System and method for reducing unwanted received signal leakage during handover

Abstract

A radio frequency (RF) switching system includes: a plurality of band filters including a first band filter, a second band filter, and a third band filter, the first band filter, the second band filter, and the third band filter configured to process signals in different communication bands; and a switch between the first band filter, the second band filter and the third band filter and the first antenna and the second antenna, the switch being configured to selectively couple the first filter, the second filter and the third filter to the first antenna and the second antenna, the switch at least comprises a first switch element and a second switch element which are configured to receive complementary control signals; wherein at least the first filter and the second filter are configured to be coupled to the first antenna at the same time, and the switch is configured to: when the switch is configured to be in response to a complementary control signal, when the first filter is coupled to the first antenna and a first communication path to the first antenna through the first filter is active, when the first antenna is selectively connected to the third filter instead of the second filter, at least one of the complementary control signals is delayed by an amount defined by a difference (difference amount) between an on-to-off time (Toff) and an off-to-on time (Ton) of the first and second switching elements.

Description

TECHNICAL FIELD

[0001] The present disclosure relates generally to electronic devices, and more specifically to transmitters and receivers in transceivers. BACKGROUND

[0002] Wireless communication devices and technology are becoming more and more ubiquitous, as are communication devices that operate at a variety of different frequencies. Wireless communication devices typically transmit and / or receive communication signals. In a radio frequency (RF) transceiver, communication signals are typically amplified and transmitted by a transmit section, and received communication signals are amplified and processed by a receive section.

[0003] Current and planned communication systems typically use a variety of communication technologies, such as, for example, time division duplex (TDD) and frequency division duplex (FDD) methods, to transmit and receive on a variety of different communication bands. These communication systems have multiple antennas and multiple communication bands. Different communication bands, as well as different FDD and TDD systems, can share the multiple antennas, such that different communication bands and technologies can be switched between the multiple antennas. Each of the different communication bands can have a different band filter.

[0004] Dynamically switching RF filters into / from communication paths with other active filters can cause interference in the signals passing through the filters. Thus, it is desirable to have a method of switching RF signals while minimizing or eliminating switching interference. SUMMARY

[0005] The details of various specific embodiments of systems, methods, and devices within the scope of the appended claims are described herein. Some of the features described herein can be present in various combinations, unless otherwise explicitly provided herein in which no combinations are explicitly provided.

[0006] The details of one or more specific embodiments of the subject matter described in this specification are set forth in the accompanying drawings and the description below. Other features, aspects, and advantages will become apparent from the description, the drawings, and the claims. Note that the relative dimensions of the following drawings can not be drawn to scale.

[0007] One aspect of the present disclosure provides a radio frequency (RF) switching system comprising: a plurality of band filters including a first band filter, a second band filter, and a third band filter, the first band filter, the second band filter, and the third band filter configured to process signals in different communication bands; a switch between the first band filter, the second band filter, and the third band filter and a first antenna and a second antenna, the switch configured to selectively couple the first filter, the second filter, and the third filter to the first antenna and the second antenna, the switch including at least a first switch element and a second switch element configured to receive complementary control signals; wherein at least the first filter and the second filter are configured to be coupled to the first antenna simultaneously, and the switch is configured to delay at least one of the complementary control signals by an amount defined by a difference between a turn-on to turn-off time (Toff) and a turn-off to turn-on time (Ton) of the first switch element and the second switch element while the switch is configured to selectively connect the first antenna to the third filter instead of the second filter when the switch is responsive to the complementary control signals to be active with the first filter coupled to the first antenna and a first communication path through the first filter to the first antenna.

[0008] Another aspect of the present disclosure provides a method for switching RF signals, the method comprising: selectively coupling a first band filter, a second band filter, and a third band filter to one or more of a first antenna and a second antenna using a switch, the switch including at least a first switch element and a second switch element configured to receive complementary control signals; selectively coupling the first band filter and the second band filter to the first antenna; selectively coupling the third band filter to the first antenna to the third band filter instead of the second band filter while the first band filter remains coupled to the first antenna and a first communication path through the first band filter to the first antenna remains active; and selectively switching the first antenna to connect from the second band filter to the third band filter while delaying at least one of the complementary control signals by an amount defined by a difference between a turn-on to turn-off time (Toff) and a turn-off to turn-on time (Ton) of the at least two switch elements.

[0009] Another aspect of the present disclosure provides a device comprising: means for selectively coupling a first band filter, a second band filter, and a third band filter to one or more of a first antenna and a second antenna using a switch, the switch comprising at least a first switch element and a second switch element configured to receive complementary control signals; means for selectively coupling the first band filter and the second band filter to the first antenna; means for selectively coupling the third band filter to the first antenna to the third band filter instead of the second band filter while the first band filter remains coupled to the first antenna and a first communication path through the first band filter to the first antenna remains active; and means for selectively switching the first antenna to connect from the second band filter to the third band filter while delaying at least one of the complementary control signals by an amount defined by a difference (delta) between a turn-on to turn-off time (Toff) and a turn-off to turn-on time (Ton) of the at least two switch elements.

[0010] Another aspect of the present disclosure provides a communication device comprising: a radio frequency (RF) transceiver; an RF switching system connected to the RF transceiver, the RF switching system having a plurality of band filters including a first band filter, a second band filter, and a third band filter, the first band filter, the second band filter, and the third band filter configured to process signals in different communication bands; a switch between the first band filter, the second band filter, and the third band filter and a first antenna and a second antenna, the switch configured to selectively couple the first filter, the second filter, and the third filter to the first antenna and the second antenna, the switch comprising at least a first switch element and a second switch element configured to receive complementary control signals; wherein at least the first filter and the second filter are configured to be coupled to the first antenna simultaneously, and the switch is configured to delay at least one of the complementary control signals by an amount defined by a difference (delta) between a turn-on to turn-off time (Toff) and a turn-off to turn-on time (Ton) of the at least two switch elements when the switch is configured to connect the first antenna to the third filter instead of the second filter while the first filter is coupled to the first antenna and a first communication path through the first filter to the first antenna is active in response to the complementary control signals. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS

[0011] In the accompanying drawings, unless otherwise indicated, similar reference numerals are used throughout the various views to refer to similar parts. For reference numerals with letter characters, such as "102a" or "102b", the letter characters distinguish two similar parts or elements in the same drawing. When the aim is to have the reference numerals cover all parts with the same reference numerals in all drawings, the letter characters of the reference numerals may be omitted.

[0012] Figure 1 This is a diagram illustrating communication between a wireless device and a wireless communication system.

[0013] Figure 2A This is a block diagram illustrating a wireless device in which exemplary technologies of this disclosure may be implemented.

[0014] Figure 2B This is a block diagram illustrating a wireless device in which exemplary technologies of this disclosure may be implemented.

[0015] Figure 2C This is a block diagram illustrating a wireless device in which exemplary technologies of this disclosure may be implemented.

[0016] Figure 3A This is a diagram illustrating an exemplary switching scenario using a sounding reference signal (SRS).

[0017] Figure 3B This is a diagram illustrating an exemplary handover scenario using Time Division Duplex (TDD) handover.

[0018] Figure 4 A schematic diagram of the switching circuit is shown.

[0019] Figure 5 It is shown Figure 4 The diagram shows the curve of the control signal.

[0020] Figure 6 This is a diagram illustrating the control signals according to an exemplary embodiment of the present disclosure.

[0021] Figure 7 This is a flowchart illustrating an example of the operation of a method for switching signals.

[0022] Figure 8 This is a functional block diagram of a device used for switching signals. Detailed Implementation

[0023] The word “exemplary” is used in this document to mean “serving as an example, instance, or illustration.” Any aspect described as “exemplary” in this document is not necessarily to be construed as preferred or superior to other aspects.

