Radio frequency switch circuit and communication device

Through the design of parallel and series switch branch structures and independent drive modules, the problem of slow RF switching speed is solved, and the switching performance and signal switching speed are improved.

WO2025208979A1PCT designated stage Publication Date: 2025-10-09HUAWEI TECH CO LTD
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Patent Information

Application Number
PCT/CN2025/070040
Authority / Receiving Office
WO · WO
Patent Type
Applications
Current Assignee / Owner
Priority Date
2024-04-01
Filing Date
2025-01-02
Publication Date
2025-10-09

AI Technical Summary

Technical Problem

The switching speed of existing radio frequency switches is slow, which affects the quality of transmitting and receiving radio frequency signals.

Method used

The parallel and series switch branch structure is adopted, combined with an independent drive module to control the switch tube, ensuring that all switch tubes are turned on or off at the same time, improving the switching speed and performance.

Benefits of technology

The switching speed of the RF switch circuit is improved, the switching time is reduced, while the power capacity and insertion loss indicators are maintained, and the driving uniformity between the switch tubes is improved.

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Abstract

Embodiments of the present application relate to the technical field of communications, and provide a radio frequency switch circuit and a communication device, capable of increasing the switching speed of the radio frequency switch circuit. The radio frequency switch circuit comprises a switch unit. The switch unit comprises at least two switch branches which are connected in parallel; each switch branch comprises at least two switching transistors which are connected in series; and the numbers of the switching transistors in any two switch branches are the same. The switch unit further comprises at least two resistor groups in one-to-one correspondence with the at least two switch branches; each resistor group comprises at least two resistors in one-to-one correspondence with the at least two switching transistors in the corresponding switch branch; and a first end of each resistor is electrically connected to a control end of the corresponding switching transistor. The radio frequency switch circuit further comprises a driving module. The driving module is electrically connected to a second end of each resistor, and the driving module is used for providing the same driving voltage to the switching transistors on the at least two switch branches so as to control said switching transistors to be turned on or off at the same time.
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Description

RF switching circuits and communication equipment

[0001] This application claims priority to the Chinese patent application filed with the State Intellectual Property Office of China on April 1, 2024, with application number 202410389871.0 and application name “RF switching circuit and communication equipment”, the entire contents of which are incorporated by reference into this application. Technical Field

[0002] The present application relates to the field of communication technology, and in particular to a radio frequency switching circuit and communication equipment. Background Art

[0003] With the development of wireless communication technology, the performance requirements for RF components are becoming increasingly higher. RF switches are key modules in RF components. By varying their operating states, signals can be switched between links in different devices, enabling signal transmission under different functions. Therefore, the performance of RF switches determines the quality of RF signal transmission and reception. The most critical performance characteristic of RF switches is their switching speed, i.e., the speed at which they switch between different operating states. Therefore, further improving the switching speed of RF switches is an urgent issue that needs to be addressed. Summary of the Invention

[0004] The technical solution of the present application provides a radio frequency switching circuit and a communication device, which can improve the switching speed of the radio frequency switching circuit.

[0005] In a first aspect, a radio frequency switching circuit is provided, comprising: a switching unit, the switching unit comprising at least two switching branches connected in parallel; each switching branch comprising at least two switching tubes connected in series, and the number of switching tubes in any two switching branches being the same; the switching unit further comprising at least two resistor groups corresponding one-to-one to the at least two switching branches; each resistor group comprising at least two resistors corresponding one-to-one to the at least two switching tubes in the corresponding switching branch, the first end of each resistor being electrically connected to the control end of the corresponding switching tube; the radio frequency switching circuit further comprising a driving module, the driving module being electrically connected to the second end of each resistor, the driving module being configured to provide the same driving voltage to each switching tube on the at least two switching branches, so as to control each switching tube on the at least two switching branches to be simultaneously turned on or off.

[0006] By connecting multiple switch tubes in series as switch branches, the power processing capacity of the switch circuit can be enhanced, and by connecting multiple switch branches in parallel, the total resistance and capacitance of the switch circuit can be reduced to improve the switch performance, that is, the switching speed of the overall switch circuit can be increased, that is, the switching time can be reduced, while taking into account the insertion loss and power capacity of the switch circuit. In addition, by controlling all the switch tubes in the switch unit to be turned on or off at the same time through the driving module, and the driving voltage is the same, the switching state of each switch branch can be made the same, so the signal distribution on all switch branches is the same, thereby improving the switching performance.

[0007] In a possible implementation, any two switching transistors in the switching unit have the same size to improve the driving uniformity between different switching transistors, thereby improving the performance of the entire switching unit.

[0008] In one possible implementation, the driver module includes at least two drivers corresponding one-to-one to the resistors in the at least two resistor groups, and the at least two drivers are electrically connected to the second ends of the corresponding resistors. Different switching transistors have independent drivers to improve the driving capability of each switching transistor. By enhancing the control capability of the switching transistors, the switching speed can be increased. In addition, the independent drivers can also alleviate the problem of uneven driving between different switching transistors, thereby improving the performance of the entire switching unit.

