KR-102963012-B1 - ANTENNA MODULE FOR GENERATING SELF_TESTING SIGNAL AND ELECTRONIC DEVICE USING IT

KR102963012B1KR 102963012 B1KR102963012 B1KR 102963012B1KR-102963012-B1

Abstract

The present disclosure relates to a 5G or pre-5G communication system for supporting higher data transmission rates than 4G communication systems such as LTE. According to various embodiments of the present disclosure, an antenna module may be configured to include at least one transmission chain comprising a first mixer that up-converts a transmission signal to a radio frequency band; at least one frequency generator configured to generate at least one signal; at least one switch that takes the at least one signal generated from the frequency generator as an input and switches the at least one signal to selectively transmit it to the first mixer; and the antenna element, the transmission chain, and the frequency generator. Various other embodiments may be possible.

Inventors

조남준
오세정
나효석

Assignees

삼성전자주식회사

Dates

Publication Date: 20260511
Application Date: 20201012

Claims (20)

In the antenna module, At least one transmission chain including a first mixer that up-converts a transmission signal to a radio frequency band, wherein the first mixer includes a first terminal, a second terminal and a third terminal; At least one frequency generator configured to generate at least one signal, comprising a first input terminal into which a reference clock is input, a first output terminal and a second output terminal that output signals having different frequency bands; and An antenna module comprising: at least one switch that takes as input the at least one signal generated from the frequency generator and switches the at least one signal to selectively transmit it to the first mixer, wherein the at least one switch includes a first switch, a second switch, and a third switch.
In claim 1, The first switch is located on the path connecting the first output terminal and the first terminal, and The second switch is located on the path connecting the second output terminal and the second terminal, and The third switch is an antenna module located on a path connecting an input section where a reference clock is input and the first input section.
In claim 1, The above antenna module includes a first distribution coupler, and The first switch is located on the path connecting the first output terminal and the first distribution coupler, and The second switch is an antenna module located on a path connecting an input section to which a reference clock is input and the first input section.
In claim 1, The above antenna module includes a second mixer including a fourth terminal, and The above at least one frequency generator includes a first frequency generator and a second frequency generator, and The first frequency generator above includes the first output terminal and the first input terminal, and The second frequency generator above includes the second output terminal and the second input terminal, and The first switch is located on a path connecting the second terminal and the first output terminal, and The second switch is located on the path connecting the fourth terminal and the first output terminal, and The third switch is an antenna module located on a path connecting the common path of the first input terminal and the second input terminal and an input section into which a reference clock is input.
In claim 1, The above antenna module includes a first distribution coupler and a second mixer including a fourth terminal, and The above at least one frequency generator includes a first frequency generator and a second frequency generator, and The first frequency generator includes the first output terminal and the first input terminal, and The second frequency generator above includes the second output terminal and the second input terminal, and The first switch is located on the path connecting the first output terminal and the first distribution coupler, and The second switch is located on the path connecting the second output terminal and the fourth terminal, and The third switch is an antenna module located on a path connecting the input section into which a reference clock is input and the common path between the first input terminal and the second input terminal.
In claim 2, The above at least one frequency generator is an antenna module that generates a signal having an LO (local oscillator) frequency and a signal having an IF (intermediate frequency).
In claim 3, The above at least one frequency generator is an antenna module that generates a signal having an RF (radio frequency) frequency and a signal having an LO (local oscillator) frequency.
In claim 4, The first frequency generator above generates a signal having an LO (local oscillator) frequency, and The above second frequency generator is an antenna module that generates a signal having an IF (intermediate frequency).
In claim 5, The above first frequency generator generates a signal having RF (radio frequency), and The above second frequency generator is an antenna module that generates a signal having a local oscillator (LO).
In claim 1, The above antenna module is, It includes an antenna element comprising a first feed point and a second feed point, and The first feed point and the second feed point are orthogonal to each other in the antenna module.
In electronic devices, An antenna element including a first feed point; At least one transmission chain including a first mixer that is electrically coupled to the first feed point and up-converts a signal to be transmitted into a radio frequency band, wherein the first mixer includes a first terminal, a second terminal and a third terminal; At least one frequency generator configured to generate at least one signal, comprising a first input terminal into which a reference clock is input, a first output terminal and a second output terminal that output signals having different frequency bands; and An electronic device comprising: at least one switch that takes as input the at least one signal generated from the frequency generator and switches the at least one signal to selectively transmit it to the first mixer, wherein the at least one switch includes a first switch, a second switch, and a third switch.
In claim 11, The first switch is located on the path connecting the first output terminal and the first terminal, and The second switch is located on the path connecting the second output terminal and the second terminal, and The third switch is an electronic device located on a path connecting an input section to which a reference clock is input and the first input section.
In claim 11, The above electronic device includes a first distribution coupler, and The first switch is located on the path connecting the first output terminal and the first distribution coupler, and The second switch is an electronic device located on a path connecting an input section to which a reference clock is input and the first input section.
In claim 11, The above electronic device includes a second mixer comprising a fourth terminal, and The above at least one frequency generator includes a first frequency generator and a second frequency generator, and The first frequency generator above includes the first output terminal and the first input terminal, and The second frequency generator above includes the second output terminal and the second input terminal, and The first switch is located on a path connecting the second terminal and the first output terminal, and The second switch is located on the path connecting the fourth terminal and the first output terminal, and The above third switch is an electronic device located on a path connecting the common path of the first input terminal and the second input terminal and an input section into which a reference clock is input.
In claim 11, The above electronic device includes a first distribution coupler and a second mixer including a fourth terminal, and The above at least one frequency generator includes a first frequency generator and a second frequency generator, and The first frequency generator includes the first output terminal and the first input terminal, and The second frequency generator above includes the second output terminal and the second input terminal, and The first switch is located on the path connecting the first output terminal and the first distribution coupler, and The second switch is located on the path connecting the second output terminal and the fourth terminal, and The third switch is an electronic device located on a path connecting the input section into which a reference clock is input and the common path between the first input terminal and the second input terminal.
In claim 12, The above-mentioned at least one frequency generator is an electronic device that generates a signal having a local oscillator (LO) frequency and a signal having an intermediate frequency (IF).
In claim 13, The above-mentioned at least one frequency generator is an electronic device that generates a signal having an RF (radio frequency) frequency and a signal having an LO (local oscillator) frequency.
In claim 14, The first frequency generator above generates a signal having an LO (local oscillator) frequency, and The above second frequency generator is an electronic device that generates a signal having an IF (intermediate frequency).
In claim 15, The above first frequency generator generates a signal having RF (radio frequency), and The above second frequency generator is an electronic device that generates a signal having a local oscillator (LO).
In a test device, The above test device is, An antenna element including a first feed point; An antenna module electrically coupled to the above-mentioned first feed point; A board that generates a control signal to control the antenna module and supplies the control signal and a reference clock to the antenna module; A process PC that communicates with the above board; and It includes a power supply that supplies power to the above antenna module, and The above antenna module is, At least one transmission chain including a first mixer for up-converting a signal to be transmitted into a radio frequency band, wherein the first mixer includes a first terminal, a second terminal and a third terminal; At least one frequency generator configured to generate at least one signal, comprising a first input terminal into which a reference clock is input, a first output terminal and a second output terminal that output signals having different frequency bands; and A test device comprising: at least one switch that takes as input the at least one signal generated from the frequency generator and switches the at least one signal to selectively transmit it to the first mixer, wherein the at least one switch includes a first switch, a second switch, and a third switch.

