Millimeter wave active phase shifter for correcting phase error
By introducing a phase adjustment module and a differential signal generation module into the active phase shifter, the phase difference between the signals and amplitude adjustment is solved, and the problem of low phase shift accuracy caused by phase error in the prior art is achieved, and a higher phase shift accuracy is achieved.
Patent Information
- Application Number
- CN202411904824.1
- Authority / Receiving Office
- CN · China
- Patent Type
- Applications(China)
- Current Assignee / Owner
- Filing Date
- 2024-12-23
- Publication Date
- 2025-04-15
AI Technical Summary
When the existing active phase shifter processes orthogonal signals, due to process deviation and modeling uncertainty, the phase error of the output signal will be reduced, thereby reducing the phase shift accuracy.
An active phase shifter is designed including a signal conversion module, a phase adjustment module, a differential signal generation module and a phase shifting module. The phase difference between the signals is adjusted by multiple phase adjustment units in the phase adjustment module, and a correction signal that is orthogonal to each other is generated, and amplitude adjustment and vector synthesis are performed through the differential signal generation module and the phase shift module to obtain the radio frequency signal of the target phase.
The phase error between the output signals of the signal conversion module is effectively corrected, and the phase shift accuracy of the active phase shifter is improved.
Smart Images
Figure CN119834761A_ABST
Abstract
Description
Technical Field
[0001] The present invention relates to the field of radio frequency circuit design, and in particular to a millimeter wave active phase shifter for correcting phase error. Background Art
[0002] The traditional active phase shifter circuit is mainly based on orthogonal signal vector synthesis to achieve the phase shift of the RF signal. By controlling the signal amplitude of the two channels, the phase of the output signal can be adjusted while ensuring that the output signal amplitude is equal, thereby achieving the effect of RF phase shifting. The active phase shifter is mainly based on the Gilbert Cell. Therefore, the gain of the two signals can be controlled by controlling the tail current value of the two channels, thereby adjusting the amplitude of the two output signals. The orthogonal signals of the active orthogonal phase shifter are generated by the orthogonal signal generator. Ideally, the two signals generated by the orthogonal signal generator have a phase difference of 90° and equal amplitudes. However, in actual situations, due to process deviations and / or modeling uncertainties, the phase difference of the two signals generated by the actual orthogonal signal generator will deviate from 90°. When there is a phase difference between the first signal and the second signal, the active phase shifter shifts the phase of the two signals with the phase difference, and the obtained RF signal phase deviates from the target phase, resulting in low phase shift accuracy.
[0003] Therefore, how to design an active phase shifter that can correct the phase error of two signals output by an orthogonal signal generator is a technical problem that urgently needs to be solved. Summary of the invention
[0004] In view of the above-mentioned shortcomings of the prior art, the present invention provides a millimeter-wave active phase shifter for correcting phase error to solve the above-mentioned technical problems.
[0005] To achieve the above objectives and other related objectives, the technical solutions provided in this application are as follows.
[0006] The present application provides a millimeter wave active phase shifter for correcting phase error, comprising:
[0007] A signal conversion module, receiving the radio frequency signal, and generating a first signal and a second signal according to the radio frequency signal;
[0008] A phase adjustment module connected to the output end of the signal conversion module, comprising a plurality of phase adjustment units, and adjusting the phase difference between the first signal and the second signal by setting the grounding mode of the phase adjustment units to obtain two mutually orthogonal correction signals;
[0009] A differential signal generating module is connected to the output end of the phase adjustment module and converts the two correction signals into two differential signals;
[0010] The phase shift module is connected to the output end of the differential signal generating module, adjusts the amplitude of the two differential signals through the tail current source in the phase shift module, and vector synthesizes the two differential signals with the same amplitude to obtain the RF signal of the target phase.
[0011] Optionally, the signal conversion module includes a first transmission line, a second transmission line, a third transmission line, a fourth transmission line and a first resistor, the first end of the first transmission line is connected to the first end of the second transmission line, the second end of the second transmission line is connected to the first end of the third transmission line, the second end of the first transmission line is connected to the first end of the fourth transmission line, the second end of the first transmission line is also grounded after passing through the first resistor, and the second end of the third transmission line is connected to the second end of the fourth transmission line, wherein the first end of the first transmission line is connected to the RF signal, the second end of the second transmission line outputs the first signal, and the second end of the fourth transmission line outputs the second signal.
[0012] Optionally, a connection angle between each transmission line and the transmission line connected thereto satisfies a preset angle threshold, a characteristic impedance of the first transmission line is equal to a characteristic impedance of the third transmission line, and a characteristic impedance of the second transmission line is equal to a characteristic impedance of the third transmission line.
[0013] Optionally, the phase adjustment module includes two independent adjustment branches, each of the adjustment branches includes a plurality of cascaded phase adjustment units, and the grounding method of each phase adjustment unit in the two adjustment branches is adjusted to correct the phase difference between the first signal and the second signal to obtain two corrected signals.
[0014] Optionally, the phase adjustment unit includes: a first optional grounding wire, two second optional grounding wires, a first NMOS tube, two second NMOS tubes and a signal transmission line, the first optional grounding wire is concave, the signal transmission line runs through a groove in the concave and is at a preset interval threshold from the inner wall of the groove, the drain of the first NMOS tube is connected to the bottom of the concave, the source of the first NMOS tube is grounded, the two second optional grounding wires are respectively arranged in parallel on both sides of the first optional grounding wire, the drains of the two second NMOS tubes are connected to the second optional grounding wire, and the sources of the two second NMOS tubes are grounded, wherein the gate of the first NMOS tube is connected to the first control signal, and the gate of the second NMOS tube is connected to the second control signal.
[0015] Optionally, the two differential signals include a first differential signal and a second differential signal, the differential signal generating module includes a first balun and a second balun, the first end of the primary coil in the first balun is connected to the first output end of the phase adjustment module, the second end of the primary coil in the first balun is grounded, and the two ends of the secondary coil in the first balun output the first differential signal to the outside, the first end of the primary coil in the second balun is connected to the second output end of the phase adjustment module, the second end of the primary coil in the second balun is grounded, and the two ends of the secondary coil in the second balun output the second differential signal to the outside.
