A Ku-band four-channel TR assembly

Abstract

The application discloses a Ku-band four-channel TR assembly, and relates to the technical field of TR assemblies, which comprises a shell and a radio frequency board arranged in the shell; a power supply, a control module and radio frequency lines of the TR assembly are arranged on the radio frequency board; the radio frequency lines are composed of a transition structure of a microstrip line - a strip line - a microstrip line; the strip line is arranged in a stepped form; and the control module is arranged above the step. The application adopts a multifunctional integrated TR chip combined with a final-stage amplifier, the assembly can keep a high level of 40dBm (10W) of the transmitting output power, ensure a small size of the assembly, and adopt a multilayer high-frequency composite board for pressing, integrate the power supply control and the radio frequency lines, and use the transition form of the microstrip line to the strip line to paste the chip on the step on the board, so that the assembly difficulty and the manufacturing cost are further reduced.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This application relates to the field of TR component technology, and in particular to a Ku-band four-channel TR component. Background Technology

[0002] With the rapid development of the semiconductor industry, module-level devices are evolving towards smaller size, lower cost, and higher integration. Traditional TR (Transmit / Receive) components, as key transceiver modules in radio frequency systems, are widely used in radar, antenna arrays, and other fields, mainly responsible for signal amplification, phase shifting, and attenuation. However, with technological advancements, traditional TR components are gradually being replaced by integrated TRs, which offer higher integration, smaller size, and lower cost.

[0003] Related technologies mainly include traditional discrete TR (transmitter relay) components and emerging silicon-based integrated TR components. The former relies on multi-chip assembly using materials such as GaAs or GaN to achieve high transmit power and performance indicators; the latter uses silicon-based processes to integrate multifunctional chips. Although emerging silicon-based integrated TR components have advantages in size and cost, their transmit output power is usually less than 1W, which is a disadvantage in high-power scenarios, making it impossible to balance high power output with miniaturization requirements. These shortcomings limit the flexibility and efficiency of TR components in high-frequency applications such as the Ku band, necessitating a new solution to balance performance in terms of power, size, cost, and integration. Utility Model Content

[0004] The main objective of this application is to provide a Ku-band four-channel TR module, which aims to solve the technical problem of incompatibility between miniaturization and high output power in related technologies.

[0005] To achieve the above objectives, this application provides a Ku-band four-channel TR assembly, including a housing and an RF board disposed within the housing; The RF board is equipped with the power supply, control module and RF traces of the TR component. The RF traces are composed of a transition structure of microstrip line-strip line-microstrip line. The strip line is routed in a stepped manner, and the control module is arranged above the step.

[0006] In one embodiment, the control module includes a first switch, an attenuator, a low-noise amplifier, and a second switch; The first switch is connected to the input terminal of the attenuator and the output terminal of the low-noise amplifier, respectively. The output terminal of the attenuator and the input terminal of the low-noise amplifier are both connected to one end of the second switch, and the other end of the second switch is connected to the multi-function TR chip.

[0007] In one embodiment, the Ku-band four-channel TR assembly further includes four transceiver modules, one end of which is connected to the control module and the other end of which is connected to the antenna array.

[0008] In one embodiment, the transceiver module includes a final stage amplifier, a limiter, and a circulator; The input of the final stage amplifier is connected to the multi-function TR chip, the output of the final stage amplifier is connected to the first terminal of the circulator, the input of the limiter is connected to the second terminal of the circulator, the output of the limiter is connected to the multi-function TR chip, and the third terminal of the circulator is connected to the antenna array.

[0009] In one embodiment, the transmit link of the Ku-band four-channel TR component consists of a first switch, an attenuator, a second switch, a multi-functional TR chip, a final stage amplifier, and a circulator.

[0010] In one embodiment, the transmit link of the Ku-band four-channel TR component consists of a circulator, a limiter, a multi-functional TR chip, a second switch, an attenuator, and a first switch.

