Switch device

Abstract

To provide a switch device capable of performing overvoltage protection.SOLUTION: A switch device 100 comprises a first node N1, a switch unit SU1, an adjustment switch SWA, an impedance element R1, a second node N2, and a detection unit DU. A first terminal of the switch unit is coupled to the first node. A first terminal and a second terminal of the adjustment switch are coupled to a second terminal of the switch unit and a reference voltage terminal 150, respectively. A first terminal and a second terminal of the impedance element are coupled to the first terminal and the second terminal of the adjustment switch, respectively. The detection unit is coupled to the second node, a control terminal of the switch unit, and a control terminal of the adjustment switch. The detection unit detects a node signal SN of the second node, and generates a first control signal S1 and a second control signal S2 so as to control the switch unit and the adjustment switch.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 1

Description

[Technical field]

[0001] The present disclosure relates to a switch device, and more particularly to a switch device capable of providing overvoltage protection. [Background technology]

[0002] Generally, when designing a switch device, it is necessary to consider the impedance matching between the transmitting end and the receiving end to reduce the impact of impedance mismatch. For example, reflection may occur during signal transmission. This phenomenon may cause the risk of damaging the switch device and / or the back-end circuit coupled to the switch device due to overvoltage. Summary of the Invention

[0003] One embodiment provides a switch device, comprising a first node, a first switch unit, a regulation switch, an impedance element, a second node, and a detection unit. The first node is located on a first path formed between a first signal transmitting / receiving terminal and a second signal transmitting / receiving terminal. The first switch unit includes a first terminal coupled to the first node, a control terminal, and a second terminal. The regulation switch includes a first terminal coupled to the second terminal of the first switch unit, the control terminal, and a second terminal coupled to a reference voltage terminal. The impedance element includes a first terminal coupled to the first terminal of the regulation switch and a second terminal coupled to the second terminal of the regulation switch. The second node is located on a second path formed between the first node and the reference voltage terminal. The detection unit is configured to detect a node signal at the second node and control the first switch unit and the regulation switch in response to the node signal, and includes a first input terminal coupled to the second node, a first output terminal coupled to the control terminal of the first switch unit, and a second output terminal coupled to the control terminal of the regulation switch. [Brief description of the drawings]

[0004] [Figure 1] 1 shows a switch device according to an embodiment; [Diagram 2] 4 shows a switch arrangement according to another embodiment. [Diagram 3] 3 shows a switch unit of the switch device shown in FIG. 1 or 2 according to the embodiment. [Figure 4] 3 shows a switch unit of the switch device shown in FIG. 1 or 2 according to another embodiment. [Diagram 5] 3 shows a detection unit of the switch device shown in FIG. 1 or 2 according to an embodiment. [Figure 6] 3 shows a detection unit of the switch device shown in FIG. 1 or 2 according to another embodiment. [Figure 7] 7 is a diagram illustrating a rectifier of the detection unit illustrated in FIG. 5 or FIG. 6 in the embodiment. [Figure 8] 7 illustrates a low-pass filter of the detection unit shown in FIG. 5 or FIG. 6 according to an embodiment. [Figure 9] 4 shows a switch arrangement according to another embodiment. [Figure 10] According to an embodiment, application of the switch device shown in FIG. 1, FIG. 2 or FIG. 9 will be described. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

[0005] With reference to the accompanying drawings, the following detailed description of exemplary embodiments is provided for those of ordinary skill in the art to easily understand. The concept of the invention may be embodied in various forms without being limited to the exemplary embodiments described herein. Descriptions of well-known parts are omitted for clarity, and the same reference numerals refer to the same elements throughout.