[0009] In one possible implementation, the driver module includes at least two drivers corresponding to at least two resistor groups, each driver being electrically connected to the second end of each resistor in the corresponding resistor group. Different switch branches have independent drivers to improve the driving capability of each switch branch. By enhancing the controllability of the switch branches, the switching speed can be increased. Furthermore, the independent drivers can alleviate uneven driving between different switch branches, thereby improving the performance of the overall switch unit.

[0010] In a possible implementation, the radio frequency switch circuit includes: two switch units connected in series to improve withstand voltage.

[0011] In a possible implementation, the radio frequency switch circuit includes: two switch units connected in parallel, which can further reduce the total resistance and capacitance in the radio frequency switch circuit, thereby improving switch performance.

[0012] In a possible implementation, the radio frequency switch circuit includes: two switch unit groups connected in parallel; each switch unit group includes two switch units connected in series, which can achieve both the effects of improving withstand voltage and reducing resistance and capacitance.

[0013] In one possible implementation, the radio frequency switching circuit includes: a first switch unit group, the first switch unit group including two switch units connected in series between a first node and a second node; and a second switch unit group, the second switch unit group including two switch units connected in series between the first node and a third node.

[0014] In one possible embodiment, the RF switch circuit includes four switch units, including a first switch unit electrically connected between a first node and a second node; a second switch unit electrically connected between the first node and a third node; a third switch unit electrically connected between the second node and a ground terminal; and a fourth switch unit electrically connected between the third node and a ground terminal. The first node is used to connect to an antenna. This can implement a single-pole double-throw switch function.

[0015] In a second aspect, a communication device is provided, comprising: the above-mentioned radio frequency switching circuit. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0016] FIG1 is a block diagram of a communication device according to an embodiment of the present application;

[0017] FIG2 is a block diagram of another communication device according to an embodiment of the present application;

[0018] FIG3 is a schematic structural diagram of a radio frequency switching circuit according to an embodiment of the present application;

[0019] FIG4 is a schematic structural diagram of another radio frequency switch circuit according to an embodiment of the present application;

[0020] FIG5 is a schematic structural diagram of another radio frequency switch circuit according to an embodiment of the present application;

[0021] FIG6 is a schematic structural diagram of another radio frequency switch circuit according to an embodiment of the present application;

[0022] FIG7 is a schematic structural diagram of a switch module according to an embodiment of the present application;

[0023] FIG8 is a schematic structural diagram of another switch module according to an embodiment of the present application;

[0024] FIG9 is a schematic structural diagram of another radio frequency switch circuit according to an embodiment of the present application;

[0025] FIG10 is a schematic structural diagram of another radio frequency switch circuit according to an embodiment of the present application;

[0026] FIG11 is a schematic structural diagram of another radio frequency switch circuit according to an embodiment of the present application;

[0027] FIG12 is a schematic structural diagram of another switch module according to an embodiment of the present application;

[0028] FIG13 is a schematic structural diagram of another switch module according to an embodiment of the present application;

[0029] FIG14 is a schematic structural diagram of another radio frequency switch circuit according to an embodiment of the present application;

[0030] FIG15 is a schematic structural diagram of another switch module according to an embodiment of the present application;

[0031] FIG16 is a schematic structural diagram of another switch module according to an embodiment of the present application;

[0032] FIG17 is a schematic structural diagram of another radio frequency switch circuit according to an embodiment of the present application;

[0033] FIG18 is a schematic structural diagram of another switch module in an embodiment of the present application. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0034] The terms used in the implementation section of this application are only used to explain the specific embodiments of this application and are not intended to limit this application.

[0035] An embodiment of the present application provides a communication device and a radio frequency switching circuit applied to the communication device. The communication device is used to implement a wireless communication function, and the radio frequency switching circuit is used to implement a signal switching function.

[0036] The communication device in the embodiment of the present application can be applied to wireless communication systems, such as wireless local area networks (WLAN), and can also be other types of wireless communication systems, such as long term evolution (LTE) systems, frequency division duplex (FDD) systems, time division duplex (TDD) systems, universal mobile telecommunication systems (UMTS), world-wide interoperability for microwave access (WiMAX) communication systems, new radio (NR), satellite communications, fifth generation mobile communication technology (5G) and future communication systems.

