Phase shifter applied to satellite-borne communication chip

Abstract

The invention belongs to the technical field of integrated circuits, and particularly relates to an anti-radiation differential input and differential output vector synthesis type phase shifter applied to a satellite-borne wireless communication system. The circuit structure of the phase shifter comprises an anti-radiation phase shifter core circuit, a phase detection circuit, an analog-to-digital converter and a control module circuit, a differential input signal is input to the anti-radiation phase shifter core circuit, and a phase shift signal is generated and output to the phase detection circuit; the phase detection circuit processes the received phase shift signal, outputs a processing result to the analog-to-digital converter, receives an instruction of the control module circuit, and outputs a final phase shift signal; the analog-to-digital converter converts a processing result output by the phase detection circuit into a digital signal and outputs the digital signal to the control module circuit; the control module circuit performs judgment according to the input digital signal, generates a control signal for controlling the working mode of the anti-radiation phase shifter core circuit, and generates a control signal for controlling the phase detection circuit and the analog-to-digital converter; the core circuit architecture of the radiation-proof phase shifter is a two-path vector synthesis type phase shifter, the actually working phase shifter branches are switched through a numerical control switch, and by applying the structure, the circuit failure probability caused by space radiation can be remarkably reduced, and the radiation-proof performance and the stability of the circuit are improved.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention belongs to the technical field of integrated circuits, and particularly relates to a phase shifter. Background Art

[0002] A phase shifter is an important component in a phased array transceiver system, mainly used in multi-array signal processing systems. The phase shifter can control the output phase of a signal, and thus, by using the principle of wave superposition, the signals received by multiple arrays can be orderly superposed to change the direction of the beam, form a narrow beam in the target direction, and enable the receiving system to complete electronic scanning of beams in different directions without mechanical rotation.

[0003] The architectures of phase shifters include passive reflective, switch line type, loaded linear, and active vector synthesis type, etc. Although passive phase shifters can achieve extremely high phase shift accuracy in a small frequency range and have almost no power consumption, they have a relatively large area and introduce significant insertion loss, so they are gradually replaced by the emerging active vector synthesis type in many application fields. The basic principle of the vector synthesis type phase shifter is: convert the input signal into an orthogonal signal, then adjust its amplitude through a variable gain amplifier, and finally obtain an output signal with a target phase shift through signal synthesis. This architecture of phase shifter can better handle the trade-off between bandwidth, gain, accuracy, and circuit complexity, and has become the most mainstream choice for current phase shifter architectures.

[0004] Currently, the increasingly wide range of communication application fields has put forward more requirements for phased array transceiver systems and phase shifter circuits. In the aerospace field, the working environment of spaceborne chips is the space with intense radiation. The circuit modules in the chips are affected by radiation, having a higher failure probability and a shorter expected lifespan. Therefore, it is imperative to pay attention to the special working environment of spaceborne chips in the aerospace field, study chip anti-radiation technology, and improve the stability and reliability of the system. Summary of the Invention

[0005] The purpose of the present invention is to propose an anti-radiation vector synthesis type phase shifter applied to spaceborne communication chips.

[0006] The phase shifter proposed by the present invention has a circuit structure including: an anti-radiation phase shifter core circuit, a phase detection circuit, an analog-to-digital converter, and a control module circuit; a differential input signal is input to the anti-radiation phase shifter core circuit to generate a phase-shifted signal and output it to the phase detection circuit; the phase detection circuit processes the received phase-shifted signal, outputs the processing result to the analog-to-digital converter, and receives instructions from the control module circuit to output the final phase-shifted signal; the analog-to-digital converter converts the processing result output by the phase detection circuit into a digital signal and outputs it to the control module circuit; the control module circuit makes a judgment based on the received signal, generates a control signal for controlling the anti-radiation phase shifter core circuit, and generates control signals for controlling the phase detection circuit and the analog-to-digital converter.

[0007] In the present invention, the anti-radiation phase shifter core circuit is composed of two vector synthesis type phase shifters; the structure of each phase shifter is exactly the same, including 8 numerically controlled single-pole double-throw switches, 4 variable gain amplifiers, and shares the same quadrature signal generator and signal synthesizer; the numerically controlled switches in the circuit are used to switch the actually working variable gain amplifiers to change the working mode of the overall phase shifter.