[0006] FIG. 1 illustrates a switch device 100 according to an embodiment. The switch device 100 may include a node N1, a switch unit SU1, a regulating switch SWA, an impedance element R1, a node N2, and a detection unit DU. As shown in FIG. 1, a path PTH1 may be formed between the signal transmitting / receiving terminals 110 and 130. According to an embodiment, the path PTH1 may be a signal transmitting path. The signal transmitting / receiving terminals 110 and 130 may be used to transmit and receive external signals. The node N1 may be located on the path PTH1. The switch unit SU1 may include a first terminal coupled to the node N1, a control terminal, and a second terminal. The regulating switch SWA may include a first terminal coupled to the second terminal of the switch unit SU1, a control terminal, and a second terminal coupled to a reference voltage terminal 150. The reference voltage terminal 150 may provide a reference voltage VF. The reference voltage VF may be 0 volts or another fixed voltage. The impedance element R1 may include a first terminal coupled to the first terminal of the regulating switch SWA and a second terminal coupled to the second terminal of the regulating switch SWA. The impedance element R1 may include a resistor, a capacitor, an inductor, or any combination formed of at least one of the above three components. In FIG. 1, the impedance element R1 includes a resistor as an example. The embodiment is not limited thereto. The path PTH2 may be formed between the node N1 and the reference voltage terminal 150. According to an embodiment, the path PTH2 may be a shunt path. The node N2 may be located on the path PTH2. In FIG. 1, the node N2 is located between the switch unit SU1 and the regulating switch SWA as an example, but the embodiment is not limited thereto. The detection unit DU may include a first input terminal coupled to the node N2, a first output terminal coupled to the control terminal of the switch unit SU1, and a second output terminal coupled to the control terminal of the regulating switch SWA. The detection unit DU may be used to detect a node signal SN at the node N2, and control the switch unit SU1 and the regulating switch SWA according to the node signal SN, and the detection unit DU may control the regulating switch SWA to disable or enable the impedance element R1.According to one embodiment, the node signal SN may be related to an external signal. According to one embodiment, the external signal and the node signal SN may be an alternating current (AC) voltage signal, such as a radio frequency (RF) signal.

[0007] According to an embodiment, when the impedances corresponding to the signal transmitting / receiving terminals 110 and 130 are matched with each other, an external signal can be transmitted and received between the signal transmitting / receiving terminals 110 and 130. At that time, the node signal SN detected by the detection unit DU can be weaker than a predetermined value, and the switch unit SU1 can be turned off to prevent the external signal from leaking to an unused path (e.g., path PTH2). Thus, energy loss can be reduced. The adjustment switch SWA can be turned on to stop using the impedance element R1. According to an embodiment, the predetermined value can be selected according to actual applications and design requirements. Note that the impedance corresponding to the signal transmitting / receiving terminal 110 can be an equivalent impedance ZS obtained by looking from the node N1 toward the signal transmitting / receiving terminal 110 along the direction d1. The impedance corresponding to the signal transmitting / receiving terminal 130 can be an equivalent impedance ZL1 obtained by looking from the node N1 toward the signal transmitting / receiving terminal 130 along the direction d2. Impedance matching may mean that the equivalent impedances ZS and ZL1 are complex conjugates of each other. Furthermore, the impedance of the path PTH2 may be an equivalent impedance ZT obtained by looking from the node N1 along the direction d3 towards the reference voltage terminal 150. Although the impedance element R1 is not used, the equivalent impedance ZT is a high impedance since the switched-off switch unit SU1 may be equivalent to an open circuit.