[0037] In the embodiment of the present application, the communication device can also realize communication between an access point (AP) and a station (STA). Communication equipment includes, but is not limited to, evolved Node B (eNB), radio network controller (RNC), Node B (NB), base station controller (BSC), base transceiver station (BTS), home evolved Node B (HNB), baseband unit (BBU), access point (AP) in a wireless fidelity (WIFI) system, wireless relay node, wireless backhaul node, transmission point (TP) or transmission and reception point (TRP), etc. It can also be a gNB or transmission point (TRP or TP) in a 5G system, one or a group of antenna panels (including multiple antenna panels) of a base station in a 5G system, or a network node constituting a gNB or transmission point, such as a baseband unit (BBU) or a distributed unit (DU), etc. A site may refer to a user device, an access terminal, a user unit, a user station, a mobile station, a mobile station, a remote station, a remote terminal, a mobile device, a terminal, a wireless communication device, or a user agent. A site may also be a cellular phone, a cordless phone, a Session Initiation Protocol (SIP) phone, a wireless local loop (WLL) station, a personal digital assistant (PDA), a handheld device with wireless communication capabilities, a computing device or other processing device electrically connected to a wireless modem, an in-vehicle device, a wearable device, a terminal device in a future 5G network, or a terminal device in a future evolved public land mobile network (PLMN), etc., and the embodiments of the present application are not limited thereto.

[0038] As shown in Figure 1, a communications device may include a baseband processor 1, a radio frequency transceiver unit 2, a radio frequency module 3, and an antenna 4. The baseband processor 1 is used to synthesize baseband signals to be transmitted and / or decode received baseband signals. Specifically, during transmission, the baseband processor 1 encodes voice or other data signals into baseband signals (baseband codes) for transmission; during reception, it decodes received baseband signals (baseband codes) into voice or other data signals. The baseband processor 1 may include components such as an encoder, a decoder, and a baseband processor. The encoder synthesizes baseband signals to be transmitted, and the decoder decodes received baseband signals. The baseband processor, which may be a microcontroller (MCU), controls the encoder and decoder. For example, the baseband processor may be responsible for scheduling encoding and decoding, communication between the encoder and decoder, and peripheral device drivers (it may enable components outside the baseband processor by sending enable signals to these components). RF transceiver unit 2 is used to process baseband signals to form transmit (TX) signals. Processing the baseband signals may include converting digital signals into RF signals and transmitting the transmit signals to RF module 3. Alternatively, RF transceiver unit 2 is used to process receive (RX) signals to form baseband signals. Processing the RX signals may include converting RF signals into digital signals and transmitting the formed baseband signals to baseband processor 1 for decoding. RF module 3 is used to process TX signals and transmit them to antenna 4, or / and to process RX signals and transmit them to RF transceiver unit 2. Antenna 4 is used to transmit TX signals and / or receive RX signals.

[0039] The RF transceiver unit 2, RF module 3, and antenna 4 form J receive channels and P transmit channels, where J and P are integers greater than or equal to 1. Each transmit channel may include a transmitter in the RF transceiver unit 2, a transmit module in the RF module 3, and a transmit antenna in the antenna 4. Each receive channel may include a receiver in the RF transceiver unit 2, a receive module in the RF module 3, and a receive antenna in the antenna. It is understood that some components between different channels may be reused; for example, two receive channels may reuse the same receive antenna, or another example, a receive channel and a transmit channel may reuse the same antenna. The J receive channels and the P transmit channels may include at least one RF switching circuit. In the transmit channel, the RF switching circuit may be electrically connected between the transmitter and the transmit module and / or between the transmit module and the transmit antenna. This RF switching circuit can control the conduction and cutoff of the transmit channel. In the receive channel, the RF switching circuit may be electrically connected between the receiver and the receive module and / or between the receive module and the receive antenna. This RF switching circuit can control the conduction and cutoff of the receive channel.

[0040] The transmitting module or receiving module may include at least one or any combination of the following: a switch, a filter, a power amplifier (PA), a low-noise amplifier (LNA), an antenna tuner, and a phase shifter. The antenna may include a low-gain antenna or a high-gain antenna. The antenna may include one or more antennas, or may include antenna elements and / or antenna arrays.

[0041] Taking a specific structure in which a radio frequency switching circuit is arranged in a communication device as an example, as shown in Figure 2, the communication device has one receiving channel and one transmitting channel. The transmitting channel includes a power amplifier 301 and a filter 302 in the radio frequency module 3, and the receiving channel includes a low noise amplifier 303 and a filter 304 in the radio frequency module 3. The radio frequency switching circuit 5 is electrically connected between the radio frequency module 3 and the antenna 4. In the example shown in Figure 2, the radio frequency switching circuit 5 has the function of a gating switch, which can control the conduction between the filter 302 and the antenna 4 and the cutoff between the filter 304 and the antenna 4. Even if the transmitting channel is turned on and the receiving channel is cut off, the cutoff between the filter 302 and the antenna 4 and the conduction between the filter 304 and the antenna 4 can also be controlled, even if the transmitting channel is cut off and the receiving channel is turned on.

[0042] It can be understood that, in addition to being arranged between the antenna 4 and the RF transceiver unit 2 , the RF switch circuit can also be arranged in the antenna 4 to serve as a phase shifter or antenna tuner of the antenna 4 .

