NOISE CANCELLATION FOR ANTENNA MODULE

• US 20100048156A1
• Filed: 08/20/2009
• Published: 02/25/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 08/21/2008
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Intersil Americas LLC (Renesas Electronics Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Intersil Americas LLC (Renesas Electronics Corporation)
• Inventors: Hahn, Wilhelm Steffen
• Granted Patent: US 8,422,974 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 455/296
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 1/126 having multiple inputs, e.g. auxiliary antenna for receiving interfering signal aerials in general H01Q

Abstract

An antenna module with a detector and an associated canceller is disclosed. The detector may also detect interference and spurs. In one embodiment, an antenna module can include: an antenna configured to receive an electromagnetic signal in a signal path; an amplifier configured to amplify the received electromagnetic signal, and to provide the amplified signal at a first node; a filter configured to receive the amplified signal from the first node, and to provide a filtered signal output therefrom; and a noise canceller and a detector integrated in the signal path at the first node.

Claims

1. An antenna module, comprising:

an antenna configured to receive an electromagnetic signal in a signal path, the antenna being electrically coupled to a circuit connector;

an amplifier configured to amplify the received electromagnetic signal, and to provide the amplified signal at a first node;

a filter configured to receive the amplified signal from the first node, and to provide a filtered signal output therefrom; and

a noise canceller and a detector integrated in the signal path at the first node, wherein the amplifier, the filter, the noise canceller, and the detector are electrically coupled to the circuit connector.

2. The antenna module of claim 1, wherein the circuit connector comprises at least one of a rigid printed-circuit board (PCB) and a flexible connector.

3. The antenna module of claim 1, wherein the noise canceller is further configured to cancel detected interference and spurs.

4. The antenna module of claim 1, wherein the noise canceller comprises:

a quadrature splitter configured to receive an input signal and to provide first and second split signals;

a first controllable amplifier configured to receive the first split signal, and to provide a first split amplified signal therefrom;

a second controllable amplifier configured to receive the second split signal, and to provide a second split amplified signal therefrom;

a summation circuit configured to receive the first and second split amplified signals, and to provide an output signal therefrom; and

one or more controllable amplifiers before the quadrature splitter and/or after the summation circuit.

5. The antenna module of claim 4, wherein:

the first split signal is in-phase with the input signal; and

the second split signal is a quadrature signal relative to the input signal.

6. The antenna module of claim 1, wherein the detector comprises an ultrathin detector (UTD).

7. A method of canceling noise using integrated components in an active antenna module, the method comprising:

receiving an electromagnetic signal for a signal path;

amplifying and filtering the received signal to provide an amplified signal;

detecting noise, spurs, or other interference in a separate signal path;

canceling the detected noise, spurs, or interference from the signal path; and

filtering the signal path.

8. The method of claim 7, wherein the canceling further comprises using a canceller circuit to phase shift, amplify, and sum the detected noise.

9. An antenna module, comprising:

an antenna configured to receive an electromagnetic signal in a signal path, the antenna being electrically coupled to a circuit connector; and

a noise canceller with detector configured to cancel noise from the received electromagnetic signal in the signal path, wherein the noise canceller with detector are electrically coupled to the circuit connector and arranged in close proximity to the antenna.

10. The antenna module of claim 9, wherein the noise canceller comprises:

a quadrature splitter configured to receive an input signal and to provide first and second split signals;

a first controllable amplifier configured to receive the first split signal, and to provide a first split amplified signal therefrom;

a second controllable amplifier configured to receive the second split signal, and to provide a second split amplified signal therefrom; and

a summation circuit configured to receive the first and second split amplified signals, and to provide an output signal therefrom.

11. The antenna module of claim 10, wherein:

the first split signal is in-phase with the input signal; and

the second split signal is a quadrature signal relative to the input signal.

12. The antenna module of claim 10, further comprising a variable gain amplifier coupled to the input signal.

13. The antenna module of claim 10, further comprising a variable gain amplifier coupled to the output signal.

14. The antenna module of claim 9, wherein the circuit connector comprises a printed-circuit board (PCB), the antenna being located on a first side of the PCB, the noise canceller with detector being located on a second side of the PCB, the second side being opposite the first side.

15. The antenna module of claim 9, wherein the circuit connector comprises at least one of a PCB and a flexible connector, the antenna and the noise canceller with detector being located on a same side of the circuit connector.

16. The antenna module of claim 15, further comprising a shield at least partly covering the noise canceller with detector.

17. The antenna module of claim 9, wherein the antenna is located on a first side of the circuit connector, and the noise canceller with detector is located on a second side of the circuit connector, the second side being opposite the first side, the circuit connector being a flexible connector.

18. The antenna module of claim 17, wherein the noise canceller with detector is inverted with respect to the antenna.

19. The antenna module of claim 17, further comprising a shield at least partly covering the detector to change a directivity of the detector.

20. The antenna module of claim 17, wherein the flexible connector is configured to be bent such that the noise canceller with detector folds with respect to the antenna.