[0008] According to an embodiment, during an operation of transmitting and receiving an external signal, if the signal transmitting / receiving terminal 130 is influenced from the outside to increase its impedance (i.e., the equivalent impedance ZL1 is increased), it may cause impedance mismatch between the signal transmitting / receiving terminals 110 and 130, and may also cause signal reflection. For example, during the process of transmitting an external signal from the signal transmitting / receiving terminal 110 to the signal transmitting / receiving terminal 130, a part of the external signal may be reflected from the signal transmitting / receiving terminal 130 to the signal transmitting / receiving terminal 110. The reflected external signal may be added to the transmitted external signal. Since the turned-off switch unit SU1 may be regarded as a capacitor according to its electrical characteristics, the external transmission signal plus the reflected signal from the outside may further leak through the turned-off switch unit SU1 to the path PTH2, resulting in the node signal SN detected by the detection unit DU being stronger than a predetermined value. As a result, the switch device 100 and / or the back-end circuit coupled to the switch device 100 may be damaged by overvoltage. To avoid damage, the detection unit DU may be used to turn on the switch unit SU1 and turn off the adjustment switch SWA to start using the impedance element R1. The impedance element R1 can provide an impedance (represented as ZR1). According to an embodiment, the impedance element R1 may be selected such that the impedance ZR1 is between 5Ω and 200Ω. Also, since the switched-on switch unit SU1 may be regarded as a resistor according to its electrical characteristics, the switched-on switch unit SU1 can provide an impedance (represented as ZSU1). In other words, the equivalent impedance ZT may be regarded as an impedance generated by coupling the impedance element R1 (having impedance ZR1) and the switch unit SU1 (having impedance ZSU1) in series. Since the switched-on switch unit SU1 may be equivalent to a short circuit and the impedance element R1 has a low impedance, the equivalent impedance ZT may be a low impedance.It should be noted that the impedance corresponding to the signal transmitting / receiving terminal 130 may be an equivalent impedance ZL2 obtained by looking from the signal transmitting / receiving terminal 110 toward the signal transmitting / receiving terminal 130 along the direction d4, and may be regarded as an impedance generated by combining the equivalent impedances ZL1 and ZT in parallel. Thus, the equivalent impedance ZL2 may be lower than the equivalent impedance ZL1. In this way, the impedance corresponding to the signal transmitting / receiving terminal 130, which is increased by an external factor, may be reduced by combining the equivalent impedance ZT in parallel. The impedance corresponding to the signal transmitting / receiving terminal 130 may be adjusted for impedance matching as a result. The impedance matching may mean that the equivalent impedances ZS and ZL2 are complex conjugates of each other. Also, signal reflections caused by impedance mismatching may be reduced. Thus, it is useful to improve the integrity of the transmitted / received signal, and overvoltage protection may be provided to the switch device 100 and / or the back-end circuitry coupled to the switch device 100. In response, the node signal SN detected by the detection unit DU may be weaker than a predetermined value. The node signal SN causes the detection unit DU to turn off the switch unit SU1 and turn on the adjustment switch SWA again.

[0009] According to one embodiment, when the signal transmitting / receiving terminals 110 and 130 stop transmitting / receiving external signals, the detection unit DU can be used to turn on the switch unit SU1 and the adjustment switch SWA, and the external signals on the signal transmitting / receiving terminals 110 and 130 can be shunted to the reference voltage terminal 150. In this way, undesired operations of the transmitting / receiving signals can be prevented from occurring between the signal transmitting / receiving terminals 110 and 130, and the isolation between the signal transmitting / receiving terminals 110 and 130 can be increased.

[0010] According to an embodiment, as shown in FIG. 1, the detection unit DU may further include a second input terminal for receiving a base voltage VTH. The base voltage VTH may be a fixed voltage and may be equal to the above-mentioned predetermined value. The detection unit DU may generate a first control signal S1 and a second control signal S2 according to the node signal SN and the base voltage VTH. The first control signal S1 may be output via a first output terminal of the detection unit DU to control the switch unit SU1. The second control signal S2 may be output via a second output terminal of the detection unit DU to control the regulating switch SWA.

[0011] According to an embodiment, the first control signal S1 may have an enable level higher than the threshold voltage of the switch unit SU1 and a disable level lower than the threshold voltage of the switch unit SU1 to turn on and off the switch of the switch unit SU1. The second control signal S2 may have an enable level higher than the threshold voltage of the regulating switch SWA and a disable level lower than the threshold voltage of the regulating switch SWA to turn on and off the regulating switch SWA. However, during the operation of transmitting and receiving an external signal, if the reference voltage VF becomes too close to the disable level of the first control signal S1, the switch unit SU1 may not be effectively turned off.