[0024] Handover interference can include handover glitches that can cause radio frequency (RF) signals to leak to system ground or from one antenna to another during a handover operation. Typically, a handover operation involves multiple switches that can transition from one state to another, such as from an on (connected) state to a non-conducting (off) state. Depending on the handover technique, the transition times can differ when switching from an off state to an on state and then from an on state to an off state. In an example handover technique, the transition time Ton refers to the time it takes to transition a switch from off to on, and the transition time Toff refers to the time it takes to transition a switch from on to off, where Toff > Ton, meaning the time it takes for a switch to transition from on to off is longer than the time it takes for a switch to transition from off to on. This difference in transition times can allow two switches in the handover system to be on (connected) for a period of time, potentially leading to RF signal leakage to system ground or from one antenna to another during a handover operation.

[0025] According to exemplary embodiments, systems and methods for reducing unwanted received signal leakage during handover reduce or eliminate receive path gain and phase glitches that can cause signal leakage when band filters are connected and switched to antennas.

[0026] According to exemplary embodiments, systems and methods for reducing unwanted received signal leakage during handover can be used to minimize receive chain gain and phase anomalies when coupling and decoupling the antenna from the receive path.

[0027] In exemplary embodiments, systems and methods for reducing unwanted received signal leakage during handover can be implemented during handover probe reference signals (SRS) or in multi-subscriber identity module (MSIM) or carrier aggregation (CA) communication systems.

[0028] Figure 1 This diagram illustrates communication between wireless device 110 and wireless communication system 120. Wireless communication system 120 can be a Long Term Evolution (LTE) system, a Code Division Multiple Access (CDMA) system, a Global System for Mobile Communications (GSM) system, a Wireless Local Area Network (WLAN) system, a 5G NR (New Radio) system, or some other wireless system. The CDMA system can implement Wideband CDMA (WCDMA), CDMA 1X, Evolved Data Optimized (EVDO), Time Division Synchronous CDMA (TD-SCDMA), or some other version of CDMA. For simplicity, Figure 1A wireless communication system 120 is shown, comprising two base stations 130 and 132 and a system controller 140. Generally, a wireless communication system may include any number of base stations and any set of network entities.

[0029] Wireless device 110 may also be referred to as user equipment (UE), mobile station, terminal, access terminal, subscriber unit, station, etc. Wireless device 110 may be a cellular phone, smartphone, tablet device, wireless modem, personal digital assistant (PDA), handheld device, laptop computer, smartbook, netbook, tablet computer, cordless phone, medical device, vehicle, device configured to connect to one or more other devices (e.g., via the Internet of Things), wireless local loop (WLL) station, Bluetooth device, etc. Wireless device 110 can communicate with wireless communication system 120. Wireless device 110 can also receive signals from a broadcast station (e.g., broadcast station 134) and / or can communicate with satellites (e.g., one or more satellites 150 in a Global Navigation Satellite System (GNSS)) or satellites that can receive signals from wireless device 110, etc. Wireless device 110 may support one or more radio technologies for wireless communication, such as LTE, WCDMA, CDMA 1X, EVDO, TD-SCDMA, GSM, 802.11, 802.15, 5G, Sub6 5G, 6G, UWB, etc.

[0030] Wireless device 110 may support carrier aggregation, such as that described in one or more LTE or 5G standards. In some implementations, carrier aggregation is used to transmit a single data stream on multiple carriers, as opposed to separate carriers used for each data stream. Wireless device 110 is capable of operating in a variety of communication frequency bands, including those used by LTE, WiFi, 5G, or other communication frequency bands within a wide frequency range. Wireless device 110 is also capable of communicating directly with other wireless devices without communicating through a network.

[0031] Generally, carrier aggregation (CA) can be classified into two types: intra-band CA and inter-band CA. Intra-band CA refers to operation on multiple carriers within the same frequency band. Inter-band CA refers to operation on multiple carriers in different frequency bands.

[0032] Figure 2A This is a block diagram illustrating a wireless device 200 in which exemplary technologies of the present disclosure may be implemented. The wireless device 200 may be, for example, Figure 1 The illustrated implementation scheme of wireless device 110.

[0033] Figure 2AAn example of a transceiver 220 with a transmitter 230 and a receiver 250 is shown. Generally, the conditioning of the signals in the transmitter 230 and receiver 250 can be performed by one or more stages such as amplifiers, filters, up-converters, down-converters, etc. These circuit blocks are based on... Figure 2A The configurations shown are arranged differently. Furthermore, Figure 2A Other circuit blocks, not shown, can also be used to regulate the signals in transmitter 230 and receiver 250. Unless otherwise indicated, Figure 2A Any signal in any of the other diagrams in the attached figures may be single-ended or differential. Figure 2A Some circuit blocks in the code can also be omitted.

[0034] exist Figure 2A In the example shown, wireless device 200 typically includes transceiver 220 and data processor 210. Data processor 210 may include processor 296 operatively coupled to memory 298. Memory 298 may be configured to store data and program code, generally shown using reference numeral 299, and may typically include analog and / or digital processing components. Processor 296 and memory 298 may cooperate to control, configure, program, or otherwise fully or partially control some or all of the operations of embodiments of the systems and methods described herein for reducing unwanted received signal leakage during handover.

[0035] Transceiver 220 includes a transmitter 230 and a receiver 250 supporting bidirectional communication. Generally, wireless device 200 may include any number of transmitters and / or receivers for any number of communication systems and frequency bands. All or part of transceiver 220 may be implemented on one or more analog integrated circuits (ICs), RF ICs (RFICs), mixed-signal ICs, etc.

[0036] Transmitters or receivers can be implemented using either a superheterodyne architecture or a direct conversion architecture. In a superheterodyne architecture, the signal undergoes multiple stages of frequency conversion between radio frequency (RF) and baseband; for example, for a receiver, this might involve switching from RF to intermediate frequency (IF) in one stage and then from IF to baseband in another. In a direct conversion architecture, the signal is converted between RF and baseband in a single stage. Superheterodyne and direct conversion architectures can utilize different circuit blocks and / or have different requirements. Figure 2A In the example shown, transmitter 230 and receiver 250 are implemented using a direct conversion architecture.

[0037] In the transmission path, data processor 210 processes the data to be transmitted and provides in-phase (I) and quadrature (Q) analog output signals to transmitter 230. In an exemplary embodiment, data processor 210 includes digital-to-analog converters (DACs) 214a and 214b for converting digital signals generated by data processor 210 into I analog output signals and Q analog output signals (e.g., I output current and Q output current) for further processing. In other embodiments, DACs 214a and 214b are included in transceiver 220, and data processor 210 provides data (e.g., for I and Q) digitally to transceiver 220.

[0038] Within transmitter 230, baseband (e.g., low-pass) filters 232a and 232b filter the I and Q analog transmit signals, respectively, to remove unwanted image frequencies caused by the preceding digital-to-analog conversion. Amplifiers (Amps) 234a and 234b amplify the signals from baseband filters 232a and 232b, respectively, and provide the I and Q baseband signals. Upconverter 240, with upconverters 241a and 241b, uses the I TX LO and Q TX LO signals from transmit (TX) local oscillator (LO) signal generator 290 to upconvert the I and Q baseband signals, and provide the upconverted signals. Filter 242 filters the upconverted signals to remove unwanted image frequencies caused by frequency upconversion and noise in the receive band. Power amplifier (PA) 244 amplifies the signal from filter 242 to obtain the desired output power level and provide the transmit RF signal. The transmitted RF signal can be routed through a duplexer or switch 246 and transmitted via antenna 248. Although the examples discussed herein utilize I and Q signals, those skilled in the art will understand that components of the transceiver can be configured to utilize polarity modulation.

