Split low noise amplifier

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9705537-B1
Application number	US-56367909-A
Country	US
Kind code	B1
Filing date	Sep 21, 2009
Priority date	Sep 19, 2008
Publication date	Jul 11, 2017
Grant date	Jul 11, 2017

Abstract

Embodiments of the present disclosure relate to a multi-mode RF system, which is capable of transmitting and receiving RF signals using any of multiple RF communications bands. The multi-mode RF system may integrate RF band specific bandpass filters and low noise amplifiers (LNAs) into a single front-end module, such that each filter and amplifier pair provide selection and gain for at least one RF communications band. Outputs of the LNAs may be combined to provide one or more common signals to a transceiver module, which processes baseband signals associated with the RF communications bands. By integrating the filters and amplifiers into a single module, the filters and amplifiers may be closely coupled to one another, thereby supporting short signal paths between the filters and amplifiers, and having impedances high enough to provide good filter selectivity.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A multi-mode radio frequency (RF) system comprising:
a transceiver module configured to:
receive a first common signal; and
process baseband signals associated with a first plurality of RF communications bands based on the first common signal; and

a front-end module comprising:
a first plurality of RF filters, each associated with one or more of the first plurality of RF communications bands and configured to receive and filter an RF input signal to provide a filtered RF signal; and
a first plurality of low noise amplifiers (LNAs) each configured to receive and amplify a filtered RF signal from one or more of the first plurality of RF filters to provide an amplified RF signal, wherein the amplified RF signal from each one of the first plurality of LNAs is combined to provide the first common signal; and
a plurality of signal paths coupled between the first plurality of RF filters and the first plurality of LNAs, wherein an impedance of each one of the plurality of signal paths is greater than 150 Ohms.

2. The multi-mode RF system of claim 1 wherein the first plurality of RF filters is configured to be coupled to an RF antenna, which is used for transmitting and receiving wireless signals.

3. The multi-mode RF system of claim 2 further comprising the RF antenna.

4. The multi-mode RF system of claim 2 wherein the front-end module further comprises RF switch circuitry coupled between the first plurality of RF filters and the RF antenna.

5. The multi-mode RF system of claim 1 further comprising a power amplifier (PA) module coupled between the transceiver module and the front-end module.

6. The multi-mode RF system of claim 1 wherein:
the transceiver module is further configured to:
receive a first diversity common signal; and
process baseband signals associated with the first plurality of RF communications bands based on the first diversity common signal; and

the front-end module further comprises:
a second plurality of RF filters, each associated with one or more of the first plurality of RF communications bands and configured to receive and filter a diversity RF input signal to provide a diversity filtered RF signal; and
a second plurality of LNAs each configured to receive and amplify a diversity filtered RF signal from one or more of the second plurality of RF filters to provide a diversity amplified RF signal, wherein the diversity amplified RF signal from each one of the second plurality of LNAs is combined to provide the first diversity common signal.

7. The multi-mode RF system of claim 6 wherein the second plurality of RF filters is configured to be coupled to a diversity RF antenna, which is used for receiving wireless signals.

8. The multi-mode RF system of claim 7 further comprising the diversity RF antenna.

9. The multi-mode RF system of claim 7 wherein the front-end module further comprises diversity RF switch circuitry coupled between the second plurality of RF filters and the diversity RF antenna.

10. The multi-mode RF system of claim 1 wherein:
the transceiver module is further configured to:
receive a second common signal; and
process baseband signals associated with a second plurality of RF communications bands based on the second common signal; and

the front-end module further comprises:
a second plurality of RF filters, each associated with one or more of the second plurality of RF communications bands and configured to receive and filter an RF input signal to provide a filtered RF signal; and
a second plurality of LNAs each configured to receive and amplify a filtered RF signal from one or more of the second plurality of RF filters to provide an amplified RF signal, wherein the amplified RF signal from each one of the second plurality of LNAs is combined to provide the second common signal.

11. The multi-mode RF system of claim 10 wherein each of the RF input signals associated with the first plurality of RF filters is a high band RF signal and each of the RF input signals associated with the second plurality of RF filters is a low band RF signal.

12. The multi-mode RF system of claim 11 wherein the first plurality of RF filters is configured to be coupled to an RF antenna and the second plurality of RF filters is coupled to the RF antenna, which is used for transmitting and receiving wireless signals.

13. The multi-mode RF system of claim 12 further comprising the RF antenna.

14. The multi-mode RF system of claim 12 wherein the front-end module further comprises high band RF switch circuitry and low band RF switch circuitry, such that the high band RF switch circuitry is coupled between the first plurality of RF filters and the RF antenna, and the low band RF switch circuitry is coupled between the second plurality of RF filters and the RF antenna.

15. The multi-mode RF system of claim 14 wherein the front-end module further comprises a diplexer, such that the diplexer is coupled between the high band RF switch circuitry and the RF antenna, and the diplexer is coupled between the low band RF switch circuitry and the RF antenna.

16. The multi-mode RF system of claim 11 wherein each high band RF signal has a frequency greater than about 1.7 gigahertz and each low band RF signal has a frequency less than about 1.7 gigahertz.

17. The multi-mode RF system of claim 11 wherein each high band RF signal has a frequency greater than about 1.4 gigahertz and each low band RF signal has a frequency less than about 1.4 gigahertz.

Assignees

• Bauder Ruediger
• Khlat Nadim
• Gillenwater Todd
• Sowell Bob
• Qorvo Us Inc

Inventors

• Bauder Ruediger
• Khlat Nadim
• Gillenwater Todd
• Sowell Bob

Classifications

• H04B1/16

  Circuits · CPC title

• H04B1/0458 Primary

  Arrangements for matching and coupling between power amplifier and antenna or between amplifying stages (matching circuits in general H03H) · CPC title

• H04B1/0053 Primary

  with common antenna for more than one band · CPC title

• H04B1/0064

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