Reconfigurable Multiplexer Filter Bank to Eliminate Frequency Dead Zones
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Solution Overview
Problem
Traditional multiplexers have a fixed design, limiting their ability to handle multiple frequency bands efficiently, resulting in dead zones and increased size, and struggle to balance insertion loss and isolation between channels.
Innovation Solution
A reconfigurable multiplexer with a filter bank and bypass circuit that dynamically adjusts to support various frequency bands, reducing insertion loss and eliminating dead zones by using a combination of load circuits and a switching network.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Adaptability or versatility
If traditional fixed design multiplexers are used, then the structure is simple, but the ability to handle multiple frequency bands is limited and dead zones occur
Solution Approach 1:
The multiplexer employs a reconfigurable filter bank where filters can be dynamically connected or disconnected based on the operating frequency band. This dynamic configuration allows the same hardware structure to adapt to multiple frequency bands without requiring separate fixed filters for each band, thereby improving versatility while maintaining structural simplicity.
Solution Approach 2:
The filter bank is designed with universal filters that can serve multiple frequency bands through different connection configurations. The switching network enables a single filter set to perform multiple functions by connecting different filters to different output channels based on the required frequency band, eliminating the need for dedicated filters for each band.
2Reliability
If separate filters are used for each frequency band, then the isolation between channels is improved, but the device size increases
Solution Approach 1:
Multiple filter functions are merged into a single shared filter bank. Instead of having separate physical filters for each frequency band, the invention combines all filters into one bank that can be configured through switching connections. This merging reduces the overall device size while maintaining the isolation performance of individual filters through proper switching configuration.
Solution Approach 2:
The switching network dynamically connects appropriate filters from the shared bank to output channels based on the active frequency band. This dynamic reconfiguration ensures that only the necessary filters are connected at any given time, maintaining channel isolation while minimizing the physical footprint by sharing filter components across multiple bands.
3Loss of energy
If traditional multiplexers are used, then the design is simple, but insertion loss is high and dead zones cannot be eliminated
Solution Approach 1:
The bypass circuit is dynamically activated or deactivated based on the operating conditions. When carrier aggregation is detected, the bypass circuit is activated to provide low-loss signal paths around the filter bank for certain frequency components. This dynamic switching reduces insertion loss selectively without requiring a permanently complex circuit configuration.
Solution Approach 2:
The bypass circuit acts as an intermediary path that alternative signal flow can take when the filter bank introduces excessive loss. By providing this intermediate low-loss path, the system can achieve lower overall insertion loss while maintaining the filtering functionality when needed, effectively mediating between the conflicting requirements of signal loss and frequency selection.
Data Source
AI summary
A reconfigurable triplexer that can support more frequency bands than a traditional triplexer is disclosed. For example, the reconfigurable triplexer can handle frequencies of several hundred megahertz up to 10 gigahertz. Further, certain implementations of the reconfigurable multiplexer can reduce or eliminate frequency dead zones that exist with traditional multiplexers. The reconfigurable triplexer includes a multi-stage filter bank capable of supporting a number of frequency bands and a bypass circuit that enables the triplexer to support a variety of sets of frequencies. For instance, unlike traditional triplexers, the reconfigurable triplexer can support both frequency bands with relatively narrow spacing and frequency bands with relatively wide spacing. Further, the inclusion of the bypass circuit enables the reduction or elimination of dead zones between supported frequencies.