device, the RF front-end module includes a target power amplifier and a first signal transmission link that does not include a filter device; the input end of the target power amplifier is connected to the transceiver, the output end of the target power amplifier is connected to one end of the first signal transmission link, and the other end of the first signal transmission link is connected to the antenna module; the target power amplifier is used to power amplify the first cellular signal output by the transceiver, and output the amplified first cellular signal to the first signal transmission link; the first signal transmission link is used to transmit the amplified first cellular signal to the antenna module. In this way, after the first cellular signal is output from the transceiver, it is power amplified by the target power amplifier on the transmission link and then directly transmitted to the antenna module through the first signal transmission link, so as to be transmitted using the antenna in the antenna module. In this process, the first signal transmission link does not include a filter device, so the power consumption caused by the filter device in the first cellular signal transmission process is eliminated, the power consumption of the electronic device in the first cellular signal transmission process is reduced, and the communication performance of the electronic device is optimized.

[0055] In one embodiment, the first signal transmission link includes a frequency band selection switch; the frequency band selection switch includes multiple signal paths; the frequency band selection switch is used to conduct the signal path corresponding to the first cellular signal, so as to transmit the amplified first cellular signal to the antenna module through the signal path. The frequency band selection switch switches to the signal path corresponding to the frequency band to which the frequency of the transmitted signal belongs, so as to transmit the corresponding signal.

[0056] Based on this, when the electronic device needs to transmit the first cellular signal, the frequency band selection switch turns on the signal path corresponding to the first cellular signal to transmit the amplified first cellular signal to the antenna module via the signal path corresponding to the first cellular signal.

[0057] Optionally, there may be multiple frequency band selection switches, each of which switches on a signal path corresponding to the first cellular signal to transmit the amplified first cellular signal to the antenna module. The number of frequency band selection switches is not specifically limited herein.

[0058] Exemplarily, the following describes the process of the RF front-end module processing the first cellular signal using the frequency band selection switch as two pairs, that is, the frequency band selection switch includes a first frequency band selection switch and a second frequency band selection switch, but this is not used to limit the present application.

[0059] In one embodiment, Figure 7A structural schematic diagram of another RF front-end module provided in an embodiment of the present application is shown. The frequency band selection switch includes a first frequency band selection switch and a second frequency band selection switch, the first frequency band selection switch is connected between the target power amplifier and the second frequency band selection switch, and the second frequency band selection switch is also connected to the antenna module; the first frequency band selection switch is used to transmit the amplified first cellular signal to the second frequency band selection switch; the second frequency band selection switch is used to transmit the amplified first cellular signal to the antenna module.

[0060] Among them, the first frequency band selection switch includes multiple signal paths. When transmitting the first cellular signal, the first frequency band selection switch turns on the signal path corresponding to the first cellular signal, so as to transmit the amplified first cellular signal to the second frequency band selection switch by using the signal path corresponding to the first cellular signal. Similarly, the second frequency band selection switch includes multiple signal paths. When transmitting the first cellular signal, the second frequency band selection switch turns on the signal path corresponding to the first cellular signal, so as to transmit the amplified first cellular signal to the antenna module by using the signal path corresponding to the first cellular signal. That is, when transmitting the first cellular signal, the signal path corresponding to the first cellular signal in the first frequency band selection switch and the signal path corresponding to the first cellular signal in the second frequency band selection switch are connected, thereby directly transmitting the amplified first cellular signal to the antenna module.

[0061] Take the RF front-end module based on the Phase 7LE device QM77058 mentioned above as an example. For optional reference, Figure 6 The first frequency band selection switch may be a switch connected after the HB PA in the QM77058, and the second frequency band selection switch may be a DP5T switch in the QM77058. Correspondingly, the first cellular signal may be a signal of the B41 frequency band or the n41 frequency band.

