Reconfigurable MIMO transceiver and method for use therewith

• US 8,064,533 B2
• Filed: 09/15/2008
• Issued: 11/22/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 12/29/2006
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: NXP USA, Inc. (NXP Semiconductors NV)
• Original Assignee: Broadcom Corporation (Broadcom, Inc.)
• Inventors: Rofougaran, Ahmadreza (Reza)
• Primary Examiner(s): Ha; Dac V.
• Assistant Examiner(s): HEARD, ERIN FILE
• Application Number:
  US12/210,678
• Publication Number:
  US 20090010316A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,163 Days
• Field of Search: 375/267
• US Class Current: 375/267
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 2223/6677 for antenna, e.g. antenna included within housing of semiconductor device antennas per se H01Q
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 23/66 High-frequency adaptations
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 25/0655 the devices being arranged next to each other
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 25/16 the devices being of types provided for in two or more different main groups of groups H01L27/00 - H01L33/00, or in a single subclass of H10K, H10N, e.g. forming hybrid circuits
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 2924/00 Indexing scheme for arrangements or methods for connecting or disconnecting semiconductor or solid-state bodies as covered by H01L24/00
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 2924/0002 Not covered by any one of groups H01L24/00, H01L24/00 and H01L2224/00
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 2924/19104 on the semiconductor or solid-state device, i.e. passive-on-chip
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 2924/3011 Impedance
• CPC Class Codes: H01Q 1/2225 used in active tags, i.e. provided with its own power source or in passive tags, i.e. deriving power from RF signal
• CPC Class Codes: H01Q 1/2283 mounted in or on the surface of a semiconductor substrate as a chip-type antenna or integrated with other components into an IC package
• CPC Class Codes: H01Q 1/38 formed by a conductive layer on an insulating support patch antennas H01Q9/0407; microstrip dipole antennas H01Q9/065; microstrip slot antennas H01Q13/106; transmission line microstrip antennas H01Q13/206; manufacturing reflecting surfaces using insulating material for supporting the reflecting surface H01Q15/142
• CPC Class Codes: H01Q 23/00 Antennas with active circuits or circuit elements integrated within them or attached to them
• CPC Class Codes: H01Q 9/065 Microstrip dipole antennas patch antenna H01Q9/0407

Abstract

A wireless transceiver includes a plurality of antennas. A plurality of signal recovery circuits generate a selected number of received signals from a first subset of the plurality of antennas, based on a control signal. A receiver section recovers an inbound data stream from the selected number of received signals. A plurality of transmitter sections generate a selected number of transmitted signals to a second subset of the plurality of antennas, based on the control signal, wherein the intersection between the first subset of the plurality of antennas and the second subset of the plurality of antennas is the null set for each value of the control signal.

Claims

1. A wireless transceiver comprising:

a plurality of antennas;

a plurality of signal recovery circuits, coupled to the plurality of antennas, that generate a selected number of received signals from a first subset of the plurality of antennas, based on a control signal;

a receiver section, coupled to the plurality of signal recovery modules, that recovers an inbound data stream from the selected number of received signals; and

a plurality of transmitter sections, coupled to the plurality of antennas, that generate a selected number of transmitted signals to a second subset of the plurality of antennas, based on the control signal;

wherein the intersection between the first subset of the plurality of antennas and the second subset of the plurality of antennas is a null set for each value of the control signal and wherein the second subset of the plurality of antennas produce a combined RF signal that is intermodulated based on a first RF signal produced by a first antenna of the second subset of the plurality of antennas and a second RF signal produced by a second antenna of the second subset of the plurality of antennas.

2. The wireless transceiver of claim 1 further comprising:

a plurality of transmission lines for coupling the plurality of antennas to the plurality of signal recovery circuits and the plurality of transmitter sections.

3. The wireless transceiver of claim 1 further comprising:

a processing module, coupled to the plurality of signal recovery circuits and the plurality of transmitter sections, that generates the control signal.

4. The wireless transceiver of claim 3 wherein the receiver section further generates a combined signal based on the selected number of received signals and the wireless transceiver section further comprises:

a clock recovery circuit, coupled to the receiver section, that generates a recovered clock signal based on the combined signal, and wherein the processing module is clocked based on the recovered clock signal.

5. The wireless transceiver of claim 1 wherein the second subset of the plurality of antennas produce a combined RF signal with controllable power based on a selection of the second subset of the plurality of antennas.

6. The wireless transceiver of claim 1 wherein the second subset of the plurality of antennas produce a combined RF signal that is polar modulated based on a first RF signal produced by a first antenna of the second subset of the plurality of antennas and a second RF signal produced by a second antenna of the second subset of the plurality of antennas.

7. The wireless transceiver of claim 1 wherein the plurality of signal recovery circuits includes a plurality of rectifiers that generate a selected number of power supply signals, the wireless transceiver further comprising:

a power recovery circuit, coupled to the plurality of rectifiers, that generates a recovered power signal based on the selected number of power supply signals.

8. The wireless transceiver of claim 7 wherein the selected number of power supply signals includes a plurality of power supply signals and wherein the power recover circuit generates the recovered power signal based on a combination of the plurality of power supply signals.

9. The wireless transceiver of claim 1 wherein the selected number of received signals includes a plurality of received signals and wherein the receiver section generates the inbound data stream based on a combination of the plurality of received signals.

10. A method comprising:

generating a selected number of received signals from a first subset of a plurality of antennas, based on a control signal;

recovering an inbound data stream from the selected number of received signals;

generating a selected number of transmitted signals to a second subset of the plurality of antennas, based on the control signal;

generating a selected number of power supply signals; and

generating a recovered power signal based on the selected number of power supply signals;

wherein the intersection between the first subset of the plurality of antennas and the second subset of the plurality of antennas is a null set for each value of the control signal.

11. The method of claim 10 further comprising:

coupling the plurality of antennas to a plurality of signal recovery circuits and a plurality of transmitter sections via a plurality of transmission lines.

12. The method of claim 10 further comprising:

generating the control signal.

13. The method of claim 10 further comprising:

generating a combined signal based on the selected number of received signals; and

generating a recovered clock signal based on the combined signal.

14. The method of claim 10 wherein the second subset of the plurality of antennas produce a combined RF signal with controllable power based on a selection of the second subset of the plurality of antennas.

15. The method of claim 10 wherein the second subset of the plurality of antennas produce a combined RF signal that is intermodulated based on a first RF signal produced by a first antenna of the second subset of the plurality of antennas and a second RF signal produced by a second antenna of the second subset of the plurality of antennas.

16. The method of claim 10 wherein the second subset of the plurality of antennas produce a combined RF signal that is polar modulated based on a first RF signal produced by a first antenna of the second subset of the plurality of antennas and a second RF signal produced by a second antenna of the second subset of the plurality of antennas.

17. The method of claim 10 wherein the selected number of power supply signals includes a plurality of power supply signals and wherein generating the recovered power signal is based on a combination of the plurality of power supply signals.

18. The method of claim 10 wherein the selected number of received signals includes a plurality of received signals and wherein generating the inbound data stream is based on a combination of the plurality of received signals.