[0016] Optionally, the phase shift module includes two phase shift units and an output unit. The phase shift unit is connected to a phase shift control signal and the differential signal. The phase shift quadrant of the active phase shifter is determined based on the phase shift control signal, and the tail current source in the phase shift unit is adjusted so that the amplitudes of the two differential signals are equal. The output unit vector synthesizes the signals output by the two phase shift units to obtain the RF signal of the target phase.
[0017] Optionally, the phase shift unit includes a third NMOS tube, a fourth NMOS tube, a fifth NMOS tube, a sixth NMOS tube, a seventh NMOS tube, an eighth NMOS tube, a ninth NMOS tube, a tenth NMOS tube, a first inverter, a first tail current source and a second tail current source. The gate of the third NMOS tube is connected to the input end of the first inverter, the output end of the first inverter is connected to the gate of the fourth NMOS tube, the input end of the first inverter is also connected to the gate of the sixth NMOS tube, the gate of the fourth NMOS tube is also connected to the gate of the fifth NMOS tube, the source of the third NMOS tube is connected to the source of the fourth NMOS tube, the source of the third NMOS tube is also grounded after passing through the first tail current source, the source of the fifth NMOS tube is connected to the source of the sixth NMOS tube, the source of the fifth NMOS tube is also grounded after passing through the second tail current source, the drain of the third NMOS tube is connected to the source of the seventh NMOS tube, and the third NMOS The drain of the first NMOS tube is also connected to the drain of the fifth NMOS tube, the drain of the sixth NMOS tube is connected to the source of the tenth NMOS tube, the drain of the sixth NMOS tube is also connected to the drain of the fourth NMOS tube, the source of the seventh NMOS tube is connected to the source of the eighth NMOS tube, the gate of the eighth NMOS tube is connected to the gate of the ninth NMOS tube, the source of the ninth NMOS tube is connected to the source of the tenth NMOS tube, the drain of the seventh NMOS tube is connected to the drain of the ninth NMOS tube, and the drain of the tenth NMOS tube is connected to the drain of the eighth NMOS tube, wherein the input end of the first inverter is connected to the phase shift control signal, the gate of the seventh NMOS tube and the gate of the tenth NMOS tube are connected to the positive electrode of the differential signal, the gate of the eighth NMOS tube is connected to the negative electrode of the differential signal, the drain of the seventh NMOS tube is the first output end of the phase shift unit, and the drain of the tenth NMOS tube is the second output end of the phase shift unit.
[0018] Optionally, the phase shift unit includes an eleventh NMOS tube, a twelfth NMOS tube, a thirteenth NMOS tube, a fourteenth NMOS tube, a fifteenth NMOS tube, a sixteenth NMOS tube, a second inverter and a third tail current source, the gate of the eleventh NMOS tube is connected to the input end of the second inverter, the output end of the second inverter is connected to the gate of the twelfth NMOS tube, the source of the eleventh NMOS tube is connected to the source of the twelfth NMOS tube, the source of the eleventh NMOS tube is also grounded after passing through the third tail current source, the drain of the eleventh NMOS tube is connected to the source of the thirteenth NMOS tube, the source of the thirteenth NMOS tube is connected to the source of the fourteenth NMOS tube, the drain of the twelfth NMOS tube is connected to the fifteenth NMOS tube, and the drain of the twelfth NMOS tube is connected to the source of the thirteenth NMOS tube. The source of the NMOS tube is connected to the gate of the fourteenth NMOS tube, the source of the sixteenth NMOS tube is connected to the source of the fifteenth NMOS tube, the drain of the thirteenth NMOS tube is connected to the drain of the fifteenth NMOS tube, and the drain of the sixteenth NMOS tube is connected to the drain of the fourteenth NMOS tube, wherein the input end of the second inverter is connected to the phase shift control signal, the gate of the thirteenth NMOS tube and the gate of the sixteenth NMOS tube are connected to the positive electrode of the differential signal, the gate of the fourteenth NMOS tube is connected to the negative electrode of the differential signal, the drain of the thirteenth NMOS tube is the first output end of the phase shift unit, and the drain of the sixteenth NMOS tube is the second output end of the phase shift unit.
[0019] Optionally, the output unit includes a third balun, a first end of the primary coil in the third balun is connected to the first output end of the first phase shifter unit and the first output end of the second phase shifter unit, a second end of the primary coil in the third balun is connected to the second output end of the first phase shifter unit and the second output end of the second phase shifter unit, a middle tap of the primary coil in the third balun is connected to a first power supply voltage, a first end of the secondary coil in the third balun outputs the RF signal of the target phase to the outside, and a second end of the secondary coil in the third balun is grounded.
