# US 12,113,570 B2 · Ultra-wideband non-reflective front-end in multiband system > Agents: this data is available as JSON from the patentgrep API and MCP server — see https://patentgrep.com/llms.txt - Number: US 12,113,570 B2 - Document ID: US12113570B2 - Status: Granted - Kind: B2 - Application number: 18/019,432 - Filed: 2020-08-05 - Published: 2023-10-12 - Granted: 2024-10-08 - Earliest claimed: 2020-08-05 - Assignees: Telefonaktiebolaget LM Ericsson (publ) - Applicants: Telefonaktiebolaget LM Ericsson (publ) - Inventors: Xue Huang - Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US12113570B2 ## CPC - H04B 1/71632: {Signal aspects (H04B1/7172 and H04B1/7176 take precedence)} - H04B 1/18: Input circuits, e.g. for coupling to an antenna or a transmission line (coupling networks between antennas or lines and receivers independent of the nature of the receiver H03H) - H04B: TRANSMISSION ## Abstract A network node operating in a communication network can divide a wideband signal into a plurality of sub-bands using a wideband multiplexer. The network node can further pass a portion of a sub-band of the plurality of sub-bands through a wideband circulator of the network node and a second multiplexer to an antenna or processing circuitry. ## Claims ### Claim 1 A method of operating a network node in a communications network, the method comprising: dividing a wideband signal into a plurality of sub-bands using a wideband multiplexer of the network node, wherein the wideband multiplexer comprises a series of cascading high pass filters, HPFs, and low pass filters, LPFs, that divide the wideband signal into the plurality of sub-bands; and passing a portion of a sub-band of the plurality of sub-bands through a wideband circulator of the network node and a second multiplexer of the network node to an antenna or processing circuitry of the network node. ### Claim 2 (depends on 1) The method of claim 1, wherein dividing the wideband signal comprises: generating a first sub-band of the plurality of sub-bands by passing the wideband signal through a first HPF; generating a second sub-band of the plurality of sub-bands by passing the wideband signal through a first LPF followed by a second HPF; and generating a third sub-band of the plurality of sub-bands by passing the wideband signal through the first LPF followed by a second LPF followed by a third HPF. ### Claim 3 (depends on 1) The method of claim 1, wherein the portion of the sub-band is a first portion of the sub-band, wherein passing the portion of the sub-band to the antenna or the processing circuitry comprises: passing the sub-band from a first port of the wideband circulator to a second port of the wideband circulator; responsive to passing the sub-band from the first port of the wideband circulator to the second port of the wideband circulator, providing the sub-band to the second multiplexer; and responsive to providing the sub-band to the second multiplexer, dividing the sub-band into the first portion and a second portion using the second multiplexer. ### Claim 4 (depends on 3) The method of claim 3, wherein passing the first portion of the sub-band to the antenna or the processing circuitry further comprises: responsive to dividing the sub-band into the first portion of the sub-band and the second portion of the sub-band, reflecting the second portion of the sub-band to the second port of the wideband circulator; and responsive to reflecting the second portion of the sub-band to the second port of the wideband circulator, passing the second portion of the sub-band from the second port to a load via a third port of the wideband circulator. ### Claim 5 (depends on 3) The method of claim 3, wherein passing the first portion of the sub-band to the antenna or the processing circuitry further comprises: responsive to dividing the sub-band into the first portion of the sub-band, passing the first portion of the sub-band to the antenna or the processing circuitry. ### Claim 6 (depends on 1) The method of claim 1, wherein the network node comprises a transmitter, and wherein the portion of the sub-band of the plurality of sub-bands is passed to the antenna of the network node, the method further comprising: transmitting the portion of the sub-band via the antenna. ### Claim 7 (depends on 1) The method of claim 1, wherein the network node comprises a radio access network, RAN, node, and wherein the communications network comprises a new radio, NR, network. ### Claim 8 (depends on 1) The method of claim 1, wherein the network node comprises a communication device and wherein the communications network comprises a new radio, NR, network. ### Claim 9 A network node operating in a communications network, the network node comprising: a wideband multiplexer configured to divide a wideband signal into a plurality of sub-bands; a wideband circulator coupled to an output of the wideband multiplexer and including a first port and a second port, the wideband circulator configured to pass a sub-band of the plurality of sub-bands from the first port to a second port; and a second multiplexer coupled to the second port of the wideband circulator and configured to divide the sub-band into a first portion and a second portion. ### Claim 10 (depends on 9) The network node of claim 9, wherein the wideband multiplexer comprises a series of cascading high pass filters, HPFs, and low pass filters, LPFs, configured to divide the wideband signal into the plurality of sub-bands. ### Claim 11 (depends on 10) The network node of claim 10, wherein the series of cascading HPFs and LPFs comprises: a first HPF configured to receive the wideband signal and generate a first sub-band of the plurality of sub-bands; a first LPF configured to receive the wideband signal and generate a first temporary sub-band; a second HPF configured to receive the first temporary sub-band and generate a second sub-band of the plurality of sub-bands; a second LPF configured to receive the first temporary sub-band and generate a second temporary sub-band; and a third HPF configured to receive the second temporary sub-band and generate a third sub-band of the plurality of sub-bands. ### Claim 12 (depends on 9) The network node of claim 9, wherein the second multiplexer is a narrowband multiplexer and comprises band pass filters configured to divide the sub-band into the first portion and the second portion. ### Claim 13 (depends on 12) The network node of claim 12, wherein the second multiplexer is further configured to reflect the second portion of the sub-band to the second port of the wideband circulator, and wherein the wideband circulator further includes a third port and is further configured to pass the second portion of the sub-band to a load via the third port. ### Claim 14 (depends on 12) The network node of claim 12, wherein an antenna or processing circuitry is coupled to the second port of the wideband circulator via the second multiplexer, and wherein the second multiplexer is further configured to pass the first portion of the sub-band to the antenna or the processing circuitry. ### Claim 15 (depends on 9) The network node of claim 9, wherein the network node comprises a transmitter, the transmitter comprising: an antenna coupled to the second multiplexer and configured to transmit the first portion of the sub-band. ### Claim 16 (depends on 9) The network node of claim 9, wherein the network node comprises a receiver, the receiver comprising: an antenna configured to receive the wideband signal; and processing circuitry coupled to the second multiplexer and configured to process the first portion of the sub-band. ### Claim 17 (depends on 9) The network node of claim 9, wherein the network node is a radio access network, RAN, node, and wherein the communications network comprises a new radio, NR, network. ### Claim 18 (depends on 9) The network node of claim 9, wherein the network node is a communication device and wherein the communications network comprises a new radio, NR, network. ### Claim 19 A computer program product comprising a non-transitory storage medium including program code to be executed by processing circuitry of a network node operating in a communications network, whereby execution of the program code causes the network node to perform operations comprising: dividing a wideband signal into a plurality of sub-bands using a wideband multiplexer of the network node, wherein the wideband multiplexer comprises a series of cascading high pass filters, HPFs, and low pass filters, LPFs, that divide the wideband signal into the plurality of sub-bands; and passing a portion of a sub-band of the plurality of sub-bands through a wideband circulator of the network node and a second multiplexer of the network node to an antenna or processing circuitry of the network node.