Multiple frequency antenna array for use with an RF transmitter or transceiver

• US 7,792,548 B2
• Filed: 09/28/2006
• Issued: 09/07/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 09/28/2006
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Avago Technologies General IP PTE Limited (Broadcom, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Broadcom Corporation (Broadcom, Inc.)
• Inventors: Rofougaran, Ahmadreza (Reza)
• Primary Examiner(s): Urban; Edward
• Assistant Examiner(s): HANIDU, GANIYU A
• Application Number:
  US11/529,058
• Publication Number:
  US 20080081670A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,440 Days
• Field of Search: 455/101, 455/103, 455 59- 60, 343/700, 343/702, 343/745, 343/895
• US Class Current: 455/562.1
• CPC Class Codes: H01Q 1/2258 used with computer equipment
• CPC Class Codes: H01Q 1/241 used in mobile communications, e.g. GSM H01Q1/247, H01Q1/248 take precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H01Q 21/28 Combinations of substantially independent non-interacting antenna units or systems multiple beam H01Q25/00
• CPC Class Codes: H01Q 21/30 Combinations of separate antenna units operating in different wavebands and connected to a common feeder system
• CPC Class Codes: H01Q 25/00 Antennas or antenna systems providing at least two radiating patterns arrangements for changing or varying the orientation or the shape of the directional pattern H01Q3/00
• CPC Class Codes: H01Q 5/00 Arrangements for simultaneous operation of antennas on two or more different wavebands, e.g. dual-band or multi-band arrangements combinations of separate active antenna units operating in different wavebands and connected to a common feeder system H01Q21/30

Abstract

A multiple frequency antenna array includes a first antenna circuit and a second antenna circuit. The first antenna circuit has a first radiation pattern and is tuned to a first carrier frequency. The first antenna circuit transmits a first representation of a radio frequency (RF) signal at the first carrier frequency, where the first carrier frequency corresponds to a carrier frequency of the RF signal and a first frequency offset. The second antenna circuit has a second radiation pattern and is tuned to a second carrier frequency. The second antenna circuit transmits a second representation of the RF signal at the second carrier frequency, where the second carrier frequency corresponds to the carrier frequency of the RF signal and a second frequency offset.

Claims

1. A radio frequency (RF) transceiver comprises:

up-conversion module coupled to convert an outbound signal into outbound RF signal;

power amplifier module coupled to;

produce a first representation of the outbound RF signal at a first transmit carrier frequency for transmission from a first antenna, wherein the first transmit carrier frequency corresponds to a carrier frequency of the outbound RF signal offset by a first transmit frequency offset; and

produce a second representation of the outbound RF signal at a second transmit carrier frequency for transmission from a second antenna, wherein the second transmit carrier frequency corresponds to the carrier frequency of the outbound RF signal offset by a second transmit frequency offset, and wherein the first transmit frequency offset and the second transmit frequency offset have frequency offset values to maintain the first transmit carrier frequency and the second transmit carrier frequency within a bandwidth of the outbound RF signal, but have sufficient frequency separation to inhibit nulling of an antenna pattern generated from the first and second antennas in transmitting the first and second representations of the outbound RF signal;

a low noise amplifier module coupled to;

receive a first representation of an inbound RF signal at a first receive carrier frequency at the first antenna, wherein the first receive carrier frequency corresponds to a carrier frequency of the inbound RF signal offset by a first receive frequency offset;

receive a second representation of the inbound RF signal at a second receive carrier frequency at the second antenna, wherein the second receive carrier frequency corresponds to the carrier frequency of the inbound RF signal offset by a second receive frequency offset, and wherein the first receive frequency offset and the second receive frequency offset have frequency offset values to maintain the first receive carrier frequency and the second receive carrier frequency within a bandwidth of the inbound RF signal, but have sufficient frequency separation to inhibit nulling of the first and second representations of the inbound RF signal; and

produce the inbound RF signal from the first and second representations of the inbound RF signal; and

a down conversion module coupled to convert the inbound RF signal into an inbound signal.

2. The RF transceiver of claim 1 further comprises:

antenna coupling to couple the power amplifier module to a multiple frequency antenna array having the first antenna and the second antenna, wherein the multiple frequency antenna array includes;

a first antenna circuit that generates a first radiation pattern at the first antenna and is tuned to the first transmit carrier frequency to transmit the first representation of the outbound RF signal; and

a second antenna circuit that generates a second radiation pattern at the second antenna and is tuned to the second transmit carrier frequency to transmit the second representation of the outbound RF signal.

3. The RF transceiver of claim 2, wherein the antenna coupling couples the low noise amplifier module to the multiple frequency antenna array, in which:

the first antenna circuit is tuned to the first receive carrier frequency to receive the first representation of the inbound RF signal; and

the second antenna circuit is tuned to the second receive carrier frequency to receive the second representation of the inbound RF signal.

4. The RF transceiver of claim 1, wherein the first transmit carrier frequency substantially equals the first receive carrier frequency and the second transmit carrier frequency substantially equals the second receive carrier frequency.

5. The RF transceiver of claim 1, wherein the power amplifier module comprises:

a power amplifier circuit coupled to amplify the outbound RF signal to produce an amplified outbound RF signal;

a first mixer coupled to mix the amplified outbound RF signal with the first transmit frequency offset to produce the first representation of the outbound RF signal; and

a second mixer coupled to mix the amplified outbound RF signal with the second transmit frequency offset to produce the second representation of the outbound RF signal.

