Communication circuit, method, device and system

Abstract

The invention relates to the technical field of wireless communication, and provides a communication circuit, method, device and system.The communication circuit comprises a modulation element, an energy convergence network and a second resonance network, and the modulation element conducts energy dispersion on a first microwave signal of a first frequency of a first port and transmits the first microwave signal to an energy network from a second port; the energy gathering network gathers the dispersed energy to obtain a second microwave signal, the second resonant network performs secondary frequency selection on the second microwave signal to generate an oscillation signal of a second resonant frequency, and the oscillation signal is transmitted to the modulation element through the third port to be mixed with the first microwave signal to obtain a frequency conversion signal of the second frequency. According to the invention, a plurality of signal transmission paths which do not pass through the modulation element from the energy convergence network to the second resonance network are arranged, so that the loss of the second microwave signal can be reduced, a frequency conversion signal with improved power can be obtained, the transmitting power requirement of the transmitting-receiving device is correspondingly reduced, and the microwave driving power threshold of the communication circuit is reduced.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to the field of wireless communication technology, and in particular to a communication circuit, method, device and system. Background Art

[0002] Existing IoT technologies can be divided into active IoT technologies and passive IoT technologies according to whether the terminal needs external energy supply. On the one hand, active IoT technologies require batteries or wired methods to provide DC power to the terminal, which requires operations such as battery replacement or wiring installation, greatly increasing the cost of terminal deployment and subsequent maintenance. On the other hand, common passive IoT technologies such as RFID often have the same frequency for uplink and downlink carrier signals, which can easily lead to practical difficulties such as same-frequency blocking and limited wireless communication distance, and the above difficulties are difficult to overcome.

[0003] In response to the above problems, passive wireless frequency conversion technology came into being, but there are still some shortcomings. For example, the key components in the passive frequency conversion circuit are often driven by collecting microwave signal energy in free space. One of the typical problems is that the microwave driving power threshold required for passive frequency conversion is too high. The high microwave driving power threshold means that the microwave transmission power at the transceiver end needs to be increased or decreased accordingly. The distance between the transceiver and the terminal. The increase in microwave transmission power will bring pressure to the signal reception and processing at the receiving end of the transceiver, and will lead to an increase in system operating costs, a decrease in service life, and further worsen the impact of co-frequency interference. Therefore, it is not expected to extend the wireless communication distance by increasing the microwave transmission power; and the distance between the transceiver and the terminal directly affects the convenience of the system. In addition, the existing passive wireless frequency conversion technology is also faced with the problem of limited frequency change range of frequency conversion. When the frequency change caused by the change in control quantity or sensor quantity is too small, it is not only difficult to ensure the accuracy of information demodulation, but also very easy to cause information demodulation errors. Summary of the invention

[0004] In order to solve at least one technical problem in the above-mentioned prior art, the present invention provides a communication circuit, method, device and system.

[0005] In a first aspect of the present invention, a communication circuit is provided, comprising: a modulation element, an energy convergence network, and a second resonance network;

[0006] The modulation element comprises a first port, a second port and a third port; wherein the first port of the modulation element is configured to receive a first microwave signal having a first frequency and output a frequency conversion signal having a second frequency;

[0007] The energy convergence network is electrically connected to the second port of the modulation element and is configured to converge the microwave signal outputted from the second port of the modulation element to obtain a second microwave signal;

[0008] The second resonant network is electrically connected to the energy convergence network and the third port of the modulation element, and is configured to generate an oscillation signal having a second resonant frequency according to the second microwave signal, and transmit the oscillation signal to the modulation element;

[0009] The second microwave signal includes at least one transmission path that does not pass through a modulation element when it reaches the second resonant network from the energy focusing network, and most or all of the second microwave signal reaches the second resonant network along the at least one transmission path that does not pass through a modulation element.

[0010] Optionally, the at least one transmission path that does not pass through the modulation element partially overlaps or does not overlap with a transmission path of the second microwave signal from the energy focusing network through the modulation element to the second resonant network;

[0011] Alternatively, two of the at least one transmission path that does not pass through the modulation element partially overlap or do not overlap.

[0012] Optionally, the energy convergence network includes a first resonant network configured to be electrically connected to the second port of the modulation element and the second resonant network;

[0013] Alternatively, it comprises a first resonant network and at least one passive reciprocal device, wherein the first resonant network is electrically connected to the second port of the modulation element and the second resonant network via the at least one passive reciprocal device;

[0014] Alternatively, it comprises a first resonant network and at least one passive non-reciprocal device, wherein the first resonant network is electrically connected to the second port of the modulation element and the second resonant network via the at least one passive non-reciprocal device.

[0015] Optionally, the passive non-reciprocal device includes a circulator; or, the passive reciprocal device includes one or a combination of a directional coupler and a power divider.

[0016] Optionally, the communication circuit further includes:

[0017] Matching network;

[0018] Wherein, the matching network includes a second matching network arranged between the modulation element and the energy convergence network, and / or a third matching network arranged between the modulation element and the second resonant network, and / or a fourth matching network arranged between the energy convergence network and the second resonant network.

[0019] Optionally, the modulation element is configured as a transistor having a heterojunction.

[0020] Optionally, the second resonant network is configured as a passive piezoelectric resonant network and / or a resonant network with a sensing function.

[0021] A second aspect of the present invention provides a communication method, comprising:

[0022] S1: Setting the first resonant network to be electrically connected to the second resonant network via a modulation element;

[0023] S2: setting at least one signal transmission path from the first resonant network to the second resonant network without passing through a modulation element;

[0024] S3: The modulation element receives a first microwave signal of a first frequency;

[0025] S4: The modulation element outputs a variable frequency signal having a second frequency.

[0026] Optionally, the modulation element receives a first microwave signal of a first frequency, specifically including:

[0027] The modulation element receives a first microwave signal of a first frequency, and outputs a microwave signal obtained by dispersing energy of the first microwave signal;

[0028] The first resonant network re-converges the microwave signal after energy dispersion to obtain a second microwave signal, and the second microwave signal is fed into the second resonant network through at least one signal transmission path that does not pass through the modulation element.