[0039] In the receiving path, antenna 248 receives communication signals and provides the received RF signal, which can be routed through duplexer or switch 246 and provided to low-noise amplifier (LNA) 252. Duplexer 246 is designed to operate with specific RX and TX duplexer frequencies, thus isolating the RX and TX signals. The received RF signal is amplified by LNA 252 and filtered by filter 254 to obtain the desired RF input signal.

[0040] Downconverter mixers 261a and 261b in downconverter 260 mix the output of filter 254 with the I RX LO signal and Q RX LO signal (i.e., LO_I and LO_Q) from receive (RX) LO signal generator 280 to generate I baseband and Q baseband signals. The I baseband and Q baseband signals are amplified by amplifiers 262a and 262b and further filtered by baseband (e.g., low-pass) filters 264a and 264b to obtain I analog input signals and Q analog input signals, which are provided to data processor 210. In the illustrated exemplary embodiment, data processor 210 includes analog-to-digital converters (ADCs) 216a and 216b for converting the analog input signals into digital signals to be further processed by data processor 210. In some embodiments, ADCs 216a and 216b are included in transceiver 220 and provide data digitally to data processor 210.

[0041] exist Figure 2A In this configuration, TX LO signal generator 290 generates I TX LO and Q TX LO signals for up-conversion, while RX LO signal generator 280 generates I RX LO and Q RX LO signals for down-conversion. Each LO signal is a periodic signal with a specific base frequency. Phase-locked loop (PLL) 292 receives timing information from data processor 210 and generates control signals for adjusting the frequency and / or phase of the TX LO signals from LO signal generator 290. Similarly, PLL 282 receives timing information from data processor 210 and generates control signals for adjusting the frequency and / or phase of the RX LO signals from LO signal generator 280.

[0042] The wireless device 200 may support carrier aggregation (CA) and may (i) receive multiple downlink signals transmitted by one or more cells on multiple downlink carriers at different frequencies, and / or (ii) transmit multiple uplink signals to one or more cells on multiple uplink carriers. However, those skilled in the art will understand that the aspects described herein may be implemented in systems, devices, and / or architectures that do not support carrier aggregation.

[0043] Figure 2AThe transceiver 220 is functionally illustrated in the text, and the illustrated configuration may or may not represent the physical device configuration in certain specific implementations. For example, as described above, the transceiver 220 may be implemented in various integrated circuits (ICs), RF ICs (RFICs), mixed-signal ICs, etc. In some embodiments, the transceiver 220 is implemented on a substrate or board (such as a printed circuit board (PCB)) having various modules, chips, and / or components. For example, the power amplifier 244, filter 242, and duplexer 246 may be implemented in separate modules or as discrete components, while the remaining components illustrated in the transceiver 220 may be implemented in a single transceiver chip.

[0044] Power amplifier 244 may include one or more stages, such as driver stages, power amplifier stages, or other components that may be configured to amplify communication signals at one or more frequencies, in one or more frequency bands, and at one or more power levels. Depending on various factors, power amplifier 244 may be configured to operate using one or more driver stages, one or more power amplifier stages, one or more impedance matching networks, and may be configured to provide good linearity, efficiency, or a combination of good linearity and efficiency.

[0045] In exemplary implementations of the superheterodyne architecture, PA 244 and LNA 252 (and in some examples, filters 242 and 254) may be implemented separately from other components in transmitter 230 and receiver 250 (e.g., on a millimeter-wave integrated circuit). Figure 2B The example superheterodyne architecture is illustrated in the figure.

[0046] Figure 2B This is a block diagram illustrating a wireless device in which exemplary technologies of this disclosure may be implemented. Figure 2B Certain components of the wireless device 200a (e.g., those indicated by the same reference numerals) may be similar to... Figure 2A The components in the wireless device 200 shown are configured, and there will be no duplicate configuration. Figure 2B Descriptions of items with the same number in the table.

[0047] Wireless device 200a is an example of a heterodyne (or superheterodyne) architecture, in which upconverter 240 and downconverter 260 are configured to process communication signals between baseband and intermediate frequency (IF). The IF signal can be a low IF (LIF) signal or a zero (or near-zero) IF (ZIF) signal. For example, upconverter 240 can be configured to provide the IF signal to upconverter 275. In an exemplary embodiment, upconverter 275 may include upconverter mixer 276. A summation function 278, which may be part of upconverter 240, combines the I and Q outputs of upconverter 240 and provides a non-quadrature signal to mixer 276. The non-quadrature signal can be single-ended or differential. Mixer 276 is configured to receive the IF signal from upconverter 240 and the TX RF LO signal from TX RF LO signal generator 277, and provide the upconverted RF signal to phase shift circuit 281. Although PLL 292 is in Figure 2B The phase shift circuit 281 is illustrated as being shared by signal generators 290 and 277, but a corresponding PLL can be implemented for each signal generator. In an exemplary embodiment, the phase shift circuit 281 may be part of a millimeter-wave integrated circuit (mmW-IC) or may be located on a millimeter-wave integrated circuit (mmW-IC).

[0048] In an exemplary embodiment, the components in the phase shift circuit 281 may include one or more adjustable or variable phased array elements, and may receive one or more control signals from the data processor 210 via connection 294, and operate the adjustable or variable phased array elements based on the received control signals.

[0049] In an exemplary embodiment, phase shift circuit 281 includes phase shifters 283 and phased array elements 287. Although three phase shifters 283 and three phased array elements 287 are shown for illustrative purposes, phase shift circuit 281 may include more or fewer phase shifters 283 and phased array elements 287. For example, one or two arrays of four or five antennas and corresponding phase shifters / phased array elements may be implemented.

[0050] Each phase shifter 283 can be configured to receive an RF transmission signal from the up-converter 275, change its phase by a certain amount, and provide an RF signal to a corresponding phased array element 287. Each phased array element 287 may include transmitting and receiving circuitry, including one or more filters, amplifiers, drive amplifiers, and / or power amplifiers. In some embodiments, the phase shifter 283 may be integrated into the corresponding phased array element 287.

[0051] The output of phase shift circuit 281 is provided to antenna array 248. In an exemplary embodiment, antenna array 248 includes a plurality of antennas, typically corresponding to the number of phase shifters 283 and phased array elements 287, such that each antenna element is coupled to a corresponding phased array element 287. In an exemplary embodiment, phase shift circuit 281 and antenna array 248 may be referred to as a phased array.

[0052] In the receiving direction, the output of phase shift circuit 281 is provided to downconverter 285. In an exemplary embodiment, downconverter 285 may include downconverter mixer 286. In an exemplary embodiment, mixer 286 downconverts the received RF signal provided by phase shift circuit 281 to an IF signal based on the RX RF LO signal provided by RX RF LO signal generator 279. I / Q generation function 291 in downconverter 260 receives the IF signal from mixer 286 and generates I and Q signals for downconverter 260, which downconverts the IF signal to baseband, as described above. Although PLL 282 is in Figure 2B The PLL is exemplified as being shared by signal generators 280 and 279, but a corresponding PLL can be implemented for each signal generator.

[0053] In some embodiments, the upconverter 275, downconverter 285, and phase shift circuit 281 are implemented on a common IC. In some embodiments, although the summation function 278 and the I / Q generation function 291 are implemented separately from mixers 276 and 286, such that mixers 276, 286, and phase shift circuit 281 are implemented on a common IC, the summation function 278 and the I / Q generation function 291 are not implemented on the common IC (e.g., the summation function 278 and the I / Q generation function 291 are implemented in another IC coupled to the IC having mixers 276, 286). In some embodiments, LO signal generators 277, 279 are included in a common IC. In some embodiments where the phase shift circuit is implemented on a common IC having 276, 286, 277, 278, 279, and / or 291, the common IC and antenna array 248 are included in a module that can be coupled to other components of transceiver 220 via connectors. In some implementations, the phase shift circuit 281 (e.g., a chip on which the phase shift circuit 281 is implemented) is coupled to the antenna array 248 via interconnects, or both are mounted on the substrate. For example, components of the antenna array 248 may be implemented on the substrate and coupled to the integrated circuit implementing the phase shift circuit 281 via flexible printed circuitry, or the integrated circuit may be mounted on the other side of the substrate.