[0020] The present application provides a millimeter wave active phase shifter for correcting phase error, the active phase shifter includes a signal conversion module, a phase adjustment module, a differential signal generation module and a phase shift module, the radio frequency signal is input into the signal conversion module to generate a first signal and a second signal, the phase difference between the first signal and the second signal is corrected by adjusting the grounding method of the phase adjustment unit in the phase adjustment module, and two mutually orthogonal correction signals are obtained, the two correction signals are converted by the differential signal generation module and then input into the input end of the phase shift module, the amplitude of the input signal is adjusted by the tail current source in the phase shift module, and the two signals with the same amplitude are vector-synthesized to obtain the radio frequency signal of the target phase, thereby completing the phase shift of the input radio frequency signal. The active phase shifter of the present application adjusts the grounding method of multiple phase fine-tuning units so that the two signals can be phase-corrected within a certain range, thereby reducing the phase error of the two signals and improving the phase shift accuracy of the active phase shifter. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
[0021] The drawings herein are incorporated into the specification and constitute a part of the specification, showing embodiments consistent with the present application, and together with the specification, are used to explain the principles of the present application. Obviously, the drawings described below are only some embodiments of the present application, and for those of ordinary skill in the art, other drawings can be obtained based on these drawings without creative work. In the drawings:
[0022] Figure 1 is a block diagram of a millimeter wave active phase shifter for correcting phase error in an exemplary embodiment of the present application;
[0023] Figure 2 is a specific structural diagram of a signal conversion module in an exemplary embodiment of the present application;
[0024] Figure 3 is a schematic diagram of a millimeter wave active phase shifter for correcting phase error in an exemplary embodiment of the present application;
[0025] Figure 4 is a schematic diagram of a single trimming branch in an exemplary embodiment of the present application;
[0026] Figure 5 is a top view of a phase adjustment unit in an exemplary embodiment of the present application;
[0027] Figure 6 is a front view of a phase adjustment unit in an exemplary embodiment of the present application;
[0028] Figure 7 is a specific structural diagram of the first phase module in an exemplary embodiment of the present application;
[0029] Figure 8is a specific structural diagram of the second phase module in an exemplary embodiment of the present application;
[0030] Fig. 9 is a schematic diagram of a phase adjustment unit operating in a first working mode in an exemplary embodiment of the present application;
[0031] Fig.10 is a schematic diagram of a phase adjustment unit operating in a second working mode in an exemplary embodiment of the present application;
[0032] Fig.11 is a schematic diagram of a phase adjustment range of a first signal and a second signal in an exemplary embodiment of the present application;
[0033] Fig.12 It is a schematic diagram of a phase shift module synthesizing two signals in the first quadrant in an exemplary embodiment of the present application. DETAILED DESCRIPTION
[0034] The following describes the embodiments of the present invention by specific examples, and those skilled in the art can easily understand other advantages and effects of the present invention from the contents disclosed in this specification. The present invention can also be implemented or applied through other different specific embodiments, and the details in this specification can also be modified or changed in various ways based on different viewpoints and applications without departing from the spirit of the present invention. It should be noted that the following embodiments and features in the embodiments can be combined with each other without conflict.
[0035] It should be noted that the illustrations provided in the following embodiments are only schematic illustrations of the basic concept of the present invention, and thus the drawings only show components related to the present invention rather than being drawn according to the number, shape and size of components in actual implementation. In actual implementation, the type, quantity and proportion of each component may be changed arbitrarily, and the component layout may also be more complicated.
[0036] In the following description, numerous details are discussed to provide a more thorough explanation of the embodiments of the present invention. However, it is obvious to those skilled in the art that the embodiments of the present invention can be implemented without these specific details. In other embodiments, well-known structures and devices are shown in the form of block diagrams rather than in detail to avoid making the embodiments of the present invention difficult to understand.
[0037] Millimeter wave technology, due to its large bandwidth, low latency and high data rate, has shown great potential in the fifth generation mobile communication technology (5G), the Internet of Things and the sixth generation mobile communication technology (6G). In complex millimeter wave communication systems, signal phase control is the key to achieving beamforming, interference suppression and multi-user scheduling. Phase shifters, as the core unit of phase control, are crucial for precise signal control and beamforming. Compared with passive phase shifters, active phase shifters can provide more flexible and precise phase control by introducing active gain and dynamic phase adjustment mechanisms, thereby optimizing signal transmission quality and improving system performance. In addition, compared with passive phase shifters, which require a large passive phase shifting unit to achieve the phase shifting effect, active phase shifters are more compact, greatly reducing the area of phased array transceiver chips.
[0038] The traditional active phase shifter circuit is mainly based on orthogonal signal vector synthesis to achieve the phase shift of the RF signal. By controlling the signal amplitude of the I-way and Q-way, the phase of the output signal can be adjusted while ensuring that the output signal amplitude is equal, thereby achieving the effect of RF phase shifting. The active phase shifter is mainly based on the Gilbert Cell. Therefore, by controlling the tail current value of the I-way and Q-way, the gain of the corresponding I-way and Q-way can be controlled to adjust the amplitude of the I-way and Q-way output signals. The orthogonal signal of the active orthogonal phase shifter is generated by the orthogonal signal generator. Ideally, the I-way and Q-way signals generated by the orthogonal signal generator have a phase difference of 90° and equal amplitude. However, in actual situations, due to process deviations and / or modeling uncertainties, the phase difference of the I-way and Q-way signals generated by the actual orthogonal signal generator will deviate from 90°. When there is a phase difference between the I-way signal and the Q-way signal, the active phase shifter shifts the phase of the two signals with the phase difference, and the obtained RF signal phase deviates from the target phase, and the phase shifting accuracy is low. For example, if the phase shifter is a six-phase shifter, and the phase error of the I and Q signals output by the orthogonal signal generator, which is 90° offset, is greater than 2.75°, the phase shift accuracy requirement of the six-phase shifter cannot be met.
[0039] See also Figure 1 , Figure 1 is a block diagram of a millimeter-wave active phase shifter for correcting phase error in an exemplary embodiment of the present application.
[0040] like Figure 1 As shown, the present application provides a millimeter wave active phase shifter for correcting phase error, comprising:
[0041] Signal conversion module, connected to RF signal IN , according to the radio frequency signal RF IN Generate a first signal I sig and the second signal Q sig ;
[0042] The phase adjustment module is connected to the output end of the signal conversion module, and includes a plurality of phase adjustment units. The phase adjustment units are grounded to adjust the first signal I sig With the second signal Q sig The phase difference between them is used to obtain two mutually orthogonal correction signals (I c and Q c );
[0043] The differential signal generation module is connected to the output end of the phase adjustment module to convert the two correction signals (I c and Q c )Convert two differential signals (Q_P, Q_N, I_P, I_N);
[0044] The phase shift module is connected to the output end of the differential signal generation module. The tail current source in the phase shift module adjusts the amplitude of the two differential signals (Q_P, Q_N, I_P, I_N), and the two differential signals with the same amplitude (Q_P, Q_N, I_P, I_N) are vector synthesized to obtain the RF signal RF of the target phase. OUT .
