Low noise block converter integrated circuit

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-2020007084-A1
Application number	US-201916421285-A
Country	US
Kind code	A1
Filing date	May 23, 2019
Priority date	Jun 29, 2018
Publication date	Jan 2, 2020
Grant date	—

Abstract

The disclosure provided a low noise block converter for converting RF signal received from a satellite into IF signal, where the image rejection of the RF signal is performed in two stages through a low noise amplifier (LNA) integrated circuit (IC). The disclosure reduced the number of discrete components by integrating electronic components onto one integrated circuit (or chip), and at the same, improves the noise figure of the LNB converter. The LNB IC comprises LNA circuits, RF path selector, and signal downconverter, where the image rejection is performed by a combination of the LNA circuits and the signal downconverter.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1 . A low noise block (LNB) integrated circuit (IC) in an integrated chip, comprising:
a first pin and a second pin, receiving first and second polarization signals respectively; a first low noise amplification (LNA) circuit, coupled to the first pin for receiving the first polarization signal from an antenna, partially removing image signal from the first polarization signal, and generating a first amplified and filtered polarization signal; a second low noise amplification circuit, coupled to the second pin for receiving the second polarization signal from the antenna, partially removing image signal from the second polarization signal, and generating a second amplified and filtered polarization signal; a RF path selector, coupled to the first and second amplification circuits, and directing the path of the first and second amplified and filtered polarization signals; and a signal downconverter, coupled between the RF path selector and a first output pin.

2 . The LNB IC of claim 1 , wherein each of the first and second low noise amplification circuits comprises a low noise amplifier and an image rejection filter, wherein the image rejection filter is configured to partially remove the image signal from the received first and second polarization signals.

3 . The LNB IC ( 10 ) of claim 2 , wherein the low noise amplifier is a two-stage low noise amplifier comprising an input stage and an output stage, and wherein the image rejection filter is coupled between the input and output stages of the two-stage noise amplifier.

4 . The LNB IC of claim 1 , wherein each of the first and second low noise amplification circuits comprises an ESD circuit and silicon inductors or wire-bonding inductors.

5 . The LNB IC of claim 1 , further comprising:
a third pin, connected to an external power supply, and a fourth pin and a fifth pin, coupled to an external clock.

6 . The LNB IC of claim 1 , further comprising:
a sixth pin; and a control circuit, coupled to the third pin, controlling a first amplifier coupled between the first polarization signal and the first pin and a second amplifier coupled between the second polarization signal and the second pin.

7 . The LNB IC of claim 1 , wherein the signal downconverter is configured to frequency-convert an output of the RF path selector by mixing the first or second amplified and filtered polarization signal with a local oscillation signal and to further remove the image signal from the first and second polarization signals.

8 . The LNB IC of claim 7 , wherein the signal downconverter comprises:
an image rejection mixer, receiving the first or second amplified and filtered polarization signal from the RF path selector and mixing the first or second amplified and filtered polarization signal based on a local oscillation signal generated by a local oscillator for generating a first intermediate frequency (IF) signal and a second IF signal; a first IF amplifier, coupled to the image rejection mixer; an IF filter, coupled to the IF amplifier, and re-combining the first and second IF signals for further removing the image signal from the received first and second polarization signals; and a second IF amplifier, coupled to the IF filter and amplifying the output of the IF filter.

9 . The LNB IC of claim 8 , wherein the signal downconverter comprises:
a frequency detector, coupled to the local oscillator, monitoring the received first and second polarization signals as to detect the presence of a signal at a specific frequency, and transmitting a control signal to the local oscillator as to select the local oscillation frequency used for mixing the first or second amplified and filtered polarization signal based on the detection of the presence of the signal at the specific frequency.

10 . The LNB IC of claim 1 , wherein the RF path selector is configured to output the first or second amplified and filtered polarization signal to the first output pin thru Nth output pin independently.

11 . The LNB IC of claim 10 , wherein the signal downconverter comprises a plurality of signal downconverters, coupled between the RF path selector and the first thru the Nth output pins.

12 . A low noise block (LNB) converter, comprising:
a circuit board; and a LNB integrated circuit (IC), disposed on the circuit board, converting a first polarized signal and a second polarized signal to an intermediate frequency (IF) signal, wherein the LNB IC comprises:
a first on-chip low noise amplification circuit, coupled to a first pin for receiving the first polarized signal from an antenna, partially removing image signal from the first polarized signal, and generating a first amplified and filtered polarized signal;
a second on-chip low noise amplification circuit, coupled to a second pin for receiving the second polarized signal from the antenna, partially removing image signal from the second polarized signal, and generating a second amplified and filtered polarized signal;
a RF path selector, coupled to the first and second amplification circuits, and directing the path of the first and second amplified and filtered polarization signals; and
a signal downconverter, coupled between the RF path selector and a first output pin for receiving the first or second amplified and filtered polarization signal, and generating the intermediated frequency signal to the first output pin.

13 . The LNB converter of claim 12 , wherein each of the first and second low noise amplification circuits comprises a low noise amplifier and an image rejection filter, wherein the image rejection filter is configured to partially remove the image signal from the received first and second polarization signals.

14 . The LNB converter of claim 12 , wherein the signal downconverter comprises:
an image rejection mixer, receiving the first or second amplified and filtered polarization signal from the RF path selector and mixing the first or second amplified and filtered polarization signal based on a local oscillation signal generated by a local oscillator for generating a first intermediate frequency (IF) signal and a second IF signal; a first IF amplifier, coupled to the image rejection mixer; an IF filter, coupled to the first IF amplifier, and re-combining the first and second IF signals for further removing the image signal from the received first and second polarization signal; and a second IF amplifier, coupled to the IF filter and amplifying the output of the IF filter.

15 . The LNB converter of claim 12 , further comprising:
a first off-chip amplifier, disposed on the circuit board, and coupled between the antenna and the first pin of the LNB IC to amplify the first polarization signal; and a second off-chip amplifier, disposed on the circuit board, and coupled between the antenna and the second pin of the LNB IC to amplify the second polarization signal.

16 . The LNB converter of claim 12 , further comprising:
an external power supply, disposed on the circuit board, and coupled to a third pin of the LNB converter; and an external crystal, disposed on the circuit board, and coupled to a fourth pin and a fifth pin of the LNB converter.

17 . The LNB converter of claim 15 , wherein the LNB IC further comprising:
a sixth pin, coupled to the first off-chip amplifier and the second off-chip amplifier; a control circuit, coupled to the sixth pin, controlling the first off-chip amplifier coupled between the first polarization signal and the first pin and the second off-chip amplifier coupled between the second polarizati

Assignees

• Ali Corp

Inventors

• Lambertet Cedric
• Eichrodt Christian
• Epifano Fabio
• Gobet Claude-Alain
• Bautista Alfredo
• Li Jian-Xin

Classifications

• H03D7/165 Primary

  at least two frequency changers being located in different paths, e.g. in two paths with carriers in quadrature (combined with amplitude demodulation H03D1/2245, combined with angle demodulation H03D3/007; N-path filters H03H19/002) · CPC title

• H03D7/18

  Modifications of frequency-changers for eliminating image frequencies {(H03D7/16 takes precedence)} · CPC title

• H04H40/90 Primary

  specially adapted for satellite broadcast receiving · CPC title

• H04N7/20

  Adaptations for transmission via a GHz frequency band, e.g. via satellite · CPC title