[0054] In some implementation schemes, Figure 2A The illustrated architecture and Figure 2BThe illustrated architecture is implemented within the same device. For example, wireless devices 110 or 200 can be configured to use... Figure 2A The illustrated architecture communicates with signals having frequencies below approximately 20 GHz and uses... Figure 2B The illustrated architecture communicates with signals at frequencies higher than approximately 20 GHz. In devices implementing these two architectures, Figure 2A and Figure 2B One or more components with the same number can be shared between the two architectures. For example, a signal that has been directly down-converted from RF to baseband and a signal that has been down-converted from RF to baseband by an IF stage can both be filtered by the same baseband filter 264. In other embodiments, a first version of filter 264 is included in the device implementation. Figure 2A In the architecture section, and the second version of filter 264 is included in the device implementation. Figure 2B The architecture is described in this document. While certain example frequencies are described herein, other specific implementations are possible. For example, a direct conversion architecture can be used to transmit and / or receive signals with frequencies higher than approximately 20 GHz (e.g., with mmW frequencies). In such implementations, for example, a phased array can be implemented within the direct conversion architecture.

[0055] Figure 2C This is a block diagram illustrating a wireless device in which exemplary technologies of this disclosure may be implemented. Figure 2C Certain components of the wireless device 200b (e.g., indicated by the same reference numerals) can be configured with... Figure 2A The wireless device 200 and / or shown Figure 2B The components in the wireless device 200a shown are similar, and Figure 2C Component items with the same number will not be described again.

[0056] Figure 2C The wireless device 200b incorporates a phase shift circuit 281 in its direct conversion architecture. Figure 2B As shown in the diagram, the mmW transmitted signal undergoes up-conversion and down-conversion between baseband and RF without the need for intermediate frequency (IF) signal conversion. For example, Figure 2C The LO signal in the architecture can include signals with frequencies of tens of GHz.

[0057] In some embodiments, the upconverter 240, downconverter 260, and phase shift circuit 281 are implemented on a common IC. In some embodiments, LO signal generators 280 and 290 are included in the common IC. In some embodiments, the common IC and antenna array 248 are included in a module that can be coupled to other components of transceiver 220 via connectors. In some embodiments, phase shift circuit 281 (e.g., a chip on which phase shift circuit 281 is implemented) is coupled to antenna array 248 via interconnects, or both are mounted on a substrate. For example, components of antenna array 248 may be implemented on the substrate and coupled to the integrated circuit implementing phase shift circuit 281 via flexible printed circuitry, or the integrated circuit may be mounted on the other side of the substrate.

[0058] Figure 3A Figure 300 illustrates an exemplary switching scenario using a sounding reference signal (SRS). Figure 300 shows a transceiver 220 with three exemplary band filters 302, 304, and 306, a switching circuit 310, a switch controller 327, a first antenna 312, and a second antenna 314. For ease of illustration, details of the transceiver 220 are omitted, wherein the three band filters 302, 304, and 306 represent the transmission and reception of signals on three different communication bands (or frequencies) in the case of implementing a TDD communication method, or the transmission and reception of three different time-based communication signals in the case of implementing a TDD communication method. In exemplary embodiments, band filters 302, 304, and 306 may include acoustic filters, LC filters, cavity filters, combinations thereof, etc. Examples of acoustic filters include SAW filters, BAW filters, etc.

[0059] In some respects, wireless devices 200, 200a, and / or 200b may use Time Division Duplex (TDD) and / or Frequency Division Duplex (FDD) to transmit and receive RF signals. For TDD, wireless devices 200, 200a, and / or 200b transmit and receive RF signals in separate time slots. For FDD, wireless devices 200, 200a, and / or 200b transmit and receive RF signals at different frequencies (e.g., different frequencies within a frequency band). It should be understood that wireless devices 200, 200a, and / or 200b may support both TDD and FDD. For example, wireless devices 200, 200a, and / or 200b may support multiple frequency bands, where one or more frequency bands are used for TDD, and one or more other frequency bands are used for FDD.

[0060] In an exemplary embodiment, the switching circuit 310 may include nodes (or ports) 321, 322, 323, 324, and 325. Connections between and among nodes 321, 322, 323, 324, and 325 can be established and de-established by the switch controller 327. In an exemplary embodiment, the switch controller 327 may be a data processor 210 (… Figure 2A , 2B A portion of (2C) or may be controlled by signals from the data processor.

[0061] For example, in Figure 3A In the initial state shown on the left, node 321 is connected to node 325 via dashed line 316 to indicate that in this state, node 321 is connected to node 325 such that the signal from filter 302 will be connected to the first antenna 312. Similarly, node 323 is connected to node 325 via dashed line 317 to indicate that in this state, node 323 is connected to node 325 such that the signal from band filter 306 will be connected to the first antenna 312.

[0062] exist Figure 3A In this context, the SRS handover scenario may include the transmission and reception of FDD (via band filter 302) and MIMO Rx (via band filter 306) signals on the first antenna 312, and the switching of TDD Tx signals (via band filter 304) to use the first antenna 312 for SRS transmission. For example, in Figure 3A On the right side, node 322 is connected to node 325 via dashed line 318, indicating that in this state, node 322 is connected to node 325, such that the signal from bandpass filter 304 will be connected to the first antenna 312. In this state, there is no longer a connection between nodes 323 and 325, such that bandpass filter 306 is no longer connected to the first antenna 312.

[0063] In this switching scenario, FDD signal communication and processing (via band filter 302) may be interfered with. For example, when the switch controller 327 switches the connection in the switching circuit 310 from node 323 to node 322 to connect the band filter 304 to node 325 and the first antenna 312, communication via the band filter 302 may be interfered with by the load change presented by the connection from the band filter 304 to node 325.

[0064] Figure 3BFigure 330 illustrates an exemplary switching scenario using a Time Division Duplex (TDD) switching example. Figure 330 shows a transceiver 220 with three exemplary band filters 332, 334, and 336, a switching circuit 340, a switch controller 357, a first antenna 342, and a second antenna 344. For ease of illustration, details of the transceiver 220 are omitted, wherein the three band filters 332, 334, and 336 represent the transmission and reception of signals on three different communication bands (or frequencies) in the case of implementing a TDD communication method, or the transmission and reception of three different time-based communication signals in the case of implementing a TDD communication method. In exemplary embodiments, band filters 332, 334, and 336 may include acoustic filters, LC filters, cavity filters, combinations thereof, etc. Examples of acoustic filters include SAW filters, BAW filters, etc.

[0065] In an exemplary embodiment, the switching circuit 340 may include nodes (or ports) 351, 352, 353, 354, and 355. Connections between and among nodes 351, 352, 353, 354, and 355 can be established and de-established by the switch controller 357. In an exemplary embodiment, the switch controller 357 may be a data processor 210 (… Figure 2A , Figure 2B , Figure 2C It may be part of or controlled by signals from the data processor.

[0066] For example, in Figure 3B In the initial state shown on the left, node 351 is connected to node 355 via dashed line 346 to indicate that in this state, node 351 is connected to node 355 such that the signal from filter 332 will be connected to the first antenna 342. Similarly, node 353 is connected to node 355 via dashed line 347 to indicate that in this state, node 353 is connected to node 355 such that the signal from filter 336 will be connected to the first antenna 342.