[0045] In detail, Figure 2 As shown, the signal conversion module includes a first transmission line TL1, a second transmission line TL2, a third transmission line TL3, a fourth transmission line TL4 and a first resistor R1, a first end of the first transmission line TL1 is connected to a first end of the second transmission line TL2, a second end of the second transmission line TL2 is connected to a first end of the third transmission line TL3, a second end of the first transmission line TL1 is connected to a first end of the fourth transmission line TL4, a second end of the first transmission line TL1 is further grounded after passing through the first resistor R1, a second end of the third transmission line TL3 is connected to a second end of the fourth transmission line TL4, wherein the first end of the first transmission line TL1 is connected to a radio frequency signal RF IN , the second end of the second transmission line TL2 outputs the first signal I sig , the second end of the fourth transmission line TL4 outputs the second signal Q sig .
[0046] In more detail, the connection angle between each transmission line and the transmission line connected thereto satisfies a preset angle threshold, the characteristic impedance of the first transmission line TL1 is equal to the characteristic impedance of the third transmission line TL3, and the characteristic impedance of the second transmission line TL2 is equal to the characteristic impedance of the third transmission line TL3. Specifically, the connection angle between each transmission line and the transmission line connected thereto is 90°, the characteristic impedances of the first transmission line TL1 and the second transmission line TL3 are both 50Ω, the characteristic impedances of the second transmission line TL2 and the third transmission line TL3 are 35.4Ω, and the resistance value of the first resistor R1 is 50Ω.
[0047] In detail, Figure 3 As shown, the phase adjustment module includes two independent adjustment branches, such as Figure 4 As shown, each trimming branch includes a plurality of cascaded phase trimming units, and the grounding mode of each phase trimming unit in the two trimming branches is adjusted to correct the first signal I sig With the second signal Q sig The phase difference between them is used to obtain two correction signals (Ic and Qc).
[0048] In more detail, Figure 5-Figure 6 As shown, the phase adjustment unit includes: a first optional grounding wire, two second optional grounding wires, a first NMOS tube M1, two second NMOS tubes (M2_1, M2_2) and a signal transmission line, the first optional grounding wire is concave, the signal transmission line runs through the groove in the concave and is at a preset interval threshold from the inner wall of the groove, the drain of the first NMOS tube M1 is connected to the bottom of the concave, the source of the first NMOS tube M1 is grounded, the two second optional grounding wires are respectively arranged in parallel on both sides of the first optional grounding wire, the drains of the two second NMOS tubes (M2_1, M2_2) are connected to the second optional grounding wire, and the sources of the two second NMOS tubes (M2_1, M2_2) are grounded, wherein the gate of the first NMOS tube M1 is connected to the first control signal SW1i, and the gates of the second NMOS tubes (M2_1, M2_2) are connected to the second control signal SW1i. Wherein, the input end of the signal transmission line in the first phase adjustment unit of the first adjustment branch is connected to the first signal I sig The output end of the signal transmission line in the last phase adjustment unit of the first adjustment branch outputs the first correction signal I c The input end of the signal transmission line in the first phase adjustment unit of the second adjustment branch is connected to the first signal Q sig The output end of the signal transmission line in the last phase adjustment unit of the second adjustment branch outputs the second correction signal Q c , i is a positive integer, the middle phase adjustment units in the two adjustment branches are cascaded, 1≤i≤N, N is the number of phase adjustment units in a single adjustment branch.
[0049] In detail, Figure 3 As shown, the two differential signals include a first differential signal (I_P, I_N) and a second differential signal (Q_P, Q_N), the differential signal generating module includes a first balun T1 and a second balun T2, the first end of the primary coil in the first balun T1 is connected to the first output end of the phase adjustment module (i.e., the output end of the signal transmission line in the last phase adjustment unit of the first adjustment branch), the second end of the primary coil in the first balun T1 is grounded, and the two ends of the secondary coil in the first balun T1 output the first differential signal (I_P, I_N) to the outside, the first end of the primary coil in the second balun T2 is connected to the second output end of the phase adjustment module (i.e., the output end of the signal transmission line in the last phase adjustment unit of the second adjustment branch), the second end of the primary coil in the second balun T2 is grounded, and the two ends of the secondary coil in the second balun T2 output the second differential signal (Q_P, Q_N) to the outside.
[0050] like Figure 7 or Figure 8 As shown, the phase shift module includes two phase shift units and an output unit. The phase shift unit receives a phase shift control signal (I SW / Q SW ) and differential signals (I_P, I_N or Q_P, Q_N), based on the phase shift control signal (I SW and Q SW ) determines the phase shift quadrant of the active phase shifter, and adjusts the tail current source in the phase shift unit to make the amplitudes of the two differential signals (I_P, I_N, Q_P, Q_N) equal. The output unit performs vector synthesis on the signals output by the two phase shift units to obtain the RF signal RF of the target phase. OUT .
[0051] In more detail, Figure 7 As shown, the first phase shift unit includes a third NMOS tube M3, a fourth NMOS tube M4, a fifth NMOS tube M5, a sixth NMOS tube M6, a seventh NMOS tube M7, an eighth NMOS tube M8, a ninth NMOS tube M9, a tenth NMOS tube M10, a first inverter NOT1, a first tail current source I DAC1 and the second tail current source I DAC2 The gate of the third NMOS tube M3 is connected to the input end of the first inverter NOT1, the output end of the first inverter NOT1 is connected to the gate of the fourth NMOS tube M4, the input end of the first inverter NOT1 is also connected to the gate of the sixth NMOS tube M6, the gate of the fourth NMOS tube M4 is also connected to the gate of the fifth NMOS tube M5, the source of the third NMOS tube M3 is connected to the source of the fourth NMOS tube M4, and the source of the third NMOS tube M3 is also connected to the first tail current source I DAC1 The source of the fifth NMOS tube M5 is connected to the source of the sixth NMOS tube M6, and the source of the fifth NMOS tube M5 is also connected to the source of the second tail current source IDAC2 The third NMOS tube M3 is connected to the source of the seventh NMOS tube M7, the drain of the third NMOS tube M3 is also connected to the drain of the fifth NMOS tube M5, the drain of the sixth NMOS tube M6 is connected to the source of the tenth NMOS tube M10, the drain of the sixth NMOS tube M6 is also connected to the drain of the fourth NMOS tube M4, the source of the seventh NMOS tube M7 is connected to the source of the eighth NMOS tube M8, the gate of the eighth NMOS tube M8 is connected to the gate of the ninth NMOS tube M9, the source of the ninth NMOS tube M9 is connected to the source of the tenth NMOS tube M10, the drain of the seventh NMOS tube M7 is connected to the drain of the ninth NMOS tube M9, and the drain of the tenth NMOS tube M10 is connected to the drain of the eighth NMOS tube M8, wherein the input end of the first inverter NOT1 is connected to the first phase shift control signal I SW The gate of the seventh NMOS tube M7 and the gate of the tenth NMOS tube M10 are connected to the positive electrode I_P of the first differential signal, the gate of the eighth NMOS tube M8 is connected to the negative electrode I_N of the first differential signal, the drain of the seventh NMOS tube M7 is the first output end of the first phase shift unit, and the drain of the tenth NMOS tube M10 is the second output end of the first phase shift unit.