[0012] FIG. 2 illustrates a switch device 200 according to another embodiment. FIG. 2 may be similar to FIG. 1. However, the switch device 200 illustrated in FIG. 2 may further include a DC (direct current) blocking capacitor CB. The DC blocking capacitor CB is coupled between the second terminal of the switch unit SU1 and the first terminal of the regulating switch SWA to block the reference voltage VF, and may reduce the influence of the reference voltage VF on the switch unit SU1. According to an embodiment, the bias voltage applied to the second terminal of the switch unit SU1 may be further increased to effectively turn off the switch unit SU1. Furthermore, the DC blocking capacitor CB may provide an impedance (represented as ZCB). In other words, when the detection unit DU is used to turn on the switch unit SU1 and turn off the regulating switch SWA, the equivalent impedance ZT may be regarded as an impedance generated by serially coupling the switch unit SU1 (having an impedance ZSU1), the DC blocking capacitor CB (having an impedance ZCB), and the impedance element R1 (having an impedance ZR1). In this way, the impedance corresponding to the signal transmitting / receiving terminal 130, which is increased due to an external factor (i.e., an increased equivalent impedance ZL1), can be reduced by coupling the equivalent impedance ZT in parallel (i.e., the equivalent impedances ZT and ZL1 coupled in parallel). Therefore, the circuit structure of the switch device 200 can provide an effect similar to that of the switch device 100 shown in Fig. 1. According to yet another embodiment, when the disable level of the first control signal S1 is a negative voltage level, the DC blocking capacitor CB may be omitted.

[0013] Fig. 3 illustrates a switch unit SU1 of the switch device 100 of Fig. 1 or the switch device 200 of Fig. 2 according to one embodiment. As illustrated in Fig. 3, the switch unit SU1 may include a switch SW1. The switch SW1 may include a first terminal coupled to the first terminal of the switch unit SU1, a control terminal coupled to the control terminal of the switch unit SU1, and a second terminal coupled to the second terminal of the switch unit SU1.

[0014] FIG. 4 relates to another embodiment and shows the switch unit SU1 of the switch device 100 in FIG. 1 or the switch device 200 in FIG. 2. As shown in FIG. 4, the switch unit SU1 may include n switches SW11 to SW1n, and each of the switches SW11 to SW1n may include a first terminal, a control terminal, and a second terminal. The control terminals of the switches SW11 to SW1n are connected to the control terminal of the switch unit SU1. The first terminal of the i-th switch SW1i is coupled to the second terminal of the (i - 1)-th switch SW1(i - 1), and the second terminal of the i-th switch SW1i is coupled to the first terminal of the (i + 1)-th switch SW1(i + 1). The first terminal of the first switch SW11 is coupled to the first terminal of the switch unit SU1. The second terminal of the n-th switch SW1n is coupled to the second terminal of the switch unit SU1. In other words, the n switches SW11 to SW1n may form a stack structure. Here, n and i are positive integers, and 1 < i < n. According to another embodiment, the switch unit SU1 may include a plurality of control terminals, and the number of the first output terminals of the detection unit DU may correspond to the number of the control terminals of the switch unit SU1. In this state, the control terminals of the switches SW11 to SW1n may be respectively coupled to the corresponding control terminals of the plurality of control terminals of the switch unit SU1.

[0015] According to one embodiment, each of the above-described adjustment switch SWA, switch SW1, and switches SW11 to SW1n may be a field effect transistor (FET). Therefore, for each of the adjustment switch SWA, switch SW1, and switches SW11 to SW1n, the first terminal may be a drain terminal, the second terminal may be a source terminal, and the control terminal may be a gate terminal.

