BEAMFORMING AND/OR MIMO RF FRONT-END

• US 20130322565A1
• Filed: 08/09/2013
• Published: 12/05/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 09/27/2006
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Avago Technologies International Sales Pte Limited (Broadcom, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Broadcom Corporation (Broadcom, Inc.)
• Inventors: Rofougaran, Ahmadreza (Reza)
• Granted Patent: US 9,154,199 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 375/295
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 7/0413 MIMO systems
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 7/0617 for beam forming
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 7/0669 using different channel coding between antennas space-time coding H04L1/0618
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 7/0689 using different transmission schemes, at least one of them being a diversity transmission scheme
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 7/0691 using subgroups of transmit antennas
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 7/086 using weights depending on external parameters, e.g. direction of arrival [DOA], predetermined weights or beamforming
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 7/0871 using different reception schemes, at least one of them being a diversity reception scheme
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 7/0874 using subgroups of receive antennas
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 1/0606 Space-frequency coding
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 1/0625 Transmitter arrangements
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 1/0643 block codes

Abstract

An RF front-end includes a transmit adjust module, a PA module, an antenna coupling circuit, a LNA module, and a receive adjust module. The transmit adjust module adjusts coordinates of up-converted analog signals when in a first transmit mode and adjusts coordinates of a plurality of up-converted analog signals when in a second transmit mode to produce to produce multiple adjusted up-converted signals and a plurality of adjusted up-converted signals, respectively, which are subsequently amplified by the PA module. The antenna coupling circuit provides the outbound RF signals to at least some of a plurality of antennas depending on the transmit mode and provides multiple or a plurality of inbound RF signals at least some of the plurality of antennas to the LNA module based on a receive mode. The receive adjust module adjusts coordinates of the multiple or plurality of amplified inbound RF signals based on the receive mode.

Claims

1. A wireless device comprising:

baseband processing circuitry;

up-conversion circuitry; and

a Radio Frequency (RF) front-end,

wherein, in an RF beamforming transmit mode;

the baseband processing circuitry is configured to convert outbound data into an outbound symbol stream;

the up-conversion circuitry is configured to convert the outbound symbol stream into an up-converted signal; and

the RF front-end is configured to adjust the up-converted signal to produce multiple adjusted up-converted signals, to amplify the multiple adjusted up-converted signals to produce multiple outbound RF signals, and to transmit the multiple outbound RF signals as a beamformed RF signal; and

wherein, in a multiple input multiple output (MIMO) transmit mode;

the baseband processing circuitry is configured to convert outbound data into a plurality of outbound symbol streams;

the up-conversion circuitry is configured to convert the plurality of outbound symbol streams into a plurality of up-converted signals;

the RF front-end configured to amplify the plurality of up-converted signals to produce a plurality of outbound RF signals and to transmit the plurality of outbound RF signals as a MIMO RF signal.

2. The wireless device of claim 1, wherein when the wireless device is in the RF beamforming transmit mode the baseband processing circuitry is further configured to adjust the up-converted signal to produce the plurality of adjusted up-converted signals.

3. The wireless device of claim 1, wherein when the wireless device is in the MIMO transmit mode the RF front end is further configured to adjust the plurality of up-converted signals to produce the plurality of outbound RF signals.

4. The wireless device of claim 1, wherein in the RF beamforming transmit mode the RF front end is further configured to:

adjust a phase angle of the up-converted signal based on a first phase angle adjust value to produce a first adjusted up-converted signal;

amplify the first adjusted up-converted signal to produce a first outbound RF signal;

adjust the phase angle of the up-converted analog signal based on a second phase angle adjust value to produce a second adjusted up-converted signal; and

amplify the second adjusted up-converted signal to produce a second outbound RF signal.

5. The wireless device of claim 1, wherein in the MIMO transmit mode the RF front end is configured to:

adjust a phase angle of a first one of the plurality of up-converted signals based on a first phase angle adjust value to produce a first outbound RF signal; and

adjust a phase angle of a second one of the plurality of up-converted signals based on a second phase angle adjust value to produce a second outbound RF signal.

6. The wireless device of claim 5, further comprising:

a first antenna having a first polarization configured to receive the first outbound RF signal; and

a second antenna having a second polarization that differs from the first polarization and configured to receive the second outbound RF signal.

