Bidirectional 60 GHz Transceiver Circuits With Reused TX/RX Amplifiers
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Solution Overview
Problem
Current wireless communication technologies face challenges in achieving compact, low-cost, and high-speed data transfer at 60 GHz frequencies due to inefficiencies in time-division duplexing systems, where transmitter and receiver blocks are unused in alternate modes, leading to increased chip area and reduced link budget.
Innovation Solution
The development of bidirectional time-division duplexing transceivers and phased array circuits that reuse amplifier stages as both power amplifiers and low-noise amplifiers, and phase shifters and power combiners/splitters across both transmission and reception modes, allowing for reduced chip area and increased link budget by enabling maximum reuse of blocks.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If dedicated transmitter and receiver blocks are used in time-division duplexing systems, then transmission and reception functions are reliably performed, but chip area increases and link budget decreases due to unused blocks in alternate modes
Solution Approach 1:
The patent implements bidirectional amplifier circuits that can operate as power amplifiers during transmission modes and as low-noise amplifiers during reception modes. The same physical circuit blocks are reused for both TX and RX functions by switching their operational state, eliminating the need for separate dedicated amplifier circuits for each direction. This multi-functionality directly reduces chip area while maintaining reliable transmission and reception capabilities.
2Reliability
If dedicated transmitter and receiver blocks are used in time-division duplexing systems, then transmission and reception functions are reliably performed, but link budget decreases due to unused blocks
Solution Approach 1:
The bidirectional amplifier circuits enable the same hardware blocks to serve both transmission and reception functions. During TX modes, the amplifiers function as power amplifiers; during RX modes, they function as low-noise amplifiers. This eliminates the need for separate dedicated blocks, ensuring that all amplifier circuits remain active and contributing to signal processing in both directions, thereby improving link budget.
3Productivity
If multiple elements are used in phased array to overcome wavelength losses, then communication capacity increases, but device complexity and chip area increase
Solution Approach 1:
The patent implements bidirectional phase shifters and power combiners/splitters that can operate in both transmission and reception modes. These bidirectional components allow phased array elements to be reused for both TX and RX operations, reducing the number of separate components needed. This reduces device complexity and chip area while maintaining the high communication capacity provided by multiple phased array elements.
Data Source
AI summary
A bidirectional time-division duplexing transceiver circuit includes a first and a second bidirectional phase-shift circuit, and a bidirectional amplifier circuit including a first amplifier circuit and a second amplifier circuit. The first amplifier circuit and the second amplifier circuit are coupled via double-pole-double-throw (DPDT) switches to radio-frequency (RF) antennas and the first and the second bidirectional phase-shift circuits. The (DPDT) switches enable the first amplifier circuit and the second amplifier circuit to be operable simultaneously as transmit (TX) path amplifiers in a first time slot and as a receive (RX) path amplifiers in a second time slot.