Abstract:
Embodiments of this disclosure may include a receiver with a reconfigurable processing path for different signal conditions. Such a receiver may reconfigure between a mixer-first configuration and an amplifier-first configuration. In the mixer-first configuration, an RF input signal is not passed through an LNA for amplification before processing the RF input signal for downconversion to baseband and eventual extraction of the information in the signal. In the amplifier-first configuration, an RF input signal is passed through an LNA for amplification before processing the RF input signal for downconversion to baseband and eventual extraction of the information in the signal. Reconfiguring the receiver between mixer-first and amplifier-first configurations may be performed based on detection of jammer signals and/or measurement of signal-to-noise ratio (SNR).
Abstract:
The disclosure relates to an apparatus including a receiver configured to process a radio frequency (RF) signal to generate a baseband signal; a radio frequency (RF) jammer detector configured to generate a signal indicative of whether an RF jammer is present at an input of the receiver; and a receiver bias circuit configured to generate a supply voltage for the receiver based on the RF jammer indication signal. In another aspect, the apparatus includes constant gain bias circuit to maintain the gain of the receiver constant in response to changes in the supply voltage. In other aspects, the receiver bias circuit may suspend the generating of the supply voltage based on the RF jammer indication signal if the power level of the target received signal is above a threshold. In other aspects, the receiver bias circuit changes the supply voltage during cyclic prefix (CP) intervals between downlink intervals.
Abstract:
An amplifier module (600) with an output coupler (640) is disclosed. The amplifier module (600) may include a plurality of input terminals (601-605) and two or more output terminals (610, 611). Each input terminal may be coupled to an input of an independent amplifier (620-624). Outputs from the independent amplifiers (620-624) may be coupled to the two or more output terminals (610, 611). The amplifier module (600) may include an output coupler (640) to couple the two or more output terminals (610, 611) together. A signal may be received by a first output terminal (610) and be coupled by the output coupler (640) to a second output terminal (611). In some embodiments, when the two or more output terminals (610, 611) are coupled together, the independent amplifiers (620-624) may be made inactive or operated in a minimum gain configuration.
Abstract:
Reconfiguring a transceiver design using a plurality of frequency synthesizers and a plurality of carrier aggregation (CA) receiver (Rx) and transmitter (Tx) chains, the method including: connecting a first frequency synthesizer to a first CA Tx chain; connecting the plurality of frequency synthesizers to the plurality of CA Rx chains, wherein a second frequency synthesizer of the plurality of frequency synthesizers is connected as a shared synthesizer to a first CA Rx chain and a second CA Tx chain.
Abstract:
Certain aspects of the present disclosure provide multi-way diversity receivers with multiple synthesizers. Such a multi-way diversity receiver may be implemented in a carrier aggregation (CA) transceiver. One example wireless reception diversity circuit generally includes three or more receive paths for processing received signals and two or more frequency synthesizing circuits configured to generate local oscillating signals to downconvert the received signals. Each of the frequency synthesizing circuits is shared by at most two of the receive paths, and each pair of the frequency synthesizing circuits may generate a pair of local oscillating signals having the same frequency.
Abstract:
Multiplex modules for use in carrier aggregation receivers are disclosed. In an exemplary embodiment, an apparatus includes an LNA multiplexer configured to receive a plurality of RF signals at a plurality of input terminals and to combine the RF signals into a combined RF signal that is output from an output terminal. The apparatus also includes an LNA demultiplexer configured to receive the combined RF signal at an input port that is connected to the output terminal and to distribute the combined RF signal to a plurality of output ports.
Abstract:
A resonator of a VCO includes a fine tuning main varactor circuit, an auxiliary varactor circuit, and a coarse tuning capacitor bank circuit coupled in parallel with an inductance. The main varactor circuit includes a plurality of circuit portions that can be separately disabled. Within each circuit portion is a multiplexing circuit that supplies a selectable one of either a fine tuning control signal (FTAVCS) or a temperature compensation control signal (TCAVCS) onto a varactor control node within the circuit portion. If the circuit portion is enabled then the FTAVCS is supplied onto the control node so that the circuit portion is used for fine tuning. If the circuit portion is disabled then the TCAVCS is supplied onto the control node so that the circuit portion is used to combat VCO frequency drift as a function of temperature. How the voltage of the TCAVCS varies with temperature is digitally programmable.
Abstract:
Techniques for improving the quality factor ("Q") of a balun in the presence of loading stages are disclosed. In an exemplary embodiment, the ground node (101,2b) of a balun secondary (single-ended) element (101) is connected to a source node (200b) of an amplifier stage (200) via a common ground node (300a). The connection may be made physically short to minimize any parasitic elements. In another exemplary embodiment, the common ground node (300a)may be coupled to an off-chip ground voltage via a peaking inductor ( (300). The peaking inductor (300) may be implemented on-chiρ, e.g., as a spiral inductor, or off-chip e.g., using bondwires.
Abstract:
Differential signal output nodes of a CML buffer (102) are DC-coupled by contiguous conductors to the differential signal input nodes of a load (105) (for example, a CML logic element). The CML buffer (102) includes a pulldown load latch (112) that increases buffer transconductance and that provides a DC bias voltage across the conductors and onto the input nodes of the load (105), thereby obviating the need for the load to have DC biasing circuitry. Capacitors of a conventional AC coupling between buffer and load are not needed, thereby reducing the amount of die area needed to realize the circuit and thereby reducing the capacitance of the buffer-to-load connections. Switching power consumption is low due to the low capacitance buffer-to-load connections. Differential signals can be communicated from buffer to load over a wide frequency range of from less than five kilohertz to more than one gigahertz with less than fifty percent signal attenuation.
Abstract:
An amplifier (320) may include multiple stages (322, 324), with the multiple stages (322, 324) arranged in a fan-out configuration. The fan-out configuration provides multiple amplified signals at multiple amplifier output nodes, which may be coupled to a shared set of downconverters (330A, 330B, 330C). The shared downconverters (330A, 330B, 330C) may support processing of only a smaller bandwidth than the largest possible bandwidth of an input RF signal input to the amplifier (320). For example, the downconverters may support a bandwidth matching a smallest bandwidth of a supported RF signal. For example, when the amplifier (320) is intended to support 5G mmWave RF signals and 5G sub-6 GHz RF signals, the downconverters (330A, 330B, 330C) may each individually support a bandwidth of carriers in the 5G sub-6 GHz RF signals but not individually support the entire bandwidth of a possible 5G mmWave RF signal.