[0043] The radio frequency switch circuit in the embodiment of the present application is described in detail below. In some embodiments, as shown in FIG3 , the radio frequency switch circuit includes: a switch unit 50, the switch unit 50 includes at least two switch branches connected in parallel with each other, for example, FIG3 illustrates m switch branches 501, 502, ..., 50m connected in parallel with each other, where m is an integer greater than 1; each switch branch includes at least two switch tubes connected in series with each other, and the number of switch tubes in any two switch branches is the same, for example, each switch branch in FIG3 Each includes n switching transistors connected in series between point A and point B. The first switching branch 501 includes n switching transistors M11, M12, ..., M1(n-1), and M1n connected in series in sequence. The second switching branch 502 includes n switching transistors M21, M22, ..., M2(n-1), and M2n connected in series in sequence. Similarly, the mth switching branch 50m includes n switching transistors Mm1, Mm2, ..., Mm(n-1), and Mmn connected in series in sequence, where n is an integer greater than 1. The switching unit 50 also includes at least two resistor groups corresponding to at least two switching branches, such as resistor group 601 corresponding to switch branch 501, resistor group 602 corresponding to switch branch 502, ..., and resistor group 60m corresponding to switch branch 50m. Each resistor group includes at least two resistors corresponding to at least two switching transistors in the corresponding switch branch in a one-to-one manner, and the first end of each resistor is electrically connected to the control terminal of the corresponding switching transistor. For example, resistor group 601 includes resistor R11 corresponding to switch M11, resistor R12 corresponding to switch M12, ..., resistor R1(n-1) corresponding to switch M1(n-1), and resistor R1n corresponding to switch M1n; resistor group 602 includes resistor R21 corresponding to switch M21, resistor R22 corresponding to switch M22, ..., resistor R2(n-1) corresponding to switch M2(n-1), and resistor R2n corresponding to switch M2n; and so on, resistor Rm1 corresponding to switch Mm1, resistor Rm2 corresponding to switch Mm2, ..., resistor Rm(n-1) corresponding to switch Mm(n-1), and resistor Rmn corresponding to switch Mmn. The RF switch circuit 5 also includes a driving module 7, which is electrically connected to the second end of each resistor and is configured to provide the same driving voltage to each switch on at least two switch branches to control each switch on at least two switch branches to be simultaneously turned on or off. It should be noted that the connection method between the driving module 7 and each resistor in Figure 3 is only illustrative, in which the second ends of all resistors in each switch group are electrically connected together and then electrically connected to the driving module 7. However, the embodiment of the present application is not limited to this. Instead, the second ends of all resistors can be electrically connected to the driving module 7 through their own independent wiring.

[0044] Specifically, the switch tube in the embodiment of the present application can also be called a transistor. The embodiment of the present application does not limit the material of the transistor, for example, it can be silicon Si, silicon on insulator (Silicon On Insulator, SOI), gallium nitride GaN, gallium arsenide GaAs, silicon carbide SiC and phase change materials and organic materials. Each transistor includes a source, a drain and a gate, and the gate is its control terminal. The gate voltage of the transistor can control the on or off state between the source and drain of the transistor. The switch unit 50 can be, for example, a field effect transistor RF switch unit, a phase change material RF switch unit, a micro-electromechanical system (MEMS) RF switch unit, etc. Assume that the switch unit 50 shown in Figure 3 is applied to the communication device shown in Figure 2, point A in the switch unit 50 is electrically connected to the filter 302, and point B is electrically connected to the antenna 4. Point A can be used for inputting signals, point B for outputting signals, and of course, signals can also be transmitted in the reverse direction, that is, point B is used for inputting signals and point A is used for outputting signals. When the communication device needs to transmit a signal, the driver module 7 simultaneously applies the same on-state voltage to the control terminals of all the switches in the switch unit 50 to control all the switches in the switch unit 50 to be turned on simultaneously, thereby achieving conduction between the filter 302 and the antenna 4, thereby enabling signal transmission through the transmit channel. When the communication device needs to receive a signal, the driver module 7 simultaneously applies the same off-state voltage to the control terminals of all the switches in the switch unit 50 to control all the switches in the switch unit 50 to be turned off simultaneously, thereby controlling conduction between the filter 304 and the antenna 4, that is, controlling the receive channel to be turned on, thereby enabling signal reception through the receive channel.

[0045] The communication equipment and radio frequency switching circuit in the embodiments of the present application can enhance the power processing capability of the switching circuit by connecting multiple switching tubes in series as switching branches, and by connecting multiple switching branches in parallel, the total resistance and capacitance of the switching circuit can be reduced to improve the switching performance, that is, the switching speed of the overall switching circuit can be increased, that is, the switching time can be reduced, while taking into account the insertion loss and power capacity of the switching circuit. In addition, by controlling all the switching tubes in the switching unit to be turned on or off at the same time through the driving module, and the driving voltage is the same, the switching state of each switching branch can be made the same, so the signal distribution on all switch branches is the same, thereby improving the switching performance.