6. The RF transceiver of claim 5, wherein the power amplifier module comprises:

a first impedance matching circuit coupled to an output of the first mixer, wherein the first impedance matching circuit is tuned to provide a desired impedance at the first transmit carrier frequency; and

a second impedance matching circuit coupled to an output of the second mixer, wherein the second impedance matching circuit is tuned to provide a desired impedance at the second transmit carrier frequency.

7. The RF transceiver of claim 1, wherein the power amplifier module comprises:

a first mixer coupled to mix the outbound RF signal with the first transmit frequency offset to produce a first mixed representation of the outbound RF signal;

a second mixer coupled to mix the outbound RF signal with the second transmit frequency offset to produce a second mixed representation of the outbound RF signal;

a first power amplifier circuit coupled to amplify the first mixed representation of the outbound RF signal to produce the first representation of the outbound RF signal; and

a second power amplifier circuit coupled to amplify the second mixed representation of the outbound RF signal to produce the second representation of the outbound RF signal.

8. The RF transceiver of claim 1, wherein the power amplifier module comprises:

a mixer coupled to mix the outbound RF signal with the first transmit frequency offset to produce a first mixed representation of the outbound RF signal and a second mixed representation of the outbound RF signal, wherein the first mixed representation corresponds to an upper side band and the second mixed representation corresponds to a lower side band;

a first power amplifier circuit coupled to amplify the first mixed representation of the outbound RF signal to produce the first representation of the outbound RF signal; and

a second power amplifier circuit coupled to amplify the second mixed representation of the outbound RF signal to produce the second representation of the outbound RF signal.

9. A radio frequency (RF) transmitter comprises:

up-conversion module coupled to convert an outbound signal into outbound RF signal; and

power amplifier module coupled to;

produce a first representation of the outbound RF signal at a first transmit carrier frequency for transmission from a first antenna, wherein the first transmit carrier frequency corresponds to a carrier frequency of the outbound RF signal offset by a first transmit frequency offset; and

produce a second representation of the outbound RF signal at a second transmit carrier frequency for transmission from a second antenna, wherein the second transmit carrier frequency corresponds to the carrier frequency of the outbound RF signal offset by a second transmit frequency offset, and wherein the first transmit frequency offset and the second transmit frequency offset have frequency offset values to maintain the first transmit carrier frequency and the second transmit carrier frequency within a bandwidth of the outbound RF signal, but have sufficient frequency separation to inhibit nulling of an antenna pattern generated from the first and second antennas in transmitting the first and second representations of the outbound RF signal.

10. The RF transmitter of claim 9 further comprises:

antenna coupling to couple the power amplifier module to a multiple frequency antenna array having the first antenna and the second antenna, wherein the multiple frequency antenna array includes;

a first antenna circuit that generates a first radiation pattern at the first antenna and is tuned to the first transmit carrier frequency to transmit the first representation of the outbound RF signal; and

a second antenna circuit that generates a second radiation pattern at the second antenna and is tuned to the second transmit carrier frequency to transmit the second representation of the outbound RF signal.

11. The RF transmitter of claim 9, wherein the power amplifier module comprises:

a power amplifier circuit coupled to amplify the outbound RF signal to produce an amplified outbound RF signal;

a first mixer coupled to mix the amplified outbound RF signal with the first transmit frequency offset to produce the first representation of the outbound RF signal; and

a second mixer coupled to mix the amplified outbound RF signal with the second transmit frequency offset to produce the second representation of the outbound RF signal.

12. The RF transmitter of claim 11, wherein the power amplifier module comprises:

a first impedance matching circuit coupled to an output of the first mixer, wherein the first impedance matching circuit is tuned to provide a desired impedance at the first transmit carrier frequency; and

a second impedance matching circuit coupled to an output of the second mixer, wherein the second impedance matching circuit is tuned to provide a desired impedance at the second transmit carrier frequency.

13. The RF transmitter of claim 9, wherein the power amplifier module comprises:

a first mixer coupled to mix the outbound RF signal with the first transmit frequency offset to produce a first mixed representation of the outbound RF signal;

a second mixer coupled to mix the outbound RF signal with the second transmit frequency offset to produce a second mixed representation of the outbound RF signal;

a first power amplifier circuit coupled to amplify the first mixed representation of the outbound RF signal to produce the first representation of the outbound RF signal; and

a second power amplifier circuit coupled to amplify the second mixed representation of the outbound RF signal to produce the second representation of the outbound RF signal.

14. The RF transmitter of claim 9, wherein the power amplifier module comprises:

a mixer coupled to mix the outbound RF signal with the first transmit frequency offset to produce a first mixed representation of the outbound RF signal and a second mixed representation of the outbound RF signal, wherein the first mixed representation corresponds to an upper side band and the second mixed representation corresponds to a lower side band;

a first power amplifier circuit coupled to amplify the first mixed representation of the outbound RF signal to produce the first representation of the outbound RF signal; and

a second power amplifier circuit coupled to amplify the second mixed representation of the outbound RF signal to produce the second representation of the outbound RF signal.