Integrated circuit for communication

• US 9,281,853 B2
• Filed: 05/07/2014
• Issued: 03/08/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 08/22/2013
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: MediaTek Singapore Pte. Ltd. (MediaTek, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: MediaTek Singapore Pte. Ltd. (MediaTek, Inc.)
• Inventors: Ong, Beng-Hwee, Shana'a, Osama K A, Khoo, Ee-Sze
• Primary Examiner(s): Nguyen, Duc M
• Application Number:
  US14/271,526
• Publication Number:
  US 20150056939A1
• Time in Patent Office: 671 Days
• Field of Search: 455/130, 455/226.1, 455/226.2, 455/232.1, 455/245.1, 455/250.1, 455/296, 455/305, 455/307, 455/311, 455/334
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 1/1027 assessing signal quality or detecting noise/interference for the received signal
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 1/1036 with automatic suppression of narrow band noise or interference, e.g. by using tuneable notch filters H04B1/123 takes precedence; filter circuits H03H
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 1/109 by improving strong signal performance of the receiver when strong unwanted signals are present at the receiver input

Abstract

The present invention provides an integrated circuit for communication, e.g., for mobile radio-frequency (RF) telecommunication, including a resonator, a main amplifier, a matching circuit, a blocker detector, a mixer circuit, and a translation filter. The resonator provides conversion from single-end to differential, and filtering function for rejecting blockers at harmonics of local oscillation signal. The blocker detector detects occurrence of blocker; according to whether blocker exists, the main amplifier amplifies differential signal of the resonator by different gains, and the mixer circuit mixes amplified signal with different numbers of mixers. The translation filter contributes to rejection of blockers closed to in-band by providing a first pass band which is translated to a second pass band by the mixer circuit. The matching circuit provides impedance match.

Claims

1. An integrated circuit for communication, comprising:

a receiver terminal;

a resonator electrically coupled between the receiver terminal and an internal port, capable of providing a conversion from single-end signal to differential signal, and capable of providing a filtering function;

a main amplifier electrically coupled between the internal port and a high-frequency port, capable of amplifying a first signal at the internal port and accordingly providing a second signal at the high-frequency port;

a blocker detector electrically coupled to the internal port, capable of detecting occurrence of blocker;

a mixer circuit electrically coupled between the high-frequency port and a low-frequency port, capable of mixing the second signal with an oscillation signal; and

a translation filter electrically coupled to the low-frequency port, capable of providing a first pass band at the low-frequency port;

wherein the mixer circuit is further capable of translating the first pass band to a second pass band at the high-frequency port;

the mixer circuit comprises a main mixer and an auxiliary mixer, and

when blocker is not detected, the mixer circuit is further capable of operating in a normal mode to enable the main mixer and disable the auxiliary mixer, and

when blocker is detected, the mixer circuit is further capable of operating in an OOB mode to enable both the main mixer and the auxiliary mixer.

2. The integrated circuit of claim 1, wherein the resonator comprises:

a first coil comprising a first end and a second end, the first end being electrically coupled to the receiver terminal; and

a second coil magnetically coupled to the first coil, comprising a third end and a forth end electrically coupled to two nodes of the internal port.

3. The integrated circuit of claim 2, wherein the resonator further comprises:

a first cross capacitor connected between the first end and the third end.

4. The integrated circuit of claim 3, wherein the resonator further comprising:

a second cross capacitor connected between the second end and the fourth end.

5. The integrated circuit of claim 3, wherein the first cross capacitor is programmable.

6. The integrated circuit of claim 1, wherein

when blocker is not detected, the main amplifier is further capable of operating in the normal mode to amplify the first signal by a first gain, and

when blocker is detected, the main amplifier is further capable of operating in the out-of-band (OOB) mode to amplify the first signal by a second gain which differs from the first gain.

7. The integrated circuit of claim 6, wherein the first gain is greater than the second gain.

8. The integrated circuit of claim 1 further comprising:

a matching circuit electrically coupled to the internal port, capable of providing impedance for a first internal node of the internal port and a second internal node of the internal port.

9. The integrated circuit of claim 8, wherein the matching circuit comprises:

an auxiliary amplifier electrically coupled between the internal port and an auxiliary port;

a first feedback impedance electrically coupled between the first internal node and a first auxiliary node of the auxiliary port; and

a second feedback impedance electrically coupled between the second internal node and a second auxiliary node of the auxiliary port.

10. The integrated circuit of claim 9, wherein the first feedback impedance is programmable.

11. The integrated circuit of claim 1, wherein the main amplifier comprises:

a first trans-conductance cell electrically coupled between a first internal node of the internal port and a second high-frequency node of the high-frequency port; and

a second trans-conductance cell electrically coupled between a second internal node of the internal port and a first high-frequency node of the high-frequency port.

12. The integrated circuit of claim 11, wherein the first trans-conductance cell comprises a first transistor having a gate and a drain electrically coupled to the first internal node and the first high-frequency node respectively.

13. The integrated circuit of claim 1, wherein the translation filter comprises:

a filter capacitor electrically coupled between a first low-frequency node of the low-frequency port and a second low-frequency node of the low-frequency port;

a first resistor electrically coupled between the first low-frequency node and a first filter node; and

a second resistor electrically coupled between the second low-frequency node and a second filter node.

14. The integrated circuit of claim 13 further comprising:

a low-pass filter electrically coupled to the first filter node and the second filter node.

15. The integrated circuit of claim 1, wherein frequency of the first pass band is lower than frequency of the second pass band.

16. The integrated circuit of claim 15, wherein the first pass band is a low-pass band.

17. The integrated circuit of claim 1, wherein the filtering function of the resonator is associated with a harmonic of the oscillation signal.

18. An integrated circuit for communication, comprising:

a receiver terminal;

a resonator electrically coupled between the receiver terminal and an internal port, capable of providing a conversion from single-end signal to differential signal, and capable of providing a filtering function;

a main amplifier electrically coupled between the internal port and a high-frequency port, capable of amplifying a first signal at the internal port and accordingly providing a second signal at the high-frequency port;

a matching circuit electrically coupled to the internal port, capable of providing impedance for a first internal node of the internal port and a second internal node of the internal port;

the matching circuit comprising an auxiliary amplifier electrically coupled between the internal port and an auxiliary port, a first feedback impedance electrically coupled between the first internal node and a first auxiliary node of the auxiliary port, and a second feedback impedance electrically coupled between the second internal node and a second auxiliary node of the auxiliary port;

a mixer circuit electrically coupled between the high-frequency port and a low-frequency port, capable of mixing the second signal with an oscillation signal; and

a translation filter electrically coupled to the low-frequency port, capable of providing a first pass band at the low-frequency port;

wherein the mixer circuit is further capable of translating the first pass band to a second pass band at the high-frequency port.