Ultra-wideband radio-frequency beamforming apparatus
OwnerQianli MUinventor
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Abstract
Apparatuses, systems, and methods to transmit and receive beamformed radio-frequency (RF) signals. The circuits described herein can provide a controllable amount of phase delay to analog RF signals. By using two or more phase delaying circuits, RF signals can be steered or beamformed. In a similar manner, two or more phase delaying circuits can be used to receive beamformed RF signals and combine them.
Claims19
A radio-frequency signal processing (RFSP) device for providing a variable pre-determined phase delay to a radio-frequency (RF) signal, the RFSP device comprising:
- an RFSP input port;
- an RFSP output port;
- a plurality of gain control units (GCUs), comprising an odd number of GCUs, coupled in parallel between the input port and the output port, wherein inputs of the GCUs are coupled to the input port of the RFSP and outputs of the GCUs are coupled to the output port of the RFSP, wherein each GCU;
- a first plurality of time delay units, wherein each of the first plurality of the time delay units is configured to couple an input of one GCU of the plurality of GCUs to an input of another GCU of the plurality GCU;
- and
- a second plurality of time delay units, wherein each of the second plurality of time delay units is configured to couple an output one GCU of the plurality of GCUs to an output of another GCU of the plurality of GCUs,
- wherein a phase delay of the RF signal through the RFSP device is based on gain settings of the plurality of GCUs.
A radio-frequency (RF) beamforming apparatus, comprising:
- an input port configured to receive an input RF signal;
- a first output port;
- a second output port;
- first radio-frequency signal processing (RFSP) device configured to output a first RF signal having a first phase delay based on gain settings of a first plurality of gain control units (GCUs) of the first RFSP device;
- a second RFSP device configured to output a second RF signal having a second phase delay based on gain settings of a second plurality of GCUs of the second RFSP device;
- and
- a power divider configured to split and couple the input RF signal to an input of the first RFSP device and an input of the second RFSP device,
- wherein the first output port is configured to output the first RF signal and the second output port is configured to output the second RF signal and the first phase delay and the second phase delay are configured to beam steer the first RF signal and the second RF signal.
A method of manufacturing a radio-frequency signal processing (RFSP) device, the method comprising:
- forming an integrated circuit (IC) including an RFSP device, the RFSP device including:
- an input port, an RFSP output port, a plurality of gain control units (GCUs) coupled in parallel between the input port and the output port, wherein inputs of the GCUs are coupled to the input port of the RFSP and outputs of the GCUs are coupled to the output port of the RFSP, wherein each GCU, a first plurality of time delay units, wherein each of the first plurality of the time delay units is configured to couple an input of one GCU of the plurality of GCUs to an input of another GCU of the plurality GCU, and a second plurality of time delay units, wherein each of the second plurality of time delay units is configured to couple an output one GCU of the plurality of GCUs to an output of another GCU of the plurality of GCUs, wherein a phase delay of the RF signal through the RFSP device is based on gain settings of the plurality of GCUs.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.