Partitioned radio-frequency apparatus and associated methods

• US 7,366,478 B2
• Filed: 06/28/2004
• Issued: 04/29/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 01/12/2001
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Silicon Laboratories Incorporated
• Original Assignee: Silicon Laboratories Incorporated
• Inventors: Scott, Jeffrey W., Tuttle, G. Tyson, Behrens, Richard T., Vishakhadatta, G. Diwakar, Srinivasan, Vishnu Shankar, Kerth, Donald A.
• Primary Examiner(s): Maung; Nay
• Assistant Examiner(s): Lee; John J.
• Application Number:
  US10/878,880
• Publication Number:
  US 20050003762A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,401 Days
• Field of Search: 455/88, 455/74, 455/552.1, 455/114.2, 455/86, 455/77, 455/78, 455/83, 455/87, 455/553.1, 455/147, 455/232.1, 455/187.1, 455/189.1, 455/191.1, 455/191.3, 455/164.2, 455/333, 455/127.4, 455/296, 455/313, 455/314, 455/234.1, 455/164.1, 455/255, 455/182.2, 455/192.1, 455/192.2, 455/136, 455/75, 455/73, 455/85, 455/138, 455/139, 455/550.1, 375/334, 375/316, 375/322, 375/355, 375/219, 375/345
• US Class Current: 455/75
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 1/0003 Software-defined radio [SDR] systems, i.e. systems wherein components typically implemented in hardware, e.g. filters or modulators/demodulators, are implented using software, e.g. by involving an AD or DA conversion stage such that at least part of the signal processing is performed in the digital domain digital baseband systems H04L25/00; digital modulation/demodulation H04L27/00; CDMA H04B1/707; TDMA H04B7/2643; image transmission H04N5/00
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 1/109 by improving strong signal performance of the receiver when strong unwanted signals are present at the receiver input
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 1/28 the receiver comprising at least one semiconductor device having three or more electrodes
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 1/406 with more than one transmission mode, e.g. analog and digital modes
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 15/02 Reducing interference from electric apparatus by means located at or near the interfering apparatus
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 15/04 the interference being caused by substantially sinusoidal oscillations, e.g. in a receiver or in a tape-recorder
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 2215/064 Reduction of clock or synthesizer reference frequency harmonics

Abstract

Radio-frequency (RF) apparatus includes receiver analog circuitry that receives an RF signal and provides at least one digital signal to receiver digital circuitry that functions in cooperation with the receiver analog circuitry. The receiver analog circuitry and the receiver digital circuitry are partitioned so that interference effects between the receiver analog circuitry and the receiver digital circuitry tend to be reduced.

Claims

1. A radio-frequency (RF) apparatus, comprising:

a low-noise amplifier (LNA) configured to receive a radio-frequency signal (RF) and to provide an amplified radio-frequency (RF) signal;

a complex down-converter coupled to the low-noise amplifier (LNA), the complex down-converter configured to convert the amplified radio-frequency (RF) signal to generate an in-phase signal and a quadrature signal;

a first programmable-gain amplifier (PGA) coupled to the complex down-converter, the first programmable-gain amplifier (PGA) configured to amplify the in-phase signal with a first programmable gain to generate an amplified in-phase signal;

a second programmable-gain amplifier (PGA) coupled to the complex down-converter, the second programmable-gain amplifier (PGA) configured to amplify the quadrature signal with a second programmable gain to generate an amplified quadrature signal; and

a complex analog-to-digital converter (ADC) coupled to the first and second programmable gain amplifiers (PGAs), the analog-to-digital converter (ADC) configured to convert the amplified in-phase signal to a one-bit in-phase digital signal, the analog-to-digital converter (ADC) further configured to convert the amplified quadrature signal to a one-bit quadrature digital signal.

2. The radio-frequency (RF) apparatus of claim 1, wherein the low-noise amplifier (LNA) is a tri-band low-noise amplifier (LNA).

3. The radio-frequency (RF) apparatus of claim 2, wherein the complex down-converter mixes the amplified radio-frequency signal with a local oscillator signal in order to generate the in-phase and quadrature signals.

4. The radio-frequency (RF) apparatus of claim 3, wherein the complex analog-to-digital converter (ADC) comprises sigma-delta converter circuitry.

5. The radio-frequency (RF) apparatus of claim 4, wherein the one-bit in-phase digital signal comprises a differential signal.

6. The radio-frequency (RF) apparatus of claim 5, wherein the one-bit quadrature digital signal comprises a differential signal.

7. The radio-frequency (RF) apparatus of claim 6, wherein the local oscillator signal comprises a differential signal.

8. The radio-frequency (RF) apparatus of claim 7, wherein the local oscillator signal comprises a radio-frequency (RF) local-oscillator signal.