[0029] Optionally, the modulation element outputs a frequency conversion signal having a second frequency, specifically including:

[0030] The second resonant network generates an oscillation signal of a second resonant frequency according to the second microwave signal;

[0031] The modulation element outputs a frequency conversion signal having a second frequency obtained by mixing the oscillation signal with the first microwave signal.

[0032] Optionally, the second microwave signal is fed into the second resonant network from at least one signal transmission path that does not pass through the modulation element, specifically including: the second microwave signal is fed into the second resonant network along a path that partially overlaps or does not overlap with the path of the microwave signal after energy dispersion reaching the first resonant network.

[0033] Optionally, there are at least two signal transmission paths from the energy convergence network to the second resonant network.

[0034] A third aspect of the present invention provides a communication circuit, comprising:

[0035] A communication circuit as described in any of the preceding items;

[0036] a first reactance device, the first reactance device being arranged between the modulation element and the second resonant network;

[0037] and / or a second reactance device, wherein the second reactance device is arranged between the energy convergence network and the second resonant network.

[0038] Optionally, the first reactance device or the second reactance device is selected from one or a combination of a capacitive element, an inductive element, a capacitive sensing element, an inductive sensing element, a capacitive circuit, and an inductive circuit;

[0039] Alternatively, the first reactance device and the second reactance device are selected from one or a combination of a capacitive element, an inductive element, a capacitive sensing element, an inductive sensing element, a capacitive circuit, and an inductive circuit, and are configured to have the same reactance characteristics and reactance values.

[0040] A fourth aspect of the present invention provides a communication method, comprising:

[0041] S1: Setting the first resonant network to be electrically connected to the second resonant network via a modulation element;

[0042] S2: setting at least one signal transmission path from the first resonant network to the second resonant network without passing through a modulation element;

[0043] S3: providing a reactance device between the second resonant network and the modulation element, and / or between the second resonant network and the energy convergence network;

[0044] S4: the modulation element receives a first microwave signal of a first frequency;

[0045] S5: The modulation element outputs a frequency conversion signal having a second frequency.

[0046] Optionally, the modulation element receives a first microwave signal of a first frequency, specifically including:

[0047] The modulation element receives a first microwave signal of a first frequency, and outputs a microwave signal obtained by dispersing energy of the first microwave signal;

[0048] The first resonant network re-converges the microwave signal after energy dispersion to obtain a second microwave signal, and the second microwave signal is fed into the second resonant network through at least one signal transmission path that does not pass through the modulation element.

[0049] Optionally, the modulation element outputs a frequency conversion signal having a second frequency, specifically including:

[0050] The second resonant network generates an oscillation signal of a second resonant frequency according to the second microwave signal;

[0051] The modulation element outputs a frequency conversion signal having a second frequency obtained by mixing the oscillation signal with the first microwave signal.

[0052] A fifth aspect of the present invention provides a communication device, comprising:

[0053] A communication circuit as described in any of the preceding items;

[0054] First antenna;

[0055] The first antenna is electrically connected to the first port of the modulation element in the communication circuit, and is configured to receive a first microwave signal with a first frequency sent by the transceiver, and to send a frequency conversion signal with a second frequency to the transceiver.

[0056] Optionally, the communication device further includes:

[0057] fifth matching network;

[0058] The fifth matching network is arranged between the first antenna and the first port of the modulation element in the communication circuit.

[0059] A sixth aspect of the present invention provides a communication system, comprising:

[0060] A communication device as described in any of the above items;

[0061] A transceiver device, comprising an electrically connected transceiver circuit and a second antenna;

[0062] Wherein, the transceiver circuit is configured to generate a first microwave signal having a first frequency, and demodulate a received frequency-converting signal having a second frequency to obtain information carried by the signal;

[0063] The second antenna is configured to send a first microwave signal with a first frequency generated by the transceiver circuit to the communication device, and receive a frequency conversion signal with a second frequency returned by the communication device.

[0064] A seventh aspect of the present invention provides a communication method, which is used in the communication system as described above, comprising:

[0065] S1: The transceiver in the communication system generates a first microwave signal with a first frequency and sends the first microwave signal;

[0066] S2: The communication device in the communication system receives the first microwave signal and transmits back a frequency conversion signal having a second frequency;

[0067] S3: The transceiver in the communication system receives the frequency-converted signal and demodulates it to obtain the information it carries.

[0068] The present invention provides a communication circuit, method, device and system, which have at least the following beneficial effects:

[0069] (1) Since a plurality of signal transmission paths from the first resonant network to the second resonant network that do not pass through the modulation element are provided, the loss of the second microwave signal can be reduced, thereby obtaining a frequency conversion signal with increased power, and correspondingly reducing the transmission power requirement of the transceiver device and the microwave driving power threshold of the communication circuit.

[0070] (2) Since the reactance devices are arranged on the left and right sides or one side of the second resonant network, the frequency variation range of the frequency conversion signal can be expanded, thereby improving the information demodulation accuracy at the transceiver end. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0071] Figure 1 It is a structural schematic diagram of a passive frequency conversion circuit in the prior art;

[0072] Figure 2 A schematic diagram of a structure of a communication circuit provided in an embodiment of the present invention;

[0073] Figure 3 A second structural schematic diagram of a communication circuit provided in an embodiment of the present invention;

[0074] Figure 4 A third structural schematic diagram of a communication circuit provided in an embodiment of the present invention;

[0075] Figure 5 A fourth structural schematic diagram of a communication circuit provided by an embodiment of the present invention;

[0076] Figure 6 A fifth structural diagram of a communication circuit provided in an embodiment of the present invention;

[0077] Figure 7 A schematic diagram of the structure of a modulation element provided by an embodiment of the present invention;

[0078] Figure 8 A sixth structural diagram of a communication circuit provided in an embodiment of the present invention;

[0079] Fig. 9 A seventh structural diagram of a communication circuit provided in an embodiment of the present invention;

[0080] Fig.10 A schematic diagram of the eighth structure of a communication circuit provided by an embodiment of the present invention;

[0081] Fig.11 A schematic diagram of the structure of a communication system provided by an embodiment of the present invention.

