Method and apparatus for tuning a communication device for multi band operation

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9979531-B2
Application number	US-201313733297-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Jan 3, 2013
Priority date	Jan 3, 2013
Publication date	May 22, 2018
Grant date	May 22, 2018

Abstract

In one example, a wireless communication device adapted for multi-band operation includes a first antenna, a first diplexer configured to pass signals within first and second sets of frequency bands, first and second signal paths, wherein each signal path includes a set of notch filters tunable to attenuate a different frequency. The wireless communication device includes a second antenna, a second diplexer configured to pass the first and second frequency bands, third and fourth signal paths, wherein each of the third and fourth signal paths includes one or more notch filters tunable to attenuate a different frequency, and a transceiver coupled to each signal path.

First claim

We claim:

1. A wireless communication device adapted for multi-band operation, the wireless communication device comprising:
a first antenna configured to communicate signals within a first set of high frequency bands and a second set of low frequency bands;
a first diplexer coupled to the first antenna and configured to pass signals within the first set of high frequency bands and the second set of low frequency bands;
first and second signal paths coupled to the first diplexer and comprising first and second receive paths, respectively, each signal path including a respective set of two or more notch filters, individual ones of the two or more notch filters in the respective set being tunable to attenuate a different frequency, and each signal path configured to communicate signals within a different one of the first set of high frequency bands and the second set of low frequency bands, the first receive path configured to communicate signals within the first set of high frequency bands, the first receive path including at least first, second, and third notch filters each tunable to attenuate a first transmit frequency, a first half duplex blocker frequency, or a first image blocker frequency, respectively, the second receive path configured to communicate signals within the second set of low frequency bands, the second receive path including at least fourth, fifth, and sixth notch filters each tunable to attenuate a second transmit frequency, a second half duplex blocker frequency, or a second image blocker frequency, respectively;
a second antenna configured to communicate signals within the first set of high frequency bands and the second set of low frequency bands;
a second diplexer coupled to the second antenna and configured to pass signals within the first set of high frequency bands and the second set of low frequency bands;
third and fourth signal paths coupled to the second diplexer and comprising first and second transmit paths, respectively, each of the third and fourth signal paths including an additional respective set of two or more notch filters, individual ones of the two or more notch filters in the additional respective set being tunable to attenuate a different frequency, and each of the third and fourth signal paths configured to communicate signals within a different one of the first set of high frequency bands and second set of low frequency bands; and
a transceiver, coupled to each signal path, configured to simultaneously communicate signals over the first antenna and the second antenna.

2. The wireless communication device of claim 1 , further comprising a first wideband filter configured to filter frequencies outside of the first set of high frequency bands and a second wideband filter configured to filter frequencies outside of the second set of low frequency bands, wherein each wideband filter is coupled to the first diplexer.

3. The wireless communication device of claim 2 further comprising:
a third antenna configured to communicate signals within the first set of high frequency bands and the second set of low frequency bands;
a third diplexer coupled to the third antenna and configured to pass signals, within the first set of high frequency bands and the second set of low frequency bands;
fifth and sixth signal paths coupled to the third diplexer and to the transceiver, wherein each of the fifth and sixth signal paths includes another set of two or more notch filters, and each of the fifth and sixth signal paths is configured to communicate signals within a different one of the first set of high frequency bands and the second set of low frequency bands;
a third wideband filter coupled to the third diplexer and included within the fifth signal path, wherein the third wideband filter is configured to filter frequencies outside of the first set of high frequency bands; and
a fourth wideband filter coupled to the third diplexer and included within the sixth signal path, wherein the fourth wideband filter is configured to filter frequencies outside of the second set of low frequency bands.

4. The wireless communication device of claim 3 , wherein:
the fifth signal path comprises a third receive path that includes a seventh notch filter, an eighth notch filter, and a ninth notch filter each tunable to attenuate a different frequency; and
the sixth signal path comprises a fourth receive path that includes a tenth notch filter, an eleventh notch filter and a twelfth notch filter each tunable to attenuate a different frequency.

5. The wireless communication device of claim 3 , wherein:
the third antenna and the first antenna are tuned to receive duplicate signals from a same channel of a same frequency band, the duplicate signals representing multiple copies of a transmitted signal; and
the transceiver is configured to communicate the duplicate signals to a baseband processor to correct transmission errors and recreate an original form of the transmitted signal.

6. The wireless communication device of claim 3 , wherein the first antenna and the third antenna are tuned to receive transmitted signals from same channels of same frequency bands effective to provide duplicate received signals, the transceiver configured to communicate the duplicate received signals to a baseband processor configured to recreate the received transmitted signals according to an original form of the received transmitted signals.

7. The wireless communication device of claim 1 , wherein:
the first transmit path includes a first transmit notch filter of the additional respective set in the third signal path, the first transmit notch filter being tunable to attenuate transmit frequencies in the first set of high frequency bands; and
the second transmit path includes a second transmit notch filter of the additional respective set in the fourth signal path, the second transmit notch filter being tunable to attenuate transmit frequencies in the second set of low frequency bands.

8. The wireless communication device of claim 1 further comprising a controller coupled to the two or more notch filters in each of the first, second, third, and fourth signal paths, wherein the controller is configured to tune the two or more notch filters in each of the first, second, third, and fourth signal paths depending on a set of frequency bands of operation within at least one of the first set of high frequency bands or the second set of low frequency bands.

9. The wireless communication device of claim 8 , wherein the controller is configured to tune the two or more notch filters in each of the first, second, third, and fourth signal paths depending on a set of allocated carrier frequencies of operation within at least one of the first set of high frequency bands or the second set of low frequency bands.

10. The wireless communication device of claim 1 , further comprising a controller coupled to the two or more notch filters in each of the first, second, third, and fourth signal paths, the controller configured to:
adjust a first antenna match network associated with the first antenna based on a first frequency of operation within the first set of high frequency bands to match a first impedance at the first antenna with a second impedance at the transceiver; and
adjust a second antenna match network associated with the second antenna based on a second frequency of operation within the second set of low frequency bands to match a third impedance at the second antenna with a fourth impedance at the transceiver.

11. A method, performed by a controller, for tuning a wireless communication device for multi-band operation, the method comprising:
receiving an indication of a first carrier frequency allocated

Assignees

• Google Technology Holdings LLC

Inventors

• Schwent Dale G
• Black Gregory R
• Mach Richard E

Classifications

• H04B1/0057 Primary

  using diplexing or multiplexing filters for selecting the desired band · CPC title

• H04L5/02 Primary

  Channels characterised by the type of signal · CPC title

• H04B1/0064

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