[0046] In some embodiments, as shown in FIG4 , the switch unit 50 includes a switch branch 501 and a switch branch 502 connected in parallel between points A and B. Switch branch 501 includes switches M1 to M5 connected in series, and switch branch 502 includes switches M6 to M10 connected in series. The switch unit 50 also includes a resistor group 601 corresponding to switch branch 501 and a resistor group 602 corresponding to switch branch 502. Resistor group 601 includes resistors R1 to R5 corresponding to switches M1 to M5, respectively, and resistor group 602 includes resistor R6 corresponding to switches M6 to M10, respectively. The control terminals of switches M1 to M10 are electrically connected to the first terminals of the corresponding resistors R1 to R10, respectively. The driver module includes at least two drivers corresponding to the resistors in at least two resistor groups, namely, the driver module includes drivers 71 to 710 corresponding to resistors R1 to R10, respectively, and drivers 71 to 710 are electrically connected to the second terminals of the corresponding resistors R1 to R10, respectively. The driver can be, for example, a charge pump, which is used to provide driving capability for the switch tube. Different switch tubes have their own independent drivers to improve the driving capability of each switch tube. By enhancing the control capability of the switch tube, the switching speed of the switch can be increased. In addition, the independent drivers can also improve the problem of uneven driving between different switch tubes, thereby improving the performance of the overall switch unit 50. The switch unit 50 shown in Figure 4 has two parallel switch branches 501, and each switch branch 501 has a structure of five switch tubes connected in series. This is only an example. The embodiment of the present application does not limit the number of parallel switch branches 501 in the switch unit 50, nor does it limit the number of series switch tubes on each switch branch 501. In addition, the multiple independent drivers shown in Figure 4 can be integrated together.

[0047] In some embodiments, the driving module includes at least two drivers corresponding to at least two resistor groups, each driver being electrically connected to the second end of each resistor in the corresponding resistor group. For example, as shown in FIG5 , the driving module includes a driver 71 corresponding to resistor group 601 and a driver 72 corresponding to resistor group 602, the second ends of resistors R1 to R5 being electrically connected to driver 71, and the second ends of resistors R6 to R10 being electrically connected to driver 72. The structure of FIG5 is the same as that shown in FIG4 except for the driver, and will not be described in detail here. In the structure shown in FIG5 , different switch branches have their own independent drivers to improve the driving capability of each switch branch. By enhancing the control capability of the switch branch, the switching speed of the switch can be increased. In addition, the independent drivers can also improve the problem of uneven driving between different switch branches, thereby improving the performance of the overall switch unit 50. The switch unit 50 shown in FIG5 has two parallel switch branches 501, and each switch branch 501 has five switch transistors connected in series. The structure is only an example. The embodiment of the present application does not limit the number of parallel switch branches 501 in the switch unit 50, nor does it limit the number of series switch transistors in each switch branch 501. In addition, the two independent drivers shown in FIG5 can be integrated together.

[0048] In some embodiments, as shown in FIG6 , the driver module includes a driver 71 electrically connected to the second ends of all resistors R1 to R10. The structure of FIG6 is identical to that of FIG4 , except for the driver, and is not further described herein. The switch unit 50 shown in FIG6 has two parallel switch branches 501 , each of which has five switch transistors connected in series. This is for illustrative purposes only. The present embodiment of the present application does not limit the number of parallel switch branches 501 in the switch unit 50 , nor does it limit the number of series switch transistors in each switch branch 501 .

[0049] In some embodiments, the present application also includes a switch module, as shown in FIG7 . The switch module includes a substrate 100 , on which a first RF port 101 , a second RF port 102 , and a switch module 200 are provided. The switch module 200 is provided with the above-mentioned RF switch circuit, including the components in the switch unit. For example, the switch module 200 in FIG7 includes the switch branch 501 , the switch branch 502 , the driver 71 , the driver 72 , and the resistor in FIG6 . The resistor in FIG6 is not shown in FIG7 . The switch module 200 also includes a switch control module 60 . The switch control module 60 may include components such as a clock circuit for controlling the driver 71 and the driver 72 . The driver 71 and the driver 72 may be integrated on the switch control module 60 . The switch module 200 may be composed of components integrated on the same wafer, and the material of the wafer may be single crystal material, polycrystalline material, amorphous material, etc. In addition, the switch module 200 may be integrated on the same substrate, and may be integrated in a monolithic or heterogeneous manner. The substrate 100 on which the first RF port 101, the second RF port 102, and the switch module 200 are integrated can be a copper plate structure or a printed circuit board (PCB) structure. Point A in the switch unit can be electrically connected to the first RF port 101, and point B can be electrically connected to the second RF port 102. By controlling the switch unit in the switch module 200, the RF signal between the first RF port 101 and the second RF port 102 can be turned on and off.

[0050] In some embodiments, another structure of the switch module can be a structure as shown in Figure 8. The structure shown in Figure 8 is similar to the structure shown in Figure 7, except that the switch module 200 in Figure 8 adopts a 3D stacking integration or packaging method, so that the switch branch 501, switch branch 502, driver 71, driver 72 and switch control module 60 are integrated together.

