Radio frequency front-end circuit, radio frequency module and electronic equipment

Abstract

The utility model provides a radio frequency front-end circuit, a radio frequency module and electronic equipment. The radio frequency front-end circuit comprises a first transmitting path, the first transmitting path comprises a coupler, and the coupler is used for acquiring at least one part of transmitting power of the first transmitting path so as to determine the transmitting power of the first transmitting path. According to the embodiment of the invention, the signal intensity of the transmitted signal can be detected by arranging one coupler, the occupied area can be reduced, and the cost of the radio frequency front-end circuit is reduced.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present disclosure relates to the field of communication technology, and in particular to a radio frequency front-end circuit, a radio frequency module and an electronic device. Background Art

[0002] Carrier Aggregation (CA) is a key technology for LTE-A communications. It increases Internet access speed exponentially by bundling multiple carriers, thus providing an ultra-fast Internet experience.

[0003] In the transmission phase of LTE-A communication, it is necessary to obtain the strength of the transmission signal of the RF front end of the electronic device, and multiple couplers need to be set in the RF front end circuit. The transmission signal strength is determined by collecting the coupling signal of the transmission loop through the coupler. When the transmission signal strength is lower than the target strength, the transmission signal strength is increased, and when the transmission signal strength is higher than the target strength, the transmission signal strength is reduced, so as to achieve the effect of adjusting the transmission signal strength.

[0004] However, in the related art, when the number of couplers in the RF front-end circuit is large, the occupied area is large and the cost of the RF front-end circuit is increased. Utility Model Content

[0005] The present disclosure provides a radio frequency front-end circuit, a radio frequency module and an electronic device to solve the above-mentioned technical problems.

[0006] According to a first aspect of the present disclosure, a radio frequency front-end circuit is provided, comprising a first transmitting path, wherein the first transmitting path comprises a coupler, and the coupler is used to obtain at least a portion of the transmitting power of the first transmitting path to determine the transmitting power of the first transmitting path.

[0007] Optionally, the first transmission path further includes a frequency division module and an antenna switching module; the antenna switching module is electrically connected to at least one main antenna, at least one diversity antenna and the frequency division module respectively; the frequency division module is electrically connected to the coupler;

[0008] The antenna switching module is used to switch to the main antenna or the diversity antenna according to the control signal;

[0009] The frequency division module is used to obtain a first radio frequency signal from the radio frequency signal and send the first radio frequency signal to the coupler.

[0010] Optionally, the first transmitting path further includes a first frequency band switching module; the first frequency band switching module is electrically connected to the frequency division module;

[0011] The first frequency band switching module is used to transmit a first signal path, and the first signal path is used to transmit a signal in a first frequency band in a first radio frequency signal.

[0012] Optionally, the RF front-end circuit further includes a second transmitting path, the second transmitting path includes a second frequency band switching module; the second frequency band switching module is electrically connected to the first frequency band switching module;

[0013] The second frequency band switching module and the first frequency band switching module are used to form a second signal path, and the second signal path is used to transmit signals of the second frequency band and the third frequency band in the first radio frequency signal.

[0014] Optionally, the RF front-end circuit further includes a first receiving path; the first receiving path includes a receiving switching module, and the receiving switching module is electrically connected to the aggregate antenna and the second frequency band switching module respectively;

[0015] The receiving switching module and the second frequency band switching module are used to form a third signal path for transmitting and receiving radio frequency signals.

[0016] Optionally, the RF front-end circuit further includes a third transmitting path, the third transmitting path includes a signal switching module, and the signal switching module is electrically connected to the frequency division module;

[0017] The signal switching module is used to send the radio frequency signal of the fourth frequency band to the frequency division module;

[0018] The frequency division module is also used to transmit the radio frequency signal to the antenna switching module.

[0019] According to a second aspect of the present disclosure, a radio frequency module is provided, wherein the radio frequency module comprises a radio frequency front-end circuit as described in any one of the first aspects.