[0082] Explanation of the reference numerals: 10 - communication circuit; 11 - modulation element; 12 - first resonant network; 13 - second resonant network; 14 - energy convergence network; 15 - circulator; 16 - directional coupler; 17 - first matching network; 18 - first reactance device; 19 - second reactance device; 20 - transceiver circuit; 30 - first antenna; 40 - second antenna; 100 - communication device; 200 - transceiver device. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0083] The following will be combined with the drawings in the embodiments of the present invention to clearly and completely describe the technical solutions in the embodiments of the present invention. Obviously, the described embodiments are only part of the embodiments of the present invention, not all of the embodiments. Based on the embodiments of the present invention, all other embodiments obtained by ordinary technicians in this field without creative work are within the scope of protection of the present invention.

[0084] Figure 1 The passive frequency conversion circuit in the prior art is shown, which includes a modulation element 11, a first resonant network 12, and a second resonant network 13. The modulation element includes three ports, namely a first port T11, a second port T21, and a third port T31. The first port T11 is used to input a first frequency (f in ) of the first microwave signal, and outputting a second frequency (f out ) frequency conversion signal.

[0085] In the circuit, the modulation element 11 is used to establish a passive transmission channel between the first port T11 and the second port T21, and between the second port T21 and the third port T31 for the microwave signal, and to feed the first frequency (f in ) and the second resonant frequency (f r2 ) is mixed with an oscillating signal having a second frequency (f out ) and then outputs the frequency conversion signal from the first port T11. The modulation element 11 modulates the first frequency (f in ) to disperse the energy of the first microwave signal. The first resonant network 12 is used to re-converge the microwave signal after energy dispersion to obtain a second microwave signal, and feed the second microwave signal into the second resonant network 13 after passing through the modulation element. The second resonant network 13 performs secondary frequency selection according to the fed second microwave signal to generate a stable second resonant frequency (f r2 ) oscillation signal, and the second resonant frequency (f r2 ) is fed into the modulation element 11 and is coupled to the modulation element 11 with a first frequency (f in ) is mixed with the first microwave signal to obtain a second frequency (f out ) of the mixed signal.

[0086] In the above process, part of the reason why the microwave driving power threshold required for passive frequency conversion is difficult to further decrease is that there will be power loss in the process of the second microwave signal entering from the second port T21 of the modulation element 11 and then outputting from the third port T31 of the modulation element 11, resulting in the weakening of the power of the oscillation signal of the second resonant frequency generated by the second resonant network 13, and then making the power of the frequency conversion signal generated by the oscillation signal and the first microwave signal in the modulation element 11 very weak or difficult to generate a frequency conversion signal, which manifests as difficulty in receiving the frequency conversion signal at the transceiver end, and the transmission power at the transceiver end has to be increased or the effective distance has to be shortened.

[0087] In view of this, by improving the above circuit structure so that most or all of the second microwave signal reaches the second resonant network 13 without passing through the modulation element, the above power loss can be reduced, the frequency conversion signal power can be increased, and the microwave driving power threshold can be reduced accordingly.

[0088] Figure 2 The schematic diagram of the communication circuit in one embodiment of the present invention is shown, which includes a modulation element 11, an energy convergence network 14, and a second resonant network 13; wherein the modulation element 11 is responsive to the first frequency (f in ) to disperse the energy of the first microwave signal. The energy convergence network 14 is used to converge the microwave signal after energy dispersion to obtain a second microwave signal, and feed the second microwave signal to the second resonant network 13 without passing through a modulation element; the second resonant network 13 performs secondary frequency selection according to the fed second microwave signal to generate a stable second resonant frequency (f r2 ) oscillation signal, and the second resonant frequency (f r2 ) is fed into the modulation element 11 and is coupled to the modulation element 11 with a first frequency (f in ) is mixed with the first microwave signal to obtain a second frequency (f out ) frequency conversion signal.

[0089] In this embodiment, the second microwave signal includes at least two signal transmission paths from the energy convergence network 14 to the second resonant network 13, and the at least two signal transmission paths partially overlap or do not overlap each other. Taking two signal transmission paths as an example, the first path is a path formed from the energy convergence network 14 through the modulation element 11 to the second resonant network 13, and the second path is a path formed from the energy convergence network 14 to the second resonant network 13 without passing through the modulation element 11, and the first path and the second path do not overlap or partially overlap.

[0090] Through the above arrangement, after the energy convergence network 14 converges the microwave signal after energy dispersion by the modulation element 11 to obtain the second microwave signal, most or all of the second microwave signal will reach the second resonant network 13 through the second path. With this arrangement, the second microwave signal reaches the second resonant network 13 almost without loss, thereby generating an oscillation signal and a frequency conversion signal, thereby outputting a higher power frequency conversion signal, and correspondingly reducing the microwave driving power threshold. It can be understood that "most of" means at least more than half, and further, means more than 60%, more than 70%, or more than 80%, or more than 90%, or more than 95%.

[0091] Figure 3 A schematic diagram of a communication circuit in an embodiment of the present invention is shown. Based on the above corresponding embodiments, the energy convergence network 14 includes a first resonant network 12, and the first resonant network 12 is electrically connected to the second port T21 of the modulation element 11 and the second resonant network 13. In this embodiment, the second microwave signal from the energy convergence network 14 to the second resonant network 13 includes two signal transmission paths, and the two signal transmission paths do not overlap each other.

[0092] The first signal transmission path is a path formed by the first resonant network 12 passing through the second port T21 and the third port T31 of the modulation element 11 to reach the second resonant network 13, and the second path is a path formed by the first resonant network 12 not passing through the modulation element 11 to reach the second resonant network 13, and the two signal transmission paths do not overlap each other. In this way, after the energy convergence network 14 converges the microwave signal after energy dispersion by the modulation element 11 to obtain the second microwave signal, most or all of the second microwave signal will reach the second resonant network 13 through the second path. In this way, the second microwave signal reaches the second resonant network 13 almost without loss, and then generates an oscillation signal and a frequency conversion signal, thereby outputting a higher-power frequency conversion signal, and correspondingly reducing the microwave driving power threshold.