[0051] In some embodiments, as shown in FIG9 , the RF switch circuit includes: two switch units 50 connected in series. In the structure shown in FIG9 , the structure of the switch unit 50 can be the same as the structure shown in FIG6 , and the specific structure of the switch unit 50 will not be repeated. Point B of one switch unit 50 is connected to point A of the other switch unit 50. The driver in the two switch units 50 is used to provide the same driving voltage to all the switch tubes in the two switch units 50 and control all the switch tubes in the two switch units 50 to be turned on or off at the same time. When all the switch tubes in the two switch units 50 are turned on, the connection between point A of the left switch unit 50 and point B of the right switch unit 50 is controlled. When all the switch tubes in the two switch units 50 are turned off, the connection between point A of the left switch unit 50 and point B of the right switch unit 50 is controlled to be cut off. The structure of the two switch units 50 connected in series can further improve the withstand voltage of the RF switch, thereby improving the switching performance. It should be noted that the RF switch unit can also connect a larger number of switch units 50 in series, which can be set as needed. The more switch units connected in series, the higher the withstand voltage. In addition, the structure of the switch unit 50 shown in Figure 9 is only illustrated by taking the structure of the switch unit 50 shown in Figure 6 as an example. It can be understood that for the RF switching circuit of multiple switch units connected in series, the specific structure of the switch unit is not limited. For example, each switch unit 50 in Figure 9 can be replaced with the structure in Figure 4 or 5, and the multiple switch units 50 connected in series can also be different. For example, one switch unit 50 in Figure 9 is replaced with the structure in Figure 4, and the other switch unit 50 is still set to the structure in Figure 6.

[0052] In some embodiments, as shown in FIG10 , the RF switch circuit includes: two switch units 50 connected in parallel. In the structure shown in FIG10 , the structure of the switch unit 50 can be the same as the structure shown in FIG6 , and the specific structure of the switch unit 50 will not be repeated. Point A of the two switch units 50 is connected to each other, and point B of the two switch units 50 is connected to each other, or in other words, the two share point A and point B. The driver in the two switch units 50 is used to provide the same driving voltage to all the switch tubes in the two switch units 50, and control all the switch tubes in the two switch units 50 to be turned on or off at the same time. When all the switch tubes in the two switch units 50 are turned on, the connection between point A and point B is connected. When all the switch tubes in the two switch units 50 are turned off, the connection between point A and point B is cut off. The structure of the two switch units 50 in parallel can further reduce the total resistance and capacitance in the RF switch circuit, thereby improving the switching performance. It should be noted that the RF switch unit can also connect a larger number of switch units 50 in parallel, which can be set according to needs. In addition, the structure of the switch unit 50 shown in Figure 10 is only illustrated by taking the structure of the switch unit 50 shown in Figure 6 as an example. It can be understood that for the RF switching circuit of multiple switch units connected in parallel, the specific structure of the switch unit is not limited. For example, each switch unit 50 in Figure 10 can be replaced with the structure in Figure 5 or Figure 4, and the multiple switch units 50 connected in series can also be different. For example, one switch unit 50 in Figure 10 is replaced with the structure in Figure 4, and the other switch unit 50 is still set to the structure in Figure 6.

[0053] In some embodiments, as shown in FIG11 , a radio frequency switching circuit includes two switch cell groups 500 connected in parallel; each switch cell group 500 includes two switch cells 50 connected in series. The structure of each switch cell group 500 can be the same as that shown in FIG9 and will not be further described here. The structure of the switch cells 50 can refer to the above embodiments for details; the structures of different switch cells 50 can be the same or different. Point A of the switch cell 50 on the left side of the two switch cell groups 500 is electrically connected to point A1, and point B of the switch cell 50 on the right side of the two switch cell groups 500 is electrically connected to point B1. The drivers in the two switch cell groups 500 are used to provide the same drive voltage to all switches in the two switch cell groups 500 and control all switches in the two switch cell groups 500 to be turned on or off simultaneously. When all switches in the two switch cell groups 500 are turned on, the connection between points A1 and B1 is connected. When all switches in the two switch cell groups 500 are turned off, the connection between points A1 and B1 is blocked. This structure can achieve both improved withstand voltage and reduced resistance and capacitance. It is understandable that the number of switch cells 50 connected in series in each switch cell group 500 can be greater, but the number of switch cells 50 in different switch cell groups 500 is the same to ensure the balance of different switch cell groups 500 during signal transmission. In the structure shown in Figure 11, assuming that the resistance value of each switch cell 50 is r, the structure in Figure 11 is two switch cells 50 connected in series and then connected in parallel with another two switch cells 50 connected in series, that is, the equivalent resistance value of the structure in Figure 11 = 1 / (1 / 2r+1 / 2r)=r; assuming that the capacitance value of each switch cell 50 is c, the equivalent capacitance value of the structure in Figure 11 = 1 / (1 / c+1 / c)+1 / (1 / c+1 / c)=c. It can be seen that in the structure shown in Figure 11, although more devices are added to improve the withstand voltage and power handling capabilities, the resistance and capacitance values ​​have not increased.

