Transceiver arrangement and method for processing a signal

• US 20070197170A1
• Filed: 02/12/2007
• Published: 08/23/2007
• Est. Priority Date: 02/10/2006
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Intel Corporation
• Original Assignee: Intel Mobile Communications GmbH (Intel Corporation)
• Inventors: Boos, Zdravko
• Granted Patent: US 8,254,860 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 455/78
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 1/406 with more than one transmission mode, e.g. analog and digital modes
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 7/082 selecting best antenna path
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 7/084 Equal gain combining, only phase adjustments antenna beam scanning or forming by phase or amplitude control H01Q3/26, e.g. phased arrays
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 7/0874 using subgroups of receive antennas

Abstract

A transceiver arrangement includes a first receive path with a first connection and a first receive amplifier, and a second receive path with a second connection, a second receive amplifier, and a frequency conversion device. A controllable coupling device is configured to couple an output of the first receive amplifier to an input of the frequency conversion device on the second signal path. Furthermore, the transceiver arrangement includes a control circuit configured to deliver a control signal to the coupling device for combining signals delivered by the first and second receive amplifier in the correct phase based on a signal supplied by the receive paths. This achieves receive diversity wherein, on the one hand, additional external components are no longer necessary and, on the other hand, adequate signal quality is ensured even with a simultaneous transmit process of the transceiver arrangement.

Claims

1. A transceiver arrangement, comprising:

a first receive path comprising a first connection and a first receive amplifier;

a second receive path comprising a second connection, a second receive amplifier, and a frequency conversion device;

a controllable coupling device configured to couple an output of the first receive amplifier to an input of the frequency conversion device on the second signal path;

a control circuit configured to provide a control signal to the coupling device for selectively combining signals delivered by the first and second receive amplifier in the correct phase based on a parameter which is derived from a signal present at the first connection or second connection, or both.

2. The transceiver arrangement of claim 1, further comprising:

a transmit path comprising a tap to provide a transmit signal;

a compensation circuit coupled to the tap of the transmit path at an input end thereof, and to an input of the frequency conversion device at the output end thereof, and configured to suppress a transmit signal component cross-feeding onto the first or second receive path.

3. The transceiver arrangement of claim 2, wherein the compensation circuit comprises an output element configured to couple out a component of the signal to be delivered by the transmit path.

4. The transceiver arrangement of claim 1, wherein the controllable coupling device is configured to couple the output of the first receive amplifier to the frequency conversion device in a first switching state and the outputs of the first and second receive amplifier to the frequency conversion device in a second switching state.

5. The transceiver arrangement of claim 1, wherein the control circuit comprises a device configured to detect a signal strength or a signal quality of a signal that is derived from a signal at the first connection or the second connection for generating a parameter.

6. The transceiver arrangement of claim 1, wherein the first receive amplifier is configured to exhibit a smaller noise figure than the second receive amplifier.

7. The transceiver arrangement of claim 1, wherein the first receive path is coupled to a first antenna and the second receive path is coupled to a second antenna.

8. The transceiver arrangement of claim 7, wherein the second connection of the second receive path is coupled to the second antenna via a coupling element, and wherein the tap of the transmit path is coupled to the second antenna via the coupling element.

9. The transceiver arrangement of claim 7, further comprising a filter device arranged between the first connection and the first antenna.

10. The transceiver arrangement of claim 7, wherein the coupling between the second connection and the second antenna is arranged without filter therebetween.

11. The transceiver arrangement of claim 1, wherein the first and the second receive amplifiers have a different linear transfer characteristic or a different noise figure from one another.

12. The transceiver arrangement claim 1, wherein a noise figure of the first receive amplifier is smaller than a smaller noise figure of the second receive amplifier.

13. A transceiver arrangement, comprising:

a first signal path configured to amplify a received signal with a signal strength;

a second signal path configured to amplify the received signal;

a frequency conversion device; and

a selection circuit configured to selectively couple the first signal path, the second signal path or both signal paths to the frequency conversion device based on a parameter derived from the received signal.

14. The transceiver arrangement of claim 13, wherein the selection circuit comprises a controllable phase adjusting device connected to the first signal path at an input end thereof and to an output of the second signal path at an output end thereof, and configured to combine signals of the first and second signal path in the correct phase.

15. The transceiver arrangement of claim 13, wherein the parameter derived from the received signal represents a signal strength of the received signal or a signal quality of the received signal.

16. The transceiver arrangement of claim 13, further comprising:

a transmit path configured to amplify a signal to be transmitted;

a compensation device configured to compensate for a signal component cross-feeding from the transmit path onto the first or second receive path, or both.

17. The transceiver arrangement of claim 13, further comprising:

a first antenna coupled to the first receive path;

a second antenna coupled to the second receive path; and

wherein the transceiver arrangement is configured to receive the signal with the aid of the first and second antenna in a diversity mode that is set by the selection circuit.

18. The transceiver arrangement of claim 13, wherein the transceiver arrangement is configured to receive and process signals according to a first and at least one second mobile communication standard, and wherein the second signal path is adopted to amplify a signal only in accordance with the first communication standard.

19. A method for processing a signal, comprising:

receiving the signal via a first signal path;

determining a parameter characterizing the received signal;

evaluating the parameter; and

selecting at least one of the following based on the evaluation of the parameter;

receiving the signal via the first signal path and processing the signal;

receiving the signal via a second signal path and processing the signal; and

receiving the signal via the first and a second signal path and jointly processing the signal received via the first and the second signal path.

20. The method of claim 19, wherein determining a parameter comprises at least one of the following:

determining a power of the received signal;

determining a signal/noise ratio in the received signal;

determining an adjacent channel power with respect to a useful channel in the received signal; and

determining a data error rate after a demodulation of the received signal.

21. The method of claim 19, wherein the receiving and joint processing comprises:

amplifying the received signal on the first signal path with a first gain factor;

amplifying the received signal on the second signal path with a second gain factor; and

adding the amplified signals of the first and second signal path in the correct phase.

22. The method of claim 19, further comprising:

providing a signal to be transmitted;

amplifying and transmitting the provided signal;

determining a signal component of the signal to be transmitted cross-feeding onto the first or second signal path;

coupling out a component of the signal to be transmitted; and

adding the component coupled out to the received signal with inverted phase to compensate for the cross-feeding signal component.