[0093] In some embodiments, a matching network is provided on the first path, and the matching network is used to reduce the energy loss caused by impedance mismatch during the transmission of microwave or radio frequency signals, thereby improving the transmission efficiency. For example, a second matching network is provided between the second port T21 of the modulation element 11 and the energy convergence network 14, and / or a third matching network is provided between the third port T31 of the modulation element 11 and the second resonant network 13. In this way, the microwave signal after energy dispersion by the modulation element 11 can reach the energy convergence network 14 without loss, and / or the oscillation signal generated at the second resonant network 13 can reach the third port T31 of the modulation element 11 without loss, thereby further reducing the microwave driving power threshold.

[0094] In some embodiments, a matching network is provided on the second path, and the matching network is used to reduce the energy loss caused by impedance mismatch during the transmission of microwave or radio frequency signals, thereby improving the transmission efficiency. For example, a fourth matching network is provided between the first resonant network 12 and the second resonant network 13. In this way, the second microwave signal generated at the first resonant network 12 can reach the second resonant network 13 without loss, thereby further reducing the microwave driving power threshold.

[0095] In some embodiments, in addition to the first resonant network 12, the energy convergence network 14 also includes a plurality of passive reciprocal devices, which are arranged between the second port T21 of the modulation element 11 and the first resonant network 12. The passive reciprocal devices are used to change the transmission path of the second microwave signal so that it reaches the second resonant network 13 along a path that does not pass through the modulation element 11.

[0096] In some embodiments, the passive reciprocal device may be one of a directional coupler, a power splitter, or a combination thereof.

[0097] In some embodiments, a passive non-reciprocal device may be used to replace the passive reciprocal device. A typical passive non-reciprocal device is a circulator.

[0098] Figure 4 The schematic diagram of the communication circuit in one embodiment of the present invention is shown. On the basis of the above corresponding embodiments, the energy convergence network 14 includes a first resonant network 12 and a circulator 15. In this embodiment, the circulator 15 is a three-port device. The first port T12 of the circulator 15 is electrically connected to the second port T22 of the modulation element 11, the second port T22 of the circulator 15 is electrically connected to the first resonant network 12, and the third port T32 of the circulator 14 is electrically connected to the second resonant network 13.

[0099] In this embodiment, the second microwave signal includes two signal transmission paths from the energy convergence network 14 to the second resonant network 13. The first signal transmission path is a path formed by the energy convergence network 14 passing through the circulator 15 and the modulation element 11 to the second resonant network 13. The second signal transmission path is a path formed by the energy convergence network 14 passing through the circulator 15 to the second resonant network 13. There is a partial overlap between the first path and the second path.

[0100] In this embodiment, the microwave signal after energy dispersion of the modulation element 11 enters the first port T11 of the circulator 15 from the second port T21 of the modulation element 11, and then enters the first resonant network 12 from the second port T21 of the circulator 15 and converges to obtain a second microwave signal. The second microwave signal then sequentially reaches the second resonant network 13 from the second port T22 of the circulator 15 and the third port T32 of the circulator 15. The second resonant network 13 performs secondary frequency selection on the arrived second microwave signal to generate a stable second resonant frequency (f r2 ) oscillation signal, and the second resonant frequency (f r2 ) is fed into the modulation element 11 and is coupled to the modulation element 11 with a first frequency (f in ) is mixed with the first microwave signal to obtain a second frequency (f out ) frequency conversion signal, thereby outputting a higher power frequency conversion signal, and correspondingly reducing the microwave driving power threshold.

[0101] In some embodiments, two or more passive reciprocal devices may be provided between the second port T21 of the modulation element 11 and the first resonant network 12. In the microwave or radio frequency field, device characteristics can be evaluated by scattering parameters (i.e., S parameters), the passive characteristics of the device are shown as S parameters not being greater than 1, and the reciprocal characteristics of the device are shown as the device can be used in an interchangeable direction, that is, the characteristics of the device are consistent when viewed from both sides of the channel of the device.

[0102] In some embodiments, the energy convergence network 14 includes two three-port circulators 15 connected in series, wherein the first port T12 of the previous circulator 15 is electrically connected to the second port T21 of the modulation element 11, the second port T21 of the subsequent circulator 15 is electrically connected to the first resonant network 12, the second port T22 of the previous circulator 15 is connected to the first port T12 of the subsequent circulator 15, and the third ports T32 of the two circulators 15 are connected to the second resonant network 13 without passing through the modulation element 11. In this way, the second microwave signal from the energy convergence network 14 to the second resonant network 13 includes three signal transmission paths, the first signal transmission path is the path from the energy convergence network 14 through two circulators 15 and the modulation element 11 to the second resonant network 13, the second signal transmission path is the path from the energy convergence network 14 through two circulators 15 to the second resonant network 13, the third signal transmission path is the path from the energy convergence network 14 through the latter circulator 15 to the second resonant network 13, there is a partial overlap between the first path and the second path, there is a partial overlap between the first path and the third path, and there is a partial overlap between the second path and the third path. In this way, through two three-port circulators 15 connected in series, it can be greatly ensured that the second microwave signal never reaches the second resonant network 13 through the path that does not pass through the modulation element 11, so that a higher power variable frequency signal can be output later, thereby correspondingly reducing the microwave driving power threshold.

[0103] Figure 5 A schematic diagram of a communication circuit in an embodiment of the present invention is shown. On the basis of the above-mentioned corresponding embodiments, the energy convergence network 14 includes a first resonant network 12, a directional coupler 16 and a first matching network 17. In this embodiment, the directional coupler 16 is a four-port device. The first port T13 of the directional coupler 16 is electrically connected to the second port T22 of the modulation element 11, the second port T23 of the directional coupler 16 is electrically connected to the first resonant network 12, the third port T33 of the directional coupler 16 is electrically connected to the second resonant network 13, and the fourth port T43 of the directional coupler 16 is electrically connected to the first matching network 17. The first matching network 17 is used to achieve reflection-free transmission from the fourth port T43.

[0104] In this embodiment, the second microwave signal includes two signal transmission paths from the energy convergence network 14 to the second resonant network 13. The first signal transmission path is a path formed by the energy convergence network 14 passing through the directional coupler 16 and the modulation element 11 to the second resonant network 13. The second signal transmission path is a path formed by the energy convergence network 14 passing through the directional coupler 16 to the second resonant network 13. There is a partial overlap between the first path and the second path.

