RF Circuit Filter Sharing for LTE-NR Dual Transmission
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing radio frequency circuits for ENDC (Endeavor Dual Connectivity) require additional filters for each transmission circuit, leading to increased size and complexity, particularly when handling multiple band combinations.
Innovation Solution
A compact radio frequency circuit design that includes a single transmission circuit with three filters and two power amplifiers, connected by a switch that enables selective routing of LTE and NR signals, allowing for simultaneous transmission without the need for multiple filters in each transmission circuit.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Adaptability or versatility
If filters are added to both the first transmission circuit and the second transmission circuit to support multiple band combinations for ENDC, then the radio frequency circuit can handle more band combinations, but the circuit size increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent merges the filter resources between the first and second transmission circuits by introducing a shared filter bank. The switch circuit dynamically routes signals to appropriate filters from the shared bank, allowing both transmission circuits to access the same filter resources at different times, thereby reducing the total number of filters needed while maintaining support for multiple band combinations
Solution Approach 2:
The shared filter bank serves multiple functions by being accessible to both the first and second transmission circuits. The same physical filters can be used for different band combinations depending on the switching configuration, making the filter subsystem universal rather than dedicated to a single transmission path
2Adaptability or versatility
If filters are added to each transmission circuit to support increased band combinations, then the radio frequency circuit can execute more band combinations, but the device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent combines the filter subsystem into a shared resource that serves both transmission circuits. Instead of having separate filter banks for each circuit, the filters are merged into a common pool managed by a switch circuit, reducing the overall component count and simplifying the circuit architecture
Solution Approach 2:
The switch circuit acts as an intermediary between the transmission circuits and the shared filter bank. It manages the routing and allocation of filter resources dynamically, abstracting the complexity of resource sharing from the transmission circuits themselves while enabling flexible band combination support
Data Source
AI summary
A radio frequency circuit is a radio frequency circuit capable of simultaneously transmitting an LTE signal and an NR signal, the circuit including: a first filter, a second filter, and a third filter; a first power amplifier and a second power amplifier; and a first switch connected between the first filter, the second filter, and the third filter and the first power amplifier and the second power amplifier; wherein, when one of the LTE signal and the NR signal is amplified with the first power amplifier, the other of the LTE signal and the NR signal is amplified with the second power amplifier; and the first switch enables connection between the first filter and the first power amplifier, enables connection between the third filter and the second power amplifier, and enables selective connection between the second filter and one of the first power amplifier and the second power amplifier.