[0008] The phase shifter designed by the present invention generally includes two mutually backup vector synthesis type phase shifters, which can be switched under system control, thereby significantly reducing the probability of circuit failure caused by space radiation, and thus enhancing the anti-radiation performance and stability of the overall circuit and system. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0009] Figure 1 It is a schematic structural diagram of the anti-radiation vector synthesis type phase shifter of the present invention.

[0010] Figure 2 It is a schematic diagram of the anti-radiation phase shifter core circuit. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0011] The present invention will be described in more detail below with reference to the drawings. In each drawing, the same elements are denoted by similar reference numerals. For the sake of clarity, the various parts in the drawings are not drawn to scale. In addition, some well-known parts may not be shown in the figures.

[0012] In the following, many specific details of the present invention are described, such as the structure, materials, dimensions, processing techniques and technologies of the devices, in order to understand the present invention more clearly. However, as those skilled in the art can understand, the present invention can be implemented without these specific details.

[0013] Figure 1 It shows a schematic structural diagram of the spaceborne anti-radiation switch-line type phase shifter of the present invention.

[0014] Such as Figure 1As shown in the figure, the spaceborne radiation-hardened switched-line phase shifter 100 in the present invention includes a radiation-hardened phase shifter core circuit 101, a phase detection circuit 102, a control module 103, and an analog-to-digital converter 104. The external differential input signals Vin+ and Vin- serve as the input signals of the radiation-hardened phase shifter core circuit 101, and the control signals Vc<1:5> are transmitted to the radiation-hardened phase shifter core circuit 101. The outputs Vop’ and Von’ of the radiation-hardened phase shifter core circuit 101 are transmitted to the phase detection circuit 102. The outputs Vop and Von of the phase detection circuit 102 serve as the output signals of the entire phase shifter circuit. The output pdout of the phase detection circuit 102 is transmitted to the analog-to-digital converter 104, the output adout of the analog-to-digital converter 104 is transmitted to the control module 103, the control module 103 outputs Ctrl<1:8> and transmits it to the radiation-hardened phase shifter core circuit 101, the control module 103 outputs Ctrl9 and transmits it to the phase detection circuit 102, and the control module 103 outputs Ctrl10 and transmits it to the analog-to-digital converter 104.

[0015] Figure 2 The schematic diagram of the radiation-hardened phase shifter core circuit in the present invention is shown.

[0016] As Figure 2As shown, the core circuit 101 of the radiation-resistant phase shifter includes: 8 single-pole double-throw switches S1-8, 4 variable gain amplifiers VGA1-4, 1 quadrature signal generator 105 and 1 signal synthesizer 106; the input differential signals Vin+ and Vin- are transmitted to the quadrature signal generator 105 to generate two sets of differential quadrature signals I+, Q+ and I-, Q-; the signal I+ is transmitted to the moving end of switch S1, the signal I- is transmitted to the moving end of switch S2, the signal Q+ is transmitted to the moving end of switch S3, and the signal Q+ is transmitted to the moving end of switch S4; the fixed ends 1.1 and 1.2 of switch S1 are respectively connected to the negative input end of VGA1 and the negative input end of VGA2; the fixed ends 2.1 and 2.2 of switch S2 are respectively connected to the positive input end of VGA1 and the positive input end of VGA2; the fixed ends 3.1 and 3.2 of switch S3 are respectively connected to the positive input end of VGA3 and the positive input end of VGA4; the fixed ends 4.1 and 4.2 of switch S4 are respectively connected to the negative input end of VGA3 and the negative input end of VGA4; the gain control signals Vc1-4 are respectively transmitted to VGA1-4; the negative output ends of VGA1-4 are respectively connected to the fixed ends 5.2, 5.1 of switch S5, the fixed ends 7.1, 7.2 of switch S7; the positive output ends of VGA1-4 are respectively connected to the fixed ends 6.2, 6.1 of switch S6, the fixed ends 8.1, 8.2 of switch S8; the moving ends of switches S5-8 are all connected to the signal synthesizer 106; the signal synthesis control signal Vc5 is transmitted to the signal synthesizer 106; the outputs Vop’ and Von’ of the signal synthesizer 106 are used as the outputs of this circuit structure. The core of this circuit structure is that, under the control of the control signal, the states of switches S1-8 can be changed, so as to flexibly select different variable gain amplifiers for operation: in addition to the default state, that is, VGA1 can be used in combination with VGA2, VGA1 can be used in combination with VGA4; VGA2 can be used in combination with VGA1 or VGA3; VGA3 can be used in combination with VGA2 or VGA4; VGA4 can be used in combination with VGA1 or VGA3. By adopting this structure, the flexibility and redundancy of the phase shifter circuit can be greatly improved, thereby enhancing the radiation resistance performance and stability of the overall circuit and system.