[0105] The microwave signal after energy dispersion of the modulation element 11 enters the first port T13 of the directional coupler 16 from the second port T21 of the modulation element 11. Most of the microwave signals enter the first resonant network 12 from the second port T23 of the directional coupler 16 and converge to obtain a second microwave signal. The second microwave signal then reaches the second resonant network 13 from the second port T23 of the directional coupler 16 and the second port T33 of the directional coupler 16 in sequence, thereby generating an oscillation signal and a frequency conversion signal, thereby outputting a higher-power frequency conversion signal, and correspondingly reducing the microwave driving power threshold.

[0106] In some embodiments, the second microwave signal includes three signal transmission paths from the energy focusing network 14 to the second resonant network 13 , and the three signal transmission paths partially overlap or do not overlap with each other.

[0107] Figure 6 The schematic diagram of the communication circuit in one embodiment of the present invention is shown. On the basis of the above-mentioned corresponding embodiments, the energy convergence network 14 includes a first resonant network 12 and a circulator 15. In this embodiment, the circulator 15 is a three-port device. The first port T12 of the circulator 15 is electrically connected to the second port T22 of the modulation element 11, the second port T22 of the circulator 15 is electrically connected to the first resonant network 12, and the third port T32 of the circulator 14 is electrically connected to the second resonant network 13. In addition, the first resonant network 12 is electrically connected to the second resonant network 13 without passing through the circulator 15.

[0108] In this embodiment, the second microwave signal reaches the second resonant network 13 from the energy convergence network 14 through three signal transmission paths. The first signal transmission path is a path from the energy convergence network 14 through the circulator 15 and the modulation element 11 to the second resonant network 13. The second signal transmission path is a path from the energy convergence network 14 through the circulator 15 to the second resonant network 13. The third path is a path from the energy convergence network 14 to the second resonant network 13 without passing through the modulation element 11. There is a partial overlap between the first path and the second path, no overlap between the first path and the third path, and no overlap between the second path and the third path.

[0109] In this embodiment, the microwave signal after energy dispersion of the modulation element 11 enters the first port T11 of the circulator 15 from the second port T21 of the modulation element 11, and then enters the first resonant network 12 from the second port T21 of the circulator 15 and converges to obtain a second microwave signal. Most of the second microwave signal reaches the second resonant network 13 along the third path, and a part of the second microwave signal reaches the second resonant network 13 along the second path. The second resonant network 13 performs secondary frequency selection on the arrived second microwave signal to generate a stable second resonant frequency (f r2) oscillation signal, and the second resonant frequency (f r2 ) is fed into the modulation element 11 and is coupled to the modulation element 11 with a first frequency (f in ) is mixed with the first microwave signal to obtain a second frequency (f out ) frequency conversion signal, thereby outputting a higher power frequency conversion signal, and correspondingly reducing the microwave driving power threshold.

[0110] In some embodiments, the modulation element 11 may be a transistor with a heterojunction, for example, a heterojunction bipolar transistor, a field effect transistor (FET), etc. The FET may be a metal oxide semiconductor field effect transistor (MOSFET), a two-dimensional electron gas transistor, or a high electron mobility transistor (HEMT).

[0111] In some embodiments, Figure 7 As shown, the modulation element 11 is a transistor having a two-dimensional electron gas, and the drain (D) of the transistor serves as a first port T11 , the source (S) serves as a second port T21 , and the gate (G) serves as a third port T31 .

[0112] In some embodiments, a transistor with high electron mobility is used as the modulation element 11 , and the drain (D) of the transistor is used as the first port T11 , the source (S) is used as the second port T21 , and the gate (G) is used as the third port T31 .

[0113] In some embodiments, the second resonant network 13 may be a passive piezoelectric resonant network, including but not limited to a passive piezoelectric crystal oscillator and a passive piezoelectric MEMS oscillator.

[0114] In some embodiments, the second resonant network 13 can be a resonant network with a sensing function. With this configuration, the second resonant network 13 can not only form an oscillation signal for the second microwave signal, but also cause a change in the frequency of the variable frequency signal according to a change in the sensing amount, thereby realizing the value of the sensing measurement by detecting the frequency of the output variable frequency signal, thereby realizing variable frequency information transmission under passive wireless conditions, solving the problem that the existing passive Internet of Things cannot actively radiate variable frequency signals.

[0115] In one embodiment of the present invention, a communication method is provided, and the specific steps are as follows:

[0116] S1: Setting a first resonant network to be electrically connected to a second resonant network via a modulation element;

[0117] S2: setting at least one signal transmission path from the first resonant network to the second resonant network without passing through a modulation element;

[0118] S3: The modulation element receives the first frequency (f in) of the first microwave signal;

[0119] S4: The modulation element output has a second frequency (f out ) frequency conversion signal.

[0120] Through the above arrangement, since several signal transmission paths from the first resonant network 12 to the second resonant network 13 that do not pass through the modulation element 11 are set, the loss of the second microwave signal can be reduced, thereby obtaining a frequency conversion signal with increased power, and correspondingly reducing the transmission power requirement of the transceiver device and the microwave driving power threshold of the communication circuit.

[0121] In some embodiments, the modulation element 11 outputs a microwave signal after energy dispersion according to the first microwave signal; the first resonant network 12 re-converges the microwave signal after energy dispersion to obtain a second microwave signal; the second microwave signal is fed into the second resonant network 13 from at least one signal transmission path that does not pass through the modulation element 11; the second resonant network 13 generates a second resonant frequency (f r2 ) oscillation signal; the modulation element 11 outputs an oscillation signal mixed with the first microwave signal having a second frequency (f out ) frequency conversion signal.