[0054] In some embodiments, embodiments of the present application further include a switch module, as shown in FIG12 . The switch module includes a substrate 100 , on which a first RF port 101 , a second RF port 102 , and a switch module 200 are provided. The switch module 200 is provided with the aforementioned RF switching circuit. For example, the switch module 200 in FIG12 includes the switch assembly 510 and the driver 71 in FIG11 . The switch assembly 510 may include the switch branch and resistor in the switch unit 50 . For example, FIG11 shows two switch unit groups 500 , each of which has two switch units 50 , i.e., each of which has two switch assemblies 510 , resulting in a total of four switch assemblies 510 in the RF switching circuit. The switch module 200 further includes a switch control module 60 , which may include components such as a clock circuit for controlling the driver 71 . The driver 71 may be integrated into the switch control module 60 . Point A1 in the RF switch circuit can be electrically connected to the first RF port 101, and point B1 can be electrically connected to the second RF port 102. By controlling the RF switch circuit in the switch module 200, the conduction and cutoff of the RF signal between the first RF port 101 and the second RF port 102 can be controlled.

[0055] In some embodiments, another structure of the switch module can be the structure shown in Figure 13. The structure shown in Figure 13 is similar to the structure shown in Figure 12. The difference is that the driver in Figure 13 is not integrated into the switch control module 60, but the switch component 510 is integrated with the driver.

[0056] In some embodiments, as shown in FIG14 , the RF switching circuit includes: a first switch unit group 5001, comprising two switch units 50 connected in series between a first node C1 and a second node C2; ​​and a second switch unit group 5002, comprising two switch units 50 connected in series between the first node C1 and a third node C3. The switch units 50 may have any of the aforementioned switch unit structures, which will not be described in detail here. The driver 71 in a single switch unit group can synchronously control the on / off switching of all switches in that switch unit group, meaning that the on / off switching of a single switch unit group can be independently controlled. Different switching functions can be achieved by varying the states of the two switch unit groups. For example, conduction can be controlled between the first node C1 and the second node C2, while conduction can be controlled between the first node C1 and the third node C3; or conduction can be controlled between the first node C1 and the second node C2, while conduction can be controlled between the first node C1 and the third node C3. Of course, both the first node C1 and the other two nodes can also be controlled to be off or on.

[0057] In some embodiments, the present application also includes a switch module, as shown in FIG15 . The switch module includes a substrate 100 , on which a first RF port 101 , a second RF port 102 , a third RF port 103 , and a switch module 200 are provided. The switch module 200 is provided with the above-mentioned RF switching circuit. For example, the switch module 200 in FIG15 includes the switch assembly 510 and the driver 71 in FIG14 . The switch assembly 510 may include the switch branch and resistor in the switch unit 50 . For example, FIG14 includes two switch unit groups, each of which has two switch units 50 , i.e., each switch unit group has two switch assemblies 510 , and the RF switching circuit has a total of four switch assemblies 510 . The switch module 200 also includes a switch control module 60 , which may include components such as a clock circuit for controlling the driver 71 . The driver 71 may be integrated into the switch control module 60 . The first node C1 in the RF switch circuit can be electrically connected to the first RF port 101, the second node C2 can be electrically connected to the second RF port 102, and the third node C3 can be electrically connected to the third RF port. By controlling the RF switch circuit in the switch module 200, the conduction and cutoff of the RF signal between the first RF port 101 and the second RF port 102 can be controlled, as well as the conduction and cutoff of the RF signal between the first RF port 101 and the third RF port 103 can be controlled.

[0058] In some embodiments, another structure of the switch module can be the structure shown in Figure 16. The structure shown in Figure 16 is similar to the structure shown in Figure 15, except that the switch control module 60, the driver 71 and the switch assembly 510 are integrated together in Figure 16.

[0059] In some embodiments, as shown in FIG17 , the RF switch circuit includes four switch units, including: a first switch unit 51 electrically connected between a first node C1 and a second node C2; ​​a second switch unit 52 electrically connected between the first node C1 and a third node C3; a third switch unit 53 electrically connected between the second node C2 and a ground terminal; and a fourth switch unit 54 electrically connected between the third node C3 and a ground terminal. The first node C1 is used to connect to the antenna 4. These four switch units can be independently controlled. The first switch unit 51 can control the conduction and cutoff of the RF channel between the first node C1 and the second node C2; ​​the second switch unit 52 can control the conduction and cutoff of the RF channel between the first node C1 and the third node C3; the third switch unit 53 can control whether the second node C2 is grounded; and the fourth switch unit 54 can control whether the third node C3 is grounded. In other words, the RF switch circuit shown in FIG17 can be used as a single-pole double-throw switch, which can be used to switch between the antenna 4 and different RF channels. The structure and principle of any one of the first switch unit 51 , the second switch unit 52 , the third switch unit 53 and the fourth switch unit 54 may be the same as those of any of the above switch units, and thus will not be described in detail.