Description

Antenna module for generating self-testing signal and electronic device using the same Various embodiments of the present disclosure relate to an apparatus and method for supporting self-diagnosis of an antenna module to be applied to an electronic device supporting a high frequency band. Next-generation (e.g., 5th- generation or pre-5G) communication systems (hereinafter referred to as "5G communication systems") may be implemented in high-frequency bands (e.g., millimeter Wave (mmWave)) to achieve high data transmission rates. For example, 5G communication systems may apply beamforming, massive multi-input multi-output (massive MIMO), full-dimensional MIMO (FD-MIMO), array antenna, analog beamforming, or large-scale antenna technologies to mitigate path loss and increase transmission distance in high-frequency bands. 5G communication systems can be based on wireless communication in high-frequency bands (e.g., mmWave, 20 GHz or higher) to achieve higher transmission speeds compared to 4G communication systems. For example, in a 5G communication system supporting the high-frequency (mmWave) band, electronic devices have adopted a new front-end structure in which the antenna and transceiver are integrated into a single module. FIG. 1 is a drawing illustrating a block configuration of an electronic device according to various embodiments of the present disclosure; FIG. 2 is a block diagram illustrating an electronic device in a network environment including a plurality of cellular networks according to various embodiments of the present disclosure; FIG. 3a is a drawing illustrating the structure of a first antenna module constituting a communication module of an electronic device according to various embodiments of the present disclosure; FIG. 3b is a drawing illustrating the structure of a second antenna module constituting an electronic device according to various embodiments of the present disclosure; FIG. 3c is a drawing illustrating the structure of a third antenna module constituting an electronic device according to various embodiments of the present disclosure; FIG. 4 is a drawing illustrating an example of an antenna module test system according to an embodiment of the present disclosure; FIG. 5a is a drawing illustrating an example of the structure of an antenna module capable of independently generating a self-diagnosis signal for self-diagnosis according to an embodiment of the present disclosure; FIG. 5b is a drawing illustrating an example of the structure of an antenna module capable of independently generating a self-diagnosis signal for self-diagnosis according to an embodiment of the present disclosure; FIG. 6 is a drawing illustrating an example of an antenna module capable of providing self-diagnosis using a single multi-frequency generator according to an embodiment of the present disclosure; FIG. 7 is a drawing illustrating another example of an antenna module capable of providing self-diagnosis by utilizing a single multi-frequency generator according to one embodiment of the present disclosure; FIG. 8 is a drawing illustrating an example of an antenna module capable of providing self-diagnosis by utilizing two frequency generators according to an embodiment of the present disclosure; FIG. 9 is a drawing illustrating another example of an antenna module (900) capable of providing self-diagnosis by utilizing two frequency generators according to one embodiment of the present disclosure; FIG. 10 is a drawing illustrating an internal block diagram of a multi-frequency generator including one voltage-controlled oscillator according to one embodiment of the present disclosure; FIG. 11 is a drawing illustrating an internal block diagram of a multi-frequency generator including two voltage-controlled oscillators according to one embodiment of the present disclosure; and FIG. 12 is a drawing illustrating the internal circuit of a reconfigurable mixer according to one embodiment of the present disclosure. The terms used in this disclosure are used merely to describe specific embodiments and are not intended to limit the scope of other embodiments. A singular expression may include a plural expression unless the context clearly indicates otherwise. Terms used herein, including technical or scientific terms, may have the same meaning as generally understood by those skilled in the art described in this disclosure. Terms used in this disclosure that are defined in a general dictionary may be interpreted as having the same or similar meaning as they have in the context of the relevant technology, and are not to be interpreted in an ideal or overly formal sense unless explicitly defined in this disclosure. In some cases, even terms defined in this disclosure are not to be interpreted to exclude the embodiments of this disclosure. In the embodiments of the present disclosure described below, a hardware-based approach is described as an example. However, since the embodiments of the present disclosure