[0122] In some embodiments, the first frequency (f in ) is fed into the first port T11 of the modulation element 11, and the modulation element 11 disperses the energy of the fed first microwave signal; the energy convergence network 14 converges the microwave signal after energy dispersion to obtain a second microwave signal, and feeds the second microwave signal into the second resonant network 13 without passing through the modulation element; the second resonant network 13 performs secondary frequency selection according to the fed second microwave signal to generate a stable second resonant frequency (f r2 ) oscillation signal; the second resonant frequency (f r2 ) is fed into the modulation element 11 and is coupled to the modulation element 11 with a first frequency (f in ) is mixed with the first microwave signal to obtain a second frequency (f out ) of the frequency conversion signal; the frequency conversion signal is output from the first port T11 of the modulation element 11.

[0123] In some embodiments, the aforementioned feeding of the second microwave signal into the second resonant network 13 without passing through a modulation element can be achieved in the following manner, that is, the second microwave signal is fed into the second resonant network 13 along a path that partially overlaps or does not overlap with the microwave signal after energy dispersion reaching the first resonant network 12 .

[0124] In some embodiments, the aforementioned feeding of the second microwave signal into the second resonant network 13 without passing through the modulation element can be achieved in the following manner: at least two signal transmission paths are included from the energy convergence network 14 to the second resonant network 13, and the second microwave signal is fed into the second resonant network 13 along at least one path that does not pass through the modulation element 11.

[0125] As mentioned above, the frequency variation range of the passive frequency conversion technology in the prior art is narrow or limited. When the frequency variation caused by the change in the control amount or the change in the sensing amount is too small, it is not only difficult to ensure the accuracy of information demodulation, but also very easy to cause information demodulation errors. In response to this problem, the inventors found that by setting a reactance device on one or more of the several paths from the energy convergence network 14 to the second resonant network 13, the frequency variation range of the frequency conversion signal can be expanded, thereby improving the information demodulation accuracy at the transceiver end.

[0126] In some embodiments, the reactive device is a capacitive element or circuit, or an inductive element or circuit, for example, a capacitor element, an inductor element, a capacitive sensing element, an inductive sensing element, a capacitive circuit, or an inductive circuit.

[0127] Figure 8 A communication circuit in one embodiment of the present invention is shown. On the basis of the above corresponding embodiments, a first reactance device 18 is arranged between the energy convergence network 14 and the third port T31 of the modulation element 11, that is, the first reactance device 18 is arranged on the path from the energy convergence network 14 through the modulation element 11 to the second resonant network 13. The first reactance device 18 can be one or a combination of a capacitor, an inductor, a capacitive sensing element, an inductive sensing element, a capacitive circuit, and an inductive circuit. Through the above arrangement, the frequency variation range of the frequency conversion signal can be expanded, thereby improving the information demodulation accuracy at the transceiver end.

[0128] In some embodiments, Figure 8 As shown, a second reactance device 19 is provided, and the second reactance device 19 is provided on a path from the energy convergence network 14 to the second resonant network 13 without passing through the modulation element 11. The second reactance device 19 can be one or a combination of a capacitive element, an inductive element, a capacitive sensing element, an inductive sensing element, a capacitive circuit, and an inductive circuit. Through the above arrangement, the frequency variation range of the frequency conversion signal can be expanded, thereby improving the information demodulation accuracy at the transceiver end.

[0129] In some embodiments, Figure 8As shown, in addition to the first reactance device 18, a second reactance device 19 is also provided, and the second reactance device 19 is provided on the path from the energy convergence network 14 to the second resonant network 13 without passing through the modulation element 11. The second reactance device 19 can be one or a combination of a capacitive element, an inductive element, a capacitive sensing element, an inductive sensing element, a capacitive circuit, and an inductive circuit. Through the above arrangement, the frequency variation range of the frequency conversion signal can be expanded, thereby improving the information demodulation accuracy at the transceiver end.

[0130] Fig. 9 A schematic diagram of a communication circuit in an embodiment of the present invention is shown. On the basis of the aforementioned corresponding embodiments, in this embodiment, the second microwave signal reaches the second resonant network 13 from the energy convergence network 14 including three signal transmission paths. The first signal transmission path is a path formed from the energy convergence network 14 through the circulator 15 and the modulation element 11 to the second resonant network 13. The second signal transmission path is a path formed from the energy convergence network 14 through the circulator 15 to the second resonant network 13. The third path is a path formed from the energy convergence network 14 to the second resonant network 13 without passing through the modulation element 11. There is a partial overlap between the first path and the second path, there is no overlap between the first path and the third path, and there is a partial overlap between the second path and the third path.

[0131] In some embodiments, Fig. 9 As shown, a second reactance device 19 is provided, and the second reactance device 19 is provided on the overlapping portion of the second path and the third path. The second reactance device 19 can be one or a combination of a capacitor, an inductor, a capacitive sensing element, an inductive sensing element, a capacitive circuit, and an inductive circuit. Through the above arrangement, the frequency variation range of the frequency conversion signal can be expanded, thereby improving the information demodulation accuracy at the transceiver end.

[0132] In some embodiments, Fig. 9 As shown, a first reactance device 18 is provided, and the first reactance device 18 can be one or a combination of a capacitor, an inductor, a capacitive sensing element, an inductive sensing element, a capacitive circuit, and an inductive circuit. Through the above arrangement, the frequency variation range of the frequency conversion signal can be expanded, thereby improving the information demodulation accuracy at the transceiver end.

[0133] In some embodiments, Fig. 9As shown, a first reactance device 18 and a second reactance device 19 are provided at the same time. The first reactance device 18 and the second reactance device 19 may be one or a combination of a capacitor, an inductor, a capacitive sensing element, an inductive sensing element, a capacitive circuit, and an inductive circuit. The second reactance device 19 may be a device with the same reactance characteristics and reactance value as the first reactance device 18. Compared with providing a single reactance device, the above-mentioned setting can further expand the frequency variation range of the frequency conversion signal and improve the stability of the frequency conversion signal, thereby achieving a stable improvement in the information demodulation accuracy at the transceiver end.

[0134] In some embodiments, the first reactance device 18 is one or a combination of a capacitor element, a capacitive sensing element, and a capacitive circuit, and the second reactance device 19 is one or a combination of a capacitor element, a capacitive sensing element, and a capacitive circuit having the same capacitance value as the first reactance device 18.

