US 8,618,983 B2 · Phased-array transceiver for millimeter-wave frequencies

Abstract

A phased-array transmitter and receiver that may be effectively implemented on a silicon substrate. The transmitter distributes to front-ends, and the receiver combines signals from front-ends, using a power distribution/combination tree that employs both passive and active elements. By monitoring the power inputs and outputs, a digital control is able to rapidly provide phase and gain correction information to the front-ends. Such a transmitter/receiver includes a plurality of radio frequency (RF) front-ends and a power splitting/combining network that includes active and passive components configured to distribute signals to/from the front-ends.

Claims13

Dependent claims

A phased-array transmitter having beam-steering ability, comprising:

a plurality of radio frequency (RF) front-ends, each configured to transmit a signal with a given phase relative to the others such that the amplitude of the transmitted signal is highest in a given direction, each of the RF front-ends comprising:
a phase shifter configured to delay the signal in accordance with the given direction;
and
a variable amplifier configured to adjust the gain of the signal;
and
a power distribution network configured to accept an RF signal from an up-conversion element and to selectively pass the RF signal to one or more of the RF front-ends such that unselected RF front-ends do not receive the RF signal, wherein the power distribution network includes active components and passive combiners that include a cross-coupled transmission line and a decoupling resistive network.

3 more elements

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.

Facts

Application

12/750,242Filed 30 Mar 2010 · us provisional application

Priority

13 Sep 2009

Published

US 2011/0063169 A117 Mar 2011

Granted

31 Dec 2013

Term ends

Not estimatedThe source records don’t support an estimate.

Classification3 codes

H01Q 3/2694
Time delay steered arrays: using also variable phase-shifters
H01Q 3/267
Varying the relative phase or relative amplitude of energisation between two or more active radiating elements; varying the distribution of…
H01Q
Antennas, i.e. radio aerials

Phased-array transceiver for millimeter-wave frequencies

Life of this patent

Phased-array transceiver for millimeter-wave frequencies

Life of this patent

Abstract

Claims13