[0020] Optionally, the RF module further includes a power amplifier circuit and a gain control circuit; the power amplifier circuit is electrically connected to the RF front-end circuit and the gain control circuit respectively;

[0021] The radio frequency front-end circuit is used for transmitting and receiving radio frequency signals;

[0022] The power amplifier circuit is used to perform power amplification processing on the radio frequency signal according to the comparison result of the gain control circuit to obtain an amplified signal;

[0023] The gain control circuit is used to compare the amplified signal with a preset threshold and send the comparison result to the power amplifier.

[0024] Optionally, the RF module further includes a load detection circuit, which is electrically connected to the antenna and the gain control circuit respectively, and is used to detect whether the RF signal is a transmitted RF signal or a received RF signal.

[0025] According to a third aspect of the present disclosure, an electronic device is provided, comprising the RF front-end circuit as described in any one of the first aspect, and / or the RF module as described in any one of the second aspect.

[0026] The technical solution provided by the embodiments of the present disclosure may have the following beneficial effects:

[0027] The RF front-end circuit provided in this embodiment includes a first transmission path, and the first transmission path includes a coupler, and the coupler is used to obtain at least a portion of the transmission power of the first transmission path to determine the transmission power of the first transmission path. In this way, this embodiment can detect the signal strength of the transmission signal by setting a coupler, which can reduce its occupied area and reduce the cost of the RF front-end circuit.

[0028] It is to be understood that the foregoing general description and the following detailed description are exemplary and explanatory only and are not restrictive of the present disclosure. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0029] Figure 1 The present invention is a block diagram of a radio frequency front-end circuit according to an embodiment of the present invention.

[0030] Figure 2 The block diagram is another RF front-end circuit according to an embodiment of the present disclosure.

[0031] Figure 3 The present invention is a block diagram of another radio frequency front-end circuit according to an embodiment of the present invention.

[0032] Figure 4 The present invention is a block diagram of another radio frequency front-end circuit according to an embodiment of the present invention.

[0033] Figure 5 The present invention is a block diagram of another radio frequency front-end circuit according to an embodiment of the present invention.

[0034] Figure 6 A circuit diagram of a radio frequency front-end circuit according to an embodiment of the present disclosure.

[0035] Figure 7 The present invention is a block diagram of a radio frequency module according to an embodiment of the present invention.

[0036] Figure 8 The present invention is a block diagram of an electronic device according to an embodiment of the present invention. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0037] Exemplary embodiments will be described in detail herein, examples of which are shown in the accompanying drawings. When the following description refers to the drawings, the same numbers in different drawings represent the same or similar elements unless otherwise indicated. The embodiments described in the following exemplary embodiments do not represent all embodiments consistent with the present disclosure. Instead, they are merely examples of devices consistent with some aspects of the present disclosure as detailed in the appended claims.

[0038] In order to solve the above technical problems, the embodiments of the present disclosure provide a radio frequency front-end circuit, a radio frequency module and an electronic device. The above radio frequency front-end circuit and / or radio frequency module can be applied to the electronic device. Figure 1 FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram of a radio frequency front-end circuit according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. Figure 1 , a radio frequency front-end circuit 100 includes a first transmission path 101. The first transmission path 101 includes a coupler 11, and the coupler 11 is used to obtain at least a part of the transmission power of the first transmission path to determine the transmission power of the first transmission path.

[0039] In one embodiment, see Figure 2 The first transmitting path 101 further includes a frequency division module 12 and an antenna switching module 13; the antenna switching module 13 is electrically connected to at least one main antenna (Main Ant), at least one diversity antenna (DRX Ant) and the frequency division module 12 respectively; the frequency division module 12 is electrically connected to the coupler 11;

[0040] The antenna switching module 13 is used to switch to the main antenna or the diversity antenna according to the control signal; the frequency division module 12 is used to obtain the first radio frequency signal from the radio frequency signal and send it to the coupler 11.

[0041] In one example, the frequency division module 12 can be implemented by a frequency divider. The frequency divider can screen the frequency of the first RF signal to select RF signals in the low frequency band, the medium frequency band and the high frequency band. It should be noted that the low frequency band, the medium frequency band and the high frequency band can be set according to the specific scenario. Taking the RF front-end circuit applied to electronic devices such as smart phones and tablet computers as an example, it can be set according to the frequency band of the mobile operator, for example, the B1, B2 and B3 frequency bands belong to the medium frequency band, and the N41 and N79 belong to the high frequency band. It is understandable that the frequency bands of the above-mentioned electronic devices are only used for example description and do not constitute a limitation of the disclosed scheme.