[0060] In some embodiments, the embodiments of the present application further include a switch module, as shown in FIG18 . The switch module includes a substrate 100 , on which a first RF port 101 , a second RF port 102 , a third RF port 103 , and a switch module 200 are provided. The switch module 200 is provided with the above-mentioned RF switch circuit. For example, the switch module 200 in FIG18 includes the switch component 510 and the driver 71 in FIG17 . The switch component 510 may include a switch branch and a resistor in the switch unit. For example, there are four switch units in FIG17 , each of which has a corresponding switch component 510 , i.e., the RF switch circuit has a total of four switch components 510 . The switch module 200 also includes a switch control module 60 , which may include components such as a clock circuit for controlling the driver 71 . The driver 71 may be integrated into the switch control module 60 . The first node C1 in the RF switch circuit can be electrically connected to the first RF port 101, the second node C2 can be electrically connected to the second RF port 102, and the third node C3 can be electrically connected to the third RF port. By controlling the RF switch circuit in the switch module 200, the conduction and cutoff of the RF signal between the first RF port 101 and the second RF port 102 can be controlled, as well as the conduction and cutoff of the RF signal between the first RF port 101 and the third RF port 103 can be controlled, and whether the second RF port 102 and the third RF port 103 are grounded can be controlled.

[0061] It should also be noted that, in order to simplify the drawings, the switch unit shown in Figure 6 is used as an illustration in Figures 9, 10, 11, 14 and 17, but the embodiments of the present application are not limited to this. For example, the switch units in these drawings can all be the structure shown in Figure 4.

[0062] In the embodiments of the present application, "at least one" refers to one or more, and "more" refers to two or more. "And / or" describes the association relationship of associated objects, indicating that three relationships may exist. For example, A and / or B can represent the existence of A alone, the existence of A and B at the same time, and the existence of B alone. Among them, A and B can be singular or plural. The character " / " generally indicates that the previous and next associated objects are in an "or" relationship. "At least one of the following" and similar expressions refer to any combination of these items, including any combination of single or plural items. For example, at least one of a, b and c can be represented by: a, b, c, ab, ac, bc, or abc, where a, b, c can be single or multiple.

[0063] The above are merely preferred embodiments of the present application and are not intended to limit the present application. Those skilled in the art will readily appreciate that various modifications and variations are possible. Any modifications, equivalent substitutions, or improvements made within the spirit and principles of the present application shall be included within the scope of protection of the present application.

Claims

1. A radio frequency switching circuit, characterized in that: include: A switch unit, the switch unit comprising at least two switch branches connected in parallel; Each of the switch branches includes at least two switch tubes connected in series, and the number of the switch tubes in any two of the switch branches is the same; The switch unit further includes at least two resistor groups corresponding one-to-one to the at least two switch branches; Each resistor group includes at least two resistors corresponding one-to-one to the at least two switching transistors in the corresponding switching branch, and a first end of each resistor is electrically connected to a control end of the corresponding switching transistor; The RF switching circuit also includes a driving module, which is electrically connected to the second end of each resistor. The driving module is used to provide the same driving voltage to each of the switching tubes on the at least two switching branches to control each of the switching tubes on the at least two switching branches to be turned on or off at the same time.

2. The radio frequency switching circuit according to claim 1, wherein: Any two switching tubes in the switching unit have the same size.

3. The radio frequency switching circuit according to claim 1, wherein: The driving module includes at least two drivers corresponding to the resistors in the at least two resistor groups, and the at least two drivers are electrically connected to the second ends of the corresponding resistors respectively.

4. The radio frequency switching circuit according to claim 1, wherein: The driving module includes at least two drivers corresponding to the at least two resistor groups on a one-to-one basis, and each of the drivers is electrically connected to the second end of each resistor in the corresponding resistor group.

5. The radio frequency switching circuit according to claim 1, wherein: include: The two switch units are connected in series.

6. The radio frequency switching circuit according to claim 1, characterized in that: include: The two switch units are connected in parallel with each other.

7. The radio frequency switching circuit according to claim 1, characterized in that: include: Two switch unit groups connected in parallel; Each of the switch unit groups includes two switch units connected in series.

8. The radio frequency switching circuit according to claim 1, wherein: include: a first switch unit group, the first switch unit group comprising two switch units connected in series between a first node and a second node; A second switch unit group includes two switch units connected in series between the first node and a third node.

9. The radio frequency switch circuit according to claim 1, characterized in that: include: The four switch units include: a first switch unit electrically connected between the first node and the second node; a second switch unit electrically connected between the first node and a third node; a third switch unit electrically connected between the second node and a ground terminal; a fourth switch unit electrically connected between the third node and the ground terminal; The first node is used to connect to an antenna.

10. A communication device, characterized in that: include: The radio frequency switching circuit according to any one of claims 1 to 9.

Citation Information

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