Claims

1. A phase shifter applied to a spaceborne communication chip, characterized in that, The circuit structure includes: an anti-radiation phase shifter core circuit, a phase detection circuit, an analog-to-digital converter, and a control module circuit; a differential input signal is input to the anti-radiation phase shifter core circuit, and a phase-shifted signal is generated and output to the phase detection circuit; the phase detection circuit processes the received phase-shifted signal, outputs the processing result to the analog-to-digital converter, and receives instructions from the control module circuit to output the final phase-shifted signal; the analog-to-digital converter converts the processing result output by the phase detection circuit into a digital signal and outputs it to the control module circuit; the control module circuit makes a judgment based on the received signal, generates a control signal for controlling the anti-radiation phase shifter core circuit, and generates control signals for controlling the phase detection circuit and the analog-to-digital converter.

2. The phase shifter applied to the spaceborne communication chip according to claim 1, wherein The anti-radiation phase shifter core circuit is composed of two vector synthesis type phase shifters; the structures of the two vector synthesis type phase shifters are exactly the same, and each uses a basic vector synthesis type architecture; the two phase shifters share the same quadrature signal generator and signal synthesizer; the digital control switches included in the circuit are used to switch the actually working phase shifter branches; the two phase shifters are backup to each other and are switched by system control, so as to effectively reduce the failure probability of the overall circuit and improve the anti-radiation performance and stability of the system.

3. The phase shifter applied to the spaceborne communication chip according to claim 2, characterized in that, The anti-radiation phase shifter core circuit includes a total of 8 single-pole double-throw switches S1-8, 4 variable gain amplifiers VGA1-4, 1 quadrature signal generator, and 1 signal synthesizer; the differential input signals Vin+ and Vin- are transmitted to the quadrature signal generator to generate two sets of differential quadrature signals I+, Q+ and I-, Q-; the signal I+ is transmitted to the moving end of switch S1, the signal I- is transmitted to the moving end of switch S2, the signal Q+ is transmitted to the moving end of switch S3, and the signal Q+ is transmitted to the moving end of switch S4; the fixed ends 1.1 and 1.2 of switch S1 are respectively connected to the negative input terminal of VGA1 and the negative input terminal of VGA2; the fixed ends 2.1 and 2.2 of switch S2 are respectively connected to the positive input terminal of VGA1 and the positive input terminal of VGA2; the fixed ends 3.1 and 3.2 of switch S3 are respectively connected to the positive input terminal of VGA3 and the positive input terminal of VGA4; the fixed ends 4.1 and 4.2 of switch S4 are respectively connected to the negative input terminal of VGA3 and the negative input terminal of VGA4; the gain control signals Vc1-4 are respectively transmitted to VGA1-4; the negative output terminals of VGA1-4 are respectively connected to the fixed ends 5.2, 5.1 of switch S5, the fixed ends 7.1, 7.2 of switch S7; the positive output terminals of VGA1-4 are respectively connected to the fixed ends 6.2, 6.1 of switch S6, the fixed ends 8.1, 8.2 of switch S8; the moving ends of switches S5-8 are all connected to the signal synthesizer; the signal synthesis control signal Vc5 is transmitted to the signal synthesizer; the outputs Vop’ and Von’ of the signal synthesizer are used as the outputs of this circuit structure; the switching of switches S1-8 is controlled by the control signal output by the control module to flexibly select the combination of variable gain amplifiers connected to the circuit according to specific situations.

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