[0016] FIG. 5 illustrates a detection unit DU shown in the switch device 100 of FIG. 1 or the switch device 200 of FIG. 2 according to an embodiment. As shown in FIG. 5, the detection unit DU may include a comparator 510. The comparator 510 may include a first terminal coupled to a first input terminal of the detection unit DU for receiving a detection voltage Vdet, a second terminal coupled to a second input terminal of the detection unit DU for receiving a base voltage VTH, and an output terminal for outputting a comparison signal Sc. According to an embodiment, the detection voltage Vdet may be positively correlated with the node signal SN. The comparison signal Sc may be at a high level when the detection voltage Vdet is higher than the base voltage VTH (i.e., when the node signal SN is greater than a predetermined value). The comparison signal Sc may be at a low level when the detection voltage Vdet is lower than the base voltage VTH (i.e., when the node signal SN is less than a predetermined value).

[0017] 5, the detection unit DU may further include a rectifier 520. The rectifier 520 may include a first terminal coupled to the first input terminal of the detection unit DU for receiving the node signal SN and a second terminal for outputting the rectified signal SR. The rectifier 520 may rectify the node signal SN to generate the rectified signal SR.

[0018] 5, the detection unit DU may further include a low-pass filter 530. The low-pass filter 530 may include a first terminal coupled to the second terminal of the rectifier 520, receiving the rectified signal SR, and a second terminal outputting the detection voltage Vdet. The low-pass filter 530 may perform low-pass filtering on the rectified signal SR to generate the detection voltage Vdet.

[0019] As shown in FIG. 5, the detection unit DU may further include a logic element 540. The logic element 540 may include an input terminal coupled to the output terminal of the comparator 510 and receiving the comparison signal Sc, a first output terminal coupled to the first output terminal of the detection unit DU and outputting a first control signal S1, and a second output terminal coupled to the second output terminal of the detection unit DU and outputting a second control signal S2. According to an embodiment, the logic element 540 may be a decoder. The logic element 540 may generate the first control signal S1 and the second control signal S2 according to the comparison signal Sc. Furthermore, when the comparison signal Sc is at a high level, the first control signal S1 is at an enable level and the second control signal S2 is at a disable level. When the comparison signal Sc is at a low level, the first control signal S1 is at a disable level and the second control signal S2 is at an enable level.

[0020] FIG. 6 illustrates a detection unit DU of the switch device 100 of FIG. 1 or the switch device 200 of FIG. 2 according to another embodiment. FIG. 6 may be similar to FIG. 5, but furthermore, the detection unit DU may include a hold unit 650 as shown in FIG. 6. The hold unit 650 may include an input terminal coupled to the output terminal of the comparator 510 and receiving the comparison signal Sc, and an output terminal outputting a hold signal Sd. The logic element 540 may include an input terminal coupled to the output terminal of the hold unit 650 and receiving the hold signal Sd, a first output terminal coupled to the first output terminal of the detection unit DU and outputting a first control signal S1, and a second output terminal coupled to the second output terminal of the detection unit DU and outputting a second control signal S2. The logic element 540 may generate the first control signal S1 and the second control signal S2 according to the hold signal Sd. Furthermore, when the comparison signal Sc is at a high level, the hold unit 650 may hold the comparison signal Sc at a high level for a predetermined time interval (e.g., 200 microseconds), thereby generating the hold signal Sd. In this manner, the logic element 540 can turn on the switch unit SU1 and lengthen the time to turn off the regulating switch SWA depending on the duration that the hold signal Sd is at a high level, thus extending the time of overvoltage protection.

