Method and system for processing signals in a high performance receive chain

• US 8,374,560 B2
• Filed: 09/15/2010
• Issued: 02/12/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 12/06/2006
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Avago Technologies International Sales Pte Limited (Broadcom, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Broadcom Corporation (Broadcom, Inc.)
• Inventors: Behzad, Arya, Ojo, Adedayo, Chang, Yuyu, Chien, Hung-Ming, Rao, Kishore Rama, Seetharam, Guruprasad
• Primary Examiner(s): LE, NHAN T
• Application Number:
  US12/882,684
• Publication Number:
  US 20110002257A1
• Time in Patent Office: 881 Days
• Field of Search: 455/127.1, 455/127.2, 455/127.3, 455/313, 455/323, 455/334, 455/341, 455/550.1, 455/552.1, 455/553.1, 330/88, 330/98
• US Class Current: 455/127.3
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 1/0057 using diplexing or multiplexing filters for selecting the desired band
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 1/0082 with a common local oscillator for more than one band
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 1/06 Receivers
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 7/084 Equal gain combining, only phase adjustments antenna beam scanning or forming by phase or amplitude control H01Q3/26, e.g. phased arrays

Abstract

Aspects of a method and system for processing signals in a high performance receive chain may include amplifying a plurality of radio frequency signals in one or more respective one or ones of a plurality of amplifier chains in a multistandard radio frequency front-end, which may comprise one or more shared processing stages. The plurality of radio frequency signals may be compliant with a plurality of radio frequency communication standards and may be received concurrently. The one or more shared processing stages may be shared between two or more of the plurality of amplifier chains. Each of the two or more of the plurality of amplifier chains may be operable to amplify signals compliant with different radio frequency communication standards.

Claims

1. A method for processing communication signals, the method comprising:

amplifying a plurality of radio frequency (RF) signals in a plurality of amplifier chains in a RF front-end comprising at least one shared processing stage, wherein;

said plurality of RF signals are compliant with a plurality RF communication standards

said a least one shared processing stage is shared between at least two of said amplifier chains;

each of said at least two amplifier chains configured to amplify RF signals compliant with different RF communication standards.

2. The method according to claim 1, further comprising combining a number of said amplified RF signals compliant with the same RF communication standard into a combined RF signal.

3. The method according to claim 2, further comprising modulating said combined RF signal to obtain an inphase channel and a quadrature channel.

4. The method according to claim 3, further comprising processing channel and said quadrature channel in an I-channel processing circuit and a Q-channel processing circuit to generate an output analog baseband signal.

5. The method according to claim 4, further comprising filtering said inphase channel and said quadrature channel using a plurality of transimpedance amplifiers with low-pass filtering characteristics in said I-channel processing circuit and said Q-channel processing circuit.

6. The method according to claim 4, further comprising amplifying said inphase channel and said quadrature channel using a plurality of transimpedance amplifiers with low-pass filtering characteristics in said I-channel processing circuit and said Q-channel processing circuit.

7. The method according to claim 4, wherein said I-channel processing circuit and said Q-channel processing circuit comprise a plurality of filters that are switchable between a plurality of filtering characteristics.

8. The method according to claim 7, comprising compensating DC offset introduced by said plurality of filters using a plurality of DC loops.

9. The method according to claim 4, wherein said I-channel processing circuit and said Q-channel processing circuit comprise a plurality of variable gain filters.

10. The method according to claim 9, comprising offsetting DC offset introduced by said plurality of variable gain amplifiers using a plurality of DC loops.

11. The method according to claim 2, further comprising demodulating said combined RF signal by using a plurality of transconductance multipliers.

12. The method according to claim 2, wherein at least a portion of said number of amplified RF signals are phase-shifted before combining.

13. The method according to claim 12, wherein said at least a portion of said number of amplified RF signals are constructively summed when combined.