[0067] exist Figure 3B In the TDD handover scenario, FDD (via band filter 332) and TDD Rx (via band filter 366) signals may be transmitted and received on the first antenna 342, and the TDD Rx signal (via band filter 334) may be switched to use the first antenna 342.

[0068] For example, in Figure 3BOn the right side, node 352 is connected to node 355 via dashed line 348, indicating that in this state, node 352 is connected to node 355, such that the signal from filter 334 will be connected to the first antenna 342. In this state, there is no longer a connection between nodes 353 and 355, such that bandpass filter 336 is no longer connected to the first antenna 342.

[0069] In this switching scenario, FDD signal communication and processing (via band filter 332) may be subject to interference. For example, when the switch controller 357 switches the connection in the switching circuit 340 from node 353 to node 352 to connect band filter 334 to node 355 and the first antenna 342, communication via band filter 332 may be interfered with by the load variation presented by the connection from band filter 334 to node 355. In some RF front-end (RFFE) module designs, having separate Tx and Rx filters for the TDD band may be beneficial to meet performance targets and design purposes; however, switching will introduce interference on any Rx path connected to the same antenna, such as switching in TDD Rx band filter 334 to communicate on the first antenna 342.

[0070] Figure 4 A schematic diagram of a switching circuit 400 is shown. In an exemplary embodiment, the switching circuit 400 may include switches 412, 414, 416, 418, 422, 424, 426, and 428. Radio frequency (RF) signals may be switched to or from antenna port 411, and switched to or from antenna port 413, based on the conduction of switches 412, 414, 416, 418, 422, 424, 426, and 428. In an exemplary embodiment, there may be a situation where the RF signal at antenna port 411 may leak to system ground or may leak to antenna port 413.

[0071] For example, there might be a condition where switch 412 is turned on at the same time as switch 416. In such a case, the RF signal at antenna port 411 might leak to system ground, as indicated by arrow 415. In this example, switches 412 and 416 are shown in dashed lines to indicate that during the switching interval between one of switches 412 and 416 transitioning from on to off and the other from off to on, switches 412 and 416 can both be turned on for an overlapping period, such that both switches 412 and 416 are turned on simultaneously, even if only for a brief period. This situation allows the RF signal at antenna port 411 to leak to system ground during the period when switches 412 and 416 are simultaneously turned on.

[0072] In another example, there may be a condition where switch 418 is turned on simultaneously with switch 422. In such a case, the RF signal at antenna port 411 may leak to antenna port 413, as indicated by arrow 417. In this example, switches 418 and 422 are shown in dashed lines to indicate that during the switching interval between one of switches 418 and 422 transitioning from on (conducting) to off (non-conducting) and the other of switches 418 and 422 transitioning from off (non-conducting) to on (conducting), switches 418 and 422 may be turned on for an overlapping period of time, such that switches 418 and 422 are both turned on simultaneously, even for a brief period. This situation allows the RF signal at antenna port 411 to leak to antenna port 413. Both of these conditions that allow signal leakage during the simultaneous on period are undesirable.

[0073] Graph 450 has a vertical axis showing voltage and a horizontal axis showing time increasing to the right. Graph 450 shows a trace 452 representing a control signal IN, which can be used to control the conduction of switches 412 and 422. Graph 460 has a vertical axis showing voltage and a horizontal axis showing time increasing to the right. Graph 460 shows a trace 462 representing the gate voltage Vg of switching device 464 in response to control signal IN 452, which can be used to control an exemplary switching device 464 representing switches 412 and 422. A similar but complementary control signal IN2 ( Figure 4 Switches 416 and 418 (not shown in the diagram) can be similarly controlled. The threshold voltage Vth represents a voltage threshold above which the switch controlled by the control signal IN 452 and the corresponding gate voltage 462 can be turned on.

[0074] In an exemplary embodiment, when the control signal IN 452 (i.e., Vg (the voltage at the gate of the switching device 464)) is VHIGH (VG), as indicated by reference numeral 465, H When (e.g., 3V in this example) the exemplary switching device 464 representing switches 412 and 422 can be considered fully turned on, and when Vg is VLOW (VL) shown using reference numeral 467, it can be considered fully turned on. L When Vg > Vth (threshold voltage, e.g., -2V in this example), the exemplary switching device can be considered completely off. Switching device 464 begins to turn on when Vg > Vth (threshold voltage, e.g., Vth = 0). Time Ton is defined as the time from Vg to Vth. L The time taken to reach Vth, that is, the time taken for Vg to transition from -2V to 0V in this example. Time Toff is defined as the time it takes for Vg to transition from Vth to 0V. HThe time taken to reach Vth, i.e., the time taken for Vg to transition from 3V to 0V. The time difference (Δ) is defined as Toff-Ton. In an exemplary implementation, the time period Toff is typically longer than the time period Ton.

[0075] Figure 5 It is shown Figure 4 The graph 500 shows the control signal curve. Graph 510 has a vertical axis showing the logic low and logic high states corresponding to the voltage and a horizontal axis showing the time increasing to the right. Graph 510 shows trace 512, which shows the logic level of the control signal IN over time. Trace 514 shows the switching device gate voltage corresponding to the control signal 512. Trace 514 can correspond to a similar... Figure 4 The response of the switching device 464.

[0076] Graph 520 has a vertical axis showing logic low and logic high states corresponding to voltage and a horizontal axis showing time increasing to the right. Graph 520 shows trace 522, which shows the logic level of control signal IN2, which is typically complementary to control signal IN. Trace 524 shows the switching device gate voltage corresponding to control signal 522. Trace 524 may correspond to a similar... Figure 4 The response of the switching device 464.

[0077] Graph 530 has a vertical axis showing RF signal leakage and a horizontal axis showing time increasing to the right. Graph 530 shows RF signal leakage during the time periods when both the switch controlled by control signal IN and the switch controlled by control signal IN2 can be turned on simultaneously. For example, during the transition of one switch from off (non-conducting) to on (conducting) and the transition of another switch from on (conducting) to off (non-conducting), switches 412 and 416 can be turned on simultaneously. These overlapping on-time periods are shown in graph 530 as having a value difference (Δ). The value difference (Δ) refers to the difference between Toff and Ton, where Δ = Toff - Ton.

[0078] Figure 6 This is a diagram 600 illustrating a graph of control signals according to an exemplary embodiment of the present disclosure. Graph 610 has a graph showing a logic low (V) corresponding to a voltage. L ) and logic high (V) H The vertical axis represents the state, and the horizontal axis shows the time increasing to the right. Graph 610 shows trace 612, which illustrates the logic level of the control signal IN. Graph 620 shows the logic low (V) corresponding to the voltage. L ) and logic high (V) HThe vertical axis represents the state, and the horizontal axis shows the time increasing to the right. Graph 620 shows trace 622, which indicates the logic level of the control signal IN2, which is typically complementary to the control signal IN.

[0079] In an exemplary embodiment, the rising edge 613 of the control signal IN, shown using trace 612, is delayed by a value difference (Δ) relative to the falling edge 615 of the control signal IN2, shown using trace 622. Similarly, the rising edge 617 of the control signal IN2, shown using trace 622, is delayed by a value difference (Δ) relative to the falling edge 619 of the control signal IN, shown using trace 612. In this way, any simultaneous on-time period of the switches controlled by control signals IN 612 and IN2 622 is eliminated, because delaying the rising edge 613 of the control signal IN 612 relative to the falling edge 615 of the control signal IN2 622; and delaying the rising edge 617 of the control signal IN2 622 relative to the falling edge 619 of the control signal IN 612, eliminates any simultaneous on-time period of the switches controlled by control signals IN 612 and IN2 622. In exemplary embodiments, systems and methods for reducing unwanted received signal leakage during handover can be implemented during handover sounding reference signals (SRS) or in multi-subscriber identity module (MSIM) or carrier aggregation (CA) communication systems. For example, in an MSIM application, operation of a first subscriber can occur via a first band filter or a combination of first band filters, and operation can be switched to a different band filter or a different combination of band filters when communication associated with a second subscriber becomes active while the first subscriber's communication is still active on the first band filter or the first combination of first band filters. In a CA example, a first CA configuration can be associated with multiple bands in a first mode associated with paths through band filters, and a particular band filter and / or antenna combination can be switched to a different band filter and / or antenna combination when communication is switched to a second CA configuration (different combination of band filters) or a non-CA configuration. Figure 630 has a vertical axis illustrating RF signal leakage and a horizontal axis illustrating time increasing to the right. The curve 630 has a trace 632 that shows that because there is no time when the two switches controlled by the corresponding control signals IN 612 and IN2 622 can be turned on simultaneously, there is no RF signal leakage when switching the RF signal between the on (conducting) state and the off (non-conducting) state.