[0135] In some embodiments, the first reactance device 18 is one or a combination of an inductance element, an inductive sensing element, and an inductive circuit, and the second reactance device 19 is one or a combination of an inductance element, an inductive sensing element, and an inductive circuit having the same inductance value as the first reactance device 18 .

[0136] Fig.10 A communication circuit in one embodiment of the present invention is shown. On the basis of the above corresponding embodiments, the modulation element 11 adopts a transistor with high electron mobility, and the drain (D) of the transistor is used as the first port T11, the source (S) is used as the second port T12, and the gate (G) is used as the third port T13. The first resonant network 12 includes a first inductor and a first capacitor connected in parallel, and the second resonant network 13 is a passive crystal oscillator. The source of the transistor is electrically connected to the first resonant network 12, one end of the second resonant network 13 is electrically connected to the third port T13 of the modulation element 11, and the other end of the second resonant network 13 is electrically connected to the first resonant network 12. In this way, since a path for the second microwave signal to be transmitted without passing through the modulation element 11 is established between the second resonant network 13 and the first resonant network 12, the second microwave signal reaches the second resonant network 13 almost without loss, thereby generating an oscillation signal and a frequency conversion signal, thereby outputting a higher power frequency conversion signal, and correspondingly reducing the microwave driving power threshold.

[0137] In some embodiments, based on the above corresponding embodiments, Fig.10 As shown, an inductor element 18 is further arranged between the second resonant network 13 and the drain of the transistor. By such an arrangement, the frequency variation range of the frequency conversion signal can be expanded, thereby improving the information demodulation accuracy at the transceiver end.

[0138] In some embodiments, based on the above corresponding embodiments, Fig.10 As shown, an inductor element 19 is further arranged between the second resonant network 13 and the first resonant network 12. By such arrangement, the frequency variation range of the frequency conversion signal can be expanded, thereby improving the information demodulation accuracy at the transceiver end.

[0139] In some embodiments, based on the above corresponding embodiments, Fig.10 As shown, an inductor element 18 is arranged between the second resonant network 13 and the drain of the transistor, and an inductor element 19 is arranged between the second resonant network 13 and the first resonant network 12. The inductor element 19 and the inductor element 18 have the same inductance value. Through such an arrangement, compared with the arrangement of a single inductor device, the frequency variation range of the frequency conversion signal can be further expanded, and the stability of the frequency conversion signal can be improved, thereby achieving a stable improvement in the information demodulation accuracy at the transceiver end.

[0140] In one embodiment of the present invention, a communication method is provided, and the specific steps are as follows:

[0141] S1: Setting a first resonant network to be electrically connected to a second resonant network via a modulation element;

[0142] S2: setting at least one signal transmission path from the first resonant network to the second resonant network without passing through a modulation element;

[0143] S3: providing a reactance device between the second resonant network and the modulation element, and / or between the second resonant network and the energy convergence network;

[0144] S4: The modulation element receives the first frequency (f in ) of the first microwave signal;

[0145] S5: The modulating element output has a second frequency (f out ) frequency conversion signal.

[0146] Through the above arrangement, on the one hand, since several signal transmission paths are set from the first resonant network 12 to the second resonant network 13 without passing through the modulation element 11, the loss of the second microwave signal can be reduced, thereby obtaining a frequency conversion signal with increased power, and correspondingly reducing the transmission power requirement of the transceiver device, and reducing the microwave driving power threshold of the communication circuit. On the other hand, since the reactance device is set on the left and right sides or one side of the second resonant network 13, the frequency variation range of the frequency conversion signal can be expanded, thereby improving the information demodulation accuracy at the transceiver end.

[0147] In some embodiments, the first resonant network 12 re-converges the microwave signal after energy dispersion to obtain a second microwave signal; the second microwave signal is fed into the second resonant network 13 from at least one signal transmission path that does not pass through the modulation element 11; the second resonant network 13 generates a second resonant frequency (f r2 ) oscillation signal; the modulation element 11 outputs an oscillation signal mixed with the first microwave signal having a second frequency (f out ) frequency conversion signal.

[0148] In one embodiment of the present invention, a communication device 100 is further provided, which includes the communication circuit 10 of any of the above embodiments, and a first antenna 30, the first antenna 30 is electrically connected to the first port T11 of the modulation element 11 in the communication circuit 10, and the first antenna 30 is used to receive the first frequency (f in ) and sending a first microwave signal having a second frequency (f out ) frequency conversion signal.

[0149] In some embodiments, a fifth matching network is provided between the first antenna 30 and the first port T11 of the modulation element 11, and the fifth matching network is used to achieve impedance matching between the first antenna 30 and the first port T11 of the modulation element 11, improve the microwave signal coupling efficiency, and reduce the transmission loss of the microwave signal.

[0150] Fig.11 A communication system in an embodiment of the present invention is shown, which includes a communication device 100 and a transceiver device 200. The transceiver device 200 includes a transceiver circuit 20 and a second antenna 40. The transceiver circuit 20 is electrically connected to the second antenna 40. The transceiver circuit 20 is used to generate a first frequency (f in ) of the first microwave signal, and the received second frequency (f out ) to obtain the information it carries. The second antenna 40 is used to transmit the first frequency (f in ) is sent to the communication device 100, and a microwave signal with a second frequency (f out ) frequency conversion signal.

[0151] In one embodiment of the present invention, a communication method is also provided, which comprises the following steps:

[0152] S1: The transceiver generates the first frequency (f in ), and sending the first microwave signal;

[0153] S2: The communication device receives the first microwave signal and transmits back a second microwave signal with a second frequency (f out ) frequency conversion signal;

[0154] S3: The transceiver receives the frequency conversion signal and demodulates it to obtain the information it carries.

[0155] In the description of the embodiments of the present invention, it should be understood that the terms "upper", "lower", "front", "back", "left", "right", "vertical", "horizontal", "center", "top", "bottom", "top", "bottom", "inside", "outside", "inner side", "outer side" and the like indicate orientations or positional relationships based on the orientations or positional relationships shown in the accompanying drawings, and are only for the convenience of describing the present invention and simplifying the description, rather than indicating or implying that the device or element referred to must have a specific orientation, be constructed and operated in a specific orientation, and therefore cannot be understood as a limitation on the present invention. Among them, "inside" refers to an internal or enclosed area or space. "Periphery" refers to the area surrounding a specific component or a specific area.