[0011] One or more technical solutions proposed in this application have at least the following technical effects: This application employs a multifunctional integrated TR chip combined with a final-stage amplifier. This component maintains a high transmit output power of 40dBm (10W) while ensuring a small form factor. The RF board utilizes multi-layer high-frequency composite board lamination, integrating power control and RF traces. A microstrip-to-strip transition is used, with chips mounted on a stepped surface, further reducing assembly difficulty and manufacturing costs. This design cleverly balances the miniaturization advantages of silicon-based integration with the high-power characteristics of traditional GaAs / GaN, avoiding the disadvantages of a single technology path. This allows the TR component to meet the high-density integration requirements of compact array antennas in Ku-band applications, while providing sufficient transmit power to improve overall system performance and reliability. It also facilitates maintenance and repair, significantly reducing lifecycle costs. Attached Figure Description

[0012] The accompanying drawings, which are incorporated in and form part of this specification, illustrate embodiments consistent with this application and, together with the description, serve to explain the principles of this application.

[0013] To more clearly illustrate the technical solutions in the embodiments of this application or related technologies, the accompanying drawings used in the description of the embodiments or related technologies will be briefly introduced below. Obviously, those skilled in the art can obtain other drawings based on these drawings without creative effort.

[0014] Figure 1This is a schematic diagram of the stacked structure of the Ku-band four-channel TR module of this application.

[0015] Figure 2 This is a schematic diagram of the first trace structure of the radio frequency trace of the Ku-band four-channel TR component in this application.

[0016] Figure 3 This is a schematic diagram of the first effect of the radio frequency traces of the Ku-band four-channel TR component in this application.

[0017] Figure 4 This is a schematic diagram of the second trace structure of the radio frequency trace of the Ku-band four-channel TR component in this application.

[0018] Figure 5 This is a second schematic diagram of the radio frequency traces of the Ku-band four-channel TR component in this application.

[0019] Figure 6 This is a module connection diagram of the Ku-band four-channel TR component of this application.

[0020] The purpose, features, and advantages of this application will be further explained in conjunction with the embodiments and with reference to the accompanying drawings. Detailed Implementation

[0021] It should be understood that the specific embodiments described herein are merely illustrative of the technical solutions of this application and are not intended to limit this application.

[0022] To better understand the technical solution of this application, a detailed description will be provided below in conjunction with the accompanying drawings and specific implementation methods.

[0023] With the rapid development of the semiconductor industry, module-level devices are increasingly required to be smaller, lower in cost, and more integrated. Traditional TR modules, due to their large size, high cost, and poor performance, are gradually being replaced by integrated TR modules that offer higher integration, smaller size, and lower cost. However, the new silicon-based integrated TR modules have a slight disadvantage in emission performance compared to traditional TR modules, with an emission output power of less than 1W.

[0024] To meet the requirements of the two types of TRs mentioned above, this embodiment combines the advantages of small size, low cost, high integration, and high transmit output power to provide a Ku-band four-channel TR component to solve the above problems.

[0025] In this embodiment, the Ku-band four-channel TR component includes a housing and an RF board disposed within the housing. The RF board houses the power supply, control module, and RF traces for the TR component. The RF traces consist of a microstrip line-stripline-microstrip line transition structure, with the stripline lines arranged in a stepped configuration. The control module is positioned above the steps.

[0026] The control module includes a first switch, an attenuator, a low-noise amplifier, and a second switch. The first switch is connected to the input of the attenuator and the output of the low-noise amplifier, respectively. The output of the attenuator and the input of the low-noise amplifier are both connected to one end of the second switch, and the other end of the second switch is connected to the multi-function TR chip.

[0027] The Ku-band four-channel TR module also includes four transceiver modules. One end of each transceiver module is connected to the control module, and the other end is connected to the antenna array. Each transceiver module includes a final-stage amplifier, a limiter, and a circulator. The input of the final-stage amplifier is connected to the multi-function TR chip, and its output is connected to the first end of the circulator. The input of the limiter is connected to the second end of the circulator, and its output is connected to the multi-function TR chip. The third end of the circulator is connected to the antenna array.