[0052] In more detail, Figure 7 As shown, the second phase shift unit includes a third NMOS tube M11, a fourth NMOS tube M12, a fifth NMOS tube M13, a sixth NMOS tube M14, a seventh NMOS tube M15, an eighth NMOS tube M16, a ninth NMOS tube M17, a tenth NMOS tube M18, a first inverter NOT2, a first tail current source Q DAC1 and the second tail current source Q DAC2 The gate of the third NMOS tube M11 is connected to the input end of the first inverter NOT2, the output end of the first inverter NOT2 is connected to the gate of the fourth NMOS tube M12, the input end of the first inverter NOT2 is also connected to the gate of the sixth NMOS tube M14, the gate of the fourth NMOS tube M12 is also connected to the gate of the fifth NMOS tube M13, the source of the third NMOS tube M11 is connected to the source of the fourth NMOS tube M12, and the source of the third NMOS tube M11 is also connected to the first tail current source Q DAC1 The source of the fifth NMOS tube M13 is connected to the source of the sixth NMOS tube M14, and the source of the fifth NMOS tube M13 is also connected to the source of the second tail current source Q DAC2The drain of the third NMOS tube M11 is connected to the source of the seventh NMOS tube M15, the drain of the third NMOS tube M11 is also connected to the drain of the fifth NMOS tube M13, the drain of the sixth NMOS tube M14 is connected to the source of the tenth NMOS tube M18, the drain of the sixth NMOS tube M14 is also connected to the drain of the fourth NMOS tube M12, the source of the seventh NMOS tube M15 is connected to the source of the eighth NMOS tube M16, the gate of the eighth NMOS tube M16 is connected to the gate of the ninth NMOS tube M17, the source of the ninth NMOS tube M17 is connected to the source of the tenth NMOS tube M18, the drain of the seventh NMOS tube M15 is connected to the drain of the ninth NMOS tube M17, and the drain of the tenth NMOS tube M18 is connected to the drain of the eighth NMOS tube M16, wherein the input terminal of the first inverter NOT2 is connected to the second phase shift control signal Q SW The gate of the seventh NMOS tube M15 and the gate of the tenth NMOS tube M18 are connected to the positive electrode Q_P of the second differential signal, the gate of the eighth NMOS tube M16 is connected to the negative electrode Q_N of the second differential signal, the drain of the seventh NMOS tube M15 is the first output end of the second phase shift unit, and the drain of the tenth NMOS tube M18 is the second output end of the second phase shift unit.
[0053] In order to simplify the structure of the phase shift module, the structure of the phase shift unit can be designed to be simpler to reduce the loss of phase shift.
[0054] In more detail, Figure 8 As shown, the first phase shift unit includes an eleventh NMOS tube M19, a twelfth NMOS tube M20, a thirteenth NMOS tube M21, a fourteenth NMOS tube M22, a fifteenth NMOS tube M23, a sixteenth NMOS tube M24, a second inverter NOT3 and a third tail current source I DAC3 The gate of the eleventh NMOS tube M19 is connected to the input end of the second inverter NOT3, the output end of the second inverter NOT3 is connected to the gate of the twelfth NMOS tube M20, the source of the eleventh NMOS tube M19 is connected to the source of the twelfth NMOS tube M20, and the source of the eleventh NMOS tube M19 is also connected to the source of the third tail current source I DAC3The drain of the eleventh NMOS tube M19 is connected to the source of the thirteenth NMOS tube M21, the source of the thirteenth NMOS tube M21 is connected to the source of the fourteenth NMOS tube M22, the drain of the twelfth NMOS tube M20 is connected to the source of the fifteenth NMOS tube M23, the gate of the fifteenth NMOS tube M23 is connected to the gate of the fourteenth NMOS tube M22, the source of the sixteenth NMOS tube M24 is connected to the source of the fifteenth NMOS tube M23, the drain of the thirteenth NMOS tube M21 is connected to the drain of the fifteenth NMOS tube M23, the drain of the sixteenth NMOS tube M24 is connected to the drain of the fourteenth NMOS tube M22, wherein the input terminal of the second inverter NOT3 is connected to the first phase shift control signal I SW The gate of the thirteenth NMOS tube M21 and the gate of the sixteenth NMOS tube M24 are connected to the positive electrode I_P of the first differential signal, the gate of the fourteenth NMOS tube M22 is connected to the negative electrode I_N of the first differential signal, the drain of the thirteenth NMOS tube M21 is the first output end of the first phase shift unit, and the drain of the sixteenth NMOS tube M24 is the second output end of the first phase shift unit.