[0021] FIG. 7 illustrates the rectifier 520 of the detection unit DU of FIG. 5 or FIG. 6 according to an embodiment. The rectifier 520 may include an impedance element R2 and a diode 527. The impedance element R2 may include a first terminal coupled to the first terminal of the rectifier 520 and a second terminal coupled to the second terminal of the rectifier 520. The impedance element R2 may be used to divide the node signal SN to generate the voltage division signal SDV. According to an embodiment, the impedance element R2 may have an impedance of 50 to 2000 Ω to avoid affecting the operation on the path PTH2. The impedance element R2 may include a resistor, a capacitor, an inductor, or any combination formed of at least one of the above three components. In FIG. 7, the impedance element R2 including a resistor is merely an example and does not limit the scope of the embodiment. The diode 527 may include a first terminal coupled to the second terminal of the impedance element R2 and a second terminal coupled to the reference voltage terminal 150. The diode 527 can rectify the divided signal SDV to generate the rectified signal SR. According to an embodiment, the first terminal of the diode 527 can be an anode, and the second terminal of the diode 527 can be a cathode. FIG. 7 is an example, and the structure of the rectifier 520 is not limited thereto.

[0022] FIG. 8 illustrates a low-pass filter 530 of the detection unit DU of FIG. 5 or FIG. 6 according to an embodiment. The low-pass filter 530 may include an impedance element R3 and a capacitor 538. The impedance element R3 may include a first terminal coupled to the first terminal of the low-pass filter 530 and a second terminal coupled to the second terminal of the low-pass filter 530. According to an embodiment, the impedance element R3 may include a resistor, a capacitor, an inductor, or any combination formed of at least one of the above three components. In FIG. 8, the impedance element R3 including a resistor is merely an example and does not limit the scope of the embodiment. The capacitor 538 may include a first terminal coupled to the second terminal of the impedance element R3 and a second terminal coupled to the reference voltage terminal 150.

[0023] FIG. 9 illustrates a switch device 900 according to another embodiment. FIG. 9 may be similar to FIG. 2, but as illustrated in FIG. 9, the switch device 900 may further include a switch unit SU2. The switch unit SU2 may be disposed on a path PTH1. The switch unit SU2 may include a first terminal coupled to the signal transmission / reception terminal 110, a control terminal for receiving a third control signal S3, and a second terminal coupled to the signal transmission / reception terminal 130. In FIG. 9, the switch unit SU2 is disposed between the node N1 and the signal transmission / reception terminal 130 as an example. The embodiment is not limited thereto. According to yet another embodiment, the second terminal of the switch unit SU2 may be coupled to the node N1. In other words, the switch unit SU2 may be coupled between the signal transmission / reception terminal 110 and the node N1. The circuit structure of the switch unit SU2 may be similar to the circuit structure of the switch unit SU1 described above, and will not be described repeatedly. Note that the number and size(s) of the switch(s) of the switch unit SU2 may be different from those of the switch unit SU1.

[0024] According to an embodiment, the detection unit DU can control the switch unit SU2 according to whether the signal transmission / reception terminals 110 and 130 transmit and receive an external signal. As shown in FIG. 9, the detection unit DU can further generate a third control signal S3. The detection unit DU includes a third output terminal, which is connected to the control terminal of the switch unit SU2 and outputs the third control signal S3 for controlling the switch unit SU2. According to another embodiment, the switch unit SU2 may include multiple control terminals, and the number of the third output terminals of the detection unit DU may correspond to the number of the control terminals of the switch unit SU2. According to an embodiment, the third control signal S3 may have an enable level higher than a threshold voltage of the switch unit SU2 and a disable level lower than a threshold voltage of the switch unit SU2 for turning on and off the switch unit SU2. According to yet another embodiment, the third control signal S3 may be provided by another circuit instead of the detection unit DU.