7. The wireless device of claim 1, wherein the up-conversion circuitry and the RF front-end are formed on a common die of an integrated circuit.

8. The wireless device of claim 1, further comprising a case in which the baseband processing circuitry, up-conversion circuitry, and RF front-end are housed.

9. The wireless device of claim 1, further comprising host processing circuitry.

10. The wireless device of claim 1, wherein the wireless device is configured to select between the RF beamforming transmit mode and the MIMO transmit mode.

11. The wireless device of claim 1, wherein the wireless device is configured to select between the RF beamforming transmit mode and the MIMO transmit mode based upon a servicing communication infrastructure.

20. The method of claim 1, further comprising, in the MIMO transmit mode:

adjusting a phase angle of a first one of the plurality of up-converted signals based on a first phase angle adjust value to produce a first outbound RF signal; and

adjusting a phase angle of a second one of the plurality of up-converted signals based on a second phase angle adjust value to produce a second outbound RF signal.

12. A wireless device comprising:

baseband processing circuitry configured to support both cellular and Wireless Local Area Network (WLAN) communications;

up-conversion circuitry; and

a Radio Frequency (RF) front-end,

wherein, in an RF beamforming transmit mode;

the baseband processing circuitry is configured to convert outbound data into an outbound symbol stream;

the up-conversion circuitry is configured to convert the outbound symbol stream into an up-converted signal; and

the RF front-end is configured to adjust the up-converted signal to produce multiple adjusted up-converted signals, to amplify the multiple adjusted up-converted signals to produce multiple outbound RF signals, and to transmit the multiple outbound RF signals as a beamformed RF signal; and

wherein, in a multiple input multiple output (MIMO) transmit mode;

the baseband processing circuitry is configured to convert outbound data into a plurality of outbound symbol streams;

the up-conversion circuitry is configured to convert the plurality of outbound symbol streams into a plurality of up-converted signals;

the RF front-end configured to amplify the plurality of up-converted signals to produce a plurality of outbound RF signals and to transmit the plurality of outbound RF signals as a MIMO RF signal.

13. The wireless device of claim 12, wherein the up-conversion circuitry and the RF front-end are formed on a common die of an integrated circuit.

14. The wireless device of claim 12, further comprising a case in which the baseband processing circuitry, up-conversion circuitry, and RF front-end are housed.

15. The wireless device of claim 12, further comprising host processing circuitry.

16. A method for operating a wireless device comprising:

in an RF beamforming transmit mode;

baseband processing circuitry converting outbound data into an outbound symbol stream;

up-conversion circuitry converting the outbound symbol stream into an up-converted signal; and

an RF front-end adjusting the up-converted signal to produce multiple adjusted up-converted signals, amplifying the multiple adjusted up-converted signals to produce multiple outbound RF signals, and transmitting the multiple outbound RF signals as a beamformed RF signal; and

in a multiple input multiple output (MIMO) transmit mode;

the baseband processing circuitry converting outbound data into a plurality of outbound symbol streams;

the up-conversion circuitry converting the plurality of outbound symbol streams into a plurality of up-converted signals;

the RF front-end amplifying the plurality of up-converted signals to produce a plurality of outbound RF signals and transmitting the plurality of outbound RF signals as a MIMO RF signal.

17. The method of claim 16, further comprising, in the RF beamforming transmit mode, the baseband processing circuitry adjusting the up-converted signal to produce the plurality of adjusted up-converted signals.

18. The method of claim 16, further comprising, in the MIMO transmit mode the RF front end adjusting the plurality of up-converted signals to produce the plurality of outbound RF signals.

19. The method of claim 16, wherein in the RF beamforming transmit mode, adjusting the up-converted signal to produce multiple adjusted up-converted signals comprises:

adjusting a phase angle of the up-converted signal based on a first phase angle adjust value to produce a first adjusted up-converted signal;

amplifying the first adjusted up-converted signal to produce a first outbound RF signal;

adjusting the phase angle of the up-converted analog signal based on a second phase angle adjust value to produce a second adjusted up-converted signal; and

amplifying the second adjusted up-converted signal to produce a second outbound RF signal.