[0055] In more detail, Figure 8 As shown, the second phase shift unit includes an eleventh NMOS tube M25, a twelfth NMOS tube M26, a thirteenth NMOS tube M27, a fourteenth NMOS tube M28, a fifteenth NMOS tube M29, a sixteenth NMOS tube M30, a second inverter NOT4 and a third tail current source Q DAC3 The gate of the eleventh NMOS tube M25 is connected to the input end of the second inverter NOT4, the output end of the second inverter NOT4 is connected to the gate of the twelfth NMOS tube M26, the source of the eleventh NMOS tube M25 is connected to the source of the twelfth NMOS tube M26, and the source of the eleventh NMOS tube M25 is also connected to the source of the third tail current source Q DAC3 The drain of the eleventh NMOS tube M25 is connected to the source of the thirteenth NMOS tube M27, the source of the thirteenth NMOS tube M27 is connected to the source of the fourteenth NMOS tube M28, the drain of the twelfth NMOS tube M26 is connected to the source of the fifteenth NMOS tube M29, the gate of the fifteenth NMOS tube M29 is connected to the gate of the fourteenth NMOS tube M28, the source of the sixteenth NMOS tube M30 is connected to the source of the fifteenth NMOS tube M29, the drain of the thirteenth NMOS tube M27 is connected to the drain of the fifteenth NMOS tube M29, and the drain of the sixteenth NMOS tube M30 is connected to the drain of the fourteenth NMOS tube M28, wherein the input end of the second inverter NOT4 is connected to the second phase shift control signal Q SWThe gate of the thirteenth NMOS tube M27 and the gate of the sixteenth NMOS tube M30 are connected to the positive electrode Q_P of the second differential signal, the gate of the fourteenth NMOS tube M28 is connected to the negative electrode Q_N of the first differential signal, the drain of the thirteenth NMOS tube M27 is the first output end of the second phase shift unit, and the drain of the sixteenth NMOS tube M30 is the second output end of the second phase shift unit.
[0056] It should be noted that the structural connection relationship of the two phase shifting units provided above includes: the first output end of the first phase shifting unit is connected to the first output end of the second phase shifting unit, and the second output end of the first phase shifting unit is connected to the second output end of the second phase shifting unit. The input end of the first phase shifting unit is connected to the first differential signal (I_P, I_N), and the input end of the second phase shifting unit is connected to the second differential signal (Q_P, Q_N).
[0057] In detail, Figure 7 or Figure 8 As shown, the output unit includes a third balun T3, a first end of the primary coil in the third balun T3 is connected to the first output end of the first phase shift unit and the first output end of the second phase shift unit, a second end of the primary coil in the third balun T3 is connected to the second output end of the first phase shift unit and the second output end of the second phase shift unit, and a middle tap of the primary coil in the third balun T3 is connected to the first power supply voltage V DD The first end of the secondary coil in the third balun T3 outputs a radio frequency signal RF of the target phase to the outside. OUT , the second end of the secondary coil in the third balun T3 is grounded.
[0058] See also Figures 1 to 12 The working principle of the millimeter wave active phase shifter for correcting phase error provided by the present application is as follows:
[0059] like Figure 1 As shown, the signal conversion module receives the radio frequency signal RF IN The signal conversion module converts the RF signal into IN Generate a first signal I sig and the second signal Q sig .like Figure 2 As shown, the radio frequency signal RF IN The signal conversion module generates a first signal I sig and the second signal Q sig Under normal circumstances, the first signal I sig and the second signal Q sig The amplitudes are equal and the phase difference is 90°. However, due to process instability and model uncertainty, the first signal I generated by the signal conversion module sig and the second signal Q sig The phase difference between them is shifted by 90°.
[0060] To adjust the first signal I sig and the second signal Q sig The phase difference between Figure 3 As shown, the signal conversion module is connected to a phase adjustment module, and two adjustment branches are independently set in the phase adjustment module, such as Figure 4 As shown, each trimming branch includes a plurality of phase trimming units, and the plurality of phase trimming units are cascaded.
[0061] like Figure 4-Figure 6 As shown, each phase trimming unit is provided with two grounding modes, and the two grounding modes are adjusted by different control signals, so that the switch in the phase trimming unit is controlled by the control signal to determine the phase shifting effect of the phase trimming unit, thereby achieving phase fine-tuning, such as Fig.11 shown.
[0062] The phase adjustment unit has two working states. By changing the level of the control signal, the phase adjustment unit is controlled to switch between the two phase states to achieve phase adjustment, and during the phase adjustment process, the loss is guaranteed to be consistent.
[0063] like Fig. 9 As shown, if the first phase adjustment unit is in the first working state, the first control signal SW11 is at a high level, i.e., 1, and the second control signal SW21 is at a low level, i.e., 0, the first control signal SW11 controls the first NMOS tube M1 to be turned on, and the second control signal SW21 controls the second NMOS tube (M2_1, M2_2) to be turned off; at this time, the first optional grounding wire is grounded, and the second optional grounding wire is suspended, and the first optional grounding wire will be used as the ground wire of the signal transmission line, and the distributed inductance L of the signal transmission line H And distributed capacitance C H The signal transmission line is in a state of high delay and large phase shift in the first working state (the first grounding method).
[0064] like Fig.10 As shown, if the first phase adjustment unit is in the second working state, the first control signal SW11 is at a low level, i.e., 0, and the second control signal SW21 is at a high level, i.e., 1, the first control signal SW11 controls the first NMOS tube M1 to be turned off, and the second control signal SW21 controls the second NMOS tube (M2_1, M2_2) to be turned on; at this time, the first optional grounding wire is suspended, the second optional grounding wire is grounded, and the second optional grounding wire will serve as the ground wire of the signal transmission line, and the distributed inductance L of the signal transmission line L And distributed capacitance C L The signal transmission line is in a state of low delay and small phase shift in the second working state (the second grounding method).
[0065] It should be noted that the working state switching mode of other phase adjustment units is the same as that of the first phase adjustment unit, which will not be repeated here. In order to ensure that the loss of the phase adjustment unit is the same in the two working states, the distributed inductance and distributed capacitance in the two working states must satisfy the relationship: L H / C H =L L / C L .
[0066] After being adjusted by a plurality of phase adjustment units, the first signal I sig With the second signal Q sig If the phase difference between them satisfies 90°, the subsequent phase adjustment units are uniformly set to the first working state or the second working state, thereby obtaining two correction signals with orthogonal phases ((I c and Q c ).