[0028] The transmit link of the Ku-band four-channel TR module consists of a first switch, an attenuator, a second switch, a multi-function TR chip, a final stage amplifier, and a circulator. The receive link of the Ku-band four-channel TR module consists of a circulator, a limiter, a multi-function TR chip, a second switch, an attenuator, and a first switch.

[0029] Specifically, in this embodiment, the TR component consists of one low-frequency connector and five radio-frequency connectors. The component's dimensions are 62mm * 37mm * 8.6mm, and the channel spacing between the transmit output and receive input is 9.3mm. The low-frequency connector uses a J303M1-15-pin hermetic connector. Figure 1 As shown, Figure 1 This is a schematic diagram of the stacked structure of a Ku-band four-channel TR module. Figure 1 It can be seen that the TR component is mainly composed of structural cavity 005, radio frequency board 004, spacer 003, inner cover plate 002 and outer cover plate 001.

[0030] In this T / R assembly, the RF board is constructed by laminating multiple layers of high-frequency composite boards. The RF board integrates power and control components, and the RF traces transition from microstrip lines to striplines and then to microwires, employing a stepped design on the board with chips mounted on the steps. This approach reduces product assembly difficulty and lowers various board manufacturing costs.

[0031] In one example, such as Figure 2 As shown, Figure 2 This is a first schematic diagram of the RF traces. In this example, the RF traces follow a microstrip line-stripline-microstrip line layout, running in a stepped pattern from the lower left of the RF board to the upper right. Chips are placed on the steps, where the stripline and microstrip lines are located on the same layer of the RF board. Figure 3 As shown, Figure 3This is a schematic diagram illustrating the effect of the return loss parameter S11 of the RF trace in this example. With this trace method, the return loss parameter S11 is less than -20dB when the signal transmission frequency is between 7.6GHz and 24GHz, indicating that the T / R component has good matching characteristics and is suitable for high-requirement radar systems.

[0032] In yet another example, such as Figure 4 As shown, Figure 4 This is a second schematic diagram of the RF traces. The RF traces follow a microstrip line-strip line-microstrip line layout, running in a stepped pattern along the top of the RF board to the upper right corner. Chips are placed on the steps. The stripline and microstrip lines are located on the same layer of the RF board. Figure 5 As shown, Figure 5 This is a schematic diagram illustrating the effect of the return loss parameter S11 of the RF trace in this example. With this trace method, the return loss parameter S11 is less than -20dB when the signal transmission frequency is between 7.6GHz and 20GHz, indicating that the T / R component has good matching characteristics and is suitable for high-requirement radar systems.

[0033] Furthermore, refer to Figure 6 , Figure 6 This is a module connection diagram of a TR component. A TR component can generally include a control module and a transceiver module. The transceiver module is used to receive signals through or transmit signals from an antenna array. This embodiment is a four-channel TR component, including four sets of transceiver modules. Each set of transceiver modules includes a final-stage amplifier, a limiter, and a circulator. The control module is arranged on the RF board and includes a multi-functional TR chip, an attenuator, a low-noise amplifier, a first switch, and a second switch for receiving / transmitting control of the TR component.

[0034] Specifically, the receiving link of the TR component consists of a circulator, a limiter, a multi-function TR chip, a second switch, a low-noise amplifier, and a first switch. The linear gain of the signal received through the antenna array in each path is greater than 27dB, the input P-1 is greater than -30dBm, and the channel link noise figure is less than 4.5dB. In the receiving link, the TR multi-function chip integrates six digitally controlled phase shifters, capable of digitally controlled phase shifting from 5.625° to 354.375° in 5.625° steps. The TR multi-function chip also integrates six digitally controlled attenuators, capable of digitally controlled attenuation from 0 to 31.5dB in 0.5dB steps. These digitally controlled attenuations and phase shifts can be individually controlled on each receiving path.