[0042] In one example, the antenna switching module 13 may be implemented by a switching switch, and the switching switch may include a 3P3T switch or a 2P2T switch, which may be selected according to specific scenarios.

[0043] In one embodiment, see Figure 3, the first transmitting path 101 also includes a first frequency band switching module 14; the first frequency band switching module 14 is electrically connected to the frequency division module 12. The first frequency band switching module 14 is used to transmit the first signal path, and the first signal path is used to transmit the signal located in the first frequency band in the first RF signal. Among them, the first RF signal may include a low frequency band signal, a mid-frequency band signal and a high frequency band signal. After passing through the frequency division module 12, the first RF signal may include a mid-frequency band signal and a high frequency band signal. The above-mentioned first frequency band refers to the mid-frequency band, such as the B1 frequency band.

[0044] In one embodiment, see Figure 3 The RF front-end circuit also includes a second transmitting path 102. The second transmitting path 102 includes a second frequency band switching module 21; the second frequency band switching module 21 is electrically connected to the first frequency band switching module 14; the second frequency band switching module 21 and the first frequency band switching module 14 are used to form a second signal path, and the second signal path is used to transmit the signals of the second frequency band and the third frequency band in the first RF signal. The above-mentioned second frequency band may refer to a medium frequency band, such as the B2 frequency band; the above-mentioned third frequency band may refer to a high frequency band, such as the B7 frequency band.

[0045] In one example, the second frequency band switching module may be implemented by a switching switch, such as a 3P3T switch or a DPDT switch, which may be selected according to specific scenarios.

[0046] It should be noted that the combination of the first frequency band switching module 14 and the second frequency band switching module 21 can form multiple signal paths, and the multiple signal paths all transmit radio frequency signals through couplers, thereby reducing the number of couplers.

[0047] In one embodiment, see Figure 4 The RF front-end circuit also includes a first receiving path 103; the first receiving path 103 includes a receiving switching module 31, and the receiving switching module 31 is electrically connected to the aggregate antenna (CA) and the second frequency band switching module 21 respectively; the receiving switching module 31 and the second frequency band switching module 21 are used to form a third signal path for transmitting and receiving RF signals.

[0048] In one example, the receiving switching module 31 can be implemented by a switching switch, such as a 3P3T or DPDT switch.

[0049] In one embodiment, see Figure 5 The RF front-end circuit also includes a third transmitting path 104 . The third transmitting path 104 includes a signal switching module 41 . The signal switching module 41 is electrically connected to the frequency division module 12 .

[0050] The signal switching module 41 is used to send the radio frequency signal of the fourth frequency band to the frequency division module. The fourth frequency band may include a low frequency band, such as the B5 frequency band.

[0051] The frequency division module 12 is further used to transmit the radio frequency signal to the antenna switching module 13, so that the antenna radiates the radio frequency signal into space.

[0052] In one example, the signal switching module 41 can be implemented by a switching switch, such as a 3P3T or DPDT switch.

[0053] Combination Figure 6 , describes the working process of the RF front-end circuit, including:

[0054] Scenario 1

[0055] In this scenario, the RF front-end circuit can implement a medium-low CA combination. For example, when CA_1A (PCC primary carrier)-5A (SCC secondary carrier), the path is:

[0056] (1) B1 band receiving path: After the main antenna 2 receives the RF signal of the B1 band, it transmits it to the switching switch 4 (i.e., the antenna switching module 13 in the above example), and then passes through the frequency divider 5 (i.e., the frequency dividing module 12 in the above example) for frequency division processing to obtain low frequency band signals, mid frequency band signals, and high frequency band signals.

[0057] The low-frequency band signal may be transmitted to the switch 9 (ie, the signal switching module 41 ), and then transmitted by the switch 9 to subsequent transceiver modules (eg, filter modules, power amplifier modules, etc.).

