Integrous signal combiner

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-2016352373-A1
Application number	US-201615166930-A
Country	US
Kind code	A1
Filing date	May 27, 2016
Priority date	May 28, 2015
Publication date	Dec 1, 2016
Grant date	—

Abstract

A front-end module (FEM) is disclosed that includes an integrous signal combiner. The integrous signal combiner can process received signals and use a set of resonant circuits to filter signal noise prior to recombination of a plurality of signal bands that form an aggregate carrier signal. These resonant circuits may be placed after a set of low noise amplifiers and can be used to more efficiently reduce noise and parasitic loading within each of a set of signal paths. Each resonant circuit may be configured to filter noise relating to a bandwidth for a signal that is to be combined with the signal of the signal path that includes the resonant circuit. In some implementations, the integrous signal combiner can be a tunable integrous signal combiner with resonant circuits that may be reconfigurable or dynamically configurable.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1 . An integrous signal combiner comprising:
a plurality of inputs, each input configured to receive a signal of a different frequency than the other inputs of the plurality of inputs; an output configured to provide an integrous signal to a subsequent processing block; a plurality of low noise amplifiers (LNAs); and a plurality of resonant circuits, each resonant circuit corresponding to a different LNA from the plurality of LNAs.

2 . The integrous signal combiner of claim 1 wherein the subsequent processing block is a transceiver.

3 . The integrous signal combiner of claim 1 further comprising a combiner configured to combine a plurality of integrous signals, each of the integrous signals from the plurality of integrous signals output by a different resonant circuit from the plurality of resonant circuits.

4 . The integrous signal combiner of claim 1 wherein the integrous signal is a combined signal created from a plurality of communication bands.

5 . The integrous signal combiner of claim 1 wherein the integrous signal is formed from a single communication band.

6 . The integrous signal combiner of claim 1 wherein at least one resonant circuit from the plurality of resonant circuits includes a switch that when closed causes the at least one resonant circuit to be bypassed.

7 . The integrous signal combiner of claim 1 further comprising a switch between an LNA from the plurality of LNAs and a corresponding resonant circuit from the plurality of resonant circuits, the switch configured to switch between the corresponding resonant circuit and a bypass path that bypasses the corresponding resonant circuit.

8 . The integrous signal combiner of claim 1 wherein at least one resonant circuit from the plurality of resonant circuits includes a switched capacitor enabling the at least one resonant circuit to be dynamically adjusted.

9 . A front-end module (FEM) comprising:
a multiplexer network configured to receive a signal from a diversity antenna and to split the signal into a plurality of signal portions corresponding to a plurality of communication bands; and an integrous signal combiner configured to receive the plurality of communication bands at a plurality of inputs, each input receiving a signal portion associated with a different communication band from the plurality of communication bands, the integrous signal combiner including the plurality of inputs, an output configured to provide an integrous signal to a subsequent processing block, a plurality of low noise amplifiers (LNAs), and a plurality of resonant circuits, each resonant circuit corresponding to a different LNA from the plurality of LNAs.

10 . The FEM of claim 9 further comprising a plurality of filters positioned between the multiplexer network and the integrous signal combiner, each filter from the plurality of filters receiving a different signal portion from the plurality of signal portions and configured to remove out-of-band signals from the received signal portion.

11 . The FEM of claim 9 wherein the integrous signal combiner further includes a combiner configured to combine a plurality of integrous signals, each of the integrous signals from the plurality of integrous signals output by a different resonant circuit from the plurality of resonant circuits.

12 . The FEM of claim 9 wherein the integrous signal is a multiband signal created from a plurality of communication bands.

13 . The FEM of claim 9 wherein at least one resonant circuit from the plurality of resonant circuits includes a bypass switch that when closed causes a filter circuit of the at least one resonant circuit to be bypassed.

14 . The FEM of claim 9 wherein the integrous signal combiner further includes a switch between an LNA from the plurality of LNAs and a corresponding resonant circuit from the plurality of resonant circuits, the switch configured to switch between a signal path that includes the corresponding resonant circuit and a bypass path that does not include the corresponding resonant circuit.

15 . The FEM of claim 9 wherein at least one resonant circuit from the plurality of resonant circuits includes an adjustable capacitor enabling the at least one resonant circuit to be dynamically adjusted.

16 . A wireless device comprising:
an antenna configured to receive a carrier aggregated (CA) signal from a base station; and a front-end module (FEM) including a multiplexer network and an integrous signal combiner, the multiplexer network configured to split the CA signal received at the antenna into a plurality of signal portions corresponding to a plurality of communication bands, the integrous signal combiner configured to receive the plurality of communication bands at a plurality of inputs, each input receiving a signal portion associated with a different communication band from the plurality of communication bands, the integrous signal combiner including the plurality of inputs, an output configured to provide an integrous signal to a subsequent processing block, a plurality of low noise amplifiers (LNAs), and a plurality of resonant circuits, each resonant circuit corresponding to a different LNA from the plurality of LNAs.

17 . The wireless device of claim 16 wherein the antenna is a diversity antenna and the FEM is a diversity FEM.

18 . The wireless device of claim 16 wherein the FEM further includes a plurality of filters positioned between the multiplexer network and the integrous signal combiner, each filter from the plurality of filters receiving a different signal portion from the plurality of signal portions and configured to remove noise components from the received signal portion.

19 . The wireless device of claim 16 wherein each of the plurality of resonant circuits is deactivated when the FEM receives a single band signal from the antenna.

20 . The wireless device of claim 16 wherein at least one resonant circuit from the plurality of resonant circuits includes an adjustable circuit element enabling the at least one resonant circuit to be dynamically tuned.

Assignees

• Skyworks Solutions Inc

Inventors

• Wloczysiak Stephane Richard Marie

Classifications

• H04B1/10

  Means associated with receiver for limiting or suppressing noise or interference · CPC title

• H04B1/163 Primary

  Special arrangements for the reduction of the damping of resonant circuits of receivers (amplifiers H03F; negative impedance networks for line transmission systems H04B3/16) · CPC title

• H04B1/48 Primary

  in circuits for connecting transmitter and receiver to a common transmission path, e.g. by energy of transmitter {(H04B1/46 takes precedence)} · CPC title

• H04B1/0064

  with separate antennas for the more than one band (H04B1/0053 takes precedence) · CPC title