[0080] Figure 7 This is a flowchart 700 illustrating an example of the operation of a method for switching signals. The blocks in method 700 may be executed in the order shown or not, and in some embodiments, may be executed at least partially in parallel.

[0081] In block 702, the first band filter, the second band filter, and the third band filter are selectively coupled to the first antenna and the second antenna. For example, band filter 302 and band filter 306 may be coupled to antenna 312.

[0082] In block 704, a first band filter and a second band filter are selectively coupled to a first antenna. For example, band filter 302 and band filter 306 may be selectively coupled to antenna 312.

[0083] In block 706, while the first band filter remains coupled to the first antenna and the first communication path through the first band filter to the first antenna remains active, the third band filter selectively couples to the first antenna. For example, while band filter 302 remains coupled to antenna 312 and the communication path through band filter 302 to antenna 312 remains active, band filter 304 selectively couples to antenna 312.

[0084] In block 708, the first antenna is switched from the second band filter to the third band filter while the rising edge of the first control signal is delayed by a certain amount (Δ(difference)) relative to the second control signal. For example, when antenna 312 switches from band filter 306 to band filter 304, the rising edge of the first control signal (IN) is delayed by a certain amount (Δ(difference)) relative to the second control signal (IN2).

[0085] In block 710, the simultaneous conduction of the switch controlled by the first control signal (IN) and the second control signal (IN2) is eliminated. For example, trace 632 ( Figure 6 This shows the time during which two switches controlled by the corresponding control signals IN 612 and IN2 622 are not simultaneously on.

[0086] Figure 8 This is a functional block diagram of a signal switching device 800. Device 800 includes components 802 for selectively coupling a first band filter, a second band filter, and a third band filter to a first antenna and a second antenna. In some embodiments, components 802 for selectively coupling the first band filter, the second band filter, and the third band filter to the first antenna and the second antenna may be configured to perform the operation in method 700 (…). Figure 7 One or more of the functions described in operation block 702. In an exemplary embodiment, component 802 for selectively coupling the first band filter, the second band filter, and the third band filter to the first antenna and the second antenna may include switching circuitry 310 for selectively coupling band filter 302 and band filter 306 to antenna 312.

[0087] The apparatus may also include component 804 for selectively coupling a first band filter and a second band filter to the first antenna. In some embodiments, component 804 for selectively coupling the first band filter and the second band filter to the first antenna may be configured to perform in method 700 ( Figure 7 One or more of the functions described in operation block 704. In an exemplary embodiment, component 804 for selectively coupling the first and second band filters to the first antenna may include switching circuitry 310 for selectively coupling band filters 302 and 306 to the antenna 312.

[0088] The apparatus may further include a component 806 for selectively coupling a third band filter to the first antenna while the first band filter remains coupled to the first antenna and the first communication path through the first band filter to the first antenna remains active. In some embodiments, the component 806 for selectively coupling a third band filter to the first antenna while the first band filter remains coupled to the first antenna and the first communication path through the first band filter to the first antenna remains active may be configured to perform in method 700 ( Figure 7 One or more of the functions described in operation block 706. In an exemplary embodiment, the component 806 for selectively coupling a third band filter to the first antenna while the first band filter remains coupled to the first antenna and the first communication path through the first band filter to the first antenna remains active may include a switching circuit 310 for selectively coupling a band filter 304 to the antenna 312 while the band filter 302 remains coupled to the antenna 312 and the communication path through the band filter 302 to the antenna 312 remains active.

[0089] The apparatus may further include a component 808 for selectively switching the first antenna from a second band filter to a third band filter while delaying the rising edge of the first control signal relative to the second control signal by an amount (Δ(difference)). In some embodiments, the component 808 for selectively switching the first antenna from a second band filter to a third band filter while delaying the rising edge of the first control signal relative to the second control signal by an amount (Δ(difference)) may be configured to perform in method 700 ( Figure 7One or more of the functions described in operation block 708. In an exemplary embodiment, component 808 for selectively switching the first antenna from a second band filter to a third band filter while delaying the rising edge of the first control signal relative to the second control signal by an amount (Δ(difference)) may include delaying the rising edge of the first control signal (IN) relative to the second control signal (IN2) by an amount (Δ(difference)) when switching the antenna 312 from band filter 306 to band filter 304.

[0090] The apparatus may also include a component 810 for eliminating the simultaneous conduction of a switch controlled by a first control signal (IN) and a second control signal (IN2). In some embodiments, the component 810 for eliminating the simultaneous conduction of a switch controlled by a first control signal (IN) and a second control signal (IN2) may be configured to perform in method 700 ( Figure 7 One or more of the functions described in operation block 710. In an exemplary embodiment, component 810 for eliminating the simultaneous conduction of switches controlled by the first control signal (IN) and the second control signal (IN2) may include switching control signals IN 612 and IN2 622 such that there is no time when the two switches controlled by the respective control signals IN 612 and IN2 622 are simultaneously on.

[0091] Specific implementation examples are described in the following numbered clauses: 1. A radio frequency (RF) switching system, the RF switching system comprising: a plurality of band filters, the plurality of band filters including a first band filter, a second band filter, and a third band filter, the first band filter, the second band filter, and the third band filter being configured to process signals in different communication bands; a switch located between the first band filter, the second band filter, and the third band filter and a first antenna and a second antenna, the switch being configured to selectively couple the first filter, the second filter, and the third filter to the first antenna and the second antenna, the switch comprising at least a first band filter configured to receive a complementary control signal. A switching element and a second switching element; wherein at least the first filter and the second filter are configured to be simultaneously coupled to the first antenna, and the switch is configured to: when the switch is configured to selectively connect the first antenna to the third filter instead of the second filter in response to the complementary control signal, delay at least one of the complementary control signals by an amount defined by the difference (difference) between the on-to-off time (Toff) and the off-to-on time (Ton) of the first switching element and the second switching element.

[0092] 2. The RF switching system according to Clause 1, wherein a sounding reference signal (SRS) is configured to be transmitted via the first antenna when the first antenna is selectively switched to the third filter.

[0093] 3. The RF switching system according to any one of Clauses 1 to 2, wherein delaying at least one of the complementary control signals by an amount defined by the difference (differential amount) prevents the first switching element and the second switching element from being turned on simultaneously.

[0094] 4. An RF switching system according to any one of clauses 1 to 3, wherein delaying at least one of the complementary control signals by an amount defined by the difference (differential amount) prevents the RF signal from leaking to signal ground through at least one switching element.

[0095] 5. An RF switching system according to any one of clauses 1 to 3, wherein delaying at least one of the complementary control signals by an amount defined by the difference (differential amount) prevents RF signals from leaking from the first antenna to the second antenna.

[0096] 6. The RF switching system according to any one of Clauses 1 to 5, wherein the amount by which the at least one of the complementary control signals is delayed by the difference (differential amount) includes delaying the rising edge of the first control complementary signal (IN) relative to the falling edge of the second complementary control signal (IN2).