[0025] According to an embodiment, when the impedances corresponding to the signal transmitting / receiving terminals 110 and 130 are matched, the third control signal S3 may be at an enable level to turn on the switch unit SU2, and an external signal may be transmitted and received between the signal transmitting / receiving terminals 110 and 130. During the operation of transmitting and receiving an external signal, when the impedances corresponding to the signal transmitting / receiving terminals 110 and 130 are mismatched with each other, the third control signal S3 may be maintained at an enable level to keep the switch unit SU2 on. When the operation of transmitting and receiving an external signal between the signal transmitting / receiving terminals 110 and 130 is stopped, the third control signal S3 may be at a disable level to turn off the switch unit SU2. The operation of the switch unit SU1 and the adjustment switch SWA may be as described above, and will not be described again. According to an embodiment, when the size(s) of the switch(s) included in the switch unit SU2 is larger than the size(s) of the switch(s) included in the switch unit SU1, the impedance of the switch unit SU2 that is turned on may be smaller than the impedance of the switch unit SU1 that is turned on. Here, the switch units SU1 and SU2 that are turned on may be regarded as resistors depending on their electrical characteristics. In this state, with respect to the equivalent impedance ZL2 obtained by looking from the signal transmitting / receiving terminal 110 toward the signal transmitting / receiving terminal 130 along the direction d4, when the detection unit DU turns on the switch units SU1 and SU2 and turns off the adjustment switch SWA, the impedance of the switch unit SU2 that is turned on may be arbitrarily omitted.

[0026] FIG. 10 illustrates an application of the switch device 100, 200, or 900 shown in FIG. 1, FIG. 2, or FIG. 9 according to an embodiment. According to an embodiment, the signal transmitting / receiving terminal 110 may be coupled to an amplifier 1060. The signal transmitting / receiving terminal 130 may be coupled to an antenna 1070. The amplifier 1060 may be a power amplifier or a low-noise amplifier. For example, when the impedances of the signal transmitting / receiving terminals 110 and 130 match each other, (i) if the amplifier 1060 is a power amplifier, the external signal may be a signal amplified by the amplifier 1060, and the external signal may be transmitted to the antenna 1070 via the switch device 100, 200, or 900. (ii) if the amplifier 1060 is a low-noise amplifier, the external signal may be a signal received by the antenna 1070, and the external signal may be transmitted to the amplifier 1060 via the switch device 100, 200, or 900.

[0027] In summary, each of the switch devices 100, 200, and 900 can dynamically control the switch unit SU1 and the regulating switch SWA to provide overvoltage protection for the switch devices and / or the back-end circuits coupled to the switch devices, thereby preventing the switch devices 100, 200, and 900 and / or the back-end circuits coupled to the switch devices from being damaged by overvoltage.

[0028] Those skilled in the art will readily recognize that numerous modifications and variations of the apparatus and methods may be made while retaining the teachings of the present invention. Accordingly, it is intended that the above disclosure be construed as limited only by the metes and bounds of the claims appended hereto.

Claims

1. a first node located on a first path formed between a first signal transmitting / receiving terminal and a second signal transmitting / receiving terminal configured to transmit and receive an external signal; a first switch unit including a first terminal coupled to the first node, a control terminal, and a second terminal; a regulating switch including a first terminal coupled to the second terminal of the first switch unit, a control terminal, and a second terminal coupled to a reference voltage terminal; an impedance element including a first terminal coupled to the first terminal of the adjustment switch and a second terminal coupled to the second terminal of the adjustment switch; a second node located on a second path formed between the first node and the reference voltage terminal; a detection unit configured to detect a node signal at the second node, the node signal being an alternating current (AC) voltage signal associated with the external signal, and to control the first switch unit and the regulating switch in response to the node signal, the detection unit including a first input terminal coupled to the second node, a first output terminal coupled to the control terminal of the first switch unit, and a second output terminal coupled to the control terminal of the regulating switch; a DC blocking capacitor coupled between the second terminal of the first switch unit and the first terminal of the regulating switch.

2. The switch device according to claim 1 , wherein the second node is located between the first switch unit and the adjustment switch.

3. The switch device according to claim 1 , wherein the detection unit is configured to turn off the first switch unit and turn on the adjustment switch.

4. 4. The switch device according to claim 3, wherein the node signal is weaker than a predetermined value.

5. The switch device according to claim 1 , wherein the detection unit is configured to turn on the first switch unit and turn off the adjustment switch.

6. 6. The switch device according to claim 5, wherein the node signal is stronger than a predetermined value.

