Weakly coupled tunable RF receiver architecture

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10965258-B2
Application number	US-201815961299-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Apr 24, 2018
Priority date	Aug 1, 2013
Publication date	Mar 30, 2021
Grant date	Mar 30, 2021

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.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. An apparatus comprising:
a first tunable radio frequency (RF) filter configured to receive and filter a first upstream RF signal to provide a first filtered RF signal, the first tunable RF filter comprising:
a first resonator magnetically coupled to a second resonator;
a first cross-coupling capacitive structure configured to provide a variable positive electric coupling coefficient between the first resonator and the second resonator; and
a second cross-coupling capacitive structure configured to provide a variable negative electric coupling coefficient between the first resonator and the second resonator;
wherein a first filter parameter of the first tunable RF filter is tunable in response to a first filter control signal which electrically adjusts the variable positive electric coupling coefficient and the variable negative electric coupling coefficient;

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; and
RF system control circuitry configured to construct a measurement-based RF spectrum profile and provide the first filter control signal based on the measurement-based RF spectrum profile.

2. The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the first tunable RF filter comprises a bandpass filter.

3. The apparatus of claim 2 , wherein the first filter parameter of the first tunable RF filter is a center frequency of the first tunable RF filter.

4. The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the first tunable RF filter comprises a low pass filter.

5. The apparatus of claim 4 , wherein the first filter parameter of the first tunable RF filter is a break frequency of the first tunable RF filter.

6. The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the first tunable RF filter comprises a high pass filter.

7. The apparatus of claim 6 , wherein the first filter parameter of the first tunable RF filter is a break frequency of the first tunable RF filter.

8. The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein a second filter parameter of the first tunable RF filter is tunable in response to the first filter control signal.

9. The apparatus of claim 8 , wherein:
the first tunable RF filter comprises a bandpass filter;
the first filter parameter of the first tunable RF filter is a center frequency of the first tunable RF filter; and
the second filter parameter of the first tunable RF filter is a bandwidth of the first tunable RF filter.

10. The apparatus of claim 1 , further comprising a second tunable RF filter coupled to a common connection node and comprising at least a third resonator magnetically coupled to a fourth resonator, the second tunable RF filter being configured to receive and filter a first downstream RF signal to provide a second filtered RF signal to the common connection node, wherein a first filter parameter of the second tunable RF filter is electrically tunable in response to a second filter control signal;
wherein:
the first tunable RF filter is coupled to the common connection node and configured to receive the first upstream RF signal from the common connection node; and
the RF system control circuitry is further configured to provide the second filter control signal based on the measurement-based RF spectrum profile.

11. The apparatus of claim 10 , further comprising a main antenna coupled to the common connection node and configured to simultaneously receive the first upstream RF signal and transmit the second filtered RF signal.

12. The apparatus of claim 10 , wherein:
the first tunable RF filter comprises a bandpass filter;
the second tunable RF filter comprises a low pass filter;
the first filter parameter of the first tunable RF filter is a center frequency of the first tunable RF filter; and
the first filter parameter of the second tunable RF filter is a break frequency of the second tunable RF filter.

13. The apparatus of claim 10 , wherein:
the first tunable RF filter comprises a bandpass filter;
the second tunable RF filter comprises a high pass filter;
the first filter parameter of the first tunable RF filter is a center frequency of the first tunable RF filter; and
the first filter parameter of the second tunable RF filter is a break frequency of the second tunable RF filter.

14. The apparatus of claim 10 , wherein:
the first tunable RF filter comprises a low pass filter;
the second tunable RF filter comprises a bandpass filter;
the first filter parameter of the first tunable RF filter is a break frequency of the first tunable RF filter; and
the first filter parameter of the second tunable RF filter is a center frequency of the second tunable RF filter.

15. The apparatus of claim 10 , wherein:
the first tunable RF filter comprises a high pass filter;
the second tunable RF filter comprises a bandpass filter;
the first filter parameter of the first tunable RF filter is a break frequency of the first tunable RF filter; and
the first filter parameter of the second tunable RF filter is a center frequency of the second tunable RF filter.

16. The apparatus of claim 10 , wherein:
the first tunable RF filter comprises a bandpass filter;
the second tunable RF filter comprises a bandpass filter;
the first filter parameter of the first tunable RF filter is a center frequency of the first tunable RF filter; and
the first filter parameter of the second tunable RF filter is a center frequency of the second tunable RF filter.

17. The apparatus of claim 16 , wherein:
a second filter parameter of the first tunable RF filter is tunable in response to the first filter control signal;
a second filter parameter of the second tunable RF filter is tunable in response to the second filter control signal;
the second filter parameter of the first tunable RF filter is a bandwidth of the first tunable RF filter; and
the second filter parameter of the second tunable RF filter is a bandwidth of the second tunable RF filter.

18. The apparatus of claim 10 , wherein:
the first tunable RF filter comprises a low pass filter;
the second tunable RF filter comprises a high pass filter;
the first filter parameter of the first tunable RF filter is a break frequency of the first tunable RF filter; and
the first filter parameter of the second tunable RF filter is a break frequency of the second tunable RF filter.

19. The apparatus of claim 10 , wherein the measurement-based RF spectrum profile comprises a profile of an RF communications band.

20. The apparatus of claim 19 , further comprising RF detection circuitry configured to provide a detected signal in the RF communications band to the RF system control circuitry;
wherein the measurement-based RF spectrum profile is based on a group of measurements comprising the detected signal.

Assignees

• Qorvo Us Inc

Inventors

• Maxim George
• Leipold Dirk Robert Walter
• Scott Baker

Classifications

• H03F2200/294

  the amplifier being a low noise amplifier [LNA] · CPC title

• H03F3/72

  Gated amplifiers, i.e. amplifiers which are rendered operative or inoperative by means of a control signal · CPC title

• H03H7/09

  Filters comprising mutual inductance · CPC title

• H03F3/193 Primary

  with field-effect devices (H03F3/195 takes precedence) · CPC title

• H03F2200/451

  the amplifier being a radio frequency amplifier · CPC title