[0062] In one implementation, see Figure 8 A schematic diagram of the structure of another RF front-end module is shown. The RF front-end module further includes an output port connected to a first frequency band selection switch and an input port connected to a second frequency band selection switch, wherein the output port and the input port are connected via a signal line disposed outside the RF front-end module. The first frequency band selection switch is used to transmit the amplified first cellular signal to the output port, so as to transmit the amplified first cellular signal to the input port via the signal line; the second frequency band selection switch is used to transmit the amplified first cellular signal input from the input port to the antenna module.

[0063] That is, on the first signal transmission link, the amplified first cellular signal output by the first frequency band selection switch is transmitted to the second frequency band selection switch through the output port and the input port. In this way, without changing the original architecture of the RF front-end module, the output port and the input port can be connected through a signal line set outside the RF front-end module, so that the first cellular signal output by the first frequency band selection switch reaches the second frequency band selection switch, reducing the complexity of circuit implementation.

[0064] Take the RF front-end module based on the Phase 7LE device QM77058 mentioned above as an example. Optional, continue to refer to Figure 6 , the output port may be the HB_Tx_Out1 port in QM77058, and the input port may be the TRX3 port or the TRX2 port in QM77058. Optionally, the antenna module may include two antennas, and the operating frequency bands of the two antennas may be the MHB (medium and high frequency) band.

[0065] Take this as an example, Fig. 9 The structure diagram of a radio frequency front-end module based on QM77058 provided in an embodiment of the present application is shown. Fig. 9 , taking the case where the first cellular signal is in the B41 frequency band or the n41 frequency band as an example, the transmission process of the first cellular signal may be as follows:

[0066] 1) The transceiver outputs a first cellular signal to be transmitted, and the first cellular signal is input to the RF front-end module from the HB_IN port of the QM77058 RF front-end module;

[0067] 2) The first cellular signal input is amplified by the HB PA inside the QM77058;

[0068] 3) The amplified first cellular signal is switched to the HB TX_OUT port for output via a switch (first frequency band selection switch);

[0069] 4) The signal output from HB TX_OUT is then input from the TRX3 port to the front-end DP5T switch through the SP3T switch;

[0070] 5) Finally, it is output from the ANT1 or ANT2 port in the DP5T switch (second frequency band selection switch) at the front end of QM77058;

[0071] 6) The antenna module includes an antenna ANT0 connected to the ANT1 port and an antenna ANT1 connected to the ANT2 port. Correspondingly, if output from the ANT1 port, the amplified first cellular signal is transmitted through the antenna ANT0; if output from the ANT2 port, the amplified first cellular signal is transmitted through the antenna ANT1.

[0072] like Fig.10 FIG. 2 shows a typical loss distribution diagram of a filter device for processing signals in the B41 or n41 frequency band. Fig.10 It can be seen that in the embodiment of the present application, the first cellular signal is transmitted to the antenna through the first signal transmission link that does not include the filter device SAW, and the gain obtained is approximately 1dB, among which some frequency bands can reach more than 1.5dB (the above optimization does not include the additional impact brought by the board-side routing, which is generally about 0.2-0.3dB).

[0073] Table 2 shows the existing schemes for transmitting signals through SAW and the Fig. 9 The power consumption comparison of the solution proposed in this application is shown. The CH51900 channel communication based on the N41 frequency band is taken as an example. It can be seen that the benefits of the two solutions are very clear, and the optimized loss can bring about 20mA of power consumption benefits.

[0074] Table 2 Existing schemes and methods based on SAW signal transmission Fig. 9 The power consumption comparison of the present application scheme is shown

[0075]

[0076] In an embodiment of the present application, a SAW-less (silent surface filter technology) technology is proposed for the transmission link. By discarding the SAW filter device at the front end of the TDD frequency band, the loss of the transmission link is optimized so as to achieve the optimization of the power consumption of the transmission link, thereby reducing the power consumption of the electronic device during the first cellular signal transmission process and optimizing the communication performance of the electronic device.

[0077] From the above embodiments, it can be seen that the loss of the entire transmission link is still large. One reason is that the frequency band selection switch at the front end has loss during the signal transmission process. In the embodiment of the present application, considering that the frequency band selection switch is not specially designed for the TDD mode, if the frequency band selection switch can be optimized, the power consumption of the transmission link can be further reduced to further improve the performance of the electronic device.