[0097] 7. The RF switching system according to any one of Clauses 1 to 6, wherein the amount by which the at least one of the complementary control signals is delayed by the difference (differential amount) includes delaying the rising edge of the second complementary control signal (IN2) relative to the falling edge of the first complementary control signal (IN).

[0098] 8. The RF handover system according to any one of Clauses 1 to 7, wherein the RF handover system is implemented in one or more of a multi-subscriber identity module (MSIM) communication system and a carrier aggregation (CA) communication system.

[0099] 9. A method for switching RF signals, the method comprising: selectively coupling a first band filter, a second band filter, and a third band filter to one or more of a first antenna and a second antenna using a switch, the switch comprising at least a first switching element and a second switching element configured to receive complementary control signals; The first band filter and the second band filter are selectively coupled to the first antenna; While the first band filter remains coupled to the first antenna and the first communication path from the first band filter to the first antenna remains active, the third band filter is selectively coupled to the first antenna to the third band filter instead of the second band filter; and the first antenna is selectively switched to connect from the second band filter to the third band filter, while delaying at least one of the complementary control signals by an amount defined by the difference (difference) between the on-to-off time (Toff) and the off-to-on time (Ton) of the at least two switching elements.

[0100] 10. The method according to Clause 9, further comprising: selectively switching a sounding reference signal (SRS) to the first antenna when the first antenna is selectively switched to the third band filter.

[0101] 11. The method according to any one of clauses 9 to 10, wherein delaying at least one of the complementary control signals by an amount defined by the difference (differential amount) prevents the first switching element and the second switching element from being turned on simultaneously.

[0102] 12. The method according to any one of clauses 9 to 11, wherein delaying at least one of the complementary control signals by an amount defined by the difference (differential amount) prevents the RF signal from leaking to signal ground through at least one switching element.

[0103] 13. The method according to any one of clauses 9 to 11, wherein delaying at least one of the complementary control signals by an amount defined by the difference (differential amount) prevents RF signals from leaking from the first antenna to the second antenna.

[0104] 14. The method according to any one of clauses 9 to 13, the method further comprising: delaying the rising edge of the first complementary control signal (IN) relative to the falling edge of the second complementary control signal (IN2).

[0105] 15. The method according to any one of clauses 9 to 14, the method further comprising: delaying the rising edge of the second complementary control signal (IN2) relative to the falling edge of the first complementary control signal (IN).

[0106] 16. The method according to any one of Clauses 9 to 15, wherein the method for switching RF signals is implemented in one or more of a multi-subscriber identity module (MSIM) communication system and a carrier aggregation (CA) communication system.

[0107] 17. A switching device, the device comprising: means for selectively coupling a first band filter, a second band filter, and a third band filter to one or more of a first antenna and a second antenna using a switch, the switch comprising at least a first switching element and a second switching element configured to receive complementary control signals; means for selectively coupling the first band filter and the second band filter to the first antenna; means for selectively coupling the third band filter to the first antenna instead of the second band filter while the first band filter remains coupled to the first antenna and a first communication path from the first band filter to the first antenna remains active; and means for selectively switching the first antenna to connect from the second band filter to the third band filter while delaying at least one of the complementary control signals by an amount defined by the difference (differential) between the on-to-off time (Toff) and the off-to-on time (Ton) of the at least two switching elements.

[0108] 18. The apparatus according to Clause 17, further comprising: a component for selectively switching a probe reference signal (SRS) to the first antenna when the first antenna is selectively switched to the third band filter.

[0109] 19. The device according to any one of Clauses 17 to 18, the device further comprising: a component for preventing the first switching element and the second switching element from being turned on simultaneously.

[0110] 20. The device according to any one of Clauses 17 to 19, the device further comprising: a component for preventing RF signals from leaking to signal ground through at least one switching element.

[0111] 21. The device according to any one of Clauses 17 to 19, the device further comprising: a component for preventing RF signals from leaking from the first antenna to the second antenna.

[0112] 22. The device according to any one of clauses 17 to 21, the device further comprising: a component for delaying the rising edge of the first complementary control signal (IN) relative to the falling edge of the second complementary control signal (IN2).

[0113] 23. The device according to any one of clauses 17 to 22, the device further comprising: a component for delaying the rising edge of the second complementary control signal (IN2) relative to the falling edge of the first complementary control signal (IN).

[0114] 24. The device according to any one of Clauses 17 to 23, the device further comprising: a component for implementing the device in one or more of a multi-subscriber identity module (MSIM) communication system and a carrier aggregation (CA) communication system.

[0115] 25. A communication device comprising: a radio frequency (RF) transceiver; an RF switching system connected to the RF transceiver, the RF switching system having a plurality of band filters, the plurality of band filters including a first band filter, a second band filter, and a third band filter, the first band filter, the second band filter, and the third band filter being configured to process signals in different communication bands; and a switch located between the first band filter, the second band filter, and the third band filter and a first antenna and a second antenna, the switch being configured to selectively couple the first filter, the second filter, and the third filter to the first antenna and the second antenna, respectively. The switch includes at least a first switching element and a second switching element configured to receive complementary control signals; wherein at least the first filter and the second filter are configured to be simultaneously coupled to the first antenna, and the switch is configured to: when the switch is configured to selectively connect the first antenna to the third filter instead of the second filter in response to the complementary control signals, such that at least one of the complementary control signals is delayed by an amount defined by the difference (difference) between the on-to-off time (Toff) and the off-to-on time (Ton) of the at least two switching elements.

[0116] 26. The communication device according to Clause 25, wherein a probe reference signal (SRS) is configured to be transmitted via the first antenna when the first antenna is selectively switched to the third filter.

[0117] 27. A communication device according to any one of clauses 25 to 26, wherein delaying at least one of the complementary control signals by an amount defined by the difference (differential amount) prevents the first switching element and the second switching element from being turned on simultaneously.

[0118] 28. A communication device according to any one of clauses 25 to 27, wherein delaying at least one of the complementary control signals by an amount defined by the difference (differential amount) prevents the RF signal from leaking to signal ground through at least one switching element.

[0119] 29. A communication device according to any one of clauses 25 to 27, wherein delaying at least one of the complementary control signals by an amount defined by the difference (differential amount) prevents RF signals from leaking from the first antenna to the second antenna.

[0120] 30. A communication device according to any one of clauses 25 to 29, wherein the amount by which the at least one of the complementary control signals is delayed by the difference (differential amount) includes delaying the rising edge of the first control complementary signal (IN) relative to the falling edge of the second complementary control signal (IN2).

[0121] The circuit architecture described in this article can be implemented on one or more ICs, analog ICs, RFICs, mixed-signal ICs, ASICs, printed circuit boards (PCBs), electronic devices, etc. The circuit architecture described in this article can also be manufactured using various IC process technologies, such as complementary metal-oxide-semiconductor (CMOS), N-channel MOS (NMOS), P-channel MOS (PMOS), bipolar junction transistors (BJTs), bipolar CMOS (BiCMOS), silicon-germanium (SiGe), gallium arsenide (GaAs), heterojunction bipolar transistors (HBTs), high electron mobility transistors (HEMTs), silicon-on-insulator (SOI), etc.

[0122] The apparatus for implementing the circuit described herein may be a standalone device or part of a larger device. The device may be (i) a standalone IC, (ii) a collection of one or more ICs that may include memory ICs for storing data and / or instructions, (iii) an RF IC such as an RF receiver (RFR) or an RF transmitter / receiver (RTR), (iv) an ASIC such as a mobile station modem (MSM), (v) a module that may be embedded in other devices, (vi) a receiver, a cellular phone, a wireless device, a mobile phone or mobile unit, (vii) and so on.

