Active power splitter and combiner circuitry
An electronic device may include wireless circuitry having active circuitry such as active power splitter circuitry and active power combiner circuitry. The active power splitter and combiner circuitry can include single-ended or differential amplifiers coupled to one another using single-ended coupled lines or differential coupled lines. Each set of differential coupled lines may include first and second pairs of coupled lines. The single-ended coupled lines and the differential coupled lines can provide routing and impedance matching functions. In active power splitter circuitry, multiple transmitting amplifiers may be used to drive a plurality of antennas in a phased antenna array. In active power combiner circuitry, multiple receiving amplifiers may be used to receive radio-frequency signals from the plurality of antennas in the phased antenna array.
1 . Combiner circuitry comprising:
a first amplifier stage that includes
a first amplifier having a single-ended input coupled to a first antenna,
a second amplifier having a single-ended input coupled to a second antenna,
a third amplifier having a single-ended input coupled to a third antenna, and
a fourth amplifier having a single-ended input coupled to a fourth antenna; and
a second amplifier stage configured to receive radio-frequency signals from the first amplifier, the second amplifier, the third amplifier, and the fourth amplifier.
2 . The combiner circuitry of claim 1 , further comprising:
a first phase and magnitude controller coupled between the first amplifier and the first antenna;
a second phase and magnitude controller coupled between the second amplifier and the second antenna;
a third phase and magnitude controller coupled between the third amplifier and the third antenna; and
a fourth phase and magnitude controller coupled between the fourth amplifier and the fourth antenna.
3 . The combiner circuitry of claim 1 , wherein the first, second, third, and fourth antennas are part of a phased antenna array.
4 . The combiner circuitry of claim 3 , wherein the phased antenna array includes N antennas, and wherein the first amplifier stage is coupled to the second amplifier stage via an N:1 fan-in routing structure.
5 . The combiner circuitry of claim 4 , wherein the fan-in routing structure comprises differential coupled lines having:
a first pair of coupled lines coupled between the first and second amplifier stages; and
a second pair of coupled lines coupled between the first and second amplifier stages.
6 . The combiner circuitry of claim 5 , wherein:
the first pair of coupled lines comprises
a first conductive path having a first distal end coupled to the first amplifier stage and having a second distal end coupled to a bias voltage line, and
a second conductive path routed along the first conductive path and having a first distal end coupled to a ground line and having a second distal end coupled to the second amplifier stage; and
the second pair of coupled lines comprises
a third conductive path having a first distal end coupled to the first amplifier stage and having a second distal end coupled to the bias voltage line, and
a fourth conductive path routed along the third conductive path and having a first distal end coupled to the ground line and having a second distal end coupled to the second amplifier stage.
7 . Wireless circuitry comprising:
a mixer; and
active circuitry coupled between the mixer and a plurality of N antennas, the active circuitry having
a first amplifier stage,
a second amplifier stage configured to receive radio-frequency signals from the first amplifier stage, and
a routing network having differential routing lines forming an N:1 fan-in path coupled between the first and second amplifier stages, wherein the active circuitry includes a total of (N+1) amplifiers.
8 . The wireless circuitry of claim 7 , wherein the first amplifier stage comprises:
a first input amplifier having a single-ended input coupled to a first antenna in the plurality of N antennas; and
a second input amplifier having a single-ended input coupled to a second antenna in the plurality of N antennas.
9 . A method of operating combiner circuitry having first and second amplifier stages, the method comprising:
with a first amplifier of the first amplifier stage, receiving radio-frequency signals from a first antenna;
with a second amplifier of the first amplifier stage, receiving radio-frequency signals from a second antenna;
with a third amplifier of the first amplifier stage, receiving radio-frequency signals from a third antenna;
with a fourth amplifier of the first amplifier stage, receiving radio-frequency signals from a fourth antenna; and
with the second amplifier stage, receiving radio-frequency signals from the first amplifier, the second amplifier, the third amplifier, and the fourth amplifier.
10 . The method of claim 9 , further comprising:
with a mixer, receiving radio-frequency signals from the second amplifier stage.
11 . The method of claim 9 , further comprising:
with the first amplifier of the first amplifier stage, receiving radio-frequency signals from a fifth antenna different than the first and second antennas; and
with the second amplifier of the first amplifier stage, receiving radio-frequency signals from a sixth antenna different than the first and second antennas.
12 . The method of claim 9 , further comprising:
with a first phase and magnitude controller, adjusting phase and magnitude of the radio-frequency signals received from the first antenna;
with a second phase and magnitude controller, adjusting phase and magnitude of the radio-frequency signals received from the second antenna;
with a third phase and magnitude controller, adjusting phase and magnitude of the radio-frequency signals received from the third antenna; and
with a fourth phase and magnitude controller, adjusting phase and magnitude of the radio-frequency signals received from the fourth antenna.
13 . The method of claim 9 , wherein:
the first amplifier has a single-ended input coupled to the first antenna; and
the second amplifier has a single-ended input coupled to the second antenna.
14 . The method of claim 13 , further comprising:
with first single-ended coupled lines, conveying the radio-frequency signals received from the first antenna to the single-ended input of the first amplifier; and
with a second single-ended coupled lines, conveying the radio-frequency signals received from the second antenna to the single-ended input of the second amplifier.
15 . The method of claim 14 , further comprising:
with third single-ended coupled lines, conveying radio-frequency signals output from the first and second amplifiers to a single-ended input of the second amplifier stage.
16 . The method of claim 9 , further comprising:
with first differential coupled lines, conveying the radio-frequency signals received from the first antenna to a differential input of the first amplifier; and
with second differential coupled lines, conveying the radio-frequency signals received from the second antenna to a differential input of the second amplifier.
17 . The method of claim 16 , wherein the first differential coupled lines comprises:
a first conductive path having a first distal end coupled to the first antenna and having a second distal end coupled to a bias voltage line, and
a second conductive path routed along the first conductive path and having a first distal end coupled to a ground line and having a second distal end coupled to the first amplifier;
a third conductive path having a first distal end and having a second distal end coupled to the bias voltage line, and
a fourth conductive path routed along the third conductive path and having a first distal end coupled to the ground line and having a second distal end coupled to the first amplifier.
18 . The method of claim 16 , further comprising:
with third differential coupled lines, conveying radio-frequency signals output from the first and second amplifiers to a differential input of the second amplifier stage.