[0078] In another implementation, Fig.11 As shown, it shows a structural schematic diagram of another RF front-end module provided in an embodiment of the present application. Among them, the signal path includes a first direct path Bypass1 set in the second frequency band selection switch, and the first direct path connects the first frequency band selection switch and the antenna module; the second frequency band selection switch is used to transmit the amplified first cellular signal to the antenna module through the first direct path.

[0079] That is, the transceiver outputs the first cellular signal to the RF front-end module, enters the RF front-end module from the corresponding signal input port in the RF front-end module, and is transmitted to the target power amplifier. The target power amplifier amplifies the first cellular signal, and the amplified first cellular signal is transmitted from the output end of the target power amplifier to the first frequency band selection switch, and from the first frequency band selection switch to the first direct path Bypass1 of the second frequency band selection switch, and is transmitted to the antenna module through the first direct path, and is transmitted through the antenna in the antenna module. In this way, by setting the first direct path in the second frequency band selection switch to transmit the amplified first cellular signal, it is equivalent to setting a separate low-loss mode for the second frequency band selection switch for the first cellular signal, thereby reducing the loss of the second frequency band selection switch when it is working during the process of the electronic device transmitting the first cellular signal, and optimizing the power consumption of the transmission link.

[0080] In yet another implementation, Fig.12 As shown, it shows a structural schematic diagram of another RF front-end module provided in an embodiment of the present application. Among them, the signal path also includes a second direct path Bypass2 set in the first frequency band selection switch, and the second direct path connects the target power amplifier and the first direct path in the second frequency band selection switch; the first frequency band selection switch is used to transmit the amplified first cellular signal to the first direct path in the second frequency band selection switch through the second direct path.

[0081] That is, the target power amplifier amplifies the first cellular signal, and the amplified first cellular signal is transmitted from the output end of the target power amplifier to the first frequency band selection switch, transmitted to the first direct path of the second frequency band selection switch through the second direct path in the first frequency band selection switch, transmitted to the antenna module through the first direct path, and transmitted through the antenna in the antenna module. In this way, the first frequency band selection switch close to the antenna module at the first stage is set to a direct state, and the second frequency band selection switch close to the target power amplifier is set to a direct state, so that both frequency band selection switches have a separate low-loss mode to optimize the loss of the two frequency band selection switches when they are working, and achieve better transmission performance.

[0082] Take the RF front-end module based on the Phase 7LE device QM77058 mentioned above as an example. Optional, continue to refer to Figure 6 The first frequency band selection switch may be a switch connected after the HB PA in the QM77058, and the second frequency band selection switch may be a DP5T switch in the QM77058. Correspondingly, the first cellular signal may be a signal of the B41 frequency band or the n41 frequency band.

[0083] Take this as an example, Fig.13The structure diagram of another RF front-end module based on QM77058 provided in an embodiment of the present application is shown. The transmission process of the first cellular signal can be as follows:

[0084] 1) The transceiver outputs a first cellular signal to be transmitted, and the first cellular signal is input to the RF front-end module from the HB_IN port of the QM77058 RF front-end module;

[0085] 2) The first cellular signal input is amplified by the HB PA inside the QM77058;

[0086] 3) The amplified first cellular signal enters the DP5T switch (second frequency band selection switch) through a second direct path for the TDD mode in the switch (first frequency band selection switch);

[0087] 4) After entering the DP5T switch, it passes through the first direct path in the DP5T switch specifically for the TDD mode and is output from the ANT1 or ANT2 port;

[0088] It should be noted that, optionally, due to the addition of the first direct path, the DP5T switch inside the QM77058 can be improved to DP6T, that is, from a double-pole five-throw switch to a double-pole six-throw switch, to meet the requirement of switching to conduct the first direct path.

[0089] 5) If the signal is output from the ANT1 port, the amplified first cellular signal is transmitted through the antenna ANT0; if the signal is output from the ANT2 port, the amplified first cellular signal is transmitted through the antenna ANT1.