14. The method according to claim 2, wherein said number of amplified RF signals have substantially equal gain.

15. The method according to claim 1, wherein said RF front-end is configured to process Bluetooth®

signals and a plurality of Wireless Local Area Network (WLAN) signals.

16. The method according to claim 1, wherein each of said plurality of amplifier chains comprise at least a first amplifier and a second amplifier.

17. The method according to claim 16, wherein said first amplifier is shared between at least one Bluetooth®

signal processing path and at least one WLAN signal processing path.

18. The method according to claim 17, further comprising isolating said at least one Bluetooth®

signal processing path from WLAN local oscillator signals by said second amplifier.

19. The method according to claim 17, further comprising isolating said at least one WLAN signal processing path from Bluetooth®

local oscillator signals by said second amplifier.

20. The method according to claim 1, wherein said plurality of RF communication standards comprise WLAN 802.11 and Bluetooth.

21. The method of claim 1, further comprising

amplifying a second plurality of RF signals in a second plurality of amplifier chains in said RF front-end that do not include a shared processing stage.

22. The method according to claim 21, further comprising combining a number of said amplified second plurality of RF signals into a second combined RF signal.

23. The method according to claim 22, further comprising modulating said second combined RF signal to obtain an inphase channel and a quadrature channel.

24. The method according to claim 23, further comprising processing inphase channel and quadrature channel in a an I-channel processing circuit and a Q-channel processing circuit to generate an output analog baseband signal.

25. The method according to claim 24, further comprising filtering said inphase channel and said quadrature channel using a plurality of transimpedance amplifiers with low-pass filtering characteristics in said I-channel processing circuit and said Q-channel processing circuit.

26. The method according to claim 24, further comprising amplifying said inphase channel and said quadrature channel using a plurality of transimpedance amplifiers with low-pass filtering characteristics in said I-channel processing circuit and said Q-channel processing circuit.

27. The method according to claim 24, wherein said I-channel processing circuit and said Q-channel processing circuit comprise a plurality of filters that are switchable between a plurality of filtering characteristics.

28. The method according to claim 27, comprising compensating DC offset introduced by said plurality of filters using a plurality of DC loops.

29. The method according to claim 24, wherein said I-channel processing circuit and said Q-channel processing circuit comprise a plurality of variable gain filters.

30. The method according to claim 29, comprising offsetting DC offset introduced by said plurality of variable gain amplifiers using a plurality of DC loops.

31. The method according to claim 22, further comprising demodulating said second combined RF signal by using a plurality of transconductance multipliers.

32. The method according to claim 21, wherein each of said second plurality of amplifier chains comprise at least a first amplifier and a second amplifier.

33. The method according to claim 21, wherein said second plurality of RF signals comprise WLAN 802.11 signals.

34. The method according to claim 1, wherein said plurality of RF signals are received concurrently.

35. A system for processing communication signals, the system comprising:

a plurality of amplifier chains in a radio frequency (RF) front-end comprising at least one shared processing stage, said plurality if amplifier chains configured to;

amplify a plurality of RF signals compliant with a plurality of RF communication standards;

share said at least one shared processing stage between at least two of said amplifier chains; and

amplify RF signals compliant with different RF communication standards in each of said at least two amplifier chains.

36. The system according to claim 35, further configured to combine a number of said amplified RF signals compliant with the same RF communication standard into a combined RF signal.

37. The system according to claim 36, further configured to demodulate said combined RF signal to obtain an inphase channel and a quadrature channel.

38. The system according to claim 37, further comprising an I-channel processing circuit and a Q-channel processing circuit, which process said inphase channel and said quadrature channel to generate an output analog baseband signal.

39. The system according to claim 38, further comprising a plurality of transimpedance amplifiers with low-pass filtering characteristics in said I-channel processing circuit and said Q-channel processing circuit, which filter said inphase channel and said quadrature channel.