[0067] like Figure 3-10 As shown, the first signal I is adjusted by two adjustment branches. sig With the second signal Q sig The phase difference between them makes the two output ends of the phase adjustment module output correction signals (I c and Q c ) satisfies the phase difference of 90°.
[0068] like Figure 3 As shown, the first correction signal I c The first balun T1 in the input differential signal generation module converts the first correction signal I c Convert the first differential signal (I_P, I_N) into the second correction signal Q c The second balun T2 in the input differential signal generation module converts the second correction signal Q c Converted into the second differential signal (Q_P, Q_N).
[0069] After the two differential signals (I_P, I_N, Q_P, Q_N) are input into the phase shift module, the amplitudes of the two differential signals (I_P, I_N, Q_P, Q_N) are adjusted by the tail current sources in the two phase shift units so that the amplitudes of the two differential signals are equal.
[0070] Through the first phase shift control signal I SW and the second phase shift control signal Q SW Control the phase shift quadrant of the active phase shifter:
[0071] When the first phase shift control signal I SW is high and the second phase shift control signal Q SW When it is high level, Fig.12As shown, the active phase shifter performs phase shifting in the first quadrant; when the first phase shift control signal I SW is low and the second phase shift control signal Q SW When the first phase shift control signal I SW is low and the second phase shift control signal Q SW When the first phase shift control signal I SW is high and the second phase shift control signal Q SW When it is a low level, the active phase shifter performs phase shifting in the fourth quadrant; by combining the phase shifting effects of the four quadrants, a 360° phase shifting coverage of the active phase shifter can be achieved.
[0072] After the two phase shift units synthesize the two differential signals (I_P, I_N, Q_P, Q_N) input vectors, the synthesized differential signals are converted into single-ended signals through the output unit to obtain the RF signal RF with the target phase. OUT .
[0073] The present application provides a millimeter-wave active phase shifter for correcting phase error. The active phase shifter includes a signal conversion module, a phase adjustment module, a differential signal generation module and a phase shift module. A radio frequency signal is input into the signal conversion module to generate a first signal and a second signal. The phase difference between the first signal and the second signal is corrected by adjusting the grounding method of the phase adjustment unit in the phase adjustment module to obtain two mutually orthogonal correction signals. The two correction signals are converted by the differential signal generation module and then input into the input end of the phase shift module. The amplitude of the input signal is adjusted by the tail current source in the phase shift module, and the two signals with the same amplitude are vector-synthesized to obtain a radio frequency signal of a target phase, thereby completing the phase shift of the input radio frequency signal. The active phase shifter of the present application adjusts the grounding mode of multiple phase fine-tuning units and controls the grounding mode of the signal transmission line in the phase fine-tuning unit to provide two modes of large phase shift and small phase shift respectively under the condition of ensuring the same loss; connects the phase trimming units in series and controls the phase shifting step of multiple phase trimming units to adjust the phase of the entire phase trimming module; enables the two-way signal to perform phase error correction within a certain range, solves the problem of phase difference deviation of the two-way signal caused by the process and / or model, reduces the phase error of the two-way signal, and improves the phase shift accuracy of the active phase shifter.
[0074] The above embodiments are merely illustrative of the principles and effects of the present invention, and are not intended to limit the present invention. Anyone familiar with the technology may modify or change the above embodiments without violating the spirit and scope of the present invention. Therefore, all equivalent modifications or changes made by a person of ordinary skill in the art without departing from the spirit and technical ideas disclosed by the present invention shall still be covered by the claims of the present invention.
Claims
1. A millimeter wave active phase shifter for correcting phase error, characterized in that: include: A signal conversion module, receiving the radio frequency signal, and generating a first signal and a second signal according to the radio frequency signal; A phase adjustment module connected to the output end of the signal conversion module, comprising a plurality of phase adjustment units, and adjusting the phase difference between the first signal and the second signal by setting the grounding mode of the phase adjustment units to obtain two mutually orthogonal correction signals; A differential signal generating module is connected to the output end of the phase adjustment module and converts the two correction signals into two differential signals; The phase shift module is connected to the output end of the differential signal generating module, adjusts the amplitude of the two differential signals through the tail current source in the phase shift module, and vector synthesizes the two differential signals with the same amplitude to obtain the RF signal of the target phase.
2. The millimeter wave active phase shifter for correcting phase error according to claim 1, characterized in that: The signal conversion module includes a first transmission line, a second transmission line, a third transmission line, a fourth transmission line and a first resistor, wherein the first end of the first transmission line is connected to the first end of the second transmission line, the second end of the second transmission line is connected to the first end of the third transmission line, the second end of the first transmission line is connected to the first end of the fourth transmission line, the second end of the first transmission line is grounded after passing through the first resistor, and the second end of the third transmission line is connected to the second end of the fourth transmission line, wherein the first end of the first transmission line is connected to the radio frequency signal, the second end of the second transmission line outputs the first signal, and the second end of the fourth transmission line outputs the second signal.
3. The millimeter wave active phase shifter for correcting phase error according to claim 2, characterized in that: A connection angle between each transmission line and the transmission line connected thereto satisfies a preset angle threshold, a characteristic impedance of the first transmission line is equal to a characteristic impedance of the third transmission line, and a characteristic impedance of the second transmission line is equal to a characteristic impedance of the third transmission line.
4. The millimeter-wave active phase shifter for correcting phase error according to claim 1, characterized in that: The phase adjustment module includes two independent adjustment branches, each of which includes a plurality of cascaded phase adjustment units. The grounding method of each phase adjustment unit in the two adjustment branches is adjusted to correct the phase difference between the first signal and the second signal to obtain two corrected signals.