[0090] In one embodiment, the signal path includes a second direct path arranged in the first frequency band selection switch, the second direct path connecting the target power amplifier and the second frequency band selection switch; the first frequency band selection switch is specifically used to transmit the amplified first cellular signal to the second frequency band selection switch through the second direct path.

[0091] like Fig.14 FIG. 4 shows a schematic diagram of the loss of the entire transmission channel in the existing scheme of transmitting signals through SAW. Fig.15 Shown based on Fig.13 The schematic diagram of the loss of the entire transmission channel in the solution proposed in this application is shown in FIG. By comparison, it can be seen that the solution proposed in this application can reduce the loss by about 3 to 3.5 dB.

[0092] As shown in Table 3, the existing schemes Fig. 9 The solution 1 and Fig.13 The figure shows the loss comparison of the first cellular signal after amplification in the solution 2 proposed in the present application during the process of being transmitted to the antenna. It can be seen that both solutions proposed in the present application have greatly improved performance;

[0093] Table 3 Comparison of the loss of the first cellular signal after amplification and transmission to the antenna in the existing solution and the solution of the present application

[0094] Frequency Existing solutions Embodiment 1 of the present application Embodiment 2 of this application 2496MHz 4.989dB 3.489dB 1.1dB 2600MHz 4.030dB 3.030dB 0.8dB 2690MHz 4.697dB 3.197dB 1.2dB

[0095] In addition, the electronic device can also transmit a second cellular signal in other modes, and correspondingly, the RF front-end module can be used to process the second cellular signal output by the transceiver, such as the second cellular signal in FDD mode. The process of the RF front-end module processing the second cellular signal is described below.

[0096] In one embodiment, Fig.16 The RF front-end module also includes a filter device ( Fig.16 A second signal transmission link is provided (not shown), one end of the second signal transmission link is connected to the output end of the target power amplifier, and the other end of the second signal transmission link is connected to the antenna module; the target power amplifier is used to perform power amplification processing on the second cellular signal output by the transceiver, and output the amplified second cellular signal to the second signal transmission link; the second signal transmission link is used to filter the amplified second cellular signal through a filter device and then transmit it to the antenna module.

[0097] exist Figure 7 Based on this, the following is given: Fig.17 A schematic diagram of the structure of another RF front-end module is shown. The second signal transmission link includes a first frequency band selection switch, a second frequency band selection switch, and a filter device disposed between the first frequency band selection switch and the second frequency band selection switch; the first frequency band selection switch is used to transmit the amplified second cellular signal to the filter device; the filter device is used to filter the amplified second cellular signal and transmit the filtered second cellular signal to the second frequency band selection switch; the second frequency band selection switch is used to transmit the filtered second cellular signal to the antenna module.

[0098] That is, when the electronic device needs to transmit the second cellular signal, the transceiver outputs the second cellular signal to the target power amplifier for amplification processing, and the amplified second cellular signal is transmitted to the first frequency band selection switch. At this time, the first frequency band selection switch turns on the signal path corresponding to the second cellular signal, so as to transmit the amplified second cellular signal to the input end of the filter device by using the signal path corresponding to the second cellular signal. The second cellular signal processed by the filter device is transmitted from the output end of the filter device to the second frequency band selection switch. At this time, the second frequency band selection switch turns on the signal path corresponding to the second cellular signal, so as to transmit the second cellular signal to the antenna module by using the signal path corresponding to the second cellular signal.

[0099] Optionally, the filter device may be a duplexer. Optionally, the RF front-end module may include two second signal transmission links, each of which includes a first frequency band selection switch, a second frequency band selection switch, and a filter device disposed between the first frequency band selection switch and the second frequency band selection switch, both of which are used to transmit the second cellular signal in the FDD mode.

[0100] In one embodiment, an electronic device is provided, the electronic device comprising a radio frequency front-end module as described in any of the above embodiments. Exemplarily, the electronic device may be, but is not limited to, various personal computers, laptops, smart phones, tablet computers, Internet of Things devices and portable wearable devices. The Internet of Things devices may be smart speakers, smart TVs, smart air conditioners, smart car-mounted devices, etc. The portable wearable devices may be smart watches, smart bracelets, head-mounted devices, etc.

