Weakly coupled tunable RF receiver architecture

• US 9,954,498 B2
• Filed: 05/05/2017
• Issued: 04/24/2018
• Est. Priority Date: 08/01/2013
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Qorvo US, Inc. (Qorvo, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Qorvo US, Inc. (Qorvo, Inc.)
• Inventors: Maxim, George, Leipold, Dirk Robert Walter, Scott, Baker
• Primary Examiner(s): TRAN, PABLO N
• Application Number:
  US15/587,581
• Publication Number:
  US 20170237404A1
• Time in Patent Office: 354 Days
• CPC Class Codes: H03F 1/56 Modifications of input or output impedances, not otherwise provided for
• CPC Class Codes: H03F 1/565 using inductive elements
• CPC Class Codes: H03F 2200/111 the amplifier being a dual or triple band amplifier, e.g. 900 and 1800 MHz, e.g. switched or not switched, simultaneously or not
• CPC Class Codes: H03F 2200/165 A filter circuit coupled to the input of an amplifier
• CPC Class Codes: H03F 2200/222 A circuit being added at the input of an amplifier to adapt the input impedance of the amplifier
• CPC Class Codes: H03F 2200/267 A capacitor based passive circuit, e.g. filter, being used in an amplifying circuit
• CPC Class Codes: H03F 2200/294 the amplifier being a low noise amplifier [LNA]
• CPC Class Codes: H03F 2200/391 the output circuit of an amplifying stage comprising an LC-network
• CPC Class Codes: H03F 2200/451 the amplifier being a radio frequency amplifier
• CPC Class Codes: H03F 2203/7209 the gated amplifier being switched from a first band to a second band
• CPC Class Codes: H03F 3/193 with field-effect devices H03F3/195 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H03F 3/245 with semiconductor devices only
• CPC Class Codes: H03F 3/68 Combinations of amplifiers, e.g. multi-channel amplifiers for stereophonics power amplifiers using a combination of several semiconductor amplifiers H03F3/211; combinations of amplifiers using coupling networks with distributed constants H03F3/602
• CPC Class Codes: H03F 3/72 Gated amplifiers, i.e. amplifiers which are rendered operative or inoperative by means of a control signal
• CPC Class Codes: H03H 2210/012 Centre frequency; Cut-off frequency
• CPC Class Codes: H03H 2210/025 Capacitor
• CPC Class Codes: H03H 2210/04 Filter calibration method
• CPC Class Codes: H03H 7/09 Filters comprising mutual inductance
• CPC Class Codes: H03H 7/1775 Parallel LC in shunt or branch path H03H7/1791 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H03H 7/38 Impedance-matching networks
• CPC Class Codes: H03J 3/06 : Arrangements for obtaining constant bandwidth or gain throughout tuning range or ranges
• CPC Class Codes: H03J 5/242 : used exclusively for band selection
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 1/04 : Circuits

Abstract

RF communications circuitry, which includes a first tunable RF filter and a first RF low noise amplifier (LNA) is disclosed. The first tunable RF filter includes a pair of weakly coupled resonators, and receives and filters a first upstream RF signal to provide a first filtered RF signal. The first RF LNA is coupled to the first tunable RF filter, and receives and amplifies an RF input signal to provide an RF output signal.

Claims

1. An apparatus comprising:

a first tunable RF filter configured to receive and filter a first upstream RF signal to provide a first filtered RF signal, wherein a frequency response of the first tunable RF filter is tunable in response to a control signal; and

a first RF low noise amplifier (LNA) coupled to the first tunable RF filter and configured to receive and amplify a first RF input signal to provide a first RF output signal, wherein the first tunable RF filter comprises a first resonator and a second resonator, such that the first resonator and the second resonator are magnetically coupled to one another;

the first resonator is a single-ended resonator, which is configured to receive the first upstream RF signal; and

the second resonator is a differential resonator, which is configured to provide the first filtered RF signal.

2. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein the first RF LNA comprises a field effect transistor (FET) configured to receive and amplify the first RF input signal.

3. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein the first tunable RF filter is further configured to provide at least a partial impedance match to the first RF LNA.

4. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein the first RF LNA is further configured to have an input noise voltage and the first tunable RF filter is further configured to provide at least a partial noise impedance match to the first RF LNA.

5. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein the first tunable RF filter is further configured to simultaneously provide at least a partial impedance match to the first RF LNA and at least a partial noise impedance match to the first RF LNA.

6. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein the first tunable RF filter is coupled to an input of the first RF LNA.

7. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein the first tunable RF filter is further configured to transform an input impedance to the first tunable RF filter to an output impedance from the first tunable RF filter.

8. The apparatus of claim 7 wherein the output impedance is greater than the input impedance, such that the first tunable RF filter is further configured to provide voltage gain.

9. The apparatus of claim 7 wherein the input impedance is on the order of 50 ohms.

10. The apparatus of claim 7 wherein the output impedance is on the order of a noise impedance of the first RF LNA.

11. The apparatus of claim 7 further comprising control circuitry configured to estimate a voltage standing wave ration (VSWR) of the apparatus and adjust the input impedance based on the VSWR.

12. The apparatus of claim 1 further comprising control circuitry configured to receive the first filtered RF signal.

13. The apparatus of claim 1 further comprising control circuitry and configured to transmit an RF transmit signal, which is an interference signal, wherein the control circuitry is configured to monitor current consumption of the first RF LNA and add a notch filter response to the first tunable RF filter if the current consumption exceeds a current threshold, such that a notch frequency of the notch filter response is about equal to a frequency of the RF transmit signal.

14. The apparatus of claim 1 further comprising a second tunable RF filter configured to receive and filter a second upstream RF signal to provide a second filtered RF signal, wherein the first filtered RF signal is the first RF input signal and the first RF output signal is the second upstream RF signal.

15. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein a main antenna is configured to provide the first upstream RF signal.

16. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein a diversity antenna is configured to provide the first upstream RF signal.

17. The apparatus of claim 1 further comprising:

a first RF filter structure comprising the first tunable RF filter and a second tunable RF filter, wherein the second tunable RF filter is configured to receive and filter a second upstream RF signal to provide a second filtered RF signal; and

a second RF LNA coupled to the second tunable RF filter and configured to receive and amplify a second RF input signal to provide a second RF output signal.

18. The apparatus of claim 17 wherein an output from the first tunable RF filter is coupled to an output from the second tunable RF filter, the first RF output signal is the first upstream RF signal, the second RF output signal is the second upstream RF signal, and the first tunable RF filter and the second tunable RF filter provide direct output multiplexing.

19. The apparatus of claim 17 wherein the first tunable RF filter and the second tunable RF filter are configured to simultaneously receive and filter the first upstream RF signal and the second upstream RF signal, respectively, thereby providing receive carrier aggregation.

20. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein the first tunable RF filter further comprises a third resonator, which is magnetically coupled to the second resonator;

the first resonator and the third resonator are not electrically coupled to the second resonator; and

the third resonator is a single-ended resonator, which is configured to receive the first upstream RF signal.