40. The system according to claim 38, further comprising a plurality of transimpedance amplifiers with low-pass filtering characteristics in said I-channel processing circuit and said Q-channel processing circuit, which amplify said inphase channel and said quadrature channel.

41. The system according to claim 38, further comprising a plurality of filters within I-channel processing circuit and said Q-channel processing circuit, which are switchable between a plurality of filtering characteristics.

42. The system according to claim 41, further comprising a plurality of DC loops, which compensate for DC offset introduced by said plurality of filters.

43. The system according to claim 38, further comprising a plurality of variable gain filters within said I-channel processing circuit and said Q-channel processing circuit.

44. The system according to claim 43, further comprising a plurality of DC loops, which compensate for DC offset introduced by said plurality of variable gain amplifiers.

45. The system according to claim 36, further comprising a plurality of transconductance multipliers, which demodulate said combined RF signal.

46. The system according to claim 36, wherein at least a portion of said number of amplified RF signals are phase-shifted before combining.

47. The system according to claim 46, wherein said at least a portion of said number of amplified RF signals are constructively summed when combined.

48. The system according to claim 36, wherein said number of amplified RF signals have substantially equal gain.

49. The system according to claim 35, wherein said RF front-end is configured to process Bluetooth®

signals and a plurality of Wireless Local Area Network (WLAN) signals.

50. The system according to claim 35, wherein each of said plurality of amplifier chains comprise at least a first amplifier and a second amplifier.

51. The system according to claim 50, wherein said first amplifier is shared between at least one Bluetooth®

signal processing path and at least one WLAN signal processing path.

52. The system according to claim 51, wherein said at least one Bluetooth®

signal processing path is isolated from WLAN local oscillator signals by said second amplifier.

53. The system according to claim 51, wherein said at least one WLAN signal processing path is isolated from Bluetooth®

local oscillator signals by said second amplifier.

54. The system according to claim 35, wherein said plurality of RF communication standards comprise WLAN 802.11 and Bluetooth.

55. The system of claim 35, further comprising

a second plurality of amplifier chains in a said RF front-end that do not include shared processing stage;

said second plurality of amplifier chains configured to

amplify a second plurality of RF signals.

56. The system according to claim 55, further configured to combine a number of said amplified second plurality of RF signals into a second combined RE signal.

57. The system according to claim 56, further configured to demodulate said second combined RF signal to obtain an inphase channel and a quadrature channel.

58. The system according to claim 57, further comprising an I-channel processing circuit and a Q-channel processing circuit, which process said inphase channel and said quadrature channel to generate an output analog baseband signal.

59. The system according to claim 58, further comprising a plurality of transimpedance amplifiers with low-pass filtering characteristics in said I-channel processing circuit and said Q-channel processing circuit, which filter said inphase channel and said quadrature channel.

60. The system according to claim 58, further comprising a plurality of transimpedance amplifiers with low-pass filtering characteristics in said I-channel processing circuit and said Q-channel processing circuit, which amplify said inphase channel and said quadrature channel.

61. The system according to claim 58, further comprising a plurality of filters within said I-channel processing circuit and said Q-channel processing circuit, which are switchable between a plurality of filtering characteristics.

62. The system according to claim 61, further comprising a plurality of DC loops, which compensate for DC offset introduced by said plurality of filters.

63. The system according to claim 58, further comprising a plurality of variable gain filters within said I-channel processing circuit and said Q-channel processing circuit.

64. The system according to claim 63, further comprising a plurality of DC loops, which compensate for DC offset introduced by said plurality of variable gain amplifiers.

65. The system according to claim 56, further comprising a plurality of transconductance multipliers, which demodulate said second combined RF signal.

66. The system according to claim 55, wherein each of said second plurality of amplifier chains comprise at least a first amplifier and a second amplifier.

67. The system according to claim 55, wherein said second plurality of RF signals comprise WLAN 802.11 signals.

68. The system according to claim 35, wherein said plurality of RF signals are received concurrently.