[0101] For ease of understanding, the SAW-less based RF front-end module provided by the present application is described below with reference to a specific embodiment.

[0102] Please refer to Fig.18 , showing a schematic diagram of an electronic device architecture provided by the present application. In this electronic device, the transmission process of the cellular signal can be as follows: 1) The transmission signal output by the transceiver is transmitted to the first frequency band selection switch after being amplified by the PA, and the transmission signals corresponding to different modes enter different paths respectively. 2) The transmission signal of the FDD frequency band goes through two Tx links and is input to the duplexer input end through the first frequency band selection switch; the transmission signal of the TDD frequency band goes through the Tx SAW-less link, and then directly enters the second frequency band selection switch of the next level and is output to the antenna; 3) The transmission signal of the FDD frequency band needs to pass through the duplexer and then be output to the antenna after the second frequency band selection switch of the next level; 4) The received signal passes through the duplexer and is transmitted to the next level device through the Rx link until it is transmitted to the transceiver. The next level device connected to the Rx link is not shown in the figure.

[0103] Please refer to Fig.19 , showing another schematic diagram of the electronic device architecture provided by the present application. In this electronic device, the transmission process of the cellular signal can be as follows: 1) The transmission signal output by the transceiver is transmitted to the first frequency band selection switch after being amplified by the PA, and the transmission signals corresponding to different modes enter different paths respectively. 2) The transmission signal of the FDD frequency band goes through two Tx links and is input to the duplexer input end through the first frequency band selection switch; the transmission signal of the TDD frequency band goes through the Tx SAW-less link, and directly enters the second frequency band selection switch of the next level, and is output to the antenna through the direct pass Bypass of the second frequency band selection switch; 3) The transmission signal of the FDD frequency band needs to pass through the duplexer and then be output to the antenna after the second frequency band selection switch of the next level.

[0104] Please refer to Fig. 20 , showing another schematic diagram of the electronic device architecture provided by the present application. In this electronic device, the transmission process of the cellular signal can be as follows: 1) The transmission signal output by the transceiver is transmitted to the first frequency band selection switch after being amplified by the PA, and the transmission signals corresponding to different modes enter different paths respectively. Among them, the transmission signal of the TDD band goes through the TxSAW-less link, passes through the direct path Bypass in the first frequency band selection switch to enter the second frequency band selection switch of the next level; 2) The transmission signal of the FDD band goes through two Tx links, passes through the first frequency band selection switch and is input to the duplexer input end; the transmission signal of the TDD band is output to the antenna through the direct path Bypass of the second frequency band selection switch; 3) The transmission signal of the FDD band needs to pass through the duplexer and then be output to the antenna after the second frequency band selection switch of the next level.

[0105] In the embodiments of the present application, it is proposed to improve the architecture performance of electronic devices for TDD mode communication based on SAW-less technology. By canceling the SAW of the transmission link and optimizing the performance of the switch, the loss of the transmission link after the PA output end can be reduced. The reduced loss also brings about the optimization of power consumption and improves the communication performance of the electronic device. Optionally, the switching of the working state of each switch in each embodiment of the present application can be controlled by the central processor or transceiver of the electronic device.

[0106] In the description of this specification, the description with reference to the terms "some embodiments", "other embodiments", "ideal embodiments", etc. means that the specific features, structures, materials or characteristics described in conjunction with the embodiment or example are included in at least one embodiment or example of the present application. In this specification, the schematic descriptions of the above terms do not necessarily refer to the same embodiment or example.

[0107] The technical features of the above embodiments may be arbitrarily combined. To make the description concise, not all possible combinations of the technical features in the above embodiments are described. However, as long as there is no contradiction in the combination of these technical features, they should be considered to be within the scope of this specification.