[0156] In the description of the embodiments of the present invention, the terms "first", "second", "third", and "fourth" are used for descriptive purposes only and are not to be understood as indicating or implying relative importance or implicitly indicating the number of the indicated technical features. Thus, a feature defined as "first", "second", "third", and "fourth" may explicitly or implicitly include one or more of the features. In the description of the present invention, unless otherwise specified, "multiple" means two or more.

[0157] In the description of the embodiments of the present invention, it should be noted that, unless otherwise clearly specified and limited, the terms "install", "connect", "connect", and "assemble" 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 direct connection, or an indirect connection through an intermediate medium, or it can be the internal communication of two components. For ordinary technicians in this field, the specific meanings of the above terms in the present invention can be understood according to specific circumstances.

[0158] In the description of the embodiments of the present invention, specific features, structures, materials or characteristics may be combined in a suitable manner in any one or more embodiments or examples.

[0159] In the description of the embodiments of the present invention, it should be understood that "-" and "~" represent a range between two values, and the range includes the endpoints. For example: "AB" represents a range greater than or equal to A, and less than or equal to B. "A~B" represents a range greater than or equal to A, and less than or equal to B.

[0160] In the description of the embodiments of the present invention, the term "and / or" herein is merely a description of the association relationship of associated objects, indicating that three relationships may exist. For example, A and / or B may represent: A exists alone, A and B exist at the same time, and B exists alone. In addition, the character " / " herein generally indicates that the associated objects before and after are in an "or" relationship.

[0161] Although embodiments of the present invention have been shown and described, it will be appreciated by those skilled in the art that various changes, modifications, substitutions and variations may be made to the embodiments without departing from the principles and spirit of the present invention, and that the scope of the present invention is defined by the appended claims and their equivalents.

Claims

1. A communication circuit, configured to receive a first microwave signal having a first frequency, and output a frequency-converted signal having a second frequency, characterized in that: It includes a modulation element, an energy focusing network and a second resonant network; The modulation element includes a first port, a second port and a third port; the energy convergence network includes a port one and at least one second microwave signal port different from the port one; the second resonant network includes a first port and a second port; The first port of the modulation element receives the first microwave signal; the port 1 of the energy convergence network is electrically connected to the second port of the modulation element; the first port of the second resonance network is electrically connected to the third port of the modulation element; the second port of the second resonance network is electrically connected to the second microwave signal port; It also includes a first reactance device, which is electrically connected to the third port of the modulation element and the first port of the second resonant network; and / or, it includes a second reactance device, which is electrically connected to the second port of the second resonant network and the second microwave signal port.

2. The communication circuit according to claim 1, characterized in that: The first reactance device or the second reactance device is selected from one or a combination of a capacitive element, an inductive element, a capacitive sensing element, an inductive sensing element, a capacitive circuit, and an inductive circuit; Alternatively, the first reactance device and the second reactance device are selected from one or a combination of a capacitive element, an inductive element, a capacitive sensing element, an inductive sensing element, a capacitive circuit, and an inductive circuit, and are configured to have the same reactance characteristics and reactance values.

3. The communication circuit according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that: The energy convergence network includes a first resonant network, the first resonant network being electrically connected to a second port of the modulation element and a second port of the second resonant network; Alternatively, it comprises a first resonant network and at least one passive reciprocal device, wherein the first resonant network is electrically connected to the second port of the modulation element and the second port of the second resonant network via the at least one passive reciprocal device; Alternatively, it comprises a first resonant network and at least one passive non-reciprocal device, wherein the first resonant network is electrically connected to the second port of the modulation element and the second port of the second resonant network via the at least one passive non-reciprocal device.

4. The communication circuit according to claim 3, characterized in that: The first resonant network is a parallel LC resonant circuit.

5. The communication circuit according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that: The modulation element is a transistor having a heterojunction.

6. The communication circuit according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that: The second resonant network is configured as a passive piezoelectric resonant network and / or a resonant network with a sensing function.

7. A communication method, applied to the communication circuit according to any one of claims 1 to 6, characterized in that: include: The communication circuit receives a first microwave signal of a first frequency; The communication circuit outputs a variable frequency signal having a second frequency.

8. The communication method according to claim 7, characterized in that: The communication circuit receives a first microwave signal of a first frequency, specifically comprising: The modulation element receives a first microwave signal of a first frequency, and outputs a microwave signal obtained by dispersing energy of the first microwave signal; The energy convergence network converges the microwave signal after energy dispersion to obtain a second microwave signal, and the second microwave signal is fed into the second resonant network from the second microwave signal port.

9. The communication method according to claim 7, characterized in that: The communication circuit outputs a variable frequency signal having a second frequency, specifically comprising: The second resonant network generates an oscillation signal of a second resonant frequency according to the second microwave signal; The modulation element outputs a frequency conversion signal having a second frequency obtained by mixing the oscillation signal with the first microwave signal.

10. A communication device, characterized in that: A communication circuit comprising any one of claims 1 to 6, and a first antenna electrically connected to a first port of a modulation element in the communication circuit; The first antenna is configured to receive a first microwave signal with a first frequency sent by the transceiver device, and to send a variable frequency signal with a second frequency to the transceiver device.

11. A communication system, characterized in that: include: The communication device and transceiver device as described in claim 10; the transceiver device comprises an electrically connected transceiver circuit and a second antenna; the second antenna is configured to send a first microwave signal with a first frequency generated by the transceiver circuit to the communication device, and receive a frequency-converting signal with a second frequency transmitted back by the communication device; the transceiver circuit is configured to generate a first microwave signal with a first frequency, and demodulate the received frequency-converting signal with a second frequency to obtain the information it carries.

12. A communication method, applied to the communication system according to claim 11, characterized in that: include: The transceiver generates a first microwave signal having a first frequency and transmits the first microwave signal; The communication device receives the first microwave signal and transmits back a frequency conversion signal having a second frequency; The transceiver receives the frequency-converted signal and demodulates it to obtain the information it carries.

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