[0058] Among them, the mid-frequency band signal and / or the high-frequency band signal can be transmitted to the switching switch 8 (i.e., the first frequency band switching module 14 in the above example) and the switching switch 10 (i.e., the second frequency band switching module 21 in the above example), and then transmitted to the subsequent transceiver modules (such as the filtering module, the power amplifier module, etc.) to complete the demodulation of the B1 frequency band signal.

[0059] (2) B1 band transmission path: The filtered RF signal passes through the switch 8, coupler 11, divider 5, switch 4 in sequence, and finally reaches the main antenna 2 and is radiated into space.

[0060] (3) B5 band receiving path: The B5 band RF signal passes through the main antenna 2, the switching switch 4 and the low-frequency interface of the divider 5 in sequence, and then is transmitted to the selection of the switching switch 9 and reaches the subsequent transceiver module (such as the filter module, the power amplifier module, etc.), completing the demodulation of the B5 band signal.

[0061] It can be seen that the solution of this embodiment can realize the reception of mid- and low-frequency band signals, and only one coupler 11 is used for power detection during transmission, thereby reducing the number of couplers.

[0062] Scenario 2

[0063] In this scenario, the RF front-end circuit can implement a medium-to-high CA combination, such as the CA_7A (PCC)-1A (SCC) path, including:

[0064] (1) B7 band receiving path: The main antenna 2 receives the B7 band RF signal, which passes through the switch 4, the high frequency interface of the divider 5, the coupler 11, the switch 8 and the switch 10 in sequence, and reaches the subsequent transceiver module (such as the filter module, the power amplifier module, etc.), completing the demodulation of the B7 band signal.

[0065] (2) B7 band transmission path: The filtered RF signal passes through the switch 10, the switch 8, the coupler 11, the divider 5, the switch 4 and the main antenna 2 in sequence, and is finally radiated into space.

[0066] (3) B1 band receiving path: The CA antenna receives the B1 band RF signal, which is transmitted to the switching switch 7 and the switching switch 10 in sequence and then reaches the subsequent transceiver modules (such as the filter module and the power amplifier module) to complete the demodulation of the B1 band signal.

[0067] It can be seen that the solution of this embodiment can realize the reception of medium and high frequency band signals, and only uses one coupler 11 for power detection when transmitting high frequency band signals, which can reduce the number of couplers and is beneficial to reducing the area of ​​the pendulum and the cost of the RF front-end circuit.

[0068] In some scenarios, the embodiments of the present disclosure further provide a radio frequency module, including: Figure 1 to Figure 5 The RF front-end circuit shown in the example.

[0069] For some examples, see Figure 7 , the RF module includes a power amplifier circuit 200 and a gain control circuit 300 on the basis of the RF front-end circuit 100; the power amplifier circuit 200 is electrically connected to the RF front-end circuit 100 and the gain control circuit 300 respectively. The RF front-end circuit 100 is used to send and receive RF signals; the power amplifier circuit is used to perform power amplification processing on the RF signal according to the comparison result of the gain control circuit 300 to obtain an amplified signal; the gain control circuit 300 is used to compare the amplified signal with a preset threshold and send the comparison result to the power amplifier module 200.

[0070] In some examples, the RF module also includes a load detection circuit 400, which is electrically connected to the antenna and the gain control circuit 300, respectively, and is used to detect whether the RF signal is a transmitted RF signal or a received RF signal.

[0071] It should be noted that this example only describes some modules of the RF module, and technicians can add or delete modules according to specific scenarios. On the basis of including the above-mentioned RF front-end circuit 100, the corresponding solution falls within the protection scope of this disclosure.

[0072] Figure 8 8 is a block diagram of an electronic device according to an exemplary embodiment. For example, the electronic device 800 may be a smart phone, a computer, a digital broadcast terminal, a tablet device, a medical device, a fitness device, a personal digital assistant, etc.

[0073] Reference Figure 8 The electronic device 800 may include one or more of the following components: a processing component 802 , a memory 804 , a power component 806 , a multimedia component 808 , an audio component 810 , an input / output (I / O) interface 812 , a sensor component 814 , a communication component 816 , and an image acquisition component 818 .