[0108] The above-described embodiments only express several implementation methods of the present application, and the descriptions thereof are relatively specific and detailed, but they cannot be understood as limiting the scope of the present application. It should be pointed out that, for a person of ordinary skill in the art, several variations and improvements can be made without departing from the concept of the present application, and these all belong to the protection scope of the present application. Therefore, the protection scope of the present application shall be subject to the attached claims.

Claims

1. A radio frequency front-end module, characterized in that: The RF front-end module includes a target power amplifier and a first signal transmission link that does not include a filter device; the input end of the target power amplifier is connected to the transceiver, the output end of the target power amplifier is connected to one end of the first signal transmission link, and the other end of the first signal transmission link is connected to the antenna module; The target power amplifier is used to perform power amplification processing on the first cellular signal output by the transceiver, and output the amplified first cellular signal to the first signal transmission link; The first signal transmission link is used to transmit the amplified first cellular signal to the antenna module.

2. The RF front-end module according to claim 1, characterized in that: The first signal transmission link includes a frequency band selection switch; the frequency band selection switch includes a plurality of signal paths; The frequency band selection switch is used to conduct a signal path corresponding to the first cellular signal, so as to transmit the amplified first cellular signal to the antenna module through the signal path.

3. The RF front-end module according to claim 2, characterized in that: The frequency band selection switch includes a first frequency band selection switch and a second frequency band selection switch, the first frequency band selection switch is connected between the target power amplifier and the second frequency band selection switch, and the second frequency band selection switch is also connected to the antenna module; The first frequency band selection switch is used to transmit the amplified first cellular signal to the second frequency band selection switch; The second frequency band selection switch is used to transmit the amplified first cellular signal to the antenna module.

4. The RF front-end module according to claim 3, characterized in that: The RF front-end module further includes an output port connected to the first frequency band selection switch and an input port connected to the second frequency band selection switch, wherein the output port and the input port are connected via a signal line disposed outside the RF front-end module; The first frequency band selection switch is used to transmit the amplified first cellular signal to the output port, so as to transmit the amplified first cellular signal to the input port through the signal line; The second frequency band selection switch is used to transmit the amplified first cellular signal input from the input port to the antenna module.

5. The RF front-end module according to claim 3, characterized in that: The signal path includes a first direct path provided in the second frequency band selection switch, the first direct path connecting the first frequency band selection switch and the antenna module; The second frequency band selection switch is used to transmit the amplified first cellular signal to the antenna module through the first direct path.

6. The RF front-end module according to claim 5, characterized in that: The signal path further includes a second direct path provided in the first frequency band selection switch, wherein the second direct path connects the target power amplifier and the first direct path in the second frequency band selection switch; The first frequency band selection switch is used to transmit the amplified first cellular signal to the first direct path in the second frequency band selection switch through the second direct path.

7. The RF front-end module according to any one of claims 1 to 6, characterized in that: The first cellular signal is a cellular signal in TDD mode.

8. The RF front-end module according to any one of claims 3 to 6, characterized in that: The RF front-end module also includes a second signal transmission link, one end of the second signal transmission link is connected to the output end of the target power amplifier, and the other end of the second signal transmission link is connected to the antenna module; The target power amplifier is used to perform power amplification processing on the second cellular signal output by the transceiver, and output the amplified second cellular signal to the second signal transmission link; The second signal transmission link is used to filter the amplified second cellular signal and then transmit it to the antenna module.

9. The RF front-end module according to claim 8, characterized in that: The second signal transmission link includes the first frequency band selection switch, the second frequency band selection switch, and a filter device arranged between the first frequency band selection switch and the second frequency band selection switch; The first frequency band selection switch is used to transmit the amplified second cellular signal to the filter device; The filter device is used to filter the amplified second cellular signal and transmit the filtered second cellular signal to the second frequency band selection switch; The second frequency band selection switch is used to transmit the filtered second cellular signal to the antenna module.

10. The RF front-end module according to claim 9, characterized in that: The filter device is a duplexer.

11. The RF front-end module according to claim 8, characterized in that: The second cellular signal is a cellular signal in FDD mode.

12. An electronic device, characterized in that: The electronic device comprises the radio frequency front-end module according to any one of claims 1 to 11.

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