[0035] The transmit link of the TR module consists of a first switch, an attenuator, a second switch, a multi-function TR chip, a final-stage amplifier, and a circulator. The signal is processed through the transmit link and then transmitted via the antenna array. In the transmit link, when the input amplitude is 15±1dBm, the final-stage amplifier ensures that the amplitude at each transmit output reaches 40dBm (10W). The TR multi-function chip integrates six digitally controlled phase shifters, capable of digitally controlled phase shifting from 5.625° to 354.375° in 5.625° increments. The TR multi-function chip also integrates a digitally controlled attenuator, capable of digitally controlled attenuation from 0 to 6dB. Both the digitally controlled attenuation and phase shifting can be individually controlled on each receive path.

[0036] It is understood that in the TR component of this embodiment, the RF board is made of multi-layer high-frequency composite board. The RF board integrates the power supply and control components. The RF traces use a transition from microstrip lines to striplines and then to microwires, employing a stepped design on the board, with chips mounted on the steps. This approach reduces product assembly difficulty and various board manufacturing costs. The TR component uses a multi-functional integrated TR chip, combined with a final-stage amplifier, enabling the output power to reach the 40dBm requirement. This approach addresses the issue of low output power in new silicon-based integrated TR components, as well as the large size and low integration of traditional methods. The TR component uses a multi-functional integrated TR chip, which integrates a digitally controlled attenuator and a digitally controlled phase shifter, capable of meeting different input amplitude and phase shift requirements at the receiving input port.

[0037] The TR assembly features a modular design, is lightweight, and is secured with screws. This facilitates assembly and maintenance. It should be understood that the various parts disclosed in this application can be implemented using hardware, software, firmware, or a combination thereof. In the description of the above embodiments, specific features, structures, materials, or characteristics can be combined in any suitable manner in one or more embodiments or examples.

[0038] The above are merely specific embodiments of this application, but the scope of protection of this application is not limited thereto. Any variations or substitutions that can be easily conceived by those skilled in the art within the scope of the technology disclosed in this application should be included within the scope of protection of this application. Therefore, the scope of protection of this application should be determined by the scope of the claims.

[0039] The above are only some embodiments of this application and do not limit the patent scope of this application. All equivalent structural transformations made under the technical concept of this application and using the contents of the specification and drawings of this application, or direct / indirect applications in other related technical fields, are included in the patent protection scope of this application.

Claims

1. A Ku-band four-channel TR assembly, characterized by, Includes a housing and an RF board disposed within the housing; The radio frequency board is equipped with a power supply, control module and radio frequency traces for the TR component. The radio frequency traces are composed of a transition structure of microstrip line-strip line-microstrip line. The strip line is laid in a stepped form. The control module is arranged above the step.

2. The Ku-band quad-channel TR assembly of claim 1, wherein, The control module includes a first switch, an attenuator, a low-noise amplifier, a second switch, and a multi-functional TR chip; The first switch is connected to the input terminal of the attenuator and the output terminal of the low-noise amplifier, respectively. The output terminal of the attenuator and the input terminal of the low-noise amplifier are both connected to one end of the second switch, and the other end of the second switch is connected to the multi-function TR chip.

3. The Ku-band quad-channel TR assembly of claim 2, wherein, The Ku-band four-channel TR assembly also includes four transceiver modules. One end of each transceiver module is connected to the control module, and the other end of each transceiver module is connected to the antenna array.

4. The Ku-band quad-channel TR assembly of claim 3, wherein, The transceiver module includes a final stage amplifier, a limiter, and a circulator; The input terminal of the final stage amplifier is connected to the multi-functional TR chip, the output terminal of the final stage amplifier is connected to the first terminal of the circulator, the input terminal of the limiter is connected to the second terminal of the circulator, the output terminal of the limiter is connected to the multi-functional TR chip, and the third terminal of the circulator is connected to the antenna array.

5. The Ku-band four-channel TR module as described in claim 4, characterized in that, The transmit link of the Ku-band four-channel TR component consists of a first switch, an attenuator, a second switch, a multi-functional TR chip, a final stage amplifier, and a circulator.

6. The Ku-band four-channel TR module as described in claim 4, characterized in that, The transmit link and receive link of the Ku-band four-channel TR component consist of a circulator, a limiter, a multi-functional TR chip, a second switch, an attenuator, and a first switch.

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