[0074] The processing component 802 generally controls the overall operation of the electronic device 800, such as operations associated with display, phone calls, data communications, camera operations, and recording operations. The processing component 802 may include one or more processors 820 to execute computer programs. In addition, the processing component 802 may include one or more modules to facilitate interaction between the processing component 802 and other components. For example, the processing component 802 may include a multimedia module to facilitate interaction between the multimedia component 808 and the processing component 802.

[0075] The memory 804 is configured to store various types of data to support operations on the electronic device 800. Examples of such data include computer programs for any application or method operating on the electronic device 800, contact data, phone book data, messages, pictures, videos, etc. The memory 804 can be implemented by any type of volatile or non-volatile storage device or a combination thereof, such as static random access memory (SRAM), electrically erasable programmable read-only memory (EEPROM), erasable programmable read-only memory (EPROM), programmable read-only memory (PROM), read-only memory (ROM), magnetic memory, flash memory, magnetic disk or optical disk.

[0076] The power supply assembly 806 provides power to various components of the electronic device 800. The power supply assembly 806 may include a power management system, one or more power supplies, and other components associated with generating, managing, and distributing power to the electronic device 800. The power supply assembly 806 may include the above-mentioned RF front-end circuit and / or RF module to charge the load or battery of the electronic device.

[0077] The multimedia component 808 includes a screen that provides an output interface between the electronic device 800 and the target object.

[0078] In some embodiments, the screen may include a liquid crystal display (LCD) and a touch panel (TP). If the screen includes a touch panel, the screen may be implemented as a touch screen to receive input information from a target object. The touch panel includes one or more touch sensors to sense touch, slide, and gestures on the touch panel. The touch sensor may not only sense the boundaries of a touch or slide action, but also detect the duration and pressure associated with the touch or slide operation.

[0079] The audio component 810 is configured to output and / or input audio file information. For example, the audio component 810 includes a microphone (MIC), and when the electronic device 800 is in an operation mode, such as a call mode, a recording mode, and a voice recognition mode, the microphone is configured to receive external audio file information. The received audio file information can be further stored in the memory 804 or sent via the communication component 816. In some embodiments, the audio component 810 also includes a speaker for outputting audio file information.

[0080] The I / O interface 812 provides an interface between the processing component 802 and a peripheral interface module, which may be a keyboard, a click wheel, a button, etc.

[0081] The sensor component 814 includes one or more sensors for providing various aspects of status assessment for the electronic device 800. For example, the sensor component 814 can detect the open / closed state of the electronic device 800, the relative positioning of components, such as the display screen and keypad of the electronic device 800, and the sensor component 814 can also detect the position change of the electronic device 800 or a component, the presence or absence of contact between the target object and the electronic device 800, the orientation or acceleration / deceleration of the electronic device 800, and the temperature change of the electronic device 800. In this example, the sensor component 814 can include a magnetic sensor, a gyroscope, and a magnetic field sensor, and can also include an inertial sensor, an image sensor, etc., wherein the magnetic field sensor includes at least one of the following: a Hall sensor, a thin film magnetoresistive sensor, and a magnetic liquid acceleration sensor.

[0082] The communication component 816 is configured to facilitate wired or wireless communication between the electronic device 800 and other devices. The electronic device 800 can access a wireless network based on a communication standard, such as WiFi, 2G, 3G, 4G, 5G, or a combination thereof. In an exemplary embodiment, the communication component 816 receives broadcast information or broadcast-related information from an external broadcast management system via a broadcast channel. In an exemplary embodiment, the communication component 816 also includes a near field communication (NFC) module to facilitate short-range communication. For example, the NFC module can be implemented based on radio frequency identification (RFID) technology, infrared data association (IrDA) technology, ultra-wideband (UWB) technology, Bluetooth (BT) technology and other technologies. In one example, the communication component 816 includes Figure 1 to Figure 6 The RF front-end circuit of the example, and / or, includes Figure 7 The RF module shown in the example.