7. The switch device according to claim 1 , wherein the detection unit is configured to turn on the first switch unit and the adjustment switch.

8. 2. The switch device of claim 1, wherein the detection unit controls the adjustment switch to stop or start using the impedance element, and the equivalent impedance of the second path is a first value when the impedance element is not used, and the equivalent impedance of the second path is a second value lower than the first value when the impedance element is used.

9. The detection unit further includes a second input terminal configured to receive a base voltage; 2. The switch device according to claim 1, wherein the detection unit generates a first control signal and a second control signal according to the node signal and the base voltage, the first control signal is output through the first output terminal of the detection unit to control the first switch unit, and the second control signal is output through the second output terminal of the detection unit to control the adjustment switch.

10. The detection unit further comprises: a comparator having a first terminal coupled to the first input terminal of the detection unit and configured to receive a detection voltage positively correlated to the node signal, a second terminal coupled to the second input terminal of the detection unit and configured to receive the base voltage, and an output terminal configured to output a comparison signal; 10. The switch device according to claim 9, wherein the comparison signal is at a high level when the detection voltage is higher than the base voltage.

11. The detection unit further comprises:

11. The switch apparatus of claim 10, comprising: a rectifier configured to rectify the node signal to generate a rectified signal, the rectifier having a first terminal coupled to the first input terminal of the detection unit and configured to receive the node signal, and a second terminal configured to output the rectified signal.

12. The detection unit further comprises:

12. The switch device of claim 11, comprising: a low pass filter configured to perform low pass filtering on the rectified signal to generate the detection voltage, the low pass filter having a first terminal coupled to the second terminal of the rectifier and configured to receive the rectified signal, and a second terminal configured to output the detection voltage.

13. The detection unit further comprises:

13. The switch device of claim 12, comprising: a logic element configured to generate the first control signal and the second control signal in response to the comparison signal, the logic element having an input terminal coupled to the output terminal of the comparator and configured to receive the comparison signal, a first output terminal coupled to the first output terminal of the detection unit and configured to output the first control signal, and a second output terminal coupled to the second output terminal of the detection unit and configured to output the second control signal.

14. The detection unit further comprises: a hold unit configured to generate a hold signal by holding the comparison signal at the high level for a predetermined time interval when the comparison signal is at the high level, the hold unit having an input terminal coupled to the output terminal of the comparator and configured to receive the comparison signal, and an output terminal configured to output the hold signal; 13. The switch device of claim 12, further comprising: a logic element configured to generate the first control signal and the second control signal in response to the hold signal, the logic element having an input terminal coupled to the output terminal of the hold unit and configured to receive the hold signal, a first output terminal coupled to the first output terminal of the detection unit and configured to output the first control signal, and a second output terminal coupled to the second output terminal of the detection unit and configured to output the second control signal.

15. 2. The switch apparatus of claim 1, further comprising a second switch unit including a first terminal coupled to the first signal transmitting / receiving terminal, a control terminal configured to receive a third control signal, and a second terminal coupled to the second signal transmitting / receiving terminal.

16. When impedances corresponding to the first signal transmitting / receiving terminal and the second signal transmitting / receiving terminal match each other, the third control signal is at an enable level, thereby turning on the second switch unit to transmit and receive an external signal between the first signal transmitting / receiving terminal and the second signal transmitting / receiving terminal; 16. The switch device according to claim 15, wherein when the impedances corresponding to the first signal transmission / reception terminal and the second signal transmission / reception terminal become mismatched with each other during the operation of transmitting and receiving the external signal, the third control signal is maintained at the enable level that keeps the second switch unit on.

17. 17. The switch device according to claim 16, wherein the third control signal is at a disable level so as to turn off the second switch unit when the transmission and reception operation of the external signal between the first signal transmission / reception terminal and the second signal transmission / reception terminal is stopped.

18. 2. The switch apparatus of claim 1, wherein the impedance element has an impedance between 5 ohms and 200 ohms.

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