5. The millimeter wave active phase shifter for correcting phase error according to claim 4, characterized in that: The phase adjustment unit includes: a first optional grounding wire, two second optional grounding wires, a first NMOS tube, two second NMOS tubes and a signal transmission line, wherein the first optional grounding wire is concave, the signal transmission line runs through a groove in the concave and is spaced apart from an inner wall of the groove by a preset threshold value, the drain of the first NMOS tube is connected to the bottom of the concave, the source of the first NMOS tube is grounded, the two second optional grounding wires are respectively arranged in parallel on both sides of the first optional grounding wire, the drains of the two second NMOS tubes are connected to the second optional grounding wires, and the sources of the two second NMOS tubes are grounded, wherein the gate of the first NMOS tube is connected to a first control signal, and the gate of the second NMOS tube is connected to a second control signal.
6. The millimeter wave active phase shifter for correcting phase error according to claim 1, characterized in that: The two differential signals include a first differential signal and a second differential signal, and the differential signal generating module includes a first balun and a second balun, the first end of the primary coil in the first balun is connected to the first output end of the phase adjustment module, the second end of the primary coil in the first balun is grounded, and the two ends of the secondary coil in the first balun output the first differential signal to the outside, the first end of the primary coil in the second balun is connected to the second output end of the phase adjustment module, the second end of the primary coil in the second balun is grounded, and the two ends of the secondary coil in the second balun output the second differential signal to the outside.
7. The millimeter wave active phase shifter for correcting phase error according to claim 1, characterized in that: The phase shift module includes two phase shift units and an output unit. The phase shift unit is connected to a phase shift control signal and the differential signal. The phase shift quadrant of the active phase shifter is determined based on the phase shift control signal, and the tail current source in the phase shift unit is adjusted so that the amplitudes of the two differential signals are equal. The output unit vector synthesizes the signals output by the two phase shift units to obtain the RF signal of the target phase.
8. The millimeter wave active phase shifter for correcting phase error according to claim 7, characterized in that: The phase shift unit includes a third NMOS tube, a fourth NMOS tube, a fifth NMOS tube, a sixth NMOS tube, a seventh NMOS tube, an eighth NMOS tube, a ninth NMOS tube, a tenth NMOS tube, a first inverter, a first tail current source and a second tail current source. The gate of the third NMOS tube is connected to the input end of the first inverter, the output end of the first inverter is connected to the gate of the fourth NMOS tube, the input end of the first inverter is also connected to the gate of the sixth NMOS tube, the gate of the fourth NMOS tube is also connected to the gate of the fifth NMOS tube, the source of the third NMOS tube is connected to the source of the fourth NMOS tube, the source of the third NMOS tube is also grounded after passing through the first tail current source, the source of the fifth NMOS tube is connected to the source of the sixth NMOS tube, the source of the fifth NMOS tube is also grounded after passing through the second tail current source, the drain of the third NMOS tube is connected to the source of the seventh NMOS tube, and the drain of the third NMOS tube is connected to the source of the seventh NMOS tube. The drain is also connected to the drain of the fifth NMOS tube, the drain of the sixth NMOS tube is connected to the source of the tenth NMOS tube, the drain of the sixth NMOS tube is also connected to the drain of the fourth NMOS tube, the source of the seventh NMOS tube is connected to the source of the eighth NMOS tube, the gate of the eighth NMOS tube is connected to the gate of the ninth NMOS tube, the source of the ninth NMOS tube is connected to the source of the tenth NMOS tube, the drain of the seventh NMOS tube is connected to the drain of the ninth NMOS tube, and the drain of the tenth NMOS tube is connected to the drain of the eighth NMOS tube, wherein the input end of the first inverter is connected to the phase shift control signal, the gate of the seventh NMOS tube and the gate of the tenth NMOS tube are connected to the positive electrode of the differential signal, the gate of the eighth NMOS tube is connected to the negative electrode of the differential signal, the drain of the seventh NMOS tube is the first output end of the phase shift unit, and the drain of the tenth NMOS tube is the second output end of the phase shift unit.
9. The millimeter wave active phase shifter for correcting phase error according to claim 7, characterized in that: The phase shift unit includes an eleventh NMOS tube, a twelfth NMOS tube, a thirteenth NMOS tube, a fourteenth NMOS tube, a fifteenth NMOS tube, a sixteenth NMOS tube, a second inverter and a third tail current source, the gate of the eleventh NMOS tube is connected to the input end of the second inverter, the output end of the second inverter is connected to the gate of the twelfth NMOS tube, the source of the eleventh NMOS tube is connected to the source of the twelfth NMOS tube, the source of the eleventh NMOS tube is also grounded after passing through the third tail current source, the drain of the eleventh NMOS tube is connected to the source of the thirteenth NMOS tube, the source of the thirteenth NMOS tube is connected to the source of the fourteenth NMOS tube, the drain of the twelfth NMOS tube is connected to the fifteenth NMOS tube, and the drain of the twelfth NMOS tube is connected to the source of the thirteenth NMOS tube. The source of the OS tube is connected to the gate of the fifteenth NMOS tube, the gate of the fifteenth NMOS tube is connected to the gate of the fourteenth NMOS tube, the source of the sixteenth NMOS tube is connected to the source of the fifteenth NMOS tube, the drain of the thirteenth NMOS tube is connected to the drain of the fifteenth NMOS tube, and the drain of the sixteenth NMOS tube is connected to the drain of the fourteenth NMOS tube, wherein the input end of the second inverter is connected to the phase shift control signal, the gate of the thirteenth NMOS tube and the gate of the sixteenth NMOS tube are connected to the positive electrode of the differential signal, the gate of the fourteenth NMOS tube is connected to the negative electrode of the differential signal, the drain of the thirteenth NMOS tube is the first output end of the phase shift unit, and the drain of the sixteenth NMOS tube is the second output end of the phase shift unit.
10. The millimeter wave active phase shifter for correcting phase error according to claim 8 or 9, characterized in that: The output unit includes a third balun, a first end of the primary coil in the third balun is connected to the first output end of the first phase shift unit and the first output end of the second phase shift unit, a second end of the primary coil in the third balun is connected to the second output end of the first phase shift unit and the second output end of the second phase shift unit, a middle tap of the primary coil in the third balun is connected to a first power supply voltage, a first end of the secondary coil in the third balun outputs the radio frequency signal of the target phase to the outside, and a second end of the secondary coil in the third balun is grounded.