[0123] While selected aspects have been illustrated and described in detail, it should be understood that various substitutions and modifications may be made therein without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention, as defined in the appended claims.

Claims

1. A radio frequency (RF) switching system, the RF switching system comprising: Multiple frequency band filters, including a first frequency band filter, a second frequency band filter, and a third frequency band filter, wherein the first frequency band filter, the second frequency band filter, and the third frequency band filter are configured to process signals in different communication frequency bands; A switch located between the first band filter, the second band filter, and the third band filter and the first antenna and the second antenna, the switch being configured to selectively couple the first filter, the second filter, and the third filter to the first antenna and the second antenna, the switch comprising at least a first switching element and a second switching element configured to receive complementary control signals; At least the first filter and the second filter are configured to be simultaneously coupled to the first antenna, and the switch is configured to: when the switch is configured to selectively connect the first antenna to the third filter instead of the second filter in response to the complementary control signal, delay at least one of the complementary control signals by an amount defined by the difference (difference) between the on-to-off time (Toff) and the off-to-on time (Ton) of the first and second switching elements.

2. The RF switching system of claim 1, wherein the sounding reference signal (SRS) is configured to be transmitted via the first antenna when the first antenna is selectively switched to the third filter.

3. The RF switching system of claim 1, wherein delaying at least one of the complementary control signals by an amount defined by the difference (differential amount) prevents the first switching element and the second switching element from being turned on simultaneously.

4. The RF switching system of claim 1, wherein delaying at least one of the complementary control signals by an amount defined by the difference (differential amount) prevents the RF signal from leaking to signal ground through at least one switching element.

5. The RF switching system of claim 1, wherein delaying at least one of the complementary control signals by an amount defined by the difference (differential amount) prevents RF signals from leaking from the first antenna to the second antenna.

6. The RF switching system of claim 1, wherein delaying at least one of the complementary control signals by the amount defined by the difference (differential amount) includes delaying the rising edge of the first control complementary signal (IN) relative to the falling edge of the second complementary control signal (IN2).

7. The RF switching system of claim 1, wherein delaying at least one of the complementary control signals by the amount defined by the difference (differential amount) includes delaying the rising edge of the second complementary control signal (IN2) relative to the falling edge of the first complementary control signal (IN).

8. The RF handover system of claim 1, wherein the RF handover system is implemented in one or more of a multi-subscriber identity module (MSIM) communication system and a carrier aggregation (CA) communication system.

9. A method for switching RF signals, the method comprising: A switch is used to selectively couple a first band filter, a second band filter, and a third band filter to one or more of a first antenna and a second antenna, wherein the switch includes at least a first switching element and a second switching element configured to receive complementary control signals. The first band filter and the second band filter are selectively coupled to the first antenna; While the first band filter remains coupled to the first antenna and the first communication path from the first band filter to the first antenna remains active, the third band filter is selectively coupled from the first antenna to the third band filter instead of the second band filter. as well as While delaying at least one of the complementary control signals by an amount defined by the difference (difference) between the turn-on to turn-off time (Toff) and the turn-on to turn-on time (Ton) of the at least two switching elements, the first antenna is selectively switched to connect from the second band filter to the third band filter.

10. The method according to claim 9, further comprising: When the first antenna is selectively switched to the third band filter, the probe reference signal (SRS) is selectively switched to the first antenna.

11. The method of claim 9, wherein delaying at least one of the complementary control signals by an amount defined by the difference (differential amount) prevents the first switching element and the second switching element from being turned on simultaneously.

12. The method of claim 9, wherein delaying at least one of the complementary control signals by an amount defined by the difference (differential amount) prevents the RF signal from leaking to signal ground through at least one switching element.

13. The method of claim 9, wherein delaying at least one of the complementary control signals by an amount defined by the difference (differential amount) prevents RF signals from leaking from the first antenna to the second antenna.

14. The method according to claim 9, further comprising: The rising edge of the first complementary control signal (IN) is delayed relative to the falling edge of the second complementary control signal (IN2).

15. The method according to claim 9, further comprising: The rising edge of the second complementary control signal (IN2) is delayed relative to the falling edge of the first complementary control signal (IN).

16. The method of claim 9, wherein the method for switching RF signals is implemented in one or more of a multi-subscriber identity module (MSIM) communication system and a carrier aggregation (CA) communication system.

17. A device for switching, the device comprising: A component for selectively coupling a first band filter, a second band filter, and a third band filter to one or more of a first antenna and a second antenna using a switch, the switch comprising at least a first switching element and a second switching element configured to receive complementary control signals. Components for selectively coupling the first band filter and the second band filter to the first antenna; A component for selectively coupling the third band filter to the first antenna and not the second band filter while the first band filter remains coupled to the first antenna and the first communication path from the first band filter to the first antenna remains active; and A component for selectively switching the first antenna from the second band filter to the third band filter while delaying at least one of the complementary control signals by an amount defined by the difference (differential amount) between the on-to-off time (Toff) and the off-to-on time (Ton) of the at least two switching elements.

18. The apparatus of claim 17, further comprising: A component for selectively switching the probe reference signal (SRS) to the first antenna when the first antenna is selectively switched to the third band filter.

19. The apparatus of claim 17, further comprising: A component used to prevent the first switching element and the second switching element from being turned on simultaneously.

20. The apparatus of claim 17, further comprising: A component used to prevent RF signals from leaking to signal ground through at least one switching element.

21. The apparatus of claim 17, further comprising: A component used to prevent RF signals from leaking from the first antenna to the second antenna.

22. The apparatus of claim 17, further comprising: A component for delaying the rising edge of the first complementary control signal (IN) relative to the falling edge of the second complementary control signal (IN2).

23. The apparatus of claim 17, further comprising: A component for delaying the rising edge of the second complementary control signal (IN2) relative to the falling edge of the first complementary control signal (IN).

24. The apparatus of claim 17, further comprising: Components for implementing the device in one or more of a multi-subscriber identity module (MSIM) communication system and a carrier aggregation (CA) communication system.

25. A communication device, the communication device comprising: Radio frequency (RF) transceivers; An RF switching system is connected to the RF transceiver. The RF switching system has multiple frequency band filters, including a first frequency band filter, a second frequency band filter, and a third frequency band filter, which are configured to process signals in different communication frequency bands. A switch located between the first band filter, the second band filter, and the third band filter and the first antenna and the second antenna, the switch being configured to selectively couple the first filter, the second filter, and the third filter to the first antenna and the second antenna, the switch comprising at least a first switching element and a second switching element configured to receive complementary control signals; At least the first filter and the second filter are configured to be simultaneously coupled to the first antenna, and the switch is configured to: when the switch is configured to selectively connect the first antenna to the third filter instead of the second filter in response to the complementary control signal, delay at least one of the complementary control signals by an amount defined by the difference (difference) between the on-to-off time (Toff) and the off-to-on time (Ton) of the at least two switching elements.

26. The communication device of claim 25, wherein the probe reference signal (SRS) is configured to be transmitted via the first antenna when the first antenna is selectively switched to the third filter.

27. The communication device of claim 25, wherein delaying at least one of the complementary control signals by an amount defined by the difference (differential amount) prevents the first switching element and the second switching element from being turned on simultaneously.

28. The communication device of claim 25, wherein delaying at least one of the complementary control signals by an amount defined by the difference (differential amount) prevents the RF signal from leaking to signal ground through at least one switching element.

29. The communication device of claim 25, wherein delaying at least one of the complementary control signals by an amount defined by the difference (differential amount) prevents RF signals from leaking from the first antenna to the second antenna.

30. The communication device of claim 25, wherein the amount by which the at least one of the complementary control signals is delayed by the difference (differential amount) includes delaying the rising edge of the first control complementary signal (IN) relative to the falling edge of the second complementary control signal (IN2).

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