[0083] In an exemplary embodiment, the electronic device 800 may be implemented by one or more application specific integrated circuits (ASICs), digital signal processors (DSPs), digital signal processing devices (DSPDs), programmable logic devices (PLDs), field programmable gate arrays (FPGAs), controllers, microcontrollers, microprocessors, or other electronic components.

[0084] Those skilled in the art will readily appreciate other embodiments of the present disclosure after considering the specification and practicing the disclosure disclosed herein. The present disclosure is intended to cover any variations, uses, or adaptations that follow the general principles of the present disclosure and include common knowledge or customary techniques in the art that are not disclosed in the present disclosure. The description and examples are to be considered exemplary only, and the true scope and spirit of the present disclosure are indicated by the following claims.

[0085] It should be understood that the present disclosure is not limited to the exact structures that have been described above and shown in the drawings, and that various modifications and changes may be made without departing from the scope thereof. The scope of the present disclosure is limited only by the appended claims.

Claims

1. A radio frequency front-end circuit, characterized in that: The invention comprises a first transmitting path, wherein the first transmitting path comprises a coupler, and the coupler is used to obtain at least a part of the transmitting power of the first transmitting path to determine the transmitting power of the first transmitting path.

2. The radio frequency front-end circuit according to claim 1, characterized in that: The first transmitting path further comprises a frequency division module and an antenna switching module; the antenna switching module is electrically connected to at least one main antenna, at least one diversity antenna and the frequency division module respectively; the frequency division module is electrically connected to the coupler; The antenna switching module is used to switch to the main antenna or the diversity antenna according to the control signal; The frequency division module is used to obtain a first radio frequency signal from the radio frequency signal and send the first radio frequency signal to the coupler.

3. The RF front-end circuit according to claim 2, characterized in that: The first transmitting path further includes a first frequency band switching module; the first frequency band switching module is electrically connected to the frequency division module; The first frequency band switching module is used to transmit a first signal path, and the first signal path is used to transmit a signal in a first frequency band in a first radio frequency signal.

4. The radio frequency front-end circuit according to claim 3, characterized in that: It also includes a second transmitting path, the second transmitting path includes a second frequency band switching module; the second frequency band switching module is electrically connected to the first frequency band switching module; The second frequency band switching module and the first frequency band switching module are used to form a second signal path, and the second signal path is used to transmit signals of the second frequency band and the third frequency band in the first radio frequency signal.

5. The radio frequency front-end circuit according to claim 4, characterized in that: It also includes a first receiving path; the first receiving path includes a receiving switching module, and the receiving switching module is electrically connected to the aggregate antenna and the second frequency band switching module respectively; The receiving switching module and the second frequency band switching module are used to form a third signal path for transmitting and receiving radio frequency signals.

6. The radio frequency front-end circuit according to claim 3, characterized in that: It also includes a third transmitting path, the third transmitting path includes a signal switching module, and the signal switching module is electrically connected to the frequency division module; The signal switching module is used to send the radio frequency signal of the fourth frequency band to the frequency division module; The frequency division module is also used to transmit the radio frequency signal to the antenna switching module.

7. A radio frequency module, characterized in that: The radio frequency module includes the radio frequency front-end circuit as described in any one of claims 1 to 6.

8. The radio frequency module according to claim 7, characterized in that: It also includes a power amplifier circuit and a gain control circuit; the power amplifier circuit is electrically connected to the RF front-end circuit and the gain control circuit respectively; The radio frequency front-end circuit is used for transmitting and receiving radio frequency signals; The power amplifier circuit is used to perform power amplification processing on the radio frequency signal according to the comparison result of the gain control circuit to obtain an amplified signal; The gain control circuit is used to compare the amplified signal with a preset threshold and send the comparison result to the power amplifier.

9. The radio frequency module according to claim 7, characterized in that: It also includes a load detection circuit, which is electrically connected to the antenna and the gain control circuit respectively, and is used to detect whether the radio frequency signal is a transmitted radio frequency signal or a received radio frequency signal.

10. An electronic device, characterized in that: The electronic device comprises the radio frequency front-end circuit as described in any one of claims 1 to 6, and / or the radio frequency module as described in any one of claims 7 to 9.

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