Switch arrangement and apparatus
A switch arrangement is described which enable the design of a flexible front end allowing many individual and combinations of frequency band allocations to share a single antenna simultaneously. An apparatus using the switch arrangement is also described. The switch arrangement provides a single pole switch for each set of band specific filtering. The band specific filtering is connected to the pole of a respective single pole switch. The single pole switch has contact points enabling connection to of the filtering to an antenna switch both with and without a frequency selective component in the signal path. The frequency selective component allows sharing of the antenna by two or more frequency band allocations to enable simultaneous use of different radio access technologies, MIMO or Carrier Aggregation through a single antenna. When not required the frequency selective component can be switched out of the signal path to reduce insertion loss.
1. A switch arrangement comprising:
a first single pole switch having:
a pole for connection to filtering for a first frequency band, a first contact point, and a second contact point; and
a second single pole switch having:
a pole for connection to filtering for a second frequency band, a first contact point, and a second contact point, wherein
the first contact point of the first single pole switch is connected to the first contact point of the second single pole switch, and is connected to a frequency division multiplexer; and
the second contact point of the first single pole switch is connected to the second contact point of the second single pole switch, and is connected to another frequency division multiplexer.
2. The switch arrangement according to claim 1 , wherein:
the first single pole switch has a third contact point; and
the second single pole switch has a third contact point.
3. The switch arrangement according to claim 1 , wherein the first single pole switch has a further contact point for connection to a frequency selective component for the first frequency band.
4. The switch arrangement according to claim 3 , wherein the second single pole switch has a further contact point for connection to another frequency selective component for the second frequency band.
5. The switch arrangement according to claim 3 , further comprising:
a matching switch for selective connection of matching components in a signal path of the first frequency band, wherein the matching switch is a single pole switch having:
a pole for connection to one end of a matching network;
a first contact point connected to the further contact point of the first single pole switch for connection to another end of the matching network; and
a second contact point.
6. The switch arrangement according to claim 5 , further comprising:
a second matching switch for selective connection of matching components in a signal path of the second frequency band, wherein the second matching switch is a single pole switch having:
a pole for connection to one end of a second matching network;
a first contact point connected to the further contact point of the second single pole switch for connection to another end of the second matching network; and
a second contact point.
7. The switch arrangement according to claim 1 , further comprising:
a third single pole switch having:
a pole for connection to filtering for a third frequency band, a first contact point, and a second contact point, wherein
the second contact point of the third single pole switch is connected to the second contact point of the first single pole switch and the second contact point of the second single pole switch.
8. An apparatus for selective sharing of an antenna for at least one of carrier aggregation, multiple-input and multiple-output (MIMO) and multiple simultaneous radio access technologies, the apparatus comprising:
an antenna switch having an antenna terminal for connection to an antenna and a plurality of switchable terminals which are selectively connected to the antenna terminal;
a frequency division multiplexer having a common terminal and at least two filtered terminals, wherein the common terminal is connected to a switchable terminal of the antenna switch; and
a switch arrangement comprising:
a first single pole switch having:
a pole for connection to filtering for a first frequency band, a first contact point connected to another switchable terminal of the antenna switch, a second contact point, and a third contact point; and
a second single pole switch having:
a pole for connection to filtering for a second frequency band, a first contact point connected to another switchable terminal of the antenna switch, a second contact point, and a third contact point, wherein
the second contact point of the first single pole switch is connected to the second contact point of the second single pole switch and connected to one of the at least two filtered terminals of the frequency division multiplexer; and
the third contact point of the first single pole switch is connected to the third contact point of the second single pole switch and connected to another frequency division multiplexer.
9. The apparatus according to claim 8 , further comprising:
a second switch arrangement, the second switch arrangement comprising:
a third single pole switch having:
a pole for connection to filtering for a third frequency band, a first contact point connected to another switchable terminal of the antenna switch, and a second contact point; and
a fourth single pole switch having:
a pole for connection to filtering for a fourth frequency band, a first contact point connected to another switchable terminal of the antenna switch, and a second contact point, wherein
the second contact point of the third single pole switch is connected to the second contact point of the fourth single pole switch and connected to another of the at least two filtered terminals of the frequency division multiplexer.
10. The apparatus according to claim 9 , further comprising:
band-specific filtering connected to the pole of the first, second, third or fourth single pole switch, wherein
the band-specific filtering is configured to have a frequency response that is alterable.
11. The apparatus according to claim 8 , wherein the frequency division multiplexer is a diplexer, triplexer, frequency response tunable diplexer or frequency response tunable triplexer.
12. The apparatus according to claim 8 , wherein:
the another frequency division multiplexer has a common terminal and at least two filtered terminals;
the common terminal of the another frequency division multiplexer is connected to another switchable terminal of the antenna switch.
13. The apparatus according to claim 12 , further comprising:
a second switch arrangement, the second switch arrangement comprising:
a third single pole switch having:
a pole for connection to filtering for a third frequency band, a first contact point connected to another switchable terminal of the antenna switch, a second contact point, and a third contact point; and
a fourth single pole switch having:
a pole for connection to filtering for a fourth frequency band, a first contact point connected to another switchable terminal of the antenna switch, a second contact point, and a third contact point, wherein
the second contact point of the third single pole switch is connected to the second contact point of the fourth single pole switch and connected to another of the at least two filtered terminals of the frequency division multiplexer; and
the third contact point of the third single pole switch is connected to the third contact point of the fourth single pole switch and connected to one of the at least two filtered terminals of the another frequency division multiplexer.
14. The apparatus according to claim 12 , wherein the frequency division multiplexer is a first diplexer and the another frequency division multiplexer is a second diplexer.
15. The apparatus according to claim 8 , wherein the antenna switch is operable to connect two of the plurality of switchable terminals to the antenna terminal simultaneously.
16. The apparatus according to claim 8 , wherein the first single pole switch has a further contact point and the apparatus comprises a frequency selective component that is connected to the further contact point.
17. The apparatus according to claim 16 , wherein the frequency selective component is arranged to be selectively switched in or out of a signal path including the first single pole switch.
18. The apparatus according to claim 17 , wherein
the switching arrangement comprises a matching switch having a pole, a first contact point connected to the further contact point of the first single pole switch and a second contact point connected to the first contact point of the first single pole switch, and
the frequency selective component is connected between the pole and the first contact point of the matching switch.
19. The apparatus according to claim 16 , wherein the second single pole switch has a further contact point which is separate from the further contact point of the first single pole switch, and another frequency selective component is connected to the further contact point of the second single pole switch.
20. The apparatus according to claim 8 , wherein the antenna switch comprises at least one switchable terminal which is connected directly to band-specific filtering.